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Health Alert

For Soft And Young Skin

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Five minutes everyday is all it takes to pamper your skin, and keep it looking soft and young.

Work , stress, party nights, harried mornings , pollution, sun, dust – Every minute of the day your skin faces these challenges . Is it not fair on the skin’s part to demand a little of your time? Five minutes everyday is all it takes to pamper your skin, and keep it looking soft and young.

For dark circles
Rose water helps get rid of these. You could also prepare some warm tea, dip a piece of cotton in it, and place it on your eyes. Change it thrice. Apply some eye gel as it helps keep the area moist.

For dryness
Excess makeup tends to make your skin dry and lifeless. A deep cleansing cream takes away all the dirt and pollution. You can also massage your face with almond oil along with a drop of essential oil like jasmine. Parties in air-conditioned rooms cause this problem too. For the skin to retain its natural glow, it’s essential that you spray some rose water on your face and apply a lot of moisturiser.

For dull skin
Clean your face with a NH exfoliator. Scrub your skin well; exfoliate dead skin. Splash drinking soda on your face, apply a moisturiser and then do makeup. Once a week, apply a face pack.

For acne & pimples
Not everyone has the right skin to handle copious amounts of make-up , and the sweetmeat indulgence doesn’t help either. Control skin break-outs by applying water based makeup and use a gel based moisturiser. Use a good cleansing face wash, a medicated toner and non-alcoholic toner.

Finally, remove your makeup before you go to bed. Apply a cleansing cream and wipe off with a damp cloth. Use a good face wash followed by a toner. And, while you sleep, your skin will do the rest of the work, so that you wake up with a glow in the morning.

Source: The Times Of India

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Healthy Tips

Soap For Your Skin Type

How to choose the right soap for different skin types.
Are soaps with high pH level harmful?
The skin’s pH level is a major factor contributing to skin problems. The normal pH is slightly acidic, maintained between 4.5 and 5.5, a level at which bacteria like the propionibacterium acnes on the skin surface have minimal activity.
However, any change in alkaline pH levels causes infection. Ordinary commercial soaps have pH levels between nine to 11, which increases the skin pH level leading to problems.

How is one soap different from the other?
The original objective of soap still remains to keep skin dirt and germ free. But in recent years, there has been a plethora of soap brands in the market.
Though most soap brands use the same fundamental ingredients consisting of a fat and an alkali, the basic formula is modified to create thousands of products .
Some soaps help to moisturise dry skin, others aid in maintaining oily skin, and there are some that are designed to make bath time pleasurable .

How can one choose the right soap to suit their skin type?
People with dry skin hardly have any secretion of natural skin oils and should opt for superfatted and emollientrich soaps like Dove or Olay.
Natural soaps that contain aloe vera, cocoa butter, avocado or vegetable oils are best for dry skin. On the other hand, people with oily skin should use antibacterial soaps or specific face cleansers.
Soaps containing lavender, chamomile and thyme are very effective for oily skin. Glycerin-based soaps like Pears suits people with a combination skin type.

Are medicated soaps good for the skin?
Medicated soaps are specially designed to prevent and treat skin infections. These soaps contain antiseptic agents which can clean, disinfect and deodorise the skin.
Medicated soaps that contain sulphur or salicylic acid are usually recommended for widespread fungal infections. Certain soaps with exfoliating properties are prescribed for skin problems like acne and pigmentation .
Other soaps with Vitamin E, jojoba oil are good for dry skin diseases like ichthyosis, eczema and psoriasis. The right soap and a right skin care regimen helps prevent skin problems.

Source:The Times Of India

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Herbal Beauty & Body Care

Foods for Healthy Skin And Flawless Complexion

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Revitalize Your Skin Without Chemicals or Plastic Surgery:

Aging is a fact of life. While many people try harsh chemical peels, exfoliants and costly plastic surgeries to reclaim their youth, walk no farther than your kitchen to achieve a radiant complexion naturally using ancient Chinese food therapy.

Let us face that Aging is a Fact of Life.

While you can always try harsh chemical peels and a host of costly and risky plastic surgeries to revitalize your skin, look no further than your local market to find effective, natural ways to achieve a flawless complexion.

Just as Chinese herbs promote health, beauty, healing and rejuvenation for our face and body, Chinese texts laud the healing and beautifying effects of many foods. Food therapy can be a powerful tool for smoothing wrinkles and diminishing those dark eye circles, bags and facial discolorations.

Many foods and vegetables provide far more than essential nutrients, though. In fact, most can be used directly as healing agents. The distinction between staple foods, vegetables, spices, herbs and drugs are often rather arbitrary.

