Category: Herbs & Plants

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Herbs & Plants

Hoodia

Botanical Name :Hoodia gordonii
Family: Apocynaceae
Subfamily: Asclepiadoideae
Tribe: Stapeliae
Genus: Hoodia
Species: H. gordonii
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Gentianales

Common Name:Hoodia

Habitat :Conservation status: Not evaluated. However, in part of its range (Namibia) it has been assessed as Lower Risk – Least Concern according to IUCN Red Data List categories (SANBI, 2002)  It grows in Very dry rocky environments to sandy river beds.

Description:

Hoodia is a genus of 13 species in the flowering plant family Apocynaceae, under the subfamily Asclepiadoideae. They are stem succulents, described as “cactiform” because of their remarkable similarity to the unrelated cactus family. They can reach up to 1m high and have large flowers, often with flesh colour and strong smell.

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Many Hoodia species are protected plants, typical of the Namib Desert, ranging from Central Namibia to southern Angola, especially in plains and rocky areas. Common names include “Bushman’s Hat” and “Queen of the Namib”.

Several species are grown as garden plants, and one species, Hoodia gordonii, is being investigated for use as an appetite suppressant.

Hoodia gordonii is a leafless spiny succulent plant with medicinal uses. It grows naturally in South Africa and Namibia. The flowers smell like rotten meat and are pollinated mainly by flies. The indigenous Bushmen call this plant hoba.

Imagine not being hungry all day without feeling side effects typical of diet pills made from Hudia, like a racing heart or queasy stomach.

Medicinal uses:
The use of Hoodia has long been known by the indigenous populations of Southern Africa, who infrequently use these plants for treating indigestion and small infections.

In 1977, the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) isolated the ingredient in hoodia—now known as P57—which is responsible for its appetite-suppressant effect, and patented it in 1996. The CSIR then granted United Kingdom-based Phytopharm a license, and they collaborated with the pharmaceutical company Pfizer to isolate active ingredients from the extracts and look into synthesizing them for use as an appetite suppressant. Pfizer released the rights to the primary ingredient in 2002. Paul Hutson, associate professor in the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy, told the Wisconsin State Journal, “For Pfizer to release something dealing with obesity suggests to me that they felt there was no merit to its oral use”. Pfizer states that development on P57, the active ingredient of Hoodia, was stopped due to the difficulty of synthesizing P57. Jasjit Bindra, lead researcher for hoodia at Pfizer, states there were indications of unwanted effects on the liver caused by other components, which could not be easily removed from the supplement, adding “Clearly, hoodia has a long way to go before it can earn approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Until safer formulations are developed, dieters should be wary of using it.”

In 2002, CSIR officially recognized the San tribespeople’s rights over Hoodia, allowing them to take a percentage of the profits and any spin-offs resulting from the marketing of Hoodia.  Hoodia gordonii is a protected plant which may only be wild-harvested by individuals and the few companies who have been granted a license.

Some tribes in Namibia boil the Hoodia to treat various ailments with the brew. including severe abdominal cramps, hemorrhoids, tuberculosis, indigestion, hypertension and diabetes.

Current popular use is for weight control.  Within the hypothalamus, there are nerve cells that sense glucose sugar. When you eat, blood sugar goes up because of the food, these cells start firing and now you are full. What the Hoodia seems to contain is a molecule that is about 10,000 times as active as glucose. It goes to the mid-brain and actually makes those nerve cells fire as if you were full. But you have not eaten. Nor do you want to.

Published scientific conference abstracts (not peer reviewed) of research studies have reported that orally administered crude or partially purified extracts of four different Hoodia species reduced food intake and body weight and body fat of obese and, to a lesser extent, lean rats.  Other animal studies performed in South Africa reported weight loss due to appetite suppression from intake of hoodia (56^).  An unpublished 2-week clinical trial of P57, as a less purified extract, also found body fat loss, reduced energy intake, as well as lower blood sugar and triglycerides

Scientific study
There is no published scientific evidence that Hoodia works as an appetite suppressant in humans. The safety and/or effectiveness of Hoodia Gordonii as a dietary supplement must thus be considered as unsubstantiated.

Animal research on hoodia includes one published scientific study in which a purified extract of Hoodia Gordonii, known as P57, was injected directly into the brains of rats.  The author of the rat study said that P57 was easily broken down by the liver, so it might be hard to take in enough of it to ensure that it had an effect. MacLean cautioned that currently available supplements might be inadequate, stating “I question whether there is really enough of the active ingredient in there to do much.”

