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How to Make Anti-Inflammatory and Pain Relief Turmeric Ginger Tea

Turmeric and ginger are botanically related to each other and have both been used for centuries as spices in cooking and as medicinal herbs. These herbs are recommended for treating gastrointestinal problems, inflammatory conditions and several other conditions. I’ve written in the past about how inflammation is created in the body and about the damage it causes, and you can read more about it here. Ginger and turmeric are two of the best herbs to relieve joint pain and are mentioned in my article about the best herbs to relieve joint pain.

The strong anti-inflammatory properties of ginger are excellent for dealing with muscle and arthritic pain. Ginger contains powerful anti-inflammatory substances called gingerols. These have been tested in various research of rheumatic diseases such as osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. The participants in the research reported a gradual reduction of pain, improving agility and movement and reduction in swelling when using ginger regularly. The anti-inflammatory properties of ginger also promote digestion and soothes colic, relieve nausea and intestinal gas, and also as a treatment for colds and other respiratory conditions. I have already written a very detailed post in the past on how to use ginger as a medicine for great health.

Studies have shown that turmeric is more effective at easing pain than aspirin and other similar chemical medications. It is a great help in the relieving of chronic arthritis and joint pain, as well as relieve symptoms of ulcerative colitis and osteoarthritis, which are two other inflammatory conditions. One of the active ingredients in turmeric is called curcumin, and is used in traditional Chinese medicine and Indian Ayurvedic medicine to treat arthritis. It is claimed that turmeric reduces arthritis joint pain, inflammation, and stiffness related to arthritis. Turmeric also has a good effect on the digestive system as well. If you are interested to learn more about the amazing health benefits of turmeric then you can read a previous post about all the reasons to eat more turmeric.

For 1 cup of water use 1 teaspoon each of fresh grated turmeric and ginger roots. If you use ground turmeric and ginger, use 1/3 teaspoon each. Add raw honey to taste, and a slice of lemon if you want.

Anti-Inflammatory Ginger Turmeric Tea Recipe

In order to increase turmeric absorption in the body (studies have revealed that turmeric has low absorption and rapid metabolism that lead to relatively low bioavailability in the body) you need to add a little bit of fat to the tea, such as a teaspoon of coconut oil or flaxseed oil for example. Another option is to add a little bit (1/4-1/2 tsp) of black pepper that contains piperine which aids the absorption of curcumin. You can read more about turmeric absorption in my previous article How to Optimize Turmeric Absorption for Super Boosted Benefits.

Preparation

In a small saucepan, bring water to boil. Add fresh grated turmeric and ginger, reduce heat, and simmer for 10-15 minutes. If using ground turmeric and ginger, boil for 7 minutes. Then strain the tea and add the honey and lemon to taste. Add the coconut oil or black pepper to increase turmeric absorption.

How much and how often

There are no official dosing instructions exist for ginger and turmeric tea. You can drink 1 cup of it on days you feel extra achy.

Side effects

Although these herbs are considered safe and without significant side effects when used appropriately by adults, each may interact with certain prescription medications. For example both may not be safe if you have a bleeding disorder or take blood-thinning drugs. Therefore talk with your doctor before deciding if one or both herbs might be useful for your situation. Also taking these herbs by mouth in medicinal amounts is likely unsafe in pregnant and breastfeeding women.

http://www.healthyandnaturalworld.com/how-to-make-anti-inflammatory-turmeric-ginger-tea/

9 Reasons You Should Drink Tea Every Day

While everyone continues to go crazy for coffee, we'd like to point your attention toward tea. Yes, tea, the beverage that can soothe you when you want to relax or wake you up when you need an extra push. Basically, tea is great and you should consume it just as much as your beloved java.

Without further ado, here are nine reasons you should drink tea every single day. (We still love you, coffee.)

1. First things first, tea is way easier to make than coffee.

Most of the time, you need a whole machine to make coffee, and you may even have to grind some beans. To make tea, all you need is boiling water, tea and a cup. It's that simple.

2. Green tea could have the power to help keep your bones healthy.

For elderly folks, studies have shown that drinking green tea may help lessen the risk of osteoporotic bone fractures.

3. Drinking unsweetened black tea could help fix bad breath.

If you have a case of halitosis, you may want to start drinking black tea. Researchers at the University of Chicago College of Dentistry found that black tea contains chemical components called polyphenols that slow down the formation of plaque-causing bacteria. The polyphenols also reduce "acid production levels," helping to prevent periodontal disease.

