What’s Hoodia Gordonii

What’s Hoodia Gordonii

Hoodia Gordonii is a very special type of cactus which is native to South Africa.  For centuries African bushmen have been using Hoodia to reduce their hunger while out hunting.  However it’s been recently discovered that it’s the substance P57 that actually reduces your appetite.

To put it simply, P57 tricks you brain into thinking your stomach is full when is actual fact it’s not.  So it’s no wonder that it can help you reduce your weight by helping you reduce the amount of food you eat. SOURCE

Natural treatments for common illnesses

Natural treatments for common illnesses

These herbs are listed for informational purposes only. Do not try to treat yourself without dosage information from someone who knows what they are doing. Some of the herbs can be deadly if used improperly.

Bladder Infection - Goldenseal and echinacea in combination are very effective. One or the other alone will be functional as well. Include large amount of water in your diet until recovery. Cranberry juice is also helpful, but make sure it is an unsweetened variety (sweetend with apply juice is acceptable).

Bronchitis - Try combinations of Fenugreek, sliperry elm, echincea, ginger, or eucalyptus.

Burns - First Degree - Apply linitments of burdock, comfrey or sage. Aloe vera gel can be used to decrease inflammation. Second degree - Same as first, but apply Vitamin E oil on burn. Third degree - if it is in a small area, treat as second degree, otherwise go to a doctor.

Colds - At onset, sleep, with the follow teas singly or mixed, lemon balm, yarrow, mint and elder flowers. Other things that can be used are cayenne or giner in a tea or as a powder. Farther into a cold, echinacea is recommended, provided there are no allergies.

Constipation - The following are useful for relieving this situation: aloe vera, psyllium husk, senna leaf.

Cough - Inhale eucalyptus from an ointment, or from a humidfier. Drink thyme tea.

Diarrhea - A chamomile and raspberry tea will help this, as will ginger.

Gas - Correcting the diet is essential. Isolate foods that cuase gas, and remove them from your diet. A parsley tea after meals will remove the discomfort. Certain spices, such as garlic or ginger will help eliminate gas if cooked into meals.

Goose bumps - A warm cinnamon tea will relieve this condition.

Headache - Chronic headache sufferers should try adding spinach to their diet. Chronic migraine sufferers should try feverfew on a daily basis. White willow bark, 'natures aspirin' is recommended over acetominaphin, aspirin or ibuprofen.

Hoarseness and Laryngitis - Don't talk. If you smoke, stop. Gargle a strong chamomile tea, humidify the air around you with a water and eucalyptus or water and menthol combination.

Insomnia - Valerian tea at bedtime.

Throat Inflammation - Take sage tea every two hours along with echinacea in tablet or tincture form.

Tooth ache - Rub painful area with a tincture of cayenne.

Essential oils

Essential oils

Essential oils can be used in two basic ways. The first is by rubbing the oil on the skin, the second is through inhalation of the scent. For a body massage, try 20-30 drops in a non-scented oil, such as vegetable or canola. For the bath, just add 5-10 drops to a steaming tub. For air diffusers, use 5 drops, or follow the manufacturer's advice. When purchasing essential oils, look for brands that come in dark brown glass bottles that have a dropper top, or droppers available.

Basil (Ocimum basilicum) 

Inhaled: is a stimulant, helps sharpen senses, and helps ease headaches. 

On skin: a good skin toner. This does not need to be mixed with vegetable oil. 

Warning: Basil essential oil may irritate sensitive skin.

Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus)  

Inhaled: helps clear breathing passages. Use during a cold or flu. 

On skin: Use on burns or infected wounds. 

Warning: Eucalyptus essential oil is not recommended for people with high blood pressure.

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)  

Inhaled: decreases appetite, aids digestion. 

On skin: a good toner, eases wrinkles. 

Warning: not recommended during pregnancy.

Frankincense (Boswellia carteri) 

Inhaled: clears lungs, stimulates the immune system. 

