Vanilla is extracted from the beans produced by the orchid Vanilla planifolia (syn. Myrobroma fragrans, Vanilla fragrans). This is an unusual plant, because as well as being an orchid, it's also a vine! The vanilla orchid also has other names, including Bourbon vanilla, flat-leaved vanilla, Tahitian vanilla and West Indian vanilla (the latter name is shared with Vanilla pompona). It requires a minimum temperature of 10ºC (50ºF) day and night to survive, so in temperate regions must be
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
Vanilla - anti-cancer and antioxidant
Vanilla is extracted from the beans produced by the orchid Vanilla planifolia (syn. Myrobroma fragrans, Vanilla fragrans). This is an unusual plant, because as well as being an orchid, it's also a vine! The vanilla orchid also has other names, including Bourbon vanilla, flat-leaved vanilla, Tahitian vanilla and West Indian vanilla (the latter name is shared with Vanilla pompona). It requires a minimum temperature of 10ºC (50ºF) day and night to survive, so in temperate regions must be
Monday, 18 April 2011
Thyme video
This is the first, but hopefully not the last, of my videos about herbs: Hope you like it. Please let me know what you
Thyme is a truly multi-purpose herb
(A video containing the main points outlined here is available here) The thyme I am talking about here is Thymus vulgaris, the Common or Garden Thyme. It's a low growing, fairly tough plant that likes a sunny situation. It comes in the standard green leafed and also in variegated forms, which some people consider to be more attractive, but the important thyme oil (which is the source of all thyme's goodness) is found in both. Thyme is closely related to Lemon Thyme, but not to Basil
Guide to Aromatherapy: An Overview
This site is a guide to aromatherapy for beginners. Aromatherapy is the use of essential oil and plant resins to treat conditions, which can range from emotional problems like depression to skin and hair treatments and physical difficulties like exhaustion. If you're interested in aromatherapy you've probably already come across spammy "spun" articles that talk about "important oils", but this is a misunderstanding of the meaning of the word essential when used with oil. So what does
Monday, 4 April 2011
Cannabis recommended by US National Cancer Institute - after self-censoring
(Photo by Ganjabro depicts cannabis growing in the International School, Bangalore from wikimedia: 
)
(Facebook Fans: Click at the end for full story)
Natural healers have known the benefits of cannabis for thousands of years. Now the US National Cancer Institute seems to have caught up. But they removed reference to anti-tumor properties shortly after first publication - well, well. I bet we can guess why. Full story here:
Current bowdlerized recommendations here:
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/cannabis/healthprofessional/AllPagesAs stated in the NCI article, the highest concentration of active constituents is found in the female flowers. It's likely that the most fragrant plants contain the highest concentrations of all - which in street terms includes skunk and super-skunk. Cannabis oil is very concentrated, and is banned in the same countries that ban the plant.
Saturday, 2 April 2011
Thyme video
Thyme video: If you grow thyme in your garden or you have some in your kitchen cupboard for cooking with, you might be interested in this video I made and posted on YouTube the other day.
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