Month: November 2010

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Herbs & Plants

Aconitum balfourii

Botanical Name :Aconitum balfourii
Family :Ranunculaceae
Subfamily :Trollioideae
Genus :Aconitum
Tribe :Delphinieae
Order :Ranunculales
Synonyms :A.atrox
Common Name :Vatsnabha, Monk’s hood, Midhavis, Meetha-tellia, Banwa.

Habitat: E. Asia – Himalayas from Nepal to Tibet at an elevation of 2200 – 4000 metres. Found in the upper subalpine areas in open positions on rocky slopes.This species has a restricted global distribution occuring in the Himalayan region across India and Nepal between an altitude range of 3000-4000 m. Within India, it has been recorded in Uttar Pradesh (Garhwal and Kumaon range).

click to see the map of it’s availability


Description:
Herbs perennial or annual , sometimes subshrubs or herbaceous or woody vines . Leaves basal and cauline, alternate, rarely opposite or whorled , simple or variously compound , palmately nerved, rarely penninerved , with or without stipules. Inflorescence a simple or compound monochasium, dichasium, simple or compound raceme, or flowers solitary. Flowers bisexual , sometimes unisexual , actinomorphic , rarely zygomorphic, hypogynous. Sepals 3–6 or more, free , petaloid or sepaloid , imbricate or sometimes valvate in bud. Petals present or absent, 2–8 or more, free, usually with nectaries. Stamens numerous , rarely few, free; filaments linear or filiform ; anthers latrorse , introrse , or extrorse ; sometimes some sterile stamens becoming staminodes. Carpels numerous or few, rarely 1, free, rarely connate to various degrees ; ovary with 1 to many ovules. Fruit follicles or achenes, rarely capsules or berries . Seeds small, with abundant endosperm and minute embryo.

click to see the pictures…....(01)......(1).……..(2)..…….…(3).……….(4).….…..

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil.The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils..It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade.It requires moist soil.

Cultivation:Aconitum balfourii     hrives in most soils and in the light shade of trees. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Prefers a moist soil in sun or semi-shade. Prefers a calcareous soil. Members of this genus seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits and deer. Grows well in open woodlands. A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby species, especially legumes.

Propagation:
Seed – best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. The seed can be stratified and sown in spring but will then be slow to germinate. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer. Division – best done in spring but it can also be done in autumn. Another report says that division is best carried out in the autumn or late winter because the plants come into growth very early in the year

Medicinal Uses:
Analgesic;  Antiinflammatory;  Antirheumatic;  Vermifuge. Used in Ayurveda, Folk, Tibetian, Unani and Sidha

The tuber is used in Tibetan medicine where it is considered to have an acrid and sweet taste with a heating potency – it is also very poisonous. The root is analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antirheumatic and vermifuge. It dries up serous fluids and is used in the treatment of all types of pain and inflammation from gout or arthritis, all disorders due to worms or micro-organisms, amnesia, loss of bodily heat, leprosy and paralysis.

Known Hazards : The whole plant is highly toxic – simple skin contact has caused numbness in some people.

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Aconitum%20balfourii
http://envis.frlht.org/junclist.php?txtbtname=Drosera+indica+L.&gesp=44%7CAconitum+balfourii+STAPF&emailid=&Join=Join
http://envis.frlht.org.in/junclist.php?txtbtname=&gesp=52%7CAconitum+heterophyllum+WALL.+EX+ROYLE
http://zipcodezoo.com/Plants/A/Aconitum_reclinatum/

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Herbs & Plants

Himalayan mapple(Acer oblongum Wall.ex DC)

Botanical Name :Acer oblongum Wall.ex DC
Family : Aceraceae
Genus : Acer

Common Name :Himalayan mapple, Pharbanj, Mark, Pangoi.

Habitat:E. Asia – Himalayas from Pakistan to S. W. China and Burma.  Found in lime-free soils in forests at altitudes between1000 – 3000 metres[51, 200].

