Nasty coughs that refuse to go away.....

Looks like the season for the dreaded coughs is here, especially when extreme hot afternoons are followed by storms in the evenings, here in KL.

I wish to share two potent home remedies for the coughs that seems to linger on for weeks. These recipes are courtesy of my dear mum. (She has plenty of these nifty recipes - my wonderful source for future sharing!)

Numero uno:

Ingredients:
- 1 medium size peeled Onion,
- 5 to 8 pieces of peeled small onions,
- 5 to 8 stalks of Lemon Grass (the root part),
- an inch of Ginger (about the size of an average sized thumb) - crushed, with or without skin is fine (remember to wash thoroughly if with skin),
- dried mandarin peel ('chan pei' in Cantonese, can be purchased from any Chinese Medicine Hall, or home made too, like my mum's),
- 1 lou han kuo (arhat fruit, some call it the magic fruit, a brown and round dried fruit that can be purchased from any Chinese Medicine Halls) - break open the fruit to reveal it's seeds and sweet pulp within, use together with the hard brown shell.
- if you like to, you can also add a 1 to 2 cloves of garlic (but be warned that garlic has potent smell, however it's healing properties for the lungs is great)
- 5 to 6 bowls (average sized rice bowl) of water

Put the above ingredients into a pot and cook till the water boils. Let it simmer for approximately 2 hours. Alternatively, boil till you can smell the aroma of the ingredients filling the air, and the lou han kuo taste is brought out. You can also put the ingredients to cook in a slow cooker at night and it is ready to drink by morning. You will ultimately get sweet brown soup much like the mata kuching dessert colour. But with a more potent aroma!

You can drink it hot or cool down to room temperature. If you keep the remainder chilled, for the next day, then do heat it up again. Use gas or electricity heating please, instead of microwave. :)

There is no need to add sugar as the Lou Han Kuo has natural sweetness that also soothes the throat and it is also anti-phlegm. The fruit's natural sweetness is diabetic and hypoglycemic patients friendly. For the weight conscious please note that the fruit's sweetness has no calories too! The ingredients above, all have their own healing properties. I shall share the specifics at a later time. Do look out for it.

Should you find that you are feeling a lot of heat, you might like to exclude the ginger. The concoction works just as well.

Numero Due:

This remedy requires the lotus root (1 small section each time) and some small amount of rock sugar to improve the taste if you are particular... (get rock sugar from chinese medicinal halls, as the rock sugar meant for remedies is soothing and has better healing properties)  - not white sugar -

You will need to clean the skin off the lotus root by scrapping with a knife's sharp side, lightly, to remove the dark layer. Then chop up the lotus root to reveal it's many holes within. Clean them well by running water through the hole to drain of any mud that might have been trapped within.

Next, grate the lotus root.

Put the grated lotus root into a bowl or deep plate, top with a little bit of rock sugar, and then steam it. You can steam it together when you cook rice (save power and fuel) or separately. This takes a minimum of 15 to 20 mnutes. There is no wrong to steam it longer too.

Once steamed the grated lotus root will appear greyish and with a consistency much like glue. Don't be put off by the appearance. I actually find it quite yummy. Of course if you are particular, then you might need some bit of water to consume this with. You can take it while it is warm or leave it to cool slightly.

It is good to make a fresh batch each time.

Many a hard-to-get-rid-of coughs have been banished by a few serving of this. Take it twice a day or three times if necessary. There is no harm in consuming this. You won't get OD-ed! Look at it as sweet lotus dessert! :-D

I have taken this and many of my friends and relatives have tried this too, with success. This remedy is especially good when the cough is phlegm-y.

Try this and share with us your experience please.

May your coughs be gone! :)

to microwave or not to microwave

Many of us rely on this modern technology for ease and time saving purposes. But we have also hear about the many effects of microwave on our food. So I like to thank my friend, Christine for sharing this story.

Please do use your own wisdom in reading and accepting anything shared here. :)

Christine's email goes like this:


MICROWAVE OVEN - Not the usual stories, please read
'Below is a science fair project that my granddaughter did for 2006. In it she took filtered water and divided it into two parts. The first part she heated to boiling in a pan on the stove, and the second part she heated to boiling in a microwave. Then after cooling she used the water to water two identical plants to see if there would be any difference in the growth between the normal boiled water and the water boiled in a microwave. She was thinking that the structure or energy of the water may be compromised by microwave. As it turned out, even she was amazed at the difference..)'

