Natural Living Tips

Sweet Almond(Prunus dulcis / sweet almonds)

Apart from the fact that it is delicious and used both for cooking and as appetizers, this species is highly prized for the beauty of its flowers and for its edible seeds, almonds. Additionally almond oil is extracted and is one of the more widely used natural oils around.

Sweet Almond Tree Description:

A deciduous tree of the Rosaceae family, that grow up to 10 meters in height. Its leaves are pointed and oval shaped, with a jagged outline and grow to 12 cm in length. The flowers are grouped in pairs and are white / pink, pink or rarely white.

The almond fruit is green and has an ellipsoidal shape.  Its size is between 3 and 6 cm. in length and is characterized by appearing like a  wooden bone with small holes. In side there are one or two edible almond seeds almonds, so familiar to everyone. Depending on the variety of almond trees, the fruit can be sweet or bitter . Here we are dealing with sweet almond.

History and symbolism of Sweet Almonds:

It comes from the Latin “Prunus” meaning wild plum, and from “Dulcis” meaning sweet, a reference to its edible fruit. It has been traditionally used since ancient times to improve the appearance and overall condition of the skin especially in cases of dry or flaking skin.

Origin and distribution of Sweet Almonds: It originates in western Asia. Today almonds are grown primarily in California, southern Europe and the Mediterranean, as it thrives in warm places.

Oil Extraction:

Sweet almond oil is extracted by cold pressing the seeds.

Features of Sweet Almond:

You could describe it as masterpiece of antioxidant cocktail.

• The almond is rich in nutrients including: protein, sugar, vitamins and minerals. It contain water, proteins, fats, carbohydrates and cellulose. Vitamins B1, B2, PP, C, A, D and E, Calcium, Phosphorus, Iron, Potassium, Sodium, Magnesium, Sulfur, Chlorine, Manganese, Copper and Zinc .

• It has highly nourishing properties used for the skin, hair and nails. It is one of the more neutral essential oils and there are no known contraindications.

• It is applied as a base or carrier oil to combine with other essential oils, helping the skin to breathe, to absorb light energy and reduce temperature which helps to regulate aging and provide elasticity to the skin.

• Its emollient properties are very suitable for cosmetic use and is characterized by being very lubricant, making it ideal for sensitive and dry skin care.
  

• It hydrates the skin and prevents wrinkling and as it provides elasticity to the skin it  leaves it moist and soft, preventing the appearance of stretch marks. It is also useful in treating eczema and other skin irritations to help relieve itching and inflammation of dermatitis and burns. It is suitable for all skin types.

*Note: The bitter-almond oil (the other type of almond) is also used for therapeutic purposes and has a high content of a glycoside called amygdalin. Hydro cyanic acid it is very toxic and should be left alone for pharmacological preparations.

Sweet Almond - Application Guide

Natural products available with Sweet Almond and usage:

Massages: Recommended as a massage oil combined with other essential oils for their emollient and anti-inflammatory properties. It has a great ability to smoothen the skin without clogging pores.

Hair: It is well suited to reconstruct the dry, brittle hair.

Skin: Apply it with a circular motion all over the body.

Hydration: It can be used as bath moisturizer, or apply to damp skin after a shower or even directly on dry skin.

Infants: Suitable for baby’s skin.

It is also very good for preventing stretch marks.

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Aloe Vera (Aloe Barbadensis / Aloe)

There are around 300 species of Aloe and of these four major types have been scientifically proved to have medicinal properties. The most widely used and popular is Aloe Barbadensis, known as Aloe Vera.

Aloe Plant Description:

It is a perennial plant of the Liliaceae family that grows to 60 cm. in height.

It has green leaves which are long, hard, sword shaped with a series of sharp points on each edge. The leaves grow directly from the soil.

The Aloe gel reaches its peak nutritional content after three years of plant life.

It has yellow flowers in the shape of a bell, that hang down and are approximately 2.5 cm. long in terminal spines on  cylindrical stems; it has woody, leafless aspect.

The fruit is bourne in a capsule.

This plant has the ability to retain rainwater and survive for long periods of time under drought conditions.

