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5 Easy Ways to Lower Blood Pressure Using 1 Great Fruit

Have you had your lycopene today? If you ate a green salad with fresh chopped tomatoes, then you not only got a healthy dose of this powerful antioxidant, but you have also taken significant action toward lowering your blood pressure. A recent double-blind study conducted in Israel has confirmed what hearth-healthy Italians have enjoyed for centuries – tomatoes (and tomato sauce) lower blood pressure and the risk of heart disease.

The Israeli study was led up by Dr. Esther Paran, head of the hypertension division of Soroka Medical Center. It involved patients who were already being treated for hypertension, but were not responding well to the medications. Dr. Paran had patients take a supplement of tomato extract. The results were a significant drop in blood pressure after just four weeks.

Tomatoes are so effective at lowering blood pressure because they contain lycopene. This potent antioxidant is even the focus of some hybrid tomatoes grown by the Israeli company, Lycomato, in order to have higher concentrations of lycopene in each piece of fruit. Other antioxidants found in tomatoes make this one super-food in the prevention of heart disease. It can even help keep LDL cholesterol from oxidizing which makes it stick to the arteries and narrow the passage way causing blood pressure to increase.

Even during the peak growing season it can be difficult to consume four whole tomatoes each day, which is the recommended amount for having a positive impact on blood pressure. Here are some ways to get the benefits of tomatoes without having to eat them straight off the vine.

1. Make Chili. Using tomato puree, which is a concentrated form of tomatoes, as the base for your chili utilizes the antioxidants without the bulk of a whole tomato. Add some ultra-lean and high protein ground bison and kidney beans with minced garlic and onions, and cayenne pepper and you have a heart-healthy main course and a full day’s allowance of tomato.
2. Since using olive oil with the tomatoes enhances the curative quality, make your pasta sauce red with tomatoes, tomato paste and olive oil to sauté the garlic and onion. Tomato paste used in making sauce contains more than 10 times the nutrients of a single tomato.
3. Have a fresh salad as a side dish to either of these entrees and cut one whole tomato on top. You’ll get one-quarter of you tomato intake right there.
4. 
5. Drink tomato juice. It is better to make your own fresh juice so that you can control the sodium. Store bought juices can be high in sugar and sodium-based preservatives. If you have a juicer, you can make some incredible veggie juices to suit your own tastes by adding carrots, celery and some low-sodium seasonings.
6. Take a tomato supplement. If you just can’t stomach tomatoes, then a 200 mg supplement provides the equivalent of more than the recommended four tomatoes.
7. 

Adding tomatoes to your diet can reduce systolic blood pressure by 10 points and diastolic pressure by 4 points as was evident in the Israel study. Whatever way you slice it, tomatoes will  strengthen your immune system and lower blood pressure.

Enjoy your tomatoes and live a healthier life

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 17th March 2010

Cancer cells are repaired with Bitter Melon

Bitter Melon Extract Shown to Block Cancer Cell Formation

St. Louis researchers say bitter melon can differentiate between healthy cells and cancerous cells.

If the findings regarding the anti-cancer benefits of bitter melon are accurate, bitterness may be the new sweetness.

Bitter melon isn’t widely known here in the states, but it’s long been a natural health staple for South Americans and Asians alike.

Grown primarily in warm climates like the Caribbean and parts of sub-Saharan Africa, bitter melon (which looks an awful lot like an English cucumber) may sound gross and inedible.  After all, it has “bitter” in its name.  How good could it taste?

But you may be surprised to know that bitter melon is a frequent accompaniment to savory stir-fries, seafood salads, and in Indian cuisine like thoran.

Where bitter melon really makes its hay, though, is in the medicinal realm, as it’s long been touted for helping relieve digestive problems like heartburn, ulcers, dyspepsia and constipation.  It’s also known for having some cholesterol and blood sugar-lowering properties as well.

All that’s impressive, but I’m willing to bet that bitter melon’s claim to fame will eventually be for its cancer-fighting properties.

Researchers from St. Louis University discovered this after treating human breast cancer cells with bitter melon extract.  Their results?  Well, unlike chemotherapy, which kills all cells—including the healthy ones—bitter melon extract was able to differentiate between cancerous cells and healthy cells.  In other words, it left the healthy cells untouched and killed the malignant cells.