Food therapy for facial complexion adheres to the basic tenet of Chinese medical philosophy, which holds that external beauty is a mirror reflecting internal health. These foods help address the internal imbalances that result in a spotted or discolored complexion. Of course, their beneficial effect is gradual but without any side effect, and for best results, any food therapy program should go hand in hand with other natural complexion treatments  such as herbs, acupuncture, and acupressure. and regular systematic YOGA Exercise .

Here are some of the best foods the Chinese associate with a spotless and radiant complexion:

COIX SEED.
Chinese Name: Yi Yi Ren

This wonderful barley-like grain, when eaten as food, can help the body clear up discoloration of the facial complexion. It is also a very effective strengthener of the digestive system.

To find and prepare coix seed: Cook it in soup as you would with other beans and barley, or boil it into tea (15 g) and drink it all day.

MULBERRY FRUIT
Chinese Name: Sang Shen Zi

These fruits of the mulberry tree contain beneficial antioxidants, help overcome weakness, and brighten a withered-looking complexion. They also are beneficial for clearing dark spots from the face.

To find and prepare mulberry fruit: Mulberry fruit is available in food markets and can be eaten as you would any berry. You also can buy fresh mulberry juice and drink it, or use it in your cooking.

WHITE TURNIP
Chinese Name: Bai Luo Be

This is a fairly common turnip, often called daikon, which offers plenty of medicinal benefits. It detoxifies the skin and has a beneficial effect on the complexion when eaten regularly.

To find and prepare white turnip: It can be found in most regular food markets. Clean and cut it into small pieces, and then cook it with your regular soup. You also can shred and prepare it as a salad. For facial discoloration, juice white turnip every morning and drink about half a cup.

LUFFA
Chinese Name: Si Gua

This common Chinese vegetable rejuvenates the skin and is used by the Chinese for facial discoloration and wrinkle conditions. It also is commonly processed for use as a bath sponge, to exfoliate and polish the skin.

To find and prepare luffa: You easily can grow these zucchini-like vegetables yourself if you have the space. You also should be able to find them at Chinese markets. Prepare them as you would any squash. It also makes an excellent topical mask for dealing with wrinkles, dark spots and uneven facial discoloration. The best way to collect the juice is to cut the vein and let the liquid drip into a jar, and then apply it topically to the face while fresh.

Food therapy, as effective as the other traditional Chinese medicine techniques in a facial rejuvenation program, is a powerful tool for smoothing wrinkles and diminishing those dark eye circles, bags and facial discolorations.

PERSIMMON
Chinese Name: Shi Zi

Persimmon has been known for centuries to cool the body, nourish the lungs and moisten the skin   all actions that improve facial complexion.

To find and prepare persimmon: You may find two different kinds of persimmons. The Chinese version is sometimes called kaki. Both the Chinese and the American persimmons are great for complexion. Eat them raw as fruit, but make sure they are very ripe. Dried persimmons are a special treat that can be found in Chinese markets. Another way to use persimmon to brighten the complexion is by applying the fresh peel to the face

GINKGO NUT
Chinese Name: Bai Gou

The health benefits of ginkgo leaf extract have been widely recognized in the West. Much modern research indicates that the antioxidant plant chemicals in ginkgo benefit blood flow and might even slow memory loss. Not many are aware that in Chinese medicine, the nut of the ginkgo tree is more often used medicinally. Ginkgo nut is used herbally, but the whole nuts themselves, often roasted, are a traditional Chinese food that nourishes lung energy and calms wheezing. The best way to use ginkgo to clear the complexion is topical application.

To find and prepare ginkgo nut: It is available in Chinese markets. Crush the fresh nuts into a paste and apply directly to the face.

WINTER MELON
Chinese Name: Dong Gua
This gourd vegetable and its seeds are very popular in China, especially as a soup. It benefits the heart, detoxifies the body and beautifies the skin. Whether eaten as a food or taken in herb form, winter melon can improve a variety of complexion problems.

To find and prepare winter melon: You can find it in Asian markets or even in Western-style organic food stores. It is also called wax gourd or white gourd. Eat it as you would any melon, peeling off the outer skin. Remove the seeds and pulp, cut it into small pieces, and put in soup or saute with garlic. For topical skin beauty use, take a small piece, including the juice, and apply the liquid directly to your face as a skin brightener.

Source :    www.toyourhealth.com

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Herbal Care

Complexion Lotions/Sunscreen Lotions For All Skins

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Every woman wants to look fair and charming.Home made complexion lotions not only improve the colour of your skin but also protect it from the harmful effect of the sun by providing a screen between the skin and the sun rays.Therefore they may be called sunscreen lotions. You may try any one of the following to look you prettier than before and keep your skin safe from the sun.

