Tag: anti-inflammatory

About the Bael Flower

Todays post is about the Bael flower.

I was recently reading the box of 1 of my favourite teas and saw that these flowers were 1 of the ingredients. I had never heard of this flower, so decided to research it and as usual, I am sharing what I found.

What is Bael ?

The Bael tree or Aegle marmelos is a deciduous  shrub or small to medium-sized tree that can grow up to 13 metres tall. The flowers are small, pale green or yellowish and sweetly scented.

The Aegle marmelos is most commonly known as Bael. However, around the world it is also known as Bengal quince, golden apple, Japanese bitter orange, stone apple or wood apple. It is a species of tree native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The plant is also considered to be sacred by Hindus and Buddhists.

It seems that it is most prized for its fruit. The fruit has a hard, woody shell that is smooth and greenish grey. When fully ripe the shell turns yellow or golden orange. Inside is a fibrous yellow pulp has been described as tasting of marmalade and smelling of roses.

Bael and health benefits

I found many references relating to the health benefits and uses for the Bael fruit. It seems that for centuries the fruit has been used for antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and laxative properties. Herbal medicinal preparations of the Bael plant have been used as a laxative and to treat chronic diarrhoea, dysentery, peptic ulcers and respiratory ailments.

Most of the preparations are made from the fruit, though the bark and leaves of the plant are also used.

The flowers are also recorded to be beneficial to health. The flower has some antiseptic, as well as,  astringent properties and have been used in treating epilepsy. A preparation known as Marmala water, created from the flower, has been found helpful in curing conjunctivitis. Bael flower extract has also been successful in tests for wound healing properties.

The flowers and tea

Often the flowers are used as an aromatic addition to specialty teas. As a herbal remedy, a drink made by brewing the flowers alone, is traditionally used to relieve gastro-intestinal conditions & indigestion. It is also used for treating asthma and malaria.

 

So, there we have it, a flower that is added to tea to help with its smell, could also be providing some assistance (though very small) with the health of the intestinal system.

 

I hope you found this information interesting,

till the next post,

Live Clean n Prosper

Sources – Wikipedia – Hindawi – Science Direct – WebMD –

A bit about Turmeric

Todays post is about Turmeric.

This is a plant that grows very successfully in our garden. Scott needs to harvest it quite regularly to stop it from taking over the vegetable bed.

Turmeric is something that has received much interest from both the medical/scientific worlds as well as from the culinary world.

I thought I would share some information about it and it’s uses.

Is it herb or spice?

Turmeric is actually a spice. The plant is part of the Ginger family and its botanical name is Curcuma longa.  Curcuma is native to Southern Asia and it’s used for both medicinal and religious applications. Like ginger, the root or rhizome of the plant is mainly used.

For centuries it has been used  in various ways. As early as 600BC, Turmeric was listed as a colouring an Assyrian herbal text. Documents record that it had reached China by the seventh century AD. By the 13th century it was being used as a dye in West Africa.

What about health applications?

Worldwide, the health applications of Turmeric or Curcumin, vary greatly. It is used as an antiseptic in Malaysia, as an anti-inflammatory agent in Pakistan and in Thailand it is used in cosmetics.

Recently, science has started to back up what the Eastern cultures have known for a long time. Turmeric really does contain compounds with medicinal properties. These compounds are called curcuminoids, one of which is curcumin.

What is Curcumin?

Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric. It has powerful anti-inflammatory effects and is a very strong antioxidant.

Studies have revealed that curcumin aids in the management of various health conditions. These include inflammation, metabolic syndrome, arthritis and anxiety. It may also help in the management of exercise-induced inflammation and muscle soreness. Scientists have concluded that may enhance recovery and performance in active people. In addition, relatively low doses can provide health benefits for people that do not have diagnosed health conditions.

Actually, the body has difficulty with absorbing curcumin into the bloodstream. However there are ways to improve this situation. It is fat soluble, so consuming it with some healthy fats will increase the absorption. Add to this some piperine, a substance in black pepper, to increase absorption of curcumin by up to 2000%.

Interestingly, the curcumin content of turmeric is not that high. On average it contains only around 3%.

Most of the studies on this spice are using just the curcumin compound  itself, with dosages usually exceeding 1 gram per day. It would be very difficult to reach these levels just using the turmeric spice in your foods.

With this in mind, it is easy to supplement your diet. Health stores sell capsules,  drink mixes and chewable vitamins. It is readily available in different concentrations that already blended with the ingredients that assist with absorption.

There are even pet supplements now with turmeric!

Turmeric as a food spice

It is remarkable how versatile its flavour becomes in a wide variety of dishes. United States manufacturers use it as a preservative and a colouring agent in mustard sauce, cheese, butter, and chips.

Turmeric makes significant contribution to the flavours of Indian style curries. However, many Asian dishes use fresh grated turmeric. Fresh rhizomes are also used in making commercial and homemade pastes. Recently, it has been making an appearance in salad dressings, smoothies and teas.

Conveniently, turmeric powder will always be a stronger flavour. This is because the active ingredients becoming concentrated with the removal of the water content. Should you wish to use turmeric powder as a substitute for fresh, use about one quarter of the amount in the recipe for fresh.

Try adding some Turmeric to your diet. It doesn’t matter what form it is in, any will be beneficial.

Till the next post,

Live clean n Prosper.

Sources – Wikipedia, National Library of Medicine –

 

What are Hydrosols?

Todays post is about Hydrosols.

We have just spent the last week camping. We stayed for a few nights at the beach, then a couple of nights on a private property. During our stay at the beach, March flies bit both of us and we were quite itchy.

When we arrived at the second property, the host has a skin care range that she sells. She sprayed a product on our arms and legs and the itch started to subside. The spray is a Lemon Myrtle Hydrosol blend. We had never heard of a hydrosol before, so I asked a few questions and did a bit of research. Here is what I found.

What is a hydrosol?

It is basically an end product of the essential oil distilling process. The distillation process— by water or steam — of the plant matter produces two end products:

  • Essential oil: the oil-soluble parts of the plant
  • Hydrosol: the water-soluble parts of the plant (this liquid also contains microscopic drops of essential oil)

Just like essential oils, many different types of plants can be made into hydrosols. The process makes use of the whole plant including bark, roots, and leaves not just flowers. Essential oils and hydrosols have some similar properties, but hydrosols contain a higher water content.

This means they’re gentler than essential oils and can be applied directly to the skin without the need to dilute them with carrier oil. They also have a more subtle scent than their essential oil counterparts.

The hydrosol used in the spray was Orange Jasmine.

Orange Jasmine

Further research found that the essential oil from orange jasmine has analgesic, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. This means that it has the capacity to ease the irritation associated with insect bites and rashes.

Lemon Myrtle

The other ingredient in the spray was Lemon Myrtle essential oil. This product has long been used in medicinal and personal care products.

I have previously written about the many benefits and uses of lemon myrtle.

The essential oil is used as an antiseptic, disinfectant and expectorant and is said to be more powerful than Tea Tree.

Lemon Myrtle has amazing benefits in skin care. It works as an astringent to help tighten pores and reduce irritations. With its antibacterial properties this oil can assist with skin infections, wounds and acne

The pure essential oil can be applied topically to reduce inflammation of insect bites and help soothe the itch.

It is also excellent for soothing inflammatory skin conditions such as psoriasis, dermatitis and acne.

 

So a relaxing holiday also provided a learning opportunity.

Till the next post,

 

Live clean n Prosper.

If you are interested in this product, the link to the website is – http://www.anderleigh.com.au/aga/product-category/essential-oil/

Sources – Healthline – US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health – Wiley Online library –