Natural Hair Rinse

Hair rinses are good for adding “shine” to your hair and they nourish the hair, too. Natural hair rinses have the added advantage that they do not contain harmful chemicals. You can buy hair rinses from the stores and even better you can use your homemade natural hair rinse too!

Natural Hair Rinse with Cider Vinegar and Rosemary:

What You Need:

• 1 cup of finely chopped rosemary leaves*
• 2½ cups of cider vinegar

*You may also use herbs like chamomile and parsley.

How to Prepare and Apply:

• Pour the cider vinegar into a clean, dry glass bottle. Add the finely chopped sprigs of rosemary leaves. Seal the bottle, and store in a cool, dark place for about 15 days.
• After 15 days, use a muslin cloth or cheesecloth to strain this mixture. Pour the strained liquid into a clean, dry bottle. Refrigerate this natural hair rinse. This natural hair rinse should be used within 6 months.
• When you want to use this natural hair rinsemix 1 tbsp of the cider-vinegar and rosemary hair rinse in 1 cup of water. Apply the hair rinse uniformly on your hair. Leave it on 5 minutes and then rinse your hair with plain water. For better conditioning, use this natural hair rinse as your final wash after you shampoo your hair.
• Dry your hair with a towel.
• This natural hair rinse conditions and nourishes your hair. Ideally, this hair rinse should be used once in 7 days.

Lemon Natural Hair Rinse

What You Need:

• Juice of 1 ripe lemon
• 2 cups of water

How to Prepare and Apply:

• Pour 2 cups of water in a glass bowl and add the lemon juice. Mix well.
• After you shampoo your hair, apply the lemon rinse on your hair and scalp.
• Leave this natural hair rinse on your hair for 5 minutes.
• Rinse your hair with plain water.
• This natural hair rinse removes excess oil from your scalp and gives a “shine” to your hair.

Caution: If you are allergic to any one of the ingredients, then, do not use these natural hair rinses. You can also buy natural hair rinses. You may look up websites like Herbal-Gardens.Net if you want to buy natural hair rinses.

Weight Loss Tips

AOA also states that with the beginning of the 21st century, 127 million adults in the US will suffer from overweight, 60 million from obesity, while 9 million are severely obese. According to a report by the World Health Organisation, there are at least a billion overweight adults in the world today of which 300 million at least fall in the obese category.

Overweight and obesity are major concerns facing us today with a growing number of today’s population facing these problems. Weight Loss Tips will help you loose the excess weight and therefore forms an important part of the body care regime. Though not a problem by itself, obesity can lead to severe health conditions like:

Hypertension

Type2 diabetes

Arthritis

Gall Bladder Problems

Stroke

The American Obesity Association (AOA) classifies obesity into three categories, which are:

Overweight- defined as having Body Mass Index (BMI) as 25 which, can be interpreted as one fourth of excess weight than normal

Obesity- 30 percent of excess weight

Severe obesity – 40 percent of excess weight

Tips for Loosing Weight

Eat only when hungry, taking small portions at a time

Stick to homemade food. Avoid fast food as much as possible

Take meals at short intervals of 2-3 hours (instead of the conventional breakfast, lunch, and dinner). This enhances the rate of metabolism in the body

Eat a lot of fresh fruits and leafy vegetables. They are filling and are full of fibers, antioxidants, and vitamins and low on calories.

Avoid starchy food like rice. Reduce your intake of coffee as this also increases deposition of fat

Do a free-hand exercise daily. This helps to burn calories and keeps you fit.

Last, but not the least, an adequate sleep of a minimum of 7-9 hours a day, is extremely vital as that helps to keep the levels of hormones (such as Cortisol, growth hormone and insulin) under check, which can otherwise encourage storage of fat. Sleep is also a great stress buster. Stress and lack of sleep also enhance the levels of Ghrelin hormone that raises hunger and reduces Leptin, whose main function is to signal the brain to stop eating.

Yoga for Weight Loss

Yoga will help you burn more calories per day and get a more lean and strong body.Yoga can support your weight loss goals by giving a healthy direction. Weight gain is the result of leading a lifestyle where you take in more calories than you utilize.

