Author: hfhadmin

English Ivy – Natural Remedy For Cough, Bronchitis & Asthma

Post author By hfhadmin
Post date December 27, 2013

If you are a first-time visitor, please be sure to like us on Facebook and receive our exciting and innovative tutorials on health topics and natural remedies.

Latin name: Hedera helix
Ivy creepers grow up to 30 meters long with a permanent green leaves and numerous aerial roots which help it affix on trees and stones. Ivy is solid at its base, and then it starts to crawl. Ivy has green, shiny and leathery leaves. ( You can buy English Ivy plant here: English Ivy 4 Plants – Hardy Groundcover – Great Bonsai ).

Ivy flowers are tiny, gray on the outside and green on inside, gathered in semicircular shield. Ivy is poisonous and has alternate root, which helps it attach on the base on which it climbs, and ivy spreads all over its surface.

Climbing on trees ivy reaches up to 30 meters. Ivy bark is ash-gray and this creeper grows in wet and mellow lands, but it can be also found on rocky and limestone lands. Ivy needs moist air.

Health Benefits Of English Ivy

Ivy leaves consumed in small amounts affects heart and blood vessels. They are used to treat spleen diseases, nose polyps, eye diseases, soft bones, kidney stones and sand, bladder inflammation and candida in women.

It is also used in treating skin diseases, wounds and strophulus in children (it is recommended to add ivy leaves in the bath water). Ivy fruit must be used carefully. Mixing it with parsley and mint can be effective in treating of some internal diseases.

Carefully consumed, ivy tea can be used in treating rheumatic and bile pain, skin cleaning, blood vessel cleansing in patients diagnosed with atherosclerosis, stomach and intestine inflammation, and to regulate menstrual cycle. It is very effective cure for cough, bronchitis and asthma. Sniffling ivy juice in small amounts can be used in treating nose polyps.

Washing your hair with ivy leaves tea every night will help you get rid of dandruff, and drinking this tea will clean your body from all the pesticide poisoning and harmful radiation.

It is not recommended to take more than two tablespoons of crushed ivy leaves when preparing tea.

Ivy tea recipe: soak four fresh ivy leaves or two tablespoons of crushed dry ivy leaves in 35 oz of cold water (1 liter), prepare your tea and filter it immediately. Drink 3.3 oz (1 deciliter) of ivy tea several times a day.

Keep Ivy berries out of small children’s reach and never use these berries to prepare tea.

Herbs & Oils

Sage – Cure Of Nature

Post author By hfhadmin
Post date December 25, 2013

If you are a first-time visitor, please be sure to like us on Facebook and receive our exciting and innovative tutorials on health topics and natural remedies.

Sage (Salvia officinalis) is a small perennial shrubby plant with gray leaves and blue to purple-pink flowers.

Sage is cultivated as a spice and healing herb. This plant is popular in some parts of Europe, especially the Balkans, where it is used in production of essential oils.

The Latin name of the whole Salvia genus comes from the Latin word “salvare”, which means “rescue, healing” because 2 000 years ago Romans appreciated this herb and used it for healing.

Sage leaves are white-grayish because of the delicate fibers on the surface and they are usually used in phytotherapy. They are collected in the period when the herb develops its flower buds – in May and June.

The effectiveness of leaves comes primarily to the presence of ether oil (1.5 – 2.5 percent), which has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory action. Laboratory examinations have proven that ether oil destroys Eshericia colli, Schigela sonei, Salmonela, and has a slightly weaker effect against staphylococcal and streptococcal bacteria.

Fruits

10 Fruits You’ve Probably Never Tasted

Post author By hfhadmin
Post date December 24, 2013

If you are a first-time visitor, please be sure to like us on Facebook and receive our exciting and innovative tutorials on health topics and natural remedies.

Fruit is considered to be one of those food products with essential importance for our organism and the proper function of each basic life process, which is the main reason why fruit should play important role in our everyday diet.

Luckily, we live in a region with lots of fruit varieties, but still it is just one small part of what nature has to offer.

We present you ten fruits which are quite unusual for people in some parts of the world, but at the same time, quite common for some cuisines. Some of these fruits can be consumed raw, but be careful, because some are used in preparation of juices and jams, and others are used as a base for the most delicious world specialties.

