Halamang gamot- Luya (Ginger)

Latin Name -Zingiber officinale

Ginger is a tropical plant that has green-purple flowers and an aromatic underground stem called a rhizome. Ginger is commonly used as a spice in cooking, and is prominent in Chinese, Indian, and Japanese cuisine. The rhizome of the ginger plant is used fresh or dried, and used as an ingredient in tablets, capsules, liquid extracts (tinctures), and teas. Ginger is also used as a flavoring in food and beverages, such as ginger ale.

Traditionally, ginger has been used in Asian medicine to treat stomach aches, nausea, and diarrhea. Many digestive, nausea, and cold and flu dietary supplements sold in the United States contain ginger extract as an ingredient.

Ginger is used as an herbal remedy in the hope that it can help alleviate symptoms of postsurgery nausea as well as nausea caused by motion and chemotherapy.

Ginger is the subject of research for its ability to help reduce inflammation, and its effectiveness as a potential herbal remedy for inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and joint and muscle pain.

Research studies are mixed on whether ginger is effective for nausea caused by motion, chemotherapy, or surgery.

According to research up to this point, it is unclear whether ginger is effective in treating rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, or joint and muscle pain.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) funded investigators are studying:

• Whether ginger interacts with drugs, such as those used to suppress the immune system.
• Ginger’s effect on reducing nausea in patients on chemotherapy.
• The general safety and effectiveness of ginger’s use for health purposes, as well as its active components and effects on inflammation.

Suggested link to related articles: Ginger's Health Benefits

Side Effects and Cautions Summary

• Ginger side effects most often reported are gas, bloating, heartburn, and nausea. These effects are most often associated with powdered ginger.
• Tell your health care providers about any complementary and alternative practices you use. Give them a full picture of what you do to manage your health to help ensure coordinated and safe care. Complementary or alternative therapy should not be used in place of conventional medical care or to delay seeking that care.

Sources


Ginger. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Web site. Accessed July 6, 2007.
Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe). Natural Standard Database Web site. Accessed a July 3, 2007.
Ginger root. In: Blumenthal M, Goldberg A, Brinckman J, eds. Herbal Medicine Expanded Commission E Monographs. Newton, MA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2000:153–159.
Ginger (Zingiber officinale). In: Coates P, Blackman M, Cragg G, et al., eds. Encyclopedia of Dietary Supplements. New York, NY: Marcel Dekker; 2005:241–248.

Ginger's Health Benefits: Fighting Pain, Inflammation, Arthritis

Ginger's Health Benefits: Fighting Pain, Inflammation, Arthritis

Fragrant herbs and spices such as ginger are some of the most powerful weapons we have to help combat inflammation from a nutritional perspective.

Inflammation causes or contributes to obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease and many types of cancer, as I wrote in a recent review that appeared in Nutrition in Clinical Practice.

Aromatic ginger is a superstar of traditional medicine in Asia, where it has been treasured for thousands of years for its amazing flavors and impressive health benefits.

Ginger Used as Painkiller for Arthritis

Ginger contains dozens of the most potent inflammation fighting substances known, phytonutrients called gingerols.

Japanese researchers writing in the Journal of Medicinal Food explain that red ginger (Zingiber officinale var. Rubra) is used in Indonesian traditional medicine as a painkiller for arthritis.

In research done over the past 30 years, science has found support for the anti-inflammatory properties of ginger, according to a review published in the Journal of Medicinal Food. The authors note that one early study compared the medicinal potential of ginger to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID's). Common examples of NSAID's include Advil, Motrin, Aleve and aspirin. It found that ginger, like the NSAID's, inhibits the enzymes cyclooxygenase-1 and cyclooxygenase-2. (Cox 1 and 2).

More Health Benefits of Ginger

As I explain in my book "Power Healing," ginger contains over four hundred chemically active ingredients and has been used traditionally for digestive complaints. It may protect the stomach from ulcers and has a wide range of parasite-fighting abilities.

Studies indicate that ginger may be helpful for nausea, and migraine headaches.

What is Ginger and How is it Used?

Ginger is a rhizome, and is akin to a carrot with multiple stems. It is remarkably simple to use. It is available as a powder which can add instant flavor to favorite dishes such as soups and chili. In addition, fresh ginger is available here to be used sliced or grated and cooked.

Healthy Eating Tips: How to Add Ginger to Your Day

Ginger is adding international style and flair to dishes in fashionable restaurants, so why not bring some of that great flavor home to your kitchen? After these tips, please see below for a recipe featuring ginger.

Ginger is used often in Chinese cuisine, where it gives dishes a touch of spiciness. In the U.S., ginger is widely available as a powdered spice, and this makes a handy pantry item. Fresh ginger provides even more flavor and aroma and can be found right in your supermarket. Look for fresh ginger that is firm to the touch and not wilted, dried out or moldy. Choose fresh ginger that is organically grown in the U.S.

To use fresh ginger, remove the dark peel and cut a section of the light colored root. Finely chop the ginger and it is ready to use in recipes for cooked dishes.

Making Fresh Ginger Tea

Fresh ginger tea can be made by adding finely chopped ginger to boiled water, letting it steep for 2-3 minutes, and then straining out the ginger.