History and symbolism of Aloe:

Its generic name comes from the Arabic word “alloeh” meaning  bright and bitter substance. This and other variations of the name (Sabila) is a deformation of the Arab word “Kabyle” which means prickly plant.

Tradition states that Alexander the Great conquered the island of Socotra, in South Arabia, because it had lots of aloes, and Cleopatra herself used daily aloe as an essential ingredient for her care.

Aloe Vera has been used for centuries for its medicinal and therapeutic properties without any clear understanding or scientific analysis of each of its properties.

At present, it is used in many parts of the world in modern medicine to treat multiple diseases as well as being used by the cosmetics industry, pharmaceutical and food industries.

Origin and distribution of Aloe:

It is native to Africa, specifically  the Arabian Peninsula. It grows in tropical climates, in sandy and arid land.  It was introduced to America by Christopher Columbus at the time of the discovery of America, because he used it as medicine for his crew. During those years Spain already had considerable plantations of this plant, probably as a result of the Muslim invasion.

Extraction of Aloe:

From the leaves of Aloe Vera you get three types of commercial products:

1) A dry exudate, excreted from the cells of aloin present in the vascular area, known as Aloe, a natural drug well known for its cathartic effect and used as a bittering agent in alcoholic beverages.

2) A liquid concentrate of mucilage present in the center of the leaves, known as gel, used as dermatological and skin benefit agent for the cosmetic and the pharmaceutical industry. This gel is also used in beverages as a dietary supplement.

3) The oil, extracted by organic solvents, from the leaves and used only in the cosmetics industry as a carrier for pigment and as a sedative agent.

Features of Aloe Vera:

Aloe Vera plant is known as the plant for burns. Its has a natural anti-inflammatory action as well as anti-microbial properties, combined with nutrients promote cellular regeneration and therefore helps in the healing of wounds.

It also has emollient, coagulants, moisturizing, anti-allergic and astringent features.

It is effective in treating and relieving psoriasis, acne, eczema.

It destroys dead cells and regulates the pH in the three layers of the skin (epidermis, dermis and hypodermis).

It also gets rid of bacteria and fatty deposits that clog the skin pores.

Recommended Use for Aloe Vera:

Skin:

Excellent for dry skin, chapped skin, ribbed nipples, insect bites, psoriasis, eczema and itching of all kinds.

Also Irritation and inflammation of the skin. It is prevents  premature wrinkles and helps wrinkle reduction as it reduces the size of the pores.

It has excellent properties as a sunscreen providing protection from the harmful effects. It prevents sunburn and is also very effective in healing skin that has been over exposed to sunlight. Prevention and elimination of stretch marks. Wound healing.

Products with Aloe Vera:

Intimate Shampoo
Lavender Cream
Face Firming Treatment
Baby Lotion Cleanser
Foot Scrub
Sunscreen Creams

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Basil

This small plant has a fragrant and slightly spicy aroma, and is very much appreciated by lovers of good food although it is not as well known for its important therapeutic value in many aspects.

Description:

Of the family Labiatae, is an annual plant which has a stem about 40 cm. high and its leaves are 2 to 5 cm long and slightly toothed. The flowers are white or slightly purple, arranged in elongated spikes. The fruit is small and smooth. Basil is sorted according to the size of the leaves; the “big green” is used in decoration, the “thin green, with leaves 1 to 2 cm is the minimum Ocimum, which is hybridized with the common and results in the range “medium green.” It grows in land which receives plenty of sun light and is well watered.

History and symbolism

The name basil comes from the Greek “basileus” meaning royal.  This was considered the king of herbs. Its seeds were used in medicine in ancient times (Persia) and it was thought that to make the plan bloom, it had to be accompanied by a blasphemous and foul language! In ancient Egypt, the basil leaves were scattered over the graves and used as a component of balsam, used in mummification. Basil is a sacred plant for Hindus and grown in pots near the temples and outside almost every house. Attributed to the gods Vishnu and Krishna, and is used widely in Ayurvedic medicine where it is called tulsi: rosaries were made from its seeds.

