Pomegranate power!
Copyright 2006 Sylvia Riley
Affectionately known as the ?jewel of winter', the pomegranate is receiving growing acclamation for its disease-fighting abilities, largely due to its staggering antioxidant potency. Traditional medicines of the Middle East and India have used the pomegranate for centuries - leaves, skin and rind included - to cure everything from conjunctivitis and sore throats to baldness and hemorrhoids.
This mystical fruit, a symbol of birth, death and eternal life owing to its brimming seeds and blood-like juice, is steeped in mythology. The prophet Mohammed encouraged his followers to eat the fruit to purge their systems of envy and hatred. In the tales of Ancient Greece, Persephone, daughter of Demeter the goddess of agriculture, was offered this fruit by Hades, god of the underworld. In succumbing to the temptation she condemned herself to spend time each year with Hades in the underworld.
To modern day Greeks the pomegranate is often a feature at weddings to symbolize fertility, and in China, a sugared version of the pomegranate seed is eaten on the wedding day to bless newlyweds.
The juicy, tangy flesh of the fruit's ruby seeds is delicious and every bit worth the patience required to extract them from their pith. Today you can readily buy pomegranate juice such as pomwonderful or pomegreat from general and health food stores. The soaring sales of pomegranate juice in the UK reflects the growing popularity of this fruit, with RJA Foods reporting a sale increase of their Pomegreat brand from 50,000 to 500,000 litres per month in 2005.
Pro-Heart
Pomegranates are a superfood hugely beneficial to the heart, and by neutralising damaging free-radicals prevent the oxidation of ?bad' LDL cholesterol that is associated with plaque build up in blood vessel walls. Pomegranate juice has also been shown to preserve nitric oxide in the body, a key chemical responsible for regulating blood flow and maintaining blood vessel health.
One study on 19 elderly people with atherosclerosis, where plaque was already built-up to a dangerous level, found that drinking just 8 oz. of 100 per cent pure pomegranate juice a day for a one year period decreased the thickness of the lining in their arteries by 30 per cent, where controls experienced an actual rise of 9 per cent.
Further more, those who drank the pomegranate juice also had a 21 per cent decrease in blood pressure (Aviram et al. 2004; Clinical Nutrition). Pomegranate juice also decreases the activity of an enzyme in the body known as ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) that can lead to high blood pressure resulting in atherosclerosis.
Anti-Cancer Properties
Research at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology led by Dr. Ephraim Lansky (2001) found that pomegranate seed oil triggered cell death (apotosis) in breast cancer cells. A recent study at the University of Wisconsin Medical School (2005) also revealed anti-cancer effects, discovering pomegranate juice to killed human prostate cancer cells in laboratory tests and significantly slowed the progression of prostate cancer in mice (published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences).
Aid for Arthritis
Researchers from the Case Western Reserve University found that extract of pomegranate inhibited the stimulation of certain enzymes that contribute to the cartilage degradation in osteoarthritis, a condition that currently lacks perspective for treatment.
This is reassuring when one considers the vast and growing numbers of those who suffer from the disease.
As well as heart-health, anti-cancer, and arthritic protection, pomegranates offer all-round protection against aging and disease due to their antioxidant potency. Studies suggest pomegranate juice may contain almost three times the antioxidant power of green tea and red wine due to their content of flavonoids. They also provide substantial amounts of potassium, iron, folic acid and vitamin C, as well as vitamins A and E, niacin, and fibre.
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Know Your Bodybuilding Supplement - L-Arginine
Arginine is a semi-essential amino acid that the body cannot make naturally. It is found in nuts, seeds, chocolate and raisins.Arginine is used by the body in the execution of many important physiological processes including hormone secretion, output of growth hormone, removal of toxins from the body and enhancement of the immune system. It is also a precursor of nitric oxide which vasodiolates vessels in the body. For this reason arginine is often used to treat conditions such as angina, high blood pressure, cardiac disease, sexual dysfunction and infertility. Recent research has also highlighted arginine's ability to scavenge free radicals, remove bad cholesterol, enhance fat metabolism and regulate salt levels.There are several reasons why arginine appeals to bodybuilders:1.
It prevents the retention of water under the skin thus minimizing bloating and helping to create a ripped appearance.2. It helps the body to retain nitrogen that is essential to the muscle building process.3....
Know Your Bodybuilding Supplement - L-Arginine
Seeds > Know Your Bodybuilding Supplement - L-Arginine
What Does the World Owe You?
Copyright 2005 Sometimes many of us feel like we've made deposits into society, yet we are unable to make withdrawals. Whenever I have felt that way in the past, I read essays like Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay Compensation, which I made into a free downloadable copy and distributed last week in the special success issue of my ezine.The other day a good friend of mine told me that I deserve to be more successful because I help so many other people, and so often without seeing a direct reciprocation. Just this morning, it was implied in another conversation that the internet community "owes" me something, in return for all the free site promotion and marketing information I give away.But the truth is, I don't wonder about what the world owes me any longer. That's because I know better, through a long road of mental, physical, emotional and financial struggle, I've come to understand that the world really doesn't owe me anything.I've already been paid, and so have you.We get our gifts at...
What Does the World Owe You?
Seeds > What Does the World Owe You?
How to Keep Peaceful Relationships
Copyright 2005 Daniel N Brown
Jesus said in the last days many will be offended as the love of the church will grow cold (Matthew 24:10).
So many people are majoring on minor issues today such as whether or not we should speak in tongues, whether or not we should baptize babies, whether or not we should prophesy, and a bunch of other stuff that shouldn't be causing us to gossip, get upset, and run off looking for another church.
Simply because every church is made up of imperfect people, there is not a church anywhere where we will find everything to our liking.
I believe the utmost important thing is to know we are 'born again' children of God and our names are recorded in heaven. We shouldn't be too concerned over different denominational teachings. There will be no denominations in heaven. Just people who love Jesus.
If people speak in tongues, baptize babies, or prophesy, and you do not agree with it, so be it. We are...
Seeds > How to Keep Peaceful Relationships
July Garden Chores
It's getting hotter every day or so it seems. There are still some things that can be done in the garden even at this time of year. Below are a few gardening tips for those that love the summer warmth. For you who aren't particularly appreciative of the hot hot, then do your gardening chores early in the morning.As the flowers in your garden start to fade, you should see seed pods begin to appear. What does this mean as far as the plant's growth is concerned? How does it affect the appearance of your garden?It means that the plant puts most of its resources towards the seeds and creating them.
If the seed pods are allowed to remain, the plant will not continue to give you flowers like it would if the seeds were removed once the flowers go by. You could end up with a garden with lots of seeds and few blooms. This of course, depends on many factors. Therefore, faded flowers should be cut off. You can go around every day as you go about youyr gardening with some type of trimmers...
July Garden Chores
Seeds > July Garden Chores