Healthy Skin-How Chinese Herbs Benefit Your Skin

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

Healthy Skin-How Chinese Herbs Benefit Your Skin

Healthy Skin-How Chinese Herbs Benefit Your Skin

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Healthy Skin-How Chinese Herbs Benefit Your Skin

Healthy Skin-How Chinese Herbs Benefit Your Skin

Chinese herbs are an excellent source of modern drugs and treatMent cosmetics, provided one knows where and how to look. To those who are not familiar with it, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is mysterious and full of "mumbo jumbo," as its theory and practice are steeped in esoteric terminology. Terms such as qu feng (wind dispelling), qing re (heat removing or dispersing), xie (evil), and yi qi (vital energy replenishing) are certainly difficult to comprehend, though others such as jie du (removing toxins), sheng ji (growing muscles/flesh), ming mu (brightening vision), and shen (calming the spirit) are more obvious. The terminology may seem archaic and sometimes downright superstitious, but the TCM system hasevolved over many centuries in a logical way. One just view it hasto you have form another perspective. Then it will make sense.

Although I never had formal training in TCM, my research over the past 20 years has enabled me to figure out a few things, especially in the correlation between traditional properties and modern scientific findings, as well as in predicting an herb's Ph Meter and about 0.5 cm thick), and not the shanzha candy that comes in thin wafers stacked 3-4 cm high and wrapped in paper. If the raw shanzha is not dry enough for grinding, you can dry it in the oven at low heatuntil it is brittle.

(Panax notoginseng) Sanqi powder for treating severely chapped skin [Jiangxi Zhongyiyao, 23 (1): 35 (1992)]. In addition to other effects (immunomodulating, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, etc), sanqi is well known for its hemostatic and wound-healing properties. In this report, results of treating 68 patients with chapped skin are presented. Thirty-six patients were complicated with ringworm of the feet and 41 experienced different degrees of pain or bleeding. Duration of illness ranged form 6 months to 15 years. Method: Mix 30 g of sanqi powder well with an adequate amount of sesame oil to form a uniform paste, place it in a sealed container, clean and reserve for later use. Soak the afflicted areas with hot but tolerable water for 10-20 minutes beforeapplying the oily paste. Do this 3-4 times daily for 30 days. Results: After treatMent, 45 patients were healed, with no recurrence after more than 1 year; and 23 showed improveMents, with longer periods between recurrences, which again responded to the same treatment. The Fastest response was 3 weeks and the longest 7 weeks, with an average of 3.7 months. It is recommended that the pastries be also used as a preventive action by applying it to affected areas once every 1 to 2 days.

Tienchi ginseng Sanqi or is readily available in any Chinese herb shop. It comes in spindle-shaped whole roots, 2-4 cm long and 1-3 cm in diaMeter, and is very hard. Unless you have a mortar and pestle Chinese bronze with a lid, it is not easy to powder this herb. You may have to break it up with ACON hammerfirst and then grind it in a sturdy coffee mill.

copyright 2005

Healthy Skin-How Chinese Herbs Benefit Your Skin

The Many Health Benefits of Nopal Cactus Juice

The nopal cactus, also known as Opuntia ficus-indica or prickly pear, cactus variety readily is to found in the Sonoran Desert of Mexico and southwestern US. A staple in the diets of many natives of the area, the nopal cactus has been shown to have some amazing health benefits which are just now beginning to gain traction in the nutritional community, particularly when it comes to the health benefits of nopal cactus juice.

The Many Health Benefits of Nopal Cactus Juice

The Many Health Benefits of Nopal Cactus Juice

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The Many Health Benefits of Nopal Cactus Juice

The Many Health Benefits of Nopal Cactus Juice

A unique source of antioxidants

Nopal cactus juice, made from the fruit of the prickly pear, is a great source of a rare form of antioxidants called Betalains. Betalains are naturally found in just a handful of fruits and vegetables, such as beets, swiss chard, rainbow and the nopal cactus fruit and are responsible forgiving those items their rosy, pinkish-red pigMentation.

In humans, these rare antioxidants serves a very specific purpose within the cells — they capture and "spread" free radicals (unstable molecules) before they have a chance to destroy or damage anything. Free radical damage to the cells is what causes the aging process, which is why nopal cactus juice is said to have anti-aging properties.

Inflammation fighting capabilities

Chronic inflammation is the result of the body's inability to control its own immune response. What starts out as a normal call for help to your white blood cells because you bumped your knee or twisted your ankle, causes a cascade effect which results in your body not being able to "flick the switch off" on the call forhelp.

A number of ethanol extract studies on the nopal fruit have shown that ingestion of it can inhibit leukocyte (white blood cell) migration, which is the catalyst in the developMent of inflammatory disease. In addition, the studies showed suppression of edema, or fluid retention.

Lowering Bad Cholesterol

The Nopal fruit is a rich source of pectin, a soluble fiber, which is found to reduce LDL cholesterol levels. It does so by decreasing the absorption of sugar into the stomach and intestines. In fact, a study done by Dr. Maria L Fernandez as published in the "Journal of Nutrition" showed that consumption of prickly pear cactus lead to a 28 percent drop in total cholesterol levels in the animals tested which is prettysubstantial.

