Archive for Health & Well Being
February 10, 2009 at 3:27 pm
· Filed under Botanicals, Environment, Health & Well Being, Inspirations ·Tagged Agave, aloe vera, Desert Garden, Gardening, Landscaping
Agave isn’t just grown for it’s syrup. It’s actually a very pretty ornamental succulent that could liven up any yard. Especially yards in in the South West or Western part of the U.S. I came across these great photos of different varieties of agave used in landscaping in California from Sunset magazine. I aspire to have a dessert garden someday.
“The light green leaves of a colony of A. attenuata contrast in this combo with the nearly black rosettes of Aeonium ‘Zwartkop’.” – Sunset Magazine. I like the contrast of green and deep purple in this garden.
Continue reading post here.
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February 7, 2009 at 8:36 pm
· Filed under Botanicals, Environment, Health & Well Being, Inspirations ·Tagged Environment, Natural laundry, Soap nuts
The last time I was in a health food store in Palo Alto (California) I saw a box of Maggie’s Soap Nuts. They were $10 for 4.5 oz box. I would try it if it was a bit cheaper. But better if they had free samples for customers to try first. At the moment I’ve been using commercial Arm & Hammer Essentials for my laundry and just add some borax for extra cleaning power.
Photo of dried soap nuts from ECO-CAN news.
I’ve never even heard much about soap nuts and decided find out more about them. A few nuts can be placed in a cotton drawstring bag, then add to your wash. It can even be reused several times. Soap nuts are safe for washing silk, woolens and other delicate fabrics. Anything soap related to me is fun, especially ones that grow naturally on trees.
Continue reading post here.
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February 3, 2009 at 8:52 pm
· Filed under Art & Design, Botanicals, Environment, Health & Well Being, Inspirations, News, Travel ·Tagged Garden, Kaiser Center, Rooftop Garden, Urban Garden
A great way to bring a bit of nature into city living is having a rooftop garden. People usually think of rooftop city gardens as only being in New York City. Usually places used to hold cocktail parties. But rooftop gardening is nothing new, it has been seen in the Hanging Garden of Babylon to the Kensington Roof Garden in London , England.
The popularity of roof gardens have grown in many other cities in the United States as well. Even people in Vancouver, B.C. are joining in on rooftop gardening too. From hotels, restaurants to local organizations. I think that is a great use of extra space and a way to add a bit of green space. It may even help clean the air too.
Photo credit: Risc’s Rooftop Garden.
Another successful rooftop garden comes from England. The one pictured here is of Risc’s edible roof garden. The garden is complete with over 120 species of edible and medicinal trees, shrubs, vines and plants from around the globe. You can read more about the place here.
Rooftop gardens are usually seen as ornamental gardens, but the idea of growing your own food is gaining popularity. A great organization based out of Vancouver, B.C. by the name of City Farmer’s has a collection of stories about their work in Vancouver, Canada, and about urban farmers from around the world.
Continue reading post here.
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February 2, 2009 at 10:25 pm
· Filed under Beauty, Health & Well Being, News ·Tagged Biosil, DHC Cosmetics, Essential Fatty Acids, fish oil, vitamin c
Beauty magazines are always talking about the latest skin cream that will take away the wrinkles or soothe the occasional skin problems. But little do we realize that taking supplements can also improve our skin from the inside out. A healthy diet can also do wonders for you skin. Since we don’t usually get our vitamins from the everyday food, it’s fine to add supplements.
A diet consisting of fish is very good. But watch out for the high levels of mercury, especially found in tuna. Wild salmon such as the one pictured here is one of the better pick.
Here is my list of what I think is the best skin care supplements to use daily. Please click here to see the list.
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February 1, 2009 at 8:00 pm
· Filed under Botanicals, Health & Well Being, Tea ·Tagged Fruit, Herbal Tea, Pomegranate
Pomegranates are amongst one of the most popular superfruits. These superfruits are classified as fruits with very high antioxidant levels. They include blueberries, Acai berries, and goji berries. I remember years ago not many people heard of this fruit, let alone knew how to eat them. One summer I bought a huge pomegranate for my friend as a treat and she didn’t know how to eat it. The fruit ended up being part of her home decor.
Now you can find just the seeds (packaged in plastic containers) at the super market. It is commonly used in salads. The fruit itself consist of many small seeds. The colors range from white to deep red, and are called arils. I have found that the deeper the color, the more tangy the seeds. The ones my mom grows in her garden are very sweet. The skin is light red and the seeds are almost white to pink. It gets even sweeter when it ripes and the skin starts to crack a bit.
Just like the loquat fruit I mentioned earlier, the leaves of the pomegranate can also be used to make tea. To continue reading this post, please go here.
