Everyone loves D, the sunshine vitamin. Doctors, patients and the media have been enamoured with vitamin D supplements for decades. As well as their clear benefit in curing severe vitamin D deficiencies, endless headlines hail their magical ability to reduce a vast range of conditions from dementia to cancer.
Researchers found a significant association between a patient’s vitamin D levels and the severity of their IBS symptoms, particularly the extent to which IBS affects their quality of life.
The Australian federal court has accused Reckitt Benckiser of misleading consumers. The UK-based company has been marketing products in their Nurofen range for specific types of pain. The truth is, they all contain the same active ingredient: an analgesic drug called ibuprofen. Ibuprofen can’t be targeted at any specific pains.
We’ve known for a long time that aspirin can help prevent damage from a heart attack or a stroke if taken during one of those events. In fact, you might have seen ads about how aspirin can be lifesaving during a heart attack.
Sulforaphane is found in vegetables such as kale, cauliflower, and cabbage—and in particularly high concentrations in young broccoli sprouts. Sulforaphane also is available as a dietary supplement called BSE.
Antioxidants have made a fortune for the dietary supplement industry, but how many people really know what they are and why they’re supposedly good for you? One common claim is that the these molecules can protect you from cancer.
In a study published last week, researchers at Harvard University examined 21 brands of dietary supplements containing an herbal stimulant called Acacia rigidula. More than half of the brands analyzed contained an untested amphetamine isomer called ?-methylphenylethylamine (BMPEA).
Enzymes are essential for proper functioning of our body. They are found in all living plant and animal matter. Their primary job is to maintain balanced body functions, digest food, and aid in the repair of tissue. What types of enzymes do you need? Choosing the...
Obesity and weight loss has become an obsession, such as with anorexia, bulimia, constant dieting and bingeing, when the issue of weight is clearly out of perspective. While weight control is a feminist issue, it is also a health issue. Obesity can endanger the internal organs through ...
Contrary to what Juan Ponce de Leon thought when he searched for it in the 16th century, the fountain of youth is made of anti-oxidants, not water, and it's a lot easier to find than the famed explorer thought. Research on aging from the University of Florida shows that anti-oxidants slow down aging process...
Saw Palmetto Berries is an herb which is needed in the U.S. today. The average male over age 50 may suffer from a variety of reproductive ailments, such as prostate problems, low back pain, and diminishing sexual vitality — this herb can help in alleviating some, if not all, of these symptoms. Likewise, women who may experience...
Garlic is among the oldest and most versatile of the documented natural remedies. When Hippocrates, the father of diagnostic medicine, was busy noting which treatments worked for the Greek people he treated, he listed garlic. A total of twenty-two ancient Egyptian remedies were found to use garlic, as noted in the Ebers Papyrus dating from the sixteenth century B.C.E.
- By Toby Balter
Aloe Vera called Nature's Miracle has been associated with myth, magic, and medicine since pre-biblical times. All over the world today, Aloe Vera is a common household plant. It is one of the most talked about, yet most misunderstood plants in history.
- By Micki Iborra
Herbology evolved into a healing art in China through observation and usage. This knowledge was compiled and passed down for refinement through the centuries. Herbs, like everything else in Chinese Medicine, are classified according to their energetic qualities and functions.
- By Peter Bane
Botanicals can be incorporated into wines, cordials or teas, used in cooking and made into tinctures or salves. Some are applied topically as a poultice. Some plants we dry and use as teas or decoctions.
Ginseng, the root of the plant Panax ginseng, is one of the most commonly used herbal medicines and is often sold as an over-the-counter remedy for fatigue. Although it has been used by humans for thousands of years, more recent research has begun to investigate therapeutic and pharmacological uses including anti-allergy and anti-inflammatory properties.
There is nothing mysterious or even particularly clever or skillful about making healing formulations from plants. Intimidated by the pharmaceutical elite, we think that to be of any use a medicine must be made by a Ph.D. wearing a white lab coat. Not so! If you can make a cup of tea or cook a simple meal...
We can work with plant spirits for our own personal guidance and healing, but when we call upon plant spirits to engage in the healing of another, a particular type of dynamism is added to the healing process. Plants are community beings that are here to serve the community as a whole so that when we step beyond our own personal needs...
If you make a commitment to yourself and to the herbs, and if you are consistent, you will be richly rewarded on your journey with them. This is also true when working with the spiritual energies of herbs and...
Lavandula angustifolia, known as true lavender or English lavender, was until recently considered the hardiest and most fragrant species. Lavender essential oil is the one most widely used in aromatherapy to...
While I first heard the voice of an herb deva in my kitchen that morning, shortly thereafter, they appeared in my garden. They sent me off running to my computer, so I could type the messages they were so insistent on delivering...
The very basic idea of plant-as-medicine dates back to before recorded history. Cannabis has been a medicine since at least 2800 BCE, and until the 1940s, it was listed in America’s pharmacopeia. In the past few decades, we have seen a return to herbal remedies and treatments. Despite the pharmaceutical industry’s attempts at...
Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, which set up a new framework for FDA regulation of dietary supplements, requires consumers, as well as manufacturers, to be responsible for checking the safety of these products and determining the truthfulness of their label claims.