Yoga offers a good solution to this problem. Yoga tones the body in a uniformed manner, unlike any " weight loss program" which claims to decrease your butts by this much inches and waist by this much, leading to side effects. Yoga can be practiced at any age to keep the body supple.

With all the conveniences of modern life such as washing machine, car, computers we do not use as many calories as we did just a few decades ago. Another big player in the weight gain game is diet. Modern lifestyle includes an abundance of packaged food with appealing food aromas, food colors, spices, refined products and even addictive ingredients. No wonder we find ourselves facing the weight gain dilemma. How can yoga help us get out of the vicious cycle of taking in more calories than we utilize? Listed here are some of the benefits:

* Yoga is a natural exercise for everybody. We have been doing yoga right from the time we were babies.

* Yoga can give you the energy and enthusiasm to create your weight loss plan and more importantly the inner strength required to stick to the plan. Create a strategy based on clear understanding of your problem. Get help from a Sri Sri Ayurveda and Sri Sri Yoga experts.

* Yoga can support your weight loss goals by giving a healthy direction to your life energy.

* Balance your body with yoga postures. Some yoga postures, when done correctly, massage the endocrine glands and the digestive system which improves digestion.

* You can build your support group at the nearest Sri Sri Yoga class and make friends interested in a healthy lifestyle.

* Lastly and most importantly, control how much, how & what you eat with yoga. Regular yoga practice can give you a valuable and unshakeable body consciousness that will help you eat less and help you eat the right food.

* Enjoy your first steps to a more healthy and happy lifestyle, enroll yourself to a yoga class right away. Find the right teacher for your level, and get a lean, fit and strong body.

Purna Yoga Benefits

Purna Yoga gives Yoga a positive and dynamic form. It suggests three levels of integration- the integration of the inner, the integration of the human psyche with its external environment and the integration of the psyche with its ultimate spiritual Ground.

It not just brings optimism and positive energies to the body but also to the world at large. It is this united spirituality that proficiently combines self-transcendence with love, sympathy, and reverence for all living beings. It puts together the varied aspects of yoga, needed for transformation and healing.

* Many of us have different activities that we practice in order to promote good health. To get stronger we may lift weights, for cardiovascular exercise we may do an aerobic activity, for balance and harmony we may use tai-chi, for flexibility we stretch out and meditation to find peace of mind and relax.

• Does it all- It supports the mind, body, emotions and your Spirit

• It creates both strength and flexibility

• Promotes good cardiovascular health

• Helps to create mental clarity and will relieve stress

• Will create an emotional balance

• Connects you awareness to your intuition and wisdom within

• This style is safe for all ages and body types

• Promotes healing from injuries

• Promotes an overall sense of wellness.

* Purna Yoga Benefits Purna

Yoga is the style of yoga which teaches alignment-based asana, healthy living and heart-centered meditation to help people achieve a wholeness, fulfillment and healing to life’s purpose. Purna yoga teacher training creates a way to have a life changing experience and through practice meeting the needs of today’s world.

Healthy food for Digestive System

Digestion is the mechanical and chemical breakdown of food into smaller components that are more easily absorbed into a blood stream, for instance. Digestion is a form of catabolism: a breakdown of large food molecules to smaller ones.

The digestive system is very important for the maintenance of health. The digestive system processes everything we eat and drink to supply the body with the energy and material that it needs to function, build and maintain itself. It comprises the digestive tract from the mouth through the stomach, small and large intestines, to the anus.

There are many areas in the digestive process where things can go wrong. 

Below we have addressed

: * Crohn's disease,

* irritable bowel syndrome (IBS),

* hemorrhoids (piles),

* indigestion, and * diarrhea.

We can reduce the risks of developing a range of Digestive System Disorders, and add many more years of healthy, active time to their life span, by eating a healthy, high fiber diet including lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, while avoiding processed foods, fast foods, and foods that are high in salt, sugar, and fat.

you may benefit from including one or more of the following foods in your diet - all of them are rich in nutrients that are particularly important to the health of your digestive system.

Ginger

Ginger is often used to settle an upset stomach or treat severe stomach ailments such as dyspepsa or colic. It is frequently used today in developing countries to treat diarhea. Ginger contains special enzymes responsible for catalyzing the proteins in your food, thus aiding in digestion and the prevention of craps.

