Olive Oil

Although the olive tree originated in Asia, it has been cultivated for over 3,000 years in Mediterranean countries, where much of the olive crop is used to make olive oil. In this process, olives are pitted and ground to a thick pulp. The pulp is then pressed to remove the juices, which are placed in a centrifuge to separate the water from the oil. Nutritionally, olive oil contains 120 calories and 14 grams of fat per tablespoon; however, the fat is mostly monounsaturated, which has a beneficial effect on blood cholesterol levels and is easily digested. In countries where olive oil plays an important role in diets, such as Greece, Italy and Spain, there is a low incidence of cardiovascular disease. The mild vegetable mucilage in olive oil also protects the body's digestive tract. Ancient civilizations used olive oil, as well to help heal wounds. Today olive oil is prized as a moisturizer and skin remedy.

Therapeutic Effect
Taken internally, olive oil stimulates metabolism, promotes digestion and lubricates mucous membranes. It can also be applied externally to treat dry skin.

Components
Olive oil contains 77% monounsaturated fatty acids, 14% saturated fatty acids and 9% polyunsaturated fatty acids, plus vegetable mucilage and Vitamin E.

Help For The Digestive Tract
Take 1 tbsp, of olive oil on an empty stomach to stimulate digestion and relieve upset stomach, flatulence and heartburn.

Olive Oil For Constipation
In the morning, take 1 tsp of olive oil mixed with lemon juice on an empty stomach. Or try an enema made from 5 oz. of olive oil in 20 oz. of boiling water, cooled to lukewarm.

The Antioxidant Benefit
The Vitamin E in olive oil is an antioxidant. In addition, monounsaturated fatty acids are less easily damaged by oxygen than other types of fat. They are therefore less likely to produce free radicals, which damage cell membranes and contributes to several diseases.


APPLICATIONS

To Lower Blood Cholester
The monounsaturated fatty acids in olive oil help lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels without affecting HDL ("good") cholesterol or triglyceride levels. To lower cholesterol at least 15% of your daily calories should come from monounsaturated fatty acids. Whenever possible, use olive oil in place of butter or other vegetable oils in cooking, in preparing dressings for salads or vegetables and in making sandwiches.

To Treat Ear Complaints
To clear stopped-up ears, put a few drops of lukewarm olive oil in the affected ear. Lie for 5 mins on the opposite side, then turn over, so that the olive oil can flow out again. (Caution: Do not put any liquid in your ear if you think you may have a perforated eardrum!) For minor earaches, soak a cotton pad in olive oil. Place it loosely in your outer ear until the pain abates.

To Prevent Hair Loss
Massage your scalp with olive oil every evening for eight days. Let the treatment work overnight; wash out in the morning.

To Moisturize Skin
Apply daily to dry spots or stretch marks.

Honey

The name of this familiar and time-tested household remedy comes from ancient Hebrew and means "enchant." Long, used as a culinary sweetener, honey is valued for its many healing properties as well. Treatment with honey is referred to as apitherapy and includes replenishing energy, enhancing physical stamina and strengthening those weakened by illness or stress.

Honey can also help calm the mind and promote rejuvenating sleep. In addition, honey relieves indigestion and is used to treat cardiovascular disease and respiratory complaints. A thin coat of honey can be applied to the skin to disinfect and heal minor skin wounds and chapped lips. In addition, honey contains a germ-killing substance called inhibine, which helps prevent infections. Spread the honey directly on the wound and cover with a sterile bandage.

Honey is an outstanding household remedy that can be used in combination with various medicinal herbs. For relief of coughs and wheezing associated with bronchitis, whooping cough or other minor respiratory ailments, mix 1 tsp. of finely chopped fresh thyme in a little honey. Take the mixture orally as needed to soothe inflammed lungs and airways.

Honey contains grains of pollen that, over time, may have a desensitizing effect, making it useful for the relief of allergies. Hay fever sufferers are advised to eat honey that has been harvested locally.


Therapeutic Effect
Honey helps restore energy, has a general calming effect and helps to dissolve mucus. Applied externally to the skin, it disinfects and heals minor wounds.

