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Herbs & Plants

Cistus albidus

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Botanical Name : Cistus albidus
Family: Cistaceae
Genus: Cistus
Species: C. albidus
Kingdom:Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malvales

Common Names: Rock Rose, Grey-leaved cistus

Habitat :Cistus albidus is native to the west of Southern Europe and western North Africa, particularly around the Mediterranean, including Portugal, Spain, the Balearic Islands, France, Corsica, Italy, Sardinia, and Morocco. It grows on the garigue, rocky places on limestone soils and open pine forest.

Description:
Cistus albidus is an evergreen Shrub growing to 1 m (3ft 3in) by 1 m (3ft 3in) at a fast rate. Its leaves are oblong to elliptical in shape, usually 2–5 cm (0.8–2.0 in) long by 0.5–2 cm (0.2–0.8 in) wide. They have three prominent veins and are densely covered with short hairs, producing a greyish-white appearance. The flowers are arranged in cymes of one to seven individual flowers, each 4–6 cm (1.6–2.4 in) across with five purple to pink petals and five sepals.

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It is in leaf 12-Jan It is in flower in June, and the seeds ripen in August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees.The plant is self-fertile.
Cultivation:
Requires a sunny position in a well-drained light sandy soil. Prefers a calcareous soil. Withstands drought once it is established. Tolerates maritime exposure. One of the hardiest species in this genus, tolerating temperatures down to about -15°c and surviving all but the coldest winters in Britain, it is however apt to be short-lived. Plants are somewhat hardier when grown in poor soils. Individual flowers only last one day but there is a long succession of them. Dislikes pruning or root disturbance. Plants should be pot grown and then planted out in their final positions whilst still small. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus.
Propagation:
Seed – gather when ripe and store dry. Surface sow in late winter in a greenhouse. The seed usually germinates in 1 – 4 weeks at 20°c[164]. Prick out the seedlings as soon as they are large enough to handle into individual pots. Grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter and plant them out the in the following spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. The seed stores for at least 3 years. Cuttings of softish to half-ripe wood, 8cm long with a heel or at a node, June/August in a frame. Roots are formed within 3 weeks. High percentage. Cuttings of almost mature wood, 8 – 12cm with a heel or at a node, September/October in a frame. High percentage. Lift and pot up in the spring, plant out when a good root system has formed. Layering in spring.

Edible Uses:
Edible Parts:
Edible Uses: Condiment; Tea.

The leaves are used as a tea substitute. The dried leaves are sometimes used as an adulterant for marjoram (Origanum majorana).
Medicinal Uses:
Not yet known.
Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cistus_albidus
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Cistus+albidus

Categories
News on Health & Science

Floating Best Stress And Pain Buster

 A recent study has found that relaxing in large, sound and   light proof tank with salt water-floating is an effective way of easing long-term stress-related pain…....CLICK & SEE

The study was conducted at the Human Performance Laboratory at Karlstad University and was carried out in collaboration with the health authorities under the Varmland County Council.

It was authored by Sven-Ake Bood, who recently completed his doctorate in psychology, with a dissertation from Karlstad University in Sweden.

The research project took under four years for concluding and included 140 individuals, all with some form of diagnosis involving stress-related long-term pain.

The recent research also agrees with an earlier thesis that improved sleep patients feels more optimistic, and the content of the vitalizing hormone prolactin increases. Anxiety, stress, depression and perception of pain declines.

The research comprised four studies that involved the treatment of pain and stress-related disorders with the aid of a floating tank. A control group that was not treated in a floating tank experienced no improvement in their health. After a period of treatment lasting a total of seven weeks, 22 percent of the participants in the floating group were entirely free of pain, and 56 experienced a clear improvement. Nineteen percent felt no change and 3 percent felt worse. And the effect persists after the treatment is completed.

“Through relaxing in floating tanks, people with long-term fibromyalgia, for instance, or depression and anxiety felt substantially better after only twelve treatments. Relaxing in a weightless state in the silent, warm floating tank activates the body’s own system for recuperation and healing,” said Sven-Ake Bood.

“The stress hormone decreases, as does blood pressure. The findings confirm and reinforce our earlier studies on the effects of relaxing in a floating tank

“The treatment method can be used for several groups, such as people with whiplash injuries, fibromyalgia, depression, and long-term stress-related pain.

“We can also see that a combination of treatment in a floating tank and traditional therapy can be effective. We are now moving on in our research and will be monitoring blood circulation in the capillaries, the oxygen uptake of the blood, and how the body’s reflexes are affected,” he added.

The study has been published in the prestigious American publication International Journal of Stress Management .

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