Exotic Herbs in Prime Time Again

Once again, a prime-time crime-solving drama has used exotic herbs in an episode. This time, it was CSI: NY and the herbs were integral to both the mode of death and to solving the cirme.

The first herbal culprit was the so-called Miracle Fruit. Amazingly, when a person swishes the seed of this berry in their mouth for a few seconds, everything that's bitter or sour will taste sweet to the person for a half hour to two hours afterwards. It's a very unusual concept and if mothers of toddlers get the idea of this, there might be a lot more vegetables eaten...

But then, I doubt that it is a good idea to use exotic plants on our children...who knows what harm they might be able to cause.

The other odd plant that was ingested in the episode was one commonly chewed as a stimulant in in Asia. It's called Betel Quid and according to the show anyway, its chewing is supposed to keep a person's DNA from being detected. I was curious and did some research online about it and sure enough, it's a commonly chewed herb in Asia...but I found no references to the DNA anomoly. But whether it's true or not, it made for good television.

Let's hope it doesn't become used by criminals in the commission of crimes to mask their DNA...unless it doesn't work. Then it could be great, since it would offer a false sense of safety.

I love how TV writers are getting more creative with their use of herbs and herbal treatments in the plots of their shows. It's just another indication that people are becomming more used to herbs being used for medicinal and other uses. I just wish the herbs on TV didn't always have to the be killers... ;-)

Find out more about Betel Quid here.

Carnival of Natural Health - December 2, 2008

Welcome to the December 2, 2008 edition of Carnival of Natural Health.

General

swapnil warang presents How to know if you are underweight posted at switch2life.

Betina Thygesen presents Triage posted at Betina Thygesen.

banquet manager thatsme presents Important Health Advice For Women posted at So You Want To Be a Banquet Manager....

Joshua Seth presents Why Diets Don’t Work posted at Joshua Seth Blog, saying, "My good friend Justin Kredible from the Rachael Ray show stopped by to do a quick interview recently. In part one of this video he asks “What’s the difference between using hypnosis for weight loss and just going on a diet?”

Alternative Medicine

Amy Smith presents Natural Help for ADHD posted at Kids Love Learning.

sunny narin presents d master cleanser: November 2008 posted at d master cleanser.

Carmen Davailus presents Natural Holistic Therapies for Common Illnesses posted at Naturally Holistic, saying, "What works and what doesn't? Natural Treatments for Common Conditions such as the flu, degenerative eye conditions, depression, menopause, PMS and more."

Healing

Harmonics in Cairns, Australia presents Upper Back Stretch posted at Harmonics in Cairns: Real Lifestyle Change.

Good Thing presents A Million Good Things posted at A Million Good Things.

Healthy Living

Ernesto Maitim presents Anti Acne Program: How to Prevent Acne from Happening posted at Man Skin Care World.

Kiera Pedley presents Tips For Using Cloth Diapers posted at Natural Parenting Tips, saying, "Cloth diapers are the natural way to avoid plastics and chemicals for your child. This article details the basics on choosing, and using cloth diapers."

Patricia Turner presents 100 Tools and Resources to Secure Your Health Records posted at Online Nursing Degree Guide.

Nancy Miller presents A Few Good Stress Busters posted at Becoming A Radiologist.

Aparna presents Beauty and health effects of negative emotions posted at Beauty and Personality Grooming.

Peter presents The Ultimate Guide to Stress Relief posted at The Change Blog.

Arun presents A Matter of Perspective posted at Arun is Bringing You...Your Daily Remedy, saying, "Sometimes, a little perspective is all we need to realize how great our lives are!"

GrrlScientist presents Bottomfeeder: How to Eat Ethically in a World of Vanishing Seafood posted at Living the Scientific Life, saying, "There's plenty of fish in the sea, as the old addage goes -- but are there, really? I experienced a rude awakening at the peak popularity of Orange Roughy, which I loved. I learned that Orange Roughy, Hoplostethus atlanticus, an extremely long-lived benthic species in the Western Pacific Ocean that doesn't even reach sexual maturity until 40 years of age, was being eaten out of existence by people like me. After I learned that, I never touched Orange Roughy again."

Coatlicue presents Natural vs. bottled water posted at Raw Fitness Online, saying, "An article about the health benefits of natural waters, and the dangers of bottled and distilled water."

