What are the Health Benefits of Meditation?

Depends on which type and "grade" I have used ginseng (renshen) and other Chinese tonic herbs, for around twenty-five years... I have found if used correctly, ginseng will maintain my energy levels much better than coffee and other stimulants, and with much better effects.(none of the crash and drowse associated with sugar and caffeine) Korean Red Ginseng is the best for pure "energy"....If too much is ingested, especially in hot weather, it can really be too much of a good thing! So-called "American Ginseng" is a much milder, yet very effective form of this herb, highly thought of by the Chinese herbalists I have dealt with..... Both can be made into a beverage, cooked in soups, or made into alcohol based tnctures for excellent results. Avoid the "white" ginseng sold by GNC...In China, it is considered next to useless.

That being said, there are many other Chinese herbs (and combinations thereof) with a multitude of health benefits, and very effective at combating many diseases: Astragalus for the immune system, Dong Quai for energy, and Chinese Licorice (not at all what you'd expect, sort of a woody plant)... There are prepared herbal compounds available to treat the symptoms of menopause, increase endurance, help insomnia, the list is long! I recommend checking out this site, and the book I have attached.....Herbs are great things when properly used, and a lot of fun to explore. Good luck!

http://eastearthtrade.com/index.asp Sources: Experience and research Duplicitous's Recommendations Chinese Tonic Herbs Amazon List Price: $19.00 Used from: $7.10 Average Customer Rating: 5.0 out of 5 (based on 5 reviews) I recommend Mr. Teeguardens book personally. It is comprehansive, and very well put together.

First of all, there are three plants that are called "Ginseng". Ginseng refers to a group of adaptogenic herbs from the plant family Araliacae. There are three main types: Chinese or Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng, Asian ginseng), American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), and Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosis).

Some herbalists say there is a difference between Chinese and Korean Ginseng. The word "panax" derives from attributes of the root’s healthful virtues. "Ginseng," means "essence of the earth in the form of a man"."Seng" is a term employed by Chinese medicinal root gatherers for fleshy roots used as tonics.

Seng is preceded by modifiers to denote the source material or medicinal property. American ginseng grows in shady woodlands with rich soils.It is native to Ohio and is found predominately in the Appalachian region of the state. Its range outside of Ohio includes the eastern half of the United States, from Quebec to Minnesota and south to Georgia and Oklahoma.

Panax ginseng grows on moist, shaded mountainsides in China, Korea, and Russia.It is a perennial herb that reaches heights of two or more feet, and is distinguished by its dark green leaves and red clusters of berries. Siberian ginseng, Eleutherococcus senticosus, is also known as eleuthero ginseng or eleuthero. Both American and Asian ginsengs belong to the species Panax and are similar in their chemical composition.

Siberian ginseng is not really ginseng and contains different active components, but American, Asian, and Siberian ginsengs all are considered to be an adaptogen, a substance that strengthens the body, helping it return to normal when it has been subjected to stress. Ginseng is believed to possess amazing healing properties, increase wisdom and longevity, cure neurological disorders. Ginseng is an adaptogen which help the body quickly restore homeostasis, reduce the effects of aging, and have been used in preventing heart disease.

Ginseng is used to enhance physical (including sexual) and mental performance and to increase energy and resistance to the harmful effects of stress and aging. Medicinal use of ginseng can be traced back nearly 2,000 years. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Panax ginseng is a tonic used to increase strength, increase blood volume, promote life and appetite, quiet the spirit, and give wisdom.

Ginseng was used in the treatment of conditions such as defective memory, gastrointestinal disorders and disability states. It is also used for CFS and Fibromyalgia in the US. Ginseng reputed to lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels, protect against stress, enhance strength and promote relaxation.

Ginseng works like a tonic, protecting the body against disease. Along with increasing resistance to diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and various infections, ginseng is believed to enhance the immune system, which could, in theory, help the body fight off infection and disease. Ginseng has long been valued for its ability to help the body deal with stress.

Ginseng is used to enhance physical (including sexual) and mental performance and to increase energy and resistance to the harmful effects of stress and aging. Regular intake of ginseng may reduce one’s chances of getting various types of cancer, especially lung, liver, stomach, pancreatic and ovarian. American ginseng, in combination with ginkgo, may prove to be of value in helping to treat ADHD.

