Happy Divali

Lighting diyas at AlphaMax Academy 's Cosmic Heart fountain.

Lighting up the Cosmic Heart fountain

AlphaMax Academy lights up its Cosmic Heart fountain with diyas to celebrate Divali.

Cuba develops vaccine for dengue fever

http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/headline-Cuba-claims-to-have-developed-dengue-fever-vaccine-23246.html

Cuba holds regional conference on Ebola

http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/headline-Cuba-to-host-ALBA-summit-on-Ebola-23241.html

First Lady shares White House garden produce with children

http://www.globalgoodnews.com/environmental-news-a.html?art=141333592950949469

Black Seed /geera --multiple remedies

This humble, but immensely powerful seed, kills MRSA, heals the chemical weapon poisoned body, stimulates regeneration of the dying beta cells within the diabetic’s pancreas, and yet too few even know it exists.

The seeds of the annual flowering plant, Nigella Sativa, have been prized for their healing properties since time immemorial.  While frequently referred to among English-speaking cultures as Roman coriander, black sesame, black cumin, black caraway and onion seed, it is known today primarily as black seed, which is at the very least an accurate description of its physical appearance.

The earliest record of its cultivation and use come from ancient Egypt. Black seed oil, in fact, was found in Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun’s tomb, dating back to approximately 3,300 years ago.[i]

In Arabic cultures, black cumin is known as Habbatul barakah, meaning the “seed of blessing.” It is also believed that the Islamic prophet Mohammed said of it that it is “a remedy for all diseases except death.”

Many of black cumin’s traditionally ascribed health benefits have been thoroughly confirmed in the biomedical literature. In fact, since 1964, there have been 458 published, peer-reviewed studies referencing it.

We have indexed salient research, available to view on GreenMedInfo.com on our Black Seed (Nigella Sativa) page, on well over 40 health conditions that may be benefited from the use of the herb, including over 20 distinct pharmacological actions it expresses, such as:

Analgesic (Pain-Killing)
Anti-Bacterial
Anti-Inflammatory
Anti-Ulcer
Anti-Cholinergic
Anti-Fungal
Ant-Hypertensive
Antioxidant
Antispasmodic
Antiviral
Bronchodilator
Gluconeogenesis Inhibitor (Anti-Diabetic)
Hepatoprotective (Liver Protecting)
Hypotensive
Insulin Sensitizing
Interferon Inducer
Leukotriene Antagonist
Renoprotective (Kidney Protecting)
Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Inhibitor

These 22 pharmacological actions are only a subset of a far wider number of beneficial properties intrinsic to the black seed. While it is remarkable that this seed has the ability to positively modulate so many different biological pathways, this is actually a rather common occurrence among traditional plant medicines.

Our project has identified over 1600 natural compounds with a wide range of health benefits, and we are only in our first 5 years of casual indexing. There are tens of thousands of other substances that have already been researched, with hundreds of thousands of studies supporting their medicinal value (MEDLINE, whence our study abstracts come, has over 600,000 studies classified as related to Complementary and Alternative Medicine).

Take turmeric, for example. We have identified research indicating its value in over 600 health conditions, while also expressing over 160 different potentially beneficial pharmacological actions. You can view the quick summary of over 1500 studies we have summarized on our Turmeric Research page, which includes an explorative video on turmeric. Professional database members are further empowered to manipulate the results according to their search criteria, i.e. pull up and print to PDF the 61 studies on turmeric and breast cancer.  This, of course, should help folks realize how voluminous the supportive literature indicating the medicinal value of natural substances, such as turmeric and black seed, really is.

Black seed has been researched for very specific health conditions. Some of the most compelling applications include:

Type 2 Diabetes: Two grams of black seed a day resulted in reduced fasting glucose, decreased insulin resistance, increased beta-cell function, and reduced glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in human subjects.[ii]

Helicobacter Pylori Infection: Black seeds possess clinically useful anti-H. pylori activity, comparable to triple eradication therapy.[iii]

Epilepsy: Black seeds were traditionally known to have anticonvulsive properties. A 2007 study with epileptic children, whose condition was refractory to conventional drug treatment, found that a water extract significantly reduced seizure activity.[iv]

