Elderberry, herbal remedy

Elderberry, scientific name sambucus nigra, is a plant of the Caprifoliaceae family. Known since ancient times, nowadays several scientific studies have shown the properties of elderberry thanks to the mucilage, antioxidant and diuretic substances contained in this remedy. Elderberry, properties of the herbal remedy - Elderberry has proven to be effective in treating cold, flu and bronchitis diseases, it is in fact antiviral and antimicrobial (Porter et al, Phytother Res., 2017 - Hawkins et al...

Mastika

Mastika is a vegetable resin obtained from lentisk trees, scientific name Pistacia lentiscus (L.) var. chia. The latex that comes out from the trunks of these plants solidifies in contact with air becoming a hard resin with a drop shape that is often called the tears of Chios, from the name of the Greek island where the lentisks are cultivated from which the Mastika is extracted. Herodotus, the Greek historian lived in the 5th century BC, Galen and Dioscorides, two physicians of antiquity, spoke...

Dandelion honey

The dandelion, scientific name taraxum officinale, commonly known as dandelion, is a spontaneous herbaceous plant of the Asteraceae family. This plant grows in gardens and meadows and blooms in early spring presenting itself with a beautiful flower of an intense yellow color. The dandelion is a plant widely used in herbal medicine and in detox cooking thanks to its leaves and roots that purify the liver, are diuretic and antioxidant (Choi et al, Int J Mol Sci, 2010). But the dandelion is also kn...

Natural remedies for flu, glycerin macerates and mother tinctures

Sore throat, sinusitis, rhinitis and cough, these are the symptoms that often accompany us throughout the autumn and winter period. But natural remedies in the form of macerates and tinctures extracted from plants such as rosa canina, black alder and echinacea may be really helpful. Let's see what are the best treatments that you can use for flu symptoms, alone or together to exploit their synergy. However, before starting to take the remedies, always ask your doctor for advice if you are pregna...

Ginger honey

Wind, cold, temperature changes and humidity may also bring cold, flu and sore throat. However, we have a very powerful natural remedy, beneficial and really easy to find or make, ginger honey. Ginger honey, properties - Ginger honey is obtained by infusing pieces of fresh ginger in honey instead of water. The resulting product is antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial since it combines the properties of ginger and honey and can therefore be used now and throughout the winter to stre...

Eucalyptus, mother tincture

Eucalyptus, scientific name Eucalyptus globulus, is an evergreen medicinal plant of the Myrtaceae family. Eucalyptus is widely used in herbal medicine in the form of infusion, decoction, essential oil or mother tincture. Today, we will talk about the mother tincture obtained from eucalyptus leaves. Eucalyptus mother tincture, properties - This natural remedy has a balsamic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and mucus thinning effect and regulates mucus production mainly thanks to the action of ...

Ginger

Ginger, scientific name Zingiber officinale, is a plant of the Zingiberaceae family native to the Far East but nowadays widely known all over the world. The part of ginger that we use is the fleshy and fragrant rhizome, fresh, sliced or grated, in the dried form as a powder or even in the form of candied fruit. Ginger is a spice used to flavor sweet and savory dishes, but also to prepare healthy herbal teas. In fact, ginger is characterized by beneficial properties, which we are now going to see...

Healthy in the kitchen, non-stick pans

Hands up who has never used a non-stick pan! These pans are comfortable and practical, they allow you to cook quickly and easily, the food does not stick and little butter or oil is required, making the dishes lighter. However, the non-stick pans have been, and are still being, at the center of numerous discussions about their safety, since fears have been expressed that their use may be linked to an increased risk of developing tumors. Let’s try to understand better and to know also the positio...

Auricularia

The auricularia auricula judae, also known as wood ear or jelly ear, is an edible mushroom characterized by a particular ear-like elongated shape. This fungus grows on tree trunks, especially elder, and has been used since ancient times in China as a food and herbal remedy (Balakrishnan et al, International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jan 2015). From the auricularia fungus a supplement is obtained with important medicinal properties, useful for the well-being of the organism...

Sea as a source of health

Renè Quinton was a biologist who, at the beginning of the last century, saw sea water as an important source of health for the body. Indeed, he considered this water as a real medicine, similar to the blood that flows in the body and able to keep alive, according to Quinton, something that can survive just in the blood and organic liquids, the white blood cell. Sea water can enter the body through the skin but can also be taken orally or sprayed into the nose. Bathing in the sea - But why sea ...