In a statement, the study’s lead researcher, Dr. Ratna Ray, said, “To our knowledge, this is the first report describing the effect of bitter melon extract on cancer cells.  We have shown that bitter melon extract significantly [emphasis added] induced death in breast cancer cells and decreased their growth and spread.”

Now, as Ray would go on to say, this finding should not suggest that bitter melon is a cure for cancer.  Just as other therapies don’t ensure curing someone from disease, neither does bitter melon.  So this finding is a small step in that respect.

Where it’s a giant step, though, is with regards to future research.  With information like this, researchers can perhaps use other natural herbs to make a truly potent cancer fighter so we can finally be rid of a disease that’s affected millions upon millions of lives.

The study’s published in the March 1^st 2010 issue of the journal Cancer Research.

If bitter melon sounds familiar to you, there’s a reason for it.  I wrote about bitter melon in 2008, as researchers at the time found it to be an effective treatment for type II diabetes.

Now, if you want to add bitter melon to your next stir-fry, you’re not likely to find it in your grocer’s produce aisle.  But you will find it in pill form at virtually any supplement and vitamin store that’s out there.

There are lots of options to choose from, but I like to stick with what I know.  And one company I know well is Nature’s Way.

Nature’s Way doesn’t have a bitter melon supplement specifically, but they do have a product called Blood Sugar with Gymnema.  Among other blood-sugar lowering ingredients, it contains 150 milligrams of bitter melon, which is a good amount of bitter melon.

Remember, just as can get too many vitamins, you can get too much bitter melon.  Side effects are generally minor (e.g. diarrhea, stomach pain) but if you’re pregnant, it’s best to avoid bitter melon altogether (some pregnant women taking bitter melon have experienced premature labor).  As always, use bitter melon as directed

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 17th March 2010

Sutherlandia frutescens
Cancer Bush

An odd, South African shrub with fine, grey-green foliage and showy, bright scarlet flowers and curious, inflated seedpods. Its common name, Cancer Bush, comes from the fact that the tea of the dried leaves and twigs have been used for treating the side effects of cancers and HIV / AIDS. In great demand as a decorative garden plant. Grows to 3 feet in height. Very uncommon.

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 21st Feb 2010

Many have narcotic and/or toxic properties

Datura stramonium Photo: Australian National Botanic Garden

The family’s common name ‘deadly night shade’ reflects a precautionary note about the toxic nature of many of its members. This name is derived from the herb called deadly nightshade, Atropa belladonna, which contains a potent narcotic extract called Atropine. This is used medicinally as an eye dilating drug and sedative.

Another plant with toxic properties is the foetid smelling thorn apple, Datura stramonium, commonly found in India. Even today Indian thieves and assassins are consistently administering high doses to their victims in order to render them insensible. However, it also contains beneficial alkaloids, which alleviate asthma and act as a pre-anaesthetic in childbirth and surgery.

Of the well known family members, tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) is a very hazardous plant. Less known are the allergies encountered by some regular consumers of potatoes, tomatoes, capsicum and/or aubergines. To illustrate their potency, a world-renowned ballet dancer became crippled with muscular and joint pains and was unable to dance. Following a diagnosis of intolerance to these foods she resumed her distinguished career within a month of excluding them from her diet. Other users report that within a short time of eating them they have difficulty in relaxing and/or sleeping. Vivid dreams are symptomatic of this intolerance.

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 21st Feb 2010

REPLACE DAIRY PRODUCTS WITH GREENS FOR CALCIUM


Why is it that we are encouraged to drink milk?

Because of its calcium right?

Well, where do cows get their food from?

The grass!  The grass is green and it contains huge
amounts of calcium, as well as the other alkalizing
minerals.

We have been brainwashed into believing that cow's
milk and dairy are essential for us to grow big and
strong.I don'tthink is right especially when you
consider the following...

Cow's milk provides 118 mg of calcium/100 g.
The daily recommended intake (depending on the authority)
is between 800 - 1200 mg of calcium per day.

Therefore, to meet daily requirements, and assuming that
dairy is a balanced source of calcium (which it is not),
you would need toconsume at minimum 0.88 - 1.22 liters
of 2% milk per day(considering 1 g of 2% milk = 1.1 ml)!
 That's four to five 250 ml cups
of milk per day.  That's insane!