Description:
Trees evergreen, 12 to 15 m tall. Bark smooth to wrinkled. Trunk irregularly buttressed at base. Twigs red-brown or purplish, slender. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, 5-18 cm long, 2-8 cm wide, glabrescent, reddish when young, later dark green above, paler to glaucous beneath; nerves pinnate in 6-8 pairs; base rounded to subacute; petioles slender, 2-10 cm long. Inflorescence corymobose, pubescent on leafy terminal and lateral shoots, 5-15 cm long. Pedicels pubescent. Flowers 5-merous, 7-9 mm across, greenish-white. Sepals linear, 1-2 mm wide, acute, pubescent. Petals narrowly lanceolate, 1-2 mm wide. Stamens 8, inserted on disc. Ovary pubescent, styles free nearly to the base. Samaras glabrous, 2-3 cm long; wings veined, divergent, constricted at base; nutlets gibbous, locules white-pubescent inside.  CLICK TO SEE

 CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES

It is hardy to zone 7. The seeds ripen from October to November. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs)
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay soil. The plant prefers acid and neutral soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Cultivation:
Of easy cultivation, it prefers a good moist well-drained soil in a sunny position but tolerates some shade. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Chlorosis can sometimes develop as a result of iron deficiency when the plants are grown in alkaline soils, but in general maples are not fussy as to soil pH. This species is found on acid soils in the wild. This species is not hardy in all parts of Britain, forms from China are hardier but even then this species is better grown in the warmer parts of the country. Most maples are bad companion plants, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants.

Propagation:
Seed – best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, it usually germinates in the following spring. Pre-soak stored seed for 24 hours and then stratify for 2 – 4 months at 1 – 8°c. It can be slow to germinate. The seed can be harvested ‘green’ (when it has fully developed but before it has dried and produced any germination inhibitors) and sown immediately. It should germinate in late winter. If the seed is harvested too soon it will produce very weak plants or no plants at all[80, 113]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on until they are 20cm or more tall before planting them out in their permanent positions. Layering, which takes about 12 months, is successful with most species in this genus. Cuttings of young shoots in June or July. The cuttings should have 2 – 3 pairs of leaves, plus one pair of buds at the base. Remove a very thin slice of bark at the base of the cutting, rooting is improved if a rooting hormone is used. The rooted cuttings must show new growth during the summer before being potted up otherwise they are unlikely to survive the winter. If seed is unavailable, the plant can be grafted onto A. buergerianum.

Medicial Uses:

You may click to see :
Encyclopedia of Himalayan Medicinal Flora, Vol. I
Ethnobotanical Observations in the Mornaula Reserve Forest of Kumoun, West Himalaya, India :

Other Uses
Preservative; Wood.

The leaves are packed around apples, rootcrops etc to help preserve them. Wood – close grained, moderately hard. Used for agricultural implements, minor construction, cups etc

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
http://server9.web-mania.com/users/pfafardea/database/plants.php?Acer+oblongum
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=200013053
http://vaniindia.org.whbus12.onlyfordemo.com/herbal/plantdir.asp

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Healthy Tips

Chocolate Protects Against Heart Disease

Numerous studies have shown that cocoa has a protective effect against cardiovascular diseases. The reason for this has now been uncovered by researchers at Linköping University in Sweden. When a group of volunteers devoured a good-sized piece of dark chocolate, it inhibited an enzyme in their bodies that is known to raise blood pressure.

“We have previously shown that green tea inhibits the enzyme ACE, which is involved in the body’s fluid balance and blood pressure regulation. Now we wanted to study the effect of cocoa, since the active substances catechins and procyanidines are related,” says study leader Ingrid Persson.

The researchers recruited 16 healthy volunteer subjects for the study. They were not tobacco users and were not allowed to take any pharmaceuticals for two weeks. During the last two days they were not allowed to eat chocolate or anything containing similar compounds, including many kinds of berries and fruits, nor could they drink coffee, tea, or wine.

When the study took place, everyone in the group – ten men and six women between the ages of 20 and 45 – ate 75 grams of unsweetened chocolate with a cocoa content of 72 percent. To analyze what happened with the ACE enzyme, blood samples were taken in advance and then a half hour, one hour, and three hours afterward.

In the sample taken three hours afterward, there was a significant inhibition of ACE activity. The average was 18 percent lower activity than before the dose of cocoa, fully comparable to the effect of drugs that inhibit ACE and are used as a first-choice treatment for high blood pressure.

When the activities of the enzyme decline, the blood pressure goes down with time. As expected, no such effect was found in the subjects. To show this, the study would have to continue over a longer period.