And don't forget about including anti-inflammatory foods like ginger in your routine.

suggested links to related articles:

• Natural Anti- Inflammatory Foods and Supplements That Help Arthritis
• recipe featuring ginger: Vegetarian Curry

Halamang Gamot: Aloe Vera – Know What This Herb Does What

Aloe Vera – Know What This Herb Does What


Latin Names – Aloe vera, Aloe barbadensis

The aloe vera plant is a hardy evergreen perennial that is used as an herbal remedy around the world. It has spiky green leaves that contain a clear gel that has traditionally been used as a topical ointment on the skin as a moisturizer and also for wounds, burns, sunburn and psoriasis.

Dried aloe vera gel has been used as an ingredient in various treatments in European folk healing as well as Chinese and Indian traditions. The green part of the leaf that surrounds the gel is used to produce a juice or a dried substance (called latex) that is used as an ingredient in herbal remedies.

Aloe vera has been in use as an herbal remedy for over 4,000 years. Today aloe vera is grown in quantity in the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, Africa, India and China. Aloe vera can also be grown at home, as an ornamental shrub in the garden or indoors in pots.

Traditionally, aloe vera was used topically to facilitate healing of wounds and for various skin conditions, and orally as a stomach remedy. In China, aloe was used for fungal conditions. In India, aloe was used as a stomach treatment, as a laxative, and for parasites.

Today, aloe is also used topically in the hope of improving osteoarthritis, burns, and sunburns. Aloe vera gel can be found in hundreds of skin products, including lotions and sunblocks.

Aloe vera latex contains strong laxative compounds. Products made with various components of aloe (aloin, aloe-emodin, and barbaloin) were at one time regulated by the FDA as oral over-the-counter (OTC) laxatives. In 2002, the FDA required that all OTC aloe laxative products be removed from the U.S. market or reformulated because the companies that manufactured them did not provide the necessary safety data.

Aloe has been studied for its health benefits such as its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects. Early studies show that topical aloe gel may help heal burns and abrasions. One study, however, showed that aloe gel inhibits healing of deep surgical wounds. Although aloe vera has been used following radiation exposure, one study concluded that aloe gel does not prevent burns from radiation therapy.

There is not enough scientific evidence to support aloe vera for any of its other uses.

Side Effects and Cautions Summary

• Abdominal cramps and diarrhea have been reported with oral use of aloe vera. Diarrhea, caused by the laxative effect of oral aloe vera, can decrease the absorption of many drugs.
• Aloe vera can cause allergic reactions.
• People with diabetes who use glucose-lowering medication should be cautious if also taking aloe by mouth because preliminary studies suggest aloe may lower blood glucose levels.
• Tell your health care providers about any complementary and alternative practices you use. Give them a full picture of what you do to manage your health to help ensure coordinated and safe care. Complementary or alternative therapy should not be used in place of conventional medical care or to delay seeking that care.

Sources

Aloe. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Web site. June 5, 2007.

Aloe(Aloe vera). Natural Standard Database Web site. Accessed on June 3, 2007.

Secondhand smoke may affect kids' mental health

Secondhand smoke may affect kids' mental health
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Breathing secondhand smoke could increase a child's risk of mental and behavioral disorders, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), suggests a new study.

The study adds to evidence suggesting that kids of mothers who smoked while pregnant may be more likely to have behavioral problems. Secondhand smoke exposure has also been linked to heart and breathing problems in kids.

"It's time for us to begin to prevent children's exposure to (secondhand smoke) if we are serious about preventing these diseases," Dr. Bruce Lanphear, who heads the Cincinnati Children's Environmental Health Center, told Reuters Health.

"We have sufficient evidence to prevent many of these diseases, but we don't," added Lanphear, who was not involved in the study.

The authors, led by Frank Bandiera of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, studied the link between secondhand smoke and mental health in a nationally representative sample of almost 3,000 kids ages 8 to 15.

Researchers measured the level of cotinine - which forms when nicotine in tobacco breaks down - in each kid's blood to find which kids had been exposed to secondhand smoke. Kids with the highest levels of cotinine were considered to be smokers themselves, and were not included in the study.

The researchers also interviewed all kids to see which ones showed symptoms of a mental or behavioral disorder.

After taking into account factors such as age and race, boys who were exposed to secondhand smoke were more likely to show symptoms of ADHD, depression, anxiety, and conduct disorder than those with no secondhand smoke exposure. Girls who were exposed to secondhand smoke had more symptoms of ADHD and anxiety only.

However, the number of kids actually diagnosed with most of the conditions was still small. While 201 kids, or about 7 percent, had enough symptoms of ADHD to be diagnosed with the disorder, only 15 kids were diagnosed with depression and 9 with an anxiety disorder.

Researchers acknowledge that it can be difficult to separate the effects of secondhand smoke from harm caused by mothers smoking while those children were in the womb.

In a commentary accompanying the study, Dr. Jonathan Samet from the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California said that more research is needed to determine how exactly exposure to secondhand smoke could affect kids' brains.

Bandiera also noted that the study can't prove that secondhand smoke causes mental and behavioral disorders. But in the meantime, he told Reuters Health, "We should keep the kids away from secondhand smoke."

His study was published online Monday in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine alongside research from UK authors also showing a link between secondhand smoke exposure and poor mental health in about 900 kids.

The U.S. Surgeon General has estimated that about 60 percent of children are exposed to secondhand smoke.

Lanphear said that while there might not be enough definitive evidence to tie secondhand smoke exposure to mental health problems, it would be a "surprise" if there was not a link between the two.

The authors conclude that more efforts are needed both to ban smoking in all public places where there are children and to prevent kids from being exposed to secondhand smoke at home.

SOURCE: bit.ly/ejjQQ4 Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, online April 4, 2011.