Carole Fogarty presents 14 Funky Ways To Calm Your Nerves Consistently: posted at THE HEALTHY LIVING LOUNGE, saying, "Do yourself a favor and add more deliberate moments of relaxation and deep rest into your day. This article is a reminder of the many ways you can put yourself first more often and soothe your nerves consistently. You can also tell where my focus is at the moment .... nourishing my nervous system."

Peter Crump presents Dangerous Cosmetics May Harm Teenage Girls posted at Natural Health - Natural Skin Care.

Jeremy Zongker presents 76 Ways to Save Money While Saving the Environment posted at Destroy Debt.

Marsha Hudnall presents Preventing Holiday Weight Gain: 10 Tips to Guarantee Holiday Weight Gain posted at A Weight Lifted, saying, "The annual holiday food fight is about to begin. You know, the one where conflicted women nationwide (even worldwide) face down rich-food eating traditions.

Lovelyn presents 7 Foods to Boost Your Immune System posted at The Art of Balanced Living.

Alvaro Fernandez presents Brain Fitness 2: Sight & Sound, at PBS posted at SharpBrains, saying, "PBS just announced the second installment of their popular Brain Fitness Program show: "Join host Peter Coyote in "Brain Fitness 2: Sight & Sound," the follow-up to "The Brain Fitness Program," as he explores the brain's ability to change and grow, even as we age, helping us maintain and improve our vision and hearing.""

Matthew presents Advance Medical Directives posted at Fast Medical Information, saying, "Advance directives refers to specific treatment preferences of a patient and also the designation of a decision-maker if the patient themselves is unable to make their own decisions. This includes a living will, the power of attorney and health care proxy."

Herbs

Aparna presents Aloevera, the wonder herb posted at Beauty & Personality Grooming, saying, "Of all the herbs available in the kitchen garden, aloe is perhaps the richest in healing properties and has been rightly named the “first-aid” plant. It has moisturizing and emollient properties and is used in cosmetic creams, sun-lotions, shaving creams and face packs. It can easily be cultivated as a house-plant in a sunny warm spot with good drainage.

Cosmetologists mix aloe with several other herbs and draft fancy names for it. Then these “herbal” avatars are sold at exorbitant prices. Growing a plant and using fresh gel is much more effective than bottled gel, simply because it is alive and therefore is more potent. It is the only plant whose extract is applied directly from plant to face in its natural and purest form"

You can also find out more about aloe here.

Randy Powell presents Cinnamon and its benefits posted at Eating-Veggies.com: High Alkaline Diet blog.

Find out even more about cinnamon here.

Aparna presents Mint (pudina) for health and beauty posted at Beauty & Personality Grooming.

Sarah Scrafford presents 50 Health and Beauty Products You Can Make at Home posted at Massage Therapy Careers.

Astrid Lee presents Aromatherapy: Myrtle for bronchitis, coughs & other respiratory ailments posted at World Healing, saying, "Myrtle is an aromatherapy oil that because of its versatility comes in handy often. Perhaps it is of use to you."

Learn even more about myrtle here.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of carnival of natural health using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Carnival of Natural Health - November 2, 2008

Welcome to the November 2, 2008 edition of Carnival of Natural Health.

General

Aparna presents Beauty and Personality Grooming: Yogic diet posted at Beauty & Personality Grooming.

Andrew Michaels presents Lifecrafting · Meat Part I: How It’s Slowly Killing You by Strangling Your Heart and Riddling You With Cancer posted at Lifecrafting, saying, "How removing meat from your diet can save your life."

Phil B. presents Reducing Stress « Phil for Humanity posted at Phil for Humanity, saying, "All too often, I see people around me looking for short term solutions to stress, such as taking “must needed” vacations, and then they go right back to their hectic and stressful schedule immediately afterwards. I equate this with yo-yo dieting that does not work in the long term. Handling stress must be a lifestyle change that minimizes everyday stress."

Maria Johnson presents Mailman, Florist, Taxi Driver & Irritable Bowel Syndrome posted at Maria Johnson.

Maria Johnson presents The Golden Years Are The Time for Colon Cleansing posted at Maria Johnson.

Maria Johnson presents Causes & Ways to Cure Irritable Bowel Syndrome posted at Maria Johnson.

Alternative Medicine

Sam presents Alternative Medicine posted at Surfer Sam and Friends, saying, "Improve the quality of your life with a whole body, holistic approach to healing. Dozens of therapies are here."