Components
The principle constituents of honey are the simple sugars fructose and glucose. Other ingredients include water, pollen, organic acids, enymes and various proteins.

Honey and Fitness
Honey provides a healthful pick-me-up. The glucose and fructose in honey have been predigested by the bees that produced it. These simple sugars are quickly and easily absorbed in the human digestive tract, and they have an overall soothing effect. Honey may be a healthy treat, but take care when using it as sweetener; Just 1 tbsp. of honey has 64 calories, compared to 46 calories in 1 tbsp. of granulated sugar.

Shopping Tip
Many kinds of honey are available. The consistency, fragrance and taste depend on the types of flowers from which bees collect nectar. Look for honey that has been produced by beekeepers who do not feed their bees refined sugars or use harmful pesticides.

Pu-Er, P'uerh Tea

PU-ER TEA

According to tradition, Pu-Er tea removes toxins, cleanses the body & even reduces body fat. A favorite in Southern China. Pu-er is perfect after a meal or to accompany desert. Complex, earthy & very dark.

Pu Er tea is a tea that was originated from Wen Lan Province of China. It is highly fermented tea (almost fermented to the same degrees as black tea). In many cases, the Pu Er tea is stored for years before it goes to the market places.

Pu'er
Chinese name : Pu'er, pu'erh

Origin : Leaves are dried & then undergo microbial fermentation during processing. Various forms exist from compressed or 'brick' tea to rolled loose-leaf. Young pu'ers up to 10 years old often retain an astringent green tea flavour. Older pu'ers take on a rich & complex panoply of flavours, & it is the rare, old pu'ers (of 30 years plus) which are sought after by health-conscious Chinese tea connoissuers.

Taste : Poor grades bitter & somewhat earthy, top grades smooth & sweet.
Yunna Pu Er & Anhui Liu An are the most oustanding.

Pu'er is possibly the most complicated tea, just because of its many different ways of processing & shapping. Also, because of the aging factor, it is a tea that can change over time, for better or worse, having a life span similar to fine wine, except with Pju'er every few years or so you can break off a piece & brew it & enjoy it !



P'UERH TEA
Also known as PU-ERH & PU-ER

P'uerh is the original spelling but it has been anglicized several times during its westward explanding use. It is manufactured in the P'uerh tea district of southern Yunnan Province in China. It takes its name from the small city of Pu-er & is only a few hunderd miles from the Laos & Burma border.

This tea is well known throughout the medicine shops of China & is highly regarded for its medicinal qualities as a digestive & nerve stimulant. The leaves have a marked bitterness. They are plucked, panned, sun-dried & steamed; after which they are either allowed to remain in leaf form or they are pressed into circular cakes of varying diameters. Cake tea is the most ancient form of manufacture of tea & it has come down through hundreds of years to the present time. A method of preparing this tea was described by Lu YU in the first book on tea, published in China about the year 780 A.D. In cake form it is interesting to note that the cake tea of Lu Yu was wrapped in bamboo for the sake of transportation & is still done that way to this date for the high quality P'uerhs.

P'uerh tea liquor has a flavour unlike any other tea in the world. It is somewhat earthy in flavor (not repulsive at all) & has a long lasting flavor profile within the mouth or palate area. Poor grades can become very harsh &, as mentioned above, bitter. Top grades are smooth, pleasant & sweet.

P'uerh is one of "The Tea Man's" favorite teas & certainly the world's most unique.


PU'ERH TEA
The recipe behind this ancient fermented tea is a closely guarded secret. It has been produced for centuries in the small trading town of Pu-er in Yunnan China. We now know that the black tea from this region is aged, often in dark caves, where it develops a rich, earthy flavor.

WHAT IS PU'ER TEA?
Pu'er (or Pu-erh) tea is look like black tea but taste different. It's different from other tea, the older of pu'er tea the better. Some very old pu'er tea, like red wine, is more expensive than gold. The people in China drink tea most are Tibetan. They drink pu'er tea every day to resist cold weather & digest a lot meat they eat every day.


