Author Archives: marktsaloumas
The willow (Salix spp.) is a large tree with thin, hanging branches that bear slender leaves and flower clusters called catkins. The bark and leaves were used to make an anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving medicine in ancient Mesopotamia, Babylon, Sumeria, Egypt, China and Greece. You will find willow listed in the Edwin Smith Papyrus amongst the clinical cases, where it was used to treat a surgical wound to the breast by applying it as a poultice.1 Hippocrates knew the willow and recommended chewing the bark for treating fever and to assist child birth, and it is listed in Dioscorides for treating several complaints including intestinal obstruction and gout.2
(more…)Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) seed was highly valued in ancient Egypt and Greece as both a vegetable and a medicine, as it still is in India, Asia, Eastern Europe and The Middle East. It can be used much like cod liver oil as a nutritious supplement for supporting treatment during illness, for children with bone disorders, or simply to nourish the constitution.1 A flour made from the seeds contains good amounts of fibre, fatty acids, amino acids, alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, lecithin and iron, and if added to wheat flour improves its nutritional value significantly. When sprouted, the seeds are a good addition to salads just like other seeds or legumes.2,3
(more…)Stones can be found in the kidney, ureter or bladder, and while most are passed without symptoms, others grow large or irregularly shaped and lodge in the tissues, causing obstruction. The most common stones are made of calcium oxalate (80%), the less common are calcium phosphate, uric acid, struvite and cysteine.
(more…)Vitex (Vitex agnus-castus) is a common shrub in the Mediterranean region which occupies rough ground around roads and gullies, recognisable by its strong scent, leaf stem carrying several leaflets resembling hemp, and spikes of lavender coloured flowers. Dioscorides mentions that it was used to encourage chastity, and we still know it as chaste-tree or monk’s pepper because it can be used by both men and women to suppress libido.1
(more…)The seeds of the Acacia (Acacia spp.) have been gathered for food by Indigenous Australians for tens of thousands of years. Also called wattle, the Acacia is a genus of plants in the legume family known also in Africa and the Mediterranean since the time of Herodotus, where the wood was harvested for shipbuilding, the bark for ropemaking, the leaves as an animal fodder and the branches for firewood.1 In Australia, Acacia is the second largest genus of plants containing over 700 species and many of them produce an abundance of seeds that were valued in some parts as a staple crop.2
(more…)Whether eaten as a vegetable or taken in the form of a herbal tincture, kelp is nourishing to the body. Kelp is rich in many minerals particularly iodine, magnesium, potassium, calcium, sulphur, iron, zinc and copper because these minerals are available to the growing weed from the sea, just like other nutritious sea vegetables (nori, kombu, dulse, wakame). While low in protein and fats, kelp has plenty of fibre and good levels of important vitamins (A, B2, B12, C, D, E, K).1
(more…)We may well be living in stressful times, with many people facing uncertainty about what the future will bring. We also experience difficult personal problems from time to time that cause a lot of worry or heartache until they reach a resolution. Of course we expect things to turn around; however, the potential for stress to become chronic is real for people who are prone to worrying and feel they cannot cope well with change.
(more…)The Ginkgo tree (Ginkgo biloba) is still found growing wild in China, the only species remaining from an ancient genus that originated in the Jurassic period. It is a tall tree which has fan-shaped leaves that turn yellow in Autumn, and edible nuts that are toxic if eaten in quantity, especially when raw.
(more…)Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a condition characterised by the loss of bone density and structure, which weakens the bones and increases fracture risk. This condition most commonly effects the elderly, particularly the bones of the arms, hip and spine.
(more…)Pellitory-of-the-wall (Parietaria officinalis) can be found in gardens across the city growing on walls, beside shady paths, over rubble and along fences. It has reddish, brittle stems, downy leaves and small flowers at the base of the leaf stem. It is abundant, yet a largely an unknown nuisance, being responsible for pollen allergy all over Europe, and most academic research focuses on this aspect.1
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