High Blood pressure: The daily use of 100 and 200 mg of black seed extract, twice daily, for 2 months, was found to have a blood pressure-lowering effect in patients with mild hypertension.[v]

Asthma: Thymoquinone, one of the main active constituents within Nigella sativa (black cumin), is superior to the drug fluticasone in an animal model of asthma.[vi]

Another study, this time in human subjects, found that boiled water extracts of black seed have relatively potent antiasthmatic effect on asthmatic airways.[vii]

Acute tonsillopharyngitis: characterized by tonsil or pharyngeal inflammation (i.e. sore throat), mostly viral in origin, black seed capsules (in combination with Phyllanthus niruri) have been found to significantly alleviate throat pain, and reduce the need for pain-killers, in human subjects.[viii]

Chemical Weapons Injury: A randomized, placebo-controlled human study of chemical weapons injured patients found that boiled water extracts of black seed reduced respiratory symptoms, chest wheezing, and pulmonary function test values, as well as reduced the need for drug treatment.[ix]

Colon Cancer: Cell studies have found that black seed extract compares favorably to the chemoagent 5-fluoruracil in the suppression of colon cancer growth, but with a far higher safety profile.[x] Animal research has found that black seed oil has significant inhibitory effects against colon cancer in rats, without observable side effects.[xi]

MRSA: Black seed has anti-bacterial activity against clinical isolates of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus.[xii]

Opiate Addiction/Withdrawal: A study on 35 opiate addicts found black seed as an effective therapy in long-term treatment of opioid dependence.[xiii]

Sometimes the biblical reference to ‘faith the size of a mustard seed moving mountains’ comes to mind in connection with natural substances like black seeds. After all, do seeds not contain within them the very hope for continuance of the entire species that bore it?  This super-saturated state of the seed, where life condenses itself down into an intensely miniaturized holographic fragment of itself, promising the formation of future worlds within itself, is the very emblem of life’s immense and immortal power.


If we understand the true nature of the seed, how much life (past, present and future) is contained within it, it will not seem so far-fetched that it is capable of conquering antibiotic resistant bacteria, healing the body from chemical weapons poisoning, or stimulate the regeneration of dying insulin-producing beta cells in the diabetic, to name but only a fraction of black seed’s experimentally-confirmed powers.

Moving the mountain of inertia and falsity associated with the conventional concept of disease, is a task well-suited for seeds and not chemicals. The greatest difference, of course, between a seed and a patented synthetic chemical (i.e. pharmaceutical drug), is that Nature (God) made the former, and men with profit-motives and a deranged understanding of the nature of the body made the latter.

The time, no doubt, has come for food, seeds, herbs, plants, sunlight, air, clean water, and yes, love, to assume once again their central place in medicine, which is to say, the art and science of facilitating self-healing within the human body. Failing this, the conventional medical system will crumble under the growing weight of its own corruption, ineptitude, and iatrogenic suffering (and subsequent financial liability) it causes. To the degree that it reforms itself, utilizing non-patented and non-patentable natural compounds with actual healing properties, a brighter future awaits on the horizon. To the degree that it fails, folks will learn to take back control over their health themselves, which is why black seed, and other food-medicines, hold the key to self-empowerment.

Sources:

[i] Domestication of plants in the Old World (3 ed.). Oxford University Press. 2000. p. 206. ISBN 0-19-850356-3.

[ii] Abdullah O Bamosa, Huda Kaatabi, Fatma M Lebdaa, Abdul-Muhssen Al Elq, Ali Al-Sultanb. Effect of Nigella sativa seeds on the glycemic control of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 2010 Oct-Dec;54(4):344-54. PMID: 21675032

[iii] Eyad M Salem, Talay Yar, Abdullah O Bamosa, Abdulaziz Al-Quorain, Mohamed I Yasawy, Raed M Alsulaiman, Muhammad A Randhawa. Comparative study of Nigella Sativa and triple therapy in eradication of Helicobacter Pylori in patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia. Saudi J Gastroenterol. 2010 Jul-Sep;16(3):207-14. PMID: 20616418

[iv] Javad Akhondian, Ali Parsa, Hassan Rakhshande. The effect of Nigella sativa L. (black cumin seed) on intractable pediatric seizures. Med Sci Monit. 2007 Dec;13(12):CR555-9. PMID: 18049435