Decrease of Blood Sugar Values

There have been several studies on the effect of nopal cactus extract on blood glucose values. One, done in 1995 and published in the "Journal of Ethnopharmacology", revealed an 18 percent decrease among particiPants while another, done by a group in California showed that adding nopal to a high carbohydrate diet Mexican among patients with Type 2 diabetes actually reduced the concentration of glucose in the body immediately after the meal.

The reason for this, again, stems back to the amount of pectin within the fruit. By reducing the absorption of sugar into the stomach and intestines, the overall blood glucose values of the body are reduced.

The Many Health Benefits of Nopal Cactus Juice

Varicose Veins-Facts, Causes & Remedies

Varicose Veins-Facts, Causes & Remedies

Facts
Varicose (derived from the Latin root "varix" which means "twisted) simply means swollen. Veins, like arteries are blood vessels. Arteries carry blood from the heart to the rest of the body while veins carry blood back to the heart. Did you know there are more than 60.000 miles of blood vessels within the body? Deep veins are veins found deep in the leg muscles and when these muscles contract (e.g. when walking or jogging), they force blood flow upstream along the deep veins. This is how blood is delivered from the legs to the heart. There are small 1-way valves along the walls of the veins that prevent blood from flowing in the reverse direction. There are 3 types of such valved veins in the legs: deep veins, superficial veins found under the• perforated veins whose skin and allow blood to flow valves from the superficial veins to the deep veins. • Perforated veins means they pass through the thick leg muscles to the deep veins. Varicose veins result when the 1-way valves become faulty causing blood build-up in the veins. This enlarges and stretches, widens the veins. Varicose veins are visible near the surface of the skin and they appear as bluish-colored bulging twisted knots and even the skin feels bumpy. They can show up anywhere though mostly on the thighs and calfs, affecting both Men and woMen alike. Varicose veins can cause aching, burning, heaviness, Tiredness, cramps and itching in the legs or they may not cause any pain at all. Varicose veins deeper Though are not visible, the skinabove them, darkened and swell. In severe cases, can burst or varicose veins develop open sores (migraine head) on the skin around the ankles and heels (e.g. stasis dermatitis). Varicose veins occurring within the anal area are called piles (hemorrhoids). Spider veins are also known as thread veins, broken capillaries, spider angiomas or hemangiomas. They are the dilation of a small group of blood vessels located near to the skin's surface which leads to red, blue or purple discolorations on the veins.

Causes

Varicose Veins-Facts, Causes & Remedies

Varicose Veins-Facts, Causes & Remedies

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Varicose Veins-Facts, Causes & Remedies

Varicose Veins-Facts, Causes & Remedies

Family history. An inherited weakness of the valves in the veins. With age, the elasticity of the walls along the veins are the veins weakened which stretches. Hormonal changes within the body during pregNancy and Menopause relaxes the walls of theveins. In addition, during pregNancy the veins may receive extra pressure from the expanding uterus (womb) causing dilation. Also, the use of birth control pills or estrogen replaceMent therapy alters the female hormone levels which might lead to varicose veins. Deep vein thrombosis (economy-class syndrome), a blood clot in the deep vein. Obesity and lifting heavy objects are also contributing factors. Varicose veins can show up as a result of liver disease.

Treatment

Varicose veins are usually harmless. They can be treated with ligation surgery or sclerotherapy (injected medication to close the affected vein so that blood moves to another vein). Spider veins can be treated with sclerotherapy and laser. Though newer and supposedly effective removal methods willsurely be developed in time to come, it is always important to make sure you gather lots of information about these procedures and seek professional and sound advice before deciding what is good for you. Seek a physician if you cut a varicose vein, experience pain, swelling or skin develop migraine head near a varicose vein.

How to reduce varicose veins

Do regular exercise. Walking, running, cycling and swimming keep blood vessels healthy. Stick to a high-fiber and low-salt diet. Kick off the high heels. Avoid tight-fitting or Clothings that restrict blood flow Oxford at the waist, groin and legs (e.g. girdles, stockings and socks). If elastic stockings are recommended, wear them before getting out of bed in the morning. Do not leave legscrossed or bent for a long period. If work requires prolonged standing or sitting, move and stretch those legs, ankles and rotate the wiggle toes once in a while. Do leg stretching exercises daily. Raising legs above the level of the heart whenever possible. Rest those legs on pillows while sleeping. Stop smoking (http://www.tipsofallsorts.com/stopsmoking.html). Horse chestnut (Latin name: Aesculus hippocastanum) is a herb known to reduce pain and swelling. Gotu kola (Latin name: Centella asiatica), another herb has been found to improve blood circulation. Butcher's broom (Ruscus aculeatus: Latin name) herb that has been used to improve blood circulation in the legs and treat hemorrhoids. Vitamin E helps improve blood circulation and protects bloodvessels from damage. According to Dr. John Heinerman in his book ' Heinerman's Encyclopedia of Healing Juices ' (Prentice Hall, 1994), rubbing with persimmon juice once the bulging has started can prevent the condition from worsening. Nutrients found in a persimmon fruit include calcium, iron, sodium, potassium, vitamin A, C and K. Frankincense may also offer relief. Dilute 2-3 drops of frankincense essential oil with almond oil and then Massage.

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Varicose Veins-Facts, Causes & Remedies