Conan Stevens presents Natural Cure For A Sore Thoat posted at Conan Stevens Online, saying, "I can't understand why people run out and buy medicine everytime they get a little bit sick - as if taking pseudoephedrine is going to help your body heal itself."

PhilosopherVet presents Acupuncture for Acne - A Long Term Acne Solution posted at Ambitiously Inquisitive

TheNourisher presents How to Make Calcium using Egg Shells posted at Nourished Magazine, saying, "Cheap and Easy Calcium Supplementation."

Jimson Lee presents Copper, Magnetic and Titanium Bracelets - PhysioBalm posted at Speedendurance.com, saying, "A detailed look at copper and other heavy metals for alternative medicine."

Dr. Jason Richards presents Why hasn't my OB recommended chiropractic care? posted at Pregnancy and Back Pain.

Alexandr B.S. presents Best Toothache Remedies. Stop Toothache. posted at Worldental - world dental treatment guide.

Healing

Andrea presents What is Physiotherapy? posted at Travel Vaccinations, saying, "The health benefits of physiotherapy."

Raymond David Salas presents How to Heal Yourself posted at ZenChill.com - Power Tools for Mind, Body, and Soul.

Anmol Mehta presents Book of Kundalini Yoga Poses & Kriyas - Spinal Warmup Yoga Exercises - Ch 1 posted at Mastery of Meditation, Enlightenment & Kundalini Yoga, saying, "An effective and simple Kundalini Yoga set to heal and strengthen the back and spine. The set also works on the digestive systems and improves emotional balance."

Healthy Living

Vahid Chaychi presents Health and Happiness Formula posted at Healthoma.com.

Wenchypoo presents Oh No—Not Another Detox! posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo's Mental Wastebasket.

Alfa King presents Stop… for health « Alfa King Memories posted at Alfa King Memories.

Wenchypoo presents The Return of NNR Food Scores (L-O-N-G) posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo's Mental Wastebasket.

Amy Pedersen presents Ergonomics, Office Chairs and the Real Definition of Ergonomic Workplace Posture posted at Sit On This Office Chair ...., saying, "The dictionary definition of ergonomics or human factors is the application of scientific information concerning humans to the design of objects, systems and environment for human use. When a manufacturer uses this process they take into account many factors which can affect the consumer. They use theory, data and principles in order to design a chair that limits all unnatural motions which will cause fatigue and pain."

David Richeson presents How to Keep Yourself Healthy posted at 360 Degree Success, saying, "Simple steps to keep yourself healthy and prevent illness."

Aparna presents Bhramari Pranayam posted at Beauty & Personality Grooming.

Hueina Su presents Life Balance Lessons: 7 Keys to Avoid Burnout posted at Intensive Care for the Nurturer's Soul, saying, "Chronic stress could lead to burnout, which could greatly impact a person's physical & emotional health, relationships, work, and everyone related to him/her. When you are burned out, you can't function at your best, and everyone you care about suffer with you. It's not difficult to see that there is much at stake. Here are some proactive steps you can take today to prevent (or overcome) burnout."

Wenchypoo presents The Eater’s Digest (L-O-N-G) posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo's Mental Wastebasket.

Barbra Sundquist presents One Gear, No Breaks: Behind the Scenes posted at HomeBusinessWiz, saying, "In Part 3 of my interview with Olympic Champion Lori-Ann Muenzer, we talk about her new book One Gear No Breaks and the documentary of the same name."

Alvaro Fernandez presents Bill Clinton on health care and wellness posted at SharpBrains.

Andrew Michaels presents Lifecrafting · Meat Part II: How It’s Layering You With Fat And Giving You Diabetes. posted at Lifecrafting, saying, "Why meat will make you obese and diabetic, and how improving your diet can fix these problems."

Victor Fam presents Towards a Better Life Articles » Archive » Lose Weight through Self-Affirmation posted at Personal Development Articles.

FitBuff presents Fish Oil. Huh? Fish?Oil?? posted at FitBuff.com's Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog.

GrrlScientist presents Meet Marge: The World's First NonFat Dairy Cow posted at Living the Scientific Life, saying, "Image a cow that produces skim milk -- naturally!"

