By Constantine Jameson
Herbs are the culinary and medicinal plants. These are the low-growing aromatic plants which are used fresh or dried for seasoning, for their medicinal properties, or in perfumes. There are a wide variety of herbs such as super kelp, garlic, parsley, green tea extract, horse chestnut, milk thistle and oregano oil. Herbs are very useful in strengthening the body and in treating the diseases. However they contain active substances that can trigger side effects and interact with other herbs, supplements, or medications. So, they should be taken on the advice of an herbal practitioner.
Super Kelp
Super kelp (also known as Sea kelp and Sea wrack) is a sea herb that is one of the best sources of natural iodine and trace elements. It is also used as the principle agent in cures for obesity. In addition, it cleans out the kidneys and stimulates the thyroid and pituitary gland to produce growth hormones.
Garlic
Garlic is a natural anti-biotic and is used to disinfect wounds, treat ear infections, cholera and typhus. This herb is anti-fungal and anti-oxidant agent and can help lower cholesterol. It may also be beneficial for risk factors for heart disease, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and cancer. The excess of garlic can cause upset stomach/flatulence, occupational asthma, postoperative bleeding, bloating, bad breath, body odor, and skin irritation. People with bleeding disorders should not use garlic.
Parsley
Parsley (Petroselinum) is one of the best known, diuretic and most nutritious herbs which contain large quantities of vitamins A, B, C and minerals calcium, iron, phosphorous, potassium and magnesium. Its very useful for kidney and urinary problems and water retention. Its usefulness can be judged by the saying: if parsley is thrown into fishponds it will heal the sick fishes therein.
Green Tea Extract
Green tea extracts are one of the natures most powerful anti-oxidants. It helps prevent both heart disease and cancer by helping prevent vascular blood clotting and reducing cholesterol. It possesses antimicrobial properties that support immune-system health and protects against digestive and respiratory infections. The excess of green tea extracts may cause irritability, insomnia, heart palpitation, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, headaches, and loss of appetite.
Horse chestnut
Horse chestnut supports the vessels of our circulatory system and helps strengthen capillary cells and reduce fluid breakage. It is believed to be an excellent antioxidant to prevent wrinkles. It also helps in the treatments of phlebitis, varicosity and haemorrhoids.
Milk Thistle
Milk thistle has some active substances that helps maintain healthy liver function by protecting the liver from damage caused by viruses, toxins and alcohol. It is a herbal remedy for anthrax, asthma, bladder stones, cancer, catarrh, chest ailments, dropsy, fever, bleeding from the lungs or bronchia, hepatitis, rabies, jaundice, vaginal discharge, malaria, melancholy, piles, plague, pleurisy, spasms, and spleen and uterus problems. Taking excess of milk thistle may cause stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, headache, rash or other skin reactions, joint pain, impotence, and anaphylaxis. It should not be taken in pregnancy and while nursing.
Oregano Oil
This herb has healing, antioxidant and anti-microbial properties. It is used to treat a mildly upset stomach, bronchitis, nervous tension, insect bites, rheumatism, earache, toothaches and even athlete’s foot. It is also useful in relieve bloating, gas, urinary tract problems, rheumatoid arthritis, swollen glands, and lack of perspiration. In addition, it is as powerful as morphine as a pain killer.
These are only a few herbs and their properties. There are countless herbs out there. There is a herb out there for pretty much every condition. Most herbs have healing properties. It is imperative you know your herbs.
Peter Papaogas is an expert in how to grow herbsand how to grow your own herbs. With many years of experience in growing herbs the author has compiled an extensive resource of knowledge in regards to growing herbs. Visit his site for the best books on how to grow and dry herbs.
Intriguing Way to Choose Best Books for Children
By Mark Arens
A bookstore or library can be overwhelming when it comes to children’s books. How do you decide which preschool childrens books to read to your children? I’ve found that I can spend hours trying to decide which books to buy or borrow for my three-year-old child.
To avoid piles of unread books and increase the depth of my child’s learning, I’ve come up with a formula to choose the best books for children. It’s easy and has just four components: a theme, knowledge, life skill and character.
Before I head to the library or bookstore, I think of a theme that I would like my child to learn about. Then I think of what knowledge is learned from the theme, what life skill can be drawn from it and a character trait that coincides.
I want my child to gain knowledge because it gives power and understanding. I want her to learn life skills so she can implement the knowledge and to develop positive character traits so she uses her knowledge and life skills in moral and ethical ways.
By choosing a theme and a book from each category (knowledge, life skills, character) within a theme, children are not overwhelmed by multiple topics, yet are learning on a variety of levels. And it makes choosing the best books for children a lot easier. Here’s an example of how to follow the formula:
1. Theme
Adam and Eve is a great theme. At an early age, children want to know where they came from beyond “Mommy’s tummy” and the story of Adam and Eve teaches children where we come from. It also includes knowledge, a life skill and a character trait.
