Herbal Hub

Have you heard the latest news? Everybody is talking about the “Swine Flu” that is spreading like wildfire in Mexico City and other countries as well. About 103 people were reported dead in Mexico because of this virus. Many fear the full blown swine influenza A (H1N1) pandemic. What’s special about this new flu strain:

“Flu is characterized by a sudden fever, muscle aches, sore throat and dry cough. Victims of the new strain have also suffered more vomiting and diarrhea than is usual with flu. People who are infected can spread the virus before they even start showing symptoms.”

Source

Although its called “Swine Flu,” there is no evidence yet that it stemmed from contacts with pigs. It is reported that it is airborne and can be transmitted through human contact. As of press time,  the vaccines Tamiflu made by Roche AG and Relenza from GlaxoSmithKline shown to be effective against the new swine flu.

But don’t panic! The Swine Flu maybe causing pandemonium, but we can do something to fight it. Here are some tips given by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

1. Cover your nose and mouth with  tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.

2. Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.

3. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.

Try to avoid close contact with sick people

1. Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.

2. If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them”

Herbs and Other tips:

1. If you feel that colds and flu is just around the corner, try Basil herb tea. Make a tea by pouring a cup of boiling water over 15 ml of basil leaves as remedy for flu, colds and digestive upsets. Basil is rich in Vit. A, Vit. C, calcium and iron. Basil tea has an uplifting effect on the nervous system. A safety reminder, pregnant women should consult with their physicians before trying this herb tea. Garlic tea also relieve colds, flu, bronchitis, for its expectorant, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Check my previous post about garlic and how I made the garlic tea.

2. Postpone your travel overseas especially to countries affected by the flu.

3. Get enough rest and sleep.

4. Exercise and drink plenty of H2O.

5. Eat healthy! Add more servings of vegetables and fresh fruits.

Lastly, in this kind of situation we just don’t need to stay healthy, we should help stop this epidemic by cooperating and empowering ourselves with information to prevent the spread of this virus.

basil extract capsules $17.97, garlic odorless capsules $6.21

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If you watched the movie, “Super Size Me” I’m sure it opened your eyes that although we enjoy food, we also need to know our limit to stay healthy. So if you’re curious how many Calories you consume, or want to know the nutrient content of the Chili you just ate for dinner? Here’s some government-run websites that may help you become your very own nutritionist (at least even for a day):

USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory – In this site, you can type the name of the food that you want to know the nutrition content. They have tons of food data. For fun I tried “french fries” because I like fries. I was surprised that they even have a list of fries from Fast Food like McDonalds, Burger King and Wendy’s. My favorite are fries from Wendy’s. So looking at the nutrient content of Wendy’s fries made me think of eating natural fries instead.

Interactive Menu Planner (National Institutes of Health) – In this site you will be able to plan your menu for the day (or even for a week!) keeping in mind your calorie limit.

Nutrition Facts Label (US FDA) – In this site you can now read nutrition facts label when you go to the grocery. Gone are the days when you’re clueless about the nutrient content of the product your buying. When I learned how to read nutrition facts label, I stay away from food/snacks with too much Saturated Fats and MSG.

If all everything failed and you’re desperate, diet-to-go might be the one for you. They provide delicious, nourishing meals for individuals not just for those who aim to lose weight, but to all who wants to eat healthy but don’t have the time to cook. Think about this… next time you crave for food deliveries, instead of calling pizza delivery, try ordering healthy meals that improves and maintain good health.

“Eat This Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide: The No-diet Weight Loss Solution” by David Zinczenko

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Either you love Garlic or hate it. You love it because studies show that consuming garlic is beneficial to one’s health aside from making any fried rice so yummy! Or you hate it because it stink and it can hurt your skin. But before you give up on garlic here’s more to it than the stink.

What’s hot: Garlic is a member of the onion family. Aside from culinary uses, it has been recognized as beneficial to the cardiovascular system. Garlic has allicin that gives its rich flavor and strong aroma that is one of the most powerful antioxidant. It acts as expectorant, antibiotic and anti-fungal. It is ideal for colds, infections, circulatory and bronchial disorders. Garlic may sound too good to be true in giving all these health benefits, but a group of Chemists shed light on its health benefits. In their research study, they wanted to find out if allicin is responsible for the activity of Garlic. Why Garlic contain such efficient antioxidant properties when it doesn’t have the compounds such as flavonoids found in green tea or grapes. Here’s what they did:

“The research team questioned the ability of allicin to trap damaging radicals so effectively, and considered the possibility that a decomposition product of allicin may instead be responsible. Through experiments with synthetically-produced allicin, they found that an acid produced when the compound decomposes rapidly reacts with radicals.”

For the complete story click here. Eat raw Garlic if you want stronger antibiotic and anti-bacterial effect. But cooked or raw Garlic contains antioxidant properties. Also it can be used cosmetically in treating dandruff. A Garlic hair rinse can ease dandruff.

What’s-not-so-hot: Garlic should be taken cautiously because not all people react to it the same way. It can also irritate sensitive skin. 

For me, I love Garlic! I love it in my food especially in fried rice. I also make my own Garlic tea. My Garlic tea is made of regular Lipton tea with crushed Garlic clove. I tried this because I have a persistent allergy that makes my throat itchy. I first drank garlic tea when I was having allergy attacks and all I can say is that it helped to control the coughing attacks. Now the allergy have not come back. But I made sure I also eat a balance diet, I sleep at least 7-8 hours/day, and I take multivitamins.

Garlic galore:  garlic genius $39.99, elephant garlic seeds $2.50, garlic powder $2.99, odorless garlic capsules $10.49, garlic peeler $8.95, roasted garlic in sunflower oil $11.99

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