Acerola Cherry Health Benefits

Acerola Tree

Acerola is a small tree which is commonly found in Mexico, South America, and Central America. The Acerola tree bears a delicious cherry-like fruit, which is popularly known as Acerola Cherry. The fruit has been prized for thousands of years by various indigenous cultures. It is also commonly known as Barbados Cherry and West Indian Cherry. Its scientific name is Malpighia emarginata. 

Acerola cherry is a bright red juicy berry with lots of seeds, good taste and numerous health as well as medicinal benefits. It is commonly used worldwide as an effective remedy for common cold, hay fever, depression, gum infection, tooth decay, and several other health issues. Some researches have revealed that the fruit can be consumed to get rid of a number of chronic and deadly diseases too.

Best Source of Nutrients and Vitamin C

Acerola cherry contains a rich mixture of nutrients and vitamins in addition to a wealth of antioxidants. It has very high concentrations of vitamin C compared to any other vitamin C rich fruits in the world, topped only by camu camu. Fresh acerola cherry juice contains 13 times more vitamin C than an equal portion of orange juice. You’ll get 1,644 milligrams of vitamin C from 1 cup of fresh fruit and 3,872 milligrams from 1 cup of juice. These values far exceed the recommended daily allowance of 75 milligrams for women and 90 milligrams for men. 

1 cup of acerola cherry juice also contains 1,232 international units of vitamin A, twice as much as fresh cherry, mostly in the form of beta-carotene. The vitamin A content of a small acerola cherry is equal to that of a full-sized carrot. You can easily fulfill your daily needs of vitamin A by eating 1 or 2 fresh acerola cherries a day.
Both fresh fruit and juice are also a good source of iron and have small amounts of potassium, magnesium and folate. If you can find the fresh fruit, acerola cherries contain flavonoids, which have antioxidant qualities. 

The fruits are low in calorie and fat free. Acerola cherries have a distinct flavor and are eaten in much the same way as regular cherries.

Health Benefits Of Acerola Cherries

Due to its high concentration of nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants, acerola cherry has many health benefits.

Fights or Prevents Diabetes

Antioxidants found in acerola cherries helps to slow the release of sugar into the bloodstream thus preventing diabetic spikes and drops, which can be dangerous (or even deadly) for people suffering from diabetes. For healthy individuals, acerola cherries help to regulate the blood sugar level.

Fights or Prevents Cancer

The antioxidant content  in acerola cherries, including carotenoids and bioflavonoids, neutralize the effects of free radicals in the body. Free radicals are the common damaging byproducts of cellular metabolism found in human body, and if not controlled, can potentially cause healthy cells to mutate into cancerous or unhealthy cells and exacerbate other serious diseases. Acerola cherry’s antioxidants are also linked to slowing the spread of lung cancer in patients suffering from this disease. It helps in decelerating and stopping the abnormal growth of cancerous cells in the organ.

Promotes Anti-aging Processes

The carotenoids and bioflavonoids content in acerola cherries are not only good for slowing the spread of cancer, they also promote anti-aging processes. Carotenoids helps to protect your eye health and boosts the health of your skin, whereas bioflavonoids boosts your cognitive function and prevents the onset of other age-related diseases. Antioxidants also help in the detoxification process to cleanse your body from dangerous toxins.

Moreover, the vitamins A and C in the acerola cherry juice concentrate work as natural antioxidants that help in preventing infections and cellular aging by making the blood free from harmful free radicals.

Strengthens Immune System

Vitamin C is water soluble so it is not stored in the body. Therefore, you need to replenish your vitamin C on daily basis in order to maintain your immune system. For a quick boost to your immune system, pop some acerola cherries into your weekly diet and see how much better you’ll feel! Vitamin C stimulates the production of white blood cells to protect your body against foreign agents and pathogens. Vitamin C is also a crucial component of collagen that your body needs to heal itself faster with repairing cells, blood vessels, organs, and tissues from illness or injury.

Boosts Metabolism and Promotes Weight Loss

Vitamin B family content in acerola cherries including thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5) and folic acid (B9), helps to regulate your hormonal and metabolic processes to ensure that your body runs smoothly. B-complex vitamins make the digestion of carbohydrates, proteins and fats much easier. So to keep your body running at a normal pace, pop some acerola cherries into your weekly diet to boost your body's metabolism.