Dairy is the most common food allergen in the world!
After the age of 2, our body no longer produces the
enzyme lactase to breakdown lactose (sugar in dairy).
This leads to a myriad ofproblems including bloating,
gas, indigestion, skin problems
(such as eczema), and excess mucus production.

There is an alternative to dairy however
(and it's not soy milk).

DOES THIS MEAN THAT WE SHOULD ALL CONSUME MORE GREENS?

Published by Henry Sapiecha 18th Jan 2010

Mimosa tenuiflora

Another wonder plant for healing the body.

Mimosa tenuiflora
Mimosa tenuiflora
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Subfamily:	Mimosoideae
Genus:	Mimosa
Species:	M. tenuiflora
Binomial name
Mimosa tenuiflora (Willd.) Poir.[1][2]
Range of Mimosa tenuiflora
Synonyms
Acacia hostilis Mart. Acacia tenuiflora Willd. Mimosa cabrera H. Karst. Mimosa hostilis (C. Mart.) Benth. Mimosa limana Rizzini

Mimosa tenuiflora (Jurema, Tepezcohuite) is a perennial evergreen tree or shrub native to the northeastern region of Brazil (Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte, Ceará, Pernambuco, Bahia) and found as far north as southern Mexico (Oaxaca and coast of Chiapas). It is most often found in lower altitudes, but it can be found as high as 1000 m.

Description

The fern-like branches have leaves that are Mimosa like, finely pinnate, growing to 5 cm long. Each compound leaf contains 15-33 pairs of bright green leaflets 5-6  mm long. The tree itself grows up to 8 m tall and it can reach 4-5 m tall in less than 5 years. The white,fragrant flowers occur in loosely cylindrical spikes 4-8 cm long. In the Northern Hemisphere it blossoms and produces fruit from November to June or July. In the Southern Hemisphere it blooms primarily from September to January. The fruit is brittle and averages 2.5–5 cm long. Each pod contains 4–6 seeds that are oval, flat, light brown and 3–4 mm in diameter. There are about 145 seeds/g. In the Southern Hemisphere, the fruit ripens from February to April.

The tree’s bark is dark brown to gray. It splits lengthwise and the inside is reddish brown.

The tree’s wood is dark reddish brown with a yellow center. It is very dense, durable and strong, having a density of about 1.11 g/cm³.

Mimosa tenuiflora does very well after a forest fire, or other major ecological disturbance.It is a prolific pioneer plant It drops its leaves on the ground, continuously forming a thin layer of mulch and eventually humus. Along with its ability to fix nitrogen, the tree conditions the soil, making it ready for other plant species to come along.

Medicinal uses

Disaster response

Mimosa tenuiflora “tepezcohuite” proved vital in the treatment of some of the 5000 burn victims of the 1984 San Juanico Disaster (liquid petroleum gas explosion) near Mexico City.

The Maya in Mexico have used Mimosa tenuiflora “tepezcohuite” for over 1000 years to help heal wounds.

Mimosa tenuiflora root bark

The Mayans of Mexico have used roasted Mimosa tenuiflora “tepezcohuite” bark to treat lesions of the skin for over a thousand years.

Powdered tepezcohuite bark contains large amounts (16%) of tannins, which act as an astringent, making the skin stop bleeding. This helps protect the body from infection, while the skin builds new protective tissue.

Tannins in Mimosa tenuiflora bark help protect it from microorganisms.

Tannins in the bark diminish capillary permeability. The bark provides important micronutrients such as ions of zinc, copper, manganese, iron and magnesium, which play an important role in cellular repair and protection. It also contains antioxidant flavonoids.

Mimosa tenuiflora “tepezcohuite” proved vital in the treatment of some of the 5000 burn victims in the aftermath of a series of explosions at large liquid petroleum gas explosion at a huge facility located near Mexico City in San Juan Ixhuatepec (San Juanico), November 19, 1984. It was also used to treat victims of a large 1985 earthquake in Mexico. Powder from the bark has a 2-3 hour pain killing effect on the skin. Bark powder causes skin to regenerate fully in a matter of weeks.The results and some mechanisms thereof have been confirmed in the laboratoryTepezcohuite is used to treat acne, psoriasis and herpes.

