The life of spices: Science finds medical promise in the kitchen cabinet

 cayenne, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, turmeric (curcuma)  No Responses »
Jun 102008
 

This is not new, but probably good to remember anyway ;)

The life of spices: Science finds medical promise in the kitchen cabinet

Getting spices into your daily meals can be a tasty way to get an antioxidant boost. Here’s four that have been the subject of research.

• Turmeric: Its active ingredient is curcumin, used in traditional medicine to treat ailments from gallstones to anemia, to heal wounds and treat arthritis.

• Ginger: Grown underground, but not technically a root. It is one of the most-studied plants in the world and is known as an aid to relieve nausea.

• Cayenne: Includes capsaicin, another antioxidant and anti-inflammatory that may help reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer and other pro-inflammatory diseases of aging.

• Cinnamon: A powerful antioxidant. A teaspoon of cinnamon has the same antioxidant power as a half cup of blueberries.

Read more about the four
In 1993, an eager biochemist at University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center struggled to put the brakes on a protein he had discovered a few years earlier, a protein that can turn on cancers and inflammatory diseases.

Bharat Aggarwal knew that the protein, tumor necrosis factor, or TNF, could trigger a whole cascade of inflammation in the human body — a very bad thing. He also knew that turmeric, the yellow curry spice, was a potent anti-inflammatory in traditional Ayurvedic medicine.

The next step, sprinkling some turmeric on a culture of TNF, may seem like a bit of a leap. But it didn’t feel that way to Aggarwal, a professor of cancer medicine at M.D. Anderson.

“In Ayurveda, it is nothing new,” he said. “And the beauty is that it is very, very safe.”

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Frostbite

 black pepper, cayenne  No Responses »
Apr 182008
 

cayenne, pepper

  • To prevent frostbite on fingers and toes, sprinkle cayenne pepper into your socks and mittens before going outside.
  • If it’s not cold in your part of the world right now, you might want to prepare this frostbite remedy well in advance of the next winter: Soak 2 tbsp of whole black pepper corns and 1 tbs of ginger roots and horseradish, both coarsely grated, in 1-1/4 cups of white wine for a week.  Filter, strain, and store away in a tightly stoppered bottle in a cool, dark place until the next winter.  In case of frostbite, apply the solution generously with a brush on affected parts.

Fatigue 3 – Stuffed Peppers

 cayenne, garlic, onion, peppers, tomato  No Responses »
Apr 022008
 

Both peppers and tomato are helpful in fighting fatigue. The following recipe – Peppers stuffed with savory Spanish rice, topped with a mild tomato sauce – includes both vegetables.

Stuffed Peppers (serves 6)

Ingredients:

  • 6 green peppers, medium size
  • 3 cups savory Spanish rice (see below)
  • 1 cup tomato sauce (see below)

Wash peppers, core them. Chop the pepper seeds finely and mix them with the savory rice (unless you are saving the seeds for next year’s crop). Steam peppers for 20 minutes, then fill them with savory rice, half a cup per pepper. Place in a casserole, top with tomato sauce, and bake for 45 minutes, or until tender, at 350F.

Savory Spanish Rice

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 small green pepper, chopped
  • 1/4 lb. lean ground round
  • 1/2 cup raw brown rice
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 cups of tomato, chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Sautee onion and pepper, brown the beef and drain. Mix sauteed vegetables and beef, then add all other ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil, stir, reduce heat, then let simmer for 40-60 minutes or until the rice is tender. Stir often as it will stick otherwise, and remove the bay leaf before filling the rice into the peppers.

Mild Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup canned or self made tomato sauce
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp onion, finely diced
  • 3/4 tbsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp garlic clove, finely diced

Mix all ingredients and bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Top stuffed peppers with the sauce before baking.

Fatigue

 banana, carrot, cayenne, parsnip, peppers, pineapple, tomato  No Responses »
Mar 312008
 

banana, carrot, peppers, parsnip, tomato

  • Bananas are the perfect mid-morning snack that keeps adults cheerful and attentive, overall less tired, at work.
  • A glass of carrot juice will give you a surge of energy, probably because carrots have a high natural sugar content. If you mix pineapple juice and carrot juice equally, you get a good drink for those who have to deal with hypoglycemia.
  • Capsicum and paprika both increase energy levels. Eating different kinds of peppers, including cayenne peppers, regularly gives you additional vitality and vigor.
  • Parsnips are great fatigue fighters, and also help the body to cleanse itself. For those with hypoglycemia, their diet should include parsnip once a day or at least every other day. The same counts for those recovering from serious illness or surgery.
  • A diet that contains plenty of tomatoes can also help in fighting hypoglycemia, fatigue and lack of energy in general.

