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 of coarsely chopped chocolate in a microwave-safe dish. Microwave 30 seconds on high; stir well. Microwave 30 seconds more on high and stir until all lumps are gone. If more melting is necessary, microwave in 10 second increments and stir until all lumps are gone. Chocolate should not become too warm.

2. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.

3. In a mixing bowl, cream butter until fluffy. Add honey and melted chocolate; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time.

4. Add half of the reserved dry ingredients to the butter mixture; mix on low until just combined. With mixer running on low, slowly add the buttermilk. Add remaining dry ingredients until just combined.

5. Place a Tablespoon of batter in the bottom of each paper-lined muffin tin. Add one piece of chocolate and 2 to 3 raspberries to each cup. Fill muffin tins two-thirds full with remaining batter. Bake 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove to wire rack; cool. Frost with Bittersweet Chocolate Frosting, if desired.

Bittersweet Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients
• 1/4 cup pure honey*
• 8 oz. 60% cocoa bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 Tablespoons seedless raspberry jam, optional

Directions

1. Combine honey and chocolate in a medium bowl, set aside. In small, heavy pan, heat whipping cream over medium heat until bubbles just begin to form. Pour over honey-chocolate mixture and allow to stand for 2 minutes. Stir until smooth; cool. Refrigerate until chilled, 1 to 2 hours.
2. With an electric mixer, beat chocolate mixture until frosting is fluffy.

Image and recipe reproduced with permission from the National Honey Board.

Post from: Blisstree

Bittersweet Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cupcakes

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.

Post from: Blisstree

Anti-Inflammatory Powers of Basil

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 root, betony and Hyssop. There are also the more common remedies such as echinacea, chamomile, and honey/lemon juice. The common denominator among these remedies? Most of them have antibacterial properties. Some may be anti-inflammatory, too.

Photo Credit: Ben Cumming via Flickr

Post from: Blisstree

Home Remedies for Sore Throat

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 levels of bound bacteria were determined in a microplate-based method specifically developed for this purpose.

The results showed that sesame seed extract and konjac gum had the greatest number of adhered bacteria, leading to the conclusion that they may have a part to play in preventing certain E. coli and Salmonella from latching onto the host.

What in the world is konjac gum?!? Never heard of it before, but apparently konjac a good source of soluble dietary fiber and is used in various food products as gelling agent, thickener, stabilizer, emulsifier and film former.

Post from: Blisstree

Sesame Seed Extract and Konjac Gum May Help Prevent Gut 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 tract, creating an energy barrier that prevents the microorganisms from getting close enough to latch onto cells and initiate an infection.

For the fimbriaed bacteria, they found that even at low concentrations, cranberry juice altered two properties that serve as indicators of the ability of bacteria to attach to cells. The first factor is called Gibbs free energy of attachment, which is a measure of the amount of energy that must be expended before a bacterium can attach to a cell. Without cranberry juice, this value was a negative number, indicating that energy would be released and attachment was highly likely. With cranberry juice the number was positive and it grew steadily as the concentration of juice increased, making attachment to urinary tract cells increasingly unlikely.

The good thing about using cranberry juice to treat UTI is that, apparently, it does not have any effect on non-fimbriaed (in other words, non-pathogenic) bacteria. The authors of the study also found out that when E. coli. bacteria that have been treated with cranberry juice are placed in normal growth media, they regain the ability to adhere to urinary tract cells. This implies that regular, perhaps daily, consumption of cranberry juice may be necessary to fully benefit from the antibacterial properties of cranberry juice. And for those who are watching their calorie intake, the researchers say that the sugar-free versions of cranberry juice are just as good!

Post from: Blisstree

How Cranberry Juice Prevent Urinary Tract Infections

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 complex carbohydrates, or polysaccharides, which allow it to create amazing changes to compensate for different temperatures, climates, and environments. If, for example, the soil it is planted in is thick in bacteria, the goji berry will increase production different nutrients and enzymes in order to fight off infection and continue to thrive. It will perform similar actions if it experiences drought, flood, or extreme temperature changes.

More impressive, however, is the berry’s plethora of health benefits and its powerful store of nutrition. The goji berry is recognized as the “most nutritionally dense food in the world,” and has been used for medicinal purposes in traditional Chinese medicine for at least 1900 years, though its undocumented use extends back at least 4000 years. The people of the eastern world have long credited it with giving them improved energy, unrivaled health, longer lives, and for keeping them feeling younger much longer than normal. Chinese healers, both modern and ancient, strongly recommend its use to keep a person healthy and fit.