Being extremely low in fat and calories and its capability to boost metabolism and provide the required nutrition to the cells, acerola cherries also help control obesity and achieve optimum health. 

Promotes Cardiovascular Health

Acerola cherry can promote heart health because of its rich content of potassium. Potassium helps to relieve strain on the cardiovascular system by dilating the blood vessels and increasing blood flow, thereby reducing your blood pressure and lowering your chances of developing atherosclerosis. This in turn will reduce your chances of getting heart attacks and strokes. The rich content of antioxidants also helps to keep your cardiovascular system clear of excess cholesterol and free radicals causing oxidative stress. The extract of the cherries is also known to put off coronary artery diseases, atherosclerosis, thrombosis, etc.

Boosts Visionary Health

Acerola cherry helps in making your vision better because of its high content of vitamin A. It also helps avert retinal hemorrhages (bleeding in the eye) as well as cataract formation.

Reduces Gastrointestinal Issues

The dietary fiber content in acerola cherries can keep your entire gastrointestinal system healthy by facilitating bowel movements and cleansing the intestines. It helps treat digestive issues, such as constipation, diarrhea, dysentery, etc.

Prevents Scurvy

Scurvy is a condition characterised by general weakness, anaemia, gingivitis (gum disease), and skin haemorrhages caused by a prolonged deficiency of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in the diet. Being a rich source of vitamin C, acerola cherries can put a stop to scurvy. Vitamin C plays a crucial role in the formation of collagen, a major component of connective tissue. 

Improves Physical Endurance

Athletes use acerola cherries for improving physical endurance. Studies have found that the vitamin C content of acerola cherry can produce sufficient collagen in your body, which is necessary for combating aging and enhancing the performances of sports persons.

Doses

At this time, there is not enough scientific information on the appropriate range of doses for acerola cherries. The dose depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacists or medical experts before using.

Interactions

The large amounts of vitamin C in acerola cherries might:

• decrease how much fluphenazine (Prolixin) is in the body
• decrease the effectiveness of warfarin (Coumadin) which can result in increase the risk of clotting
• increase how much estrogen the body absorbs. Increasing the absorption of estrogen can increase the effects and side effects of estrogens.

If you are taking the above medication and at the same time taking acerola cherries, be sure to have your blood checked regularly. 

Word of Caution

Taking too many acerola cherries may cause adverse reactions including stomach upsets, sleeplessness, nausea and insomnia. Doses that are too high can cause diarrhea. You are warned against drinking the juice if you also take vitamin C supplements. The high levels of vitamin C can be dangerous for those who suffer from gout as it can boost uric acid level. The high dose of vitamin C also might increase the chance of getting kidney stones.

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Not enough is known about the use of acerola during pregnancy and breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.

Other than that, acerola cherries are not commonly known to cause any allergic symptoms.

Orthosiphon stamineus Health Benefits

Scientific Name:
Orthosiphon stamineus

Local Name:
Misai kucing, Kumis kucing, cats whiskers, rau meo, cay bac, remujung, moustaches de chat, yaa nuat maeo

Orthosiphon stamineus (Misai Kucing or Cat's Whiskers) is a plant whose leaves make a health tea, used mostly for its anti-inflammatory and urinary health properties. It appears to be a large source of both Rosmarinic Acid and methylated flavonoids.

Orthosiphon stamineus (Misai Kucing or Cat's Whiskers) is a leaf that is commonly brewed as a tea for a variety of purposes, but said purposes (beyond just liking the taste of the tea) tend to revolve around treating inflammatory disorders or treating ailments of the urogenital tract. It originates from the oceanic region and was introduced to mainland Asian countries and the West sometime near the beginning of the 20th century.

It is currently in preliminary stages of research and a lot of research is a bit complicated since it all originates from one research group located in Malaysia and needs to be replicated independently of the country from which it originated from (potentially a problem for scientific validity, since some studies investigating local herbs tend to be over promising in their effects and this excessive promise is attenuated a bit when other research groups look at it).

Nevertheless, there appears to be promise for this herb as a fat burner since the 70% ethanolic extract has been noted in two studies to stimulate leptin production in fat cells and increase in leptin have been noted in serum following oral ingestion of the leaf; reductions in food intake have been noted at only higher levels of intake, but are still thought to be associated with leptin.

