Category Archives: Aging
The term dementia covers a range of conditions that afflict the elderly mostly Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia (stroke). These conditions produce progressive impairments in thought, memory, language, living skills and other behaviours. The symptoms profoundly affect the patient’s quality of life and cause increasing difficulty and distress to caregivers.
(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…)Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a perennial plant of the ginger family well-known for use as a culinary spice in India and Asia. As a medicine, turmeric has been used for millennia by Ayurvedic and Unani physicians to treat both internal and external conditions, as it is still used today. In particular, it has a long history as a digestive aid and a liver herb, its yellow colour hinting at this role under the doctrine of signatures. The yellow colour is due to a high content of beneficial phenolic compounds called curcuminoids such as curcumin. In Okinawa it is considered a ‘longevity food’ because its consumption is a prominent part of the diet of centenarians.1
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