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Herbs & Plants

Sorghum vulgare

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Botanical Name: Sorghum vulgare
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily:Panicoideae
Tribe: Andropogoneae
Genus: Sorghum
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Poales

Synonyms: Sorghum Seeds. Sorghum Saccharatum (Moench). Guinea Corn.

Common Name:  Broomcorn.

Part Used: Seeds.

Habitat: Sorghum vulgare native to Australia, with some extending to Africa, Asia, Mesoamerica, and certain islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, Spain. Italy and south of Europe.

Description:
Known as Millet or Guinea Corn. Is cultivated in the same way as oats or barley in northern Europe; the seeds are small, round and white, the plant is canelike and similar to Indian Corn, but producing large heads of the small grain. Sorghum is generally classified under two varieties, saccharine and non-saccharine. The saccharine sorghums are not used for producing sugar owing to the difficulty of crystallization.

Sorghum vulgare is an annual grass like other sorghums, it grows 6 to 15 ft (1.8 to 4.6 m) tall, although dwarf varieties are only 3 to 7 ft (0.91 to 2.13 m) in height. The upper peduncle is normally 8 to 18 in (200 to 460 mm) long, topped by a branched inflorescence or panicle, from which the seed-bearing fibers originate. The fibers are usually 12 to 24 in (300 to 610 mm) long, but can be up to 36 in (910 mm) long; they are branched toward the tip where the flowers and seed grow. The seeds number about 30,000/lb (70,000/kg), with feed value similar to oats. A ton of the fibrous panicle makes 900 to 1200 brooms……...CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES

Plants selected for long-panicle branches probably originated in central Africa, but the variety was known to be used for broom-making in the Mediterranean in the Middle Ages. It was first described in Italy in the late 1500s

The species is grown for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants, either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warm climates worldwide and naturalized in many places. Sorghum is in the subfamily Panicoideae and the tribe Andropogoneae (the tribe of big bluestem and sugarcane).

Uses:
It yields a very white flour which is used for making bread, and the grain is used for feeding cattle, horses and poultry. The grain is diuretic and demulcent if taken as a decoction. The plant is extensively cultivated in America for the manufacture of brooms and brushes.

The decoction of 2 oz. of seeds to 1 quart of water, boiled down to 1 pint, is used in urinary and kidney complaints.

In the semi-arid districts of western America it is reported that cattle have been poisoned by eating the green sorghum of the second growth; possibly due to hydrocyanic acid in the leaves.
Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorghum
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/b/brocor74.html

Categories
Herbs & Plants

Barringtonia asiatica

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Botanical Name : Barringtonia asiatica
Family: Lecythidaceae
Genus: Barringtonia
Species: B.
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Ericales

Synonym:     Mammea asiatica L., Barringtonia speciosa J.R.Forst. & G.Forst., Huttum speciosum (J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.) Britten, Agasta asiatica (L.) Miers, Michelia asiatica (L.) Kuntze.

Common Names: Fish Poison Tree, Putat or Sea Poison Tree. Barringtonia, Freshwater Mangrove, Indian Oak, Indian Putat • Assamese: Hendol, Hinyol, Pani amra • Bengali: Hijal • Hindi: Hijagal, Hijjal,  Samundarphal • Kannada: Mavinkubia, Niruganigily, Dhatripala • Malayalam: Attampu, Attupelu, Nir perzha • Marathi: Tiwar, Newar, Sathaphala, Samudraphala • Oriya: Nijhira • Sanskrit: Abdhiphala, Ambudhiphala, Ambuja • Tamil: Aram, Kadambu, Kadappai,  samudra pazham • Telugu: Kurpa • Urdu:

In Chinese: Bin Yu Rui (As B Asiatica), Mo Pan Jiao Shu (As B Speciosa), Yin Du Yu Rui (Taiwan).
In English : Balubiton, Barringtonia, Butong, Butun, Fish Poison Tree, Fish-Killer Tree, Fish-Poison Tree, Fish-Poison-Tree, Langasat, Lugo, Motong-Botong, Pertun, Putat Laut, Sea Poison Tree, Vuton
In Malay: Butong, Butun, Pertun, Putat Laut (Sarawak)
In Russian :Barringtonia Aziatskaia, Barringtonia Prekrasnaia (As B Speciosa)
In Spanish : Arbol De Los Muertos
In Thai :Chik Le
Habitat : Barringtonia asiatica is native to mangrove habitats on the tropical coasts and islands of the Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean from Zanzibar east to Taiwan, the Philippines, Fiji, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, the Cook Islands, Wallis and Futuna and French Polynesia.

