Dec 29, Bitter Orange one of the most sought after herb in the world is its amazing abil

Citrus Aurantium

The Bitter Orange is an evergreen tree that is native to China and India. Because of its powerful healing abilities, it is widely cultivated in countries such as Spain, Africa and the United States.

The Bitter Orange herb is also popular as it is a primary ingredient in the making of the Curacao liqueur. The oil extract is used as ingredient in making food and cosmetic products.

The oil is a popular for its aromatherapy uplifting effects. The plant is also commonly known as Sour Orange and Seville Orange. The Chinese call the unripe fruit Zhi shi.

Its bitter and acrid tasting has been a part of their herbal medications for thousands of years. It is used principally for balancing and cleansing the body system and in treatment of respiratory problems.

The part of the plant that is most commonly used for its amazing properties is the peel. When the orange is peeled, the white part is completely removed before undergoing the drying process.

The citrus leaves are made into tonics to that have a sedative and calming effect, taking away nervousness, removing stress and inducing sleep.

Other uses for the leaves are for fever relief and as a laxative. The flowers are used to treat stomach ailments, nervous illness, sore throat and gout.

One thing that has made the Bitter Orange one of the most sought after herb in the world is its amazing ability to increase metabolism.

When metabolism is increase, the body loses weight. After the ingredient, Ephedra, was banned from the pharmaceutical industry, this herb was chosen as the replacement.

This is because the herb has the chemical Synephrine, which is the active constituent of Ephedra. Over a 6 week period of taking the product that contains the herb, drastic weight loss is achieved.

The effectiveness is due to the increase in metabolism aside from the lack of appetite.

This herb is not for everybody. People that suffer from heart ailments and high blood pressure should not take this herb as they may have side effects from the rapid increase of metabolism. The side effects that may occur are fainting, stroke and heart attack.

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Dec 23, Avena Sativa Is Used In Breakfast Cereals As Well As Treatment for Drug Addict

Avena Sativa

It may surprise you to find out that you may have already consumed quite a number of bowls filled with herb.

As a cereal product of this plant, it is the everyday breakfast porridge. Oats are made from the grain of the Avena plant. Avena herb tinctures are made from fresh oat seeds.

This oat seed tincture has a lot of nutrients and minerals that are needed by the nervous system to function properly. The vitamin B content is quite high.

Photo Courtesy Of Andreas Trepte, www.photo-natur.de.

Drinking the Avena sativa tincture is a potent remedy that will lessen exhaustion and anxiety.

Avena sativa As Treatment

Aside from the restorative energy that this tincture can give you, it also has a mild sedative effect.

Research studies conducted in Edinburgh done with the use of an EEG machine to monitor brain activity showed that people who drink this herb tincture have a more restful sleep.Since it is a treatment for nervousness, the muscles get relaxed. Aside from the high nutrient value of this herb tincture, these positive reactions are caused by the active indole alkaloid in Avena Sativa called gramine.As one of the most effective and safe ways to nervous disorders, this tincture is recommended to young children, adults and the elderly. Children that have mild sleep disorders and are hyperactive will become more peaceful with regular consumption of the tincture.. Adult who suffer from tiredness and stress can have some relief. Elderly people will gain more vigor and energy. Yet, among all of the groups that have the Avena treatment, there is one group that is in dire need of physical and psychological help.

The Avena sativa tincture is given as part of the withdrawal treatment of addicts. The hard core opium takers, who suffer violent withdrawal symptoms, are amongst the drug dependents that this herbal remedy is given to.

Drug rehabs encourage many patients that used cocaine, marijuana and crack to drink the Avena sativa tincture. The use of the tincture is not limited to those who have done illegal drugs. It is also used to wean individuals away from nicotine addiction.

Cultivation And Care

Oats are planted as a food crop in large fields. Aside from the high demand for oats as a staple, planting oats in small gardens will bring a multitude of birds that will eat all the seeds. Pest control can be done to avoid this by covering the plants with netting.

