Spices

Cinnamon Powder - Raw Planet - Indonesia - Organic

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Once upon a time, cinnamon was more valuable than gold. The potential health benefits attributable to cinnamon could be stated as nothing short of astonishing. Chinese medicine and Ayurveda have long revered cinnamon as a superpower used to treat things such as colds, indigestion and cramps and also believed to improve energy, vitality and circulation.

The following are 11 health benefits associated with this beloved spice that studies have suggested:
- 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon per day can lower your bad cholesterol (or LDL).
- Cinnamon may help treat Type 2 Diabetes by lowering blood sugar levels and increasing the amount of insulin production in the body.
- Cinnamon has antifungal properties, and it’s been said that candida cannot live in a cinnamon environment.
- Cinnamon can reduce the proliferation of leukemia and lymphoma cancer cells.
- Cinnamon has an anti-clotting effect on the blood.
- Honey and Cinnamon combined have been found to relieve arthritis pain.
- When added to food, cinnamon inhibits bacterial growth and food spoilage, making it a natural food preservative.
- Just smelling cinnamon boosts cognitive function and memory.
- Cinnamon fights the E. coli bacteria in unpasteurized juices.
- Cinnamon has been found to be an effective natural remedy for eliminating headaches and migraine relief.
- Cinnamon can also help stablize blood sugar (which is great for weight loss). A couple of dashes in your morning tea or cereal is all it takes!

Different ways to use cinnamon
Most commonly used as a cinnamon spice. You can buy cinnamon as a cinnamon cane also or add cinnamon extract to your baking. You can buy cinnamon oil, but it is hard to find. You can use cinnamon in candles, air fresheners, candle warmers, aroma simmer pot, and incense that tickles your senses.

Medicinal uses for cinnamon
Cinnamon helps people to obtain alertness, and stay awake. Cinnamon relieves the symptoms associated with stomach problems. Pregnant women experiencing nausea can get relief by using cinnamon, and even problem pregnancies can have fewer problems by taking cinnamon. Cinnamon powder is naturally used in cold remedies, cinnamon allergy medicine or cinnamon mouth wash. Cinnamon has been found to lower blood sugar in type 2 diabetes, and aid in weight loss. Cinnamon has been used as and anti-inflammatory for rheumatism and as a muscle relaxer.

Cinnamon in your diet
There are many ways to get the cinnamon you need in your diet, and receive the many health benefits of cinnamon. The most common method is by putting it in a dessert dish, or on top of your morning oatmeal, cinnamon French toast or cinnamon rolls. Some people have no trouble eating cinnamon powder straight from the spice jar, but it is preferable to mix in some kind of food. It tastes good mixing in your coffee, tea. Of course cinnamon sweets are the best. We especially enjoy cinnamon in many candy and holiday desserts. Cinnamon oil makes some people allergic, and will find their lip swelling, or find a face has a rash, after eating something with cinnamon. Cinnamon is still the most favourite spice of all.

Cinnamon Sticks: Organic

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Ginger Powder - Raw Planet - Organic

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Ginger is one of the most frequently used spices in cooking and is used in both savoury and sweet dishes from all around the world. It creates great warmth and flavour in dishes but is also connected to Ayurvedic medicine to relieve colds, sore throat and coughs. It also has analgesic, sedative, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.

Ginger also contains numerous vitamins and minerals like pyridoxine, pantothenic acid, potassium, manganese, copper and magnesium. As a result, it is linked to reducing nausea and studies have shown could alleviate migraines.

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Ginger is one of the most ancient spices in worldwide cuisine. It has become well-known for its various health benefits, which include its ability to boost bone health, strengthen the immune system, increase your appetite, prevents various types of cancer, improve respiratory conditions, aid digestion, eliminates arthritis symptoms, reduce excess gas, enhance sexual activity, and relieve pains related to menstrual disorders, nausea, and flu.