Foods rich in fiber

Your body needs fiber. Once the missing fiber in the diet, you are prone to constipation, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), heart disease and some cancers. Foods rich in fiber and filter to keep food in the digestive system to extract energy and nutrients, wastes also pushed back out. Please add to your daily diet you all kinds of vegetables, fiber from whole grains, whole grain products, fruits, vegetables, beans, peas, lentils …

Water

Drinking water between your meals cleans the stomach of the small trapped food pieces and gives it a rest so it can stop producing acids. Water also helps to clean the digestive tract of small pieces of food. Enzymes, water, and good bacteria all work together to maintain optimum digestion, nutrient absorption and health.

Avocados

Avocados are one of the best foods you can eat for digestive health. Avocados work to stimulate the healthy functioning of your digestive organs, including your pancreas, gallbladder, liver and intestinal tract.

Oats

Not only do whole oats contain plenty of soluble- fibre, they also provide significant amounts of selenium, thiamin, phosphorus, and manganese, and smaller amounts of copper, folate, vitamin E, and zinc.

If you have to choose between rolled oats and quick oats, choose the rolled variety. Rolled oats are made with a steaming process that doesn't destroy many nutrients, while quick oats are made with dehydrating and pre-cooking processes, which typically leave oats extremely nutrient-depleted.

Cod liver oil

Cold liver oil provides plenty of natural vitamin A, It also provides natural vitamin D, which we know is an extremely powerful immune system modulator, with research indicating that vitamin D may be critically important in preventing the development of autoimmune conditions, including those of the GI tract.

 If you want to build and maintain a healthy digestive tract for the long term, you really have to take a holistic approach and address several areas of your life: your food choices, eating habits, exercise habits, resting habits, and emotional health.

Healthy Foods for Strong Bones

Bones form the basis of our skeletal system, protect our vital organs and define our body shape and size frame. The bones found in our body are alive just like us; they keep on growing, changing in shape, size as we grow old, in fact our height and weight depends on our bones. We have 206 bones in our body, with the spine being made up of 26 bones alone!

Food is needed so that we have the energy or efficiency to perform our bodily actions such as walking, sleeping, running, breathing etc.To maintain healthy and strong bones, it is necessary that we provide proper nutrition to them, following is a list of foods that will help us maintain good healthy and strong bones.

Milk

Regularly drinking milk during the growing years is associated with greater height, bone size and bone mineralization. Milk contains calcium, magnesium, zinc, proteins, fat, sugars, and vitamins A and D, what some call the "perfect package” for bone health.

Yogurt 

If your body doesn't have enough calcium to replace what is removed, your bones can become weak and break easy. Yogurt is a good source of calcium, according to the National Institute of Health Yogurt providing 300 milligrams in a six ounce cup.

Chinese Cabbage

 Chinese cabbage contains plentiful of calcium, whereas vegetables such as turnip greens, broccoli, and spinach provide us with good amount of calcium.

Soy

Soy is the best source of plant nutrients called isoflavones. Along with protein and other vitamins and minerals, isoflavones may combat bone loss as we age.

Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds are anyways loaded with essential nutrients and vitamins. They are highly beneficial to nourish our body. Sunflower seeds, pistachios, and almonds are rich source of calcium, while flax seeds and walnuts are packed with omega- 3 fatty acids, Almonds and peanuts consists good amount of potassium that prevents the loss of calcium through urine. The proteins and nutrients that are present in nuts, helps to construct strong bones.

Sunlight

The sun is technically not a food. However, the sun contains many nutrients found in some foods. In response to sunlight, the body will produce vitamin D. Without vitamin D, your body will not absorb calcium properly. Although milk is often fortified with vitamin D, but there are still not enough to maximize calcium absorption.

Salt water fish

If you want to have healthy bones you should have salt water fish once in a week, Most fish are known to contain high levels of vitamin D, which is required by bones to absorb calcium.

While these are important food items needed to keep our bones healthy, one should not just rely on them wholly, when it comes to the maintenance and health of our bones. Moderate to heavy exercise should complement our bone friendly diet, if we are to have healthy bones!