“Our findings indicate that changes in lifestyle with the help of foods that contain large concentrations of catechins and procyaninides prevent cardiovascular diseases,” she says

Source :Elements4Health

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Herbs & Plants

Achyranthes bidentata

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Botanical Name :Achyranthes bidentata Blume
Family: Amaranthaceae
Genus: Achyranthes
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Caryophyllales

Chinese name : Bidentata,Niu Xi
English name : Twotooth Achyranthes Root Twotooth Achyranthes Root,Ox Knee
Latin name: Radix Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix Achyranthis Bidentatae
Alias  : Achyranthes bidentata, the festival grass

Common Name :Apamarga, Umblokando, Bankhat

Habitat:Native to Asian countries.
Achyranthes bidentata Blume  is a species of Achyranthes that grows in India, Nepal, China, and Japan.  It grows in loose fertile soil, more than those born in the wild mountain road.  Medicine is mainly produced in Henan.

Description:
Two-toothed Chaff Flower is an erect, perennial herb, 0.7-1.2 m tall, distributed in hilly districts of India, Java, China and Japan. Stem green or tinged purple, with opposite branches. Leaf stalk 0.5-3 cm, hairy; leaf blade elliptic or elliptic-lanceolate, rarely oblanceolate, 4.5-12 × 2-7.5 cm. Flower spikes terminal or axillary, 3-5 cm; rachis 1-2 cm, white hairy. Flowers dense, 5 mm. Tepals shiny, lanceolate, 3-5 mm, with a midvein, apex acute. Stamens 2-2.5 mm; pseudostaminodes slightly serrulate, apex rounded. Utricles yellowish brown, shiny, oblong, 2-2.5 mm, smooth. Seeds light brown, oblong, 1 mm. Seed are cooked and eaten. A good substitute for cereal grains in bread-making, they have often been used for this purpose during famine. Flowering: July-September. Leaves are used as a vegetable in the same manner as spinach.

You may click to see the pic tures of Achyranthes bidentata

Collect and process  : Leaf blight in winter when the excavation, removal of fine roots and sediment, and bind them into a small, wrinkled sun to dry, will be trimming the top and dried.

Root slender cylindrical, slightly curved, long 15 ~ 50cm, up to 90cm, diameter of 0.4 ~ 1cm. Surface greyish yellow or light brown, with fine longitudinal wrinkles, long horizontal lenticels, and sparse fine root marks.  Hard and brittle, moisture is soft. 2?4?? Section flat, yellow brown, micro skin was like, yellow-white center Kibe vascular, peripheral vascular bundles are arranged in a little bit like 2 ~ 4.  Gas micro, taste slightly sweet, bitter, astringent.


Medicinal Uses:
The plant has been mentioned in manuscripts of Ayurveda and Chinese medicines. In Ayurveda, two varieties, red and white are mentioned. In Sanskrit, synonyms describe this as a rough flowered stalk. It is described in ‘Nighantas’ as purgative, pungent, digestive, a remedy for inflammation of the internal organs, piles, itch, abdominal enlargements and enlarged cervical glands. Hindus used ashes for preparing caustic alkaline preparations. The herb is diuretic and relieve edema; promote blood circulation to remove blood clots and bruising; treat menstrual disorders; ease joints and strengthen bones and muscles; relieve pain in knees and lower back.

It is a superior herb highly recommended for bladder and urinary tract problems and menstrual disorders.

Liver and kidney, strengthening the bones, pass through stasis, blood lead down. For the waist and knee pain, aching, weakness, amenorrhea Zheng Jia, liver yang vertigo.

*Liver and kidney deficiency, waist and knee pain: with Eucommia, Cistanche.
* Amenorrhea Zhengjia: with angelica, red peony root, peach kernel, Corydalis and so on.
* Lower extremity arthritis, joint pain: with papaya, Coix Seed, Campsis, Clematis.

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=zh-CN&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.zyyzl.com%2Fdrugview.asp%3Fid%3D1864

http://www.asianflora.com/Amaranthaceae/Achyranthes-bidentata.htm

http://vaniindia.org.whbus12.onlyfordemo.com/herbal/plantdir.asp

http://www.dreddyclinic.com/ayurvedic/herbs/aa/apamarga.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achyranthes_bidentata

http://www.foodsnherbs.com/new_page_2.htm

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News on Health & Science

“Miracle Nutrient” that Cured Man on the Brink of Death

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Very hiigh doses of Vitamin C.  recovered the man from the brink of death.

When a King Country dairy farmer came down with a serious case of swine flu, intensive care specialists said there was no hope. They were set to pull him off of life support, but his family refused to give up.

The family demanded that the doctors try high doses of Vitamin C. The hospital told them it wouldn’t work, but the family insisted. They had to hire a lawyer to get their way — but their actions saved the man’s life.

You may click the link below to see a news report of this amazing story.


Source: News3 August 18, 2010

 
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