It’s the love-month of February! Planning to prepare some special treats for Valentine’s Day? You can’t go wrong with this! Bittersweet Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cupcakes combine superfoods such as honey, chocolate and raspberries! Not for those counting calories, certainly, but delectable, and antioxidant packed!
Ingredients
• 8 oz. 60% cocoa bittersweet chocolate, divided
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup pure honey*
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 pint raspberries
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
1. Cut 2 ounces of chocolate into 18 pieces; set aside. Place 6 ounces …read more

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

In a study published recently in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, researchers found out that among several food items tested, konjac gum and sesame seed extract may protect against, or reduce severity of gastro-intestinal infections caused by different E. coli and Salmonella strains.
In the lab study which also included negative controls, the scientists looked at 18 food-related products including coffee beans, carrot, mango, fermented soya, and food stabilizers such as locust bean gum and konjac gum. All were subjected to in-vitro exposure to various bacteria which were allowed to attach themselves to the test products. The …read more

In a previous entry I wrote about a year ago, we’ve already learned how cranberry juice prevents urinary tract infections:
A specific type of tannin found only in cranberries and blueberries interacts with the little projections on the Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria (the most common cause of UTI), preventing them from sticking to the walls of the bladder and causing infection.
A new study published in the journal Colloids and Surfaces: B looks into the effect of cranberry juice on the bugs in the urinary tract in closer detail. Apparently, cranberry juice changes the thermodynamic properties of bacteria in the urinary …read more

The following entry is a contribution from Guest Blogger Grace who keeps a website on Goji Juice.
The goji berry is a small fruit that hails from Asia and Eastern Europe. Although it grows in many different areas, it is only found in real quantity around China and Mongolia, where it can be farmed in large amounts. The goji berry is a very unique food, and has been noted for thousands of years for its amazing properties. It is one of the most adaptive foods on the planet, with the ability to survive in nearly any climate. It contains many unique …read more

Taking antibiotics? You might want to boost their powers by drinking some green tea. New research indicates that drinking green tea helps the action of important antibiotics in their fight against resistant superbugs, making them up tothree times more effective.
“We tested green tea in combination with antibiotics against 28 disease causing micro-organisms belonging to two different classes,” says Dr Mervat Kassem from the Faculty of Pharmacy at Alexandria University in Egypt. “In every single case green tea enhanced the bacteria-killing activity of the antibiotics. For example the killing effect of chloramphenicol was 99.99% better when taken with green …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?

In a preliminary animal study, it has been shown that epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a compound found in green tea, may help treat severe sepsis, an abnormal immune system response to a bacterial infection.
In the latest study, Dr. Wang’s group gave a substance in green tea called EGCG to mice in the throes of severe sepsis. The dose was equivalent to 10 cups in a human. Survival jumped from 53 percent in those who didn’t receive the green tea substance to 82 percent in those who did. “Clinically, even if we could save five percent of patients, that would be huge,” …read more

Around this time last year, I recommended using cranberry sauce for your Thanksgiving turkey. I don’t want to repeat myself, but really, time and again cranberries have been demonstrated to help fight bacterial infections, protecting you from illnesses such as bladder and kidney infections, gastroenteritis and tooth decay.
Want to know how? Scientists have employed sophisticated methods and tools such as the atomic force microscope to probe into it and have found that the compounds prevent the bacteria E. coli from adhering to cells in the body (a necessary first step in infections) in several ways.
Read more details here.