Celery Juice and Health Benefits

Celery Juice and Health Benefits
Celery juice has a calming effect on the nervous system. This is probably due to its high concentration of organic alkaline minerals especially sodium.

The minerals contained in celery juice make the body’s use of calcium more effective, balancing the blood’s pH.

Organic sodium, which is abundant in celery juice, has received a bad name lately because of the average American’s habitual overuse of inorganic sodium chloride – table salt.

Unlike inorganic sodium chloride, organic sodium found in celery juice is naturally blended with many other useful minerals. It is essential to the proper functioning of all major body systems. Organic sodium is the element in blood that makes it salty.

Because of its slightly salty taste, celery juice is an excellent component of any vegetable juice combination. Celery juice is especially affective for nervous conditions because it produces a calming effect; and for weight reduction diets, as it curbs the desire for sweets.

Celery juice is responsive to condition of acne, arthritis, eczema, fever, fluid retention, hair loss, high blood pressure, kidney disorders, psoriasis and weight loss.
Celery Juice and Health Benefits

Tea Consumption

Tea Consumption
Tea from leaves of Camellia sinensis, a plant of the Theaceae family, is consumed by more than two thirds of the world’s population and is the most popular beverage, next only to water.

The tea plant is cultivated in more than 30 countries. Approximately 2.5 million metric tons of dried teas are produced annually. Production involves a series of drying and fermenting steps.

Green tea is consumed primarily in some Asian countries, such as Japan, Korea, China and India and a few countries in North Africa and Middle East. Black tea is consumed in some Asian countries and Western nations. Oolong tea is consumed southeastern China and Taiwan.

There are also many products sold in the market as herbal tea which are not derived from the plant Camellia sinensis. There are extracts of several herbs.

Teas differ regarding how they are produced. Green tea production involves steaming fresh leaves at elevated temperatures, followed by series of drying and rolling steps so that the chemical composition essentially remains similar to that of the fresh leaves.

Black tea production involves withering plucked leaves, followed by extended fermentation. Thus, depending on the extend of fermentation, the chemical composition of most black teas is different. Oolong tea is made by solar withering of tea leaves followed by partial fermentation.
Tea Consumption

Potential of Herbal Drinks

Potential of Herbal Drinks
In supermarket, and health food stores today, there are several different beverages with such catchy names as Scarlet Sunrise, Lemon Appeal, Sunburst C, Tangy Autumn, Mint Magic and Country Peach Passion.

These herbal beverages may provide some therapeutic medicinal value. Those herbal beverages for which therapeutic properties are claimed may vary widely in their potency; therefore, a desired effect may be obtained. In addition, reaction to a particular herb can vary greatly form one person to another.

The potency of herbal beverages and hence their effectiveness, cannot be accurately predicted because the concentration of active ingredients in the plant material can vary enormously. Several factors can influence the potency of a herb, such as age of the plant, growing conditions, growing locations, storage and handling procedures, extraction methods and post-harvest processing. Any of these factors may produce a wide variation in the properties associated with an herbal tea.

Poor standardization of herbal teas can produce unreliable effects due to the great variation in the active constituents. The lack of standardization can contribute to the risk of overdose. There was also significant variability in the concentration of the marker compound from one brand of product to another.

Other issues to consider relate to species identification and whether the correct part of the plant is used. Different species of a particular genus may not act similarity. For example, the three of Echinacea have different activities.

The oral use of the upper parts of Echinacea purpurea are recognized a beneficial for colds and respiratory infections, whereas it is root and the upper parts of Echinacea pallida that are useful for the treatment pf influenza-like infections.

On the other hand, neither the root nor the upper parts of Echinacea angustifolia provide any benefit for the treatment of respiratory tract infections. Because of the world wide shortage of Echinacea, some manufacturers have diluted their Echinacea preparations with wild quinine root, a cheaper look-alike substitute, which is inactive.
Potential of Herbal Drinks