Ginger, also known as Zingiber Officinale, is directly used in Asian cultures by chopping it up or using its powder in traditional dishes and in soft drinks such as coffee and tea. Ginger’s irresistible fragrance is due to an essential oil in its composition that has been coveted and extracted by perfume makers since ancient times.

Not only is ginger known as an essence and a spice, it is known to be one of the oldest remedies known in herbal and aromatic traditional treatments, especially in China, India, and the Middle East. In China, it has been used for over 2,000 years for curing inflammation and diarrhea. Native to the Indo-Malaysian rain forests, ginger favours lush, moist, tropical soils for cultivation. Its cultivation may have begun in southern Asia, but it has since spread to East Africa and the Caribbean. Ginger’s perennial plant grows bright red flowers that come in different shapes such as torch and honeycomb, and are often used in seasonal festivals in the South Pacific for decoration of stalls, houses, and even dresses.

Today, ginger is on the FDA’s list of generally safe foods. Additionally, ginger’s health benefits have expanded beyond traditional knowledge to include a number of healthy boosts to your body.

Health Benefits of Ginger

The various health benefits of ginger are given below:

Bone Health:
Ginger is known to boost bone health and relieve joint pain. Two years ago, a study was conducted by the University of Miami that recruiting several hundred patients from different backgrounds and ages, that suffered from symptoms of osteoarthritis. The patients were then weaned away from anti-inflammatory and analgesic medications for cleansing purposes. A week later, they were split into two groups; one was put on a placebo, and the other on ginger supplements. After six weeks of intensive dosage, a survey was conducted among the two groups. Both groups felt improvement, but 63% of the ginger group felt a notable pain reduction, while only half of the placebo group recorded notable improvement. The last test was for the patients to walk the distance of 50 feet, which proved to be the far easier for the ginger group, and their results showed twice as much improvement than those test subjects on placebos.

Ginger has a number of unique organic compounds which have actually been named gingerols, and these are powerful anti-inflammatory compounds, some of the most powerful that can be found in food. These gingerols have been directly associated with improvements in knee inflammation and associated pain, as well as suppressing the inflammatory compounds like cytokines and chemokines at the source, before they can even begin to affect the body. Ginger represents both a preventative measure and a treatment for inflammation and its associated pain.

Diarrhea:
Ginger has been used since ancient times to cure diarrhea, and it was more recently proven by researchers that ginger indeed helps, since it prevents stomach spasms and gases that contribute to and stimulate diarrhea. In China, ginger powder has been given to those with diarrhea with great success for thousands of years; scientists have concluded that the ancient ways are indeed beneficial for this condition.

Excess Gas:
Ginger is a very strong carminative, meaning that it induces excess gas to leave the body. Excess gas does more than leave you in an uncomfortable situation if you can’t hold your gas to yourself, it can also be a dangerous situation for your health. Too much gas built up in your system can force upwards and put pressure on delicate organs in the torso. A carminative like ginger forces the gas down and out in a healthy way, and also prevents additional gas from building up again.

Digestion:
Ginger has been discovered to be a facilitator of the digestive process. The elevated sugar levels after a meal may cause the stomach to reduce its natural rate of emptying its contents. Ginger helps in regulating high sugar levels that may disrupt digestion and soothe the stomach, thus, maintaining its regular rhythm. Along with that, ginger has a number of compounds that improve the absorption of nutrients and minerals from the food we eat. This is why ginger is also frequently used as an appetizer or a aperitif, since it can stimulate the appetite while also preparing the digestive system for an influx of food. Ginger is popular in Asian countries as an appetizer or raw menu item for precisely that reason.

Prevents Cancer:
One of the most exciting developments in the discussion of ginger and its impact on human health has been the positive correlation between the organic compounds in ginger and the prevention of cancer. Gingerols, those same compounds which give ginger its anti-inflammatory qualities, have also been shown to prevent carcinogenic activity in the colon that can lead to colorectal cancer. This is yet another way that ginger benefits the gastrointestinal system, making it such a perfect addition on the side of every meal. However, more recent studies have also connected these gingerols to apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells, thereby reducing tumors and the growth of cancerous cells, without harming the healthy cells around them.