2. Knowledge
The story of Adam and Eve is about knowledge; the knowledge of good and evil. It’s about how we came to know the existence of evil and experience it firsthand. Adam and Eve were instructed that they could eat from any tree in the garden, except one. Then Satan convinced Eve to eat from the tree so she would be more like God.
“You will not surely die,” the serpent Satan said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of the tree your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4-5
Eve eats from the tree, shares the fruit with Adam and their eyes were opened to the world of good and evil. They suddenly became embarrassed and hid.
At an incredibly young age, children begin testing boundaries. They inherently know that some things are good and some are bad, and it is the parents’ job to provide the boundaries for children to learn exactly what is good or evil.
My daughter knows the story of Adam and Eve well. The knowledge she gained from the story is that God created us and that Adam and Eve brought the knowledge of good and evil into our world by eating fruit from the forbidden tree. By reading books about Adam and Eve to my daughter, she gains knowledge of where we came from and how evil entered the world.
3. Life skill
I like to use the story of Adam and Eve to teach the life skill listening. Listen is a verb and is defined: to perceive by ear, usually attentively. I like to expand on the definition and ad to take what is said to heart and put it into action. It is one thing to hear someone’s words, but when you apply what they say, it shows that you have truly listened.
In Genesis 3, Eve repeats what God told her, proving that she heard his words. She tells the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say “you must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die” (Verse 2-3). Eve definitely heard what God told her, but she didn’t apply them and thus did not truly listen.
When I ask my daughter to do or not do something, I like her to respond with “ok” or “yes” so I know she heard me. Occasionally, she acknowledges what I said but proceeds to do the opposite. This is when I ask her if she heard what I said, and she generally repeats the instructions I gave.
Choosing a book that teaches listening doesn’t have to be specifically about Adam and Eve. But when read with the story of Adam and Eve, you can discuss how the couple heard God’s words but did not truly listen because they did not put them into action. A book that teaches listening combined with the story of Adam and Eve teaches children that listening means putting words into action.
4. Character Trait
The third concept of my formula teaches a character trait. Since Adam and Eve is the theme, I chose the character trait obedience. Adam and Eve were not obedient to God and as a result they were punished by being exiled from the Garden of Eden.
“So the Lord banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.” Genesis 3:24
Children need to learn obedience to their parents and God, as guidelines are put in place for their benefit and protection. If they are disobedient, there are consequences. You can choose any book that teaches about obedience, then relate it back to how Adam and Eve were disobedient and the consequence of their action was to be exiled from the garden.
Choosing preschool childrens books using the formula theme, knowledge, life skill and character teaches a topic from several angles, allowing children to learn on a deeper level. It also makes choosing the best books for children easy.
Mark Arens, owner of ThumbPeople, Inc. & author of Thumbuddy Books & products wants to share with you simple tools and ideas of how to empower your family to live a great life! visit ThumbPeople>> http://www.best-books-for-children.com
Top 10 Teen Books for 2010
By Margot Oliver
Top 10 Teen Books for 2010
Number 10 is Spirit Bound starts back at the Academy, it’s finally graduation time and Rose has only one more challenge in front of her: The Trials. A final exam planned by guardians to test their ability to protect Moroi “in the real world”. But what worries Rose the most is the after-graduation. She always thought it rimed with freedom but reality hit her in the face. She will spend her life protecting Moroi and her own desires won’t matter anymore. There’s not only the weight of responsibilities though, she knows Dimitri is out there, lurking in shadows, waiting for an opportunity to kill her.
In this installment, Rose is more determined than ever and will use extremely illegal ways to reach her objectives. Desperation to save Dimitri, while she still can, drives her actions and consequences won’t be light. She is not risking only her future and her life but also the ones of people she loves.
Spirit Bound has a 8.6 rating out of 10
Number 9 is Fat Vampire: A Never Coming of Age Story
Unlike most vampires who are drop-dead gorgeous, sexy, and irresistible, Doug is the exact opposite. Overweight, unpopular, and dorky, he seals his fate by being in the wrong place at the wrong time and as a result was attacked by a starving, newly made vampire. Now he must spend the rest of his immortal life as an unattractive 15-year-old, feeding off cows to satisfy his need for blood.
With the support of some local vampire guardians and his friend Jay, the teen must now learn how to live life as a vampire. If events aren’t complicated enough, he falls for the new girl at school, and has the star of the TV show Vampire Hunters hot on his trail, trying to expose him to the world. Rex’s story falls flat. The back-and-forth narration between Doug and Sejal is confusing and slows down the plot.
Number 8 is Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer
Theodore Boone is a John Grisham Book.
Theo for short, is a 13 year old teenager, is the son of lawyer parents, has a more than keen interest in law, sees himself as a trial lawyer when he grows up, often helps out his school mates with legal troubles.
