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Herbs & Plants

Kalmegh (Andrographis paniculata Nees.)

Botanical Name: Andrographis paniculata
Family:    Acanthaceae
Genus:    Andrographis
Species:    A. paniculata
Kingdom:    Plantae
Order:    Lamiales

Common Name(s): Kalmegh (Hindi), Chuanxinlian (Chinese), Kalupnath , Kiriat , Mahatita (“ King of Bitters ), Alui , Bhunimba , Yavatikta (Sanskrit), Sambiloto (Malay)

Habitat: Kalmegh or Andrographis paniculata is a herbaceous plant in the family Acanthaceae,  native to India, China, and Southeast Asia.

It is widely cultivated in southern Asia, where it is used to treat infections and some diseases, often being used before antibiotics were created. Mostly the leaves and roots were used for medicinal purposes .

Description of the plant:

A. paniculata is an erect annual herb. The square stem has wings on the angles of new growth and is enlarged at the nodes, while the small flowers are borne on a spreading panicle. It is widely cultivated in Asia. The above-ground parts are collected in the fall. The genetic variability of the species has been examined.
It grows erect to a height of 30-110 cm in moist shady places with glabrous leaves and white flowers with rose-purple spots on the petals. Stem dark green, 0.3 – 1.0 m in height, 2 – 6 mm in diameter, quadrangular with longitudinal furrows and wings on the angles of the younger parts, slightly enlarged at the nodes; leaves glabrous, up to 8.0 cm long and 2.5 cm broad, lanceolate, pinnate; flowers small, in lax spreading axillary and terminal racemes or panicles; capsules linear-oblong, acute at both ends, 1.9 cm x 0.3 cm; seeds numerous, sub quadrate, yellowish brown.

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Cultivation
It prefers a sunny situation. The seeds are sown during May-June. The seedlings are transplanted at a distance of 60 cm x 30 cm.

Pharmacology
Andrographis paniculata plant extract is known to possess a variety of pharmacological activities. Andrographolide, the major constituent of the extract is implicated towards its pharmacological activity. A study has been conducted on the cellular processes and targets modulated by andrographolide treatment in human cancer and immune cells. Andrographolide treatment inhibited the in vitro proliferation of different tumor cell lines, representing various types of cancers. The compound exerts direct anticancer activity on cancer cells by cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase through induction of cell cycle inhibitory protein and decreased expression of cyclin dependent kinase 4 (CDK4). Immunostimulatory activity of andrographolide is evidenced by increased proliferation of lymphocytes and production of interleukin 2. Andrographolide also enhanced the tumor necrosis factor α production and CD marker expression, resulting in increased cytotoxic activity of lymphocytes against cancer cells, which may contribute for its indirect anticancer activity. The in vivo anticancer activity of the compound is further substantiated against B16F0 melanoma syngenic and HT 29 xenograft models. These results suggest that andrographolide is an interesting pharmacophore with anticancer and immunomodulatory activities and hence has the potential for being developed as a cancer therapeutic agent.

The herb is the well-known drug Kalmegh ‘green chiretta’, and forms the principal ingredient of a reputed household medicine (‘alui’), used as a bitter tonic and febrifuge.
Clinical Overview

Andrographis paniculata Nees (Acanthaceae), the Kalmegh of Ayurveda is an erect annual herb extremely bitter in taste in each and every part of the plant body. The plant is known in north-eastern India as  Maha-tita, literally  king of bitters  and known by various vernacular names (Table below). It is also known as   Bhui-neemâ, since the plant, though much smaller in size, shows similar appearance and has bitter taste as that of Neem (Azadirachta indica). Incidentally, the genus Andrographis consists of 28 species of small annual shrubs essentially distributed in tropical Asia. Only a few species are medicinal, of which A. paniculata is the most popular.

Properties: Analgesic* Antiparasite* Antibacterial* Astringent* Febrifuge* Stomachic* Laxative* Antispasmodic* Immunostimulant* Tonic*

Uses of Kalmegh
Kalmegh has been used for liver complaints and fevers and as an anti-inflammatory and immunostimulant. In clinical trials, Andrographis extract shortened duration and reduced symptoms of colds.

Kalmegh Dosing
Kalmegh dosage in clinical studies has ranged from 3 to 6 g of the crude plant, 1.2 g daily, or 48 mg of andrographolide daily, for common cold, tonsilitis, and familial Mediterranean fever.

Contraindications
Contraindications have not yet been identified.

Pregnancy/Lactation
Documented adverse effects. Abortifacient. Avoid use.

Kalmegh Interactions

None well documented.

Kalmegh Adverse Reactions
No data.

Toxicology

Male reproductive side effects have been studied. In rats, kalmegh decreased sperm count and motility.

