As I was researching herbal remedies for sore throat, I came across this article on South Asian home remedies which recommends a tea made of holy basil, black peppercorns, crushed cloves and a bit of crushed ginger, to relieve symptoms of common colds and flu.

Basil? Apparently, aside from its antibacterial and other health benefits, basil contain volatile oils that has anti-inflammatory properties, which basically act the same way as your over the counter aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen (source). Want more scientific proof? Check out this animal trial published in Fitoterapia.

The past few days, I’ve been suffering from sore throat. It started as some allergies, I suspect to pollen or dust mite, and while the itching has already subsided, I’m left with a scratchy throat. I know that ginger is a well-known home remedy for sore throat but I’m not particularly fond of ginger (though ginger-cola does sound interesting), so I surfed the web for alternatives.

I’ve found an article that cites 20 alternatives to ginger for curing sore throat! The options range from something as simple as salted water gargle to herbs I’m not that familiar with, such as Goldenseal …read more

Here’s a snippet from the July/August Issue of Health Magazine: the Head-to-Toe Guide to Natural Health:

Eyes: Keep your vision sharp with bilberries, which are packed with antioxidants—even more than their blueberry cousins.
Sinuses: Research shows that oils from dill, bishop’s weed, and cumin work as well as or better than antibiotics against eight types of common bacterial infections.
Breasts: Flaxseed reduces inflammation and tumor growth.
Tummy: Get rid of your burping and bloating with digestive-enzyme supplements which are available in capsule form. Mint has also long been considered a tummy soother.
Feet: To ease the chronic pain of plantar fasciitis (an inflammatory condition), try …read more

I’ve blogged about the spice turmeric and its reported health benefits on maladies such as cancer, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s disease, among others. Now, new data from animal trials also indicate that turmeric– and its active anti-oxidant ingredient, curcumin – reverses many of the inflammatory and metabolic problems associated with obesity and improves blood-sugar control in mouse models of Type 2 diabetes.
These are just preliminary data from animal trials and therefore further trials are necessary to see if these health benefits will also apply to humans. Besides, the dosages they used in the experiments were quite high, and though turmeric …read more

Here’s another reason why mulled wines may be considered as health drinks: cinnamon confers a lot of health benefits: lowers LDL cholesterol and blood sugar, prevents leukemia and lymphoma, antimicrobial, anti-blood clotting, anti-arthritis, and many others.
Aside from mulled wine, gingerbreads and other holiday treats, what other recipes do you know of that calls for cinnamon?

A reader sent me a tip about Men’s Health article titled “The 10 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating”, and while it was originally written with men in mind, I think the info is something we can all benefit from, gender aside. According to the article, here are ten of the healthiest foods (and what makes them superfoods) you should consider tossing in your shopping cart next time you head to the grocery:
1. Beets: “…one of the best sources of both folate and betaine. These two nutrients work together to lower your blood levels of homocysteine, an inflammatory compound that can …read more

There are so many benefits to drinking green tea, there probably should be a blog dedicated to just this one drink (or maybe there is one already?). The latest study indicates that compounds found in green tea may protect from bladder inflammation.
“We discovered that catechins found in green tea protected both normal and cancerous bladder cells from inflammation when we exposed the cells to hydrogen peroxide,” said Michael B. Chancellor, M.D., professor of urology and gynecology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. “Although further studies are needed, these results indicate herbal supplements from green tea could be a …read more

A new study presented at the Experimental Biology annual meeting suggest that cherries may help lower the risk of metabolic syndrome (also called insulin resistance syndrome) and cardiovascular disease. In the study, rats were fed whole tart cherry powder equivalent to 1 or 10 percent of their diet for 90 days. That’s estimated to be about 1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups of whole frozen cherries or a little more than ½ cup of dried cherries.
Results showed that the cherry-enriched diets significantly lowered total cholesterol levels, triglycerides, insulin and fasting glucose levels after 90 days. All of these measures are …read more

Soon, green tea is going to be a panacea for all diseases, I think. Because of its epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) content, green tea has been demonstrated to have potentials in preventing or treating autoimmune diseases, HIV infection, cancer, and others.
A new study also suggests that EGCG may also provide therapeutic benefits to people with rheumatoid arthritis.
The researchers looked at whether the green tea compound has the capability to block the activity of two potent molecules, IL-6 and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), which also are actively involved in causing bone erosion in the joints of people with rheumatoid arthritis.
[In untreated cells], a sequence …read more

During the last few days, one of the top resolutions I’ve read and heard people make is that they are going to try and eat healthier this year. The way they said it, they sounded like it was some sort of death sentence!
Well, no need to mope, guys! If you’ve been reading this blog, you’ll know by now that healthy food does not necessarily equate to bland, boring, and tasteless stuff you eat just to stave off hunger. Forbes gives us a slideshow, featuring 9 surprisingly healthy foods:
1. Chocolates: Dark ones for your heart, milky ones for your brain.
2. …read more