'I have known for years that the problem with microwaved anything is not the radiation people used to worry about, It's how it corrupts the DNA in the food so the body can not recognize it. So the body wraps it in fat cells to protect itself from the dead food or it eliminates it fast. Think of all the Mothers heating up milk in these 'Safe' appliances. What about the nurse in Canadathat warmed up blood for a transfusion patient and accidentally killed them when the blood went in dead. But the makers say it's safe. But proof is in the pictures of living plants dying.'

'FORENSIC RESEARCH DOCUMENT
Prepared by: William P. Koop
A.R.E.C. Research Operations
TO61-7R10/10-77F05
RELEASE PRIORITY: CLASS I ROO1a'







I am quite convinced of the experiment shared here but I am not so sure about the source of the experiment tho... anyone to enlighten me? :)
Perhaps someone could repeat the same experiment and share with us again?

copper Vs mozzies

YES! You didn't see wrong! That is a picture of a nasty mozzie! Why mozzie? You thought this blog is all about herbs and stuffs...? Well, why not? If this is about exploring natural solutions to our problems.... :)

Received an email from a childhood friend of mine on the use of copper coins to eliminate mosquito larva. Thanks for sharing Yoke Chun!

Initially I had thought this a good tip to share. On second thought, I decided to do more fact finding (ie goggle-ing) to see if there are any effects that we are unaware of. My rational was, if it kills the larvae of mozzies, it could kill anything too in enough volume and quantity. I did find some not so environmentally friendly facts about copper in the process. As such, I leave it to you, dear readers, to discern for yourself if this works for you. I guess, if one is to to try this, we should keep in mind it's effects on the environment and also potential harm to small animals (pets) and even children. We could do it 'responsibly'? Your call....

Here goes the mail which i received,

"Something useful…..."

"We cannot stop mosquitoes laying eggs in stagnant water e.g. in drains, ponds, water collected in waste pails, tanks, tins, used tyres etc. etc. Of course, if there are fishes inside the tanks/containers then there should not be any problem. Do you know that there is a very simple and economical way to destroy the mosquitoes' eggs thereby not letting them hatch into larvae.  Very, very simple. Just put in a few 1 cent copper coins into the tanks/containers to solve all your problems with breeding mosquitoes. Because in accordance to Japanese Research Scientists, they found the mosquitoes eggs will be destroyed by a kind of mineral discharge from the copper."

"DON'T BELIEVE? Try it yourself and even the small snails also will not visit the containers (with copper coins) collected with stagnant water.  You will observe that the water collected in the containers will be very clean and clear."

I have seen this being shared in some sites before. But, as i said earlier, my curiosity has the better of me. The following is what i dug up on copper. 

The United States Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has some pretty good information on water contamination by copper. Copper is a common mineral found almost anywhere. Our body also require copper but in very minute traces. Naturally too much of anything will bring harm. You can read more at http://www.freedrinkingwater.com/water-contamination/copper-contaminants-removal-water.htm.

This site, http://www.lenntech.com/periodic/elements/cu.htm gave a pretty good run down of its effects, quoted here too for your ease of reading,

Effects Long-term exposure to copper can cause irritation of the nose, mouth and eyes and it causes headaches, stomachaches, dizziness, vomiting and diarrhoea. Intentionally high uptakes of copper may cause liver and kidney damage and even death. Whether copper is carcinogenic has not been determined yet. There are scientific articles that indicate a link between long-term exposure to high concentrations of copper and a decline in intelligence with young adolescents. Whether this should be of concern is a topic for further investigation. Industrial exposure to copper fumes, dusts, or mists may result in metal fume fever with atrophic changes in nasal mucous membranes. Chronic copper poisoning results in Wilson’s Disease, characterized by a hepatic cirrhosis, brain damage, demyelination, renal disease, and copper deposition in the cornea.

The US state of Wisconsin's Department of Natural Resource has some good facts too. You can read more at http://dnr.wi.gov/org/water/dwg/copper.htm#health.

Pretty scary, right? But, fear not! Mosquitoes.org (http://www.mosquitoes.org/fpconst.html) - yes there is a site dedicated to these pest-on-wings - has some good recommendation for 'mosquito prevention' as they called it.  

So if I were to try this, i will definitely take great care that the water with copper coins is inaccessible to pets, children and even wild birds who would sometimes stop by for a tete-a-tete in between their hunting or mating ...... I would suggest you be too! 