History
The herb has been used primarily for liver complaints and to reduce fevers in the traditional medicine of India and China, as well as for its bitter tonic properties. A large variety of Indian herbal patent medicines are available in which A. paniculata is a prominent ingredient.

Chemistry
The diterpene lactone andrographolide was first isolated as a major constituent and later characterized as a lactone. Its full structure was determined by Cava’s group in the 1960s, while x-ray crystallography later confirmed the structure. A number of related minor diterpenes and their glycosides have since been identified. Methods of analysis including high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) have been published. A method for rapid isolation of andrographolide also is available. When callus cultures of the plant were investigated, it was found that andrographolide and the other diterpenes were not produced. Instead, the sesquiterpenes paniculides A-C were found. Other constituents of the plant include various flavones.

Kalmegh Uses and Pharmacology:

It is chiefly used in viral hepatitis, diminished appetite and drug induced liver damage. It is used in loss of appetite in infants.  Andrographis paniculata has been shown to reduce liver damage due to toxins such as alcohol.  It has been demonstrated that Andrographis paniculata can protect the liver from the effects of alcohol if taken prior to consumption.  Research has also linked Andrographis paniculata to increases in immune system activity.  When supplemented with Andrographis paniculata, animals had an increase activity of both their specific and non-specific immune systems.  Andrographis paniculata may be effective in both the prevention and treatment of ailments that range from the common cold to cancer. It has also been shown to help alleviate atherosclerotic narrowing of arteries induced by high cholesterol diets.  This can, in turn, reduce the risk of heart disease and heart attacks, as well as helping the recovery of patients who already suffer from these conditions.  It is useful in burning sensation, wounds, ulcers, chronic bronchitis, leprosy, pruritis, flatulence, colic and diarrhea.

Common Uses: Colds * Diarrhea * Digestion/Indigestion * Influenza *

Liver :The aqueous extract of A. paniculata protected mice from liver damage induced by hexachlorocyclohexane, while andrographolide protected rat hepatocytes from damage by acetaminophen. Several isolated Andrographis diterpenes protected mice from liver damage by carbon tetrachloride or tert-butylhydroperoxide. Both the extract and andrographolide induced hepatic drug metabolizing enzymes in rats, although the extract was more effective than the isolated compound. An increase in bile flow was noted with administration of andrographolide to rats and guinea pigs, while it blocked the decrease in bile flow induced by acetaminophen.

Animal data:  Both antigen-specific and nonspecific immune responses in mice were stimulated by andrographolide and an ethanolic extract, although the extract was more potent than andrographolide, suggesting that other constituents also were immunostimulants. 23 Inhibition of passive cutaneous anaphylaxis and mast cell stabilization was observed in studies of the purified diterpenes in rats.

Clinical data: Research reveals no clinical data regarding the use of kalmegh to treat liver complaints.Immunostimulant and anti-infective. A small clinical study found the extract to shorten the duration of common colds and to reduce symptoms. Extracts of Andrographis have shown modest activity in vitro against HIV; however, a phase Ι study of andrographolide showed no effect on viral replication, while adverse effects required interruption of the trial after 6 weeks. Succinoylated derivatives of andrographolide have been studied for their protease inhibitory properties, which were suggested to be involved in the anti-HIV activity in vitro. Activity in antimalarial screens has also been noted for Andrographis extracts.

Other uses

The extract of A. paniculata has been shown to block E. coli enterotoxin-induced secretion in rabbit and guinea pig models of diarrhea. Andrographolide and 3 other related diterpenes were responsible for this action. An ethanol extract of Andrographis reversed elevation in blood glucose caused by streptozotocin in rats. Two purified Andrographis diterpenes stimulated nitric oxide release from cultured human endothelial cells, an effect linked to their hypotensive effect in rats. Several fractions of Andrographis were shown to reduce mean arterial blood pressure in rats, although andrographolide was not active in this model.

A water soluble extract of the plant was reported to delay death from cobra venom in mice, in line with its folk use for snakebite in India. Andrographolide has demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects in several cellular systems, including prevention of phorbol ester-induced reactive oxygen species and N -formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP)-induced adhesion in rat neutrophils and inhibition of TNF-induced upregulation of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression and monocyte adhesion. Additionally, Andrographis extract blocked rat vas deferens voltage-gated calcium channels 41 and induced cell differentiation in mouse myeloid leukemia cells, as did several diterpenes from the extract. The diversity of pharmacologic activities observed for extracts of Andrographis and its diterpenes begs the question of pharmacologic specificity, which more studies will clarify.

Dosage
Kalmegh dosage in clinical studies has ranged from 3 to 6 g of the crude plant, 1.2 g daily, or 48 mg of andrographolide daily, for common cold, tonsilitis, and familial Mediterranean fever.

