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Herbs & Plants

Liquidamber orientalis

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Botanical Name : Liquidamber orientalis
Family: Altingiaceae
Genus: Liquidambar
Species: L. orientalis
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Saxifragales

Synonyms :Liquidamber imberbe

Common Names : Storax ,Oriental sweetgum or Turkish sweetgum,

Habitat :  Liquidamber orientalis is  native to the eastern Mediterranean region, that occurs as pure stands mainly in the flood plains of southwestern Turkey and on the Greek island of Rhodes.

Description:
Liquidambar orientalis is a deciduous tree,30-35 m in height with straight trunk of 100 cm in dia.Flowers areunisxual and bloom from March – April. The fruits ripen during Nov-Dec and the seeds are wind spreaded.It produces seeds annually but abadent seeds crops occur every three yrs.

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The tree can grow in slopes and dry soil, and optimum growth is on rich, deep and moist soils such as bogs, river banks and coastal areas.

Cultivation:
Prefers a moist but not swampy loam in a sheltered position. Prefers a neutral to acid soil. Grows poorly on shallow soils overlying chalk. Plants can be grown in full sun so long as the soil is not dry hungry and shallow. Young plants are susceptible to damage from late frosts. Mature plants are fully hardy but prefer a hotter climate if they are to do well. Plants rarely, if ever, flower in Britain. They rarely flower in climatic zones colder than zone 7. An aromatic gum exudes from the trunk. The fragrance is also present to some extent in the leaves, especially if they are bruised. This species resents root disturbance, young plants should be pot-grown and be placed in their permanent positions as soon as possible. A slow growing plant.

Propagation :
Seed – best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame. Harvest the seed capsules at the end of October or November, dry in a warm place and extract the seed by shaking the capsule. Stored seed requires 1 – 3 months stratification and sometimes takes 2 years to germinate. Sow it as early in the year as possible. Germination rates are often poor. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a cold frame or greenhouse for their first winter. Since they resent root disturbance, it is best to plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer of their second year and give them some protection from cold for their first winter outdoors. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Suckers in early spring. Layering in October/November. Takes 12 months

Edible Uses: A chewing gum and a stabilizer for cakes etc are obtained from the resin. This resin is also used to flavour baked foods etc.

Medicinal  Uses:
Storax balsam has an irritant expectorant effect on the respiratory tract and it is an ingredient of Friar’s Balsam, an expectorant mixture that is inhaled to stimulate a productive cough.  Levant storax, in the form of balsam, is also applied externally to encourage the healing of skin diseases and problems such as scabies, wounds and ulcers.  Mixed with witch hazel and rosewater, it makes an astringent face lotion.  In China, storax balsam is used to clear mucus congestion and to relieve pain and constriction in the chest.  The resin has been used to loosen a cough, treat diphtheria and gonorrhea, flavor tobacco, candy and chewing gum and as an ingredient of perfumes.  It is also a powerful stimulant of peculiar value for its aphrodisiac qualities.

The extraction of its sap and the production of an oil based thereof , as well as exports of these products, play an important role in the local economy. The recolt of the sap and the preparation of the oil involve quite toilsome tasks lasting from May to November and consisting of several separate phases. There is a danger for the present generation of master oil makers not being replaced in near future.

In English, this oil is known under several names, shortly as Storax to englobe all sweetgum oils, or as Styrax Levant, Asiatic Storax, Balsam Storax, Liquid Storax, Oriental Sweetgum Oil, or Turkish Sweetgum Oil. Diluted with a suitable carrier oil, it is used externally in traditional medicine for abrasions, anxiety, bronchitis, catarrh, coughs, cuts, ringworm, scabies, stress-related conditions and wounds. It is a different product than the benzoin resin produced from tropical trees in the genus Styrax.

Other Uses:
The aromatic resin ‘Storax’ is obtained from the trunk of this tree. It forms in cavities of the bark and also exudes naturally. It is harvested in autumn. Production can be stimulated by beating the trunk in the spring. The resin has a wide range of uses including medicinal, incense, perfumery, soaps etc. It is also used as a parasiticide. Liquid storax gives greater permanence to the odours of flowers extracted by maceration. It is also used in the imitation of other scents as an alternative to vanilla, ambergris and benzoin, or to complement them. The aromatic bark is burnt as an incense

The hydrocarbon styrene is named for Levant styrax from this species (Liquidambar orientalis), from which it was first isolated, and not for the genus Styrax itself; industrially produced styrene is now used to produce polystyrene plastics, including Styrofoam.