(Barringtonia asiatica is a common plant in the Malaysian Mangroves and wetlands such as the Kuching wetlands and Bako National Park. Barringtonia asiatica is known locally as Putat laut or Butun.)

Description:
It is a small to medium-sized tree growing to 7–25 m tall. The leaves are narrow obovate, 20–40 cm in length and 10–20 cm in width. Fruit produced as mentioned earlier, is otherwise aptly known as the Box Fruit, due to distinct square like diagonals jutting out from the cross section of the fruit, given its semi spherical shape form from stem altering to a subpyramidal shape at its base. The fruit measures 9–11 cm in diameter, where a thick spongy fibrous layer covers the 4–5 cm diameter seed.

CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES

The fruit is dispersed in the same way as a coconut – by ocean current – and is extremely water-resistant and buoyant. It can survive afloat for up to fifteen years; it was one of the first plants to colonise Anak Krakatau when this island first appeared after the Krakatau eruption. When washed ashore, and soaked by rainwater, the seeds germinate.

Medicinal Uses:
Constituents: Seeds contain hydrocyanic acid (toxic), triterpinoid saponins and gallic acid.

This tree has long been used for medicine, timber. In traditional medicine, when children suffer from a cold in the chest, the seed is rubbed down on a stone with water and applied over the sternum, and if there is much dyspnoea a few grains with or without the juice of fresh ginger are administered internally and seldom fail to induce vomiting and the expulsion of mucus from the air passages. More recently it has become the focus of research for pain-killing compounds.

Seeds are used to get rid of intestinal worms and the heated leaves are used to treat stomachache and rheumatism.

Other Uses:
Box fruits are potent enough to be used as a fish poison. The seeds have been used ground to a powder to stun or kill fish for easy capture, suffocating the fish where the flesh is unaffected.

Its large pinkish-white, pom pom flowers give off a sickly sweet smell to attract bats and moths which pollinate the flowers at night.

Known Hazards: All parts of the tree are poisonous, the active poisons including saponins.

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/Barringtonia_asiatica
http://ntbg.org/plants/plant_details.php?plantid=1466
http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Barringtonia.html
http://zipcodezoo.com/Plants/B/Barringtonia_asiatica/

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Categories
Health & Fitness

Minimum Amount of Exercise Needed To Keep A Person Fit

 

When an extensive study was done in Taiwan on 4,20,000 randomly selected adults (men and women) for 10 years,  it was found that compared with individuals in a totally inactive control group, those in the low-volume activity group, (who exercised for an average of 92 minutes per week) had a 14 per cent reduced risk of all-cause mortality and a three year longer life expectancy. Every additional 15 minutes of daily exercise beyond the minimum amount of 15 minutes a day further reduced all-cause mortality by 4 per cent and all-cancer mortality by 1 per cent. These benefits were applicable to all age groups and both sexes. So the minimum required is probably 15 minutes a day (90 minutes a week) of moderate-intensity exercise.
CLICK   &   READ    :  Fun ways to keep fit in your office

Source: Published in The Telegraph ( Kolkata, India)

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Herbs & Plants

Litsea cubeba

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Botanical Name : Litsea cubeba
Family: Lauraceae
Genus: Litsea
Species: L. cubeba
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Laurales

Common Names:May Chang ,Aromatic litsea

Habitat :Litsea cubeba is native to China, Indonesia, Taiwan and other parts of Southeast Asia.

Description:
Litsea cubeba is an evergreen tree or shrub 5-12 meters  high found in tropical areas. The leaves are typically a vibrant green with a pleasant, lemon like smell. It produces small, pepper-like fruits from which the essential oil is extracted.

Color: It has a yellow color.

CLICK TO SEE THE PICTURES

A famous spice among Taiwanese aborigines, a proposed National Park at Yilan County is named “Magao” after the spice. It produces a fruit which is processed for its lemony essential oil. The oil can also be extracted from the leaf, but this is considered to be lower in quality. The timber is sometimes used for making furniture and crafts. Plant parts are also used in medicine.

Oil extraction:
Essential oil yields from the fruit are 3-5%. The oil’s primary isolate is citral, at 70-85% of the oil. It is mainly produced in China from plantations and is marketed as “Litsea cubebea”, with production estimates between 500 – 1,500 tonnes of oil per annum. The oil is used as a fragrance (especially in bar soap and for flavouring in its own right. It is also used as a raw material by the chemical industry for the synthesis of vitamin A and violet-like fragrances

Medicinal Uses:
Litsea cubeba  is most valued for its calming and anti- inflammatory properties. Other therapeutic uses often found with litsea cubeba include as an astringent, antiseptic, insecticide, hypotensive, stimulant and tonic.

