Monday, March 17, 2014

From rose hips for joints to blackberries for lung cancer - wild plants are being harnessed for new wonder drugs

They are full of health advantages, require no prescription and price nothing. Studies have shown that Britain's hedgerow vegetation is filled with vitamins and anti-oxidants. In addition, researchers are looking into how to use them as medications for a number of conditions, including cancer and bloodstream pressure.
Boy picking berries

Researchers are considering the utilization ofberries as medications for a number of consitions

ROSEHIPS

Rose hips

Orangey-red-colored, oblong berries, sometimes around one inch lengthy. They are the fruit from the dog rose and located in hedgerows from August until November. Seed products shouldn't be eaten simply because they can bother the mouth and stomach.

Contain: Among the wealthiest causes of ascorbic acid, but additionally A, D and E, iron, calcium, anti-oxidants and essential fatty acids. Rosehip syrup was handed to children throughout The Second World War because of its ascorbic acid content. Single serving of 30 berries consists of around 40 oranges.

What's new: Powdered rosehip is three occasions better at lowering the discomfort of osteo arthritis than paracetamol, based on research in the College of Copenhagen, though just exactly why is unclear. There have been also no sideeffects connected with conventional pain relievers for example constipation, diarrhea or sleepiness.

'There has become good evidence for rosehips for osteo arthritis from a number of studies,' states Professor Edzard Ernst, professor of complementary medicine in the Peninsula Med school in Exeter and Plymouth.

In your own home: Make rosehip tea for any cold. Boil one tablespoon of fresh, ripe rosehips in 2 glasses of water for ten to fifteen minutes, after which strain, eliminating any seed products. Typically sweetened with cinnamon. Rosehip may also be used to create jellies and syrup.

Tip: Remove fur from rosehips before use simply because they may cause irritation - they were utilized in joke itchiness powders.

HAZELNUTS

Three hazelnuts

Grow in large groupings on hazel within the hedgegrow and switch chocolatebrown when ready. Usually gathered within the last week of September.

Contain: Good supply of fibre, manganese, potassium, copper, thiamine, B6 and E, folate and anti-oxidants. Among nuts, they've the greatest amounts of monounsaturated fats.

What's new: Oleic acidity, a monounsaturated essential fatty acid in hazelnuts, continues to be proven to reduce bad cholesterol, while arginine, an amino acidity, expands bloodstream ships and enhances bloodflow.

Researchers at Hacettepe College in Poultry discovered that 11/2oz of hazelnuts each day reduces the chance of cardiovascular disease.

Males who consumed hazelnuts two times or even more per week had half the chance of dying of cardiac arrest, based on American research.

Hazelnuts also may help fight cancer. Tigard College scientists found they retain the chemical paclitaxel, the active component in drugs accustomed to treat ovarian and breast cancer.

In your own home: Could be eaten raw, roasting, fried, boiled or dried. Roasted adds flavour and preserves goodness.

SLOES

Sloes

The fruit from the blackthorn rose bush, it's the ancestor of cultivated apples and also the same colour, but more compact and much more tart. Prolific in hedgerows now and could be selected until November. Usually too bitter to consume raw.

Contain: Ascorbic Acid, anti-oxidants.

What's new: Sloes might have an anti-microbial effect, based on research in the College of Salford. Polish scientists have discovered the fruit has elevated levels of the anti-oxidants which have been associated with a lesser chance of cardiovascular disease.

In your own home: Sloe syrup has typically been used like a tonic to battle flu. Put 4lb of sloes inside a pan, cover with boiling water, placed on a cover and then leave for twenty-four hrs. Drain from the liquid, take it towards the boil and set go back over the sloes. Continue doing this process. Finally, strain the juice, add 11/2 lb sugar and produce towards the boil before bottling.

Tip: Should you wait to choose until October or November, or perhaps following the first frosts, sloes are more gratifying and juicier.

BLACKBERRIES

Fresh blackberries

Hedgebrow berries in fruit from mid August to late September.

Contain: Have among the greatest antioxidant amounts of any fruit. Also wealthy in ascorbic acid - one half-cup (three handfuls) provides 100 percent from the suggested daily ascorbic acid to have an adult. The compound that provides blackberries their colour, anthocyanins, is another potent antioxidant.

What's new: 'Fresh berries are the most effective disease-fighting meals available,' say Or

College scientists. Rim has been examined because of its use against cancer of the lung in females - researchers have discovered the berries could lessen the excess estrogen activity which feeds the tumor. Animal research has proven similar effects.

In your own home: Best eaten straight from the bramble, but rim syrup is really a traditional therapy for sore throats.

Provide the boil three glasses of blackberries, single serving of sugar, half a mug of water, grated zest in one lemon, and simmer for fifteen minutes while stirring. Strain and canopy, and make the fridge for 2 days.

Tip: The cheapest berry, in the tip from the stalk, is the first one to ripen and also the best and fattest of.