Pregnancy/Lactation
Documented adverse effects. Abortifacient. Avoid use. 46

Interactions
None well documented.

Adverse Reactions
Research reveals little or no information regarding adverse reactions with the use of this product.

Toxicology
Kalmegh extracts are not acutely toxic, but the male reproductive toxicology of Andrographis has been studied. Reported infertility in rats led to a subchronic 60-day study in male rats that showed no changes in testicular weight, histology, or testosterone levels. However, detailed studies with purified andrographolide in rats over 48 days have shown decreases in sperm counts and motility, linked to disruption of spermatogenesis.

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Medicinal Uses of Kalmegh

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.drugs.com/npp/kalmegh.html

http://www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail354.php

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Categories
Herbs & Plants Herbs & Plants (Spices)

Asafoetida

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Botanical Name : Ferula asafoetida
Family:    Apiaceae
Genus:    Ferula
Species:    F. assa-foetida
Kingdom:    Plantae
Order:    Apiales
Common Names : Asafoetida , devil’s dung, food of the gods, hing, narthex

It has several Names
Asafetida, Assafetida, Assafoetida, Devil’s Dung, Devil’s Durt, Food of the Gods (Persian), Laser (Roman), Stinking Gum
French: assa foetida, ferulr perisque
German: Asafotida, Stinkender Asant
Italian: assafetida
Spanish: asafetida

Ferula foetida
Ferula foetida (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Afghan: kama-i-anguza
Indian: hing, hingu, heeng
Tamil: perunkaya,   Bengali :Hing

Asafoetida gets its name from the Persian aza, for mastic or resin, and the Latin foetidus, for stinking. It is a gum that is from the sap of the roots and stem of the ferula species, a giant fennel that exudes a vile odour. Early records mention that Alexander the Great carried this “stink finger” west in 4 BC. It was used as a spice in ancient Rome, and although not native to India, it has been used in Indian medicine and cookery for ages. It was believed that asafoetida enhanced singers voices. In the days of the Mughal aristocracy, the court singers if Agra and Delhi would eat a spoonful of asafoetida with butter and practice on the banks of the river Yamuna.

Plant Details and it’s Cultivation
Asafoetida is grown chiefly in Iran and Afghanistan from where it is exported to the rest of the world. In India it is cultivated in Kashmir. It is a perennial fennel that grows wild to 3.6 metres (12 ft) high, in large natural forests where little else grows. It bears fine leaves and yellow flowers. The roots are thick and pulpy and also yield a similar resin to that of the stems. All parts of the plant have the distinctive fetid smell. In March and April, just before flowering, the stalks are cut close to the root. A milky liquid oozes out, which dries to form a resin. This is collected and a fresh cut is made. This procedure lasts for about three months from the first incision, by which time the plant has yielded up to two pounds of resin and the root has dried up.

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Asafoetida is a hard resinous gum, grayish-white when fresh, darkening with age to yellow, red and eventually brown. It is sold in blocks or pieces as a gum and more frequently as a fine yellow powder, sometimes crystalline or granulated.
Bouquet: a pungent smell of rotting onions or sulfur. The smell dissipates with cooking.
Flavour: on its own, extremely unpleasant, like concentrated rotten garlic. When cooked, it adds an onion-like flavour.
Hotness Scale: 0

To make and store:

click to see the picture
It is vital to keep asafoetida in airtight containers as its sulfurous odour will effect other foods and spices. It is most commonly available as a powder or granules that can be added directly to the cooking pot. It is also sold in lumps that need to be crushed before using. This is a very powerful spice and even in its ground state lasts well over a year if stored properly, away from light and air.

Cultivation and manufacture:
The resin-like gum comes from the dried sap extracted from the stem and roots and is used as a spice. The resin is greyish-white when fresh but dries to a dark amber colour. The asafoetida resin is difficult to grate and is traditionally crushed between stones or with a hammer. Today, the most commonly available form is compounded asafoetida, a fine powder containing 30% asafoetida resin, along with rice flour and gum arabic.

Ferula assafoetida is a monoecious, herbaceous, perennial plant of the family Apiaceae. It grows to 2 m (7 ft) high, with a circular mass of 30–40 cm (12–16 in) leaves. Stem leaves have wide sheathing petioles. Flowering stems are 2.5–3 m (8–10 ft) high and 10 cm (4 in) thick and hollow, with a number of schizogenous ducts in the cortex containing the resinous gum. Flowers are pale greenish yellow produced in large compound umbels. Fruits are oval, flat, thin, reddish brown and have a milky juice. Roots are thick, massive, and pulpy. They yield a resin similar to that of the stems. All parts of the plant have the distinctive fetid smell.