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January 27, 2009 at 10:32 pm
· Filed under Botanicals, Health & Well Being ·Tagged Chinese Herbal Tea, Health, Loquat, Loquat leaves, Rare Fruit
Loquats are one type of fruits that are first to appear in spring. While most other fruits don’t appear or ripen up until summer or autumn. The loquat tree is also considered to be an evergreen, as the leaves do not turn brown and fall, very much like citrus trees.
These fruit trees originated from China, but can bee seen growing in much warmer climates of the U.S., from Texas to California. Even in the warmer parts of Europe too. They are actually fast growing trees and very easy to propagate. The best part is that they are drought resistant trees. So this would be a great time to grow one, especially when water is scarce.
As seen here, the photo of young loquats and leaves growing in San Jose, Ca. This photo was taken in springtime. The leaves are glossy green in the front but fuzzy in the back. And the fruit itself can be a bit fuzzy like a peach too.
The fruit is tangy to sweet. But it is delicious when it ripens and turn yellow. Loquat fruit and leaves have high concentrations of Calcium, Phosphorus, Iron, Potassium, Vitamin A and Ascorbic Acid.
The leaves can also be used to make tea. I have made tea with some of the dried leaves and the taste is very light.
Continue reading here.
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January 26, 2009 at 9:46 pm
· Filed under Botanicals, Business, Health & Well Being ·Tagged Agave, Agave Syrup, Diabetic Diet, Health
I don’t think of myself as having much of a sweet tooth as I enjoy eating fruits more then candy. But once in a while I can satisfy my need for sweets with a cup of fruit infusion tea and add a small teaspoon of agave syrup. I also like to add it to my cup of coffee too. It has a light sweetness to it. But I have not tried it with pancakes or baking yet.
Agave syrup is something new I’ve come across. I have noticed some fruit drinks use agave syrup as a sweetener too. It’s much sweeter then honey and it’s from the same plant used to make tequila. It’s made from the nectar of the blue agave plant, which is grown mostly in central Mexico. In Popular Science’s article, Agave Nectar, A Sweetener for Any Occasion, they described how the juices are expressed from the core of the plants and then processed to produce the nectar. Then after the juices are extracted, they are heated to break down the carbohydrates.
larryn2009 of flickr.com took this nice picture of blue agave plants at the Puerto Vallarta Botanical Gardens. They look like they are easy to grow in a sunny climate. I might have actually seen a few of these grown as landscaping in California.
Time magazine wrote in it’s June 2008 issue that the future of agave syrup does look promising. It’s interest has grown amongst heath conscious people. And popularity has grown in countries such as Germany, New Zealand, and Japan. And in the U.S. , many food manufacturers want to add it to drinks, ice cream, ketchup, amongst other recipes.
Cane sugar and honey are fine as natural sweeteners, they are better than high fructose corn syrup. But agave syrup surpasses them all. And you don’t need to use as much, as the sweetness is concentrated. And if you are diabetic, the The Chicago Tribune adds, “It scores around 20 on the glycemic index, a measure of how quickly carbohydrates break down during digestion. Cane or beet sugar scores around 70. Agave nectar’s score is so low on the scale that diabetics can use it as a sugar substitute.” Ingested sugar is still burned as energy or stored as fat, so you still have to be careful to not over indulge on agave syrup. It has plenty of calories and you can find yourself needing to exercise more!
Madhava Agave comes in different flavors too. Imagine adding this to your morning coffee! Sweet Cactus Farms also sells agave syrup. And Madhava Agave has a great photo gallery of the farm and these interesting looking plants.
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January 15, 2009 at 7:45 pm
· Filed under Fashion, Health & Well Being ·Tagged Cotton Cashmere blend, Herbal mix, Natural moth repellant, Sweater, Wool
This is an update from my “Caring for Cashmere“. I wanted to add how to care and wash wool and cashmere blend sweaters as well.
Washing by Hand: Do not use hot water as this will “felt’ the wool. Soak in warm water and add mild soap. I think shampoo or dish washing liquid (Palmolive) should be fine. Soak garment for 5 minutes. Do not use warm water wash followed by cold water rinse. Rinse clean in warm water several times until all the soap is gone.
Squeeze out as much water as possible, but do not twist the garment. Wrap the sweater inside a towel like a sushi roll and squeeze to remove excess water. Unwrap the garment from towel and lay it flat to dry . You may want to first lay down a dry towel before laying down the wet sweater. When finish, shape garment to proper size. Do not hang to dry or put in dryer, as this will shrink the wool.
Storage: It’s best to air out your sweaters for at least 24 hours between wear. After washing, you should store in plastic containers. Do not use plastic bags as it does not breathe well. I do NOT recommend using moth balls, they are toxic. You can make your own natural herbal moth repellent. It’s very simple, see below for recipe.