4. It's considered a "necessity of life" in China, so maybe it should be for you, too.

Credit: imgarcade

Along with firewood, rice, oil, "chiang," salt and vinegar, tea is considered one of the things "people cannot do without every day," according to the proverbial "seven necessities of life" created by the Sung Chinese people.

5. Tea has the power to calm you down.

Some research has suggested that valerian root tea could act as a safe and effective mild natural sleep aid. In a German study, 202 adults either took valerian extract or a prescription anti-anxiety drug. The people who took valerian extract reported "equal improvement in sleep quality, feeling rested and how long they slept as those taking the prescription drug."

6. It's kind of a presidential order.

Credit: sprudge.com

If the President of the United States is obsessed with tea, then you should be too. A 2009 New York Times article that details the changes Obama made to the White House stated that the fridges were stocked with his favorite brand of organic tea: Honest Tea. Apparently, his favorite flavors are "Black Forest Berry" and "Green Dragon."

7. It could relieve your seasonal allergies before you even get them.

If you're suffering from seasonal allergies you may want to start your day with a cup of nettle leaf tea. While more research still needs to be done, a preliminary study followed 69 people and found that freeze-dried nettle leaf could "slightly improve allergy symptoms."

8. Some experts believe that drinking tea can sometimes be better than drinking water.

Credit: happinessisntskindeep.blogspot.com

Researchers at the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that tea rehydrates you just as much as water does by replacing fluids in your body. And because tea has antioxidants, there's an added bonus. "Water is essentially replacing fluid. Tea replaces fluids and contains antioxidants so it's got two things going for it," public health nutritionist Dr. Carrie Ruxton said in an interview with BBC.

9. Afternoon tea. Need we say more?

There are parties dedicated to drinking tea, which include sandwiches that are delicious. Here's a little history: In 1840, Anna Maria Stanhope, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, thought of the genius idea of having afternoon tea "to bridge the lengthy gap between luncheon and dinner." In order to retain a good (but restrained) appetite for the sweet scones and iced cakes that accompany such an event, the preceding sandwiches that were eaten at this event needed to be filling but too filling. Thus came dainty mini crustless sandwiches that have lighter fillings like cucumber and eggs for a tasty, quick snack.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/11/reasons-to-drink-tea_n_6276862.html

5 Signs Humans Are Still Evolving

Jessica Hullinger

When we think of human evolution, our minds wander back to the thousands of years it took natural selection to produce the modern-day man. But are we still changing as a species, even today? New research suggests that, despite modern technology and industrialization, humans continue to evolve. "It is a common misunderstanding that evolution took place a long time ago, and that to understand ourselves we must look back to the hunter-gatherer days of humans," says Dr. Virpi Lummaa from the University of Sheffield's department of animal and plant sciences.

But not only are we still evolving, we're doing so even faster than before. In the last 10,000 years, the pace of our evolution has sped up 100 times, creating more mutations in our genes, and more natural selections from those mutations. Here are some clues that show humans are continuing to evolve.

1. We Drink Milk

Historically, the gene that regulated a human's ability to digest lactose shut down as they were weaned off of their mother's breast milk. But when we began domesticating cows, sheep and goats, being able to drink milk became a nutritionally advantageous quality, and people with the genetic mutation that allowed them to digest lactose were better able to propagate their genes.

A 2006 study suggests this tolerance for lactose was still developing as early as 3,000 years ago in East Africa. That genetic mutation for digesting milk is now carried by more than 95 percent of Northern European descendants.

2. We're Losing Our Wisdom Teeth

Our ancestors had much bigger jaws than we do, which helped them chew a tough diet of roots, nuts and leaves. And what meat they ate they tore apart with their teeth, all of which led to worn down chompers that needed replacing. Enter the wisdom teeth: A third set of molars is believed to be the evolutionary answer to accomodate our ancestors' eating habits.

Today, we have utensils to cut our food. Our meals are softer and easier to chew, and our jaws are much smaller as a result, which is why wisdom teeth are often impacted when they come in — there just isn't room for them. Like the appendix, wisdom teeth have become vestigial organs. One estimate says 35 percent of the population is born without wisdom teeth, and some say they will disappear altogether.