Edible Uses:
Use in minute quantities, adding directly to cooking liquid, frying in oil, or steeping in water. Asafoetida is used mostly in Indian vegetarian cooking, in which the strong onion-garlic flavour enhances many dishes, especially those of Brahmin and Jain castes where onions and garlic are prohibited. It is used mostly in south and west India, though it does not grow there. It is used in many lentil dishes (often to prevent flatulence), vegetarian soups and pickles. It is also suited to many fish dishes and some pappadums are seasoned with asafoetida.

click to see the picture

Constituents:  Typical asafoetida contains about 40–64% resin, 25% endogeneous gum, 10–17% volatile oil, and 1.5–10% ash. The resin portion is known to contain asaresinotannols ‘A’ and ‘B’, ferulic acid, umbelliferone and four unidentified compounds.
Medicinal Uses:
*Antiflatulent. Asafoetida reduces the growth of indigenous microflora in the gut, reducing flatulence.[8] In the Jammu region of India, asafoetida is used as a medicine for flatulence and constipation by 60% of locals.

*A digestion aid. In Thailand and India, it is used to aid digestion and is smeared on the abdomen in an alcohol or water tincture known as mahahing.  Assafoetida in this tincture form was evidently used in western medicine as a topical treatment for abdominal injuries during the 18th and 19th centuries, although when it came into use in the West and how long it remained in use is uncertain. One notable case in which it was used is that of Canadian Coureur des bois Alexis St. Martin, who in 1822 suffered a severe abdominal injury from an accidental shooting that perforated his right lung and stomach and shattered several ribs. St Martin was treated by American army surgeon William Beaumont, who subsequently used St Martin as the subject of a pioneering series of experiments in gastric physiology. When St Martin’s wounds had healed, there remained an open fistula into his stomach that enabled Beaumont to insert various types of food directly into St Martin’s stomach and record the results. In his account of his treatment of and later experiments on St Martin, Beaumont recorded that he treated the suppurating chest wound with a combination of wine mixed with diluted muriatic acid and 30-40 drops of tincture of asafoetida applied three times a day, and that this appeared to have the desired effect, helping the wound to heal.

*Fighting influenza: Asafoetida was used in 1918 to fight the Spanish influenza pandemic. In 2009, researchers reported that the roots of Asafoetida produce natural antiviral drug compounds that demonstrated potency against the H1N1 virus in vitro and concluded that “sesquiterpene coumarins from F. assa-foetida may serve as promising lead compounds for new drug development against influenza A (H1N1) viral infection”.

*Remedy for asthma and bronchitis. It is also said  to be helpful in cases of asthma and bronchitis. A folk tradition remedy for children’s colds: it is mixed into a pungent-smelling paste and hung in a bag around the afflicted child’s neck.
An antimicrobial: Asafoetida has a broad range of uses in traditional medicine as an antimicrobial, with well documented uses for treating chronic bronchitis and whooping cough, as well as reducing flatulence.

*A contraceptive/abortifacient: Asafoetida has also been reported to have contraceptive/abortifacient activity,. It is related to (and considered an inferior substitute for) the ancient Ferula species Silphium.

*Antiepileptic: Asafoetida oleo-gum-resin has been reported to be antiepileptic in classical Unani, as well as ethnobotanical literature.

*Balancing the vata and kapha. In India according to the Ayurveda, asafoetida is considered to be one of the best spices for balancing the vata dosha. It mitigates vata and kapha, relieves flatulence and colic pain. It is pungent in taste and at the end of digestion. It aggravates pitta, enhances appetite, taste and digestion. It is easy to digest.

*Antidote for opium. Asafoetida has only been speculated to be an antidote for opium.

*Acifidity Bag. Asafoetida was approved by the US Pharmacopedia to stave off the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918 that killed millions worldwide. It was placed into pouches called “acifidity bags” that were provided by drug stores to be hung around the neck to try to prevent catching the disease.
Other uses

Other Uses:
*Bait: John C Duval reported in 1936 that the odour of asafoetida is attractive to the wolf, a matter of common knowledge, he says, along the Texas–Mexico border. It is also used as one of several possible scent baits, most notably for catfish and pike.

*May also be used as a moth (Lepidoptera) light trap attractant by collectors—when mixed by approximately 1 part to 3 parts with a sweet, fruit jelly.

*Repelling spirits: In Jamaica, asafoetida is traditionally applied to a baby’s anterior fontanel (Jamaican patois mole) to prevent spirits (Jamaican patois duppies) from entering the baby through the fontanel. In the African-American Hoodoo tradition, asafoetida is used in magic spells, as it is believed to have the power both to protect and to curse.

*In ceremonial magick, especially from The Key of Solomon the King, it is used to protect the magus from daemonic forces and to evoke the same and bind them

Side Effects:
The uncooked herb can cause nausea and vomiting. Using asafoetida over long periods may cause throat irritation, gas, diarrhea, and burning urination. This herb should be avoided during pregnancy. It may affect the menstrual cycle, and it is known to induce miscarriage.