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:

Click to access 923.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquidambar_orientalis
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_RST.htm

http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Liquidambar+orientalis

Categories
Herbs & Plants

Helichrysum stoechas

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Botanical Name : Helichrysum stoechas
Family: Asteraceae
Subfamily: Asteroideae
Tribes: Gnaphalieae
Genus: Helichrysum
Species: Helichrysum stoechas
Regnum: Plantae
Order: Asterales

Common Name :Eternal Flower

Habitat :Helichrysum stoechas grows in south and west Europe on dry banks, rocks and sands. Helichrysum stoechas also grows in northwest Africa and eastwards as far as Turkey.

Description:
Helichrysum stoechas is a perennial herb,  growing to 0.5 m (1ft 8in) by 1 m (3ft 3in).
It is hardy to zone 8. It is in leaf 12-Jan It is in flower from Jul to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects.This plant can be identified by a strong smell of curry when the leaves or stems are crushed.


.Click to see the pictures..
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The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil.The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils..It cannot grow in the shade.It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Cultivation:
Requires a light well-drained soil in a sunny sheltered position. Intolerant of excessive moisture. Established plants are drought resistant. This species is not hardy in the colder areas of the country, it tolerates temperatures down to about -10°c. An aromatic plant with beautiful foliage, there are several named varieties, selected for their ornamental value. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer.

Propagation:
Seed – sow February/March in a greenhouse. The seed usually germinates in 2 – 3 weeks at 20°c. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5cm with a heel, June/July in a frame. Roots in 4 weeks. Good percentage[

Medicinal Uses:
Deobstruent;  DiaphoreticEmollientExpectorant.

Formerly used as an expectorant.  The ointment it seems to have beneficial effects on skin diseases, while reduced in aerosol it is a good remedy against bronchitis and asthma.

The stem tops and the flowers are deobstruent and expectorant. They have been used in the treatment of colds but their use is now considered to be obsolete. The flowers have been used as diaphoretics and discutients.

The aroma is very supportive and comforting, warm, honey like, rich and buttery, with undertones of wood, spices, herb. It is believed by some to open the right side of the brain and improve creativity as well as increase dream activity. It is used in meditation blends to encourage spirituality and personal growth. It is considered by some to be one of the ‘sacred’ oils.

Helichrysum has been studied in Europe as a nerve tonic, tissue repair, reducing inflammation, and speeding the healing of bruises.

Helichrysum blends well with Atlas Cedarwood Atlas, Blue Chamomile, Cypress, Geranium, Lavender, Neroli, Patchouli, Rose, and Vetiver.

Essential oils are extremely concentrated and potent. Most essential oils should be diluted before use, and most are not intended for internal use. For more information, consult an aromatherapy practitioner.

This product is not intended to diagnose or cure any disease. If you are sick or believe you might be sick, consult your doctor.

FDA regulations don’t allow for any claims to made for herbs and we are not allowed to make specific claims about how herbs my help you heal. Please go to the library or search the web for more specific uses of Essential Oils

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.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_DE.htm
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Helichrysum+stoechas
http://www.first-nature.com/flowers/helichrysum_stoechas.php
http://www.sharnoffphotos.com/nature/flowers_provence/helichrysum%202.html
http://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Helichrysum_stoechas

http://www.taosherb.com/store/helichrysum_stoechas_pure_essential_oil.html

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Categories
Herbs & Plants

Prunus lauroceerasus

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Botanical Name : Prunus lauroceerasus
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Prunus
Subgenus: Cerasus, or Laurocerasus
Section: Laurocerasus
Species: P. laurocerasus
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Rosales

Common Names:Cherry Laurel,English laurel

Habitat :Prunus lauroceerasus is native to regions bordering the Black Sea in southwestern Asia and southeastern Europe, from Albania and Bulgaria east through Turkey to the Caucasus Mountains and northern Iran

Description:
Prunus laurocerasus is an evergreen shrub or small tree, growing to 5–15 metres (16–49 ft) tall, rarely to 18 metres (59 ft) tall, with a trunk up to 60-cm broad. The leaves are dark green, leathery, shiny, (5–)10–25(–30)-cm wide and 4–10-cm broad, with a finely serrated margin. The leaves can have the smell of almonds when crushed.
CLICK  & SEE THE PICTURES
The flower buds appear in early spring and open in early summer in erect 7–15-cm racemes of 30–40 flowers, each flower 1-cm broad, with five creamy-white petals and numerous yellowish stamens.