3. We're Resisting Diseases

Doctor image via Shutterstock

In 2007, a group of researchers looking for signs of recent evolution uncovered 1,800 genes that have only become prevalent in humans in the last 40,000 years, many of which are devoted to fighting infectious diseases like malaria. More than a dozen new genetic variants for fighting malaria are spreading rapidly among Africans. Another study found that natural selection has favored city-dwellers. Living in cities has produced a genetic variant that allows us to be more resistant to diseases like tuberculosis and leprosy. "This seems to be an elegant example of evolution in action," says Dr. Ian Barnes from the School of Biological Sciences at Royal Holloway. "It flags up the importance of a very recent aspect of our evolution as a species, the development of cities as a selective force."

4. Our Brains Are Shrinking

Brain scan image via Shutterstock

While we may like to believe our big brains make us smarter than the rest of the animal world, our brains have actually been shrinking over the last 30,000 years. The average volume of the human brain has decreased from 1,500 cubic centimeters to 1,350 cubic centimeters, which is equivalent to a chunk the size of a tennis ball.

There are several different conclusions as to why this is: One group of researchers suspects our shrinking brains mean we are in fact getting dumber. Historically, brain size decreased as societies became larger and more complex, suggesting that the safety net of modern society negated the correlation between intelligence and survival. But another, more encouraging theory says our brains are shrinking not because we're getting dumber, but because smaller brains are more efficient. This theory suggests that, as they shrink, our brains are being rewired to work faster but take up less room. There's also a theory that smaller brains are an evolutionary advantage because they make us less aggressive beings, allowing us to work together to solve problems, rather than tear each other to shreds.

5. We Have Blue Eyes

Blue eyes image via Shutterstock

Originally, we all had brown eyes. But about 10,000 years ago, someone who lived near the Black Sea developed a genetic mutation that turned brown eyes blue. While the reason blue eyes have persisted remains a bit of a mystery, one theory is that they act as a sort of paternity test. “There is strong evolutionary pressure for a man not to invest his paternal resources in another man’s child,” says the lead author of a study on the development of our baby blues. Because it is virtually impossible for two blue-eyed mates to create a brown-eyed baby, our blue-eyed male ancestors may have sought out blue-eyed mates as a way of ensuring fidelity. This would partially explain why, in a recent study, blue-eyed men rated blue-eyed women as more attractive compared to brown-eyed women, whereas females and brown-eyed men expressed no preference.

www.mentalfloss.com/article/30795/5-signs-humans-are-still-evolving

Health Benefits Moringa

Check out twenty medical uses and benefits of the latest food trend, Moringa as the health benefits are tantalizing and every part of the Moringa tree can be used in medical science.

Moringa oleifera has an impressive range of medicinal uses with high nutritional value and medicinal benefits as different parts of Moringa contain a profile of important minerals and are a good source of protein, vitamins, beta-carotene, amino acids and various phenolics.

Moringa provides a rich and rare combination of zeatin, quercetin, beta-sitosterol, caffeoylquinic acid and kaempferol.

It may act as cardiac and circulatory stimulants, possess antitumor, antipyretic, antiepileptic, antiinflammatory, antiulcer, antispasmodic, diuretic, antihypertensive, cholesterol lowering, antioxidant, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, antibacterial and antifungal activities, and are being employed for the treatment of different ailments in the indigenous system of medicine.

Traditional cultures in various parts of the world have long used Moringa in their herbal medicine repertoire for ailments ranging from gout to various inflammations and fevers.

Here are some of the traditional, medical uses of moringa:

1. Normalizes blood sugar.
2. Appetite supplement.
3. Heal wounds and injuries- There is an anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory effect when applied to wounds, thereby aiding the fast healing of wounds.
4. Detoxification.
5. Eliminate constipation.
6. Reduce risk of ulcer- Moringa tea treats gastric ulcers and prevents.
7. Improves digestion.
8. Serves as nutrition for infants- six months and older, pregnant and nursing mothers, flower juice improves the quality and flow of mothers’ milk when breast feeding.
9. Increases mental clarity.
10. Stimulates hair growth.
11. Enhances skin health.
12. Reduces wrinkles and age lines.
13. Prevents tumor.
14. Increases energy and endurance.
15. Improves eyesight.
16. Normalizes blood pressure.
17. Acts as anti- depressant.
18. Strengthens immune system- In Haiti, villagers boil Moringa flowers in water and drink the tea as a powerful cold remedy.
19. Can be used as an aphrodisiac and promoter of libido- The drumstick seeds are used as a sexual virility drug for treating erectile dysfunction in men and also in women for prolonging sexual activity.
20. Prevents fungal diseases.
21. Moringa leaves treat fevers, bronchitis, eye and ear infections, inflammation of the mucus membrane
22. The powder ground from the seeds is also used in the treatment of scurvy skin diseases (common bacterial infections of the skin).