Known Hazards :  Do not use orally. Avoid during pregnancy as possible increased bleeding. Topical use may cause skin irritation

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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/Asafoetida

Encylopedia of spices,

http://www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail415.php

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

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Fruits & Vegetables Herbs & Plants

Goji Berry

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Botanical Name :Lycium barbarum/Wolfberry

Family: Solanaceae
Genus: Lycium
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Solanales

Common Name :Chinese wolfberry, mede berry, barbary matrimony vine, bocksdorn, Duke of Argyll’s tea tree, Murali (in India), red medlar, or matrimony vine.] Unrelated to the plant’s geographic origin, the names Tibetan goji and Himalayan goji are in common use in the health food market for products from this plant.

If you are passionate about maintaining a healthy lifestyle then you are probably already aware of the current worldwide interest in the nutritional power of the Far East‘s best-kept secret – The legendary GOJI Berry!

Habitat :It is native to southeastern Europe and Asia

Description:
Wolfberry species are deciduous woody perennial plants, growing 1–3 m high. L. chinense is grown in the south of China and tends to be somewhat shorter, while L. barbarum is grown in the north, primarily in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and tends to be somewhat taller…... click & see

Now you can grow this amazing plant in your own garden for a continuous supply of this nutritional super-fruit………Click to see the picture

Fruit :These species produce a bright orange-red, ellipsoid berry 1–2-cm deep. The number of seeds in each berry varies widely based on cultivar and fruit size, containing anywhere between 10–60 tiny yellow seeds that are compressed with a curved embryo. The berries ripen from July to October in the northern hemisphere……..click & see

Leaves & Flowers:
Wolfberry leaves form on the shoot either in an alternating arrangement or in bundles of up to three, each having a shape that is either lanceolate (shaped like a spearhead longer than it is wide) or ovate (egg-like). Leaf dimensions are 7-cm wide by 3.5-cm broad with blunted or round tips…...click & see

The flowers grow in groups of one to three in the leaf axils. The calyx (eventually ruptured by the growing berry) consists of bell-shaped or tubular sepals forming short, triangular lobes. The corolla are lavender or light purple, 9–14 mm wide with five or six lobes shorter than the tube. The stamens are structured with filaments longer than the anthers. The anthers are longitudinally dehiscent.

In the northern hemisphere, flowering occurs from June through September and berry maturation from August to October, depending on the latitude, altitude, and climate.

Height:
72 inches
Position: Full Sun
Fruit ready to eat: April

Click to see the picture

Originally cultivated in the tranquil valleys of the Himalayan mountain range, the Goji Berry is one of nature’s best-kept secrets. Although this nutrient-rich superfood has been treasured by the Himalayan people for over 2000 years and praised for its unrivalled nutritional properties, it has remained unknown to the Western world until now.

Click to see the pictur.

How to use
Berries are sweet and tasty – eat anytime as a healthy snack .Add the berries to juices and smoothies . Use dried berries for highest nutritional benefits Brew them into a refreshing tea ,Soak dried berries in water for a tonic .Add to cereals and muesli mixes
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How to grow
As easy to grow as tomatoes! Grow in any well-drained soil in full sun Drought tolerant & self-pollinating . Plants are hardy down to -15C! High yielding plants – 1kg in their second year!
The key to a longer, healthier life just might be a single nutrient-packed berry.

A life expectancy of more than 100 years is not uncommon in some remote areas of the world. Even more interesting is the fact that these centenarians live long lives that are filled with health and vitality. Most of these people do not experience high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, many types of cancer, and the crippling pain of arthritis and degenerative diseases that we do here. Even as they age, their vision is sharp, they have energy and strength, and their minds are clear.

There is a region on the West Elbow Plateau of the Yellow River in Inner Mongolia where people have lived to be more than 120 years old. And the people of West Elbow are not the only ones to enjoy an extremely long life. In a remote region of southwestern China, in the tiny hamlet of Pinghan, which is located deep within a stand of limestone hills, the people there also experience extremely long lives. There are more than 74 centenarians and 237 residents who have reached their 90s in Pinghan and the surrounding area. That’s one of the highest concentrations of elderly people per capita in the world, according to Chen Jinchao, a surgeon who has run the Guangxi Bama Long Life Research Institute for the past 10 years.

Living longer and healthier lives is not exclusive to these two small tribal villages. A small handful of cultures where people live well into their 90s and beyond exist and are scattered across the mountains of Asia. Although the inhabitants of these areas where longevity exists and thrives might not know of the existence of the others, they all have some very important things in common: They live in isolated and sometimes inaccessible places. This isolation keeps them away from the more harmful influences of modern Western civilization. They don’t know what it means to eat processed or fast foods. Their diet consists mainly of fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains; and it is low in animal fats. Most importantly, many of these people that live long and healthy lives consume regular daily helpings of a tiny red fruit that just happens to be the world’s most powerful anti-aging food, the goji berry.

