Dandelion Leaf Can Purify Your Blood and Body Organs

The first line of a little known song asks the question, "How many dandelions this year will grow?" Indeed, in some parts of the North America hills are yellow with dandelion flowers in the spring. Most are either ignored or poisoned as a nuisance. If we had known what this article will reveal, we might have gathered them instead of treating them as a curse.

The name dandelion comes from the French phrase 'dent de lion,' meaning 'lion's tooth.' This refers to the jagged-edged leaves of this weed. The fancier scientific name is Taraxacum officinale. Unlike calendula (marigold) which is not the same annual flower found in American gardens, dandelion the herb is exactly what you think of growing in your yard or on a hillside. What makes this common weed so great?

All the dandelion plant is useful. The roots can be eaten as vegetables or roasted and ground to make a type of root "coffee." A quick look through the internet reveals the flowers are used to make wine, in cooking (dandelion flower cookies?), a syrup, jam, and an oil to rub on sore joints. But the leaves have the most diverse list of uses.

First, dandelion leaf is an excellent source of sodium, iron, vitamins A and C, beta-carotene, and especially calcium. Dandelion might have been one of the "bitter herbs" mentioned in the Bible. The leaves add bitter flavoring to salads or can be cooked like spinach. The best leaves are those bright green ones that appear before the dandelion flowers in the spring.

One of dandelion leaf's greatest claims to fame is its ability to purify the blood and body organs. It is a wonderful liver cleaner and increases the output of the liver, the flow of bile into the intestines and the activity of the pancreas and spleen. This makes it a great treatment for hepatitis, yellow jaundice, and other liver related problems. By purifying the blood, it helps with some types of anemia. The acids in the blood that build up with weight loss are destroyed by dandelion. It also helps with low blood pressure, and builds energy and endurance.

Dandelion is good for female organs. It enriches breast milk in nursing mothers and this, in turn, benefits both mother and child. It is good for women both before, during, and after pregnancy. Women suffering from premenstrual syndrome may find that the diuretic action of dandelion helps relieve some of the symptoms. In short, dandelion is safe and healthy for men, woman, children, and even animals.

Dandelion flowers are an excellent source of lecithin, a nutrient that elevates the brain's acetylcholine. As a result, it may help retard or stop regression of mental ability caused by Alzheimer's disease. Lecithin also helps the body maintain good liver function as mentioned before. Dandelion also opens the urinary passages as part of its cleansing work.

Native Americans used it to treat kidney disease, indigestion, and heartburn. Traditional Chinese Medicine uses dandelion to treat upper respiratory tract infections, including bronchitis and pneumonia.

Dandelion leaves and flowers are best when freshly picked. If this is not possible, the leaves can be refrigerated up to five days when wrapped in a plastic bag. Be sure to wash the leaves thoroughly before using. Leaves may also be frozen for longer periods of time. You can also dry the flowers and leaves yourself and store them in a dark, dry, and cool place. Use them in the bath to treat yeast infections, or to make your own dandelion tea (steep about 1 tablespoon of dried leaves in 1 cup hot water). Dandelion may also be purchased in capsules, tinctures, and powdered form.

Dandelion is generally regarded as safe, but some people report allergic or asthmatic reaction to this herb, especially those with allergies to ragweed or daisies. Traditionally dandelion is not recommended for patients with liver or gallbladder disease but some feel this advice is erroneous.

There are more benefits of cut dandelion leaf to be discovered. Visit More Than Alive, an online store for bulk herbs and a trusted resource where you can get cut dandelion leaf and cut dandelion root and learn about the great advantages your body will receive from this and many other herbs.

Type 2 Diabetes - How Do Onions Work to Lower Blood Sugar Levels, Even Early Morning Levels?