Detoxifies and Disinfects:
Ginger is good at promoting sweating in those who eat, which is always a good thing, in moderation. Sweat not only cleans out the pores and allows your body to eliminate toxins through the liquid, but research has also shown that sweat includes a germ-fighting compound, named dermicidin. It has been positively connected to reduced bacterial and viral infections in a person who sweats regularly, since it can create a sheen on the skin, a protective layer of previously unknown proteins!

Sexual Activity:
A known aphrodisiac, ginger has been used for years to arouse desire and enhance sexual activity. Ginger’s scent has a unique allure that helps in establishing the sexual connection. Not to mention, ginger also helps increase blood circulation, hence blood flows more easily to the mid-section of the body, an important area for sexual performance!

Menstrual Cramps:
Cramps are the body’s way of alarming an individual to some type of danger or damage. In this case, prostaglandins, which are hormones that function as chemical messengers,  are the key activators of symptoms such as cramps, pains, and fevers. Scientists believe that high levels of prostaglandins contribute to increased menstrual cramps. Ginger helps by reducing the levels of prostaglandins in the body, hence relieving the cramps.

Nausea:
Studies have concluded that ginger helps in curing nausea connected with pregnancy, motion sickness and chemotherapy. Its quick absorption and rapid regulation of body functions cures nausea without the side effects of modern medications.

Flu:
Ginger has been prescribed to fight illness and infection for ages. Its soothing effect helps to reduce the body’s emergency symptom responses to the damaged cells in the body. While the white cells work on patching the cells and defending against the illness, ginger acts a barrier to the high levels of prostaglandins that induce fever, headaches, and cramps.

Other health benefits of ginger currently under research are its function in reducing heart diseases, arthritis, migraines, depression, and curing stress-related anxiety disorders.

Ginger may, at times, have side effects for those suffering from gallstones, since the herb incites the release of bile from the gallbladder. Therefore, if this sort of condition is expected, or if you have a history of gallbladder conditions, it is best to consult a doctor before consuming ginger.

How to use:
You can use ground ginger to make ginger tea or ginger ale fizz. Make a ginger tea, soak a piece of flannel or washcloth for about 5 minutes, wring out and place on painful area. Cover with a towel, then a heating pad or hot water bottle, then another towel. Leave on for 20 minutes. A compress, or fomentation, is helpful for painful joints, muscle sprains or stomach aches. You can also use ginger powder to make a ginger oil or salve that can be rubbed onto achy joints to help relieve some of the pains associated with arthritic conditions. You can also use ginger in an invigorating foot bath by adding two tablespoons of ginger powder to a tub of warm/hot water.

Turmeric Powder - Raw Planet - Organic - Indonesia

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Turmeric has a peppery, warm and bitter flavour and a mild fragrance slightly reminiscent of orange and ginger, and while it is best known as one of the ingredients used to make curry, it also gives ballpark mustard its bright yellow colour.

Turmeric comes from the root of the Curcuma longa plant and has a tough brown skin and a deep orange flesh. Turmeric has long been used as a powerful anti-inflammatory in both the Chinese and Indian systems of medicine. Turmeric was traditionally called "Indian saffron" because of its deep yellow-orange colour and has been used throughout history as a condiment, healing remedy and textile dye.

Health Benefits
Turmeric (Curcuma longa), the bright yellow of the spice rainbow, is a powerful medicine that has long been used in the Chinese and Indian systems of medicine as an anti-inflammatory agent to treat a wide variety of conditions, including flatulence, jaundice, menstrual difficulties, bloody urine, hemorrhage, toothache, bruises, chest pain, and colic.