Pu-erh teas are known in China as "medicinal teas". Although green tea has gotten all the press, pu-erh teas are finally being enjoyed in the West. Pu-erh leaves are processed differently than green tea leaves. They are oxidized similar to an oolong tea, but not as long as black tea. The leaves are then dried loose or compressed into tea bricks, tea cakes or Tuochas that look like bird nests. Some tea cakes have been aged in caves to develop their particularly earthy flavor.

Pu-erh tea has yet to be researched to the same degree as green tea, but pu-erh tea has unique benefits that the other teas do not. In particular, pu-erh helps decrease blood cholesterol levels & improves fat metabolism. It is thought that pu-erh tea's unique double fermentation may create special enzymes & microbes that offer the body micronutrients essential for better health.

Many coffee drinkers enjoy pu-erh rich, deep flavours. Since pu-erh tea has less caffeine than coffee, it is a great alternative for those looking to decrease caffeine intake. Tea also provides health benefits not found in coffee & is great addition to anyone's diet. One cup of pu-erh tea with each meal has shown to stimulate weight loss. Tea will balance the body's systems & stimulate a more functional metabolism.

Pu-erh teas are low in tannins & have a rich unique earthy flavor & handles multiple steepings without losing flavor. According to scientific studies Pu-erh teas have many health benefits. Pu-erh is the perfect tea after a heavy meal, it helps relieve any indigestion & aids in the digestion of fatty foods. Pu-erh teas cleanses the blood, lowers cholesterol & triglycerides, help with weight control & is also known to help a hangover or two.

The National Cancer Center Research Institute in Tokyo suggests that "Drinking tea may be one of the most practical methods of cancer prevention availabe at present".

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HISTORY OF Pu-erh TEA

In ancient times of China, Pu-erh Prefecture (now Pu-erh County) included Xishuangbanna, Simao & Lincang areas of Yunnan, where many famous tea mountains were located. Pu-erh was an important town in southern Yunnan & also the largest market for tea trade. Tea produced in these ares was therefore called "Pu-erh Tea"

According to historical records of China, the ethnic Pu people in Yunnan began to grow tea & served it as tribute to the emperors as early as in the Chinese Shang & Zhou Dynasties. In the West & East Han Dynasties, tea was grown in river valleys & by the moutains trails of Yizhou. In the Three Kingdom Period, the Nanzhong tea-seed was widely popularized. In the Tang Dynasty, tea produced in Xishuangbanna was marketed to Dali area & became the favorite drink of the noblemen of the Nanzhao Kingdom. In the Song Dynasty, Pu-erh County became a famous market for trading tea & horses. In the Yuan Dynasty, tea had become the most important commodity in the transaction undertaken by people of all ethnic groups. In the former part of the Qing Dynasty, reputation of the Pu-erh tea reached its climax.
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In accordance to historical documents on Xishuangbanna, Dai people living there planted tea trees some 1,700 years ago. A tea tree planted 800 years ago is still growing on Mountain Nannuo in Menghai county of Xishuangbanna. In 1961, a large wild tea tree was was discovered in the primeval forest on Mountain Dahei of Menghai county. The tea tree is 32.1m high with a diameter of 1.03m, & its age is over 1,700 years old. Exuberant & verdant, it still can yield quality tea leaves.

Most of the tea-growing areas here are located at elevations of 2000m or so. The annual mean temperature ranges from 12C to 23C, effective annual cummulative temperature is between 4,500C & 7000C & annual rainfall is 1,000 to 1,900mm. The monsoon season is concentrated in May through October, during which the rainfall constitues about 85% of that of the whole year. The monsoon coincides with the hottest month, & there is very high value of effective rainfall. In the dry season, which starts in November & ends in April, there are sufficient sunny days. There is adequate sunshine, & the tea trees have a long growth period. Under normal conditions, the tealeaf-plucking period may last for 8 - 9 months. The tea-growing areas are generally covered with red, yellow or brick red soils with the pH value ranging between 4 - 6. Comparing with other major tea producing countries, the climate of sourthern Yunnan is more suitable for growing tea trees.