Nov 24

Food with rich antioxidant properties can delay onset of Alzheimer’s disease

DAAN, Disease, Health and fitness No Comments »


One of the main benefits of antioxidants is their ability to protect cells from free radicals and reduce oxidative stress in the body and overtime, can slow the process of aging. Now, scientists in Spain have found that diet rich in antioxidant substances could also delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

DAAN’s Hemotune is rich in antioxidant properties and can help you raise your immune system to fight off diseases.

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) researchers have confirmed that a diet rich in polyphenols and polyunsaturated fatty acids, patented as an LMN diet, helps boost the production of the brain’s stem cells -neurogenesis- and strengthens their differentiation in different types of neuron cells. The research revealed that mice fed an LMN diet, when compared to those fed a control diet, have more cell proliferation in the two areas of the brain where neurogenesis is produced, the olfactory bulb and the hippocampus, both of which are greatly damaged in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.These results give support to the hypothesis that a diet made up of foods rich in these antioxidant substances could delay the onset of this disease or even slow down its evolution.

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Nov 23

Traditional Chinese herbs can increase your immunity

DAAN, General, Immune system No Comments »

WaterfallTraditional Chinese herbs can enhance your immunity especially during the cold and flu season.

DAAN’s Immune Booster is a great product that can raise your immunity against diseases.

HERBAL tonics fight flu As the world battles H1N1 and seasonal flu, it’s important to stay healthy and boost your immunity. Herbal potions, hot ginger foot baths and rubbing your belly and knees can help. Zhang Qian prescribes.

By boiling 10 herbs into a potion to boost qi — and thus immunity — Trisha Lin hopes traditional Chinese medicine therapy can prevent her family from catching H1N1 flu.

She just started brewing this herbal soup from scratch because she read the recipe on the Internet and through SMS. She concocts the mixture every two days.

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Nov 22

Combating stress naturally

DAAN, Health and fitness, Stress No Comments »

Susan Yen, L.Ac
stressEveryone lives with stress, but we each have various degrees of tolerance and abilities to relieve it. First and foremost, one needs to differentiate controllable and non-controllable stress.

Non-controllable stress is caused by events that you have no direct control over. Instead of fretting over the unknown, you should take control over the controllable factors in your life that contribute to stress.

Sleeping habits, dietary choices, and exercise are the big three that play a pivotal role in promoting good physical and mental health. A person with insomnia generally indulges in more caffeinated drinks and sugary foods to combat fatigue. This false spurt of “energy” makes you more hyper and jittery. And when you are tired, the last thing on your mind is to exercise. As these poor lifestyle choices repeat themselves, and stress and physical health deterioration snowballs.

To combat this, first, focus on the easy stuff. Instead of grabbing a sugary or caffeinated drink, how about substituting it with a glass of water or milk? For dashboard eaters, carrot or celery sticks and grapes make wonderful snacks that do not leave grease marks in the car. No time to hit the gym? 3 minutes of continuous jumping jacks will have you gasping for air. As for sleeping, be a responsible global citizen and reduce energy consumption by going to be no later than 11:30pm.

We are habitual creatures. It takes time to do harm as it does to make it right.

Obviously, life’s stress will not vanish when one’s sleeping quality has improved, or if you are eating more healthy, and exercising more regularly. But making simple changes can allow you to handle stress better, to see a hint of silver lining during difficult situations.

DAAN caries a line of natural remedies to help you cope with stress. In particular, try:

Nov 19

Ginseng, the herb for sexual virility

DAAN, Ginseng No Comments »

Ginseng has powerful effect in sexual virility. DAAN has extensive ginseng products.

Ginseng is a plant traditionally grown in Southern Asia especially in places like China, Korea, Eastern Siberia and Vietnam. Typically, ginseng thrives in cooler climates. However because of its highly potent curative qualities, the ginseng plant has been cultivated in America, parts of Europe and Africa including Uganda.