The goji berry may be the most nutritionally dense food ever discovered on the planet. Goji contains the following:

* 19 amino acids, the building blocks of protein, including all eight essential for life;
* 21 trace minerals, including germanium, an anti-cancer mineral rarely found in foods;
* more protein than whole wheat 13 percent;
* a complete spectrum of antioxidant carotenoids, including beta carotene (a better source than even carrots) and zeaxanthin (protects the eyes); goji berries are the richest source of carotenoids of all known foods;
* vitamin C at higher levels than those found in oranges by 500 percent per ounce;
* B-complex vitamins, necessary for converting food into energy;
* vitamin E, which is rarely found in fruits, only in grains and seeds;
* beta sitosterol, an anti-inflammatory agent; beta sitosterol also lowers cholesterol, and has been used to treat sexual impotence and prostate enlargement;
* essential fatty acids, which are required for the body’s production of hormones and the smooth functioning of the brain and nervous system;
* cyperone, a sesquiterpene that benefits the heart and blood pressure, alleviates menstrual discomfort and has been used in treating cervical cancer;
* solavetivone, a powerful anti-fungal and anti-bacterial compound;
* physalin, a natural compound that is active against all major types of leukemia; it has been shown to increase splenic, natural killer-cell activity in normal and tumor-bearing mice, with broad spectrum, anti-cancer effect; it has been used as a treatment for hepatitis B;
* betaine, which is used by the liver to produce choline, a compound that calms nervousness, enhances memory, promotes muscle growth and protects against fatty liver disease; Betaine also provides methyl groups in the body’s energy reactions and can help reduce levels of homocysteine, a prime risk factor in heart disease; it also protects DNA; and
* most importantly, it contains 23 bioactive polysaccharides and four unique bioactive polysaccharides called lyceum barbarum 1, lyceum barbarum 2, lyceum barbarum 3 and lyceum barbarum 4; these four unique bioactive polysaccharides are found only in the goji berry.

You may already know about vitamins, minerals and antioxidants when it comes to nutrition, but have you heard about bioactive polysaccharides, glyconutrients and glycobiology?

This new healing science is changing the way doctors view health, nutrition and longevity. Glyconutrition is the science of saccharides, or sugars, that maintain cellular communication in the body, and is extremely important for good health and longevity. In fact, four of the last eight Nobel Prizes for medicine have been awarded for work in glycobiology and cellular communication and their importance to wellness.

Gylconutrients, also known as bioactive polysaccharides, are a family of complex carbohydrates bound to proteins. They are produced by some plants as an extremely effective defense mechanism against attacks by viruses, bacteria, fungi, soil-borne parasites, cell mutations, toxic pollutants and environmental free radicals. This defense mechanism is passed on to us when we consume the plant or fruit. These glyconutrients help prevent some illnesses and promote recovery from others, including cancer, heart disease, auto-immune disease and recurring infections.

The words glyconutrients and bioactive polysaccharides are often used interchangeably. They are special sugars that help the body distinguish what belongs in it from what does not. So it is clear just how important these special sugars are when it comes to how our cells react to foreign invaders such as bacteria and viruses. The body does not produce these special sugars. We get them through our diet.

It has also been shown in clinical trials that bioactive polysaccharides reduce the effects of allergies and diminish symptoms of arthritis or diabetes. They also help heal skin conditions like psoriasis, and increase the body’s resistance to viruses, including those causing the common cold and the flu. They help prevent recurrent bacterial ear infections that plague children. A number of people with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and other autoimmune disorders have reported improvement in their symptoms when they supplemented their diet with these simple sugars. And the “sweet” thing about these sugars is they won’t cause the body to gain weight or increase insulin levels. The opposite is true. These bioactive polysaccharides have been shown to help patients lose weight, can be taken while on a low-carbohydrate diet and have no contraindications for diabetes.
Nutritional studies tell us that foods we eat play a crucial role in aging. Scientists tell us, when it comes to longevity, our genetic potential is 120 to 140 years.

So why should we need to supplement our diets with additional bioactive polysaccharides? If the body’s natural defense mechanisms are compromised by long-term stress, a sequence of debilitating problems can occur. Note that stress is not just the cause of a bad or difficult experience. It could also be the way you handle daily life, time management issues or concerns about the way people view you. When the body is under stress, it may not be able to manufacture bioactive polysaccharides properly or fast enough.