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A Potent, Yet Safe Anti-Inflammatory
The volatile oil fraction of turmeric has demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory activity in a variety of experimental models. Even more potent than its volatile oil is the yellow or orange pigment of turmeric, which is called curcumin. Curcumin is thought to be the primary pharmacological agent in turmeric. In numerous studies, curcumin's anti-inflammatory effects have been shown to be comparable to the potent drugs hydrocortisone and phenylbutazone as well as over-the-counter anti-inflammatory agents such as Motrin. Unlike the drugs, which are associated with significant toxic effects (ulcer formation, decreased white blood cell count, intestinal bleeding), curcumin produces no toxicity.

An Effective Treatment for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Curcumin may provide an inexpensive, well-tolerated, and effective treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) such as Crohn's and ulcerative colitis, recent research suggests. In this study, mice given an inflammatory agent that normally induces colitis were protected when curcumin was added to their diet five days beforehand. The mice receiving curcumin not only lost much less weight than the control animals, but when researchers checked their intestinal cell function, all the signs typical of colitis (mucosal ulceration, thickening of the intestinal wall, and the infiltration of inflammatory cells)were all much reduced. While the researchers are not yet sure exactly how curcumin achieves its protective effects, they think its benefits are the result of not only antioxidant activity, but also inhibition of a major cellular inflammatory agent called NF kappa-B. Plus, an important part of the good news reported in this study is the fact that although curcumin has been found to be safe at very large doses, this component of turmeric was effective at a concentration as low as 0.25 per cent—an amount easily supplied by simply enjoying turmeric in flavorful curries.

Relief for Rheumatoid Arthritis
Clinical studies have substantiated that curcumin also exerts very powerful antioxidant effects. As an antioxidant, curcumin is able to neutralize free radicals, chemicals that can travel through the body and cause great amounts of damage to healthy cells and cell membranes. This is important in many diseases, such as arthritis, where free radicals are responsible for the painful joint inflammation and eventual damage to the joints. Turmeric's combination of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects explains why many people with joint disease find relief when they use the spice regularly. In a recent study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, curcumin was compared to phenylbutazone and produced comparable improvements in shortened duration of morning stiffness, lengthened walking time, and reduced joint swelling.

Help for Cystic Fibrosis Sufferers
Curcumin, the major constituent of turmeric that gives the spice its yellow color, can correct the most common expression of the genetic defect that is responsible for cystic fibrosis, suggests an animal study published in the Science (April 2004). Cystic fibrosis, a fatal disease that attacks the lungs with a thick mucus, causing life-threatening infections, afflicts about 30,000 American children and young adults, who rarely survive beyond 30 years of age. The mucus also damages the pancreas, thus interfering with the body's ability to digest and absorb nutrients.

Researchers now know that cystic fibrosis is caused by mutations in the gene that encodes for a protein (the transmembrane conductance regulator or CFTR). The CTFR protein is responsible for traveling to the cell's surface and creating channels through which chloride ions can leave the cell. When the protein is abnormally shaped because of a faulty gene, this cannot happen, so chloride builds up in the cells, which in turn, leads to mucus production.

The most common mutation, which is called DeltaF508, results in the production of a misfolded protein. When mice with this DeltaF508 defect were given curcumin in doses that, on a weight-per-weight basis, would be well-tolerated by humans, curcumin corrected this defect, resulting in a DeltaF508 protein with normal appearance and function. In addition, the Yale scientists studying curcumin have shown that it can inhibit the release of calcium, thus allowing mutated CTFR to exit cells via the calcium channels, which also helps stop the chloride-driven build up of mucus. Specialists in the treatment of cystic fibrosis caution, however, that patients should not self-medicate with dietary supplements containing curcumin, until the correct doses are known and any adverse interactions identified with the numerous prescription drugs taken by cystic fibrosis sufferers.