Richard M. Goldfarb, MD, a doctor and medical director of Bucks County Clinical Research in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, claims to have conducted a preliminary efficacy study of Hoodia gordonii on seven people and reports to have found it effective. This very small trial was reportedly sponsored by a Hoodia manufacturer and none of the findings were ever published in any peer-reviewed journal. Such information cannot be considered as evidence that hoodia is effective as a weight loss product.

Other medical weight loss experts remain skeptical and do not recommend hoodia to obese patients. Adrienne Youdim, MD, medical director of the Comprehensive Weight Loss Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Michael Steelman, MD, chairman of the board of trustees for the American Society of Bariatric Physicians says “There is no [published scientific] data to support its use.” In addition, the FTC recommends against the use of such diet products marketed with exaggerated claims

CLICK TO SEE: ANATRIM

Click to read: African Plant May Help Fight Fat
Hoodia Gordonii Guide

Can An Ancient Hunger Cure Help the Modern World?

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://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoodia
http://www.hoodia.com/

http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_FGH.htm

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Herbs & Plants

Eight of the World’s Most Unusual Plants

“Weird” is a relative term. What seems weird to one person might seem normal to another. But there are some species of plants that most people would agree are a bit unusual.

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Take the Rafflesia arnoldii, for example. It develops the world’s largest bloom, which can grow over three feet across. The plant smells like rotting flesh, and has no leaves, stems, or roots. Instead, it lives as a parasite on the Tetrastigma (grape) vine, which grows only in undisturbed rainforests.

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Welwitschia mirabilis has only two leaves, which grow and grow until they resemble an alien life form. The stem gets thicker rather than higher, and the plant can grow to be twenty-four feet wide.

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Dracunculus vulgaris is another rotting flesh-scented plant, which projects a slender, black appendage from its flower.

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Amorphophallus (which literally means “shapeless penis”) has an enormous erect spadix, from which it gets its name.

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Wollemia nobilis has strange bark that looks like bubbles of chocolate, multiple trunks, and ferny-looking leaves growing in spirals. One of the truly astonishing characteristic of the Wollemia is that every plant growing in the wild has identical DNA.

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Hydnora africana has a putrid-smelling blossom that attracts herds of carrion beetles.

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Drakaea glyptodon has the color and smell of raw meat, and is pollinated by male wasps.

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Wolffia angusta has the world’s smallest flower; a dozen of these plants would easily fit on the head of a pin.

Whenever one is confronted with weird and wonderful species from the natural kingdom, whether plants or animals, one is reminded of how truly symbiotic and complex life here on earth really is. And, just how little we actually know about this interconnected dance.

Why do these strange plants exist? What is their purpose? No one knows, and yet, there they are – undoubtedly serving some “invisible” function that our limited human knowledge can’t decipher.

Scientists often want to believe that things can be broken down into tiny fragments in order to be “figured out.” But just one look at the pharmaceutical industry’s complete and utter failure at figuring out a single cure using this kind of narrow-minded thinking, and you realize that nature knows better than any man ever will.

Sources:Divine Caroline October 2007

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Pomegranate Juice as Good as Viagra

LONDON: Men who want to boost their performance in the bedroom should drink pomegranate juice, says a new research. According to the University of California scientists, a daily glass can act like Viagra.

Lead author Dr Christopher Forest says that the juice is rich in antioxidants, which increases blood supply to the genitals. For the study, the team tested 53 men with libido problems. They found that nearly half the men who drank it for a month said they found it easier to perform.

“Pomegranate juice has great potential,” the ‘Mirror’ quoted Forest, as saying.

Pomegranates have already been associated with reducing the risk of heart disease and preventing prostate cancer.

Researchers had previously asserted that a daily 0.236 litre glass of the fruit’s juice not only increases the stability period of prostate cancer four-fold, but that the effect is so marked that they believe it can also make it possible for men between the ages of 60 to 75 to live out a full life span without the need for medical treatment, rather than dying from the cancer.

That study was conducted by researchers from the University of California who looked at 50 prostate cancer patients who had surgery or radiotherapy, who had experienced a post-treatment increase of PSA (prostate specific antigen), indicating that cancer was still present in their bodies.

During the study, the researchers measured the men’s PSA levels to calculate how long they took to double. They found that men suffering from prostate cancer with short doubling times are more likely to die from their illness, and that the average doubling time is 15 months.

They noted that consuming a glass of pomegranate juice everyday extended the doubling period to 54 months, and that there was also evidence that the juice was actually killing off prostate cancer cells.

Dr Allan Pantuck, who led the study, said that the improvements had been surprising, and that though it was not a cure, scientists may now be able to stump prostate cancer growth.

