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Herbs for All SeasonsExcerpts taken from the National Geographic magazine March 1983 article A renaissance is blooming across the United States and around the world. You read about it in multiplying numbers of books and magazines on how to grow and use seasonings and herbs, how to make herbal teas for pleasure and health, and how to treat sickness with once scorned folklore plants. You can sense—and sometimes sniff—this back-to-nature trend in health-food stores and supermarket displays. They feature herbs not only for cooking, but also for cosmetic use in lotions, lipsticks, shampoos, hair conditioners, and similar products that woo buyers with fragrances and promises of everlasting beauty.Industrial chemists, too, are discovering unsuspected natural resources in many common herbs. From the brown berries of the wild jojoba comes a waxy oil with properties similar to the far more costly sperm whale oil prized for lubricants. One species of the Euphorbia genus is a weed known as the gopher plant, but it has earned a new name as the gasoline plant. It yields a milky latex containing hydrocarbons that can be refined into substitutes for crude oil and gasoline. Such varied contributions from the many-sided kingdom of herbs raise a perennial question. What is an herb? The dictionary says that this class of plants dies down after a growing season and does not develop persistent woody tissue. But that definition does not take into account the many plants universally recognized as herbs—the lavender shrub, say, or even trees, like the "green bay tree" of the Bible, whose leaves give a unique pungent flavor to soups and stews.
Many herbalists consider any useful plant to be an herb—a suggestion that opens the door to an endless maze among hundreds of thousands of species. I like best the definition given me by John MacGregor, the dedicated horticulturist at the Huntington Botanical Gardens in California. Together with the Huntington Library and Art Gallery, these famous gardens draw half a million visitors a year."In everyday usage," said John, "herbs have traditionally come to include any plant valued for its flavoring, aromatic and medicinal qualities, or, in the case of one used as a dye, for its coloring matter." I once attended a Greek-style dinner whose every course was enhanced by herbs picked from our hostess`s garden. For hors d`oeuvres we had a red caviar dip, blended with cream cheese, lemon juice, minced chives, and chopped parsley. Then came other cheeses, combined with dill, parsley, and oregano and folded into Greek pastry.
VitaminVitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid), is used in the release of energy as well as the metabolism of fat, protein and carbohydrates. It helps to fight allergies and is beneficial in the maintenance of healthy skin, muscles and nerves. Indirectly, because it helps in the secretion of hormones, it is used in the creation of lipids, neurotransmitters, steroid hormones and hemoglobin. It is believed that Pantothenic Acid is also helpful to fight wrinkles as well as graying of the hair. Our anti-aging skin care products use this as part of their formula. Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) is required for the balancing of hormonal changes in women as well as assisting the immune system and the growth of new cells. In a recent study, women who consumed the most vitamin B6 had a 34 percent lower risk of colon cancer than women who consumed the least B6. Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin necessary for normal metabolism of nerve tissues and is active in carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism. Vitamin B12 improves the functions of iron in the metabolic cycle and assists Folic Acid in the synthesis of choline. It also plays an important role in the production of DNA and RNA, the genetic material of living cells. Vitamin C is one of the water-soluble vitamins that maintains skin integrity, helps heal wounds and is important in immune functions. Vitamin C is a redox agent. It acts as an antioxidant in some cases, and an oxidant in others. As an antioxidant, it helps to prevent cell damage by neutralizing "free radicals." Free radicals cause damage to cells. Some studies have shown that people who eat foods high in Vitamin C have lower rates of cancer and heart disease. It is not clear if taking Vitamin C supplements produces similar benefits. However a 2001 study indicates that supplementation with Vitamin C, certain other antioxidants and Zinc may slow the progression of age-related macular degeneration. This combination of ingredients is in our Renew+ Vitamins formula. Vitamin D Necessary for growth and development of bones & teeth. Important in prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. Required for proper absorption & utilization of calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin E is a powerful biological antioxidant. Antioxidants such as Vitamin E protect your cells against the effects of free radicals, which are potentially damaging by-products of the body`s metabolism. Free radicals can cause cell damage that may contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Vitamin K An essential nutrient needed for bone formation and repair and for blood clotting. Vitamin K, along with Vitamin D and Calcium, play an important role in the prevention of the bone thinning condition called osteoporosis. Project index
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