How Flax Seed Improves Your Health

How Flax Seed Improves Your Health
How Flax Seed Improves Your Health

More and more, health-conscious individuals are turning to flax seed and it’s inherent flax seed oil as a natural, affordable solution. Are you frustrated in your search for a natural food supplement? One that can help you feel healthier and lose weight? without side effects?

Flax Seeds Benefits the Entire Body!

Flaxseed is claimed to benefit every molecule in the body! It improves the quality of hair, nails, and skin, as well as helping to regulate bodyweight, lower cholesterol and blood pressure and prevent arthritis and cancers.

What is Flax Plant?

The flax plant, an ancient crop, yields the fibre from which linen is woven, as well as seeds (linseed or flaxseed) and oil. The oil, also called linseed oil, has many industrial uses, it is an important ingredient in paints, varnishes and linoleum for example.

Flax is a grain crop which has several substances that can be healthy. It has fiber, omega-3 fatty acids and lignans. You can add flax to your diet by either using the flaxseeds or flaxseed oil. Both will add the essential omega-3 fatty acid, alpha linolenic acid (ALA) to our bodies. We need this fatty acid and are unable to make it on our own. This fatty acid may help reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease and sudden cardiac death. It is believed that flax’s fatty acids, as well as fiber, help in lowering blood cholesterol.

Flaxseed has been a part of human and animal diets for thousands of years in Asia, Europe, and Africa, and more recently in North America and Australia, says Kaye Effertz, executive director of AmeriFlax, a trade promotion group representing U.S. flaxseed producers. As flax gained popularity for its industrial uses, however, its popularity as a food product waned, but it never lost its nutritional value.

What does Flax Seeds look like?

Flax seeds are slightly larger than sesame seeds and have a hard shell that is smooth and shiny. Their color ranges from deep amber to reddish brown depending upon whether the flax is of the golden or brown variety. While whole flaxseeds feature a soft crunch, the nutrients in ground seeds are more easily absorbed.

Today flax is experiencing a renaissance among nutritionists, the health conscious public, food processors, and chefs alike!

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Home Remedies For Head Lice

Home Remedies For Head Lice
Home Remedies For Head Lice

One of the most common parasites to be found on our body is the head lice (Pediculus capitis). We are its humble hosts on whom these parasitical insects thrive. These are found mainly on the scalp which also happens to find its way on your neck and face. The six shaft like legs grasps the hair for better movement. Head lice reflect lack of hygiene and sanitation but many a times that is not the case. Children are most common hosts for these parasites due to the daily interaction with number of children. A simple head-to-head contact with the infested person can open the Pandora’s Box.

Other ways and means to transfer this condition is by used combs, sharing towels, hats similar products related to your hair. Lice could not survive for more than 24-hours without feeding. Their main source of energy is by sucking blood from the host’s body. You can find three forms of lice- the egg also known as nit, the nymph and the adult. The common symptom once infected by head lice is a tickling sensation felt in the hair as well as constant itching due to the bites. You can find different types of lice like head lice, body lice and pubic lice.

Self-Care Measures

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How To Quick And Easy Natural Massage Melts

How To Quick And Easy Natural Massage Melts
How To Quick And Easy Natural Massage Melts

Massage melts are a unique body product because they stay solid at room temperatures, but when applied directly to your skin, start to soften and melt due to body temperature. Their main purpose is to moisturize dry skin, as well as, relax and soothe tight muscles.

Essentially, massage bars are composed of natural butters and oils. Most recipes for this type of product call for the use of cocoa butter. Even though it has great moisturizing properties, I feel this butter produces too hard a product. Therefore, I recommend using such butters as shea and mango, which create a silkier, luxurious feeling to your melts.

For oils, I highly recommend using sweet almond and jojoba. Sweet almond oil is light and penetrates easily making it well-suited for dry skin conditions. Plus, it is effective on all skin types. Jojoba oil, which is not actually an oil but is a liquid wax, is similar in composition to the oil your skin secretes, which is known as sebum. Jojoba is a quickly absorbed oil that soothes the skin, as well as, extends the shelf life of other oils.

Other “light” oils you can substitute, for the above, are apricot kernel, grapeseed, sunflower, safflower, or soybean. Rounding out the rest of the ingredients are beeswax, vitamin E, and essential and fragrance oils.

Beeswax helps formulations keep their shape, as well as, act as a humectant. Vitamin E oil protects your product from rancidity and is also a great natural antioxidant. Essential oils are natural ingredients that are the very essence of the plant itself. Extracted from the flowers, fruit, leaves, bark, and roots of the plant, the oils are used for scent and therapeutic purposes. A word of caution, due to their volatility, research any essential oil before use. Fragrance oils, though synthetic in nature, do provide an inexpensive and easy way to achieve a scent that might not be possible with essential oils.

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Natural Home Remedies For Oily Skin

Natural Home Remedies For Oily Skin
Natural Home Remedies For Oily Skin

There are many reasons for your skin to become oily for e.g. hereditary, pregnancy, environment, food we eat and many others. Our body secretes oil to keep our body smooth and supple. It also avoids wrinkles which becomes a cause of worry for many.