When this happens, your body begins to shut down and won’t work properly. Faulty communication occurs when the body begins manufacturing imperfect glycoproteins, which are protective substances made from bioactive polysaccharides. Glycoproteins combine sugars and proteins, which cover cells. When these glycoproteins are compromised, disease may eventually result, especially if the body is under prolonged physical, emotional or mental stress.

Supplementing with foods and nutrients rich in bioactive polysaccharides can help prevent this potential breakdown and help the body fend off illness. Glycoproteins can act as receptor sites on cell surfaces. Receptor sites are where the cell controls what enters it. These receptor sites can become blocked by environmental toxins and other substances. For cells to benefit fully from medicinal or nutritional therapies, receptors must be unblocked. Special bioactive polysaccharides, called free glyconutrients, literally clean the cells’ receptor sites so the cell can recognize and absorb the proper substances.

Bioactive polysaccharides are an important part of the body’s cell-to-cell communication process. From the moment life begins, cells communicate with each other using the sugars, or glycoproteins, on the cell’s surface.

Bioactive polysaccharides enable cells to send and receive messages. As mentioned before, glycoproteins are created inside our cells from the bioactive polysaccharides we take into our bodies. These glycoproteins are pushed out of the center of the cell to the cell’s surface, where they stick out, creating a peach fuzz effect. Cells brush up against each other touching these glycoproteins, or peach fuzz, which is how all the most important communication in the body takes place. When a foreign invader comes in contact with the glycoproteins of immune cells, the cells recognize it as an enemy and mount an immune-cell offensive to rush in and destroy it.

As we age, our bodies begin to break down. Our immune systems become less effective, our eyesight and hearing diminish, and osteoporosis sets in. Obviously, if we can figure out how to replace the old, sick cells with new, healthy ones, we can look forward to a much healthier life. Glyconutrition research indicates that bioactive polysaccharides help slow the aging process and, in some cases, even reverses it.

How can we use glyconutrition research to extend our health and longevity? Nutritional studies tell us that foods we eat play a crucial role in aging. Scientists tell us, when it comes to longevity, our genetic potential is 120 to 140 years.

Cells communicate with each other in their own language, which is an important aspect to human health and longevity. If our cells are missing the right amount of bioactive polysaccharides for building the receptors, the receptors wonâ€t form adequately. This leads to incomplete and incorrect communication between those cells, because part of the language used by the cells is missing.

This breakdown in cellular communication leaves us more susceptible to disease. By replenishing bioactive polysaccharides, thereby improving the quality of our cell’s receptor sites, we can give our body greater resistance against disease because our cells can communicate more effectively.

Goji contains the richest source of bioactive polysaccharides in the world, including four unique polysaccharides that are more powerful than any others that have ever been found in any plant on the planet. Research strongly suggests that goji’s unique bioactive polysaccharides, again sometimes referred to as glyconutrients, work in the body by serving as directors and carriers of the instructions the cells use to communicate. These master molecules command and control many of the body’s most important biochemical defense systems and balance the body’s chemistry.

Goji also acts to cause the secretion of GH factor, or growth hormone, from the pituitary gland. This is the youth hormone and can decrease body fat, reduce wrinkles, restore hair loss, increase energy, increase sexual function, improve memory, improve sleep, elevate mood, normalize blood pressure and improve blood sugar and insulin levels.

No one has all the answers for a longer and healthier life, but it is hoped that the information herein will have a profound impact on your health and that of your patients.

Click to learn more about the plant & fruit …..(1)…….(2).

Click to see:->
Compounds in Goji Berries and Other Plants May Prevent Blood Clots

What makes the Goji Berry so powerful???

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://plants.thompson-morgan.com/product/

And Article by Peter Lazarnick, DC

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

Categories
Fruits & Vegetables

Fruits & vegetables

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What is the diffenence between fruits and vegetables?

The difference between a fruit and vegetable depends largely on your perspective, From a botanical perspective, a fruit is the mature ovary of a plant, such as an apple, melon, cucumber, or tomato. From the common, every day “grocery store perspective,” we tend to use the word fruit with respect to fruits eaten fresh as desserts —- apples, peaches, cherries, etc. – We normally eat fruits raw and vegetables cooked. In India green papaya, green banana etc. are considered as vegetable, because, they eat them cooked but when they are ripen they call them fruit as then they eat them raw.Now sometimes vegetable when we eat raw we call them SALAD, like cucumber,tomato,onion,radish,cabbage,carrot etc

But whatever way you eat  “EATING FRUIT & VEGETABLES” is always good for health. Eating raw (uncooked) fresh vegetable is better. I have learnt about a family in India who eat only raw but fresh vegetables & fruits in their break fast, lunch and dinner.(never eat anything cooked).They have been doing this practice since last 20 years and they claim that none of their family members visited any doctor during this period for any kind of illness.They became a news flash in TV channel in Calcutta, (a city in India.)