Origin and distribution:

Originally from India, it was introduced to Europe first by the Greeks and then by the Romans. Today it is cultivated in temperate regions, especially in the countries surrounding the Mediterranean. The essence is produced in North Africa, France, Cyprus and the Seychelles.

Extraction:

Its essential oil is extracted from the leaves by distillation.

Features:

It is best known for its beneficial properties for the nervous and digestive system. Among it lists among its qualities: antiseptic, antidepressant, analgesic, antispasmodic, carminative, cephalic, digestive, emmenagogue, expectorant, antipyretic, nerve, stimulating the adrenal cortex, stomach, sweat, tonic and aphrodisiac. It is also used to treat respiratory problems like bronchitis, coughs, colds and asthma. Improves blood circulation.

Application Guide:

• Nervous system: Depression, anxiety, stress and fatigue. Headaches, migraines and neuralgia. (Stove, baths, inhalations, massage dilution)

• Circulatory System: Stimulant and tonic (baths, massages dilution).

• Digestive System: Nausea, indigestion, gastric spasm. (Diluted massage, compresses)

• Respiratory: Cough, asthma, cold, phlegm in the lungs, sinus congestion and loss of smell (Stove, baths, inhalations, massage dilution in the chest)

• Skin: Against flaccidity (flabbyness) thanks to its refreshing and tonic properties.

• Insect repellent. (Massage in dilution)

• Reproductive system: As an emmenagogue, helps stimulate the delay or lack of menstruation, relieves cramps. (Baths, massages dilution)

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I thought maybe we’d take a slightly different direction today. That is, a Western medicine one. Those who read this blog regularly probably assume, and rightly, that I do have an alternative medicine slant, this being an organic blog and all.

However, I do still believe in Western medicine.The way I see it, the two fields are both legitimate precisely because they don’t really overlap all that much. Alternative medicine primarily has to do with health. Maintaining it, strengthening it, putting us in line with nature so our bodies, products of nature, can more easily and efficiently move through their environment.

Western medicine, on the other hand, has more to do with sickness. Meaning, when your body is way off center, you might need some sort of technological intervention to get you back. A U-turn, a sharp curve left, something that’s out of the ordinary, because if you stay on the nature path when you’ve got a serious problem, you cannot forget that nature also has the capacity to kill you. Sometimes, nature is actually our enemy, and we must circumvent it. Failure to recognize this truth can be deadly.

The reason I’m writing about this now is that a case was just reported out of Sydney where a middle-aged couple was convicted of manslaughter for not seeking medical help for their 9-month old daughter who died of severe eczema, (pictured here) a common skin ailment among babies that is easily treatable. My nephew even had it for a few weeks.

In this case, the eczema was left untreated for 5 months, and the baby, Gloria, died of infections from open wounds in her skin as a result of the rashes. They finally brought her in to hospital when an eye infection was literally melting her corneas, but by then it was too late. The reason they did not take her in is that the father, Thomas Sam, a college lecturer in homeopathy, resorted to homeopathic techniques instead.

Homeopathy is a theory of treatment based on the assumption that an extremely diluted mixture of a substance that would otherwise cause similar symptoms at higher doses in a patient can actually cure a patient of those symptoms. This is fine, even if a bit strange, because it can’t really hurt you. But relying on that to the exclusion of Western intervention can, indeed, kill you, as it did to this baby.

Recently, my wife was prescribed a series of homeopathic treatments, to which I raised my eyebrow, but was OK with because other forms of treatment were also included. I remember being opposed to the practice because I didn’t see any scientific merit in it, but thought that, on the off chance that there’s something scientific to it that we just haven’t discovered yet, I’d be willing to give it a shot. But not at any risk.

Back to the story at hand, Sam refused to take Gloria to a hospital even after her hair actually turned white from the disorder. By the time he finally did, it was too late.

“Gloria was subjected to significant pain over an extended period of time and the omission of the offenders to seek proper assistance for her may be characterized accurately as cruelty,” Johnson said. “Each offender fell profoundly short of their parental obligations to their infant daughter.”

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