Measures to avoid Oily Skin

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Aromatherapy While Traveling

Aromatherapy While Traveling
Aromatherapy While Traveling

Whether you are on business trip, a romantic holiday, a family trip or simply want to experience outdoor life, aromatherapy essential oils come useful along the way. Take along carrier oils for diluting the essential oils.

Are you going away on business trip? Whether you have to meet clients, give presentations, hold seminars, business meetings, etc, one can surely feel stressed out. Take along with you lavender, peppermint, marjoram and Neroli essential oils.

- Massage your body with 1 drop of marjoram and lavender oil each mixed with sweet almond or calendula oil after a warm bath to lessen the jet lag effect.

- Are you jittery before a big presentation or a meeting? Inhale few drops of Neroli oil to settle all the butterflies and ease all the nervousness.

- For headaches or migraines, concoct 1 drop of peppermint & lavender oil each with 1 tsp of sweet almond oil and massage it on your forehead, temples, sides and base of your neck. It will ease the headache away and let you stay alert. Few drops of lavender oil on your pillow will allow for peaceful night of sleep.

- Eating out and upset stomach go hand in hand. Massage 1 drop of peppermint & lavender oil each with 1 tsp of sweet almond oil on your stomach to help you with indigestion. Or you can try a peppermint tea.

Holidaying with your sweetheart or going for your honeymoon? Make sure you smell desirable all the time. Rose & jasmine oil are considered romantic oils.

- 1 drop of rose and jasmine oil each in 100 ml of jojoba oil makes a nice personal perfume for your holiday.

- A single drop of Ylang Ylang with its oriental scent is heady potent seduction perfume.

- For a romantic bath, add little of your personal perfume to the bath gel or water. You can use the perfume as massage oil on your partner.

Out with the kids. Calendula oil, lavender oil, chamomile essential oil and tea tree oil are some of children’s oil that comes handy.

- Inhale a drop of lavender or peppermint oil from kerchief or tissue to ease the nausea and travel sickness.

- Got a tired kid on hand. Get your child to relax and inhale lavender oil.

- For small babies, apply lavender oil on your neck and shoulders so when you carry your little one around, the fragrance stays with baby.

- Stomach upset or colic trouble – 1 drop of chamomile mixed with 1 tsp of sweet almond oil rubbed clockwise on tummy will ease the stomachache.

- Lavender oil rubbed on the body helps to keep insects away.

- Few drops of calendula, lavender & chamomile oil is good for cuts and bruises.

- Aloe Vera gel or lavender oil applied to sun burn will soothe the pain.

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Chamomile Oil Which Chamomile Is Which

Chamomile Oil Which Chamomile Is Which
Chamomile Oil Which Chamomile Is Which

Chamomile is known worldwide to be a calming sleep aid, a remedy to ease an upset stomach, and for its wonderful anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmolytic properties. There are, however, many types of chamomile: Roman chamomile, Anthemis nobilis; German chamomile, Matricaria recutita; true Moroccan chamomile, Tanacetum annuum. Beyond these three basic types, German chamomile can also be called Hungarian or blue chamomile, while another species of chamomile called Moroccan is actually a different variety (Ormensis multicaulis) that is grown in Morocco. Ormensis multicaulis does not have the ink-blue color of the true Moroccan chamomile that is Tanacetum annuum, also called blue tansy. Each chamomile is a different variety, however they all have similar constituents as well as some likenesses in appearance.

Roman chamomile is mainly grown in England, and there are some areas in continental Europe and the United States that also distill the oil. In 1785, Carlo Allioni, an Italian botanist, placed what we know as Roman chamomile in the genus Chamaemelum, naming Anthemis nobilis as Chamaemelum nobile, thus furthering the confusion about chamomiles.

German chamomile is what most botanists and herbalists refer to as chamomile. German chamomile grows wild mostly in Germany, however what is known as blue or German chamomile has for the past 10 years or so been mainly distilled in Hungary, yet it retains the name German chamomile.

Moroccan chamomile is a member of the Tansy botanical family and is like German chamomile due to the fact that they both produce a deep, ink-blue color when in the form of an essential oil. Out of the two varieties, Moroccan chamomile has the highest levels of chamazulene; however there are some chamomiles that have the name Moroccan Chamomile that are not blue in color. They are appelled Moroccan chamomile because they are a variety of chamomile that is grown in Morocco. True Tanacetum annuum is blue and contains the highest levels of chamazulene; however, there is some concern with Tanacetum annum, also called blue tansy oil. Tansy oil has been purported to have some toxicity and should not be used directly on the skin. On the other hand, there are aromatherapists who rave about the wonderful effects of Tanacetum annuum. Research on Tanacetum annuum’s constituents and general actions is incomplete and there is not enough clinical data recorded to make any conclusions about safety or effectiveness.