These plants need to place in full sun and are not shade tolerant. It is not winter hardy. It can be planted in any kind of soil but thrives best in clay that has excellent drainage.

This crop is easy to grow and the soil does not need to be fertilized. Watering should be done often as the plant flourishes in moist soil conditions.

When planting oat varieties, they should be planted with at least 180 meters away from each other. This is done so that one kind of oat will not cross pollinate with another. Planting times are in spring or autumn and the flowers bloom in June and July.

Seeds are sown and lightly covered with soil. It will take two weeks for germination. Harvest the ripe seeds from August to September.

After harvesting, the seeds have to be threshed, winnowed and dried before storage.Avena seeds can be stored for many years. Extreme heat conditions before the bloom period will result in a smaller seed harvest.

Other Uses Of Avena Seed

The tincture is also used as a uterine tonic for its diuretic qualities. A gruel made from grounds seeds is done to alleviate fevers and make up for nutritional deficiency.

As a decoction, it is place into baths for treatment of eczema and itch. For immediate relief of the skin disorders, it is made into a poultice.

Roasted seeds are made into a beverage similar to coffee. The seeds are extracted for their edible oil which is used in making commercially sold cereals. When the seeds are sprouted, it can be consumed raw and is included in salads.

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Dec 24, Barberry Herb

Barberry Herb, Berberis Vulgaris

The Barberry plant is known by many names like Pepperidge, Sowberry and Berbery. There is one name that it is called which is attributed to the way it was used in a historical occasion.

The plant is legendary for its use as a form of torture. The spiked stems where made into a circular form like a wreath.

This was used to crown Christianity?s Jesus Christ head when He was mockingly called as the ?King of the Jews? by the Romans who crucified Him.

This is why the Barberry is also called ?Holy Thorn?. The other berry species are known as mountain grape and common grape.

The berries are edible, can be used for decoration, and for medical applications. The fruit is usually made into jams and jellies.

The roots are boiled in lye that is for dyeing leather. The shrubs can be found in many countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.

The shrub is also used for landscaping gardens. It is one of the favorite hedge plants as it requires little maintenance.

The tightly growing stems with the thorns make it perfect for creating hedges for protections.

Another reason why this plant is favored is because when it is in flower and the berries appear, it is very appealing to look at.

Description

The plant has ash colored woody stems with sharp thorns. It can grow to a height of up 10 feet.

It is a hardy shrub that can survive both hot and cold extreme weather conditions. It prefers sandy soil though will also survive in amended loam or clay.

It has pale yellow flowers that emit a fragrance that is neither neither appealing nor offensive. When the stamina is touched, it springs back and retreats into the flower.

Bees have been observed to stay poised on the petal, to jump off and strike their antlers against the stigma to explode the pollen.

As insects are numerous during the sunny weather that is the perfect time for Barberry shrubs to pollinate, this explosive action created by bees and other insects work in their favor.

It can be propagated by suckers, cuttings, or seeds. The ideal planting time for the young suckers and cuttings is in autumn. The seeds can be planted in spring or autumn.

The berries are red when ripe and are ? inch oblongs. The taste of these fruits is quite pleasant, though more on the acidic side, similar to that of the tamarind fruit. The green leaves of this plant can also be used as a seasoning and eaten raw as a salad.

Medical Uses

The ancients Egyptians drank a mixture of fruits and Fennel seed to prevent getting the plague. This was a medical remedy that highly valued that it was given exclusively to their royalty.

To this day, Egyptians use the herb as a fever remedy as it relieves thirst and lowers abnormal body heat. It is used to treat other medical ailments such as scurvy, urinary tract infection, constipation, and jaundice. It also helps strengthen the immune system.

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Dec 20, Armyworms

When armyworms invades the lawn, the damages it can done to your turf will easily multiply.

It got it's name is named because it eats everything in an area. Even at the stage of caterpillar, the armyworms feed on the plants in daytime and night time.

Often, the damage done is already severe even before they were discovered. Once the food?such as the grasses such as Bermuda, St. Augustine, and Zoysia?is exhausted, it moves as an army into another place where plants are fresh and healthy.