While there is potential for this leaf as an antiinflammatory agent and diuretic, it has no practical research for the former that shows promise and while the evidence for the latter is a bit promising in rodents (does not exceed reference drugs in potency) the lone human study on the topic failed. There is one very promising study on colon cancer which definitely needs to be replicated by another research group, since reasonable oral intakes of the leaves potently suppressed colon tumor growth in mice.

All in all, pending future research this can be a potential new non-stimulatory fat burner for lean persons especially; we need quite a bit more evidence to confirm this though.

Things to Note

The diuretic properties seem to be associated with increased urinary potassium and decreased urinary sodium, which may not be a good thing for hypertensives who are not on a high potassium and low sodium diet. But this needs to be further verified through study.

Recommended Dosage

There is not enough information to get an ideal dose, but at this moment it seems that a 70% ethanolic extract would be the most prudent supplemental dosage for the production of leptin in the body. Since this has been noted in a highly variable range (as low as 20mg/kg in mice, as high as 450mg/kg in rats) it is uncertain what the best oral dose to take would be. Nonetheless, human equivalents for the above range are:

• 110-4,900 mg for a 150lb person / up to 4.9g for 68kg person, ie 72mg/kg
• 150-6,500 mg for a 200lb person / up to 6.5g for 90kg person, ie 72mg/kg
• 180-8,100 mg for a 250lb person / up to 8.1g for 117kg person, ie 69mg/kg

The diuretic effect has been noted with tea, and thus brewing a tea from the leaves may be sufficient.

The Facts on Leptin

It's been called the "obesity hormone" or "fat hormone" - but also the "starvation hormone". When scientists discovered leptin in 1994, excitement arose about its potential as a blockbuster weight loss treatment. Even today, the Internet is loaded with sites that sell leptin supplements. Any truth to those pitches? And what exactly is leptin?

WebMD asked two experts on leptin to discuss how this hormone affects weight and appetite, as well as other aspects of health. One of them is Robert H. Lustig, MD, professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco and a member of the Endocrine Society's Obesity Task Force.

"Leptin is not our obesity hormone. Leptin is our starvation hormone," says Lustig.

Leptin is a protein that's made in the fat cells, circulates in the bloodstream, and goes to the brain. "Leptin is the way your fat cells tell your brain that your energy thermostat is set right," Lustig says.

"Leptin tells your brain that you have enough energy stored in your fat cells to engage in normal, relatively expensive metabolic processes," he says. "In other words, when leptin levels are at a certain threshold -- for each person, it's probably genetically set -- when your leptin level is above that threshold, your brain senses that you have energy sufficiency, which means you can burn energy at a normal rate, eat food at a normal amount, engage in exercise at a normal rate, and you can engage in expensive processes, like puberty and pregnancy".

But when people diet, they eat less and their fat cells lose some fat, which then decreases the amount of leptin produced.

"Let's say you starve, let's say you have decreased energy intake, let's say you lose weight," Lustig says. "Now your leptin level goes below your personal leptin threshold. When it does that, your brain senses starvation. That can occur at any leptin level, depending on what your leptin threshold is."

"Your brain senses that and says, ‘Hey, I don't have the energy onboard that I used to. I am now in a starvation state,'" Lustig says.

Then several processes begin within the body to drive leptin levels back up. One includes stimulation of the vagus nerve, which runs between the brain and the abdomen.

"The vagus nerve is your energy storage nerve," Lustig says. "Now the vagus nerve is turned on, so you get hungrier. Every single thing the vagus nerve does…[is] designed to make you take up extra energy and store it in your fat. Why? To generate more leptin so that your leptin can re-establish its personal leptin threshold... It causes you to eat and it causes you to get your leptin back to where it belongs."

Parsley Health Benefits

Parsley is commonly used in Asian food recipes such soups, steam seafoods etc. but does anyone know that parsley can provide much more than a decoration on your plate. Parsley contains two types of unusual components that provide unique health benefits. The first type is volatile oil components—including myristicin, limonene, eugenol, and alpha-thujene. The second type is flavonoids—including apiin, apigenin, crisoeriol, and luteolin.