Further note before I end this entry- I realised all households with water heaters do utilise copper pipes in some manner. Does this mean, we have to be careful of water from these pipes too? Well, i don't know. Perhaps any leaching will be in too small a trace to have any effect. But over time? 

Hmm.... i wonder who can we turn to for better solutions? I can only say, use with care!

I was wondering if man can transport King Kong to New York, perhaps someone will discover how to tame a mozzie in the future? Mozzies for pets anyone?

Cheers!

Wai

p/s - YC - i hope this entry does not discourage you from sharing future tips. hehehe! I look forward to more from you and all my friends out there! Take care!

Essential oil & Lavender

I have been an active user of essential oils for some time now. I am also very choosy of the grade of oil and its source.

An Aromatherapy Certification Intensive Course I attended a few years back by Mikael Zayat, changed my appreciation of essential oils forever. I realised then the great difference between pure therapeutic grade oil and most of the commercial stuffs sold out there. One thing for sure, we owe it to ourselves to  know how pure the essential oil we use are. Find out how was the process of extraction (which can be usually one of the three ways for different raw materials - distillation, expression ie compression, or solvent extraction) and also the source of the raw materials for the oil (ie where the plants are farmed or harvested from).

Some people will ask further, if the plants harvested are genetically modified, or if any genetically modified organisms are used for pest control. We certainly don't want to use oil that has been derived from plants sprayed chemically or fertilised with hazardous stuffs.

The highest grade is referred to as therapeutic grade, which means they can be used to promote health in massages for example, on the skin, pure, diluted or diffused in the air. There are also food grade oil which means the oil from herbs and spice that can be taken or used in cooking or orally. Needless to say, I would advice anyone to choose only the highest grade for obvious health and safety reasons.

An easy way to realise or test the differences between pure and 'adulterated' essential oil is by trusting our own olfactory, the nose. Trust me, one sniff and you will realised the huge difference between pure or otherwise.

I have long since stayed away from anything labelled fragrant oil and scented oil with dilution in various chemically produced addition, trusting only pure therapeutic graded ones. So therefore, we owe it to ourselves to read the labels carefully and ask for information when in doubt.

Having said all the above, my reason for sharing now is to talk about Lavender oil. I find this one of the most handy and easy to use essential oil to aid healing especially. From my own experience, I have used lavender oil in spritzing a room (a few drops mixed into a water spray) to up-lift and chase away musty, moldy smell of stagnant air and carpets (especially in hotel rooms). Great to use in your ironing spray too for that real fresh scent on your clothes, towels and linens.

One of lavender oil's best use is for women, especially for premenstrual and menstrual cramps. I have seen it take effect with my sister who is proned to the cramps from time to time. A few drops pure therapeutic grade lavender oil onto a hot or warm moist towel, then applied to the region below the navel will do wonders.

Another way to apply the oil is in massages. I used a few drops of the pure lavender oil on the hand to rub into troubled areas of cramps and sprain. Headaches and neckaches are soothed just as well. The popular way of long ago was to put a few drops on the oil into hot water, then the vapour is inhaled. Nowadays, we use diffuser or a burner. Lavender oil has soothed many of my migrane days. Great to brew some lavender tea to help along too!

There have been stories of pure lavender oil helping to sooth minor burns, insect bites and even smoothening of scarred skin from lacerated and burn wounds.

A few drops in warm bath water does the trick to calm down a stressful body too. Soothing to babies as well.

There are a variety of lavender flowers available, from True Lavender to Spike Lavender and many more in between. However, there are no noticeable difference in the quality of oil produced from different varieties, though some folks do have their own preferences.

So if you must choose an essential oil for the first aid kit in your home, I would say, go for lavender.

Cheers!

p/s - i have used pure lavender oil by Mikael Zayat and from Young Living and have found them both most agreeable to my needs!

Interesting links -

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essential_oil

2. http://www.4dshift.com/products/html/articles.html#25

3. http://www.howtouseessentialoils.net/?s=lavender

4. http://www.youngliving.com.my/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=83:lavender-essential-oil&catid=41:roknewspager-showcase&Itemid=166

A minute to read and ponder...

While researching and reading through the variety of materials from the net, I came upon this story of Abraham ( http://www.angelfire.com/az/sthurston/abraham_cherrix.html) of his and his family's fight for the right to reject modern medicine in treatment of cancer. I do hope you take some time to read through his story.