Cancer Prevention
Curcumin's antioxidant actions enable it to protect the colon cells from free radicals that can damage cellular DNA—a significant benefit particularly in the colon where cell turnover is quite rapid, occuring approximately every three days. Because of their frequent replication, mutations in the DNA of colon cells can result in the formation of cancerous cells much more quickly. Curcumin also helps the body to destroy mutated cancer cells, so they cannot spread through the body and cause more harm. A primary way in which curcumin does so is by enhancing liver function. Additionally, other suggested mechanisms by which it may protect against cancer development include inhibiting the synthesis of a protein thought to be instrumental in tumor formation and preventing the development of additional blood supply necessary for cancer cell growth.

Inhibits Cancer Cell Growth and Metastases
Epidemiological studies have linked the frequent use of turmeric to lower rates of breast, prostate, lung and colon cancer; laboratory experiments have shown curcumin can prevent tumors from forming; and research conducted at the University of Texas suggests that even when breast cancer is already present, curcumin can help slow the spread of breast cancer cells to the lungs in mice.

In this study, published in Biochemical Pharmacology (September 2005), human breast cancer cells were injected into mice, and the resulting tumors removed to simulate a mastectomy. The mice were then divided into four groups. One group received no further treatment and served as a control. A second group was given the cancer drug paclitaxel (Taxol); the third got curcumin, and the fourth was given both Taxol and curcumin.

After five weeks, only half the mice in the curcumin-only group and just 22% of those in the curcumin plus Taxol group had evidence of breast cancer that had spread to the lungs. But 75% of the mice that got Taxol alone and 95% of the control group developed lung tumours.

How did curcumin help? "Curcumin acts against transcription factors, which are like a master switch," said lead researcher, Bharat Aggarwal. "Transcription factors regulate all the genes needed for tumors to form. When we turn them off, we shut down some genes that are involved in the growth and invasion of cancer cells.

In another laboratory study of human non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cells published in Biochemical Pharmacology (September 2005), University of Texas researchers showed that curcumin inhibits the activation of NF-kappaB, a regulatory molecule that signals genes to produce a slew of inflammatory molecules (including TNF, COX-2 and IL-6) that promote cancer cell growth. In addition, curcumin was found to suppress cancer cell proliferation and to induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis (cell suicide) in the lung cancer cells. Early phase I clinical trials at the University of Texas are now also looking into curcumin's chemopreventive and therapeutic properties against multiple myeloma and pancreatic cancer, and other research groups are investigating curcumin's ability to prevent oral cancer.

Improved Liver Function
In a recent rat study conducted to evaluate the effects of turmeric on the liver's ability to detoxify xenobiotic (toxic) chemicals, levels of two very important liver detoxification enzymes (UDP glucuronyl transferase and glutathione-S-transferase) were significantly elevated in rats fed turmeric as compared to controls. The researchers commented, "The results suggest that turmeric may increase detoxification systems in addition to its anti-oxidant properties...Turmeric used widely as a spice would probably mitigate the effects of several dietary carcinogens."

Curcumin has been shown to prevent colon cancer in rodent studies. When researchers set up a study to analyze how curcumin works, they found that it inhibits free radical damage of fats (such as those found in cell membranes and cholesterol), prevents the formation of the inflammatory chemical cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and induces the formation of a primary liver detoxification enzyme, glutathione S-transferase (GST) enzymes. When the rats were given curcumin for 14 days, their livers' production of GST increased by 16%, and a marker of free radical damage called malondialdehyde decreased by 36% when compared with controls. During this two week period, the researchers gave the rats a cancer-causing chemical called carbon tetrachloride. In the rats not fed curcumin, markers of free radical damage to colon cells went up, but in the rats given turmeric, this increase was prevented by dietary curcumin. Lastly, the researchers compared giving turmeric in the diet versus injecting curcumin into the rats' colons. They found injecting curcumin resulted in more curcumin in the blood, but much less in the colon mucosa. They concluded, "The results show that curcumin mixed with the diet achieves drug levels in the colon and liver sufficient to explain the pharmacological activities observed and suggest that this mode of administration may be preferable for the chemoprevention of colon cancer."