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The fruit is a small cherry 1–2-cm broad, turning black when ripe in early autumn.   Unlike the rest of the plant, which is poisonous, the cherries are edible, although rather bland and with a somewhat dry smack compared to the fruit of apricots, true cherries, plums, and peaches, to which it is related. The seeds contained within the berries are poisonous like the rest of the plant, containing cyanogenic glycosides and amygdalin.[6] This chemical composition is what gives the smell of almonds when the leaves are crushed.

Cultivation:
Prunus laurocerasus is a widely cultivated ornamental plant, used for planting in gardens and parks in temperate regions worldwide. It is often used for hedges, a screening plant, and as a massed landscape plant. Most cultivars are tough shrubs that can cope with difficult growing conditions, including shaded and dry conditions, and which respond well to pruning.

Medicinal Uses:
The fresh leaves are of value in the treatment of coughs, whooping cough, asthma, dyspepsia and indigestion. Externally, a cold infusion of the leaves is used as a wash for eye infections.  A reliable sedative and frequently the principal agent in cough medicine.  Cherry-laurel water (Aqua Laurocerasi) is produced by distillation. In homeopathy, a tincture produced from the leaves is used as a sedative.  It may also be used externally in soothing poultices.

Other uses
Laurel water, a distillation made from the plant, has a pharmacological usage. The foliage is also used for cut greenery in floristry.

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/Prunus_laurocerasus
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_C.htm
http://movies-honoratocainelvis.blogspot.com/2011/03/prunus-laurocerasus-etna.html
http://trees.stanford.edu/ENCYC/PRUNUSlau.htm

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Categories
Ailmemts & Remedies

Bursitis

Definition:
A bursa is a fluid-filled sac that usually overlays a bone or a joint and acts as a shock absorber. There are two types:

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Anatomical bursae normally occur around the body where tendons cross bones or joints. The complex knee joint has 15 bursae, for example.

•Adventitious bursae are not part of the normal body structure but develop when the soft tissue overlying a bone suffers repeated friction or trauma. An example of this type is over the pelvic bone in the buttock muscles because someone has been sitting on a hard chair for several hours a day.

Bursitis is inflammation of the fluid-filled sac (bursa) that lies between a tendon and skin, or between a tendon and bone. Certain occupations predispose people to this. The condition may be acute or chronic.
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Causes:
The most common causes of bursitis are trauma, infection, and crystal deposits.

Trauma
Trauma causes inflammatory bursitis from repetitive injury, which results in widening of the blood vessels. This allows proteins and extracellular fluid into the bursae and the bursae react against these “foreign” substances by becoming swollen.

•Chronic: The most common cause of chronic bursitis is minor trauma that may occur to the shoulder (subdeltoid) bursa from repetitive motion, for example, throwing a baseball. Another example is prepatellar bursitis (in front of the knee) from prolonged or repetitive kneeling on a hard surface to scrub a floor or lay carpet.

Acute brusits: A direct blow (let’s say you accidentally bang your knee into a table) can cause blood to leak into the bursa. This rapid collection usually causes marked pain and swelling, most often in the knee.

Infections:
Bursae close to the surface of the skin are the most likely to get infected with common organisms; this is called septic bursitis. These bursitis-causing bacteria are normally found on the skin: Staphylococcus aureus or Staphylococcus epidermis. People with diabetes or alcoholism and those undergoing steroid treatments or with certain kidney conditions, or who may have experienced trauma may be higher risks for this type of bursitis. About 85% of septic bursitis occurs in men.

Crystal deposits
People with certain diseases such as gout, rheumato:id arthritis, or scleroderma, for example, may develop bursitis from crystal deposits. Little is known about how this process happens. Uric acid is a normal byproduct of daily metabolism. People who have gout are unable to properly break down the uric acid, which crystalizes and deposits in joints-a mechanism for causing bursitis.
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Symptoms:
Bursitis causes pain and tenderness around the affected bone or tendon. The bursae sacs may swell, often making movement difficult. The most commonly affected joints are the shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand, knee, and foot.

Shoulder…...click & see

The subacromial (subdeltoid bursa) separates the major tendon (known as the supraspinatus tendon) from the overlying bone and deltoid muscle. Inflammation of this bursa is usually a result of injury to surrounding structures-most commonly the rotator cuff. This is often referred to as “impingement syndrome.” It is often difficult to tell the difference between this type of bursitis pain and a rotator cuff injury. Both cause pain in the side or front of the shoulder.