Parsley Promotes Optimal Health

Parsley's volatile oils—particularly myristicin—have been shown to inhibit tumor formation in animal studies, and particularly, tumor formation in the lungs. Myristicin has also been shown to activate the enzyme glutathione-S-transferase, which helps attach the molecule glutathione to oxidized molecules that would otherwise do damage in the body. The activity of parsley's volatile oils qualifies it as a "chemoprotective" food, and in particular, a food that can help neutralize particular types of carcinogens (like the benzopyrenes that are part of cigarette smoke and charcoal grill smoke). A carcinogen is a substance or radiation that promotes carcinogenesis, the formation of cancer. Some carcinogens do not affect DNA directly, but lead to cancer in other ways.

Parsley is A Rich Source of Antioxidant Nutrients

The flavonoids in parsley—especially luteolin—can function as antioxidants that combine with highly reactive oxygen-containing molecules (called oxygen radicals) and help prevent oxygen-based damage to cells. 

In addition to its volatile oils and flavonoids, parsley is an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of vitamin A (notably through its concentration of the pro-vitamin A carotenoid, beta-carotene).

Vitamin C is the body's primary water-soluble antioxidant, rendering harmless otherwise dangerous free radicals in all water-soluble areas of the body. High levels of free radicals may lead to the development and progression of a wide variety of diseases, including atherosclerosis, colon cancer, diabetes, and asthma. This explains why people who consume healthy amounts of vitamin C-containing foods have reduced risks for all these conditions. Vitamin C is also a powerful anti-inflammatory agent, which explains its usefulness in conditions such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. And since vitamin C is needed for the healthy function of the immune system, it can also be helpful for preventing recurrent ear infections or colds.

Another important antioxidant found in parsley, beta-carotene, works in the fat-soluble areas of the body. Diets with beta-carotene-rich foods are also associated with a reduced risk for the development and progression of conditions like atherosclerosis, diabetes, and colon cancer and may also be helpful in reducing the severity of asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. And beta-carotene is converted by the body to vitamin A, a nutrient so important to a strong immune system that its nickname is the "anti-infective vitamin."

Parsley Promotes Healthy Heart

Parsley also contains folic acid, one of the most important B vitamins, that plays numerous roles in the body. One of its most critical roles in relation to cardiovascular health is its necessary participation in the process through which the body converts homocysteine into benign molecules. Homocysteine is a potentially dangerous molecule that, at high levels, can directly damage blood vessels, and high levels of homocysteine are associated with a significantly increased risk of heart attack and stroke in people with atherosclerosis or diabetic heart disease. Taking folic acid rich foods, like parsley, is a good idea for individuals who either have, or wish to prevent, these diseases. Folic acid is also a critical nutrient for proper cell division and is therefore vitally important for cancer-prevention in two areas of the body that contain rapidly dividing cells—the colon, and in women, the cervix.

Parsley Protects against Rheumatoid Arthritis

One study suggests that vitamin C-rich foods, such as parsley, provide humans with protection against inflammatory polyarthritis, a form of rheumatoid arthritis involving two or more joints.

The findings, presented in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases were drawn from a study of more than 20,000 subjects who kept diet diaries and were arthritis-free when the study began. Subjects who consumed the lowest amounts of vitamin C-rich foods were more than three times more likely to develop arthritis than those who consumed the highest amounts.

In summary, parsley helps to:

• inhibit tumor formation in the lungs
• neutralize particular types of carcinogens thus preventing carcinogenesis, the formation of cancer
• fight free radicals thus preventing oxygen-based damage to cells
• reduce the risk or stop the development and progression of a wide variety of diseases, including atherosclerosis, colon cancer, diabetes, and asthma
• act as anti-inflammatory agent to prevent the conditions such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis
• prevent recurrence of ear infections or colds
• build strong immune system
• promote cardiovascular health thus reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke

Due to its wide range of health benefits, so next time when you see parsley appears on your plate as a garnish, recognize its true worth and partake of its abilities to improve your health. As an added bonus, you'll also enjoy parsley's legendary ability to cleanse your palate and your breath at the end of your meal.

Moringa Health Benefits

Do you know that every part of the Moringa tree can be used in medical science?