[v] Farshad Roghani Dehkordi, Amir Farhad Kamkhah. Antihypertensive effect of Nigella sativa seed extract in patients with mild hypertension. Braz J Med Biol Res. 2006 Apr;39(4):421-9. Epub 2006 Apr 3. PMID: 18705755

[vi] Rana Keyhanmanesh, Mohammad Hossein Boskabady, Mohammad Javad Eslamizadeh, Saeed Khamneh, Mohammad Ali Ebrahimi. The effect of thymoquinone, the main constituent of Nigella sativa on tracheal responsiveness and white blood cell count in lung lavage of sensitized guinea pigs. J Ethnopharmacol. 2009 Oct 29;126(1):102-7. Epub 2009 Aug 8. PMID: 19711253

[vii] M H Boskabady, N Mohsenpoor, L Takaloo . Antiasthmatic effect of Nigella sativa in airways of asthmatic patients. Phytomedicine. 2010 Feb 8. Epub 2010 Feb 8. PMID: 20149611

[viii] M Dirjomuljono, I Kristyono, R R Tjandrawinata, D Nofiarny. Symptomatic treatment of acute tonsillo-pharyngitis patients with a combination of Nigella sativa and Phyllanthus niruri extract. Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2008 Jun;46(6):295-306. PMID: 18541126

[ix] Mohammad H Boskabady, Javad Farhadi. The possible prophylactic effect of Nigella sativa seed aqueous extract on respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function tests on chemical war victims: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. J Altern Complement Med. 2008 Nov;14(9):1137-44. PMID: 18991514

[x] Elsayed I Salim, Shoji Fukushima. Chemopreventive potential of volatile oil from black cumin (Nigella sativa L.) seeds against rat colon carcinogenesis. Nutr Cancer. 2003;45(2):195-202. PMID: 12881014

[xi] Elsayed I Salim, Shoji Fukushima . Chemopreventive potential of volatile oil from black cumin (Nigella sativa L.) seeds against rat colon carcinogenesis. Nutr Cancer. 2003;45(2):195-202. PMID: 12881014

[xii] Abdul Hannan, Sidrah Saleem, Saadia Chaudhary, Muhammad Barkaat, Muhammad Usman Arshad. Anti bacterial activity of Nigella sativa against clinical isolates of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus. J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad. 2008 Jul-Sep;20(3):72-4. PMID: 19610522

[xiii] Sibghatullah Sangi, Shahida P Ahmed, Muhammad Aslam Channa, Muhammad Ashfaq, Shah Murad Mastoi . A new and novel treatment of opioid dependence: Nigella sativa 500 mg. J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad. 2008 Apr-Jun;20(2):118-24. PMID: 19385474

About The Author

Sayer Ji is the founder of GreenMedInfo.com, an author, educator, Steering Committee Member of the Global GMO Free Coalition (GGFC), and an advisory board member of the National Health Federation.

He founded Greenmedinfo.com in 2008 in order to provide the world an open access, evidence-based resource supporting natural and integrative modalities. It is widely recognized as the most widely referenced health resource of its kind.

Google Plus Profile.

Russia totally bans GMO products

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev recently announced that Russia will no longer import GMO products, stating that the nation has enough space, and enough resources to produce organic food.

If the Americans like to eat GMO products, let them eat it then. We don’t need to do that; we have enough space and opportunities to produce organic food.” – Medvedev

Russia has been considering joining the long list (and continually growing) of anti-GMO countries  for quite some time now. It does so after a group of Russian scientists urged the government to consider at least a 10-year moratorium on GMOs to thoroughly study their influence on human health.