•Overhead lifting or reaching activities are uncomfortable.

•Pain is often worse at night.

•The shoulder will usually have decreased range of active motion and be tender at specific spots.

Elbow. click & see

Olecranon bursitis is the most common form of bursitis. Goose-egg-like, tender red swelling may appears just behind the elbow. This area is at the top of one of the forearm bones called the ulna and is known as the olecranon process.

•The pain may increase if the elbow is bent because tension increases over the bursa.

•This bursa is frequently exposed to direct trauma (bumping your arm) or repeated motions from bending and extending the elbow (while painting, for example).

•Infection is common in this bursa.

Knee....click & see

•Kneecap (prepatellar) bursitis: Swelling on the front of the kneecap is usually associated with either chronic trauma (from kneeling) or an acute blow to the knee. Swelling may occur as late as 7-10 days after a single blow to the area, usually from a fall.

•Anserine bursitis: The anserine bursa is fan shaped and lies among 3 of the major tendons at the knee. The name anserine (gooselike) comes from the shape of the swollen bursa. When restrained by the 3 tendons, the bursa looks like a goose’s foot.

This type of bursitis is most often seen in people with arthritis, especially overweight middle-aged women with osteoarthritis.

*The pain is typically produced when the knee is bent and is particularly troublesome at night. People often seek comfort by sleeping with a pillow between their thighs.

*The pain can radiate to the inner thigh and midcalf and usually increases on climbing stairs and at extremes of bending and extending.

*The area of tenderness is on the middle part of the knee.

*Anserine bursitis also occurs as an overuse or traumatic injury among athletes, particularly long-distance runners.
Ankle.click & see

Retrocalcaneal bursitis occurs when the bursa near the Achilles tendon in the ankle becomes inflamed. This is commonly caused by local trauma associated with wearing a poorly designed shoe (often high heels) or prolonged walking. It can also occur with Achilles tendonitis.

Bursitis in this part of the body often occurs as an overuse injury in young athletes, ice skaters, and female adolescents transitioning to higher heels. The pain is usually on the back of the heel and increases with passive extension or resisted flexion.

Buttocks....click & see

Ischiogluteal bursitis causes inflammation of the ischial bursa, which lies between the bottom of the pelvic bone and the overlying gluteus maximus muscle (one side of the buttocks). Inflammation can come from sitting for a long time on a hard surface or from bicycling.

•The pain occurs when sitting and walking.

•There will be tenderness over the pubic bone, which may be made worse by bending and extending the leg.

•The pain may radiate down the back of the thigh.

•Direct pressure over the area causes sharp pain.

•The person may hold the painful buttock elevated when sitting.

•The pain is worse when person is lying down and the hip is passively bent.

•The person may have difficulty standing on tiptoe on the affected side.

Hip click & see

The iliopsoas bursa is the largest in the body and lies in front of, and deep to, the hip joint. Bursitis here is usually associated with hip problems such as arthritis or injury (especially from running).

•The pain of iliopsoas bursitis radiates down the front and middle areas of the thigh to the knee and is increased when the hip is extended and rotated.

•Extension of the hip during walking causes pain so the person may limit the stride on the affected side and take a shorter step.

•There may be tenderness in the groin area.

•Sometimes a mass may be felt resembling a hernia. The person may also feel numbness or tingling if adjacent nerves are compressed by the inflamed bursa.

Thigh click & see

The trochanteric bursa, part of the thigh, can be associated trochanteric bursitis, which occurs most frequently in overweight, middle-aged women.

•It causes deep, aching hip pain along the side of the hip that may extend into the buttocks or to the side of the knee.

•Pain is aggravated by activity, local pressure, or stretching.

•Pain is often worse at night.
Diagnosis:
Exams and Tests:

•History: The doctor will usually take a detailed history about the onset of symptoms and will want to know what movement or activity makes you feel more or less pain. You will need to report other medical problems you may have.

•Fluid removal: The doctor may remove synovial fluid from the joint with a needle (aspiration) and send it to the lab for analysis for possible infection. Bursitis in the knee and elbow are especially prone to infection.

•X-rays: They are usually not helpful, but the doctor may get them if any other disease process is suspected such as a fracture or dislocation. MRI and CT scans are obtained only to exclude other causes.