10. Karambola

Karambola or “Averrhoa carambola”, also known as star fruit, is a type of fruit popular throughout Southeast Asia, the South Pacific and parts of East Asia and it is also cultivated in Latin America, Caribbean Islands, and the south of the United States.

You can consume the whole fruit, including its “wax peel”. Karambola flesh is crisp, firm and very juicy. Taking in consider it contains 4 % sugar, this fruit is very sweet, and it is also rich in antioxidants, vitamin C and potassium. Karambola taste can be compared with the mixture of apple, pear and lemon.

Recipes

Vegan Cauliflower Soup

Post author By hfhadmin
Post date December 24, 2013

This vegan cauliflower soup is delicious gluten free recipe.

These ingredients are enough to prepare soup for 4 people, and you will still have something left.

1 cauliflower
3 onions
3-4 carrots
3 handfuls of cashew nuts
2 handfuls of quinoa (rice, buckwheat)
1 bunch of fresh garlic
1 bunch of dill
Seasonings to taste (salt, oil)

For the upcoming season of fasting, I would like to share a quick and easy recipe for cauliflower cream soup. Chop cauliflower into florets and bake it in a pan until it turns pink.

Put baked cauliflower florets in a saucepan full of boiling water, enough to cover the florets, add 2 onions and few garlic cloves. When softened, mash cauliflower florets, add some red and black pepper, salt and 1/2 bunch of finely chopped dill, some cold-pressed oil or ground walnuts. You can also add some lemon juice.

Preparation:

Chop cauliflower in florets and chop onions and carrots in bigger pieces. Bake the vegetable for 15-20 minutes at 160 degrees. You can also bake the onion because it gives sweet caramel taste.

Ground walnuts in a food processor (it is ok if you do not have walnuts, but I think they will give this soup a better taste) and add them to the boiling water.

Mince onions and carrots, so you get small pieces and added vegetables to the boiling water. You can also add quinoa.

You can mince some of the cauliflower florets in puree, and chop the rest in pieces. Then put everything to a boil for 15 minutes because of the quinoa. Take the saucepan aside and add some garlic and dill.

The soup tastes better if you add some balsamic vinegar (if you do not have lemon). For those who do not fast I think blue cheese will give this cauliflower soup great taste.

You can prepare many varieties of this soup, it is all about your taste.

Recipes

Homemade Ketchup Recipe

Post author By hfhadmin
Post date December 19, 2013

This is excellent and delicious homemade ketchup recipe that you must make it !

It is honey based – no sugar !

Ingredients:

-6 oz can tomato paste
-1/2 cup white vinegar
-1/4 cup water
-1/4 tsp onion powder
-1/4 cup honey (or agave)
-3/4 tsp salt
-1/8 tsp garlic powder

Preparation:

-Put all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and cook this homemade ketchup over medium heat. Constantly whisk until you get a smooth and creamy texture.

-After it starts boiling, reduce the heat and let it simmer for another 20 minutes, but you must not forget to stir it from time to time so it will not stick to the bottom of the saucepan.

-When it is ready, take the saucepan aside and let the ketchup rest covered for a while. Keep it in the fridge in a covered container.

Prepare and enjoy !

Recipes

Raw Vegan Cream Recipe

Post author By hfhadmin
Post date December 18, 2013

If you carefully choose the food you consume, and fruit yogurt is not on your list, we recommend you try our fruit yogurt flavored cream. It is raw and vegan, and it will also provide a great number of the nutrients your body needs.

Ingredients:

200 g cashew nuts (previously soaked in water for at least 6 hours)
1 lemon (or lemon and a half, depending on how sour you like it)
8 tbs water
2 tbs chia seed
some honey to taste

Preparation:

It takes a little longer, maybe 20 minutes, to prepare such a simple cream. You can use a blender, and you will probably need to make some breaks to gather cashew nuts stuck on the blender walls. Add water from time to time, and at the end you will be able to blend the mixture more easily. (Blending takes less time and it is easier to prepare this cream with larger quantities).

Blend cashew nuts, chia seeds, water and some honey (this cream will not be delicious if it is too sweet, and honey is used to balance the lemon) and some lemon juice. Some recipies include agave as an alternative.