On skin: good for aging skin. Eases sores and inflammations.

Geranium (Pelargonium gravolens) 

Inhaled: reduces stress. 

On skin: A good cleanser, improves skin circulation. 

Warning: Do not use during pregnancy. May irritate sensitive skin.

Ginger (Zingiber offcinalis)  

Inhaled: Eases digestion. Causes sweating during fevers. 

On skin: Helps ease bruises. 

Warning: May irritate sensitive skin. Mix with vegetable oil if this is the case.

Lavender (Lavendula officinalis)  

Inhaled: relaxing. relieves headaches, lowers blood pressure. 

On skin: Aids in wound recovery, good for acne, burns and wounds. 

Warning: Not recommended for people with low blood pressure.

Patchouli (Pogostemon patchouli)  

Inhaled: causes loss of appetite. Deodorizes. 

On skin: Good for aged cracked skin. Anti-inflammatory anti-fungal. Good for athlete's foot. Warning: in low doses, may act as a sedative. Acts as a stimulant at higher doses. Many find patchouli to be an unpleasant odor.

Peppermint (Mentha piperita)  

Inhaled: good for easing stomach ailments. Ease headaches. 

On skin: Relives itching of sunburn. Use on greasy hair.

Rosemary (Rosemarinus officinalis)  

Inhaled: Good general tonic. Eases headaches. 

On skin: Good astringent. Use in shampoo to get rid of dandruff.

Sandalwood (Santalum album)  

Inhaled: aids sleep, releases anxiety. (often used as an aphrodesiac) 

On skin: relieves itching and inflammation.

Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia)  

Inhaled: helps relieve sinusitus. 

On skin: anti-inflammatory. Use on burns, sores, warts, athlete's foot. Rub into scalp to relieve dandruff.

Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata)  

Inhaled: sedative. Good for high blood pressure and insomnia. 

On skin: Rub on scalp to stimulate hair growth. Sweet scent, use as perfume.

Disclaimer - This is provided for informational purposes only. Ilana J. Rosenshein, and anyone related to her, is not responsible for the outcome of anyone using these remedies. Please consult a licensed healthcare physician before changing you health care program.

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)


common comfrey, boneset, knitbone, consound, and slippery-root


Description
Comfrey is a perennial plant, with a short, thick rhizome, branched, from which fleshy roots emerge, up to 30 cm long and from 1 to 2.5 cm thick, covered with black bark, but the inside is white. The stem is straight, up to 120 cm high, edged at the base, and winged edges at the top, covered with stiff hairs, slightly lifted. The leaves are rough and hairy, with a white main rib and the other ribs are united to form a network. The leaves are extended on the stem, giving it a wing aspect. Flowers are purple in color, placed at the top of the stem, tube-shaped, finished with 5 teeth curved towards the outside. It blooms from May to August. It grows on creeks edges, in wet grasslands and meadows.


Harvest
The rhizome is harvested with roots, in autumn after cessation of vegetation or in early spring.


Drying Mode
Comfrey roots are dried in thin layers as soon as possible. Artificial drying is preferred, at a temperature of about 40-50 degrees C. From 3-4 kg of fresh roots you can obtain 1 kg of dry product.


Uses
It is used as an emollient and expectorant for cough, in treating stomach ulcers and externally for healing wounds. Internally: hemostatic, for scarring, antimiotic action. Externally: descongestiv, astringent, healing wounds.




Source: www.sanatateverde.blogspot.com

Linden (Tilia)

Linden (Tilia)


Description
Lime tree is a tree up to 25 m high with a dense crown. Long-petiolate leaves are round, pointed at tip and and on the bottom face protruding ribs can be seen. The flowers, 2-10 in number, sometimes more, are yellowish-white in color, fragrant, arranged on a common stem, connated at nearly half its length, with a long, tongue-shaped bract, green-yellow in color. Each flower consists of 5 sepals which fall when blooming, 5 petals, many stamens and a globular ovary. The fruit is a spherical or oval nut. It blooms in June-July. It is spread through the forests in the hills region near  the mountains.