•Blood testing: The doctor may take blood from your arm for lab testing to rule out infection or other conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis or hyperthyroidism.
Treatment:
The doctor will probably recommend home care with P-R-I-C-E-M: protection, rest, ice, compression, elevation, and medications .

At first  doctor may recommend temporary rest or immobilization of the affected joint.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen may relieve pain and inflammation. Formal physical therapy may be helpful as well.

If the inflammation does not respond to the initial treatment, it may be necessary to draw out fluid from the bursa and inject corticosteroids. Surgery is rarely required….

Exercises for the affected area should be started as the pain resolves. If muscle atrophy (weakness or decrease in size) has occurred. Your health care provider may suggest exercises to build strength and increase mobility.

Bursitis caused by infection is treated with antibiotics. Sometimes the infected bursa must be drained surgically.

Prognosis:
The condition may respond well to treatment, or it may develop into a chronic condition if the underlying cause cannot be corrected.

Complications:
Chronic bursitis may occur.
Too many steroid injections over a short period of time can cause injury to the surrounding tendons.

Prevention:
Avoid activities that include repetitive movements of any body parts whenever possible.

You may Click to see :List of Burn Centers in  US

CLICK    &   READ   FOR MORE INFORMATION

Disclaimer: This information is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advise or help. It is always best to consult with a Physician about serious health concerns. This information is in no way intended to diagnose or prescribe remedies.This is purely for educational purpose.

Resources:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/conditions/bursitis.shtml
http://healthtools.aarp.org/adamcontent/bursitis?CMP=KNC-360I-GOOGLE-HEA&HBX_PK=bursitis&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=bursitis&utm_campaign=G_Diseases%2Band%2BConditions&360cid=SI_148893841_6495451981_1
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/bursitis/article_em.htm
http://www.medicalook.com/Joint_pain/Bursitis.html
http://activemotionphysio.ca/article.php?aid=246
http://www.bursitisinshoulder.com/
http://www.bursitis.ws/Knee-Bursitis.html

http://www.aidmybursa.com/foot-ankle-bursitis.php

http://www.sportlink.co.uk/hip_bursitis.php

http://www.bursitistreatment.info/ischial-bursitis_8.html

http://www.steadyhealth.com/articles/Hip_Bursitis___Trochanteric_Bursitis_a246.html

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Categories
Dry Fruit Herbs & Plants

Hazelnut(Corylus avellana)

Botanical Name :Corylus avellana
Family: Betulaceae
Genus: Corylus
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Fagales
Species: C. avellana
Common Names:  Hazelnut ,
Vernacular names:-
Cymraeg: Cneuen gyll
Dansk: Almindelig Hassel
Deutsch: Gemeine Hasel
Eesti: Harilik sarapuu
English: Common Hazel
Français: Noisetier
Italiano: Nocciolo
Magyar: Közönséges vagy európai mogyoró

Habitat :It is  native to Europe and western Asia, from the British Isles south to Iberia, Greece, Turkey and Cyprus, north to central Scandinavia, and east to the central Ural Mountains, the Caucasus, and northwestern Iran.

Description:
Common hazel is typically a shrub reaching 3–8 m tall, but can reach 15 m. The leaves are deciduous, rounded, 6–12 cm long and across, softly hairy on both surfaces, and with a double-serrate margin. The flowers are produced very early in spring, before the leaves, and are monoecious with single-sex wind-pollinated catkins. Male catkins are pale yellow and 5–12 cm long, while female catkins are very small and largely concealed in the buds with only the bright red 1–3 mm long styles visible. The fruit is a nut, produced in clusters of one to five together, each nut held in a short leafy involucre (“husk”) which encloses about three quarters of the nut. The nut is roughly spherical to oval, 15–20 mm long and 12–20 mm broad (larger, up to 25 mm long, in some cultivated selections), yellow-brown with a pale scar at the base. The nut falls out of the involucre when ripe, about 7–8 months after pollination.

You click to see different pictures of Corylus avellana

It is readily distinguished from the closely related Filbert (Corylus maxima) by the short involucre; in the Filbert the nut is fully enclosed by a beak-like involucre longer than the nut.

You may click to see also List of Lepidoptera that feed on hazels :

The leaves provide food for many animals, including Lepidoptera such as the case-bearer moth Coleophora anatipennella. Caterpillars of the concealer moth Alabonia geoffrella have been found feeding inside dead Common Hazel twigs. The fruit are possibly even more important animal food, both for invertebrates adapted to circumvent the shell (usually by ovipositing in the female flowers, which also gives protection to the offspring) and for vertebrates which manage to crack them open (such as squirrels and corvids).