Abraham was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease and after an initial chemotherapy treatment, he refused further treatment with it. When his parents supported his decision, they were accused of neglect and were taken to court. Although a ruling by a lower court decided against the parents, they won on appeal. (Yay!)

An update of his story is included in Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_v._Cherrix. He is apparently still battling his illness, his way. Let's share some good positive thoughts of support to him and his parents for doing what they believed in. I think they have shown great courage and strength for us to emulate and gain inspiration from. I wonder, what would I have done in his shoes? What would you have done? ...

Cinnamon & Honey

Thanks Weisuan for this entry. I must credit all my friends, supporters and contributors for the wonderful ideas and contribution. :)

So ... looking at yr email, it was from Peishih. So thanks to her too and everyone before her... haha!

I have come to know about the wonders of cinnamon for quite a while now. My mum had her period of cinnamon-ing everything a few years back....coffee, tea, maggi mee soup, noodles, bread, anything she could think of then.... Haha!

As usual, I have attached links at the end of this page for your reading pleasure. There are much written about this king of spice, i recalled reading somewhere (though i know not where, now), that in ancient Egypt it is even more treasured than gold (it is a vital ingredient in the embalming process of the mummies)!

Many a myths were created in the ancient days as to where this wonder came from. Some myths borned out the ancient traders' overly furtile imagination, were intended to keep the traders' sources a secret and in order for them to charge very high prices on their cinnamon supplies!

It has certainly been the cause of many wars to gain control of the source of cinnamon especially in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and in the east such as the Malay archipelagos including Indonesia and Peninsular Malaysia in the 1600s to 1800s.

There are really several types of cinnamon. Most sought after is the true cinnamon, Cinnamomun zeylanicum, from Sri Lanka. True cinnamon is apparently the most precious variety. The ancient Chinese treasured this and called this "kwai pei" (in Cantonese). "Kayu manis" is its Malay name, while it is called "pattai" in Tamil.

In the present days, the commercially grown ones are usually a combination or of the cassia variety, Cinnamomun aroticum, or C. cassia. This has a stronger flavour, therefore requiring little less quantity for its effect in cooking and flavouring. Apparently this is a better choice for sweet recipes.

An interesting extract out of Wikipedia says, "Due to the presence of a moderately toxic component called coumarin, European health agencies have recently warned against consuming large amounts of cassia.^[18] This is contained in much lower dosages in Cinnamomum burmannii due to its low essential oil content. Coumarin is known to cause liver and kidney damage in high concentrations. True Ceylon cinnamon has negligible amounts of coumarin." So please be informed in the proper and liberal use of this spice.

It is with intention that I am leaving out the other subject highlighted today, Honey, which is also known as the Food of Gods, in ancient times. I will cover honey in another posting as it certainly warrant a highlight of its own. So watch out for it soon.

Back to the email as mentioned above. The email reads:

"Cinnamon and Honey ~ Bet the drug companies won't like this one getting around."

"Facts on Honey and Cinnamon:"

"It is found that a mixture of honey and cinnamon cures most diseases. Honey is produced in most of the countries of the world. Scientists of today also accept honey as a 'Ram Ban' (very effective) medicine or all kinds of diseases."

"Honey can be used without any side effects for any kind of diseases."

"Today's science says that even though honey is sweet, if taken in the right dosage as a medicine, it does not harm diabetic patients. Weekly World News, a magazine in Canada , in its issue dated 17 January,1995 has given the following list of diseases that can be cured by honey and cinnamon as researched by western scientists:"

"HEART DISEASES:

Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder, apply on bread, instead of jelly and jam, and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces the cholesterol in the arteries and saves the patient from heart attack. Also those who have already had an attack, if they do this process daily, they are kept miles away from the next attack. Regular use of the above process relieves loss of breath and strengthens the heart beat."

"Arthritis patients:

May take daily, morning, and night, one cup of hot water with two spoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon powder. If Taken regularly even chronic arthritis can be cured. In a recent research conducted at Copenhagen University, it was found that when the doctors treated their patients with a mixture of one tablespoon of Honey and half teaspoon of cinnamon powder before breakfast, they found that within a week, out of the 200 people so treated, practically 73 patients were totally relieved of pain, and within a month, mostly all the patients who could not walk or move around because of arthritis started walking without pain."