Kathleen Gage presents Turning our situations from frightening to enlightening posted at Daily Awareness, saying, "No matter where you turn, fear seems to be a topic of conversation for so many. Turn on the news, read the newspaper, watch television…it’s there. Truth be told, there is a major shift underway. This shift can be frightening to some, enlightening for others. The fear comes from the outward evidence that life is falling apart. The fear comes from the uncertainty of personal and professional finances. The fear comes from the unknown. Learn a simple strategy to go from frightened to enlightened."

Peter Crump presents Dangerous Skin Care Products And Cosmetics Exposed posted at Natural Health - Natural Skin Care.

Kristen McCarthy presents Organic is Next to Godliness posted at this-sustainable-life.com, saying, "Organic products have become the food of the bourgeois –and I’m not talking about the kind of food historically only available to the rich: calf liver pâtés, speckled Emu eggs, and ninety-nine dollar square watermelons –instead, I’m talking about the essential food groups that ensure our nutrition: vegetables, fruit, grains, and dairy."

Aparna presents Anuloma-Viloma pranayama breathing exercise posted at Beauty & Personality Grooming.

Courtney Doussett presents Super Foods and You posted at GrassrootsMothering.

Reba Haas presents zHome gets you zero energy and carbon neutral at home posted at Team Reba Real Estate, saying, "Healthy living also means living in a clean, green environment. More and more builders are picking up on how individuals and their families are looking for ways to be good to themselves and to the planet. A new project in Issaquah, WA is setting aside a unit for teaching about healthy home living."

bookfundas presents The Ultimate IQ Test Book: 1,000 Practice Test Questions to Boost Your Brain Power posted at BookFundas.com, saying, "The Ultimate IQ Test Book is the biggest book of IQ practice tests available. Written and compiled by IQ-test experts, it contains 1000 practice questions organized into 25 tests, with a simple guide to assessing individual performance. The questions themselves are very similar to those faced by candidates in actual IQ tests. They are multi-discipline and include verbal, numerical, and diagrammatic reasoning questions, so that readers can practice on all the different types of questions they are likely to encounter. Working through the questions can help anyone improve their vocabulary and develop powers of calculation and logical reasoning. By studying the different types of test and recognizing the different types of questions, readers can improve their test scores and increase their IQ rating. The Ultimate IQ Test Book is valuable to those who have to take an IQ test, but it’s also great fun for anyone who likes to stretch their mind for their own entertainment."

Amber presents Girl Healthy: Save Money, Be Healthy posted at Girl Healthy.

Joshua Seth presents Drinking Water and Weight Loss posted at Joshua Seth Blog, saying, "In this quick video I explain the top 3 reasons to drink water before every meal. Drinking water is a healthy, natural way to lose weight and detox. For more info on this topic see my full article"

FitBuff presents 'Does Fruit Make You Fat?' posted at FitBuff.com's Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog, saying, "Does fruit make you fat? I decided to put the question to the test for myself with a detailed self-experiment. Here's what I found..."

Adam Sicinski presents Keys to Creating Abundant Energy | Mind Map posted at IQ Matrix Blog, saying, "Energy is the lifeblood of our everyday actions and decisions. It is also the fundamental key that goes into creating a well balanced, rounded and fulfilling lifestyle. The simple truth is, that without adequate amounts of energy, nothing can really be achieved, no true pleasures can be experienced or enjoyed, and no effective and well thought out decisions can be made. If you are finding yourself constantly running low on energy, than this Mind Map may hold the answers that you have been looking for."

Sarah Scrafford presents 50 Games That Will Improve Your Health and Wellness posted at Nursing Assistant Central.

Fiona King presents Top 100 Pediatric Health Blogs posted at Nursing Assistant Central.

marjorie presents Honey to the Rescue posted at Laurel on Health Food, saying, "If you’re having a major coughing attack, try eating a spoonful of honey to coat your throat. It certainly tastes better than traditional cough syrup! Look out for darker varieties of honey (like buckwheat) because they are likely to contain higher levels of antioxidants than lighter varieties."

Herbs

Amanda Herrington presents RHODIOLA: AWESOME ANTIAGING ADAPTOGEN posted at healthsundae.com -- your daily scoop of health, fitness, and nutrition, saying, "Rhodiola is a godsend. Fight stress and improve your sex life with this miracle herb."