The scientific name avellana derives from the town of Avella in Italy, and was selected by Linnaeus from Leonhart Fuchs’s De historia stirpium commentarii insignes (1542), where the species was described as “Avellana nux sylvestris” (“wild nut of Avella”).

Common Hazel is cultivated for its nuts. The name hazelnut applies to the nuts of any of the species of the genus Corylus. This hazelnut or cob nut, the kernel of the seed, is edible and used raw or roasted, or ground into a paste. The cob is round, compared with the longer filbert nut.

The hazelnut is the nut, of the hazel and is also known as the cobnut. It is roughly spherical to oval, about 15–25 mm long and 10–15 mm in diameter, with an outer fibrous husk surrounding a smooth shell. The nut falls out of the husk when ripe, about 7–8 months after pollination. The kernel of the seed is edible and used raw or roasted, or ground into a paste. The seed has a thin, dark brown skin which has a bitter flavour and is sometimes removed before cooking.
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There are many cultivars of the Hazel, including ‘Barcelona’, ‘Butler’, ‘Casina’, ‘Clark’ ‘Cosford’, ‘Daviana’, ‘Delle Langhe’, ‘England’, ‘Ennis’, Fillbert, ‘Halls Giant’, ‘Jemtegaard’, ‘Kent Cob’, ‘Lewis’, ‘Tokolyi’, ‘Tonda Gentile’, ‘Tonda di Giffoni’, ‘Tonda Romana’, ‘Wanliss Pride’, and ‘Willamette’.[8] Some of these are grown for specific qualities of the nut including large nut size, and early and late fruiting cultivars, whereas other are grown as pollinators. The majority of commercial Hazelnuts are propagated from root sprouts. Some cultivars are of hybrid origin between Common Hazel and Filbert.

Hazelnuts, with shell (left), without shell (right)
Common Hazel is cultivated for its nuts in commercial orchards in Europe, Turkey, Iran and Caucasus. The name “hazelnut” applies to the nuts of any of the species of the genus Corylus. This hazelnut or cobnut, the kernel of the seed, is edible and used raw or roasted, or ground into a paste. The seed has a thin, dark brown skin which has a bitter flavour and is sometimes removed before cooking. The top producer of hazelnuts, by a large margin, is Turkey, specifically the [[ORDU Province]. Turkish hazelnut production of 625,000 tonnes accounts for approximately 75% of worldwide production.

Cultivation:
The Common Hazel is a shrub common in many European woodlands. It is an important component of the hedgerows that were the traditional field boundaries in lowland England. The wood was traditionally grown as coppice, the poles cut being used for wattle-and-daub building and agricultural fencing.

Medicinal Uses:
Hazelnuts are rich in protein and unsaturated fat. Moreover, they contain significant amounts of thiamine and vitamin B6, as well as smaller amounts of other B vitamins. Additionally, 1 cup (237 ml) of hazelnut flour has 20 g of carbohydrates, 12 g of which are fibre.

Hazelnut oil is a good carrier oil in aromatherapy applications, it has a slightly astringent action that is good for all skin types. The name “hazelnut” applies to the nuts of any of the species of the genus Corylus. This hazelnut or cobnut, the kernel of the seed, is edible and used raw or roasted, or ground into a paste.  Hazelnuts are extensively used in confectionery, hazelnut butter is being promoted as a more nutritious spread than its peanut butter counterpart, though it has a higher fat content.

Yellow color contains vitamins, minerals, protein slightly astringent, good for all skin types. Absorbed quickly into the skin, it has tonifying and astringent action. Good for those with slightly oily skins, dry, devitalized, or sun damaged. A lovely carrier oil for aromatherapy skin care blends.

They are under the dominion of Mercury. The parted kernels made into an electuary, or the milk drawn from the kernels with mead or honeyed water, is very good to help an old cough; and being parched, and a little pepper put to them and drank, digests the distillations of rheum from the head. The dried husks and shells, to the weight of two drams, taken in red wine, stays lasks and women’s courses, and so doth the red skin that covers the kernels, which is more effectual to stay women’s courses.

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/Corylus_avellana
http://www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail83.php
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Corylus_avellana
http://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Corylus_avellana

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