HAWTHORN

Hawthorn

Area of the rose family along with a common sight in hedgerows, its small red-colored berries (how big a pea) taste much like yams. May be used to make drinks, syrups and jelly.

Consists of: Flavonoids and oligomeric procyanidins, that have antioxidant effects.

What's new: Hawthorn extract (900mg/day) like a supplement taken for 2 several weeks was competitive with low doses of captropril, a number one heart medication, in enhancing signs and symptoms of heart failure, say scientists at Maryland College in the usa.

Hawthorn berries happen to be proven to combat chest discomfort in angina sufferers, minimizing cholesterol.

Hawthorn leaves and fruit are also discovered to be effective for top bloodstream pressure in several patients with diabetes type 2.

Research in the Institute for Medicinal Plants Research in Belgrade found hawthorn leaves and fruit to become a potent anti-inflammatory.

'There is very good evidence for hawthorn and congestive heart failure,' states Professor Ernst. 'You shouldn't self-medicate, but it's an authorized medication in Germany.'

In your own home: Make hawthorn syrup like a tonic. Simmer one part hawthorn fruit in three parts water before the mixture is reduced by half. Add sugar to taste. Great on pancakes.

Tip: The leaves, that have a nutty flavour, could be eaten raw in preparing salads.

BILBERRIES

Bilberries

Small, fast fruits (more compact than blackcurrants) available on shrubbery that grow close to 18 inches on heathland and moors. Associated with the blueberry and could be eaten raw.

Contain: High amounts of ascorbic acid and chemicals referred to as anthocyanosides - plant pigments that actually work as anti-oxidants and might help to prevent or reverse harm to cells in conditions for example cardiovascular disease, cancer and age-related eye conditions. Also consists of tannins - an anti-inflammatory.

What's new: Research in the College of Cincinnati is testing whether a juice produced from the berries boosts memory the aged. In research like the rim study, scientists will also be searching at using a compound present in bilberries for cancer of the lung in females.

In your own home: Bilberry teas are a conventional therapy for sore throats. Pour a mug of boiling water onto three teaspoons of crushed berries, leave for 10 mins, strain and drink.

Tip: Jam might be great for evening vision, too. Throughout The Second World War, British fighter aircraft pilots were reported to possess enhanced evening-time vision after consuming bilberry jam.NETTLES

Nettles

Present in, around and under all hedgerows. September may be the recently to reap the leaves, as following this they wither.

Contain: Formic acidity, an antibacterial, which is among the key elements accountable for the stinging feeling on impact. Also retain the natural chemical serotonin, and histamine, that is active in the defense mechanisms response.

What's new: Research at Exeter and Plymouth colleges implies that nettles may ease the discomfort of osteo arthritis from the knee. Serotonin and histamine within the nettles might block the discomfort signals.

In your own home: Make nettle tea for joint pain. Pour boiling water over a number of fresh leaves inside a warm tea pot. Leave for 5 minutes before pushing and consuming.

Tip: A sprig of nettles in the kitchen area is really a traditional method to keep flies away.

ELDERBERRIES

Elderberries

Also called the British grape, elderberry is rich in hedgerows, in which the blue-black fruits hang in large groupings at the end of summer time and early fall.

Contain: Wealthy in antioxidant compounds known as anthocyanins, that have been proven to assist in treating diabetes and stomach problems. Might have antiviral and antibacterial effects.

What's new: Anthocyanins in elderberry raise the defense mechanisms by growing amounts of cytokines - key compounds within the defense mechanisms defences. Anthocyanins also may help prevent weight problems and diabetes, based on American research.

Research in the College of Graz in Austria demonstrated that the extract produced from elderberry reduces amounts of bad cholesterol.

In your own home: Use elderberry cordial for any cold. Put berries inside a soup pot, give a little water and prepare until juice expires. Strain from the juice, add 1lb of sugar for each pint of juice, after which boil until it's thick syrup before bottling.

Tip: When choosing elderberries, make use of a fork to obtain them from the stalks to prevent the fruit splitting up.

HOPS

Hops

Plant with heartshaped leaves with serrated edges, and pendant-like whitish flowers.

Contain: Hops are full of bitter substances, referred to as humulone and lupulone, which stimulate hunger.

What's new: German scientists discovered that time put in total sleep and deep sleep was 10 percent greater in people taking a mixture of hops and also the plant valerian. It's believed that the relaxing effects are lower to some compound in hops known as dimethylvinyl carbinol.

Research at Howard College in the usa demonstrated that hops also provide an antiviral effect, while research in the Chinese Academy of Sciences demonstrated that compounds in hops may go against Aids-1 infection.

In your own home: Put some hops inside a pillow to combat insomnia.

Along With A WARNING...

Make certain you've recognized the right plant, berry and leaf. Many are toxic. Don't self-medicate without seeking medical health advice, particularly if you possess a identified condition or take medication.


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