The word ginseng comes from the Chinese term renshen which literally means “man root”, referring to the root’s characteristic shape which is like the legs of a man complete with a penis-like structure. Its genetic name pinax ginseng portends its healing properties, for the word pinax means “all heal”, alluding to its power to cure a wide variety of ailments.

The wonder plant is said to act as a stress reducer and energizer for those suffering from fatigue. It is effective in regulating low and high blood pressure, giving mental clarity, physical stamina and generally bolstering the immune system. Scientists have also found the plant to normalise sugar in type two diabetes.

In the Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Herbs, the drug is classified as an aphrodisiac. It has complex compounds that scientists have not yet been able to synthesise yet. These compounds improve sexual performance of both men and women and can even be used to treat frigidity, impotence and erectile dysfunction.

On gardensablaze.com, a website of medicinal plants is a list of ailments ginseng can cure. For example it can clear chest congestion, wheezing, persistent cough and insomnia. Dr. Gerald Luzindana of Kisakye Nutrition and Reflexology Centre says that the herb also strengthens the liver, heart, pancreas, spleen and kidneys, which organs are the most essential for all body functions. Ginseng is not listed as one of the drugs banned by the International sports association. Therefore sports men and women can and do use it to improve their performance. It improves memory and can do wonders for one’s grades in school. However ginseng has to be consumed regularly over a period of at least two months if any tangible results are to be seen.

Nov 13

Hair, Stress and Nutrients

DAAN, General, Men's health No Comments »

Susan Yen L.Ac

Generally speaking, thinning or receding hairline are seemingly more of a male dilemma than a woman’s. However, with increasing build-up of stress, it is not a wonder that everyone is tearing his or her hair out. When one is stressed, it is common to “comfort” one’s psyche with a sweet treat or a salty (and oily) snack. Typically, these foods take away more of the needed vitamins and minerals your body needs.
Next time, try reaching for yogurt, edamame, pistachio, black sesame, or granola bars and such calcium and vitamin B packed snacks to help calm your nerves and to ensure better skin and hair growth.

Nov 10

Ginger Tea

DAAN, Food, Tea No Comments »

Susan Yen L.Ac

As young tender ginger matures, its golden hue skin will gradually darken and lose its sheen. Its fibers will become tough and coarse as its juice dry up. (It looks like a deflated balloon.) Even at its late stage, ginger is best used as a warming agent, for it has become very spicy. There are people who put these much matured ginger in bath water, to further enhance their circulation. (This is not recommended for those who have allergy/sensitive skin.)

For those who often feel cold, the spiciness of these matured gingers is a great way to warm the body. Just boil it in broth or tea for about five minutes or, one can even add another dimension to hot chocolate with some matured ginger. Simply boil matured ginger (preferably sliced) in half cup of water, let it boil for 5 minutes and then stir in with hot chocolate. This tasty drink is recommended for women who get cramps and lack of energy during menstrual period.

Nov 06

Ginger- not just for sushi anymore!

Alternative therapies, DAAN, Food No Comments »

Susan Yen L.Ac

Ginger is a staple ingredient in a Chinese family’s kitchen. It can be eaten in its raw form, boiled in soups and teas, sauteed with meats and vegetables, steamed with seafood, and even pickled.

With this wide range of uses, an even more amazing fact about ginseng is that from its freshly picked root to its dried up weeks old form, every stage has its own particular useto enhance its distinct flavor at that moment. Due to its spicy property, it can be used to get rid of gamy or fishy smells in meats and seafood, promote appetite, and it also contains antibacterial properties.

Ginger tea has been used to help with hangovers because its fragrance and spicy properties aid the movement of the stomach qi, thereby help to settle upset stomach. One of the spices used in Indian chai is ginger. It is used for this reason as well as to neutralize the cold property of tea leaf itself.

Young fresh ginger is often pickled because the skin is thin enough to easily absorb the pickle juice (usually a combination of vinegar and sugar), and its fibers are still soft enough to be eaten.