Bruises

 cayenne, mustard plaster, peach tree leaves, potato plaster  No Responses »
Feb 032008
 

cayenne, mustard, peach tree leaves, potato

  • An ointment made of one part ground hot pepper and five parts Vaseline can be applied directly to the injured area. To prepare, melt Vaseline and add ground hot pepper, mix well and let cool until it congeals. Apply the ointment once daily, or once every two days. For effectiveness, 4 to 9 applications are usually enough.
  • Grandma’s Old Time Mustard Plaster still helps for a variety of disorders, just like it used to do: asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, fever and chills, sciatica, neuralgia, gout, bumps, bruises, sprains, tendinitis, common cold and flu, eruptive sores and boils: Mash leaves and stems of fresh mustard plant into a pulp. Coat the surface of the skin with petroleum jelly (Crisco lard or Vaseline) before applying the pulp to prevent serious blisters or raising welts on the skin. Bind into place with gauze and adhesive tape and keep on for several hours or overnight for best results.
  • To remove inflammation and discoloration accompanying bruises, bumps and abrasions, apply the following solution either directly to the skin or soak a wad of cotton in it and hold it in place with adhesive tape: Mash 3-5 peach tree leaves by hand before simmering in 2 cups of sweet condensed milk for about 25 minutes on low heat. Allow to steep, covered with a lid, and strain when cool.
  • The following potato plaster reduces inflammations caused by contusions, sprains, burns, fractures, hemorrhoids, abscesses, arthritis, neuralgia and eczema: Peel and grate ordinary potatoes, mix half of them with an equal amount of green vegetable leaves (either spinach, radish or cabbage). The vegetable leaves should be coarsely pureed in t a food blender before mixing with the potatoes. To this wet mass add 10% white flower, then mix everything thoroughly by hand in a big bowl. Add just enough ice water (never warm water) to give the paste a wet, somewhat even and thick consistency. Apply plaster directly on the skin. For sensitive skin, rub the affected area with olive oil before applying the plaster. Put a clean cloth over the plaster and secure with a linen bandage. When the plaster dries out, apply warm water on the dry mass until it becomes moist again. Let the plaster sit in place for about 3.5 hours, while reclining. Remove plaster and rinse skin with warm water.

Arthritis

 cabbage leaves, cayenne, ginger, hot ginger compresses, potato plaster, turmeric (curcuma), yarrow  No Responses »
Feb 022008
 

Cabbage, cayenne, ginger, turmeric (curcuma), yarrow, potato

  • Cut out the midribs from several large green cabbage leaves and iron them with a steam iron until they are soft as velvet. Rub a little olive oil on one side and put them on the area of pain, covering them with a heavy towel. Leave for a while before changing again. GUARANTEED relief, every single time.
  • Cayenne capsules are very effective as pain relievers. Take two capsules 3-4 times a day with milk or apple juice, on a consistent basis. Pain may increase early on for a short time, but will diminish soon enough.
  • Hot ginger compresses relief pains of many sorts, including arthritis: 1.5 grated unpeeled ginger roots need to be tied in a small cloth, then hung for 7 minutes into a gallon of hot water that just stopped boiling. The ginger juice colors the water golden. Towels dipped in the still very hot water, then gently squeezed and applied to the aching spot, should stay warm for 15-20 minutes and grant relief. The procedure might be repeated for a total treatment of about 45 minutes, and repeated after 4-6 hours.
  • Turmeric, one of the main ingredients of curry, has anti-inflammatory properties. Half a tsp in juice taken both morning and night can relief arthritic pains too.
  • A tea from yarrow, in combination with CamoCare Pain Relieving creme, reduces all manners of inflammation nicely: Bring 2 cups of water to a boil and add 3 tbsp of yarrow. Cover and let simmer for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep for 20 minutes. Drink 1 cup several times a day when cool, and use the cream to rub the external points of inflammation at the same time.
  • The following potato plaster reduces inflammations caused by contusions, sprains, burns, fractures, hemorrhoids, abscesses, arthritis, neuralgia and eczema: Peel and grate ordinary potatoes, mix half of them with an equal amount of green vegetable leaves (either spinach, radish or cabbage). The vegetable leaves should be coarsely pureed in t a food blender before mixing with the potatoes. To this wet mass add 10% white flower, then mix everything thoroughly by hand in a big bowl. Add just enough ice water (never warm water) to give the paste a wet, somewhat even and thick consistency. Apply plaster directly on the skin. For sensitive skin, rub the affected area with olive oil before applying the plaster. Put a clean cloth over the plaster and secure with a linen bandage. When the plaster dries out, apply warm water on the dry mass until it becomes moist again. Let the plaster sit in place for about 3.5 hours, while reclining. Remove plaster and rinse skin with warm water.