Though it has been common in use in the eastern world, it has only been recently implemented in the western world, where it has received popular attention from the scientific community and the media. Time magazine recognized the goji berry as the “Superfruit of the year,” while on the Oprah Show, Dr. Mehmet Oz recommended it for its health benefits and ability to improve athletic performance. The goji berry has created a large amount of interest from the scientific community, shown by the record number of scientifically published journals, reviews, and write-ups on it. On Pubmed.gov, a federally sponsored site that catalogues public scientific research, the goji berry has over 80 entries, nearly ten times greater than any other health fruit.

Eager to extend the amount of scientific study performed on goji, Freelife International, a company that sells a juice made from the goji berry, recently had several independent studies performed on their product, GoChi Juice, for peer review. GoChi Juice is made from the goji berry, and is the staple product of Freelife International. The studies were specifically conducted using the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled format, as it is the most scientifically valid and accurate format to date. It is important to note that no other natural health drinks have ever had peer reviewed scientific studies such as these conducted on them, and that these studies mark an important first in western medication. Three studies have been published as of current, yielding these results:

Study #1

The first study was to determine the effect GoChi Juice had on people in many different areas of their life. This test conclusively showed 13 different strong health benefits after 14 consecutive days on the product. Of these 13 different areas of health improvement, the placebo group only showed statistically significant improvement in one area, Increased Happiness. The group who were given GoChi Juice experienced improved athletic performance, reduced stress levels, increased energy, feeling calmer, increased ability to focus, sharper mental acuity, better quality of sleep, easier ability to wake up in the mornings, feeling more content, feeling healthier, feeling happier, and improved regularity. This study has also officially been accepted and published on PubMed.gov.

Study#2

The second study was designed to document the effect of GoChi Juice on the immune system. In doing so, some of the key components of the immune system were monitored.

Those who had GoChi Juice in this study showed an Increase in Lymphocytes by 27%. These are some of the most integral parts of the immune system, and make up T cells, B cells, and NK cells.

Those who had GoChi Juice showed a 58% increase in Interlukin-2, which is instrumental in helping the body fight off microbial infections.

Those in the study given GoChi Juice also showed a 19% increase in Immunoglobulin-G, an important part of the immune system which helps to locate and identify foreign invaders.

Study #3

The third study was designed to measure the antioxidant reaction in people who took GoChi Juice. This study is important because it documents antioxidant levels in the only applicable way – within the human body. While there are many tests that can be performed to measure antioxidant levels in certain foods, these can be incredibly inaccurate as they do not measure how well the body will actually absorb those antioxidants.

Those who took GoChi Juice in this study showed an 8.39% increase in SuperOxide Dismutase, a potent anti-inflammatory agent.

Those who took GoChi Juice in this study showed a 9.87% increase in Glutathione Peroxidase, responsible for detoxifying reactions.

Those who took GoChi Juice in this study showed an 8.66% decrease in malondiadehyde – one of the most toxic free radicals in the body.

These studies continue the strong scientific interest that the goji berry has come to accept. Although it is unusual for a fruit of any kind to garner such attention, convincing studies like the ones above have proven what those of the eastern world have claimed for thousands of years. Freelife International also has many more studies in the works, all of which will be peer reviewed. The studies above will be published in scientific press later in 2008. Although western medication has not yet embraced the usage of foods like the goji berry, the attention is has gained, along with scientific proof of its benefits, is quickly changing the minds of some very reputable physicians.

Post from: Blisstree

Health Benefits of Goji Juice

“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 tea than when taken on its own in some circumstances.”

Green tea also made 20% of drug-resistant bacteria susceptible to one of the cephalosporin antibiotics. These are important antibiotics that new drug resistant strains of bacteria have evolved to resist.

The results surprised the researchers, showing that in almost every case and for all types of antibiotics tested, drinking green tea at the same time as taking the medicines seemed to reduce the bacteria’s drug resistance, even in superbug strains, and increase the action of the antibiotics. In some cases, even a low concentration of green tea was effective.

These data were presented during the Society for General Microbiology’s 162nd meeting recently held at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.

Source

Post from: Blisstree

Green Tea Boosts Antibiotics’ Efficacy

Aside from mulled wine, gingerbreads and other holiday treats, what other recipes do you know of that calls for cinnamon?

Post from: Blisstree

Health Benefits of Cinnamon

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,” said Dr. Wang. “In this study, we saved 25 percent more animals with the green tea.” He said that the green tea component, EGCG, is readily available.

There have been more than 100 papers focusing on this natural substance and its anti-cancer benefits. “This compound prevents HMGB1 from being released by immune cells and it also prevents it from activating immune cells to produce more cytokines,” he said. Cytokines are produced by immune cells and act as weapons to defend the body against invaders.

Read more from the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research.

Post from: Blisstree

Green Tea Component May Treat Sepsis

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.

Post from: Blisstree

Thanksgiving and Cranberry Sauce