Chia seed absorbs fluids 7-9 times of its volume. So if you have 2 tablespoons of chia, you should add at least 14 tablespoons of fluids. I.e. lemon juice and water. For this cream it is good to add more than 14 tbs, since its better when it is moist and not tight and jelly-like.

Add lemon juice from time to time to taste. If at any time the cream is too sour, add some water. If you like you yoghurt more sour, use 2 lemons for 200 g of cashew nuts.

At the end you can sprinkle some crushed cocoa beans as a decoration.
Enjoy in this raw vegan cream recipe !

General

4 Foods That Shouldn’t Be Kept In The Refrigerator

Post author By hfhadmin
Post date December 14, 2013

If you are a first-time visitor, please be sure to like us on Facebook and receive our exciting and innovative tutorials on health topics and natural remedies.

The refrigerator is a household appliance that thanks to the ability to lower the temperature can keep food fresh and healthy. But not all foods are good and tasty if are kept in the refrigerator. Some of the foods lose their flavor and reduce durability. Here are 4 foods that shouldn’t be kept in the refrigerator…

Potatoes

The potato is the best when is kept in a dark and dry place, and should be kept in room temperature because low temperature destroys the flavor of the potato.

Onions

Onions should be stored at room temperature in a mesh bag. It is important to emphasize that we should not kept onions near potatoes because they emit gases and accelerates rotting.

Garlic

As well as onions and garlic should be stored at room temperature in a mesh bag.

Tomatoes

Almost always we keep tomato in the refrigerator, but it fades away and loses its flavor, so experts say that it’s best to keep in a plastic bag at room temperature. If you want tomatoes to mature keep it in a paper bag.

Recipes

Green Smoothie With Pineapple

Post author By hfhadmin
Post date December 13, 2013

Amazing Gluten free recipe !

This is a very tasty smoothie that replaces a huge meal or you can just split it in several portions.

Ingredients:

1 small pineapple
a bundle of spinach
30 g nuts/ 8 ounces (previously soaked in water)
150-200 ml / 0.6-0.8 cups of water
(1 lemon)
(you can also add a carrot)

Preparation:

Put water and spinach in a blender.

Once spinach is well blended add nuts (you can also use pumpkin seeds). Add the next ingredient after you have blended well the ingredients you previously added. It could be pleasantly sour if you add some lemon, but with a whole pineapple in it, this smoothie would be huge so you can miss the lemon.

Use a small pineapple (for example, if you use 1kg, after cleaning it you will probably get around 500g). Add pineapple pieces at the end and blend it shortly, and you will get tiny pineapple pieces which will stimulate chewing while you drink this fresh green smoothie. It is good to mix food with saliva before swallowing it.

How to clean an pineapple?

1. Cut leaves off.

2 . Cut pineapple in 4 pieces.

3 . Cut the upper layer of each piece (about 1 cm), since it is more rigid and has different structure. It is easy to spot the parts you should remove.

4 . Cut each piece into 2, so you would get 8 pieces.

5 . Cut each piece along the bark as you cut watermelon.

6 . Cut pineapple into smaller pieces so it can be easily blended.

Q: Do you drink smoothies? How often?

I had a period in which smoothies were my first meal. It became an everyday routine for 2 months until my blender broke and it took 2 weeks to fix it. For that time I already had a new favorite first meal idea.

Tags gluten free recipe

Fruits Health

Quince – Real Natural Remedy

Post author By hfhadmin
Post date December 12, 2013

If you are a first-time visitor, please be sure to like us on Facebook and receive our exciting and innovative tutorials on health topics and natural remedies.

Quince originated in southwestern Asia, particularly in Persia and Anatolia, and as self-grown it can be also found in Central Europe. Quince tree can grow up to 7 feet, and often grow in the shape of a bush.

The fruit is shaped like an apple or pear with golden to red color, covered with hairs, which can be easily removed. Quince has a pleasant smell and sour taste.

This fruit was popular in ancient Greek culture, and ancient Greeks consumed it by preparing an interesting recipe. First they scooped the inner part of a quince, then filled it with honey. Prepared like this, ancient Greeks baked this delicious fruit.

In Greek mythology quince was a symbol for love and happiness. Romans used quince to produce essential oils used in perfumeries. In France quince is already known for centuries and this fruit is used not only for food but also for cosmetic and medical purposes.