Sources: The Times Of India

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Herbs & Plants Herbs & Plants (Spices)

Kaffir Lime

Botanical Name : Citrus hystrix DC., Rutaceae),
Family: Rutaceae
Other Names:Kieffer lime, Thai lime, wild lime, makrut, or magrood,
Burmese: shauk-nu
Indonesian: jerk purut, jeruk sambal
Malay: duan limau purut
Philippino: swangi
Thai: makrut, som makrut

The leaves of this member of the citrus family are responsible for the distinctive lime-lemon aroma and flavour that are an indispensable part of Thai and, to a lesser extent, Indonesian cooking.

Description:
The leaves of the kaffir lime tree are a dark green color with a glossy sheen. They come in two parts: the top leaflet is lightly pointed at its tip and is attached to another leaflet beneath that is broader on its upper edge. The size of the leaves can vary quite a bit, from less than an inch to several inches long.

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The fruit is dark green and round, with a distinct nipple on the stem end. It has a thick rind, knobby and wrinkled, and one of its common names is ‘porcupine orange’. As the fruit becomes older, the color fades to a lighter, yellowish green. Though the juice is infrequently use in cooking, the zest of the rind is often used for making curry pastes.
The leaves and rind have a perfume unlike any other citrus, sometimes called mysterious or haunting. There is a combined lemon/lime/madarin aroma but clearly an identity of its own.

Culinary Uses
Kaffir lime leaves are precious to many Thai dishes, from soups and salads to curries and stir-fried dishes. They blend blend with lemon grass and lime juice in tom yam to give the soup its wholesome lemony essence. In soupy dishes, add the leaves whole or torn into smaller pieces, using them as one would bay leaves to flavour broth or stew.

Salads or garnishes require fresh leaves. Dried leaves cannot be substituted. The leaves, when young and tender, are finely shredded and added to salads and sprinkled over curries for a burst of flavour. Being rather thick, they must be cut very fine, like threads, and the thick mid-rib removed. To sliver kaffir lime leaves finely, stack three to four leaves of similar size together and slice them very thinly with a sharp knife. It is faster to cut diagonally , which gives the hands better leverage, or roll a few leaves at a time into a tight roll before slicing. If fresh kaffir lime leaves are not available, use the tender new leaves of lime, lemon or grapefruit. They won’t have the same fragrance but are preferable to using dried kaffir lime leaves in some dishes.

When making a soup or stock, whole fresh or dried leaves may be added, as they are removed after cooking. Finely chopped fresh or crumbled dry kaffir lime leaves are used in dishes like tom yum, strir fries and curries, especially those containing coconut cream. The flavour also combines well with basil, cardamom, chiles, cilantro, cumin, curry leaves, lemon grass, galangal, ginger, mint, tamarind, turmeric and coconut milk.

Though the juice is seldom used in cooking, the peel of the fruit, with its high concentration of aromatic oils, is indispensable in many curry pastes and is one reason why Thai curries taste refreshingly unique. The zest also imparts a wonderful piquant flavour to such delectable favorites as fried fish cakes, and it blends in powerfully with such spicy, chile-laden stews as “jungle soup” (gkaeng bpah). Because it’s strong flavour can over power the more subtle ones in a dish, the rind should be used sparingly, grated or chopped finely and reduced in a mortar with other paste ingredients until indistinguishable..

Kaffir lime is used extensively in Thai cooking. Both the zest and leaves are very useful. The fruit looks like wrinkled lime, big wrinkles. Thai people believed the juice is excellent hair rinse to prevent hair from falling out. The zest of the lime is an ingredient in red curry paste.

The juice is rarely used in Thai cooking, but the zest is common.

Recently, Thai growers have developed and started growing a kaffir lime without wrinkles that is easier to pack and ship around the world.
The leaf look like any citrus leaf, but it has two connecting leaves. I often call it the double leaf. Many recipes calls for its leaves. If the leaf is used whole, in soup, most people do not eat the leaf itself. The only time the leaf is eaten is when it sliced very thin for recipes like Tod Mun.

Medicinal Properties
The citrus juice used to be included in Thai ointments and shampoos, and in tonics in Malaysia. Kaffir lime shampoo leaves the hair squeaky clean and invigorates the scalp. Kaffir lime has also been used for ages as a natural bleach to remove tough stains.

The essential oils in the fruit are incorporated into various ointments, and the rind is an ingredient in medical tonics believed to be good for the blood. Like lemon grass and galangal, the rind is also known to have beneficial properties for the digestive system.

In folk medicine, the juice of kaffir lime is said to promote gum health and is recommended for use in brushing teeth and gums. It is believed to freshen one’s mental outlook and ward off evil spirits

The leaves can be used fresh or dried, and can be stored frozen.