Panax Ginseng is used primarily to improve psychological functions, exercise performance, immune function, and conditions associated with diabetes. Panax ginseng promotes Yang energy, improves circulation, increases blood supply, revitalizes and aids recovery from weakness after illness, stimulates the body. Panax ginseng in particular may decrease endothelial cell dysfunction.

Panax ginseng may quiet down the blood vessels and is protective against heart and other forms of cardiovascular disease. Traditional Chinese medicine also prescribes Panax ginseng to treat diabetes, and research has shown that it enhances the release of insulin from the pancreas and lowers blood sugar levels. Panax ginseng has antioxidant effects and increases immune system activity, which makes it a good herbal support for those suffering from cancer and AIDS and other chronic conditions that impair the immune system.

American ginseng or Asian ginseng may slow the progression of Alzheimer’s and improve memory and behavior. Siberian ginseng is more useful for maintaining good health rather than treating ill health. Siberian Ginseng is reputed to have a normalizing effect, bringing the body back into balance.

Siberian ginseng may help to protect the body from the debilitating effects of radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery Siberian ginseng contains remarkable compounds that favorably affect the adrenal glands, the small glands that rest atop the kidneys and secrete stress-fighting hormones. Siberian ginseng can increase a person’s resistance to physical stresses. Siberian ginseng is popular for invigorating and fortifying the body.By supporting healthy uterine function, Siberian ginseng may be useful in preventing female infertility.

Siberian ginseng may increase mental alertness, particularly in the early stages of this progressive disorder.

Treatment claims for Asian ginseng are numerous and include... ...the use of the herb to support overall health and boost the immune system. Traditional and modern uses of ginseng include: Improving the health of people recovering from illness Increasing a sense of well-being and stamina, and improving both mental and physical performance Treating erectile dysfunction, hepatitis C, and symptoms related to menopause Lowering blood glucose and controlling blood pressure The root of Asian ginseng contains active chemical components called ginsenosides (or panaxosides) that are thought to be responsible for the herb's medicinal properties. The root is dried and used to make tablets or capsules, extracts, and teas, as well as creams or other preparations for external use.

Some studies have shown that Asian ginseng may lower blood glucose. Other studies indicate possible beneficial effects on immune function. To date, research results on Asian ginseng are not conclusive enough to prove health claims associated with the herb.

Only a handful of large clinical trials on Asian ginseng have been conducted. Most studies have been small or have had flaws in design and reporting. Some claims for health benefits have been based only on studies conducted in animals.

NCCAM is supporting research studies to better understand the use of Asian ginseng. NCCAM is studying how Asian ginseng interacts with other herbs and drugs and exploring its potential to treat chronic lung infection, impaired glucose tolerance, and Alzheimer's disease. Side Effects and Cautions: When taken by mouth, ginseng is usually well tolerated.

Some sources suggest that its use be limited to 3 months because of concerns about the development of side effects. The most common side effects are headaches and sleep and gastrointestinal problems. Ginseng can cause allergic reactions.

There have been reports of breast tenderness, menstrual irregularities, and high blood pressure associated with ginseng products, but these products' components were not analyzed, so effects may have been due to another herb or drug in the product. Ginseng may lower levels of blood sugar; this effect may be seen more in people with diabetes. Therefore, people with diabetes should use extra caution with Asian ginseng, especially if they are using medicines to lower blood sugar or taking other herbs, such as bitter melon and fenugreek, that are also thought to lower blood sugar.

Sources: http://nccam.nih.gov/health/asianginseng/ curiouskitty's Recommendations Honey Lemon Ginseng Tea (00520CEL) Amazon List Price: $26.53 How To Find, Dig, Dry and Sell Wild American Ginseng and Goldenseal Amazon List Price: $29.95 Used from: $98.80 Foojoy Chinese Jasmine Green Tea - 100 Tea Bags (7.0 Oz Amazon List Price: $9.99 Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (based on 5 reviews) Korean Ginseng 500 Mg 100 Caps Amazon List Price: $12.99 I Love GINSENG TEA T-Shirt Ginseng: How to Find, Grow, and Use America's Forest Gold Amazon List Price: $19.95 Used from: $11.50 Average Customer Rating: 5.0 out of 5 (based on 1 reviews) .

