Calendula, the garden plant known as pot marigold (Calendula officinalis), is nature’s remedy for many of life’s little accidents: sunburns, bruises, and scratches to name a few. Europeans have been using this versatile herb for centuries in cooking and healing. The yellow-orange flowers have anti-inflammatory and antiseptic actions–these have been demonstrated in laboratory and animal studies–which make the plant valuable for insect bites, athlete’s foot, and a variety of other disorders.
Category: Knowledge Base
Calcium/Magnesium
These two important minerals are often combined into one convenient product. Such combinations are a practical way to prevent or treat myriad ailments, from back pain and perimenopause to PMS and endometriosis. While there is little to distinguish one calcium/magnesium product from another, it’s smart to take a combination that includes different forms of the key minerals (such as calcium citrate, carbonate, and malate; and magnesium citrate, aspartate, and glycinate) as insurance that at least one will get absorbed into your system and do its work.
Calcium
The most abundant mineral in the human body, calcium has long been recognized for its ability to keep bones healthy and strong. New research indicates that it may also be an effective weapon against high blood pressure, heart attack, PMS (premenstrual syndrome), and colon cancer. Unfortunately, most Americans consume only about half the dietary calcium their bodies require.
Butcher’s Broom
he stiff spines of butcher’s broom, an evergreen bush (Ruscus aculeatus) native to the Mediterranean region, were once popular for making brooms (hence the herb’s name). For centuries, people also consumed this herb, which is closely related to asparagus, as a vegetable.
Bromelain/Quercetin
When dealing with inflammatory conditions (such as eczema or allergies), there are several good reasons to consider products that combine bromelain, a natural anti-inflammatory derived from pineapples, and quercetin, a plant pigment (or flavonoid) prominent in apples and onions.
Bromelain
Bromelain is the name of a group of powerful protein-digesting, or proteolytic, enzymes that are found in the pineapple plant (Ananas comosus). Discovered in 1957, and widely studied since then, bromelain is particularly useful for reducing muscle and tissue inflammation and as a digestive aid. Supplements are made from enzymes found in the pineapple stem.
Boron
Boron is a biologically dynamic ultra trace element important in human metabolism. A recommended dietary allowance for boron has not been established, although surveys indicate that average daily intakes of boron range between 0.5 and 3.1 mg. Based on animal studies, humans probably have a daily requirement of 1 mg a day.
Boswellia
Boswellia, also known as boswellin or “Indian frankincense,” comes from the Boswellia serrata tree that grows in the dry hills of India. For centuries, traditional Indian healers have taken advantage of the anti-inflammatory properties of the tree bark’s gummy resin, called salai guggal. Modern preparations made from a purified extract of this resin and packaged in pill or cream form are used to reduce inflammation associated with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Unlike conventional NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as ibuprofen–the accepted treatments for joint inflammation–boswellia doesn’t seem to cause stomach irritation. It also may be effective for back pain and certain chronic intestinal disorders.
Borage Oil
From its bristly stems to its blue star-shaped flowers, virtually all parts of the borage plant (Borago officinalis) have been used over the centuries for their healing properties and as a flavoring for foods. As early as the 1600s, Europeans mixed borage leaves and flowers into a wine that was renown for relieving boredom and dispelling melancholy.
Bone-Building Formula
This combination product contains vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that help to strengthen bone, a living tissue that requires constant upkeep. Most important in the combination, is calcium, which ensures that bones stay healthy and strong. Also crucial is vitamin D, which helps the body absorb calcium from foods, and prevents calcium loss in the urine. The mineral magnesium is essential for assisting bone in creating new calcium crystals. Of course, these and other key nutrients (from vitamin K to trace minerals such as manganese, boron, and zinc) can be taken individually. But for greater ease, a bone-building formula combining them all can be very convenient.
Blackberry
The prickly stemmed, flowering blackberry bushes that grow wild across parts of Europe and North America yield plump, blue-black berries for eating as well as for healing. Ancient Greeks called the plant “goutberry” because it was relied upon to lessen gout-related joint pain. Traveling salesmen of yore were known to tuck a flask of blackberry brandy into their bags to treat the loose stools that often occurred after eating unfamiliar foods. Today, blackberry is probably best known for this very use–as a soothing remedy for diarrhea.
Black Cohosh
Generations of American women have relied on the gnarled root of black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) to relieve various “female problems,” from PMS and menstrual cramps to menopausal symptoms. In the 1900s, this indigenous American wildflower, a member of the buttercup family, provided the main ingredient in a popular tonic for women. (The concoction–Lydia Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound–is still sold, but it no longer contains the herb.) Black cohosh has also been used to treat a variety of other complaints, including insect bites and eczema.
Biotin
Although biotin is one of the lesser-known B vitamins, it plays an essential role in a number of important body processes. Taking its name from the Greek word bios, meaning “life,” this nutrient assists the body in metabolizing protein, fats, and carbohydrates from food. It plays a special role in enabling the body to use blood sugar (glucose), a major source of energy for body fluids. Biotin also helps produce certain enzymes.
Bifidobacteria
Like its better-known bacterial cousin, acidophilus, the bifidobacteria group (also called ‘bifidus’) are considered a “probiotic.” One of the hundreds of beneficial bacteria that inhabit your body’s intestinal tract, bifidobacteria helps to fight off infection. Probiotics such as these are especially helpful in preventing the diarrhea that often results from antibiotic therapy. They ease other gastrointestinal conditions as well, including irritable bowel syndrome and flatulence. They also help to prevent vaginal and urinary tract infections, and counteract the overgrowth of the fungus Candida albicans.
Bilberry
Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) is a short, shrubby perennial plant that inhabits the woods and forest meadows of Europe, western Asia, and the Rocky Mountains of North America. As with many other plants that belong to the same plant family (Vaccinium), bilberry bears edible fruits similar to those found on the American blueberry bush. Cranberries and huckleberry belong to this plant family too.
Beta-Sitosterol
As one of several phytosterols (plant compounds with chemical structures similar to that of cholesterol), beta-sitosterol is commonly found in foods such as wheat germ, soybeans, and corn oil. Over the past few years, concentrated extracts of this particular phytosterol have been tested for lowering cholesterol and lessening such discomforts of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) as frequent and painful urination.
Beta-Carotene
Beta-carotene is probably the best known of the carotenoids, those red, orange, and yellow pigments that give color to many fruits and vegetables. The body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A, a nutrient first identified in the 1930s and now recognized as vital to the growth and development of the human body.
Bee Products
As worker bees conduct their daily business–maintaining their hive, providing for the queen bee, collecting pollen–they unwittingly produce substances that some enthusiasts consider valuable in healing. Health-food stores and nutrition shops often carry three of these products: propolis, royal jelly, and bee pollen.
Baking Soda
Baking soda, a naturally occurring chemical formally known as sodium bicarbonate or soda ash, can do much more than raise bread. Enterprising homemakers have long relied on the versatile white powder for everything from cleaning and deodorizing to soothing minor aches and pains. In fact, the medicinal and self-care uses for baking soda were recognized by the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP) more than 150 years ago.
Astragalus
An herb native to China, astragalus (Astragalus membranaceous) has been used for more than 2,000 years to balance the vital energy–or qi–which is thought to flow through all beings. A relative of licorice and the pea plant, astragalus appears to give the immune system a powerful boost. Teas, tablets, and other healing formulations are made from the plant’s flat, yellowish root.