Lime Completion Lotion:
———————-
Lime Flower…………25 gms.
Distilled Water…….250 ml
Sodium Benzoate……..1/4 tsp

Put the lime flowers in the boiling water for an hour. Strain and let the mixture cool. Add sodium benzoate to it.This is a very good complexion lotion and for better results you may add equal part of rose water to it. Keep it under refrigeration and use it with the help of cotton buds.

Lavender Complexion Lotion:
—————————
Borax Powder…………1tsp.
Rose Water……………1 cup.
Olive Oil ……………2 tsp.
Lavender Extract……..1/2 cup.

Mix borax powder in rose water and add boiling olive oil to the mixture. Keep starring, when cool add lavender extract too.It can be kept under refrigeration for more than 2 months.

Almond Complexion Lotion:
————————-
Almond Oil………………1 tbsp.
Cucumber/Carrot Juice…….1 tsp.
Glycerine……………….2 tsp.
Liquid Paraffin………….1 tsp.
Extract Of Cornflower…….1 tsp.

Heat the almond oil and paraffin togather and add all other ingredients to it. Shake it well, apply it and let it remain till it dries.Rinse off with water proceded by washing with lukeworm water.It leaves the skin looking fairer and smoother.

Sesame Complex Lotion:
———————-
Sesameme oil ……………… 40 ml.
Olive Oil……………………10 ml.
Almond Oil ………………….10 ml.

Mix all the oil togather and apply it on the face and neck.It is an exclusive tonic to protect the skin from scroching heat of sun and is a very effective measure to get rid of suntanning.

Brook Lime Complexion Lotion:
—————————-

Leaves/Stems of Brook Lime………….50 gms.
Distilled Water…………………..500 ml.
Sodium Benzoate…………………..1/2 tsp.

Boil the water and put the brook lime leaves/stems in it. Leave it for an hour. Strain and let it cool.Now mix sodium benzoate in it.Apply it on the face and neck with cotton.It removes the spots and blackheads. It can be kept under refrigeration for more than 2 months.
Witch Hazel Complexion Lotion:
——————————
Borax Powder……………………..15 gms.
Distilled Water………………….500 ml.
Alcohol…………………………..1 cup.
Witch Hazel extract………………..1/2 cup.

Dissolve the borax powder in water over a low flame.Let it cool and then stir with rest of the ingredients. Pour the mixture into an airtight bottle and keep under refrigeration.

From:Herbal Beauty & Body Care

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Herbs & Plants

Shikakai (Acacia Concinna)

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Botanical Name :Acacia Concinna
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Mimosoideae
Genus: Acacia
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Fabales
Species: A. concinna

Synonyms   :  Acacia hooperiana Zipp. ex Miq. Acacia philippinarurn Benth. Acacia poilanei Gagnep. Acacia polyceph

Common Names:  Shikakai, Soap-Pod

Other Names:  Aila, Atouqie, Banritha, Chikaka, Chikakai, Kochi, Lahiur, Ritha, Shikai, Shikakai, Shikaya, Sige, Sikakai, Soap-pod tree, Som poi, Song bai.


Habita
t :Native to Asia, common in the warm, plains of central and south India. It grows in  rain forest, disturbed forest, open grassland, fields, creek sides, in open areas often a sprawling shrub; also recorded from limestone; at elevations from 50 – 1050 metres.
Found in: Asia, China, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, PNG, SE Asia, Thailand, Vietnam.

Description:
Acacia concinna is an evergreen Tree growing to 10 m (32ft) by 10 m (32ft) at a medium rate. It is a thorny spreading shrub or tree that can either be scandent or climb into other plants. Bark is light grey. Leaves are oblong 4-10mm long forming 7-11 pairs of branches each with 17-37 pairs of leaflets. Flower buds are purple or dark red. The flowers are cream or white. Pods up to 5cm long are flat and thick with 7 seeds. The seedpods are widely used as a soap substitute in India. Plants flower throughout the year. Fruit are on trees from February to March.The tree is food for the larvae of the butterfly Pantoporia hordonia.

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It is frost tender. and are pollinated by Bees, beetles, butterflies, wasps.It can fix Nitrogen.
It is noted for attracting wildlife.
Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: neutral soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry soil and can tolerate drought. The plant is not wind tolerant.
Cultivation:
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby.

Propagation:
Acacia concinna can be grown from seeds. The seedlings can be transplanted. The seed of most, if not all, members of this genus has a hard seedcoat and may benefit from scarification before sowing to speed up germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 – 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen – if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing.

Edible Uses:
Edible portion: Seeds, Leaves, Flowers, Vegetable. Leaves are cooked . The acid-flavoured young leaves can be used as a substitute for tamarinds (Tamarindus indica) in chutneys . They are also added to soups to make them hot and sour . They can be curried with salted fish and coconut milk. Flowers – cooked and eaten as a vegetable . Acid fruit are used in Philippine cooking to give a sour flavour. They are roasted and eaten. Seeds are edible after roasting. The young shoots are used to make pickles or cooked as a vegetable.

