A native grass used by indigenous Australians as a traditional remedy for headache has been found to have properties “as potent as aspirin”.
The lemon grass Cymbopogon ambiguus, which grows on rocky hillsides in the Northern Territory, has been confirmed to have headache and migraine relieving properties.
Dr Darren Grice, from the Institute for Glycomics at Griffith University, was part of the research team that found the effect and isolated the particular chemical responsible.
“It was caused by the compound eugenol in the native lemon grass plant,” Dr Grice told AAP on Tuesday.
“It’s not the first time that it has been found but it is the first time it has been found in this plant.”
The research team devised a test which used the platelets from human blood to see whether compounds from the plant would have any bio-active effect.
People suffering a migraine are known to show abnormal blood activity, as their platelets become more closely clumped together along with altered serotonin levels.
“We looked at the extracts from these plants really to track down the molecules responsible for preventing the aggregation of the platelets and or the release or serotonin,” Dr Grice said.
“Out of that we tracked down one chemical that was particularly potent … this plant does have potential to act as an anti-inflammatory or an anti-headache agent.
“In all the studies we have done it indicates it is equally as potent as aspirin would be.”
Dr Grice said the discovery made sense because indigenous people were more likely to pass down knowledge about plants that had a real effect on the body.
Despite this, he said, many traditional medicines had not been studied in depth and many of Australia’s native plants could have unknown therapeutic qualities.
For modern-day Australians who may now seek to use the traditional headache cure, Dr Grice offered some encouragement and a warning.
“If people were to make (lemon grass) teas or infusions it would be a good thing, and quite therapeutic,” Dr Grice said.
“(But) just because it is natural doesn’t mean that everything is inherently safe and you could take as much as you want.”
The research, conducted by Dr Grice along with Professor Lyn Griffiths and Dr Kelly Rogers, is published in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
Tags: Abnormal Blood, Aest, Australians, Cymbopogon, Glycomics, Grass Plant, Grice, Griffith University, Headache Cure, Headache Migraine, Human Blood, Indigenous People, Lemon Grass, Native Grass, Native Plants, Platelets, Rocky Hillsides, Therapeutic Qualities, Traditional Medicines, Traditional Remedy
Green Cleaning Tips for Your Home
From Wired How-To Wiki
All you need is a spray bottle and some common household substances to make your own green cleaning supplies.
Think your home is green paradise free of toxins and pollutants? Think again.
According to the EPA, indoor air is around two to three times more polluted than outdoor air. In some cases, indoor air pollution can be up to 100 times worse than the great outdoors. Why, you ask? Much of it comes from volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that evaporate from both furniture and cleaning products. The most common dangerous chemicals are methylene chloride based paint strippers, as well as furniture waxes, varnishes, volatile fuels and oils such as gasoline and kerosene and WD-40, dry cleaned clothes that smell of perchloroethylene, and cigarette smoke.
That’s right – Cleaning your home with products that contain dangerous VOCs can actually make it more toxic. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, homes were cleaned for centuries before today’s cleaners came along.
Want to do yourself and the environment a favor? Ditch the toxic cleaning supplies and go green with our complete guide to cleaning your home the green way.
DIY cleaners
There are plenty of designer label green cleaning products out there, but most will cost you an arm and leg. As it turns out, two of the best cleaning substances are probably already in your kitchen — vinegar and baking soda.
Vinegar and baking soda are two of the most versatile and powerful cleaners around. Mix either one with a bit of water and some liquid soap and you’ve got everything from window cleaner to a bathroom scrubber.
Another valuable compound is washing soda, also known as sodium carbonate. It’s not the same thing as baking soda, though the two are similar, and are often sold in similar packaging. But washing soda is alkaline compound that’s great for getting out stains. Put some in the mix and you have an almost limitless range of green cleaning possibilities.
Here are a few handy recipes:
General Purpose Cleaner
- ½ tsp washing soda
- 2 drops of liquid soap
- 2 cups hot tap water
- Combine in a spray bottle and shake until dissolved
Will keep indefinitely
Window Cleaner
- ¼-½ tsp liquid soap
- 3 tbsp white vinegar
- 2 cups water
- Mix in a spray bottle
Will keep indefinitely. Presenting this recipe does not imply that regular window cleaner contains dangerous compounds, but that this is simply a known safe alternative.
Floor Cleaner
- one third white vinegar
- two thirds water
Make on an as-you-need-it basis
Bathroom Scrubber
Just make a paste with baking soda and a bit of water. Works wonder on mildew and tile grout. Substitute a bit of liquid soap instead of water and you’ve got a great bathtub cleaner that won’t leave any grit behind.
