August 30, 2012 - Posted by admin - 1 Comment
Rose hip is used for nutritional and medicinal purposes since ancient history. There are archaeological records of its use in the Stone Age. Since the dawn of mankind, people believed that this magical plant could cure lots of medicinal problems. One of these ancient beliefs gave this plant its Latin name, Rosa Canina - the Romans believed, more than 2000 years ago, that it could cure rabies. This proved to be inaccurate, but the name has remained to this day.
Rose hip grows in the form of a bush up to 3 meters high with branches hanging curved downward. The fruits are red, round or elliptical, about 1-2 cm long and 0.5-1.5 cm wide. It blooms in the spring, and the ripe fruit on the bush can be picked from September to mid-November. Fruit is frequently used for tea, while flowers are used for marmalade.
To make tea, ripe fruit is cut into small pieces or grinded, and dried in the sun. The process can be accelerated by drying in an oven. Then it must be dried at the minimum oven temperature, preferably 50 degrees. The difference between dried domestic tea and rose hip from the tea bag is in color, taste, smell and cooking time.
Dried rose hip has a lighter color than the one from the bag. That is because there are no artificial colors added, and some researches have shown that rose hip grown under UV lamps is slightly darker. Dried rose hip has more intense flavor than the one in the bag. This is a kind of tea that is prepared longer than others. Rose hip from the bag usually soaks in water for 10 minutes, while the domestic tea should be allowed to rest for 20-30 minutes.
Rosehip has great vitamin and mineral value, and is particularly rich in vitamin C (up to 40 times more than in lemon). It is known that the thermal treatment partially destroys vitamin C, but in this case the volume of vitamin C is so great that it remains in tea after cooking, and it helps to strengthen the immune system. In addition to vitamin C, rose hip also contains vitamins A, B1, B2, D, E and K, it is rich with keratin, organic acids and pectin. Rose hip tea is recommended for those suffering from gout, rheumatism, kidney stones, and more. Fruit acids in tea regulate stool. Rose hip is often mixed with other medicinal herbs while making tea, usually with hibiscus, sometimes with chamomile and during the season of winter colds it is recommended to mix linden and rose hip.
Here’s one recipe with linden:
First boil a liter of water, let it rest for a few minutes (the tea is not put in the boiling water, it should be 80-90 degrees warm). Add two tablespoons of rose hips and let them rest for 10 minutes. After that, add one large tablespoon of linden and let it all sit for another 20 minutes. After a total of half an hour tea is done, and we can add lemon or honey in it. It is recommended to drink 2-3 cups a day.
Such tea successfully enhances immunity and protects against colds and high temperatures.
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August 28, 2010 - Posted by admin - 0 Comments
Today I wanna focus on how you can use green tea to eliminate fat and maintain your weight balance. Nowadays many people have weight problems.
You probably heard that the green tea helps you in diets and helps you lose weight. Bu how can you actually use its properties to eliminate fat and stop new fat from adding up. Well it is kind of simple. You have to know some basic properties of the green tea.
One of the key properties of the green tea, when taking fat into consideration, is that the green tea can actually eliminates fat. How does it work? After you drink a cup of green tea your body temperature starts rising and a processes called thermogenesis starts burning the fats and accelerating the metabolism. This takes us to the second key property of this tea. That is the maintaining a balanced appetite and right after you’ve had a cup of green tea the metabolism is accelerated.
Green tea is a natural energizer. It gives you a lot of energy, most because of its vitamins and other key compounds that I’m not going to mention them. How does this property helps you lose weight? Combined with what was written above you will be forced to eat less food or in other words you will have your energy input so you will need to consume less food tho balance your energy.
Now it is not enough to know the green tea benefits. You have to know how to use them and for what to use them. I’ve written in other posts how to prepare a tea. That is a general basic method, you will see in the future that the preparation of a good tea takes time, practice and lots of knowledge (with this I want to say that in the future I will write about Cha-no-yu and other tea ceremonies). So you will use a basic infusion method to prepare a regular green tea.