Constituents:

The bark contains saponin, which on hydrolysis yields lupeol, (-spinasterol and acacic acid lactone. The sugars identified are glucose, arabinose and rhamnose. It also contains hexacosanol and (- spinasterone. The saponin of bark shows spermicidal activity against human semen (Banerji and Nigam, J Indian chem Soc., 1980, 57, 1043; Banerji et al, Indian Drugs, 1979 – 80, 17,6). The tender leaves, which are acidic, are used in chutneys. The leaves contain oxalic, tartaric, citric, succinic and ascorbic acids. They also contain two alkaloids calyctomine (C12H17O3N, m.p. 138-140oC) and nicotine, besides rutin and an enzyme tartaric racimase.A new triterpenoid saponin (C36H48O5, m.p. 295oC) having the basic skeleton of oleanolic acid.

Other constituents present in the leaves are tannins, amino acids and proteins.

Medicainal  Actions and Uses :
An infusion of the leaves is used in malarial fever. A decoction of the pods relieves biliousness and acts as a purgative. It is used to remove dandruff. An ointment, prepared from the ground pods, is good for skin diseases. The pods, known as Shikai or Shikakai, are extensively used as an detergent, and the dry ones are powdered and perfumed, and sold in the market as soapnut powder. The pods are reported to be used in north Bengal for poisoning fish.

Acacia concinna extracts are used in natural shampoos or hair powders and the tree is now grown commercially in India and Far East Asia. The plant parts used for the dry powdered or the extract are the bark, leaves or pods. The bark contains high levels of saponins, which are foaming agents that are found in several other plant species. Saponin-containing plants have a long history of use as mild cleaning agents. Saponins from the plant’s pods have been traditionally used as a detergent, and in Bengal for poisoning fish; they are documented to be potent marine toxins.
Research: Recent research has shown that the tree has an antidermatophytic ability that can fight off fungi responsible for skin diseases. It also has antimicrobial and antibacterial properties and even contains some phytochemicals that may have antioxidant abilities.

Other uses
In commercial extracts, when the plant is hydrolyzed it yields lupeol, spinasterol, acacic acid, lactone, and the natural sugars glucose, arabinose and rhamnose. It also contains hexacosanol and spinasterone. The saponin of the bark has spermicidal activity against human semen. It appears to have a hormonal effect, leading to its use for contraceptive purposes.

The leaves have an acidic taste and are used in chutneys. They contain oxalic, tartaric, citric, succinic and ascorbic acids, as well as two alkaloids, calyctomine and nicotine. An infusion of the leaves has been used in anti-dandruff preparations. Extracts of the ground pods have been used for various skin diseases

. For centuries the people who have had access to this tree have used its pod-like fruit to clean their hair. They collect, dry and grind this pod into a powder which is considered a superior cleanser for lustrous long hair and has been reported as “promoting hair growth and preventing dandruff”. Because of these benefits, this powder was named “shikakai” which literally translates as “fruit for the hair”.

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Typically, shikakai is mixed with water to make a paste which is worked through the hair. It lathers moderately and cleans hair beautifully. It has a natural low pH, is extremely mild, and doesn’t strip hair of natural oils. Usually no rinse or conditioner is used since shikakai also acts as a detangler. This ancient product is probably the world’s original pH balanced shampoo.

Shikakai is a complete tonic for retaining complete softness of hair. It is a unique remedy for natural and beautiful hair.

It also helps in removing dandruff and lice.Shikakai is a nut from a tree. The powder is used to wash hair. It is very effective in removing oil and dirt from hair. The normal practice is to apply oil to hair and scalp and allow it soak for sometime. This will keep the body cool, reducing body heat & also prevent the scalp from getting dry. The powdered shikakai is used as a shampoo to wash off the oil.

Today this fruit is grown commercially in large quantities in India and the Far East. As a result, shikakai powder is readily available and continues to be commonly used as a preferred shampoo.Many popular brands are sold throughout India.

While it does not have the normal amount of foam that a regular shampoo would have it helps in strengthening the hair from its roots.Typically, shikakai is mixed with water to make a paste which is worked through the hair. It lathers moderately and cleans hair beautifully. It has a natural low pH, is extremely mild, and doesn’t strip hair of natural oils. Usually no rinse or conditioner is used since shikakai also acts as a detangler. This ancient product is probably the world’s original pH balanced shampoo.

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.


Resource:
http://www.sbepl.com/acacia-concinna-shikakai.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acacia_concinna

http://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Acacia+concinna

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