The juice and rinds of the kaffir lime are used in traditional Indonesian medicine; for this reason the fruit is sometimes referred to in Indonesia as jeruk obat – literally “medicine citrus”. The oil from the rind has strong insecticidal properties.

The zest of the fruit is widely used in creole cuisine and to impart flavor to “arranged” rums in the Réunion island and Madagascar.

Storage
The leaves may be recognized by their distinctive two sections. For simmering in soups or curries the leaves are used whole. Frozen or dried leaves may be used for simmering if fresh leaves are not available. The finely grated rind of the lumpy-skinned fruit has its own special fragrance. If you can obtain fresh kaffir limes, they freeze well enclosed in freezer bags and will keep indefinitely in that state. Just grate a little rind off the frozen lime and replace lime in freezer until next required. The leaves freeze well too. dried kaffir lime leaves should be green, not yellow, and are best kept under the same conditions as other dried herbs. They will keep for about 12 months in an airtight pack, out of light, heat and humidity.

Click to Buy fresh lime leaves and other Thai ingredients


Resources:
http://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/kaffir.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaffir_lime

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/67460/

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Salvia Multiorrhiza

Botanical Name:Salvia Multiorrhiza
Family:    Lamiaceae
Genus:    Salvia
Species:    S. miltiorrhiza
Kingdom:    Plantae
Order:    Lamiales

Common Names: Red sage, Chinese sage, tan shen  or danshen

Habitat :Salvia Multiorrhiza  is   native to China and Japan, it grows at 90 to 1,200 m (300 to 3,940 ft) elevation, preferring grassy places in forests, hillsides, and along stream banks. The specific epithet miltiorrhiza means “red ochre root”.

Description:Salvia miltiorrhiza is a deciduous perennial plant  with branching stems that are 30 to 60 cm (0.98 to 1.97 ft) tall, with widely spaced leaves that are both simple and divided. The .3 m (0.98 ft) inflorescences are covered with hairs and sticky glands. Flowers grow in whorls, with light purple to lavender blue corollas that are approximately 2.5 cm (0.082 ft) long, with a dark purple calyx. Salvia miltiorrhiza prefers well draining soil, with about half a day of sunlight. It is hardy to approximately   10 °C (14 °F). Most Salvia seeds have a higher germination rate when exposed to light, though it is not required.

click & see the pictures

Salvia Multiorrhiza  is a   shade-growing   flowering plant in the genus Salvia, highly valued for its roots in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The roots are used in TCM to thin and promote blood flow. It is also used to treat myocardial infarction and stroke.

Cultivation:
Requires a very well-drained light sandy soil in a sunny position[200]. Prefers a rich soil. Plants can be killed by excessive winter wet. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer.
Propagation

Propagation: Seed – sow March/April in a greenhouse. Germination usually takes place within 2 weeks. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in early summer. In areas where the plant is towards the limits of its hardiness, it is best to grow the plants on in a greenhouse for their first winter and plant them out in late spring of the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood succeed at almost any time in the growing season.

Medicinal Uses
Adaptogen; Alterative; Anticholesterolemic; Antirheumatic; Antiseptic; Antispasmodic; Astringent; Cancer; Emmenagogue; Hepatic; Sedative; Tonic; Vulnerary.

Dan Shen has long been used in Chinese medicine and recent research has confirmed the validity of its use in the treatment of heart and circulatory problems. The root is adaptogen, alterative, anticholesterolemic, antirheumatic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, astringent, emmenagogue, hepatic, sedative, tonic and vulnerary. It acts mainly on the heart energy, removing excess heat and clearing stagnation. Its use improves the micro-circulation, increases blood flow to the coronary artery, improves myocardial contraction and adjusts the heart rate. It has an antibacterial action, inhibiting the growth of Pseudomonas, E. coli, Vibrio Proteus, Bacillus typhi, Shigella dysenteriae, Shigella flexneri, Staphylococcus aureus etc. It is used internally in the treatment of coronary heart disease, poor circulation, palpitations, irritability, insomnia, breast abscesses, mastitis, ulcers, boils, sores, bruises, menstrual problems and post-natal pains. ‘Praised for its alleged medicinal qualities, including a cure for cancer’. The roots are harvested in the autumn and early winter and are dried for later use.

Other Uses:None known

 

FOR MORE KNOWLEDGE:

Click for Salvia and the History of Microcirculation Research in China

and click on Medicine Plus Herbs

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/database/plants.php?Salvia+multiorrhiza
http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Salvia+multiorrhiza

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

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