PhilosopherVet presents What is Acute Acne? The Natural Remedy posted at Ambitiously Inquisitive

PhilosopherVet presents Acne Damp Heat - The Traditional Chinese (Acupuncture) Diagnosis Of Acne posted at Ambitiously Inquisitive

Meditation

Chris presents Wuji Zhuang: The Self-Knowledge Stance posted at Martial Development.

Alvaro Fernandez presents » Mind & Life Institute « Brain Fitness Revolution at SharpBrains posted at SharpBrains, saying, "On the Mind & Life Institute and a "novel" method for mental training."

ananga presents How to Stop Shallow Breathing When You Feel Anxious posted at Ananga Sivyer's Living by Design Blog.

Christian Bachmann presents Got migraine? Try yoga. posted at Med Journal Watch, saying, "Controlled medical studies show that meditation works against headache."

Anmol Mehta presents Meditation Techniques - The Ultimate Guide posted at Mastery of Meditation, Enlightenment & Kundalini Yoga, saying, "A comprehensive guide to meditation techniques. Details the best meditations to practice in order to achieve your goals. Includes free video instruction."

Stephen presents A Guided Metta Meditation posted at Balanced Existence, saying, "Metta Bhavana is a Buddhist meditation practice known as the development of universal loving-kindness. It belongs to a set of meditations called brahma-viharas, which roughly means ‘abode of the gods’. As such metta meditation is considered to help us experience positive and enjoyable mental states similar to the mental states of the beings in the Buddhist god-realm."

Louis Burns presents Presuppose Greatness posted at NLP Marketing Blog.

axel presents How Long Should I Meditate Each Time? posted at axel g.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Carnival of Natural Health using our carnival submission form.

A Deadly Herb Hits Prime Time

One advantage to having a TiVo is the fact that I can watch a TV show when it's convenient to watch, not just when the show airs. So with that in mind, I just watched the second episode of a new series on CBS. The show is called Eleventh Hour and I'm not sure yet if I like it enough to recommend it, but I admit that the second episode was MUCH better than the premiere was.

In episode 1.02, the seriously smart science-guy and his hottie female FBI sidekick were called in to figure out why several 11-year-old boys had suddenly died of heart attacks in the same small town. After a lot of investigation, including that of poisonous toads, the pair arrived at the culprit - fox glove. Fox glove is a purple-flowered herb that grows wild in the woods. It's extremely poisonous if used improperly. If a person knows what they are doing, it can be used to make Digitalis, a powerful medicine for heart problems.

There's a video clip on the CBS site that shows the team finding the fox glove. Believe it or not, the killer turned out to be a boy genius who was killing off his classmates...I don't want to spoil it for you if you haven't watched it yet.

But the interesting part was the woman in the town who grew herbs of all kinds with which to make and sell herbal medicines, such as the digitalis.

I think it's cool how the idea of medicines being made from plants is gaining such credibility. In earlier generations, it was just taken for granted that medicines were taken from plants. But then "modern" medicine convinced so many for so long that only chemically created medicines were good. I'm glad the awareness is returning.

But as this program illustrates, some herbs are not to be played with at all. And if one doesn't know what they are doing, those dangerous herbs can kill. So be very cautious when harvesting and using herbs!! It's important to give them the proper respect for their power. Find out much more about fox glove here.

I'm Going to Grow My Own Saffron!

I admit it, I'm a huge lover of paella, that wonderful Spanish rice and seafood and whatever-else-you-want-to-add dish! The only drawback is that for a truly tasty pan of paella, one must use the most expensive spice in the world...saffron. It's made from the tiny filament in the center of a specific crocus flower and must be harvested in the fall using a pair of tweezers!

The incredibly wonderful news is that I found a source for the bulbs of the saffron crocus! It's a web site for the Rosemary House. I just ordered a bunch of bulbs and apparently, this is the perfect time of year to plant them. so next fall, about this time, I should be able to harvest my own saffron.

So if you like dishes that use saffron, you have a choice of substituting turmeric (not perfect, but it'll do in a pinch) or you can grow and harvest your own saffron!

Learn about the midicinal uses of saffron at the Medicinal Herb Info site.

Welcome to Medicinal Herb Info Blog!

This is the blog that will accompany the web site medicinalherbinfo.org. The web site is a compilation of my late mother's research on medicinal herbs and I will continue her mission to report on the latest medicinal herb news here in this blog.

I hope you'll enjoy the information here and that you'll subscribe and visit often!

Namaste.