7 Herbs and Spices That Warm You Up

If it's cold where you live, herbalist Brigitte Mars says you might want to increase your intake of foods that warm you up.

When cold weather strikes a chilling blow, it makes sense to consume healthy, warming, concentrated foods. Dark orange vegetables such as sweet potatoes, winter squash, and carrots provide immune nourishing beta-carotene and the warmth of the orange ray.

Grounding roots (especially those that grow in cold climates) such as onions, rutabagas and turnips can help one better acclimate to the seasons. Other warming foods include arugula, mustard greens, and watercress. Nuts, seeds, and their butters make excellent warming and insulating snacks. Icy cold drinks can cool you quick. If consuming food from the refrigerator, take the item out and allow it to get to room temperature before eating.

The flavor associated with winter is salty and rather than relying on table salt, learn to enjoy the wonderful mineral rich seaweeds such as kelp, nori, hiziki, and dulse which can be used to season food. Celtic or Himalayan salt contain more minerals, as indicated by their colors. Black colored foods such as black sesame seeds, uncured black olives, and chia seeds make wonderful warming winter condiments.

Culinary herbs that help us feel warmer and improve circulation include: Read more

100 Best Herbs for Your Health and Wellness

Kelly Kirkpatrick at NursingDegree.net lists the 100 best herbs and medicinal plants for your health and wellness and their uses.

If you’re interested in supplementing your health and wellness routine with some natural remedies, herbs offer a valuable and time-tested way to do so. Whether you want to boost the health of your heart, ease the discomfort of arthritis, or just wake up your mind, this list of 100 herbs and medicinal plants can help you do it. Please keep in mind, however, that not all herbal supplements are appropriate for all people, so check with your doctor to see if you’re in the clear. Read more

Searching for a Natural Remedy for Diabetes

Diabetes is an increasing common condition. Effectively treating diabetes requires a change in lifestyle along with natural remedies because, if you don’t change your diet, a natural remedy for diabetes will not be enough to control the condition.

By reducing your high fat and high sugar intake you can already be on the way to a natural remedy for diabetes. If your Type I or Type II diabetes is controlled, most people can live a normal life. Uncontrolled, however, diabetes can cause an unregulated amount of sugar into the body causing destruction of proteins and organ damage. Read more

4 Herbs for Acne

Acne is a chronic skin disorder most often associated with adolescence, but acne can also be a problem for some even in their twenties, thirties and forties. It is caused when sebum from an over-active sebaceous gland combines with dirt and dead skin cells to block a pore or hair follicle. Herbal treatment is the most popular and safest alternative treatment for acne. Four herbs are well-known to be helpful in the treatment of acne: basil, neem, turmeric, and sandalwood.

1) Basil is worshiped in Asian cultures as the purest and most sublime plant due to its medicinal effect on all systems of the human body. Even the soil on which the basil plant grows becomes so pure that if you have a mud bath with that soil almost all ailments of the skin disappear. Basil is extremely effective in treating skin disorders because it is a blood purifier and kills bacteria.

2) Neem has proved to be beneficial in skin disorders such as warts, scabies, psoriasis, eczema, and even dandruff. It is extremely effective in acne treatment. propeties. If Neem leaves are crushed and applied as a paste to the face affected by acne, an immediate improvement is seen within a matter of minutes.

Neem counteracts the excess sugar contents in the body which are the cause of most of the skin disorders. Ancient medical texts, such as the Sushrita Sanhita, have demonstrated that Neem somehow inhibits the multiplication of viruses by combining with the skin cells. This blockage of virus growth imparts the germicidal and anti allergic properties to Neem.

3) Turmeric has been used for centuries in the oriental cultures as a complete remedy for infections, injuries, boils, accident recovery, etc.

4) Sandalwood is an Indian plant that has an extraordinary fragrance. The bark of the sandalwood tree is extremely smooth and sandalwood paste is applied on the body to impart an extremely smooth, unblemished, and lustrous look to the skin.

It's better to try natural remedies for acne instead of drugs for a couple of reasons. First, natural treatments for acne are usually less expensive then acne drugs. They also have fewer side effects. So it makes sense to try some natural treatments for acne first.

To find out about a clinically proven, step-by-step system for permanently curing your acne and achieving lasting clear skin faster than you ever thought possible, click here!

The 10 Best Healing Herbs

New science shows that herbal remedies can ease pain, prevent Alzheimer's, and ward off cancer and heart disease. Here are the 10 best healing herbs, according to the latest medical research.