Extensive research has been performed in labs in Mexico, Canada and the United Kingdom. It is now used in commercial hair and skin products for rejuvenating skin.
The bark is known to be rich in tannins, saponins, alkaloids, lipids, phytosterols, glucosides, xylose, rhamnose, arabinose, lupeol, methoxychalcones and kukulkanins. In vitro studies have shown three times more bacteriocidal activity on bacterial cultures than streptomycin, and it works to some degree in vivo.

In addition to the above effects, tepezcohuite may protect and stimulate the generation of collagen and “elastina,” as well as providing protecting flavonoids and hyaluronic acid, a building block for tissue regeneration.^{[citation needed]}

Treating traumatic injury

For traumatic injuries, tepezcohuite is believed to protect exposed bone and to help regenerate soft tissue. As mentioned before, it is an antiseptic. It is also used in the prevention of inflammation.

Treating venous leg ulcerations

Mimosa tenuiflora has been shown to be very effective in treating venous leg ulcerations, a condition especially problematic for people with diabetes.

Other

A tea made of the leaves and stem is used to treat tooth pain.

For cases of cough and bronchitis, a water extract (decoction) of Mimosa tenuiflora is drunk. handful of bark in one liter of water is used by itself or in a syrup The solution is drunk until the symptoms subside.

Other uses

The tree is an acceptable source of forage or fodder for animals, providing vital protein and other nutrients.It does well in the dry season and in drought, while providing life saving food for local livestock and animals. Cows, goats and sheep eat the pods and leaves. There seems to be evidence that Mimosa tenuiflora forage or fodder is teratogenic to pregnant ruminants in Brazil.^[15][16]

The tree is an important source of forage for bees, especially during the dry season and in the beginning of the wet season.

Mimosa tenuiflora root nodules, like these shown from soybeans, contain nitrogen fixing bacteria, which convert air nitrogen into nitrogen fertilizer for the plant, while improving the surrounding soil.

Like most plants in the Fabaceae family, Mimosa tenuiflora fertilizes the soil via nitrogen fixing bacteria. The tree is useful in fighting soil erosion and for reforestation.

Mimosa tenuiflora is a very good source of fuel wood and works very well for making posts, most likely because of its high tannin content (16%), which protects it from rot. It is used to make bridges, buildings, fences, furniture and wheels. It is an excellent source of charcoal and at least one study has been done to see why this is the case.

The bark of the tree has a high tannin content of about 16%making it is widely used as a natural dye and in leather production.

The healing properties of the tree make it useful in treating domestic animals. A solution of the leaves or bark can also be used for washing animals in the prevention of parasites. Because the tree keeps most of its leaves during the dry season, it is an important source of shade for animals and plants during that time.

Entheogenic uses

Mimosa tenuiflora is an entheogen known as Jurema, Jurema Preta, Black Jurema, and Vinho de Jurema. Dried Mexican Mimosa tenuiflora root bark has been recently shown to have a DMT (Dimethyltryptamine) content of about 1%The stem bark has about 0.03% DMT. The bark is the part of the tree traditionally used in northeastern Brazil in a psychoactive decoction also called Jurema or Yurema. Analogously, the traditional Western Amazonian sacrament Ayahuasca is brewed from indigenous ayahuasca vines. However, to date no ?-carbolines such as harmala alkaloids have been detected in Mimosa tenuiflora decoctions, yet the root bark is consistently used without added MAOI.

This presents challenges to the pharmacological understanding of how DMT from the plant is rendered orally active as an entheogen. In this view, if MAOI is neither present in the plant nor added to the mixture, the enzyme MAO will break apart DMT in the human gut, preventing the active molecule from entering blood and brain.

The isolation of a new compound called “Yuremamine” from Mimosa tenuiflora as reported in 2005 represents a new class of phyto-indoles, which may explain an apparent oral activity of DMT in Jurema.

Propagation

For outside planting, USDA Zone 9 or higher is recommended.

In nature, Mimosa tenuiflora “. . .fruits and seeds are disseminated by the wind in a radius of 5–8 m from the mother plant; rain carries them from slopes to lower plains and human activities contribute to their dissemination.”

For cultivation, the seed pods are collected once they start to spontaneously open on the tree. The collected pods are laid out in the sun so that the pods open up and release their seeds. The seeds can then be planted in sandy soil with sun exposure.