Harvest
Lime flowers are picked with the accompanying bracts. They are harvested when most of them are fully bloomed and a small number of buds is beginning to bloom. Harvesting is done during dry weather, after the dew has lifted and 2-3 days after the most recent rain.


Drying Mode
Lime flowers are dried in thin layers, in airy rooms. They can be dried artificially at a temperature of 35 degrees C. From 3.5 to 4 kg of fresh flowers you can obtain 1 kg of dry product.


Uses
Lime flowers are used for cough, cold, they have emollient action and as a sudatory agent. Internally: reduces temperature, expectorant, sedative. Externally: general calming agent (in baths), decongestiv.


Observations
When handling lime flowers wear a mask or gauze over your nose and mouth. Lime dust is irritant, causing coughing and sneezing.




Source: www.sanatateverde.blogspot.com

Common Centaury (Centarium umbellatum)

Common Centaury (Centarium umbellatum)


European centaury


Description
Common centaury is a herbaceous plant, 10-50 cm tall, with stems in 4 corners, simple, glabra, branched towards the top. At the base of the stem is a rosette of oval leaves. Leaves located on the stem are opposite, with a whole edge and they have 3-5 ribs. The flowers are arranged on top of the stem and branches. They have the form of stars with 5 teeth, pink, with the petals united into a tube shape surrounding which surrounds the 5 stamens, with spiral twisted anthers. It blooms from July to September. It grows in hay meadows and wetlands, in forest clearings from lowlands to mountains.


Harvest
During blooming the entire plant is harvested, without roots.


Drying Mode
The plant is dried in the shade, in well-ventilated areas. If using artificial heat, the temperature should not exceed 40-45 degrees C. From 3-4 kg fresh herb you can obtain 1 kg of dry product.


Uses
It is used for stomach diseases and to increase appetite. Internally: to reduce fever, stomachic.




Source: www.sanatateverde.blogspot.com

Shepherd's Purse (Capsella Bursa pastoris)

Shepherd's Purse (CapsellaBursa pastoris)


Description
Shepherd's Purse is an annual herb that arises in early spring. From the middle of a rosette of leaves the stem emerges, on which the flowers are strung. The entire plant is 15-30 cm high. Basilar leaves are elongated, deeply carved, sometimes up to the main rib. Leaves strains are rare, without dents on the edges, dressing the stem with their base. The flowers are small, placed on a long stem, with 4 green sepals, striped with 1 white line, 4 white petals and six stamens. The fruit has a triangular shape. It blooms from April until late fall. Blooming takes place from the bottom up, so on the same strain will can find fruit and flowers. It is a common plant, widely spread on cultivated and fallow land, roadsides, along the walls etc.


Harvest
The entire plant is harvested, without roots, in the early stages of development, meaning when the first flowers bloom.


Drying Mode
The plant is dried in thin layers, in ventilated rooms. Artificially it is dried at a temperature of 35-40 degrees C. From 4-6 kg fresh herb you can obtain 1 kg of dried product.


Uses
The plant has hemostatic uses. Internally: hypotensive, analgesic.




Source: www.sanatateverde.blogspot.com

Pansy (Viola tricolor)

Pansy (Viola tricolor)


Description
Pansy is an annual plant, that sometimes resists over the winter, and can bloom in the second year. It has a short stem of 20-30 cm, green in color, hollow, covered with short hairs, pointing down. The leaves are oval, elongated, rarely entered on the edges, with short petioles. At the point of union with the stem they are surrounded by other deeply divided leaflets. The flowers have long peduncles, on which there are two short, alternate bracts, placed under the flowers or lower. The flower has 5 elongated sepals, covered on the sides with long hairs (cilia), 5 petals of which the lower one is spurred. The upper petals are dark purple, rarely light violet or white, the side ones are white, yellow or violet-blue and the lower petal at the base is always yellow, with 5-7 stripes dark in color, often pale purple on the edges. It blooms from May to August. It grows in wet meadows and grasslands from the hill region.