“It is necessary to ban GMOs, to impose moratorium (on) it for 10 years. While GMOs will be prohibited, we can plan experiments, tests, or maybe even new methods of research could be developed. It has been proven that not only in Russia, but also in many other countries in the world, GMOs are dangerous. Methods of obtaining the GMOs are not perfect, therefore, at this stage, all GMOs are dangerous. Consumption and use of GMOs obtained in such way can lead to tumors, cancers and obesity among animals. Bio-technologies certainly should be developed, but GMOs should be stopped. We should stop it from spreading. ” – Irina Ermakova, VP of Russia’s National Association for Genetic Safety

(RIA Novosti/Ekaterina Shtukina)

Castor Oil Benefits

Castor oil is one of the best kept secrets in the world.  The useful properties of castor oil have been known since ancient times.  Castor oil comes from the castor seed, Ricinus communis, which has a very unique composition. Originally, the plant was called  “Palma Christe” because the leaves were thought to resemble the hand of Christ. The name also represents the miraculous healing properties of the plant.  Later on, ancient Egypt, China, Persia, Africa, Greece, Rome, and eventually in 17thCentury, Europe and the Americas acknowledged the healing powers of the plant.

The psychic Edgar Cayce strongly recommended castor oil for many illnesses.

A little History

Historically, castor oil was used as an oral laxative.  However, today castor oil  is mostly used and recommended as a topical application.  It’s a cheap and effective remedy for many ailments.  Castor oil has been used for many practical applications. In Russia, the stem of the plant is used in the textile industry.

Ricinus communis, the plant from which castor oil is extracted, is native to India.  Along with amazing health benefits, the plant itself is known for  being one of the most toxic plants on earth.  However, there is nothing to worry about -  castor oil is not toxic. When castor oil is extracted,  the toxic part is left behind in the pulp of the seeds.

The Composition of Castor Oil

Castor oil contains vitamin E, minerals, proteins, antibacterial and anti-fungicidal properties. Castor Oil consists of a triglyceride of fatty acids ( 90% of  which are smade up of ricinoleic acid). This unique composition gives castor oil its unbelievable healing abilities. Ricinoleic acid is known to be effective in getting rid of and preventing viruses, bacteria, yeasts and molds.

The Many Benefits of Castor Oil

Castor oil has a long list of useful properties.

• Thickens and regrows hair. Castor oil is loaded with omega 9 fatty acids, which nourish the hair and follicles. Castor oil is able to penetrate into the pores and follicles that produce hair. Just massage a couple of  drops of castor oil into your  hair.
• Improves Lymphatic Flow. According to Dr David Williams, “No drug exists that has the ability to improve lymphatic flow; however, the job can easily be handled through the topical application of Castor oil.”

• Anti-inflammatory. Castor oil consists of ricinoleic acid, which has anti-inflammatory properties. It is used for reducing inflammation and swelling of joints and tissues.

• Helps the intestinal system with inflammatory bowels and dysentery.

• Yeast Infections. Ricinoleic acid found in castor oil is able inhibit the growth of bacteria, yeast and virus’.

• Constipation. Due to its anti-inflammatory properties, castor oil promotes regular bowel movement.

• Gastrointestinal Problems

• Menstrual Disorders. Castor oil is known to relax the muscles involved in menstrual cramps.

• Migraines

• Acne.  Due to the ricinoleic acid in castor oil, many skin problems can be treated with it.

• Sunburn

• Athlete’s Foot

• Ringworm

• Skin Problems

• Hair and Dandruff.  Due to fungicidal, germicidal and insecticidal properties, castor oil is an effective treatment for dandruff and helps protect the scalp  from fungal and microbial infections.

How to Use Castor Oil

To treat skin problems.

For various skin conditions such as bacterial infections, bursitis, fungal infections, itching, keratosis, ringworm, sebaceous cysts, sprains and warts, rub castor oil on to areas of the skin. 

Castor oil packs

Another way to use castor oil is to make castor oil packs. (you can find it here)  They help with various health ailments such as kidney stones, fibroids, ovarian cysts, swollen joints, irritable bowel syndrome, digestive disorders and menstrual cramps.  Soak a cotton cloth folded in several layers in oil and apply it to the skin. Castor oil packs are usually applied to joints and muscles.   If you want to increase its effectiveness, place a hot water bottle placed over the pack. Leave it on for an hour.  Use it up to 3 times a week.

Dr. Mercola has written a long article on Castor Oil and its uses.

Costs of wind and solar power are falling sharply.

Almost half of new electricity generation is now renewable, and the costs of wind and solar power are falling sharply.

Solar Panels in Guyana Interior.

The latest annual Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment, published today by UNEP, reveals that 44 per cent of all generating capacity installed last year around the world was renewable. That is despite a 14 per cent decline in renewables investment, and in new electricity generally.