Moringa oleifera, or simply known as Moringa, has an impressive range of medicinal uses with high nutritional value and health benefits. Different parts of Moringa contain a profile of important minerals and are a good source of protein, vitamins, beta-carotene, amino acids and various phenolics. Moringa provides a rich and rare combination of zeatin, quercetin, beta-sitosterol, caffeoylquinic acid and kaempferol.

In summary, Moringa can act as cardiac and circulatory stimulants, possess antitumor, antipyretic, antiepileptic, antiinflammatory, antiulcer, antispasmodic, diuretic, antihypertensive, cholesterol lowering agent, antioxidant, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, antibacterial and antifungal activities, and is being employed for the treatment of different ailments in the indigenous system of medicine.

Moringa has been used traditionally in various parts of the world as part of herbal medicine repertoire for ailments ranging from gout to various inflammations and fevers. Some of the remedies are described here but there is no guarantee they will work for everyone or every case.

Medicinal Uses and Benefits of Moringa Leaves

• Moringa Leaf tea treats gastric ulcers and diarrhea. 
• Moringa leaves, if rubbed against the temple, can relieve headaches. 
• Moringa leaves extracts can be used against bacterial or fungal skin complaints. 
• Apply a poultice of fresh Moringa leaves to stop bleeding from a shallow cut. 
• Moringa leaves possess anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory effect when applied to wounds or insect bites. 
• Taking fresh Moringa leaves is good for those suffering from malnutrition due to the high protein and fibre content. 
• Moringa leaves treat fevers, bronchitis, eye and ear infections, inflammation of the mucus membrane 
• Moringa leaves are rich in iron content and they are reportedly prescribed for anemia in the Philippines. 
• Dried Moringa leaves treat diarrhea in Malawi, Africa. 
• The powder ground from the leaves is also used in the treatment of scurvy skin diseases (common bacterial infections of the skin).

Medicinal Uses and Benefits of Moringa Flowers 

• Flower juice improves the quality and flow of mothers’ milk when breast feeding. 
• Flower juice is useful for urinary problems as it encourages urination. 
• In Haiti, villagers boil Moringa flowers in water and drink the tea as a powerful cold remedy.

Medicinal Uses and Benefits of Moringa Pods 

• If eaten raw, Moringa pods act as a de-wormer and treat liver and spleen problems and pains of the joints. 
• Due to high protein and fibre content they can play a useful part in treating malnutrition and diarrhea.

Medicinal Uses and Benefits of Moringa Seeds 

• Used for their antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties to treat arthritis, rheumatism, gout, cramp, sexually transmitted diseases and boils. The seeds are roasted, pounded, mixed with coconut oil and applied to the problem area. Seed oil can be used for the same ailments. 
• Roasted seeds and oil can encourage urination. 
• They can also be used as a relaxant for epilepsy. 
• Moringa seeds are effective against skin-infecting bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. They contain the potent antibiotic and fungicide terygospermin.

Medicinal Uses and Benefits of Moringa Roots, Bark and Gum

• The roots and the bark have all of the properties described above but are more concentrated. Therefore much more care should be taken if using them as medicines. 
• The roots and bark are used for cardiac and circulatory problems, as a tonic and for inflammation. The bark is an appetizer and digestive. 
• In Senegal and India, roots are pounded and mixed with salt to make a poultice for treating rheumatism and articular pains. In Senegal, this poultice is also used to relieve lower back or kidney pain. 
• The alkaloid spirachin (a nerve paralysant) has been found in the roots. 
• The gum is diuretic, astringent and abortifacient and is used against asthma. 

Medicinal Uses and Benefits of Moringa Oil 

• Oil of Ben is used for hysteria, scurvy, prostate problems and bladder troubles. 
• Villagers in Oman use Moringa oil to treat stomach disorders. They also use it in perfume and hair oil.

Moringa & Ayurveda Medicinal Uses and Benefits

The ayurvedic medicine of India has many uses for Moringa Tree products, such as a natural antibiotic, an aid in childbirth, for treating liver disorders, and many other uses.

Moringa & Siddha Medicinal Uses and Benefits

In Siddha medicine belief, Moringa leaves are full of medicinal properties. The drumstick seeds are used as a sexual virility drug for treating erectile dysfunction in men and also in women for prolonging sexual activity.