Oct 29
Good article, with good background about ginseng:
“Ginseng is harvested for only three months a year, between September and November, when the active ingredient, saponin, is at its highest level. Usually, ginseng becomes efficacious when it is four years old, reaching the peak of its efficacy at six years old. After seven years it turns white inside, which means it no longer does much good. Qualified inspection institutes for ginseng, white ginseng, taegeuk ginseng and red ginseng are under the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation and designated by the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service. With ginseng products imported or smuggled from China, it’s buyer beware: you cannot know whether agrichemical residues meet government criteria, and it is highly likely that they are low-quality products with false information about age and moisture level.
…
Fresh ginseng makes good tea for the cold, windy season when marinated with the same amount of sugar after rinsing and mincing. Ground fresh ginseng also adds flavor to some dishes. Parents can make healthful soup for their children by adding one or two spoonfuls of ground ginseng per cup of rice to the soup. And even children who do not like ginseng may have no way to pick ground ginseng out. One or two teaspoonful of ground ginseng in cream sauce pasta can reduce the oily taste and add a special flavor. Fresh ginseng also goes well with pears or kiwis, so blending half a piece of fresh ginseng root with some plain yogurt and a quarter of a pear makes a good breakfast.”
DAAN specializes in the highest quality ginseng!
Oct 22
Chinese club moss is being studied to determine whether it is effective in treating Alzheimer’s:
“A plant used widely in China is the focus of a national clinical trial that aims to see if it could help treat Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia.
The University of North Carolina Hospitals are participating in the national clinical trial on Chinese club moss, which is already being sold in stores with nutritional supplements and is used in China as a treatment for cognitive disorders.”
Oct 22
A Singapore company is selling chocolate that includes Chinese herbs:
“Singapore-based healthcare company Eu Yan Sang is hoping to make an impression on the European chocolate market with a range of sweets containing traditional Chinese herbs.
The company has developed chocolates with ginseng and red date flavours and is planning to trial the products in the domestic market before introducing them to Western consumers.
With the range, Eu Yan Sang is hoping to tap into the allure of traditional Eastern herbs to target the European confectionery market and gain a foothold in the growing functional chocolate sector.
By using the well-known Chinese herb ginseng as an ingredient the company is following the trend for exotic additions to chocolate promising an array of benefits from increasing libido to enhancing mood.
Ginseng is typically taken to enhance stamina and reduce feelings of fatigue and physical stress. It is also believed to have an anti-cancer function and has been reported to normalise blood glucose levels, improve insulin sensitivity and reduce the risk of obesity. “
Oct 22
Chinatown continues to attract young and old:
“The Chinese were an integral part of San Francisco’s wild Gold Rush days, but for decades segregationist practices forced them to pack their lives into a dozen or so square blocks.
They provided for themselves what the outside world would not: schools, markets, medical care and entertainment, building a home in a country that was intent on making them feel unwelcome.
The 1906 earthquake destroyed the old Chinatown, along with most of downtown San Francisco. Some local leaders saw it as an opportunity to sweep the enclave away altogether.
“The cities in the immediate vicinity of the San Francisco Bay never in the past had such opportunity as now to forever do away with the huddling together of Chinese in districts,” the Oakland Enquirer wrote days after the destruction.
Instead, the neighborhood was rebuilt, this time in an elaborate Oriental style whose curved eaves and colorful lanterns were designed to attract tourists even as it continued to house traditional family associations, herb shops and restaurants.
Culture center
Even as immigrants established themselves and moved to outlying neighborhoods, San Francisco and especially Chinatown grew to become “a center of Chinese and Chinese-American culture,” says historian Judy Yung, who grew up in the neighborhood during the 1950s and recently published “San Francisco’s Chinatown – Images of America.”"
Oct 10
Patients are finding traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can be effective for a variety of conditions, including pain relief and fertility treatment with Chinese herbs:
““Drugs are often Band-Aids that treat symptoms but not the underlying cause – with eczema, for instance, you can be given cortisone to reduce inflammation but it doesn’t address the cause. TCM on the other hand can help by strengthening the immune system and digestive function.”
Few Western-trained doctors refer patients to a TCM practitioner, though one doctor now refers children with eczema to Scott for pediatric massage – an alternative to acupuncture for children who are afraid of needles.
The barriers to more doctors referring patients for TCM include lack of registration – only Victoria has a registration system for its practitioners – and lack of evidence for its benefits.
Still, Xue says, it is the subject of increasing study and there’s some evidence that acupuncture helps treat headaches, period pain, back pain and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Studies suggest it may improve IVF’s success, though it’s unclear why.
“It may increase blood flow to the uterus,” says Dr Caroline Smith, who has conducted a study of acupuncture and IVF through the University of Adelaide. “It needs more research, but we know acupuncture does no harm and may increase women’s chances of success.”
As for Chinese herbal medicine, its acceptance lags behind acupuncture, which now attracts a Medicare rebate provided it’s done by a medical doctor trained in acupuncture.?
Oct 05
Interesting article about the health benefits of many different types of tea:
“Though Jamaicans have their own definition of tea, the original comes from the camellia sinensis, an evergreen shrub that may grow up to 60 feet in the wild. When cultivated for harvest, the bushes are kept at a height of about three feet. There are over 3,000 varieties of tea, each with its own specific characteristics.
What determines the classification of black, oolong, white or green is how the leaves are processed. The main difference in the varieties is how much oxygen the leaves are allowed to absorb during processing. A lot of oxygen produces dark-coloured teas, but little oxygen results in green tea and unprocessed leaves are called white tea.
For Jamaicans, tea is any bush, root or leaf that can be used to make tea and green tea is any tea bag (popular brands being Lipton and Twinings). However, green tea makes up approximately 10 per cent of the world’s tea.
Production Process
The production process starts with withering, followed by pan-frying or steaming to prevent fermentation. Between steaming and drying, green tea leaves are rolled to give them the desired shape.
In China, this consists of eyebrow-shaped or twisted pieces, tight balls, flat needles, or curled whole leaves. Japanese green tea leaves are shiny green blades with reddish stalks and stems. Green tea is greenish-yellow in colour, with a grassy, astringent quality reminiscent of the fresh leaves. ”
DAAN carries a number of different teas, including:
See our complete list of teas.