Uruguay Wind Farm

Last year, China invested $56 billion in green power.

The continent cut investment by 44 per cent.

The only big exception was the UK, which increased investment by 12 per cent despite rumblings of discontent in the governing Conservative party.

Renewables kept 1.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide from being emitted in 2013, says report author Ulf Moslener of the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management in Germany.

Private equity firm bets on organic foods.

Pass the organic quinoa, but hold the unsavoury investments.

Organic Quinoa growing.

A private equity firm committed to a socially responsible investment strategy is preparing to place new bets on organic food, green consumer products and environmental innovation.

Vancouver-based Renewal Funds Management Co. has raised $63-million for Renewal3, well ahead of its target of $50-million. The team at Renewal Funds is again on the lookout for early-stage growth companies. Renewal3 is the third fund launched by the private equity firm, which previously raised $35-million for Renewal2.

Why shrink wrapping a cucumber works.

Environmentalists thought they had found an easy target in what appeared to be an extravagantly unnecessary and wasteful packaging choice.

 It turns out,however, that a shrink-wrapped cucumber lasts three times longer than an unprotected cucumber. It  will stay fresh from harvest to delivery until the plastic is cut,. This reduces  food waste in landfills and ultimately saves more on shipping and packaging costs than the other attempts to design what seemed like, at least from the outside, more sustainable packaging solutions.

Eastern Yoga Joins Western Medicine to Heal Breast Cancer Survivors

New research suggests that women who survived breast cancer can reduce inflammation and fatigue by regularly practicing hatha yoga

Feb 10, 2014 |By Annie Sneed

Credit: Trollderella/Wikimedia Commons

Exercise is difficult enough for healthy people, but it’s even harder for breast cancer survivors after surgery and rounds of taxing therapy. Studies have shown that exercise can buoy the health of cancer survivors, but heavy fatigue and pain after treatment can keep patients from going on a run or a bike ride. Now a new study published in the January issue of Journal of Clinical Oncology shows that yoga may be a manageable way for breast cancer survivors to work out and still attain health benefits comparable with (and perhaps superior to) other kinds of exercise.

To investigate the effects of yoga, breast cancer survivors of all ages gathered twice a week for three months to practice hatha yoga for the study conducted by The Ohio State University. Researcher Janice Kiecolt-Glaser and her team tracked two important components of diminished health: fatigue and inflammation. Fatigue from cancer treatments hinders daily activity for one in three breast cancer survivors, and less physically active survivors are more at risk for poor health and early death. Inflammation also provides an important measure of health because it drives fatigue and is linked to many problems, including cancer, diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer’s. Kiecolt-Glaser’s study is the largest yet to evaluate how yoga affects inflammation in cancer survivors.

When the researchers assessed participants after six weeks of yoga, they found that women practicing yoga had less inflammation and reported lower fatigue than the nonyoga control group. The team reevaluated the women several months after the study ended and discovered that women who had practiced yoga achieved even greater long-term gains, with up to 20 percent reduced inflammation and fatigue 57 percent lower than the control group.

Kiecolt-Glaser has several ideas why yoga might restore health. Breast cancer survivors often have disrupted sleep, which drives fatigue and inflammation, and the women who practiced yoga slept significantly better. The deep-breathing and meditative aspects of yoga can reduce stress and this may also lessen inflammation and fatigue. A group activity like yoga also gives survivors additional social support that can boost the healing process, although the study saw no remarkable difference in mood and loneliness between those who did and didn’t practice yoga.

Research has shown that many forms of exercise provide similar benefits but yoga may be a more practical way for women to rebuild their health. With yoga, breast cancer survivors can tailor its practice to their fitness level and adapt postures to accommodate physical limitations. And yoga may offer one more advantage over other exercise. Many studies have concluded that people need to lose weight in addition to exercising to reliably reduce inflammation, but this may not apply to yoga. “When I saw that, I thought, ‘Oh boy, we’re cooked,’ because we didn’t have a lightweight group and the women in our study didn’t lose weight,” Kiecolt-Glaser says. “Yet we did see changes in inflammation. That suggests there may be something particularly beneficial about yoga.”

Now meditate on that.