Cardiovascular Protection
Curcumin may be able to prevent the oxidation of cholesterol in the body. Since oxidized cholesterol is what damages blood vessels and builds up in the plaques that can lead to heart attack or stroke, preventing the oxidation of new cholesterol may help to reduce the progression of atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease. In addition, turmeric is a good source of vitamin B6, which is needed to keep homocysteine levels from getting too high. Homocysteine, an intermediate product of an important cellular process called methylation, is directly damaging to blood vessel walls. High levels of homocysteine are considered a significant risk factor for blood vessel damage, atherosclerotic plaque build-up, and heart disease; while a high intake of vitamin B6 is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease.

In research published in the Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, when 10 healthy volunteers consumed 500 mg of curcumin per day for 7 days, not only did their blood levels of oxidized cholesterol drop by 33%, but their total cholesterol droped 11.63% , and their HDL (good cholesterol) increased by 29%! (Soni KB, Kuttan R).

How Turmeric Lowers Cholesterol
Tumeric's cholesterol-lowering effects are the result of the curry spice's active constituent, curcumin, which research reveals is a messaging molecule that communicates with genes in liver cells, directing them to increase the production of mRNA (messenger proteins) that direct the creation of receptors for LDL (bad) cholesterol. With more LDL-receptors, liver cells are able to clear more LDL-cholesterol from the body.

LDL-receptor mRNA increased sevenfold in liver cells treated with curcumin at a concentration of 10 microM, compared to untreated cells. (Liver cells were found to tolerate curcumin at levels of up to 12. microM for 24 hours). (Peschel D, Koerting R, et al. J Nutr Biochem)

Practical Tips:
Help increase your liver's ability to clear LDL-cholesterol by relying on turmeric, not just for delicious fish, meat or lentil curries, but to spice up healthy sautéed onions, potatoes and/or cauliflower; or as the key flavoring for a creamy vegetable dip. Just mix plain yogurt with a little omega-3-rich mayonnaise and turmeric, salt and pepper to taste. Serve with raw cauliflower, celery, sweet pepper, jicama and broccoli florets. Be sure to choose turmeric rather than prepared curry blends. Recent research indicates the amount of turmeric (and therefore curcumin) in curry blends is often minimal.(Tayyem RF et al.,Nutr Cancer)

For the most curcumin, be sure to use turmeric rather curry powder—a study analyzing curcumin content in 28 spice products described as turmeric or curry powders found that pure turmeric powder had the highest concentration of curcumin, averaging 3.14% by weight. The curry powder samples, with one exception, contained very small amounts of curcumin. (Tayyem RF, Heath DD, et al. Nutr Cancer)

Protection against Alzheimer's Disease
Growing evidence suggests that turmeric may afford protection against neurodegenerative diseases. Epidemiological studies show that in elderly Indian populations, among whose diet turmeric is a common spice, levels of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's are very low. Concurrently, experimental research conducted recently found that curcumin does appear to slow the progression of Alzheimer's in mice. Preliminary studies in mice also suggest that curcumin may block the progression of multiple sclerosis. While it is still unclear how it may afford protection against this degenerative condition, one theory is that it may interrupt the production of IL-2, a protein that can play a key role in the destruction of myelin, the sheath that serves to protect most nerves in the body.

A number of studies have suggested that curcumin, the biologically active constituent in turmeric, protects against Alzheimer's disease by turning on a gene that codes for the production of antioxidant proteins. A study published in the Italian Journal of Biochemistry (December 2003) discussed curcumin's role in the induction of the the heme oxygenase pathway, a protective system that, when triggered in brain tissue, causes the production of the potent antioxidant bilirubin, which protects the brain against oxidative (free radical) injury. Such oxidation is thought to be a major factor in aging and to be responsible for neurodegenerative disorders including dementias like Alzheimer's disease. Another study conducted jointly by an Italian and U.S. team and presented at the American Physiological Society's 2004 annual conference in Washington, DC, confirmed that curcumin strongly induces expression of the gene, called hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1) in astrocytes from the hippocampal region of the brain.