When a murder trial starts in his town, he is obviously interested in following it. Which he does, even arranging with the trial judge to have his class attend the first day of the trial. When Theo is introduced to a cousin of a low income student that he teaches, and who may be a crucial witness to the murder, Theo is caught up in a dilemma as to what to do.
Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer has a 7.0 out of 10 rating
Number 7 is Incarceron is a very original story unlike any I have read. One main character, Finn, is stuck in a prison, trying to escape, slowly reclaiming memories.
The other main character, Claudia, is stuck in a prison of her own, an arranged marriage to someone she despises. She is living in a technologically advanced society that has decided to revert back to the time of kings, queens, and formal court life.
My main point of interest was the plot. I wanted to know why the ruling king decided to force everyone to live in another time period, why they decided to build such a strange prison system as Incarceron, and I wanted to know what exactly Incarceron was.
Incarceron has a 8.6 rating out of 10
Number 6 is Burned (House of Night, Book 7)
When friends stop trusting each other, Darkness is there to fan the flames.
Things have turned black at the House of Night. Zoey Redbird’s soul has shattered. With everything she’s ever stood for falling apart, and a broken heart making her want to stay in the Otherworld forever, Zoey’s fading fast. It seems more and more doubtful that she will be able pull herself back together in time to rejoin her friends and set the world to rights. As the only living person who can reach her, Stark must find a way to get to her.He will have to die to do so, the Vampyre High Council stipulates. And then Zoey will give up for sure.
Number 5 is Before I Fall
Before I Fall is a haunting and beautiful book. It will float around at the back of your mind long after you’ve read it.
Sam goes into a sort of sleep following the accident and awakens to relive her last day. Will changing something along the way lead to a different result? She tries, and tries again, and again. In fact she gets numerous attempts to “perfect” her last day, hoping she can make the most of her life…and her death if can’t undo the accident.
Number 4 is The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella (Twilight Saga)
My favorite aspect of the Twilight novels was the supporting cast of characters, who were so fascinating they always left me wanting to know more. This short novel from Bree’s perspective works as a supplement to Eclipse, and as a tragic story in its own right. If the main aspect of the Twilight novels you enjoyed was the romance between Edward and Bella, then I don’t think you’ll enjoy this one, however if you liked the wider politics of the Twilight vampire universe, then this is one for you.
I enjoyed the way the details of Bree’s conversion to the vampire life were revealed gradually throughout the first half of the story. There was a great sense of tragic irony in the fact that Bree ended up trading her humanity for a cheeseburger, of all things. The contemporary culture references in Twilight always act as a nice reality contrast to the more fantastical elements
This is not your typical tale of redeeming yourself. It’s not so easy to make the changes that Sam needs to make to change fate. She doesn’t simply do something new each time she gets a new day. Her first attempts are vastly different with vastly different results. It’s not until she puts all the finest pieces together that she thinks she has the best solution. Life is unpredictable and so is death for Sam.
Number 3 is Revolution
Revolution, there’s a juxtaposition of two young lives, lived two hundred years apart, and the idea and reality of Revolution. In modern times,
Andi Alpers is a high school senior at the exclusive New York school St. Anselm’s, and while her life should be one of ease and comfort, she’s haunted by the sudden, tragic death of her younger brother Truman two years before.
During the French revolution, Alexandrine Paradis is a teen whose very life depends upon her ability to be a convincing actress and spy. Brought together by Alex’s diary, the two young women are on different paths to self-discovery, yet neither one may survive.
Number 2 is Mockingjay (The Final Book of The Hunger Games)
” Mockingjay” relentlessly strips aside those feelings of faith and hope – much as District 13 must have done to Katniss. Katniss realizes that she is just as much a pawn for District 13 as she ever was for the Colony and that evil can exist in places outside of the Colony.
And that’s when the reader realizes that this will be a very different journey. And that maybe the first two books were a setup for a very different ride. That, at its heart, this wasn’t a story about Katniss making her romantic decisions set against a backdrop of war.
This is a story of war. And what it means to be a volunteer and yet still be a pawn. We have an entirely volunteer military now that is spread entirely too thin for the tasks we ask of it. The burden we place upon it is great. And at the end of the day, when the personal war is over for each of them, each is left alone to pick up the pieces as best he/she can.
The Number One Book for Teens in 2010 is Will Grayson, Will Grayson
Will Grayson is about a couple of kids figuring out how to be themselves.
Two of those kids happen to have the same name, and not much in common outside of that, but their serendipitous friendship sets the stage for a much larger, braver, and more candid story than the simplicity of the plot might suggest.
The relevance for teens here is clear–high school is the only time in your life when you have the undivided opportunity to obsess over your every move, sentence, and outfit change–but the part about understanding that you are doesn’t stop when you graduate.
That’s what makes Will Grayson, Will Grayson as interesting a pick for adults as it is for teens and has a 9 out of 10 rating.
For more details on what the books are all about check out
http://hubpages.com/hub/Top-10-Books-for-Teens
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