Mediterranean Pyramid

Click Here to see our Natural Soap Products

Quick Asthma Relief: The French Way

From U.K The Guardian, Tuesday 3 March 2009
Cherry Chappell has compiled a vast compendium of traditional homemade remedies. Here is a selection of the best - some sound sensible, while many are bewildering.
Asthma

The traditional French remedy for a severe attack is to drink two cups of strong black coffee. Unsurprising, perhaps, given how popular the drink is in France, but this is more than just a typical piece of Gallic insouciance. There have been substantial clinical studies on this practice, including one from Manitoba, Canada, which had the results published in the New England Journal of Medicine. It confirms that caffeine relieves bronchial obstruction, thereby easing and improving breathing.

Coffee is, of course, a powerful stimulant for the nervous and cardiovascular systems - some people find it too stimulating and experience palpitations. So even though this remedy has been shown to have some merit, it's not a substitute for medicine but rather an emergency measure, and it is especially not recommended for pregnant women.
The Guardian Article

Click Here to see our Natural Soap Products

Mediterranean Eating

New York Times
Sunday, February 22, 2009
The original work that sparked scientific interest in Mediterranean eating habits came from researcher Ancel Keyes at the University of Minnesota. His landmark seven countries study focused on the link between eating habits along the Mediterranean and better health, despite inferior medical care in the region. Research on the diet took off in the 1990s, as scientists noted that people in Mediterranean countries lived longer and had low rates of serious disease despite high rates of smoking and drinking. Last year, the British medical journal BMJ published an extensive review of Mediterranean diet studies. It found that the eating plan is associated with significant health benefits, including lower rates of heart disease, cancer, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s. More recently, researchers found a link between Mediterranean eating and diabetes risk as well as lower blood pressure. The Oldways Web site offers a lengthy list of studies of Mediterranean eating and health.

Click Here to see our Natural Soap Products

Cure for Anxiety

From U.K The Guardian, Tuesday 3 March 2009
Cherry Chappell has compiled a vast compendium of traditional homemade remedies. Here is a selection of the best - some sound sensible, while many are bewildering.

Anxiety

There is scientific support for the claim that sweet milky drinks can relieve anxiety. Milk contains an amino acid called tryptophan that stimulates the production of seratonin, which, in turn, calms the mind. Sugar releases insulin, which detracts the other amino acids, making tryptophan more effective.
The Guardian Article

Click Here to see our Natural Soap Products

Guava for healthy prostate

Guava

Guava is an obscure tropical fruit that's subtly acidic, with sweetness that intensifies as you eat your way to the center.



Why it's healthy: Guava has a higher concentration of lycopene -- an antioxidant that fights prostate cancer -- than any other plant food, including tomatoes and watermelon. In addition, 1 cup of the stuff provides 688 milligrams (mg) of potassium, which is 63 percent more than you'll find in a medium banana. And guava may be the ultimate high-fiber food: There's almost 9 grams (g) of fiber in every cup.



How to eat it: Down the entire fruit, from the rind to the seeds. It's all edible -- and nutritious. The rind alone has more vitamin C than you'd find in the flesh of an orange. You can score guava in the produce section of higher-end supermarkets or in Latin grocery stores.

Click Here to see our Natural Soap Products

British Cure for Flatulence

From U.K The Guardian, Tuesday 3 March 2009
Cherry Chappell has compiled a vast compendium of traditional homemade remedies. Here is a selection of the best - some sound sensible, while many are bewildering.
Flatulence

There is a general consensus that some high-fibre foods - lentils, leeks, peas, beans and bran, for instance - can create excessive wind and bloating. A traditional Irish folk remedy for "wind in the stomach", described by Frances Kennett in the 1976 book Folk Medicine: fact and fiction, consists of half a pint of milk (probably warmed) with four teaspoons of soot. This sounds unlikely but, as she points out, carbon is sometimes prescribed for flatulent conditions of the stomach and intestines.

Fennel seeds have long been regarded as a carminative for wind. In India the seeds are toasted and then chewed after a meal to help digestion, and in Britain tea has been made from the seeds to treat everything from hiccups to colic.

Click Here to see our Natural Soap Products

Asian Style Cabbage Slaw

Cabbage

Absent from most American kitchens, this cruciferous vegetable is a major player in European and Asian diets.



Why it's healthy: One cup of chopped cabbage has just 22 calories, and it's loaded with valuable nutrients. At the top of the list is sulforaphane, a chemical that increases your body's production of enzymes that disarm cell-damaging free radicals and reduce your risk of cancer. In fact, Stanford University scientists determined that sulforaphane boosts your levels of these cancer-fighting enzymes higher than any other plant chemical.



How to eat it: Put cabbage on your burgers to add a satisfying crunch. Or, for an even better sandwich topping or side salad, try an Asian-style slaw. Here's what you'll need.



4 Tbsp peanut or canola oil

Juice of two limes

1 Tbsp sriracha, an Asian chili sauce you can find in the international section of your grocery store

1 head napa cabbage, finely chopped or shredded

1/4 cup toasted peanuts

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1/4 cup chopped cilantro



Whisk together the oil, lime juice, and sriracha. Combine the remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl and toss with the dressing to coat. Refrigerate for 20 minutes before serving. The slaw will keep in your fridge for 2 days.

Click Here to see our Natural Soap Products

British Cure for Anxiety

From U.K The Guardian, Tuesday 3 March 2009
Cherry Chappell has compiled a vast compendium of traditional homemade remedies. Here is a selection of the best - some sound sensible, while many are bewildering.

Anxiety

There is scientific support for the claim that sweet milky drinks can relieve anxiety. Milk contains an amino acid called tryptophan that stimulates the production of seratonin, which, in turn, calms the mind. Sugar releases insulin, which detracts the other amino acids, making tryptophan more effective.
The Guardian Article

Click Here to see our Natural Soap Products