One of the foods that helps in the control of your Type 2 diabetes, includes the humble onion. For at least four thousand years the humble onion has served not just as food but also as medicine in ancient Egypt, in India, and around the world.
Among the many applications of the onion is blood sugar control, making this inexpensive and tasty vegetable one of the most useful functional foods for Type 2 diabetics.
How Does The Humble Onion Aid Type 2 Diabetics? Onions whether cooked or raw, contain a substance... allyl propyl disulfide (APDS), that is actually capable of dramatically lowering your blood sugars levels. APDS apparently helps to prevent your liver's deactivation of insulin, therefore insulin remains in your bloodstream longer and this helps to lower your blood sugar levels.
Restrains the Liver From Releasing Sugar in the AM: Onions work to help keep blood sugar levels in control in much the same way as the drug metformin. They contain sulfur-bearing compounds (the same compounds that can be stinky on the breath), that regulate the activities of two important enzymes in your liver. These sulfur compounds moderate the action of the enzymes glucose-6-phosphatase and hexokinase to restrain the liver from releasing as much sugar early in the morning and also in times of stress.
If you notice that your morning blood glucose levels are creeping upward, then extra onions in your diet might be very helpful for you. And if you are going through:
stress on the job
if you have a cold or the flu, or
you are having to fight off chills from nasty winter weather,
onions can be a likewise helpful and healthful addition to your diet.
How to Tolerate Onions Daily: The really effective way to consume onions is as raw onion juice. Up to 50 ml (a little less than one-quarter cup) is the right dose for aiding diabetes control.
Most of us, however, live and work in situations where the people in our lives might disapprove of regular use of onion juice. If onion juice doesn't appeal to you, it's also helpful to take in up to 60 g (2 ounces or so), of onions with your food every day.
Brushing after your meal removes most of the smelly compounds from your breath, and if you eat onions no later than six hours before you go to bed, you won't have to deal with onion breath all night and in the morning.
Eat onions often, eat any color of onions, cooked or raw to help lower your blood sugar levels.



And now I would like you to claim your Free E-Book when you click on Answers to Your Questions There you will find answers to the many question diabetics are asking.
Read about garlic as a treatment for type 2 diabetes at The Diabetes Detectives. Beverleigh Piepers RN... the Diabetes Detective.
Beverleigh Piepers is the author of this article. This article can be used for reprint on your website provided all the links in the article are complete and active. Copyright (c) 2010 - All Rights Reserved Worldwide

Beetroot Juice - Natural Wonder To Fight High Blood Pressure?

If you follow health-related issues it's hard to miss the news: beetroot juice is the latest "miracle" food in the fight against high blood pressure. A study conducted by the London School of Medicine has revealed that drinking beetroot juice can significantly lower blood pressure. The effect was noted in healthy volunteers within an hour of consuming the juice. What's more, the reduction in blood pressure was even greater after three to four hours and the effect lasted for up to 24 hours.

Beetroot is high in nitrates, the compounds shown to be responsible for the effect. The nitrates are converted into nitrite by bacteria in saliva. The nitrite is then swallowed with the saliva and exerts a powerful effect on body chemistry that reduces blood pressure. The lowest levels of blood pressure in the subjects coincided with the time of highest nitrite levels in their blood.

With drops in blood pressure of around 10 points systolic and 8 points diastolic compared to the control group, and considering the duration of the effect, these are notable results. But before you beat a path to your local supermarket to stock up on beet juice here are a few points to consider:

First, you probably won't find any. Beetroot juice is not commonly stocked by mainstream supermarkets. It can be found in some healthfood stores and ordered via the Internet, although the prices will put many people off. (Don't confuse the liquid in jars of beetroot with the juice. This is merely pickling brine -yuk! - colored by the beets.)




The volume of juice required was relatively large: 500 milliliters, equivalent to 2 extra-large glasses.


The method of consuming the juice in order to convert the nitrates to beneficial nitrite may also put some people off. At the very least, it's not terribly practical on a regular basis; it requires thoroughly mixing the beetroot juice with saliva and swallowing the mixture. After the initial consumption you need to continue producing saliva and swallowing it over the next few hours (yuk, again!).

NOTE: If you are still keen to follow this procedure do be prepared for a shock on your next visit to the toilet!

The subjects of this study were "healthy volunteers". The results do not necessarily predict those that would be experienced by people with high blood pressure Some types of hypertension are extremely resistant to treatment. Testing needs to be conducted on subjects actually afflicted with the condition in order to be more meaningful.


Blood pressure reductions obtained in this way and averaged over 24 hours are minimal. Even the reduction of 10 over 8 at the time of maximum impact would not make a significant difference to those suffering from serious hypertension, especially in light of the cost and practical considerations.


So beetroot juice is obviously not the natural wonder you might mistake it for from all the news. But there is still a very positive point to it . Beetroot shares its abundance of nitrates with leafy green vegetables such as spinach, celery and lettuce, all noted for their positive effect on blood pressure. Celery in particular, most notably in the root where the compounds are highly concentrated, has gained widespread recognition as a potent food that can lower blood pressure.

