Many synthetically produced medicines originate from botanical species with the most popular of all medicine; the humble aspirin, being a prime example.
A great many health benefits can be found in plants. And roughage that cleans the gut is found in green leafy vegetables that we should all eat some of on a daily basis.
Wild endive that grows in many parts of the world has always been considered beneficial in many ways including that roughage property. Some recent research indicates that the high inulin and fibre content helps bring down glucose levels in the blood along with cholesterol so it’s obviously beneficial to diabetics and obese people.
This plant also contains antioxidant properties with high levels of carotene and vitamin A, something that helps with skin and mucus membrane. It’s also an essential vitamin to help maintain good eyesight.
Some plants are like Jekyll and Hyde. There is a healthy and highly beneficial part and another part to be avoided at all costs. Rhubarb and Bayberry springs to mind here.
The latter is a plant that has been known to provide many benefits for thousands of years. The Greeks, the Romans and every apothecary following, has known of these benefits. For many years these beneficial components were reduced to a form that was available at all health outlets.
Unfortunately, despite the fact that just a small part of a particular type of this plant was considered dangerous, the whole family of them has been banned by some committee in the EEC.
As a result more work has been put into producing a commercial supplement containing the useful parts of the endive family.
This slightly begs the question as to whether we should make rhubarb crumble and custard illegal. Rhubarb stalks may be delicious but the leaves are known to be deadly.
As an aside, a Belgium once stored young endive in a dark storage area and covered them with a blanket hoping they would last throughout the winter.
When he went to check them they had not grown like ordinary endive and turned green but had remained slightly stunted with closed leaves and remained white; and are delicious.
A great many health benefits can be found in plants. And roughage that cleans the gut is found in green leafy vegetables that we should all eat some of on a daily basis.
Wild endive that grows in many parts of the world has always been considered beneficial in many ways including that roughage property. Some recent research indicates that the high inulin and fibre content helps bring down glucose levels in the blood along with cholesterol so it’s obviously beneficial to diabetics and obese people.
This plant also contains antioxidant properties with high levels of carotene and vitamin A, something that helps with skin and mucus membrane. It’s also an essential vitamin to help maintain good eyesight.
Some plants are like Jekyll and Hyde. There is a healthy and highly beneficial part and another part to be avoided at all costs. Rhubarb and Bayberry springs to mind here.
The latter is a plant that has been known to provide many benefits for thousands of years. The Greeks, the Romans and every apothecary following, has known of these benefits. For many years these beneficial components were reduced to a form that was available at all health outlets.
Unfortunately, despite the fact that just a small part of a particular type of this plant was considered dangerous, the whole family of them has been banned by some committee in the EEC.
As a result more work has been put into producing a commercial supplement containing the useful parts of the endive family.
This slightly begs the question as to whether we should make rhubarb crumble and custard illegal. Rhubarb stalks may be delicious but the leaves are known to be deadly.
As an aside, a Belgium once stored young endive in a dark storage area and covered them with a blanket hoping they would last throughout the winter.
When he went to check them they had not grown like ordinary endive and turned green but had remained slightly stunted with closed leaves and remained white; and are delicious.
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