Harvest
Harvest the entire plant without roots, during blossom.


Drying Mode
The plants are dried in thin layers, in shady and well ventilated places. They can be dried artificially at a temperature of 50 degrees C. From 5-6 kg of fresh herb you can obtain 1 kg of dried product.


Uses
It is used as a depurative and an expectorant for cough. Internally: cholagogue, expectorant, depurative, laxative, anti-allergy.




Source: www.sanatateverde.blogspot.com

White clover (Trifolium repens)

White clover (Trifolium repens)


Description
White clover is a small herb, perennial, herbaceous, glabra, with prostrate stems, from which roots start. Trifoliate leaves are often spotted with white pigment or a darker stain, placed on a long petiole. On the strain, at the base of the petiole, membranous stipes are found, pointed at the tip, yellowish white, with green and lilac nervatures. The flowers are white or slightly pink in color, as they bloom they turn brown. They are arranged in globular capitules, placed on top of straight stems, longer than the leaves. It blooms from May through September. It grows in cultivated places, orchards and meadows.

Harvest
Flower heads without stems are picked in the early blooming stage.


Drying Mode
Clover flowers are dried naturally, in sunlight, or in ventilated places. Artificial drying is done at a temperature of 35-40 degrees C. From 4-5 kg ​of ​fresh flowers you can obtain 1 kg of dried product.


Uses
As tea, it is used for colds, the flu.




Source: www.sanatateverde.blogspot.com

Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)

Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)


Description
Red clover is a perennial, herbaceous plant with straight stems, 30-70 (100) cm tall, gathered in bunches of 2-5, simple or branched, with trifoliate leaves, long petioles and shorter for those located on the stems. The lower leaflets and the ones on the edges are slightly hairy, rarely glabra, showing a lighter stain on the top side. The stipes at the base of the petiole are oval, ciliated and pointed towards the tip, pale in color presenting a visible greenish or reddish nervature. The flower heads, of globular shape, are surrounded at the base by an involucrum made of two trifoliate leaves. It blooms from May to September. It grows in grassy places, pastures, meadows, from plain to the mountainous region.


Harvest
Globular-shaped blossoms are gathered, together with the two leaves that surround them. Harvesting is done when the blooming is complete.


Drying Mode
The flowers are dried in ventilated rooms. Drying can also be done artificially at a temperature of 35-40 degrees C, ensuring proper ventilation. From 4-5 kg ​​of fresh product you can obtain 1 kg of dried product.


Uses
As tea it is used as expectorant and diuretic. Internally: antispasmodic, antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, enterocolitis, urinary infections, rheumatism, dysmenorrhea, leukorrhea.




Source: www.sanatateverde.blogspot.com

Common Knotgrass (Polygonum aviculare)

Common Knotgrass (Polygonum aviculare)


Description
Common Knotgrass is an annual herb, with branched stems and spread on the ground, covered to the top with leaves. The leaves are linear-spear shaped, approximately 3 cm long and 0.5-1 cm wide. Glabra are on both sides, with whole edges. In the places where leaves are attached to the stem a whitish membrane, which surrounds the stem, is noticeable, called ochree. At the base of the leaves there are 2-4 white-green flowers on white-pink edges. Each flower has five divisions which replace sepals and petals. Then follows eight stamens surrounding an ovary with 3 styles. It blooms from June to September. 


Harvest
Gather the grass by plucking when in bloom. Remove the roots and the lower part of the stem which is hardened and devoid of leaves. In fat places, with enough moisture, knotgrass has a tall stem up, to 15-20 cm.