Why do we eat vegetables?

This is a question that would never be asked of fruit. Fruit is sweet. We love sweet things. We love to eat fruit. But vegetables can be bitter, and apart from carrots and sweet potatoes, they are generally not sweet.

How is it, then, that we came to eat vegetables? Partly, it is ‘hardwired’ into us. For good body efficiency reasons.

Basically, we are an evolutionary line from a group of mammals that, from about 65 million years ago until around 50 million years ago were small insectivores, but which evolved to fill tree top vegetable-matter (foliage, fruit, tree seeds, or mixed vegetation based diets) eating niches, while still eating insects whenever we could (chimpanzees , orang-utans, gorillas, gibbons, and the siamang – all apes – eat insects).

Gorillas probably branched out earlier from the ape human ancestral line and so their life way gives us fewer insights into our ancestry (they probably went their separate way around 8 million years ago). Mountain gorillas, in particular, are primarily foliage eaters, consuming large amounts of pithy stems, buds, leaves and shoots. These foods are low in energy density, and gorillas have to eat a lot of plant material to meet their energy needs. They are now fairly specialized vegetation eaters.

Chimps, which have more recently diverged from our ancestral line (generally estimated at around 4.5 million years ago), are more likely to reflect at least some of our ancestral food preferences. Chimps don’t seem to tolerate grossly fibrous food as well as gorillas. They chew leaves into a “wadge’, and press the wadge against their teeth to extract the juicy parts, then spit out the fibrous residue. Chimps prefer insects and meat where it is available in their environment, but in their (primarily) forest environment it is not commonly available. Succulent piths – carefully peeled of the tough exterior – blossoms, fruit, shoots, and leaves are the mainstay (around 95%) of their diet, with insects, eggs, and monkey meat opportunistically thrown in as and when available.

Even limited omnivory is a conservative adaptive trait, and even in the great apes, which have put ‘all their eggs in one evolutionary basket’, so to speak, retain the ability and desire to eat insects (and eggs!).

We eat vegetables because, while we intensively exploit ground based and shoreline animal protein and fats, we share massive amounts of our genetic profile with our related plant food subsisting apes (some scientists assert the genetic similarities are so overwhelmingly great that chimpanzees, the ape genetically ‘closest’ to us, ought to be classified as a species of human), and we are therefore genetically ‘programmed’ to exploit plant food as part of the primate omnivorous capabilities.

Even by the Australopithecine stage in our evolutionary line, we lacked the kind of molar configuration to deal with very pithy vegetation. But we did have the kind of jaw form that could do a lot of chewing on moderately firm and fibrous foods – such as lizards, locusts, baby birds, and plant ‘underground storage organs’ – tubers, roots, corms, bulbs – soft new stems, immature flower buds, fleshy leaf bases, tender new shoots, tree seeds (once opened with rocks), fungi, and acacia gums. The microscopic wear marks on Australopithecus afarensis front teeth are very similar to those on baboon front teeth – suggestive of an intake of similar highly selected, nutrient dense shoots, bulbs, and leaves.

Our gut has become overall shorter, but with an increase in the proportion devoted to the small intestine (where high nutrient foods such as meat are dealt to and absorbed) in order to be able to handle the higher nutrient density foods of seashore and hunt. The price of a shorter gut is less efficient digestion of plant materials, as there is not enough room for the necessary micro flora to help break it down (the female of our species is said to have a longer gut than men. It is an interesting speculation whether this is an evolutionary adaptation to eating more vegetable foods than men, and whether this explains the difference in ‘intestinal gas production’ between men and women -women have more vegetable efficient guts).

Because we have taken omnivory far further than any other related animal, and can live quite well on an almost exclusive meat and fat diet if we had to, does not mean that we can forever abandon eating plants. Plants are ‘powerhouses’ of many and complex ‘life enhancing compounds’, and we almost instinctively ‘know’ that we need them. If our sense of taste hasn’t been completely dulled and distorted by the cultural forces of our urban ‘fad’ diet, we sometimes feel a craving for ‘bitter herbs’, and seek them out. There may be the distant echo of instinctive ‘self medication’, or perhaps, ‘self biochemical regulation’ in this feeling.

Vegetables are an important – perhaps key – part of our ‘generalist’ evolutionary niche, in that the reliable carbohydrate source of bulbs and roots (and certain seeds) acted as insurance against failure in the high value but much more uncertain hunt. On top of this, humans need far more energy to fuel our brains than any other primate – around 300 kcal when at rest, and it has to be in the form of glucose, because that is the fuel the brain runs on. This energy requirement can be met relatively easily with some roots and tubers, depending on the carbohydrate content of the particular species. In some respects, we should perhaps consider roots and tubers as a major food item, in a separate class to leafy greens, shoots, buds, and flowers

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