If you want to use it along with diets you should ask your doctor or nutritionist how and when to use it, if you want to lose help by yourself without following a diet I recommend you this next method. Drink a medium cup of green tea in the morning and before breakfast and before lunch. Try to drink it without sweetening it.Try to drink it worm so that your body temperature won’t rise fast or too high.
I don’t recommend green tea in the evening or before going to bed because it gives you a lot of energy and you won’t have a good night sleep. Try having a linden tea instead,before going to bed.
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July 30, 2010 - Posted by admin - 2 Comments
The linden tea is a wonderful and helpful tea. It is used in many countries against colds, headaches and to calm the nervous system. There are different linden trees but they don’t have many differences and the tea has the same properties.
How can you get your hands on linden flowers? Well, it is simple. You have to find a linden tree, or you can grow one in your own garden if you like and you just have to wait for the right time of the year when the tree starts to flourish. Then all you have to do is gather its flowers and leave them for about 3-4 days to dry off.
The linden tree starts to flourish in the first half of June starting with Tilia plathphyllos, that is the first linden tree that shows his flowers then after that in about 2 weeks comes the Tilia tomentosa and in the late July comes Tilia cordata.
What benefits do you get from drinking this kind of tea?
Well, to begin with, it helps your immune system and prevents you from getting colds. This drink is indicated when you are cold or when your throat hurts or if you have an irritation in your throat. In these cases it is indicated to drink a hot cup of linden tea sweetened with one or two teaspoons of honey.
A second benefit that you will get from drinking this tea is that it will calm down your nervous system. If you are really stressed or if you had a bad day, a cup of linden tea after work or before going to bed will help you relax and relief some of the stress that you’ve accumulated during the day.
Speaking of going to bed, because this tea helps your nervous system it also helps you to get a good night sleep. So, if you know you suffer from insomnia or you have problems resting well, a big hot cup of linden tea before going to bed every night for about one or two weeks, or even longer if you feel the need, will help you get a good night sleep. But, be careful, if you wish to drink tea before going to bet, try doing it without sweetening the tea with honey or, worst, try not to add sugar. Honey will give you energy and will stimulate your heart beat and rise your pulse so therefore you won’t have a good sleep. Sugar is worst because, not only that it will act exactly like the honey, but it also turns into fat very fast and can cause you diabetes.
How to prepare a nice cup of linden tea? Well, as I told you in the last post, there are many ways of preparing tea. I will present one of the easiest and most common ways. If you don’t have water from a spring or a fountain there is no big deal, you can use normal water.You put the water to boil on a small fire until bubbles the size of crab eyes start appearing. After that you stop the fire and add the linden tea. Now comes the big question, how much? Well there is no “how much”. Of course you can’t add to much or too little, it depends on what effect you want it to have. I suggest you add a small handful of flower at lets say 600-700 ml of water, then again I’m not an expert, but this is the regular way I do my tea when I want to drink a hot linden tea, like I’m doing right now. After that you cover the bowl or what ever is that thing you boiled the water into and leave it there for 3 minutes. Some say 5 to 10 minutes but then again it depends on how concentrated you want it to be. After 3 minutes, strain the tea and throw the remaining flowers away. You can add honey and you can drink it while it is hot or if you prefer let it cool and if it is a hot day drink it with some cold ice and some lime.
More to come on the linden tree, I will write some interesting things about it and the honey that is made from its flowers.
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August 28, 2010 - Posted by admin - 1 Comment
One of my favorite tea to drink in the morning because of its great healing properties and great effects on the human body.
Why do I love this to so much in the morning? Well, simply because it has the magnificent property to heal wounded tissue and to help it recover and it is very good for your stomach. It also has a wide range of uses and comes in handy in a lot of illnesses. I’m going to write down some of the illnesses when this kind of tea is recommended.