Make on an as-you-need-it basis
Fancier DIY cleaners
Most of the time, you won’t notice much of an odor at all with these home-brew cleaners. But if you miss the lemony fresh smell of your old toxic cleaners, never fear — you can make your own scented cleaners.
Just head to your local market and grab a few of your favorite essential oils. Drop a bit of lemon or orange oil (and we mean literally just a drop) in your mixes and you’ll have a nice, green, fresh-smelling cleaner. Should you opt for lavender oil, you’ll be getting a natural antiseptic. Although technically scented oils are volatile organic compounds, they are not typically considered a health risk.
Conclusion
There’s no need to spend huge sums of money buying cleaning products that actually make your home more toxic than it was before you started cleaning. Using time-tested cleaning recipes with simple, cheap ingredients like vinegar and baking soda will keep your house clean and green.
Tags: Baking Soda Vinegar, Cigarette Smoke, Cleaning Products, Cleaning Tips, Common Household Substances, Dangerous Chemicals, Green Paradise, Indoor Air Pollution, Liquid Soap, Paint Strippers, Perchloroethylene, Sodium Carbonate, Spray Bottle, Varnishes, Vinegar And Baking Soda, Vocs, Volatile Fuels, Volatile Organic Compounds, Washing Soda, Wd 40
You can finally cure your sinus infection and live a normal life. No more feeling tired and irritable, no more trouble sleeping and no more hiding indoors. Take control if your life.
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Tags: 24 Hours, Control, Doctors, Fortune, Medicine, Money Back, Natural Remedy, Pharmacy, Sinus Infection, Sinus Problem, Sinuses, Trouble Sleeping
- Drink fruit juice because it contains fructose, which helps burn alcohol faster.
- Eat crackers and honey. Honey contains fructose and the crackers help absorb alcohol.
- Try some aspirin or willow-bark for pain relief.
- Drink some broth made from bouillon cubes to replace the salt and potassium in your body.
- Alcohol causes dehydration so drink plenty of water. Its best to drink one glass of alcohol and then one glass of water during the night but you still need to drink water the next day.
- Eat small amounts of carbohydrates to replenish amino acids lost by over indulging in alcohol.
- Have two cups of coffee to reduce the swelling of your blood vessels. Do not drink more than two cups or you may end up with the caffeine jitters, as well as a hangover.
- Eat a good meal if you can manage it. It will help replace all the nutrients you have lost.
- Sleep it off. The only way to get over drinking too much the night before is time. Time will heal you and time will give your body a chance to remove all the poison from your system.
- B complex vitamins will help shorten the duration of your hangover. If you plan to drink a lot, often make sure you take a supplement regularly. If it is a one –off you can benefit from a vitamin supplement before you go to bed or first thing in the morning.
The best thing for a hangover is to not drink in the first place. A hangover is your body’s warning that you have been poisoned. Listen to your body.
Tags: Amino Acids, Aspirin, B Complex Vitamins, Blood Vessels, Bouillon Cubes, Carbohydrates, Crackers, Dehydration, Fructose, Fruit Juice, Glass Of Water, Hangover, Honey Honey, Jitters, Nutrients, Pain Relief, Potassium, Time Time, Vitamin Supplement, Willow Bark
Most over-the-counter and almost all prescribed drug treatments merely mask symptoms or control health problems or in some way alter the way organs or systems such as the circulatory system work. Drugs almost never deal with the reasons why these problems exist, while they frequently create new health problems as side effects of their activities. – John R. Lee, M.D.
Have you ever noticed that most doctors only want to treat the symptoms you have on the day of your visit. They will treat the fever, the sore throat and the cough. However, most will not treat the cause of your illness. The reason we get sick is because our bodies are not given proper nutrition or exercise or rest. When our system is stressed, which happens when it is not getting all it needs, it is open to infections and injuries.
To avoid illness and some injuries, it is a good idea to eat a healthy diet, get plenty of exercise and have a good night’s sleep every night. When your body is at it’s peak, it is less likely to have any problems.
There are some doctors who do treat people with a holistic approach so if you can find one, stick with them. We need to treat our whole body, not just a couple of the symptoms. It’s all about balance.
Good Health!
Tags: Circulatory System, Control Health, Cough, Doctors, Drugs, Exercise, Fever, Good Health, Health Problems, Healthy Diet, Holistic Approach, John R Lee, Mask, New Health, Organs, Proper Nutrition, Reason, Sleep, Sore Throat