Garlic and onion against resistant staph bacteria

The antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal activity of garlic and onion has been proved many times by contemporary scientific research. A new study held at the University of Nottingham indicates that even MRSA, one of the most antibiotic-resistant bugs can be killed by a mixture containing garlic and onion.

What is MRSA? According to Mayo Clinic "Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus infection is caused by a type of staph bacteria that has become resistant to antibiotics. At-risk populations include people who have been in hospitals, other health care settings or live in crowded conditions.Children and adults who come in contact with day-care centers, playgrounds, camps, classrooms, gyms and workout facilities are also at higher risk of getting MRSA. MRSA can spread easily through cuts and abrasions and skin-to-skin contact. Usually the bacteria are generally harmless and even if they enter the body they usually cause only minor skin problems in healthy people. However MRSA infections can resist the effects of many common antibiotics, so the infections may spread and become life-threatening affecting the bloodstream, lungs, heart valves, bones and joints."

It seems though that the resistant staph bacteria can be treated - at least in the laboratory - with a 10th century topical solution for eye infections which contains garlic, onion or leek, wine and oxgal. Scientists at the University of Nottingham say the medieval remedy has remarkable effects on MRSA.

Christmas smell like cinnamon and orange!

Orange essential oil: citrusy, sweet, strong scent like orange peels. Good antidepressant and uplifting oil. Has been used for drug withdrawal symptoms, stress and for its slight sedative properties. Often associated with joy, luck and money.

Cinnamon essential oil: hot, spicy scent, richer in aroma than ground cinnamon. Invigorating,

refreshing, warming, aphrodisiac properties. Often used by those with low blood pressure. Good for exhaustion & fatigue. Antifungal.

Curry leaf oil

Have you ever tasted the traditional Indian dishes chicken and veal curry? Do you like spicy food and use curry powder when cooking?

Scientists are now saying that curry, except for its ability to "light fire" in our palate, can also be used to detect explosive material such as TNT. More specifically curcumin, which is a basic component of curry, belongs to a category of chemical substances which reemit light of a different color when illuminated. The researchers' idea is based on the fact that if different molecules, for example those of the explosive, attach to the fluorescent molecules of curcumin the intensity of reemitted light changes. The efforts of experts from the University of Massachussetts and a manufacturing company are now focusing on developing a high sensitivity, inexpensive, portable and user friendly explosive detection device, which is believed to give solution to the problem of eliminating the 50-70 million land mines located worldwide *.

After reading the above you might be thinking that it is amazing where a spice can be used. But are you certain that curry is indeed an Asian spice, just like cinnamon or pepper?

Garlic - Onion

Many times I confuse "left" and "right", especially when trying to give directions for a destination.

Does the same happen to you? Then you must have heard of the correlation "garlic - left", "onion - right". Two questions arise whenever I hear that advice:

Ginger

The first autumn showers are a fact and the sudden temperature drop reminds us that winter is around the corner. If you would like to avoid colds and strengthen yourself against flue this year start as soon as now drinking a very nourishing, healthy and heating beverage: in boiling water add one cinnamon stick and a small piece of ginger. After 2-3 minutes remove from fire, drain, add one teaspoon honey and enjoy!

I have referred to the properties of cinnamon at a previous post and any words about honey are superfluous. But what do we know about ginger?

Cinnamon

We all know that what is giving special taste to a delicious warm cream pie or a fresh aromatic rice pudding is cinnamon.

Cinnamon, "kinnamomon" in Greek, is referred in Chinese texts dating back in 2800 B.C. It was used by ancient Egyptians for embalming and in medieval Europe for religious rites and the production of antiseptics.

At the work of Herodotus "Histories", specifically the third book named "Thaleia", an ancient notion is reported about the "cinnamon birds". According to the myth those birds were flying to a far away land in order to bring back to Arabia cinnamon sticks by which they were building their nests on the top branches of very high trees. The natives were tempting the birds with big pieces of meat. However their nests could not bear the weight and were falling apart. That way the Arabs were collecting the cinnamon sticks from the ground. It is said that the price of cinnamon was periodically reaching that of gold. Aristotle referred to the cinnamon birds too, while Pliny the Elder thought that the myth was the Arab's trick to raise the price of cinnamon! Pliny also reports that 350 gramms of cinnamon had the same value as 5 kilos of silver.

Nowadays cinnamon is used widely for the preparation of sweets, salty dishes and beverages. Apart from the pleasures offered to our palate, traditional quackeries and recent scientific studies underpin the indications that cinnamon has many healing properties.