More energy! Less stress! Sharper memory!

Better sex! findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0813/is_... According to traditional chinese medicine, each type of ginseng is thought to have unique healing properties. American ginseng has more "cooling" properties, which make it valuable for fever and respiratory tract disorders.

Asian ginseng has "heating" properties, which are good for improving circulation. Check out: mayoclinic.com/health/ginseng/NS_patient... for in-depth info AND warnings! Sources: altmedicine.about.com/od/ginseng/a/ginse... ~wb's Recommendations Korean Ginseng 500 Mg 100 Caps Amazon List Price: $12.99 Ginseng: How to Find, Grow, and Use America's Forest Gold Amazon List Price: $19.95 Used from: $11.50 Average Customer Rating: 5.0 out of 5 (based on 1 reviews) Ginseng, the Divine Root: The Curious story of the Plant That Captivated the World Amazon List Price: $23.95 Used from: $1.18 Average Customer Rating: 5.0 out of 5 (based on 3 reviews) .

Parsley has a number of health benefits, many of which I even didn't know. I'm going to have to remember this question come the Spring when my parsley plants come back to life. ----quote---- Anemia: Builds up the blood because it is high in iron.

The high vitamin C content assists the absorption of iron. €¢ Antioxidant: Increases the anti-oxidant capacity of the blood. €¢ Bactericidal (kills bacteria) • Bad breath • Baldness: Believe it or not, men even scrubbed parsley onto their scalps to cure baldness—which doesn’t work.

€¢ Blood purifier • Blood vessel rejuvenation: Maintains elasticity of blood vessels, and helps to repair bruises. €¢ Diarrhea is greatly helped by drinking parsley tea. €¢ Digestion: Parsley is an excellent digestion restorative remedy.It improves the digestion of proteins and fats therefore promoting intestinal absorption, liver assimilation and storage.

Because of its high enzyme content, parsley benefits digestive activity and elimination. €¢ Dissolves cholesterol within the veins • Diuretic • Ear health: Treats deafness and ear infections. €¢ Edema: Acts as a diuretic and blood vessel strengthener.

€¢ Fatigue: Parsley is high in iron so helps repair and provides components for better blood cells. €¢ Gallstones: Helps dissolve them. €¢ Glandular support of the liver, spleen, kidneys and adrenal glands.

€¢ Gout • Hormonal support: In women, parsley improves estrogen and nourishes and restores the blood of the uterus. Conditions like delayed menstruation, PMS, and the menopause (dry skin, irritability, depression and hair loss) can often improve. €¢ Hormone balancing is achieved through the volatile fatty acids contained in parsley.

€¢ Immune booster: The high vitamin C, beta carotene, B12, chlorophyll and essential fatty acid content render parsley an extraordinary immunity enhancing food. Parsley is an immune-enhancing multi-vitamin and mineral complex in green plant form and one of the most important herbs for providing vitamins to the body. €¢ Inhibits tumor formation, particularly in the lungs.

€¢ Insect bites: Rub on to relieve the swelling and itch. €¢ Jaundice • Kidneys: Parsley is effective for nearly all kidney and urinary complaints except severe kidney inflammation.It improves kidney activity and can help eliminate wastes from the blood and tissues of the kidneys. It prevents salt from being reabsorbed into the body tissues; thus parsley literally forces debris out of the kidneys, liver and bladder.

It helps improve edema and general water retention, fatigue and scanty or painful urination. €¢ Liver congestion: It enriches the liver and nourishes the blood. Parsley helps reduce liver congestion, clearing toxins and aiding rejuvenation.

€¢ Menstrual irregularity: Parsley helps to make the cycles regular by the presence of apiol which is a constituent of the female sex hormone estrogen. €¢ Menstrual pain • Night blindness: Bad eyesight is a sign of Vitamin A deficiency. €¢ Rheumatism • Spleen strengthening: The parsley root in particular strengthens the spleen, and can, therefore, treat malabsorption.

€¢ Stamina loss and low resistance to infection, point to a sluggish liver. This can manifest itself in blood deficiencies, fatigue, a pale complexion and poor nails, dizzy spells, anemia and mineral depletion. €¢ Stomach problems • Strengthens loose teeth: In the Middle Ages parsley was used for many conditions including 'fastening teeth' (Scurvy, which is caused by a Vitamin C deficiency, makes the gums spongy and the teeth loose.

