This is quite a useful article explaining how the immune system works.  Albeit a rather technical write-up, it’s quite timely with winter just around the corner.  Can I suggest a bit of echinacea tincture or elderberry syrup from your local herbalist?  Read more at…

Here’s an interesting article about 8 common cooking herbs and spices that help the body fight off disease – cinnamon, oregano, black pepper, rosemary, allspice, turmeric, sage & nutmeg.  Certainly not everything I’d say about the benefits of these herbs, but it’s always good to get a bit of recognition from the medical community!  Read more…

Sweet potatoes pack a powerful nutritional punch. They have got over 400% of your daily needs for vitamin A in one medium spud, as well as loads of fiber and potassium.  Read more…

Here’s an interesting article which highlights the health benefits of many of the foods we regularly eat (or should eat…).  Mostly this includes vegetables, fruit and nuts but rest assured that chocolate is also on the list.  This study also highlights 10 of the healthiest foods including: apples, almonds, broccoli, blueberries, oily fish, leafy green veg, sweet potatoes, wheatgerm, avocados and oatmeal.

You’ve stepped on it, ignored it, and tried to eradicate it from your garden.  However, this innocuous little weed is one of the most useful medicines on the planet, just begging to be harvested.  Plantain was, in fact, one of the most used medicine plants in the Scottish Highlands and Islands.  Read more…

Researchers report that dietary capsaicin – the active ingredient in chili peppers – produces chronic activation of a receptor on cells lining the intestines of mice, triggering a reaction that ultimately reduces the risk of colorectal tumours.  Herbalists have known the benefits of cayenne for the gut but it’s good to see the “evidence” catch up!  Chili peppers also support circulation.  Read more…

Eating tree nuts appears to help reduce two of the five markers for metabolic syndrome, a group of factors that raise the risk for heart disease and other health problems such as diabetes and strokes, a new research paper published in BMJ Open says.  Read more…