Drying Mode
The plant is lied in ventilated places or hot air drying rooms at a temperature of 40 degrees C. From 4-5 kg ​of ​fresh herb you can obtain 1 kg of dried product.


Uses
It is used as astringent in diarrhea. Internally: for hypotension, diarrhea.




Source: www.sanatateverde.blogspot.com

Bog-bean (Menyanthes trifoliata)

Bog-bean (Menyanthes trifoliata)


Description
Bog-bean or buckbean is a perennial herb, 15-30 cm tall, with a long, thick and branched rhizome in the ground. Trifoliate leaves appear at the top of rhizome, they have long petiole, with a sheath surrounding the rhizome. Flowers are pinkish white placed on along stem, calyx and corolla having 5 divisions. On their inner side, the petals present numerous whitish hairs. The stamens have red-purple anthers. It blooms in May-June. It grows in humid areas, marshes, meadows in mountain and plain regions.


Harvest
Leaves are harvested from the bog-bean plant, with or without petiole, during blooming. Avoid pulling leaves, because rhizomes come out easily from the earth, which may destroy the plants.


Drying Mode
The leaves dry more quickly after harvest. Drying is done in ventilated places. Artificially they can be dried at a temperature of 60-70 degrees C. From 5-6 kg of fresh leaves you can get 1 kg of dried product.


Uses
Because of a bitter principle, bog-bean tea has the ability to increase appetite.




Source: www.sanatateverde.blogspot.com

Common Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria)

Common Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria)


Common Agrimony, church steeples or sticklewort


Description
Common Agrimony is a herbaceous plant, with stems up to 100 cm high, branched at the top, with leaves 8-16 cm long. The leaves consist of 5-9 large leaflets, with small leaflets between them. The whole plant is covered with silky hairs. At the top of the stem and branches is the ear-shaped inflorescence, composed of numerous yellow flowers with five petals. The plant blooms from the bottom towards the top, so we can find on it flowers and fruits at the same time. The fruits are surrounded by a crown of thorns, curved at the top. It blooms beginning in June until August. It grows in bushes, forests, orchards, along roadsides, being common in both field and in the mountains.


Harvest
During the appearance of the first flowers, the whole plant needs to be harvested, without the roots and the woody parts of the main stem.


Drying Mode
The plant is dried in thin layers, in the shade or in hot air drying rooms, at a temperature of 35 degrees Celsius. From 3-4 kg of fresh herb you can get 1 kg of dried product.


Uses
It is used in diseases of the liver, stomach and the respiratory tract. Internally: cholagogue, excites gastrointestinal secretions, antidiarrheic, destroys gallstones.


Observations
Do not overdose because it can cause sudden elimination of gallstones, biliary and renal obstruction and strong spasms.




Source: www.sanatateverde.blogspot.com

White Horehound (Marrubium vulgare)

White Horehound or Common Horehound (Marrubium vulgare)


Description
White Horehound is a perennial herb, 30-50 cm tall, with the stem in 4 edges, branched at the top. The entire plant is covered with hairs, that is why it looks white. The leaves are opposite, toothed on the edges and on bottom you can see a network of veins. The flowers are small, dirty white, tucked around the stem, forming globular whorls. The Calyx is tube shaped, finished with 10 hard teeth, spiny, curbed towards the tip, hook-shaped. It blooms from June to September.


Harvest
White Horehound is harvested during blooming.


Drying Mode
It is dried in thin layers, in the shade, in well-ventilated areas or in rooms heated to a temperature up to 35 degrees C. From 4-5 kg ​​of fresh herb you can obtain 1 kg of dried product.


Uses
It is used in liver disease, as an expectorant and to stimulate appetite. Internally: cholagogue, expectorant, stomachic, bronchial antiseptic. Externally: for scarring.


Observations
It can be confused with Marrubium peregrinum, which has smaller leaves, fewer flowers, and the calyx ends with five teeth.




Source: www.sanatateverde.blogspot.com