Your arsenal of home remedies is about to get a lot spicier. Though herbs have been used for hundreds of years to heal, scientists are finally starting to substantiate these plants' abilities to alleviate arthritis pain, reduce high blood sugar and cholesterol, and help with many other conditions. They're even discovering amazing new powers in some herbs, such as the ability to kill cancer cells and help problem drinkers curb their alcohol intake.

"Herbs and other natural remedies can be as effective as traditional treatments, often without the same negative side effects," says Roberta Lee, MD, medical director of the Continuum Center for Health and Healing at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. So here are 10 superhealers you'll want to add to the all-natural section of your medicine cabinet--and even to your favorite recipes! Folding one or two of them into your cooking every day can yield big benefits. Read more

Lavender: 10 Natural Health Benefits and Healing Uses

The use of herbs is a time-honored approach to strengthening the body and treating disease. Lavender is considered a natural remedy for a range of ailments from insomnia and anxiety to depression and mood disturbances. Research has confirmed that lavender produces calming, soothing, and sedative effects. Mark's Daily Apple highlights the 10 natural health benefits and healing uses of lavender. Read more

Losing Weight? Go Herbal

These days, there is a great need for overweight Americans to lose those excess pounds. Being healthy would not only lead them to have a healthier lifestyle but it will also literally lighten their load, and improve their overall well-being.

There is a long list of dieting options available. There are exercise programs, exercise machines, dietary supplements, dietary food and drinks, diet pills - there are even soaps which claim to help you lose pounds while you bathe.

One other available option to shed off those unwanted pounds is to go herbal.

Herbal weight loss products have been in great demand for people who want to lose weight the natural way. However, when you take herbal supplements to lose weight, you would have to wait for a longer time for the results because of the more subtle effects of medicines which came from plants and natural herbs.

Here are some herbal weight loss options that you might want to consider:

1) Herbal weight loss products

There are a lot of herbal weight loss products available in the market now. You can check out the Internet and you will find a lot of herbal weight loss pills and products.

Be careful, however, as there are some products which claim to be safe and natural because they are herbal, but some actually have side effects because of non-extensive research on the effects of these products.

Here are some ingredients and chemicals which make up some herbal weight loss products that you should watch out for, as they might have harmful effects to your health:

• Senna. This is an herbal laxative. Senna is a main ingredient in weight loss teas, and it works by stimulation the colon. The downside effect of this herb is dehydration. It can also lead to colon problems and can become addictive. Some people, when addicted, are unable to perform bowel movements without it, so watch out.
• Chromium picolinate. This is a synthetic compound found in herbal weight loss products. Chromium is a nutrient which helps regulate blood-sugar level. However, this ingredient, when taken in high doses, may cause damage in the chromosomes. It can also lead to dehydration.
• St. John's Wort. This supplement increases the production of a chemical in the brain. If not used properly, it may cause eye and skin sensitivity, mild gastrointestinal distress, fatigue and itching.

Although a lot of herbal products claim to be safe and natural, it is better to scrutinize the ingredients and research about the effects of the product itself before going for these herbal dietary pills.

2) Organic food.

In Wichita, Kansas, organic food has found its way to more homes and restaurants. Organic food devotees believe that consuming organic goodies help their bodies as well as the environment.

A person who buys organically raised eggs and vegetables claim to be healthier, and they are not spending money on doctors and prescriptions as these keep them healthier and away from the hospital. This could also be an option for weight watchers, as organic food is known to be kinder to your weight than chemically-processed food products.

3) Green Tea.

Studies show that intake of green tea, or green tea extracts burns extra calories. Also, green tea with caffeine can increase fat burning by up to 40% thereby reducing fat.

This is one good option for those who want to lose weight. In a study done, people who took green tea were found to lose 2 to 3 times more weight than those who did not drink green tea.

These results show that green tea is a natural product for the treatment of obesity. Thus, it also makes for a healthier dietary option, not to mention the good effects that it has on the body as compared to caffeine. A cup of tea gives an emmediate energy lift without the side effects of caffeine.

3) Caffeine.

Coffee provides an energy boost to increase fat burning. Caffeine also provides a likelihood to be active, which in turn increases your rate of calorie burn.

4) Immortality Herb

This herb, whose scientific name is Gymnostemna Pentaphyllum, is known to have the following benefits:

• increases healthy blood flow
• reduces artery blocks
• aids healthy blood pressure
• increases the rate of fat burning

5) Apple Cider Vinegar

There are pills and food supplements whose main ingredient is apple cider vinegar. Here are the benefits of taking this herbal option:

• weight loss
• improved cholesterol level
• improved high blood pressure
• helps prevent rheumatoid arthritis