Pickled ginger is mostly paired with sushi or sashimi because it’s faint spicy and sour taste (from the vinegar) helps to induce appetite and acts as a palate cleanser.

Other than raw seafood, pickled ginger can also be used in porridge (whether it is vegetable-, meat-, or seafood-based). This is an especially great dish for people who have poor digestion or are recovering from an ailment.

To make a delicious and soothing porridge, first, boil cooked rice in twice amount of either water or soup stock. (For example, 1 cup of rice add 2 cups of water/stock.) Once the rice is cooked to a soggy and broken down state, add one more cup of water or stock, and when it starts to boil, throw in the vegetables, meats, or seafood of your choice. When the raw ingredients are cooked through, turn the heat off and add about a teaspoon pickled ginger into the pot.

Make sure to stir occasionally so rice does not stick to the bottom of the pot and also turn down the heat or add a little bit of water when it looks about to boil over. Bon appetite.

Nov 02

Holistic treatments boost defense against H1N1

Alternative therapies, DAAN, Disease No Comments »

Holistic treatments help enhance your immunity against H1N1. DAAN carries extensive products to help you raise your defense against cold and flu.

This flu season, H1N1 is particularly prevalent. In addition to being a nasty virus, it carries with it a lot of cultural baggage in the form of fears and misconceptions.

Like seasonal flu, H1N1 is spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people. Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea. It is possible to be infected and have respiratory symptoms without a fever.

Most people who have been sick with 2009 H1N1 virus have recovered without needing medical treatment. However, hospitalizations and deaths from infection with this virus have occurred. You should seek urgent medical care if you experience severe symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, chest pain, or persistent vomiting.

Oct 27

Wake up with cinnamon

DAAN, Food, General, Uncategorized No Comments »

Susan Yen L.Ac
Eating with the season-Cinnamon

Thanks to recent celebrity health gurus’ endorsements, cinnamon has been rebranded as the new “good for everything” herb. It is quite versatile in usage, as it can be found in entrees as well as in desserts. However, the abundance of this herb in the breakfast menu is not without a reason.

In TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), “cinnamonum cassia” is classified as having hot, spicy properties that moves along the heart, spleen, kidney and liver meridians. (Please note here, we are talking about “Rou Gui”, the older, thicker tree branch bark portion of the herb, not the younger version, “Gui Zhi”.)

As in the morning when the temperature is lower and our circulation not the best from lying in bed during our nights rest, cinnamon acts like the hot shower in the morning, waking up your system by transmitting its warmth through the meridians it corresponds to. Hence don’t forget to sprinkle the cinnamon in your breakfast especially on those frosty mornings!

Oct 27

Frittilariae with cooling property

DAAN, Food, General, Herbs, Uncategorized No Comments »

Susan Yen L.Ac
A simple and tasty sweet treat-Pear Frittilariae

Pear, frittilariae steamed with rock sugar is perhaps one of the tastiest desserts with medicinal use. Pear, with its abundant juice and cooling effect combined with frittilariae, a small pearl like bulb root that does wonders for both dry cough and getting rid of phlegm. Rock sugar has slight lung organ lubricating properties and can neutralize the slight stringent taste of frittilariae. Frittilariae is optional for those who do not have phlegm.

To prepare, peel the skin of an Asian pear, decore (make sure don’t cut all the way through the pear), and fill the hole with pounded frittilariae, rock sugar and water.
The ratio between frittilariae and rock sugar is adjusted depending on taste. Usually it is 1-tablespoon frittilariae to 1/2-teaspoon rock sugar ratio, and adds the water to the top of the hole. For a Martha Stewart-ish presentation, make sure you keep the top so you can use it as a lid.

After steaming the pear for about an hour, the frittilariae combination is incorporated with the pear surrounding, and the pear should be soft enough that you can scoop the middle of the pear with a spoon. This autumn dessert should be eaten warm.

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