"BLADDER INFECTIONS:

Take two tablespoons of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a glass of lukewarm water and drink it.. It destroys the germs in the bladder."

"CHOLESTEROL:

Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of Cinnamon Powder mixed in 16 ounces of tea water, given to a cholesterol patient, was found to reduce The level of cholesterol in the blood by 10 percent within two hours. As mentioned for arthritic patients, if taken three times a day, any chronic cholesterol is cured.According to information received in the said Journal, pure honey taken with food daily relieves complaints of cholesterol."

"COLDS:

Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one tablespoon lukewarm honey with 1/4 spoon cinnamon powder daily for three days. This Process will cure most chronic cough, cold, and clear the sinuses."

"UPSET STOMACH:

Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomach ache and also clears stomach ulcers from the root."

"GAS:

According to the studies done in India and Japan , it is revealed that if honey is taken with cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved of gas."

"IMMUNE SYSTEM:

Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and protects the body from bacteria and viral attacks. Scientists have found that honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts. Constant use of honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight bacteria and viral diseases."

"INDIGESTION:

Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of honey taken before food relieves acidity and digests the heaviest of meals."

"INFLUENZA:

A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains a natural 'Ingredient' Which kills the influenza germs and saves the patient from flu."

"LONGEVITY:

Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder, when taken regularly, arrests the ravages of old age. Take four spoons of honey, one spoon of cinnamon powder And three cups of water and boil to make like tea. Drink 1/4 cup, three to four times a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and arrests old age. Life spans also increases and even a 100 year old, starts performing the chores of a 20-year-old."

"PIMPLES:

Three tablespoons of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder paste apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash it next morning with Warm water. If done daily for two weeks, it removes pimples from the root."

"SKIN INFECTIONS:

Applying honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts on the affected parts cures eczema, ringworm and all types of skin infections."

"WEIGHT LOSS:

Daily in the morning one half hour before breakfast on an empty stomach and at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one cup of water. If taken regularly, it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. Also, drinking this mixture regularly does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body even though the person may eat a high calorie diet."

"CANCER:

Recent research in Japan and Australia has revealed that advanced cancer of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully. Patients suffering from these kinds of cancer should daily take one tablespoon of honey with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder for one month three time s a day.."

"FATIGUE:

Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey is more helpful rather than being detrimental to the strength of the body. Senior citizens, who take honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts, are more alert and flexible. Dr. Milton, who has done research, says that a half tablespoon of honey taken in a glass of water and sprinkled with cinnamon powder, taken daily after brushing and in the afternoon at about 3:00 P.M. When the vitality of the body starts to decrease, increases the vitality of the body within a week."

"BAD BREATH:

People of South America , first thing in the morning, gargle with one teaspoon of honey and cinnamon powder mixed in hot water, so their breath stays fresh throughout the day."

"HEARING LOSS:

Daily morning and night honey and cinnamon powder, taken in equal parts restore hearing. Remember when we were kids? We had toast with real butter and cinnamon sprinkled on it!"

"ARTHRITIS:

In America and Canada , various nursing homes have treated patients successfully and have found that as you age, the arteries and veins lose their flexibility and get clogged; honey and cinnamon revitalize the arteries and veins."

Interesting links and sources of information:

1. http://homecooking.about.com/od/foodhistory/a/cinnamonhistory.htm

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamon

3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamomum_aromaticum

4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamomum_burmannii

5. http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/10-health-benefits-of-cinnamon.html

6. Interestingly, HealthDiaries.com shared the problem of allergies from cinnamon. Do have a read at http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/allergy-to-cinnamon.html

7. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=68

8. http://www.angelfire.com/az/sthurston/honeyandcinnamon.html

9. http://www.naturalnews.com/cinnamon.html

Parsley or Petroselinum crispum.

One of my favourite songs from Simon and Garfunkel, Scarbourough Fair with it's lyric going, "parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme..." famously named the four most popular herbs used.

My favourites too! Especially, for making the one-pot wonder, the stew, either with meat or vegetarian with lots of onions, garlic, mushrooms, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, and peas! And don't forget the herbs ...all four please. I normally use the dried herbs to stew with, and add fresh parsley just as the whole dish is cooked or right before serving.

Wonderful with either bread or rice - a truly versatile dish! I can also cook it spicy with some chilly and paprika. Cook it with safron and some curry powder, it turns into a very eastern dish! Truly handy when you have that potluck to go to but so little time to prepare. Great to whip up in a short time after a long and tiring day at work. Let the whole thing cook while you take a refreshing soak in the tub!