Anorexia, enterocolitis, gastritis, colic hepatic bronchitis, hipermenoree, dysmenorrhea (pain soothes and regulates heavy bleeding), hemorrhoids, cystitis. It is also very useful when you have intestinal worms.Use it by boiling 10 g in 100ml of water and drink it in the morning before breakfast.
It acts directly to your spine that is why it is indicated if you have spine problems also it fastens up the renewal of the blood. It also eliminates bloating and stomach cramps. Because of its vast uses there are so many ways of using and drinking this tea or using the flowers of the plant.I have written about some of its healing properties in another article.Know I am going to focus on the basics of tea and the basic tea you can get from boiling this plant or more exactly its flowers.
First of all remember one rule so that the water for the tea to be perfect. Boil the water until bubbles the size of crab eyes starts to appear.After that for 250 ml of water add one full spoon of yarrow flowers and let it to infuse for 1-2 minutes.After that filter the water and drink the tea while its hot.
Another great use (bonus) for t he yarrow plant is a nice hot bath using the full plant.You need 100g of yarrow, full plant. You leave it to macerate in cold water for 12 hours.After that boil the mixture for 4 to 5 minutes, filter the water and added into your hot bath.
That is all for today. Hope this simple recipes will help you gain a better health or maintain a balance in your life. This is like an introduction, I will resume with more recipes regarding the yarrow plant and its benefits and more recipes that contain yarrow. All of this just because it is an wonderful plant that has a variety of benefits that should not be ignored or wasted.
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September 18, 2010 - Posted by admin - 0 Comments
This is an introduction in chamomile tea. This plant is very easy to find, you can find it on the side of the streets, in almost any forest or on plains along flowers and it can even grow in your back yard.
This plant has a variety of uses, I will only write a short introduction on this tea and some benefits that you can get from drinking this kind of tea.
First of all it helps stop muscular cramps and stomach cramps. I once had a problem with muscular cramps during sleep and I was very agitated and couldn’t rest well…guess what was the solution? Yes, chamomile tea. This tea is very good because it not only has internal use, but also external use. It is very good for your skin, eyes and throat. You can combine a chamomile infusion with a hot bath and you will clear your skin very well. Also for those who suffer from acne and facial rash I strongly recommend to wash your face three times a day with chamomile tea.
Liver illness can be avoided or ameliorated by drinking this kind of tea. It also helps repair scared tissue because of its compounds. If you are cold or if you have fever it is recommended to drink chamomile tea because it makes you sweat a lot, so it reduces fever and adjusts the body temperature.
If you had a stressful day or if you simply have a headache it is recommended to take 1 gram of pulverized chamomile flowers 2-3 hours after lunch. If you don’t like the tastes you can combine the pulverized flowers with some honey to add up a sweet taste.
This is all for this introduction, tomorrow I will write some methods on different ways to prepare tea and other things from chamomile. Until then, stay healthy!
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September 24, 2010 - Posted by admin - 0 Comments
I’m going to write a short introduction on white tea. This plant has been use as medication for centuries but lately it has been discovered that due to high content of antioxidants it is great for fighting illnesses, reduce stress and increase energy. Also the white tea is known to be a potion of vitality.
The parts of the plant that are used to prepare the tea are the buds. That is why the white tea doesn’t have a strange taste of leaves like the green tea for example. The buds are left in a steam bath and after that they are left to dry out. This process doesn’t allow them to oxidate.
Other use and benefit of this tea is preventing cancer. It fights against cancer cells and prevents colon, stomach or prostate cancer. This tea contains a class of antioxidants that stops the cancer cells from growing and reproducing. It also strengths the bones and muscles due to high content of nutrients. People that regularly drink white tea are more stronger. It is recommended for those that suffer from artrite.
If you want strong teeth and healthy gums then I suggest you give up the coffee and start drinking white tea regularly, because this will make your gums healthier and stronger and your teeth whiter. This is due to the flour that the white tea contains.