Curcumin Crosses Blood-Brain Barrier, May Help Prevent Alzheimer's Disease
Research conducted at UCLA and published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry (December 2004), which has been confirmed by further research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (April 2006), provides insight into the mechanisms behind curcumin's protective effects against Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease results when a protein fragment called amyloid-B accumulates in brain cells, producing oxidative stress and inflammation, and forming plaques between nerve cells (neurons) in the brain that disrupt brain function.

Amyloid is a general term for protein fragments that the body produces normally. Amyloid-B is a protein fragment snipped from another protein called amyloid precursor protein (APP). In a healthy brain, these protein fragments are broken down and eliminated. In Alzheimer's disease, the fragments accumulate, forming hard, insoluble plaques between brain cells.

The UCLA researchers first conducted test tube studies in which curcumin was shown to inhibit amyloid-B aggregation and to dissolve amyloid fibrils more effectively than the anti-inflammatory drugs ibuprofen and naproxen. Then, using live mice, the researchers found that curcumin crosses the blood brain barrier and binds to small amyloid-B species. Once bound to curcumin, the amyloid-B protein fragments can no longer clump together to form plaques. Curcumin not only binds to amyloid-B, but also has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, supplying additional protection to brain cells.

Turmeric Boosts Amyloid Plaque Clearance in Human Alzheimer's Patients
The most active ingredient in turmeric root, bisdemethoxycurcumin, boosts the activity of the immune system in Alzheimer's patients, helping them to clear the amyloid beta plaques characteristic of the disease.

In healthy patients, immune cells called macrophages, which engulf and destroy abnormal cells and suspected pathogens, efficiently clear amyloid beta, but macrophage activity is suppressed in Alzheimer's patients.

Using blood samples from Alzheimer's patients, Drs. Milan Fiala and John Cashman have shown that bisdemethoxycurcumin boosts macrophage activity to normal levels, helping to clear amyloid beta. Fiala and Cashman also observed that bisdemethoxycurcumin was more effective in promoting the clearance of amyloid beta in some patients' blood than others, hinting at a genetic element. Further study revealed the genes involved are MGAT III and Toll-like receptors, which are also responsible for a number of other key immune functions. Bisdemethoxycurcumin enhances the transcription of these genes, correcting the immune defects seen in Alzheimer's patients.

History
Turmeric is native to Indonesia and southern India, where it has been harvested for more than 5,000 years. It has served an important role in many traditional cultures throughout the East, including being a revered member of the Ayurvedic pharmacopeia. While Arab traders introduced it into Europe in the 13th century, it has only recently become popular in Western cultures. Much of its recent popularity is owed to the recent research that has highlighted its therapeutic properties. The leading commercial producers of turmeric include India, Indonesia, China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Haiti and Jamaica.

Tips for Preparing and Cooking

Tips for Preparing Turmeric
Be careful when using turmeric since its deep color can easily stain. To avoid a lasting stain, quickly wash any area with which it has made contact with soap and water. To prevent staining your hands, you might consider wearing kitchen gloves while handling turmeric.

How to Enjoy
A Few Quick Serving Ideas
   - Add turmeric to egg salad to give it an even bolder yellow color.
   - Mix brown rice with raisins and cashews and season with turmeric, cumin and coriander.
   - Although turmeric is generally a staple ingredient in curry powder, some people like to add a little extra of this spice when preparing curries. And turmeric doesn't have to only be used in curries. This spice is delicious on healthy sautéed apples, and healthy steamed cauliflower and/or green beans and onions. Or, for a creamy, flavor-rich, low-calorie dip, try mixing some turmeric and dried onion with a little omega-3-rich mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Serve with raw cauliflower, celery, sweet pepper, jicama and broccoli florets.
   - Turmeric is a great spice to complement recipes that feature lentils.
   - Give salad dressings an orange-yellow hue by adding some turmeric powder to them.
   - For an especially delicious way to add more turmeric to your healthy way of eating, cut cauliflower florets in half and healthy sauté with a generous spoonful of turmeric for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. 