Anyway, what prompted this is the few similar emails i have received recently on the wonders of parsley.

The email reads,

"Years pass by and our kidneys are filtering the blood by removing salt, poison and any unwanted entering our body. With time, the salt accumulates and this needs to undergo cleaning treatments."

"How are we going to do this? It is very easy, first take a bunch of parsley and wash it clean."

"Then cut it in small pieces and put it in a pot and pour clean water and boil it for ten minutes and let it cool down and then filter it and pour in a clean bottle and keep it inside refrigerator to cool."

"Drink one glass daily and you will notice all salt and other accumulated poison coming out of your kidney by urination. Also you will be able to notice the difference which you never felt before."

"Parsley is known as best cleaning treatment for kidneys and it is natural!"

This has prompted me to google "parsley" to find out more about what it really is. Loads of information as usual. Reading from the many websites, I do not doubt what is suggested by the email above.

Aside from what was described in the email i received, the parsley is known through time for its many properties to cure digestive disorder, bronchitis, and as general tonic. It was also used together with other ingredients to relieve kidney and bladder stones.

I got more curious when a friend asked me about the differences in parsley and chinese parsley. representatively, parsley is as in the picture above with a its smaller curlier leaves. The leaves are also more compact. The chinese parsley, on the other hand, is the other bunch with bigger leaves. There is a distinct difference between the two, in texture and in flavour. Texture wise, parsley is bite-ier (in lack of a word i can think of) but less 'pungent' as some people describes it. I love the taste and don't mind loads of it.

Chinese parsley is definitely stronger in taste and goes well with soup or meat and potato dishes. It is also known as coriander leaves or cilantro (aha!).

Another interesting fact is that corianders are the fruits harvested from mature plants. Apparently, plants are grown differently for its leaves and fruits.

The parsley interestingly has come from a rather unglamorous beginning in the days of the ancient Greek, when the herb was sprinkled on corpses to mask the smell. These days it is considered as rather 'pedestrian' as described by www.theepicentre.com, relegated to being garnishing and such.

However, i absolutely enjoy the simple parsley in every way. A simple way to dress up some plain rice is to add freshly chopped parsley into freshly cooked rice, with a little fried garlic and oil to boot. Quite 'glam' if I may add, to one's buffet spread for parties.

There are also interesting recipes and videos of cooking with parsley in Answers.com. Do have a peek.

Storage:

I found storing this a tad difficult, as the leaves wilt all too easily. However, it does keep longer either freshly cut n put into a jar of water, or cleaned, washed and dried before keeping the leaves in its stalks wrapped in paper towel in the fridge.

Links:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parsley

2. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-cilantro.htm

3. http://www.answers.com/topic/parsley

4. http://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/parsley.html

Curry Leaves

Wikipedia says that it is also popularly known as Sweet Neem Leaves or Helichrysum italicum.

I love the leaves fried, popularly used in adding that dash of aroma to dishes such as spicy or butter prawns in Malaysia. Each crunch finds a release of the wonderful aroma in one's mouth, and marry that with the rice ... yumm... it really makes every mouthful a real treat indeed.

However, I am warned that commercially grown curry leaves are rather lethal in that they are sprayed with loads of insecticides due to the nature of the curry leaves plant being easily attacked by bugs, ants and what have you's.

So do wash the ones bought from the market properly. Most homes in Malaysia will have a plant or two, especially when curry is such a staple to us all!

What I have been told about the curry leaves which I find most interesting, is it's apparently curative nature for diabetic wounds. It is claimed that a healthy bunch of the leaves, perhaps as much as one can hold on one hand, when boiled in a medium sized kettle or pot of plain water, and taken daily will help a person with difficult-to-heal diabetic wounds to heal. I have not seen this at work with my own eyes, but some folks i know swear by it. Apparently, taking the water helps the wound to dry up and heal, instead of the open sores and such progressing further.

The boiled water is simply taken as drinking water. Of course I think it would be best to make new batch daily. My apologies for the lack of measurement as to how much of the leaves and water, but it seems there is really no real harm to take this as long as it is required, for the wounds to heal. Having said that, the leaves do have laxative effect too.

As with anything, I always believe in having the wisdom of moderation, when in doubt.