Chamazulene is the constituent in both German and Moroccan chamomiles that makes them blue and gives them strong anti-inflammatory qualities. Chamazulene does not show up as a constituent of German Chamomile until the distillation process because chamazulene is bound with glycoside Matricine, which is a sugar molecule that becomes hydrolysed due to the pressure and heat of the steam distillation process of extracting the essential oil. The volatile azulenes become unbound and alpha-bisabolol and chamazulene are then freed and show as newly present constituents of chamomile oil.

German and Moroccan Chamomile are recognized for their anti-inflammatory properties and have been know to help cure and treat allergies, dermatitis, eczema, inflamed joints, muscles, neuralgia, skin rashes and sprains. German Chamomile is what is typically chosen to make chamomile tea and is an excellent natural anti-histamine for reactions such as hay fever, asthma and hives. Caveat emptor

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Apricot Kernel Oil

Apricot Kernel Oil
Apricot Kernel Oil

World over people use massage therapy to help promote healthy skin, nourish and strengthen the body, relieve stress, reduce pain, and encourage balance and well being. Massage opens and increases the flow of energy, balancing the entire nervous system and helping to release physical and emotional disharmony. The many benefits of massage are enhanced by the use of high quality massage oil.

Apricot tree is the member of the rose family originating from Central and East Asia. The fruit, rich in vitamins is used to produce the pleasant smelling Apricot Kernel Oil. Apricot Kernel Oil is very mild natural oil, often used in baby products because of its fine gentle nature.

Apricot kernel oil is cold pressed and refined from the dried kernels of the apricot fruit. It is light in colour with pleasant nutty odor and used in manufacturer of creams, balms, lotions and cosmetics.

Sought out for its high vitamin E content and skin softening properties, apricot kernel oil is known for its ability to penetrate the skin without leaving an oily feel. Apricot kernel oil is also popular as massage oil and it used as carrier oil when used with essential oils for aromatherapy.

Rich in essential fatty acids like oleic and linoleic acid, apricot kernel oil is high in vitamin A. Since it easily penetrates the skin, it is good oil for prematurely aged, dry or irritated skin. The excellent softening and moisturizing properties is great for face, hands and hair. Vitamins A & C are good for mature dry or sensitive skin. The apricot kernel oil helps skin retain elasticity, clarity, and suppleness. Crushed Apricot Kernels are commonly used as a facial mask to soften the skin.

In addition, Apricot Kernel Oil is used as an antitussive, anti-asthmatic and to treat tumors in traditional Chinese medicine. It helps to calm the inflammation / irritation of eczema and dermatitis. When combined with an equal amount of St. John’s Wort Oil, it is acts as anti-inflammatory and has a cooling effect.

Due to its moisturizing, nourishing and revitalizing properties, apricot kernel oil is widely used for massage therapy.

Face Mask Formula – A soft paste made of 2 drops each of frankincense, rose and neroli oils, 6 tsp of apricot oil, 1 tsp clear melted honey and finely ground almond makes a good moisturizing face mask.

For nourished, soft and supple skin, rub apricot kernel oil on your body daily.

Acne Fusion – Pour 1 ounce of apricot kernel oil, 12 drops of lavender essential oil, 7 drops of tea tree essential oil and 1 drop of geranium essential oil in amber coloured clean bottle. Close it tightly and roll the bottle to mix the blend. Apply a small amount of this blend to the acne affected area.

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Can Flaxseed Cure Cancer

Can Flaxseed Cure Cancer

The flax plant, an ancient crop, yields the fibre from which linen is woven, as well as seeds (linseed or flaxseed) and oil. The oil, also called linseed oil, has many industrial uses – it is an important ingredient in paints, varnishes and linoleum for example.

Like olive, canola, and most other plant oils, flax seed oil is highly unsaturated and heart-healthy. Lignans and other flax seed components may also have antioxidant properties, which means they may reduce the activity of cell-damaging free radicals.

Recently small studies of cancer patients who consumed flaxseeds have produced some encouraging results.

In one study men with prostate cancer who ate an ounce of ground flaxseeds (almost three tablespoons) a day as part of a very-low-fat diet were able to slow the progress of their cancers between the time they were diagnosed and the time of surgery. A similar study of women awaiting surgery for breast cancer found that those who ate a flaxseed muffin daily (with about four tablespoons of ground flaxseeds per muffin) had a slower tumor growth rate. Studies of animals, too, suggest some anti-cancer benefit from flaxseed. But it’s always difficult to know whether it’s the lignans that help, or some other element in the flaxseeds. And not all studies have yielded positive results.

Besides lignans, flaxseeds and their oil are also the best food sources of an essential fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid. “Essential” means we must consume it, because our bodies cannot manufacture it. Essential fatty acids are important for cell membranes, blood pressure regulation, and other functions. Alpha-linolenic acid is an omega-3, similar to some of the fatty acids in fish oil. Like aspirin, omega-3s may reduce blood clotting, thus lessening the chance of a fatal heart attack.

Flaxseeds and their oil may also lower total blood cholesterol, as well as LDL (“bad”) cholesterol.

But that should come as no big surprise, since any highly unsaturated oil will do that, particularly if substituted for saturated fats. The fiber in flaxseeds may also help against cholesterol, since it is soluble (similar to that in oats).

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