The root and stem are used in traditional Chinese medicine.   It expels wind and dampness, promotes the movement of qi and alleviates pain: for wind-damp painful obstruction and stomach aches.  Most commonly used for lower back pain.  It promotes the movement of qi and blood, warms the channels and alleviates pain: for dysmenorrhea that presents primarily with a distended and painful lower abdomen that improves with heat or pressure.  Also for blood stasis pain due to trauma, or other gynecological pain associated with blood stasis.  Also used for chills, headaches and muscle aches due to an exterior disorder. Has been reported to be useful in treating motion sickness.
The fruits are reputed to alleviate chronic asthma, as well as being a treatment for coronary heart disease and high blood pressure.

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.soapgoods.com/product_info.php?products_id=961
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Litsea_cubeba
http://www.qrbiz.com/product/860086/litsea-cubeba-oil.html
http://www.pbase.com/louisual/image/56631903
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Litsea_cubeba
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_LMN.htm

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Herbs & Plants

Ficus pumila

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Botanical Name : Ficus pumila
Family: Moraceae
Genus: Ficus
Species: F. pumila
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Rosales

Synonyms: [Ficus repens]
Common Name:Creeping Fig, Climbing Fig, Creeping Ficus

Habitat :Ficus pumila is native to East Asia.

Description:
Ficus pumila (Creeping Fig) – An evergreen  vine that can attach itself to almost any kind of material for a seemingly endless distance. Juvenile dainty heart-shaped leaves develop into 2 to 4 inch long leathery leaves with age.
….click & see the pictures
Creeping fig is an enthusiastic climber able to scramble up vertical surfaces 3 and 4 stories tall with the aid of a powerful adhesive. This vine coats surfaces with a tracery of fine stems that are densely covered with small heart shaped leaves that are 1 inch long by about .75 in (2 cm) wide, they are held closely to the surface creating a mat of foliage that extends barely 1 in (2.5 cm) from the surface. These are the juvenile leaves. Once the vine has reach the top of its support if will begin to form horizontal branches on which adult foliage is borne. Adult leaves are held alternately in two rows along these branches. They are more leathery than the juveniles, and are dark green, and about 3 in (7.6 cm) long by 2 in (5 cm) wide. The fruit is a fig. These are borne only on the horizontal stems, they are pale green in color and about 3 in (7.6 cm) long by 2.5 in (6.4 cm) wide.
………

It is a root-clinging, evergreen perennial. It clings by aerial roots along the stem and has leaves that are small, bright green and heart-shaped. Creeping Fig will grow in moderate shade or sun. This variety has solid green leaves, this is a great plant if you have a wall that is bare. The Creeping Fig will cling to surfaces allowing one to hide an unsightly wall or to just soften the architecture. This plant also works well as an indoor potted plant, as long as it has a sunny spot to sit in.

Hardiness: USDA Zones 8-11

Uses:
As the common names would suggest, it has a creeping habit and is often used as a houseplant. It is hardy and fast growing and requires little in the way of care as long as the soil is not allowed to dry out between waterings. There are several cultivars, including a variegated and crinkled leaf form.
click & see
In warmer climates it can be grown outdoors, but it can become invasive and cover landscape features if not contained. It should not be allowed to climb houses or wooden structures, as the woody tendrils can damage buildings.

Other than its use as a decorative plant, the fruit of F. pumila var. awkeotsang is also used in cuisine. In Taiwan, its fruit is turned inside out and dried. The seeds are scraped off and a gel is extracted from their surface with water and allowed to set and form a jelly known in Taiwan as aiyu jelly (or aiyuzi) and in Singapore as ice jelly …..CLICK  &  SEE  PICTURE OF FRUIT

Medicinal Uses:
The leaves are used for carbuncle, dysentery, hematuria, piles; dried leaves and stems for boils, rheumatism, sore throat.  Stem: latex used for skin disease; stem or fruit peel for backache, cancer, hernia, piles, swellings, and tuberculosis of the testicles.  Decoction of the fruit for hernia.  Rot is used for bladder inflammation and dysuria.  The plant is regarded as aphrodisiac, or at least strengthening to the male power, used for spermatorrhea, as a lactagogue; eating the plant is said to curb heart pain, anticancer.

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.magnoliagardensnursery.com/productdescrip/Ficus_Green.html
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_C.htm
http://www.calflora.net/floraofbermuda/ficus_pumila.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_pumila
http://www.floridata.com/ref/f/ficu_pum.cfm

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