Every single part of the Moringa Tree is useful, this is why it is considered one of the most valuable and useful plants.

http://pulse.ng/wellness/health-benefits-moringa-id3604124.html

Super-Foods and Good Fats - Video

Super-foods and Good Fats

Fitness Differences Between the Sexes

 Dorene Internicola

When it comes to fitness, experts say men generally want to be bulkier and women want to be trimmer and everyone wants to do what they are good at.

That’s why as more women tackle brawny boot camps and men seek flexible peace on the yoga mat, crossing traditional gender lines, intelligently, can be a good idea.

“Women want to lose body fat, men want hypertrophy (bulk),” said Geralyn Coopersmith, national director of the Equinox Fitness Training Institute.

There are also hormonal, structural and body composition differences between the sexes, said Coopersmith, who trains the personal trainers for the chain’s fitness centers.

“So if they’re both training for a marathon they’ll train in very similar ways but we’ll look out for different things.”

Women’s wider hips leave them more prone to knee injuries, while men, pound for pound, will always have more lean body tissue.

“Technically the man is more fit in that regard,” she said.

It’s harder for women to tackle extreme workouts, such as Crossfit or P90X, Coopersmith said, but they can do it.

“They’re not going to beat the men but will probably get pretty good at it and get very fit,” she said, adding that too many young, healthy women don’t challenge themselves enough.

Gender Fitness Differences — Spotting the Trends

Dr. Michele Olson, an exercise physiologist with the American College of Sports Medicine said while everyone needs aerobic, strength and flexibility, the activities needed to achieve it can be very different, depending gender and age.

“In the early years women need to focus on bones and men on aerobics,” said Olson, a professor at the Auburn University Montgomery Human Performance Lab, in Alabama.

She added that research shows it’s important for younger women to take on activities with sufficient impact, such as jogging, jumping rope or step aerobics, at least 20 minutes twice a week, to develop good bone density.

“Bone density can fail women in their 40’s,” said Olson, “while men tend to have robust bones until very late in life.”

She added that heart health is especially important for men, who are plagued with heart disease at a younger age. They need to focus on the correct exercises for the heart, including low-impact cardio exercises like bicycling or swimming.

Women at any age should lift weights, she said, adding interval-style training is more efficient in burning the mid-belly fat women tend to store after menopause.

“It doesn’t have to be a boot camp. You can do it on a treadmill by adjusting speed or incline at one-minute intervals,” she explained.

As men age, their lack of flexibility catches up with them, but estrogen has made the tendons of women more elastic.

“Women and men both play to their strengths,” she said. “Even as children, athletes naturally select what they feel they’re good at.”

Connecticut-based fitness instructor Ellen Barrett believes the genders require different fitness formulas.

Even a simple bicep curl might not work for a woman, whose range of motion is generally greater, said Barrett.

Super-intense, military-style workouts and long-distance running are among the activities Barrett feels are made for men, while Pilates and yoga are so much more woman-friendly.

Barrett said when she attends a yoga class with her husband “it’s like a tale of two cities.”

“I feel like I’ve had a massage,” she explained. “My husband has to recover.”

http://firsttoknow.com/differences-in-fitness-between-the-sexes/

chocolate avocado pudding. yep, it’s a thing.

When life hands you avocados… make pudding?

Apparently so.

Though I have to admit that my first choice would be guacamole. However, sometimes life hands you avocados when you already have a large vat of guacamole in your fridge because life is so, so good. In that case, yes… make pudding. After you’ve OD-ed on your fair share of avocado toast.

Obviously.

You may remember last year that I made chocolate avocado pudding and then proceeded to eat it like… every single day of my life. My go-to recipes came from a mesh of Lisa and Jessica’s, then sort of warped into this version that I perfected to my taste buds and have been making ever since. Yeah. Melted chocolate is where it’s at. Very true story: I ate this practically every afternoon for a little snack before yoga for maybe two months? Three months? It’s full of antioxidants! It was the best thing ever. It was also the hugest thing ever, because I get bored super easily. Especially with my food. I haven’t even eaten dinner tonight yet and I’m already bored with it.

Not even joking.

The other thing is that I really always want to eat this for dessert but I have an intense, passionate abhorrence for cleaning my food processor. I loathe it more than I loathe cleaning normal things which is a lot. Especially when the sun goes down and I’m exhausted and watching new-but-terrible-but-still-worth-it 90210 or something. The sun going down is pretty much my gauge for productivity so yeah… daylight savings time can happen right now please.