For cotton/cashmere blend sweaters, you can easily wash by machine and lay flat to dry. If you like things easy, just go for the cotton/cashmere blend. The nice blue one pictured above is from Land’s End. I have one similar to it by Sebastian Cooper in navy. It is very comfortable, light, and warm as well.
Herbal Moth Repellent Recipe: Mix the herbs well and fill them in empty tea bags or just wrap in cotton fabric and tie with ribbon. Tuck these into your sweater drawers or plastic containers. Or hang in your closets.
8 ounces whole cloves
2 ounces each dried rosemary
1 ounce ginseng
2 ounces dried mint
Photo: Wikepedia Rosemary Sprig
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January 12, 2009 at 4:20 pm
· Filed under Animals, Botanicals, Health & Well Being, Inspirations, News, People, Travel ·Tagged Absolute Vodka $1 Donation, Animal Sanctuary, Charity, Fruit Tree
Sometimes there seem to be more charities out there then we knew existed. There are charities for children and abandoned animals. Even one for fruit trees, at least for growing more fruit trees. The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation from San Diego, Ca is one charity that is dedicated to planting fruitful trees and plants to benefit the environment around the world. I think this is a great idea as it helps teach people to be empowered by growing their own food and also sustain the environment too. The charity’s primary mission is to plant and help others plant a collective total of 18 billion organic fruit trees. These programs are aimed at enriching the environment, providing nutritious food sources for wild and rescued animals. And to improve human health by bringing delicious, fresh, locally grown raw fruits and vegetables in their area.
Papaya tree planted in Kenya. Photo from FTPFoundation.
The charity has already planted trees in many locations throught the U.S., Africa, and India. My favorite part of the project is “Orchards for Animals” which provide rescued animals sanctuaries with fruit trees for shade, shelter, and healthy diets. As the trees mature, animals can then eat the fruits and forage for more. During times of extreme heat or precipitation, the animals can seek shade and shelter under the trees. Fruit trees allow for the most natural diet available to animals, plucked fresh off the tree with no chemicals or pesticides. One of the Farm Sanctuary is located in Orland, California. They planted 50 fruit trees. The trees will provide shade and foraging opportunities for rescued animals.
Another sample of other neat things provided by the program took place in Florida.
Fruit Tree Workshop & Giveaway in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
“In November of 2008, FTPF partnered with the Fort Lauderdale Parks & Recreation Department, in a program made possible by Absolut, to implement a a free fruit tree give-away at three city parks and delivered a unique interactive workshop to teach fruit tree enthusiasts about proper planting and care. The program resulted in 671 fruit trees—including mangos, avocados, carambolas, grapefruits, oranges, and tangelos—being distributed to city residents. The effort trained nearly 100 workshop participants on how to plant trees and help restore an area that has lost countless trees in recent years due to hurricane damage—while fighting global warming and providing healthy nutrition at the same time.” Wow! What a great idea. I wish I lived in Florida with a huge backyard. Read the rest of this entry »
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January 10, 2009 at 6:32 pm
· Filed under Health & Well Being, Inspirations ·Tagged handmade soap, Himalayan Rock Salt, Natural Air Purify, Negative Ions
Today I wanted to expand more about my Himalayan rock salt lamp. Ever since I put one in my mother’s bedroom, I’ve noticed she has slept better, snored less, and even minimized her consistent coughing. And she has been coughing for a while now. I don’t believe it’s all placebo, as I have used the same lamp and woke up feeling very refreshed as well as having more vivid dreams. The brochure that came with the lamp also mention other benefits, such as help with insomnia, depression, and S.A.D. But the main reason behind the benefits of salt rock lamps is to help purify the air naturally.
Negative ions can be found here. Beautiful waterfall picture from FreeDownloadscenter.com
When the rock salt lamp heats up, it produces negative ions. At first you would think it’s a bad thing because of the “negative” part of the description. But negative ions are actually good for you. According to WebMD website, negative ions are “odorless, tasteless, and invisible molecules that we inhale in abundance in certain environments.” The article can be read here. Pierce J. Howard, PhD, author of The Owners Manual for the Brain: Everyday Applications from Mind Brain Research and director of research at the Center for Applied Cognitive Sciences in Charlotte, N.C. says, “Generally speaking, negative ions increase the flow of oxygen to the brain; resulting in higher alertness, decreased drowsiness, and more mental energy.”
There are immense amounts of negative ions in the mountains, the countryside, pine forests, around the beach and near waterfalls. These negative ions brings oxygen to your brain, lift your mood, and boost your immune system. Columbia University studies of people with winter and chronic depression show that negative ion generators relieve depression as much as antidepressants. They also help lessen depression and cure Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). So this is possibly the reason we feel so refreshed and happy after a day at the beach. Read the rest of this entry »
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