Saffron

It is a small perennial plant with a beautiful bright purple flower and red stigmas, we are talking about the crocus sativus, family of the Iridaceae, from which the famous saffron spice is obtained. Saffron, however, does not only give to the recipes a unique and exotic taste, but also has important healthy properties studied and demonstrated by scientific researches. Saffron, properties - Saffron contains carotenoids, which are antioxidant substances, such as crocin, responsible for the yell...

Lemon balm, mother tincture

Lemon balm, also known as balm, common balm or balm mint, scientific name Melissa officinalis, is a plant of the Lamiaceae family. From the leaves of lemon balm a mother tincture is obtained characterized by a sedative, anxiolytic and antispasmodic action (Scholey et al, Nutrients, Nov 2014), therefore useful in case of anxiety, nervousness, insomnia and before exams at school or university or important tests at work. This remedy may be able, indeed, to mitigate the performance anxiety that thes...

Borage oil

Borage, scientific name Borago officinalis, is a spontaneous plant characterized by hairy leaves and small flowers of a beautiful blue-violet color. In a previous post we saw how this plant was used for cooking, today we will see in detail the properties of the oil obtained by pressing borage seeds, both for internal and external use. The seeds are in fact rich in gamma-linolenic acid with a powerful antioxidant action, able to counteract the aging processes and inflammations and helpful in case...

Vitex agnus-castus

Vitex agnus-castus, also called chaste tree or vitex, is a shrub of the Verbenaceae family, its fruits are very similar to black pepper. From chaste tree a homeopathic medicine is obtained, you can find it in chemist’s or herbalist’s shops, the remedy is used to treat problems that affect the female reproductive system but, if used on men, it has anaphrodisiac effects, leading to a decrease in libido, in fact in the Middle Ages the monks used this plant in order to keep their vow of chastity. In...

Alchemilla

The Alchemilla, or lady's mantle, is a plant belonging to the Rosaceae family and has always attracted attention due to its characteristic beads that form around the edges of the leaves because of the natural transpiration of the plant itself. The medieval alchemists used them as an ingredient to try to find the philosopher's stone, hence the name given to the plant: alchemilla. Today you can use the alchemilla to stop bleeding, to treat bowel disorders, water retention, heavy legs, obesity and ...

Maca

Maca is a plant native to Peru. The most important part of maca is the root, also called Peruvian ginseng, with important healthy properties and used also by Incas. The properties of this plant are probably due to the fact that maca lives in the high Andes with important temperature range, this forces the plant to develop a mechanism of auto-protection. First of all, maca is rich in iron, zinc, calcium and vitamins A, C and of group B. Maca is also energetic and can be very helpful in case of s...