Health Benefits Of Papaya Fruit

Papaya the Beautiful Fruit. Medical and health benefits of papaya for cancer, gastro treatments. The parts used medicinally are fruit, seeds, stems and leaves or papaya....

 

* Papaya is low in calories and high in nutritive value hence it is an excellent food for those on a diet.

* Papaya contains a high amount of potassium and the flesh of papaya is very high in Vitamin A.

* Papaya shampoos are good for the hair and are available in many health stores.

* Papaya seeds and leaves are useful in treating intestinal worms found in the body. 

* The anti-inflammatory properties in papaya will help reduce pain for those suffering from arthritis, edema and osteoporosis.

* Papaya contains the protein called papain which is a digestive enzyme that helps in natural digestion process. 

* Papaya juice helps in alleviating infections of the colon by clearing away the infection, pus and mucus. Regular consumption will help in improving the problem.

* The skin of papaya is excellent for treating skin wounds and places that do not heal quickly.

* Regularly consuming papaya helps to relieve morning sickness and nausea. 

* Papaya has anti-inflammatory properties and anti-cancerous properties.

* Papaya is very good for those who frequently suffer from cold, cough or flu because intake of papaya boosts the immune system. The high concentration of Vitamin C and Vitamin A contained in papaya is very beneficial to strengthen the immune system.

* Papaya is also very good for the hair and helps in controlling dandruff. 

* Raw papaya also helps in reducing menstrual irregularities for women. Papaya helps to ease the condition by promoting natural flow of menstruation. 

* Papaya cleans the stomach and studies have shown that papaya alone eaten for 3 to 4 days has a highly beneficial tonic effect upon the stomach and intestines.

Natural Home Remedies Tips to Cure Asthma

Asthma naturally with the help of simple home remedies, which you can make yourself or readily available at your home.

* Calcium is also essential for Asthma patents, take milk, Spinach ( Palak), Amaranth (Cholayi). Carrot Gooseberry (Amla), Paneer, Arrow root (Paniphal or Singhada) etc.

* One cup of hot water mix one spoon of lemon juice, two spoons of Honey and a spoon of Ginger juice. Drinking this daily helps to cure Asthma.

* Garlic juice mixed with Honey or Garlic juice with hot water can be taken everyday is very good for Asthma patients.

* Eating Turmeric powder With hot water is a good remedy for curing Asthma.

* Ginger, Long pepper (Pipple), Black pepper (Kali Mirchi) in equal quantities powdered and one spoon of this powder taken with Honey everyday cures Asthma.

* One cup of cow milk or goat Milk mixed with a spoon of Turmeric Powder, Black pepper powder and Sugar taken everyday helps to cure Asthma.

* Boiled milk with turmeric powder (haldi) (1 tsp) added could be taken instead of coffee or tea in the morning and night.

* Drinking sweet lime (Mosambi) juice with hot water, Cumin (Jeera) powder and dry Ginger powder (Sonth) helps in curing Asthma.

Heart Attacks

Fish, the Environment and Health

When you consider what the report says, it may make you decide that you prefer to focus on fish as your source of animal protein.

But there are ramifications for this also: both for the environment and for your health.

In fact, there are so many ramifications to eating fish that I will devote an entire series to this subject at another time.

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t eat fish, or any animal food at all. That’s your personal choice, but it’s best if you make your choice an informed and educated one.

If you’re not willing to consider becoming a vegetarian, you want to at least cut down on the amount of animal food you do eat, or at least do what Paul McCartney is advocating, of going meat-free on Mondays, or whichever day you want to designate as a meat-free day.

If you watch the above video, which is a trailer to a film called The End of the Line, you will understand what one of the environmental reasons is for considering your fish intake.

A 2008 United Nations reports that 80 percent of the world’s ocean fishing areas are now either fully fished (i.e. incapable of providing more) or overexploited.

This is also what The End of the Line is stating. But besides the overfishing and possible catastrophic results from it that The End of the Line discusses, there are also environmental and health issues.

There are many fish in the ocean that contain dangerous levels of mercury, PCB’s and pesticides, and the trend towards fish farms isn’t necessarily a panacea, as there are troubling environmental and health issues surrounding fish raised that way – from the corn feed, chemical feed and hormones that some farmed fish are given, to the pollutants that are in the waters at these factory fish farms.