Because the worms cannot survive winter, they migrate from the South, where large moth fly in number or are blown away by southerly winds. Their infestations begin early in June and July or when the weather and food conditions are to their favor.

In daytime, the armyworms loiter under vegetation, in soil cracks or loose soil. In the night, the moths lay eggs in folded leaves or under leaf sheaths of small grain plants and other moist grasses. The eggs resemble small white beads arranged in masses or rows.

Between 8 and 10 days, the eggs hatch into larvae which need to feed from 3 to 4 weeks, after which, they burrow into the soil to make small cells and pupate. Two weeks from pupation, moths emerge to look for mates and lay eggs for the next generation.

The larvae have dull yellow to gray shades with stripes running down their body.

When they mature, their length can reach up to 2 inches, and sport a pale brown color. Their wings, which have white spots near the center, can spread up to 2 inches.

They wreak havoc particularly in North Dakota, feeding on grain crops, alfalfa, beans, clover, flax, millet and sugar beets. Known for their monikers such as rice armyworm, paddy armyworm, and rice-cutting caterpillar, they favor both dry land and wetland fields.

The upper parts of the plants are where larvae get their source for food on cloudy and nighttime. If they are on dryland fields, pupation happens in the soil, or at the base of the rice plants. If they wreak havoc on wetlands, the larvae pupate on grassy areas along the field borders.

They grow well in areas where there are many hosts like plants and grasses, and in periods of drought following heavy rains. There are many ways to recognize their presence. First, when leaf tips or leaf margins are fed-upon.

Second, rice panicles are cut off from their base. Third, when there is removal of whole leaves and plants. Fourth, when the whole leaves are fed-upon with only the midribs are left. Finally, when stems have cuts or when they are cut off from the plant base.

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Dec 22, Ashawagandha Herb

The extensive healing properties of Ashawagandha plant, also known as Winter Cherry and Indian Ginseng, have made it one of the most valued herbs in the Ayuvedric healing tradition.

The meaning of the Sanskrit word ?Ashawagandha? is horse smell. The reason why it was named this is because the roots emit a foul odor similar to that of a smelly and sweaty horse.

The Ashawagandha herb is a shrub that can grow up to 6 feet tall. It has red fruit that looks similar to cherries and yellow flowers. All its parts can be used for its medicinal and food applications.

Native to India, it is commercially produced of one of its states, which is Madhya Paresh. The popularity of this herb in India is primarily due to its use as an aphrodisiac.

When taken, the sexual vitality and stamina of men is increased, which are the like the stimulating properties attributed to Chinese Ginseng.

The National College of Natural Medicine conducted studies pertinent to the immunity boosting effect of this herb.

The results showed that when this herb is taken along with the accompanying substance like olive oil or ghee, as it is done in Ayuvedric method, there is a notable increase in white blood cell function of battling virus infections.

The herb also works as an adaptogen, which makes it one of the rejuvenation ingredients in Indian tonics.

These are drunk to promote over-all wellness and to reduce stress related disorders such as insomnia and nervousness. It is also commonly used for as an herbal remedy for fever and inflammation.

Aside from these rejuvenation benefits, the healing properties of this herb include a cure for memory loss. In time old tradition, the Ayuvedric healers use this to treat amnesia and other similar disorders.

The herb also works effectively as an anti-oxidant. The powerful medicinal properties of this herb are attributed to its active ingredient.

The essential oil and other form of extracts of this plant contain withanolides. This withanolides are very much like the ginsenosides of the Asian ginseng. These withanolides, which are the active ingredient, are steroidal.

Aside from the medicinal benefits, this plant also used in Indian food preparation. This is one of the main ingredients in the cheese making process of this country.

Though the Ashawagandha herb is safe for human consumption, studies have found that the continuous intake of this herb daily for a period of over 6 months may increase the blood toxicity levels.

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Dec 22, Australian Desert Plants And Cactus

Australian Desert Plants

Have you ever wondered how plants in the desert survive? No water for months on ends; scorching hot weather day in and day out; surly they would eventually dry out and shrivel up to nothing. Right? Wrong.