Energy and nutritional value of quince

100 grams of fresh quince contain 57 kcal / 238 kJ – 0.4 % protein, 0.1 % fat, 15.3 % carbohydrates. It is rich in fiber and copper, and contains manu tannin substances.

Quince is a rich source of vitamin C (15 mg, which is 18.8 % of the recommended daily intake). It contains beta-carotene and malic acid. Quince is used in preparing delicious jam and jelly because of the pectin it contains.

Seeds contain mucus, 15 % oil, protein and a little amygdalin. Quince is excellent choice if you are making nice, homemade jam.

Healing power of quince

Fruits, leaves and seeds are used in healing purposes. Mucus found in seeds (Mucilago Cydoniae) is prepared by soaking seeds in water and this homemade remedy is used to treat wounds caused by long-term laying of patients and burns, and as a remedy for sore eyes and cracked skin.

Because of the mucus and pectin it contains, this fruit is very beneficial in treating throat, tonsils and respiratory tract inflammation.
Mucus is also used in cosmetic industry for making lotions and skin creams.

It is recommended to consume boiled quince to treat stomach and intestines inflammation, because of its power in relieving diarrhea. Quince fruit contain mucoid substances including: pectin, oil, amygdalin, phosphoric acid and vitamin C.

Quince is a natural remedy for treating anemia

Quince juice, boiled with equal parts of sugar, is an excellent remedy (syrup) against respiratory tract and throat diseases. Since quince is known for its tightening properties, it is recommended to use quince syrup while treating wounds, and it is helpful in relieving diarrhea.

Health Natural Remedies

Foods To Improve Thyroid Health

Post author By hfhadmin
Post date December 11, 2013

If you are a first-time visitor, please be sure to like us on Facebook and receive our exciting and innovative tutorials on health topics and natural remedies.

If you are trying to choose the best products that support the function of thyroid gland, you need to limit your intake of foods rich in goitrogen in favor of foods that help the function of the thyroid gland.

It is food especially rich in vitamin B and iron, fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants, seaweed, lean meat, fish, beans, olive oil and vegetable oil. Foods rich in B vitamins support the function of thyroid gland.

This kind of food includes liver, turkey, beef, Brazil nuts, potatoes, lentils, black beans and kefir. Fresh vegetables rich in iron are also beneficial for the function of thyroid gland.

These vegetables include beets and parsley. Whole grains are also beneficial for the thyroid gland, i.e. lentils, brown rice, barley, millet, popcorn, wild rice, oats and wheatmeal. Dr. Edward Bauman from the University of Natural Medicine in Santa Fe, New Mexico recommends consuming seaweed.

Thyroid problems are often caused by free radicals. On the other hand, foods rich in antioxidants protect us, i.e. the production of thyroid hormone – important for many body functions.

Having a healthy thyroid gland means consuming fresh fruits and vegetables, such as blueberries, tomatoes, cherries, zucchini and peppers. But broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, rapeseed, kale, turnips, kohlrabi and Brussels sprouts may have goitrogenic effect.

Even though these plants are considered to be healthy in many other respects, they contain certain ingredients that could potentially impede the function of thyroid gland.

If you consume this food in large quantities, it can even reduce the absorption of thyroid hormone. However, if you consume these foods cooked, steam cooked if possible, and not raw, goitrogenic effect decreases or even disappears. Lean meat, coldwater sea fish, flax and beans provide protein and help maintaining the health of thyroid gland.

Organic foods are especially good choice because these products do not contain certain steroids and hormones that can reduce natural production of thyroid hormones.

Omega – 3 fatty acids are important for the thyroid gland. Tuna and salmon are good sources when it comes to sea fish, rather than fish grown in ponds. In fact, fish fed with seaweed is a better source of omega – 3 fatty acids.

Flaxseed helps the function of thyroid gland (grind it in a coffee grinder and put it in your yoghurt, salads and soups). If you add flaxseed in cooked dishes, add it after you cook your meal, not before.

According to the advice coming from the University of Maryland, choosing healthy cooking oil is essential for the thyroid gland. Olive oil and coconut oil are good choices.

If you already have a problem with the thyroid gland, before you choose any of these foods, consult your doctor or specialist.