) • Uterine tonic • Weight loss benefits from being a diuretic ----/quote.

Omega-5, otherwise known as myristoleic acid, is less common in nature -- found primarily in the seed oil from plants in the Myristicaceae genus where nutmeg is the most well known; the oil is also extracted from saw palmetto. Myristoleic acid extracted from saw palmetto has been shown to effectively combat cancer cells in prostate and pancreatic cancers. Additionally, omega-5 may play a key role in the inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase, a mediator of inflammation, thus, by acting in this anti-inflammatory capacity it helps to promote appropriate inflammation in the body.

Food sources of omega-5, beyond extracting myristoleic acid from the aforementioned plants, include the fat of marine animals (wild Alaskan salmon), beavers, and bovines.

Optimism is an extraordinary limbic resource, and available to everyone, because it’s a learned skill. You can decide to be optimistic with remarkable success. Not Pollyanna optimistic, but glass-half-full optimistic, and it’s worth the effort.

Women who are optimistic about motherhood before pregnancy have a much lower risk of postpartum depression. Optimistic women have lower mortality rates from cancer and heart disease. If you approach illness with a positive, optimistic attitude, you have lower blood pressure, better immune function.

You recover from bypass surgery faster and better, you get out of bed sooner after back surgery and you go back to work and regular exercise sooner. Anger doubles your risk of heart disease. But perceiving your work as satisfying cuts your risk of heart disease in half.

Legumes are often called the "poor people's meat"; however, they might better be known as the "healthy people's meat." Many legumes, especially soybeans, are demonstrating impressive health benefits. Diets rich in legumes are used to lower cholesterol levels, improve diabetics' blood glucose control, and reduce the risk of many cancers.

Legumes contain many important nutrients and photochemical. According to studies conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, richly colored dried beans offer a high degree of antioxidant protection. In fact, small red kidney beans rated the highest, just ahead of blueberries.

Lobster has been shown to be very beneficial for protecting against: Heart disease Alzheimer 's disease Many forms of cancer.

Regardless of what motivates people to pray, there's no denying that a lot of people do it. One study shows that 36 percent of people use complementary and alternative medicine, but that number almost doubles when prayer is included in the definition. Those respondents say they use prayer for their own health and to help others.

Even more telling: Of those people who said they prayed for health reasons, 70 percent said that prayer was helpful. Why? Seems like it may work through several different mechanisms: - It relaxes: A form of meditation (no matter what your religious preferences), prayer helps to slow breathing and brain activity, and reduces heart rate and blood pressure.

All relaxing, all good. - It's positive: Let's face it. When you pray, you typically don't finish feeling like you want to rap somebody's ankles with a wooden spoon.

You leave being filled with peace, joy, and other emotions that are worthy of being printed on holiday cocktail napkins. There's some evidence that these emotions lead to positive physiological responses throughout the entire body. Our stress hormone levels prepare for a peaceful existence.

Perhaps more importantly, our immune system becomes less agitated so chemicals like proinflammatory cytokines, which act like kerosene on a fire, are not driving our joints and arteries to overreact to every biologic stress inside us. The result: A less inflamed, more beautiful place to live. - It's better than nothing (i.e.

The placebo effect): I'd be remiss in my reporting if I didn't say that some of the benefits derived from prayer can simply be accounted for because the person feels like it's helping, whether it's physiologically helping or not. Placebo effects have been shown to account for 70 percent of the benefit in some procedures. My stance here is that thinking you're doing something to help yourself is a big part of prayer anyway.

Propolis is a product of tree sap mixed with bee secretions that is used by bees to protect against bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Propolis is unfortunately lost in honey processing, thus greatly reducing the level of phytochemicals known to protect against germs; recent research suggests that these may also prevent certain types of cancer. Within the propolis are well-researched phytochemicals that have cancer-preventing and antitumor properties.

These substances include caffeic acid, methyl caffeate, phenylethyl caffeate, and phenylethyl dimethylcaffeate. Researchers have discovered that these substances in propolis prevent colon cancer in animals by shutting down the activity of two enzymes, phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C and lipoxygenase, involved in the production of cancer-causing compounds.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.