Buckwheat honey

Linden honey? Wild flower honey? Acacia or eucalyptus honey? No, buckwheat honey! Although it may seem strange, there is also buckwheat honey, and what a honey! Based on scientific research, this type of honey is a powerful source of beneficial properties, but let's see better in detail. Buckwheat honey, how it appears and properties - First, buckwheat honey is produced by bees from the flowers of buckwheat that are small flowers characterized by a color ranging from white to light pink. The o...

Immune system, how to protect it Part 2, plants and foods

Viruses, bacteria, toxins and yes, even tumors, are all the aggressions from which the immune system defends us. That's why it's important to take care of it. There are lifestyle habits and particular food choices that can help strengthen the immune system, some more known, others less. We’ll see better in detail and we’ll try also to understand what remedies are really effective and supported by scientific studies. Vitamins - Vitamins C and E have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory pr...

Immune system, how to protect it Part 1, healthy habits

The immune system is our shield, thanks to chemical reactions and biological processes it has the task of protecting us from any aggression, which can occur in the form of viruses, bacteria, parasites but also tumors, as emerged from recent scientific researches that are studying the connection between the immune system and cancer cells (Corthay et al, Front Immunol, May 2014 - Palmer et al, PNAS, Feb 2018). It is therefore important to take care of our defenses, whatever the season! Fortunately...

Chokeberries

Aronia, scientific name aronia melanocarpa, is a bush belonging to the Rosaceae family. Its fruits, called aronia berries or chokeberries, are berries that, for what concerns their appearance, remind the blueberries but the taste is a bit sourer. Aronia berries can be found in the form of dried berries or in the form of juices. Chokeberries, properties – As for the properties, aronia berries are a source of vitamin K, useful for the health of bones and the proper blood clotting, vitamin C, gro...

Lemon, peel

The lemon, scientific name Citrus limoni, is a plant of the Rutaceae family, the same as tangerine, orange and bergamot. The term lemon also refers to the fruit of this plant, of a beautiful intense yellow color and characterized by a rounded shape. Lemon is known and appreciated for its juice, drunk as a purifying and refreshing drink, used to dress salads or to marinate fish, meat or even fruit. But science is also interested in another part of the lemon, less used except for giving flavor to ...

Uncaria tormentosa

Uncaria tormentosa is a medicinal plant belonging to the Rubiaceae family. It is native to the rainforests of Amazonia and central America and is called also cat’s claw because of its hook-like thorns needed by the plant to climb on the trees. Used as a remedy since ancient times thanks to its healthy action, now the properties of uncaria are recognized also by scientists (Reis et al, Int Immunopharmacol, Mar 2008 – de Paula et al, J Altern Complement Med, Jan 2015). In particular, according to ...

Elmleaf blackberry honey, beauty cosmetic and natural remedy

Elmleaf blackberry, also called bramble, scientific name Rubus ulmifolius, is a species of wild blackberry belonging to the Rosaceae family. The bramble is a remedy of tradition thanks to its powerful anti-pyretic properties, therefore useful to counteract the fever, and to its antioxidant effect given by some phenolic compounds such as ellagitannins (Martins et al, Food Funct, Jun 2014 - Niaz et al, BMC Complement Altern Med). These healthful properties are also transferred to honey that is obt...

Cypress, mother tincture and extract

The cypress, scientific name cupressus, is a plant of the family Cupressaceae characterized by the typical candle-like and tapered shape. But the cypress is not just a beautiful ornamental tree, it has also important healthy properties. In a previous post we have already seen its use in the form of decoction, now we focus the attention on two preparations that you can easily find in herbalist’s or chemist’s shops, the fluid extract and the mother tincture. The fluid extract, obtained from the be...

Grapefruit, fruit

Grapefruit, citrus paradisi, is a fruit tree belonging to the Rutaceae family. Its fruits, always called grapefruits, are round with a yellow skin and a bitter taste. The pulp instead can be light yellow or even pink. In particular, from hybridization with blood orange you can get a fruit with a sweet pulp and a bright pink color. In other cases the pink variant has been obtained by exposure to ionizing radiation, for example the two cultivars called Star Ruby and Rio Red, in this case the pink ...

Satsuma

The satsuma tangerine is a citrus fruit native to Japan. The scientific name of the plant is Citrus unshiu and it is also known as myagawa. The peel is thin, green or yellow, even after ripening, and the pulp is orange, seedless, characterized by a sweet taste with a hint of bitterness. The ripe fruit can be harvested between October and December, is very resistant to cold and is a very appreciated delicacy rich in healthy properties, let's see them. The satsuma is particularly rich in antioxida...