Anyway, that’s how I satisfying my obsession. Chocolate avocado pudding for an afternoon snack. I think I’m bringing it back.

If you’re an avocado hater, well… I’m not going to tell you that you can’t taste the avocado at all. I mean, sometimes you can’t whatsoever. I believe that it depends on your crazy mental state and the ripeness of your fruit, which will differ each time but can be somewhat managed with sweetener and cocoa or chocolate. I use honey because I can’t get on the agave train and overall, I just find honey to be a bit more versatile for my everyday kitchen. I put it on Greek yogurt and mix it with peanut butter and I’d put it in tea if I drank it, which I never will because that stuff tastes like dirty water. Oh yes it does.

Ack.

If you’re an avocado lover, then you’ll probably adore this pudding, will rarely be able to taste the avocado and will soon become addicted to this little treat that is totally worth dragging out your food processor and cleaning that giant hunk of junk. Ugh. So annoying. Can’t someone create a self-cleaning processor? I think it would make millions.

I think the moral of the story is that everything (especially Monday) is better with chocolate.

PRINT

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

YIELD: SERVES 2-4

 

TOTAL TIME: 10 MINUTES

ingredients:

4 ripe avocados
1/4 cup light coconut milk
4 tablespoons unsweetened dark cocoa powder
3 tablespoons honey
2 ounces of dark chocolate (72% or higher), melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

for topping: whipped cream, coconut whipped cream, sprinkles, cocoa nibs

directions:

Remove avocados from the skin (and pit) and place in a food processor. Blend until combined and creamy. Add in all remaining ingredients, blending until pureed, scraping down the sides when needed to combine. Taste and season/sweetened additionally if desired. Blend for a good 1-2 minutes until completely creamy, then serve with desired toppings.

Note: I have kept this in the fridge for about 24 hours successfully, just make sure to immediately place it in a seal tight container. If you would like a smaller serving, I'd suggest cutting the recipe in half.

And sprinkles.

Healthy Hot Cross Bun Recipes!

Olivia
It goes without saying you can’t have birthdays without cake, just like you can’t have Easter without hot cross buns. To get you into the Easter spirit, we have two delicious, yet nutritious hot cross bun recipes for you to devour over the long weekend. Try whipping up these gluten free buns topped with cashew cream frosting from Amy Crawford (The Holistic Ingredient) or perhaps our healthy hot cross buns filled with blueberries and drizzled with dark chocolate tickle your fancy. Once you’ve feasted on some chocolate (the healthy kind of course), these little buns of goodness will go down a treat!

GLUTEN FREE HOT CROSS BUNS

Preparation Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 15 serves

Ingredients:

• The Gluten-Free Flour Mix:
• 1 cup brown rice bran flour
• 1 cup white rice flour
• ¾ cup sweet sorghum flour
• ¾ cup tapioca flour
• 2 tsp. guar gum or xanthan gum
• For the buns:
• 3 ½ cups of gluten free flour mix (see above)
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 cup dried fruit (we used ½ cup currants & ½ cup sultanas)
• ½ cup coconut sugar
• ¼ cup coconut oil
• 3 tbsp. cinnamon
• 2 tbsp. dry yeast
• 2 tbsp. flax meal
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. all spice
• Zest and juice of 2 oranges
• For the cashew cream cheese frosting:
• 1 cup cashews, soaked overnight
• 2 tbsp. Greek yoghurt
• 2 tbsp. rice malt syrup
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice

How to make it:

• In a small bowl, soak your dried fruit in enough warm water to submerge them.
• Place the almond milk into a medium sized saucepan and warm slowly over a low heat. Be sure not to boil the milk, you want it to be lukewarm. Add the yeast and coconut sugar to the saucepan. Set the saucepan aside and allow the yeast in the mixture to rise (be sure to use a large enough saucepan, otherwise the mixture will overflow – I speak from experience!).
• In another bowl, combine the gluten-free flour mix, flax meal, orange zest and juice, coconut oil and all the spices. Pour in the yeasty almond milk mixture, (which should be foamy by now). Using a high-powered blender, blend on medium speed until combined and the mixture has aerated. Drain the dried fruit and add to the mix, continue beating for another 2 minutes (note: in the absence of a blender you could also knead).
• Turn your dough into a clean bowl and cover with a tea towel, placing in a warm place (i.e. not your fridge!) for approximately 1 hour, allowing the yeast to rise in the mixture.
• Preheat your oven to 180°C. Line a 20cm x 30cm baking tray with baking paper. Using your hands, roll dough into balls and place side by side in the baking tray so that they are just touching.
• Brush the top of the balls with a little extra almond milk. Place the tray into the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the tops are slightly golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before applying the icing crosses.
• While the buns are cooking you can prepare the icing. Place the cashews, yoghurt, lemon juice and rice malt syrup in a blender or electric mixer and combine until smooth yet still thick enough not to be runny. Using a piping bag (or a snap lock bag with a small hole cut in the corner), pipe lines/crosses across the buns.