And then there are questions as to whether the health claims of fish are overhyped, as a study that came out in March 2009 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal stated.

So what to do about eating fish? You can make your decision by choosing sources that are fished or farmed responsibly, and low in environmental contaminants.

According to the Environmental Defense Fund, you want to choose either wild fish from healthy, well-managed populations, or caught using fishing gear that does little harm to sea life and marine habitats; or choose farmed fish raised in systems that control pollution, the spread of disease, chemical use and escaped fish.

Most fish that the Environmental Defense Fund considers safe to eat are also low in environmental contaminants and can be safely eaten at least once per week.

The list of fish that make this list include: Arctic char, farmed oysters, sablefish (aka black cod), wild Alaskan salmon, sardines, farmed trout and West Coast albacore tuna, anchovies, catfish, soft shell clams, Pacific cod, Pacific halibut, farmed striped bass, tilapia, farmed white sturgeon, and squid.

A Look at Some Herbs Used for Healing

Herbal medicine is one of the oldest forms of medicine on the planet.

They can be formulated in many ways. Whatever way they are used, they can be very helpful in cultivating health and a better sense of wellness, which can then allow you to experience healthy living, along with living a Low Density Lifestyle.

I’m going to mention a number of herbs and briefly say what their benefits are. Some of the benefits are based on lab testing.

Aloe vera has traditionally been used for the healing of burns and wounds.

Aloe vera

Agaricus blazei mushrooms may prevent some types of cancer.

Artichoke may reduce cholesterol levels.

Blackberry leaf has drawn the attention of the cosmetology community because it interferes with the metalloproteinases that contribute to skin wrinkling.

Black raspberry may have a role in preventing oral cancer.

Butterbur has been used traditionally for abdominal cramps and constipation.

Cranberry is effective in treating urinary tract infections in women with recurrent symptoms.

Echinacea extracts can limit the length and severity of colds; however, the appropriate dosage levels may be higher than is available in over-the-counter remedies.

Elderberry may speed the recovery from type A and B influenza.

Feverfew

Feverfew is sometimes used to treat migraine headaches.

Garlic may lower total cholesterol levels.

German Chamomile has demonstrated antispasmodic, antiinflammatory and cholesterol-lowering effects in animal research. In vitro, chamomile has demonstrated moderate antimicrobial and antioxidant properties and significant antiplatelet activity, as well as preliminary results against cancer. Essential oil of chamomile has been shown to be a promising antiviral agent against herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), also in vitro.

Ginger can decrease nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.

Purified extracts of Hibiscus seeds have some antihypertensive, antifungal and antibacterial effects.

Lemon grass can lower total cholesterol and fasting plasma glucose levels.

Milk thistle

Milk thistle has been recognized for many centuries as a liver tonics. Research suggests that milk thistle extracts both prevent and repair damage to the liver from toxic chemicals and medications.

Black cumin has demonstrated analgesic properties in mice. In vitro studies support antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and immune modulating effects.

Oregano may be effective against multi-drug resistant bacteria.

Pawpaw can be used as insecticide.

Peppermint oil has benefits for individuals with irritable bowel syndrome.

Pokeweed is used as a homeopathic remedy to treat many ailments. It can be applied topically or taken internally. Topical treatments have been used for acne and other ailments. It is used to treat swollen glands and weight loss.

Pomegranate has been shown to inhibit cancer cell growth in mice.

Rooibos

Rooibos has traditionally been used for skin ailments, allergies, asthma and colic in infants. In an animal study with diabetic mice, aspalathin, a rooibos constituent, improved glucose homeostasis by stimulating insulin secretion in pancreatic beta cells and glucose uptake in muscle tissue.

Rose hips – Small scale studies indicate that rose hips may provide benefits in the treatment of osteoarthritis.

Sage may improve memory.

Shiitake mushrooms are edible mushrooms that have been reported to have health benefits, including cancer-preventing properties. In laboratory research a shiitake extract has inhibited the growth of tumor cells. In addition, both a water extract and fresh juice of shiitake have demonstrated activity against pathogenic bacteria and fungi.