Common mullein

Common mullein, scientific name Verbascum thapsus, is a plant of the Scrofulariaceae family. Already known to the ancients, Pliny indeed prescribed mullein for the respiratory tract infections while Saint Hildegard used, in case of laryngotracheitis, a decoction of flowers of mullein and mauve, today mullein is considered an ideal remedy against diseases of the respiratory tract thanks to its expectorant and anti-inflammatory properties able to sooth cough. You can use mullein to treat pharyngi...

Silver

Silver is a trace element, and even though it is not considered essential, it results able to bring benefit to the body thanks to its anti-inflammatory, painkilling, antiseptic and antibacterial properties. Able to inhibit the growth of bacteria, silver was already known to ancient Egyptians and Phoenicians that used to keep water in jars coated with silver in order to purify it and avoid contaminations. As a remedy silver has an anti-inflammatory and antiseptic action especially for what conce...

Cauliflower

Cauliflower is a winter vegetable of the Brassicaceae or Cruciferae family. It is rich in fibers and, due to its high satiating power combined with low calories intake, it is well suited to be introduced into the diet of those people who are overweight. In addition to this, the cauliflower contains minerals such as potassium, that results helpful to regulate blood pressure, calcium, magnesium, zinc, manganese, selenium, phosphorus, but also vitamins A, group B, C, E, K, J, antioxidants such as l...

Meadowsweet

Meadowsweet or spiraea ulmaria, scientific name Filipendula ulmaria, belongs to the Rosaceae family. Although it is different, from the esthetic point of view, from the rose, it is very close relative, because both have in common a very intense smell. Known and also used by King Alboin to treat gout, we now know that the meadowsweet has important and demonstrated diuretic properties that make it a remedy to treat edema of the legs, joint effusion, gout, rheumatism, kidney colic and stones of the...

Blackthorn

Blackthorn, Prunus spinosa, is a plant characterized by white flowers and blue, berry-shaped fruits. The plant has purifying, diuretic and laxative properties while the fruits are astringent. Brew of leaves with purifying properties – On order to benefit from the purifying properties of blackthorn leaves you can prepare a brew in this way: bring to boil a liter of water, remove from heat and put to infuse a handful of fresh or dried leaves for about ten minutes. Filter and drink up to two cups...

Mandarin

Mandarin is a fruit tree belonging to the family of Rutaceae. Its fruit, called Mandarin like the name of the plant, is rich in vitamin C, important to strengthen the immune system and to protect capillaries, but also vitamin A, B group and P, the latter helps in case of water retention and promotes diuresis. Mandarin provides minerals such as iron, potassium, calcium, manganese, zinc, copper, magnesium and bromine, which promotes relaxation and is helpful in case of insomnia. The mandarin has a...

Fucus

Fucus vesiculosus, called also bladder wrack, is a seaweed rich in iodine, therefore it can be used in case of hypothyroidism and to regulate the functionality of the thyroid. Fucus has a powerful detoxifying action, speeds up metabolism by helping to lose weight, relieves symptoms of acid reflux and sour stomach, controls emotional eating, it is able to decrease the levels of cholesterol and blood sugar. Fucus is also a remedy in case of constipation. You can take one 300 mg capsule 15 minutes ...

Cynodon dactylon

Cynodon dactylon, also known as devil’s grass, wiregrass, Bermuda grass, despite his reputation as a weed, is a plant with healthy properties. The grass has in fact diuretic and depurative properties, is recommended mostly in case of kidney and bladder inflammation, cystitis, rheumatism, gout and renal colic, it disinfects the urinary tract. Thanks to the diuretic effect it is helpful also to regulate the blood pressure and it is against cellulite. It can be used in case of flu with fever but al...

Acerola (Malpighia glabra)

Acerola (Malpighia glabra) is a plant that grows mostly in Central and South America. The fruit is an excellent source of vitamin C, it contains also vitamins of group B, mineral salts such as iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium, and antioxidants. It revitalizes the body and modulates the production of histamine. It should be taken as a supplement to each season change, to strengthen the immune system and fight against flu and colds. In general the dosage is 5mg for kilogram body weight, to b...

Ganoderma (Reishi Mushroom)

Ganoderma Lucidum, called also reishi, is a mushroom with beneficial properties. The mushroom is woody, for this reason it is generally taken in the form of dried powder. Ganoderma has an excellent anti-inflammatory action, it can reduce pain and swelling, it strengthens the immune system against fungus, candida, flu and it has also an anticancer action. This mushroom has also the property to regulate the blood pressure, lower the cholesterol, accelerate metabolism and is helpful to lose weight ...