HEALTHY HOT CROSS BUNS WITH BLUEBERRIES & DARK CHOCOLATE

Prep time: 10 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Servings: Approx. 15 buns

 

Ingredients: 

• 3 cups whole spelt flour
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp baking powder
• 1/3 cup dried blueberries
• 2 eggs (one to glaze)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• 1/2 cup-1 cup milk of choice
• 50g dark chocolate chopped
• 50g extra dark chocolate for crosses

How to make it:

• Add the flour, oats, cinnamon, salt and dried blueberries to a bowl. Sift in the baking powder. Stir well to combine.
• Then add one egg, honey and vanilla paste or extract, chopped dark chocolate and coconut oil, again stirring well to combine. 
• Add enough milk to make the mix form a sticky dough. 
• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
• Using floured hands, roll handfuls of bun mixture into balls and place onto a lined baking tray.
• Whisk the second egg well and then using a pastry brush, apply liberally over the top of each bun.
• Bake in the oven for approx. 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
• Temper the extra dark chocolate, and pour into a piping bag. Pipe the chocolate in a cross along the top of each bun.  
  http://www.movenourishbelieve.com/recipes/healthy-hot-cross-bun-recipes/

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  What healthy treats will you be making for Easter?

3 Ingredient Omega-3 Smoothie to Nourish Your Heart and Brain

by Carol Lehmann

3 Ingredient Omega-3 Smoothie to Nourish Your Heart and Brain 

Farmers Seek Increased Awareness On Medicinal Plants

Vegetable farmers on Thursday called for increased public awareness towards the use of medicinal plants as alternative to orthodox medicine.

Some of the farmers told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in separate interviews in Lagos, that the use of medicinal plants had become popular in developed countries, especially in Europe and Asia.

Mr David Iheanacho, a moringa farmer, said there were more than 6,000 medicinal plants, growing in different parts of Nigeria, which he said, were being under-utilised.

He observed that Nigerians had apathy towards the use of plants for medicinal purpose because they erroneously believe it is fetish.

“We have associated the use of medicinal plants to our native ‘voodoo or juju’ because we believe only herbalists use them.

“We have abandoned the resources bestowed on us by nature to help cure our ailments instead of using orthodox drugs that come with side-effects,’’ he said.

According to him, even though moringa oleifera plant originated from Asia, it is commonly cultivated in Nigeria today.

“The original moringa seeds were imported from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan but we now have it in abundant in Nigeria today.

“Our people are becoming aware of the medicinal uses of this plant and they have even nicknamed it ‘miracle plant.’

“This is because its leaves, back, flowers, fruit, seeds, and root are all used to make medicine,’’ he said.

According to him, oil from moringa seeds is used in preparation of foods, perfume, hair care products and as a machine lubricant.

Mr Layi Ayanleke, another vegetable farmer, however, warned against the arbitrary use of medicinal plants.

He noted that the plant should be used to treat specific ailment, for which they are known

“Much as we clamour for the increased usage of medicinal plants, we must be careful about over-indulgence and wrong usages.

“Dongoyaro leave has been known to possess high medicinal value in the treatment of malaria but not necessarily headache, which is a symptom of malaria.

“The seeds of unripe guava fruit, when chewed, enhances high sperm count in men but excessive consumption can cause appendicitis,’’ he told NAN.

Mrs Sarah Whyte, a pharmacist, observed that many propagators of medicinal plants often failed to give adequate prescription of usage.

She pointed out that inadequate prescription could lead to drug abuse and overdose.

Whyte also warned that there were no miracle medicinal plants and that, even in medicine, specific drugs were used to treat specific ailments.

“We have to be wary of medicinal plants that are purportedly used in the treatment of all ailments.

“We should always go for proper medical screening to be sure of the type of illness we are suffering from.

 “We should not be carried away with the sooth-saying marketing gimmicks of herbal medicine practitioners,’’ she said. (NAN)

http://leadership.ng/news/420381/farmers-seek-increased-awareness-on-medicinal-plants