Blazing Star Herbal School

Archive for the ‘herb’ Category

Hoodia gordonii, an herb, was well known to the San Bushmen who inhabits the Kalahari and Namib Deserts. Being traditionally nomadic hunters, they go for hunting that will last for about a week. With scarce food around, they habitually resort to consuming hoodia which will help them manage without food by being not hungry. They would first remove the roots, leaves, spines and flowers from the plant. Then they would peel away the skin of the stem and eat them. Scientists have found that what it does is to mimic the signals that glucose will send to the nerve cells in the brain, but many times powerful than glucose. This will suppress your urge to eat. Naturally this wisdom of the Bushmen can be a boon to those who are for ever doing all they can to shed their unwanted fat.

CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) of South Africa along with the scientists of the British company, Phytopharm, isolated the bioactive compound and called it p57. It was later subject to various tests and trails which confirmed what the San Bushmen always knew. There were no side effects that were reported in these studies. Of course, this was evident from the fact that San Bushmen have been using this for generations. There was also a big market for a variety of products, both dietary and physical exercises, for tackling the major growing problem of obesity that seemed to effect the younger generation with the new lifestyles and dietary practices. Hoodia seemed to fit the bill eminently. Interest in p57 was natural.

Hoodia gordonii began to be marketed in capsule and liquid form. It is also marketed in combination with Green Tea extract that contains naturally occurring caffeine, chromium, Niacin as Nicotinic Acid, and Cocoa extract as tru hoodia complex. But the problem was that hoodia gordonii with p57 was found only in Southern Africa, and that too in the wild. This will not meet the growing market demand. Besides, the cost will be prohibitive and increase as its availability diminishes.

There were attempts to produce p57 synthetically in the lab so that this can be produced sufficiently and cheaply. This did not succeed. Hoodia had to be from the naturally collection or cultivated. This led to over exploitation that led CITES to list it as a plant that will soon have to be declared as a threatened species. With this, hoodia became a plant that came under control and restriction with regard to its trade.

Health is significant. So, every one should do their best to maintain good health.

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You have watched the home herb garden you planted flourish and grow. You can use these herbs for so many things. However, before using them you have a bit of work to do. Before your herbs are used, you will need to harvest them and timing is a big factor. You want to preserve the essential oils of your herbs as much as possible. To accomplish this you want to choose a dry and calm morning as heat and wind will disperse these precious oils. Midsummer mornings are probably best and avoid wet days as the herbs produce fewer oils in this climate. Right before the flowers open and after the dew has dried from the leaves, you should harvest your herbs.

When you harvest your home herb garden, you will not be taking the entire plant. Right now, you will only be taking what you need for personal use. You will not have to immediately use the herbs that you have harvested. You can preserve herbs for use later on. If you want the herbs to continue to grow and produce, remember to only take about one third of the leaves at a time. This way the plant will have enough foliage to continue growing. Be careful to also inspect the plant for parasites or damage before you harvest.

You have basically three options for preserving herbs, drying, freezing or preserving in salt or vinegar. Drying is probably the most popular method to preserve herbs and is done by bundling 6-12 stems and removing the low-lying foliage. You can then secure your bundle with a string. Choose a cool location away from sunlight in which to hang the bundle. If you would rather dry only the leaves, you can put them on a rack or a screen. This method requires you to turn them often to ensure proper drying. Microwaves, dehydrators and ovens are becoming a very popular method to preserve herbs as well, though appliances are less satisfactory.

Freezing herbs is a fairy simple way to preserve herbs. Cut the herbs into 1/4 inch pieces and place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Once the herbs are frozen, you can place them together in a bag and store them in the freezer until use.

Finally, you can preserve herbs from your garden in a preservative. For example, you can place herbs such as tarragon, mint or basil in vinegar to preserve it up to several months. Flavored salt is also a favorite method to preserve herbs. You can place salt and herbs in alternating layers and allow the herbs to dry. Simply remove the herbs from the salt and then store in a container that is airtight.

There are of course those who prefer to use their herbs fresh from the garden. If you choose to use fresh herbs in your recipes be sure you clean them well. The best way to rinse home herb garden herbs is in a bowl of fresh cool water, if you have, a large amount to clean you can use the sink bowl instead. Drop in a couple of tablespoons of salt as it will drive out any insects but not harm your plant. After a few minutes, you can remove them from the water and place them in a salad spinner for drying.

Herbs have a multitude of uses and purposes. Each specific herb will have specific harvest, use and chopping instructions so you will want to research them carefully. This way you will know you are handling and using them correctly.

Before you buy anything online, make sure you check Chris Tietgens excellent free report on Home Herb Gardening. For a complete guide on growing herbs check out Home Herb Gardening “Secrets”