Vanilla Beans - Organic

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Our Vanilla Beans

Our certified organic vanilla beans are about 1 to 2 beans to the gram.  25g has about 15 to 20 beans.  They are organic from an indigenous grower association of Totonucans from Papantla Mexico.  This is the home of vanilla where it originally came from and this indigenous group domesticated the vanilla plant.    Mexico is the only place in the world where the vanilla plant is naturally pollinated everywhere else it has to be pollinated by hand..

They are very moist premium vanilla beans with excellent long-lasting aroma and taste.

Add them to smoothies, ice creams, sauces & chocolate recipes.

Enjoy!

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About Vanilla
For centuries, vanilla beans (pods) have been one of the most familiar flavours, fundamental to western cuisine. Commonly used to flavour desserts, beverages, milk products and coffee, vanilla is one of the most loved flavours of the western palate.

It is believed, the Totonaca people of Mexico were the first cultivators of vanilla, during MesoAmerican times. They believed this exotic fruit had been bestowed upon them by the Gods, and continue to cultivate vanilla today.

In the 14th century, the Spanish conquistadors under Cortez, watched Montezuma, Emperor of the Aztecs, pulverize vanilla beans, combine them with chocolate and serve it as a drink in golden goblets to his most honoured guests. The Spanish caught on quickly and by the middle of the 15th century, were importing it to Europe to use as a flavour in the manufacture of chocolate.

As European explorers and their attendant botanical recorders and collectors combed the forests of Central and South America, vanilla beans became more common in Europe. Europeans followed the example of the tribes in the New World and used vanilla beans in the production of medicine, as a nerve stimulant and as an aphrodisiac. They also invented a few of their own uses, including the flavouring of another New World product, tobacco.

By the early 1800’s vanilla plants were growing in botanical collections in Germany and France. Horticulturists were experimenting with conditions for its growth. From Europe it was transported to Reunion, Mauritius and the Malagasy Republic. In the new tropical colonies, slave labour discovered that hand pollination of the flowers was necessary to produce vanilla beans.

From these points, vanilla plants were taken to Indonesia, the Seychelles, and the Comoros Islands. At approximately the same time, vanilla was introduced as a crop in Martinique and Guadeloupe in the Caribbean.

Today, vanilla beans grows within 20 degrees north and south of the Equator in the tropical regions of the world.

Madagascar and Indonesia grow the majority of the world’s vanilla beans. Other countries around the Pacific rim which grow and supply vanilla to the world include Papua New Guinea, Tahiti, Philippines, Fiji, Tonga, India, China, Guatemala and Costa Rica.

Raw 'Hot' Chocolate
- Add 1 tblespn raw cacao powder to a large cup & mix to a runny paste with cold water
- Fill the cup with hot water
- Add a large knob of raw cacao butter
- Sweeten to taste with agave or yacon syrup
- Add a vanilla bean, ground or whole cinnamon, cloves to taste

Vanilla Powder - Organic

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We source this vanilla from Papua New Guinea, where it is grown organically in the highlands. We're proud to support our international neighbours in their efforts to grow quality organic produce.

Sizes & Packaging: 50g, 250g, 500g & 1kg bulk packs all in standup resealable plastic bags

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Medical Disclaimer

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All information is provided on this site & about the products sold & in the classes & retreats for educational & informational purposes only & no health claims whatsoever are made for anything on this website.  Although we make every effort to keep our information accurate and up-to-date, the information contained in this website is not intended and must not be taken to be the provision of health claims or provision or practice of medical advice or services nor a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you have questions or concerns about your health or treatment or would like more information, contact a qualified health professional. Contact a qualified health professional before starting or changing any treatment.