It reduces stress and gives you energy, but it is not recommended for those who suffer from anemia otherwise said for those who have iron deficiency. If drank in high quantities it can produce the inflammation of the gastric mucosal.
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August 12, 2010 - Posted by admin - 0 Comments
There are many things to talk about when it comes to green tea. This comes as an introduction to this category of tea and you will find here useful information that come in handy to an ordinary tea drinker.
First of all, I want to tell you that there is a big variety of green tea.
The Chinese people used it since 4000 b.C. to cure a lot of things from depressions to muscle inflammation or recovery after hard effort. In modern times it has been proven that the green tea has miraculous benefits.
How does the green tea differs from all other kinds of tea?
Well, it is simple. After it was gathered, the green tea leaves are immediately dried so it has a lower percentage of theine that’s why it is less excitable than black tea. This process also preserves a lot of vitamins and antioxidants. Because of this, the green tea is full of vitamins A, B, E or C and minerals as iron,potassium, phosphorus and calcium.
What are the primary effects of the green tea?
First of all it is a good treat for the signs of advancing through age. Green tea drinkers feel and look more younger. This is another reason that skin creams use extracts from green tea leaves. It has a diuretic and antioxidant effect so it is recommended to use green tea when you’re on diet or if you want to clean your organism from the toxins you’ve accumulated over time. It also decreases the risk of cavities and regulates digestion. One of the most wonderful effects of this kind of tea is that it gives you energy. So if you are willing to give up coffee but you didn’t find something to replace it with, try drinking green tea instead of coffee. You will feel more younger, you will think clearer, you won’t have digestive problems and definitely no cavities or yellow teeth. And above all you won’t have to limit yourself to consume only one or two cups a day, like you would do with coffee, you can drink all you want.
Modern research have shown that drinking green tea will reduce the risk of esophageal cancer with 60% and that the green tea actually inhibits the growth of cancer cells. Also it has been proven that green tea lowers total cholesterol levels, as well as improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol.
So if you want to have a healthier life, try including the green tea in your daily life or try replacing something bad like coffee or sodas with a worm or cold cup of green tea.
In the future I will be writing other things about this kind of tea, like how many kinds of green tea are there, ways of preparing it, how and when to drink it and some old recipes for cakes or foods that are made using green tea.
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September 7, 2010 - Posted by admin - 0 Comments
How does this kind of tea differs from the others?
Well, first of all, and this is my favorite, you can replace coffee with black tea. That is because of its great benefits and properties.
It tastes good and it is indicated during the winter or a cold season or if you travel to places where temperature is lower then your average temperature at home. This kind of tea can replace coffee because it contains caffeine but in smaller amounts then coffee, but be careful, if you drink high quantities you can suffer from insomnia, you can get nervous and agitated. It is not recommended to drink more then two cups a day.
This is great during winter because it helps protect your body due to a high content of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins. It also reduces fat and cholesterol while clearing the toxins out of your blood. Drinking black tea constant you can maintain your body weight and have a nice and attractive body, that is because it helps the digestive system and stimulates fat burnings. Drinking two cups a day can prevent diabetes.
Another good use for this potion is cleaning your teeth. If you rinse your mouth two or three times a day with black tea you will reduce the risk of cavities in your mouth.
So how come this tea differs from the green tea? First of all its taste and second its use. They both have approximately the same benefits but this kind of tea, the black tea is indicated specially in winter time because it will help you maintain a low body weight. We all now that we tend to grow a little in fat with all the holidays that winter brings us. This tea also helps maintain your teeth health and it is very useful in diets or if you have bad weight problems like obesity or if you consume a lot of bad and hard food, sweets are also included. Don’t forget that you can prevent diabetes by drinking two cups a day.
I recommend for those of you that drink coffee and/or have weight problems try to replace coffee with black tea. Besides all the great benefits that come from giving up coffee and taking up black tea you won’t have yellow teeth and you won’t have cavities.
In the next post I want to write a little about how to maintain a health balance between your body and your mind and how to maintain a nice physical balance.
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