Scarification of the seed via mechanical means or by using sulphuric acid greatly increases the germination rate of the seeds over non-treatment. The seeds can be sown directly into holes in the ground or planted in prepared areas.

The seeds can germinate in temperatures ranging from 10–30 °C, but the highest germination rate occurs at around 25 °C (about 96%), even after four years of storage. Germination takes about 2–4 weeks.

It is also possible to propagate Mimosa tenuiflora via cuttings.

Trimming adult Mimosa tenuiflorae during the rainy season is not recommended because it can cause them to perish.

See also

• Dimethyltryptamine
• Psychedelic plants
• Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 27th Nov 2009
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Cassia Fistula – Cultivation and uses

Golden shower tree

leaves in Hyderabad, India.

Cassia fistula is widely grown as an ornamental plant in tropical and subtropical areas. It blooms in late spring (May on the northern, November on the southern hemisphere); flowering is profuse, with trees being covered with yellow flora, with almost no leaf being seen. It is not recommended for dry climates. Growth for this tree is best in full sun on well-drained soil; it is drought- and salt- tolerant, but will be damaged by even short spells of freezing weather. It can be subject to mildew, leaf spot and root diseases.

In Ayurvedic medicine, Golden Shower Tree is known as aragvadha (“disease killer”). Its fruitpulp is used as mild laxative, against fevers, arthritis, vatavyadhi (nervous system diseases), all kinds of rakta-pitta (bleeding, such as hematemesis or hemorrhages), as well as cardiac conditions and stomach problems such as acid reflux. The root is considered a very strong purgative, and self-medication or any use without medical supervision is strongly advised against in Ayurvedic texts.

Though its use in herbalism is attested to since millennia, there has been rather little research in modern times. While the purgative action is probably due to abundant 1,8-dihydroxyanthraquinone and derivates thereof, whether the reputed nervous system (anti-vatavyadhi) effects are real and if, what causes them, is not known. While many Fabaceae are a source of potent entheogens and other psychoactive compounds (see e.g. tryptamines), such plants are rarely found among the Caesalpinioideae.

The golden shower tree is the national flower of Thailand; its yellow leaves symbolize Thai royalty. A 2006-2007 flower festival, the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek, was named after the tree, which is most often called dok khuen or ratchaphruek in Thailand.^[1]

The golden shower tree is the state flower of Kerala in India. The flowers are of ritual importance in the Vishu festival of Kerala state of India, and the tree was depicted on a 20 Indian rupees stamp. C. fistula is also featured on a 2003 joint Canadian-Thai design for a 48 cent stamp, part of a series featuring national emblems.

It has strong & very durable wood.There is please called “Ahala Kanuwa” in “Adems peek” “Sri Lanka” and its made by Cassia fistula(Ahala) heart wood.

It has reportedly been used in other, less wholesome, contexts.

Names and taxonomy

Amalt?s inflorescences, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

Being so conspicuous and widely planted, this tree has a number of common names. In English, it is usually known as Golden Shower Tree or Golden Shower Cassia. Other, less unambiguous names include Indian laburnum, “golden shower” or “drumstick tree“. It is known in Spanish-speaking countries as caña fistula.

Names from its native range and surrounding regions include:^[1]

• Assamese: Xonaru
• Bangla: sonalu, bandar lathi
• Chinese: ? bó lè (???: Taiwan), là cháng shù (“sausage tree”, ???)
• Gujarati : Garmalo
• Hindi: bendra lathi (or bandarlauri), dhanbaher (or dhanbohar), girimaloah
• Hindi and Urdu: amalt?s (??????)
• Japanese: nanban saikachi (???? ????, Kanji: ????)
• ^Khmer: ‘reachapreuk’ (?????????? – rajavriksha)
• Lao: khoun
• Marathi: bahava (?????)
• Malayalam: kanikkonna (or kani konna ??????????: Kerala), Vishu konna(???????????)
• Meitei (Manipuri): chahui
• Nepali: amaltash, rajbriksya
• Sanskrit: aragvadha, chaturangula, kritamala, suvarnaka
• Sinhalese: aehaela-gaha (or ahalla-gass), ekela
• Tamil: konrai (??????)
• Thai: rachapruek (????????), khun (???), dok khuen (??????)
• Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 8th Oct 2009
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