The study reinforces the advice that a healthy diet high in nitrate-rich foods is an essential part of an overall strategy for reducing high blood pressure. Foods that are high in nitrates include not only the leafy green vegetables and beets mentioned above but also carrots, cabbage, radishes and most other vegetables. Curiously, cured meats are also high in nitrates and may not be as bad for you as previously thought. In fact, there is evidence that they may even help in survival and recovery from heart attacks.

In response to a great marketing opportunity, you may well see beetroot juice appearing soon at your local supermarket, maybe even labeled with something like "the natural wonder that fights high blood pressure". Don't fall for it. No single food, supplement or herb is a high blood pressure beater on its own. You're better off spending your money on a varied diet of quality, whole food high in leafy green vegetables and other foods containing nitrates... including beetroot.

David O'Hara is a researcher and product developer in the field of natural health and blood pressure control. Click here to find out about a genuinely effective natural way to reduce high blood pressure

Beetroot Juice for High Blood Pressure

Hypertension or high blood pressure affects the functioning of the heart causing heart diseases and eventually failure of the heart. One will have to have medication constantly to keep this level within control. Apart from medicines, people having high blood pressure can also have home-made medicines for lowering it.
Beetroot is considered the best natural food that can check increase in blood pressure. These dark colored roots can be had raw, sautéed, boiled, as a juice or stewed. 'Betaine' which is found in beet is the substance which provides many health benefits like fighting against harmful acids in the body which can cause heart diseases, prevents deposition of fat on liver, avoids disorder in blood circulation, lowers high level of blood pressure, treats decrease in level of acids in the stomach and prevents other diseases like anemia, cancer, skin problems, digestive problems, or defects at birth. Betaine gets active by nutrients like folic acid and different vitamins.
Beetroot contains 'nitrate' in plenty. When beet is ingested in forms like juice or raw in salads, this nitrate improves the health of the heart and reduces the chances of getting heart diseases.
Beetroot juice can be extracted by putting washed and peeled beetroot in the blender, straining and consuming it without additives. One glass of this juice measuring up to 250 ml consumed by hypertensive patients will lower blood pressure. One should also bear in mind that a cup of this juice contains almost 100 calories and 25 g of carbohydrates. Hence, the food intake along with beetroot juice should balance the calorie and carbohydrate levels accordingly.



About Author:
Kum Martin is an online leading expert in healthcare. He also offers top quality articles like:
Lupus Early Symptoms, Scleroderma Symptoms

Alternative medicine for diabetes, gout, blood pressure and asthma

What is alternative medicine? The term "Alternative Medicine" is used to describe herbal medicine. People consider practices such as hand, mainstream, why they took the name "alternative" complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is the term for medical products and practices that are not part of standard care. Standard of care is what doctors, medical practitioners, Allied health professionals, including registered nurses and health professionals who have used. Supplementary medicine means non-standard treatments, you can use with standard
Alternative medicine is as old as mankind. In the beginning, when man was created, has free access to use the "herbs" created by God for the food and pharmaceutical use. Eastern countries have long been the traditional methods of treatment of health problems and diseases. Eastern countries such as China and India and the far East countries such as Egypt and ancient Babylon all have used alternative medicine of herbs to treat health problems.
What is herbal medicine? "Herbal medicine" also known as desired. An Herb is a plant or plant part used for the aroma, taste or medicinal properties. Herbal medicine products dietary foods, food supplements or properties that people take to improve their health. Many herbs have been used for a long time claimed health benefits. They sold tablets, capsules, tea extracts, fresh or dried. However, some are not effective and may interact with other medicines that you take. It is always wise to consult or inform your doctor about the use of herbal medicine.
Doctors, health professionals and patients in Western countries increasingly receptive to learning and the use of herbs and alternative medicine treatment and reversal of their health problems. As a result, many Western medical schools now teach alternative therapies, techniques and theories. Some hospitals and doctors now supplementing the regular medical care in an alternative and herbal treatments and techniques.
Alternative herbal medicine from doctors truly Micronutra production led the way for the production of high quality Botanicals to help counteract many known chronic diseases. Many people with long-term chronic diseases use plant products with amazing results. Micronutra These products are effective in the reversal of the root causes of: diabetes, high blood pressure, gout, menopause, fatigue, asthma, arthritis, stress, sex problems in men and women, acid reflux, lupus, allergies, yeast infection, weight loss, cholesterol and the immune system. Micronutra herbal medicine has made a difference in the lives of many people. Why not learn more about Micronutra Health and see if they can help your health problems?



Roy Graneau: free author on herbs, traditonal medicine, herbs, herbs, supplements and alternative therapies, using tropical plants for medicine.
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