Soy and other plants that contain phytoestrogens (plant molecules with estrogen activity), such as black cohosh, have benefits for treatment of symptoms resulting from menopause.

Stinging nettle is effective for benign prostatic hyperplasia and the pain associated with osteoarthritis.

Stinging nettle

In vitro tests show antiinflammatory action. Stinging nettle has also been shown to reduce total cholesterol.

Valerian root can be used to treat insomnia.

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Ginseng – King of the Herbs

The main point of this series is that incorporating herbal medicine into your medical needs can help you to reduce the need for drugs. And by doing so, you can become healthier and more in synch. 

Ginseng, which is known as the King of the Herbs.

Ginseng is part of the materia medica of Chinese Herbal Medicine, and is the most famous herb in the pharmacopeia. It has been valued for its remarkable therapeutic benefits for at least 7,000 years and was so revered that wars were fought for control of the forests in which it thrived.

An Arabian physician brought ginseng back to Europe in the 9th century, yet its ability to improve

This 300 year old ginseng root sold for $400,000

stamina and resistance became common knowledge in the West only in the 18th century.

Ginseng is native to northeastern China, eastern Russia, and North Korea, but is now extremely rare in the wild and increasingly becoming endangered, due in large part to high demand for the product in recent years, which has led to the wild plants being sought out and harvested faster than new ones can grow (it requires years for a ginseng root to reach maturity).

There are two main types of ginseng: American ginseng, known as P. quinquefolius, and Asian ginseng, known as Panax ginseng. Asian ginseng can be either white or red ginseng.

In the U.S., there are woods grown ginseng programs in Maine, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina and West Virginia, and United Plant Savers has been encouraging the woods planting of ginseng both to restore natural habitats and to remove pressure from any remaining wild ginseng.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, American ginseng strengthens the Yin energy and calms the spirit, while Asian ginseng strengthens the yang.

The leaves and berries of ginseng plant

The reason it has been claimed that American ginseng promotes Yin while Asian ginseng promotes Yang is that, according to traditional Chinese medicine, things living in cold places or northern side of mountains or southern side of rivers are strong in Yang and vice versa, so that the two are balanced.

Chinese/Korean ginseng grows in northeast China and Korea, the coldest area known to many Koreans in traditional times. Thus, ginseng from there is supposed to be very Yang. Originally, American ginseng was imported into China via subtropical Guangzhou, the seaport next to Hong Kong, so Chinese doctors believed that American ginseng must be good for Yin, because it came from a hot area. However they did not know that American ginseng can only grow in temperate regions. Nonetheless the root is legitimately classified as more Yin because it generates fluids.

Most North American ginseng is produced in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and British Columbia and the American state of Wisconsin.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, Panax/Asian ginseng strengthens the Qi and Yang energy, improves circulation, increases blood supply, revitalizes and aids recovery from weakness after illness, and stimulates the body. Panax Ginseng is available in two forms:

The form called white ginseng is grown for four to six years, and then peeled and dried to reduce the water

White ginseng

content to 12% or less. White ginseng is air dried in the sun and may contain less of the therapeutic constituents. It is thought by some that enzymes contained in the root break down these constituents in the process of drying. Drying in the sun bleaches the root to a yellowish-white color.

The form called red ginseng is harvested after six years, is not peeled and is steam-cured, thereby giving them a glossy reddish-brown coloring. Steaming the root is thought to change its biochemical composition and also to prevent the breakdown of the active ingredients. The roots are then dried.

Red ginseng

Red ginseng is frequently marinated in an herbal brew which results in the root becoming extremely brittle. This version of ginseng is traditionally associated with stimulating sexual function and increasing energy. Red ginseng is always produced from cultivated roots, usually from either China or South Korea.

There are other plants that are called ginseng, but they are actually from a different family or genus. These include:

* Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Southern ginseng, aka Jiaogulan)
* Eleutherococcus senticosus (Siberian ginseng)
* Pseudostellaria heterophylla (Prince ginseng)
* Withania somnifera (Indian ginseng, aka Ashwagandha)
* Pfaffia paniculata (Brazilian ginseng, aka Suma)
* Lepidium meyenii (Peruvian ginseng, aka Maca)
* Oplopanax horridus (Alaskan ginseng)