There are many more interesting properties of the curry leaves. As one of the links below has suggested, taking 10 fresh mature curry leaves a day for 3 months will help to prevent hereditary diabetes from manifesting. Some curry leaves daily is claimed to help keep the grey hair at bay and many more...

I shall not duplicate the information when you can glean them from the links posted below. I did find out that information about the humble curry leaves out there is endless. Another of nature's wonder packed into such a tiny packaging.

Interesting facts:

Buzzle.com explains that, the curry leaf contains : 2.6% oil, beta-caryophyllene, beta-gurjenene, beta-elemene, beta-phellandrene, beta-thujene, alpha-selinene, beta-bisabolene, beta-transocimene and beta-cadinene.

Seems like a lot of goodness in such small leaves.

Storage:

The best way to keep store-bought leaves longer is to ensure the leaves are washed and dried properly before laying the leaves onto kitchen papertowels and stored in an opened container in the fridge. It can be frozen too but usually, frozen leaves appears transparent and brittle. So i prefer to have it in the fridge instead, where the leaves will be further dried and able to be kept longer.

Interesting links:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curry_Tree

2. http://www.citras.com.my/community/mvalue/curryleaves.html

3. http://healthy-lifestyle.most-effective-solution.com/2007/04/29/the-curry-leaf-magic-in-the-kariveppillai/

4. http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/8-16-2004-57909.asp

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Please read this post first.

I am pleased to share, here, information regarding herbs, natural remedies and other stuffs that interest me, such as food, cooking and more food.

For starters, i shall share here information i have gathered from the net as well as from the wise folks around me about the use of herbs and natural remedies. By the latter I refer to my family members and friends who has been swapping and sharing old wives' remedies since I can remember. Many of these remedies would be lost forever as no one has really written them down.

Waiver of responsibilities and liabilities:

I must add here that the natural remedies shared here are merely transcribed from what i hear and received information on. It is certainly not flawless. Nor do i claimed them to be scientifically nor medically tested.

I do not claim these to be replacement of proper medical aid and attention. I believe anyone with any ill health and diseases should always seek proper medical advice, attention, care and aid.

However, should anyone choose to try natural remedies instead of regular medical aid and care, or to combine both, it shall be entirely out of the person's own free will and choice to do so. I would advice that choosing natural remedies over regular medical care and medication, one should be wise enough to find out and know sufficient and proper information regarding his/her choice(s), including the various risks at hand of stopping regular medical aid and care for their condition(s) and illnesses. One should also find out and be aware of possibilities of allergies one has to various herbs or properties of herbs to avoid further complications.

Do discuss and talk to your medical doctor/physician about your plans to try natural remedies.

I waive all responsibilities and liabilities resulting from anyone's use of his/her own free will to choose and try alternative natural remedies suggested here. I shall not be responsible for any outcome whatsoever that follows the use of natural and alternative remedies shared here. I am merely sharing them here as information for everyone's knowledge, hence please use your wise discretion and judgment for any of your decisions to try the remedies. 

I do not claim that all information presented here are 100% accurate. Please do research and discern appropriately.

By the way, I also disclaim all responsibilities on food that didn't come out right if anyone should follow my cooking tips too! And, if one gets indigestion or food poisoning from consuming the food from these recipes, please point the finger at the hygiene factors of your food preparation, and freshness of your ingredients too! I was not there to have a hand in it's preparation. ;)

Sharing:

I also encourage readers to write in and share their stuffs on natural remedies and herbs too. Should you discover a link with good and reliable information on herbs and such, do share too.

Links and such:

In addition to the remedies I get from my sources, I will also post useful and interesting links to sites with information on herbs and natural remedies. Should you be the owner of the links I have posted and that you wish not to have link to your website(s) included here, please drop me a note. I shall take the link(s) off this blog.

It is also assumed that links and pictures I used here are free for such purpose as they are sourced from public domains. Do drop me a line to take off any pictures and information that may have been erroneously included here, and i shall gladly take them off this blog.

Lastly....

My objective in writing and sharing this blog is to share and discover together with my readers the wonderful healing power of nature, that which Mother Earth blesses us with but is slowly being forgotten over time. This, I believe is one way of getting to know one of the many properties of abundance bestowed upon us by nature, ie of nature's own curative and healing potentials. Hopefully we will learn to appreciate Mother Nature much better and to regard her gifts with gratitude.

I hope everyone will enjoy this learning process with me! :)

Enjoy!