Most plants have something much like a storage canteen in them (scientifically this is called a bulb), allowing them to store water and then use it sparingly and only as essentially needed to survive.

They also protect themselves from losing this precious storage of water by growing tough outer coats and even painful thorns. This prevents animals of the desert from trying to eat the plant for its water supply.

Take a cactus for instance; it grows painful spines across its entire stem and body to protect its water supply; the spines are not there to hurt unsuspecting humans who stumble across these, they are there for the plants survival.

It has been said that if you are ever lost in the desert, you can dig up a cactus and drink the water from its bulb that it has stored. I suppose that at that point, you don?t much care about the pokey and painful thorns.

Australian desert plants are some of the hardiest found on our planet. The trees often have longer root systems, allowing them to go in search of water sources and store it in its long bulb for later on use.

The Australian desert plants also provide much needed protection for other desert dwellers. Lizards often use these trees for shade and shelter, and sometimes even as a water source, but not often as the bark is extra tough and not very tasty.

Trees in the Australian desert grow shorter than those on the coasts, mostly to protect them from the hot desert sun. They also grow large protective and waxy leaves that help keep the water they have stored from evaporating.

The Australian desert is also home to something called the drought avoiders. These are the Australian plants that only sprout after a hard rain and last about three weeks before dying off again.

It is as if the seeds were underground just waiting to be given their growth spurt. Most growth occurs overnight after a rainfall. I think if one was to visit the Australian desert and study the Australian desert plants they would find themselves amazed at the marvel of design that these plants and trees seem to have.

As humans our bodies are designed to store water, but we can?t store water for months on end, nor can we train our bodies to take just a little bit of our water at a time to keep us alive. Somehow these plants have it all figured out. Isn?t nature an amazing thing?

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Dec 21, Hydroponic kits

Beginners may find hydroponic kits to be helpful. These kits contain complete hydroponic system, growing containers, water reservoir, growing medium, and a pump that circulates the water and nutrient solution.

In some kits, nutrients are included while in others, there are grow lights.

A hydroponic system included in a kit is a self-contained growing unit. It is needed to make hydroponics works. The prices and sizes of hydroponic kits vary widely.

However, many systems use a number of growing pots. Thus, if a kit has 12 growing stations, it means that only 12 plants can be cultivated at a time.

Growers with ample space to maintain hydroponics may want to purchase a kit with 24 or 36 growing stations so the hobby does not outgrow the system more quickly.

The growing containers are made of plastic. They come in different sizes, shapes, and colors. It holds the plant while growing and have different techniques in drainage.

To ensure that plants are held in place, growing mediums are necessary. The mediums have holes where the plant roots are inserted through.

Plant roots can anchor with these mediums which are either made of the same materials used in organic gardening or materials specifically used for hydroponic applications.

A few of the common growing mediums are organic coconut fiber, perlite, rock wool, and vermiculite.

Growing trays are used in ebb and flow system. Some growing trays are undrilled with pre-placed positions for drain/fill fittings for full operation ability.

A few trays are designed to be a ?no sag? tray, which, after ensuring that the nutrient solution is drained, there shall be no standing water left.

Pumps and nutrient solution are kept inside a reservoir, along with a timer. The pump pumps out the nutrient solution at a time specified by the timer into the plant root system, where they are absorbed and the rest goes back into the reservoir.

Grow lights are essential in hydroponics. Only a few hydroponic kits feature grow lights. In some circumstances, the grow lights are supplementary to the natural light. Plants grown in areas where sunlight is not ample, an extensive lighting system may be necessary to support photosynthesis.

Buildings with concrete roofing may utilize the space for hydroponics gardening. There are hydroponic kits that are designed for rooftop gardens.

Dwarf fruit trees, flowering-plants, herbs and vegetables may be cultivated.

Hydroponics is a practice of growing plants without the soil. It does not use too much water either. However, during harvest, the yields are 50% more compared to traditional gardening.

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