By Stephen Daniells, 22-Feb-2010

The antioxidant compounds present in green tea and associated with a myriad of health benefits can penetrate the tissue of the eye and potentially protect against common eye diseases, says a new study.

Researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong report that catechins from tea could be detected in significant amounts in various eye structures. According to findings published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the retina of rats absorbed the highest levels of gallocatechin, while the aqueous humor tended to absorb epigallocatechin.

Furthermore, the potential beneficial effects of green tea catechins in reducing harmful oxidative stress were sustained for up to 20 hours.

Eyes on the market

A report from Frost & Sullivan last year stated that the global market for eye health ingredients was dominated by antioxidants, including lutein, beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, astaxanthin and bilberry.

The demand for such products is increasing as consumers turn to nutrition to protect against blinding diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma.

The global human nutrition market for lutein is predicted to reach $125m within three years, said F&S, with growth underpinned by rising demand for eye health supplements from the aging US population, increasing healthcare costs, more research efforts backing ingredient benefits, and improvements in technology for methods of ingredient extraction, said the report.

“Although many antioxidants have been studied in the eye, to the best of our knowledge this is the first paper to show distribution of individual catechins after ingestion of green tea extract and to evaluate their in vivo antioxidative effects in various parts of the mammalian eye,” wrote t he researchers behind the new study.

Green tea contains between 30 and 40 per cent of water-extractable polyphenols, while black tea (green tea that has been oxidized by fermentation) contains between 3 and 10 per cent. The four primary polyphenols found in fresh tealeaves are epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate, and epicatechin.

Study details

Chi Pui Pang and colleagues fed laboratory rats green tea and subsequently analysed the eye tissues. Catechins were indeed observed in the eye tissues, say the researchers.

“Many studies on the antioxidative effect of green tea focused on EGCG,” report the researchers. “However, in this study, we found its tissue level was not high. Gallocatechin, epigallocatechin, catechin, and epicatechin, on the other hand, substained high levels in many compartments.

“Although these compounds have a reducing power similar to or lower than that of EGCG, use of a mixture, such as green tea extract, was better than use of a single catechin because of lower cost and synergic effects on antioxidation and bioavailability,” they added.

“Our results indicate that green tea consumption could benefit the eye against oxidative stress,” concluded the researchers.

The green tea extracts, Sunphenon DCF-1, were donated by Taiyo Kagaku Co. Ltd.

Source: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Volume 58, Issue 3, Pages 1523–1534, doi: 10.1021/jf9032602
“Green Tea Catechins and Their Oxidative Protection in the Rat Eye”
Authors: K.O. Chu, K.P. Chan, C.C. Wang, C.Y. Chu, W.Y. Li, K.W. Choy, M.S. Rogers, C.P. Pang

Article fron Natural News / www.naturalnews.com

(NaturalNews) Fresh olive oil is ideal for internal cleansings and for use as a natural health tool. What better way to start than with some freshly pressed olive oil? Olive oil has been used for centuries for its anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties and for its many vitamins and nutrients. Olive oil is used to treat candida albicans, flu, and viruses. It is also helpful in treating patients with cardiovascular problems. It is commonly used in liver and colon detox protocols.

Read this article on the many diseases that can be cured using olive oil:

http://www.naturalnews.com/027094_o…

The Olives are Ready to be Picked:

When creating olive oil, the olives are picked and shortly thereafter, the fresh olives are pressed to extract the oil. The olives are cold pressed to retain the photochemicals that are normally lost in the regular refinement process. Before using freshly pressed olive oil, it must be allowed to age for three weeks in a dark location such as a cabinet. Once the olive oil is ready to use, remember to store the olive oil in the dark. Olive oil must be kept away from the light so it does not turn rancid. Olive oil will last for six months once opened or up to two years in an unopened bottle.

Extra virgin olive oil is pressed once and is used for salads, dipping and very light sauteing. It turns rancid at 320 degrees, so extra virgin olive oil should not be used for cooking. Virgin olive oil, which is created by pressing the olives twice, may be used for cooking. It is essential that both types of olive oil are cold pressed. There are many oils on the market and prices can vary significantly depending on quality, so seek the best quality oil that you can afford.

How to Prepare the Olive Leaves:

After you have picked your olives, it is time to prepare the leaves. Remove all the leaves from the trees and place them in the shade to allow the leaves to dry. The dried leaves will store for up to two years in a glass container. If you do not have a glass container, a plastic jar will suffice. When the leaves are needed, grind them and use as an ingredient in a healthy smoothie or place olive leaves in vegetarian capsules.

How to cure olives:

http://www.wikihow.com/Cure-Olives

Natural Detox 7 Day Liver Flush:

1. Wash and chop 1 whole lemon and place inside a blender, along with 1 glass of water. Blend on high speed for 1 minute. Use a strainer to remove the pulp from the juice. Place the juice back in the blender and add in 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 1 chopped garlic clove. Blend the entire mixture again for 30 seconds. Drink this quickly and rest; wait an hour before eating breakfast. Do this each morning for 7 days.

2. Follow the same instructions as above, but use 1 peeled lemon, 1 peeled orange and 1 peeled grapefruit instead of just one lemon.

According to the Global Healing Center, the following foods naturally detoxify the body: Fruits, green foods, lemons, oranges, limes, garlic, broccoli sprouts, green tea, mung beans, raw vegetables, nuts, seeds and omega 3 oils (olive oil, flax, hemp and avocado).

Http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?…
http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/…
http://www.naturalnews.com/026950_o…

Article from Natural News / www.naturalnews.com

(NaturalNews) An ingredient in common eggplant has been shown to cure cancer. The eggplant extract is a phytochemical called solasodine glycoside, or BEC5. Dr. Bill E. Cham discovered it, after hearing of a folk medicine cure from Australian farmers. They told him of eye cancers cured in cattle after application of a poultice made from the fruit of a weed called Devil’s Apple, known in Latin as Solanum linnaeanum. This plant is part of the Solanacea family, which includes other common vegetables such as tomato and eggplant.

BEC5 works by bonding to a receptor on the surface of the cancer cell. After the cell digests the eggplant extract, it causes the cell to rupture. The cancer cell is destroyed and its contents are then reabsorbed by the body.

BEC5 has been proven effective in treating over 80,000 cases of skin cancer, preventing surgery. The types of cancer treated by eggplant are both invasive and non-invasive non-melanoma skin cancers. In every case the cancers went into remission and did not return. Australians have been curing their skin cancers using these phytochemicals for decades.

BEC5 acts by killing cancer cells without harming any other healthy cells in the human body. BEC5 can also be used to treat actinic keratose, the precursor to cancer, as well as age or sunspots on the skin.

Actinic keratoses are a possible predictor of skin cancer. These red patches caused by sun exposure are made of abnormal cells that can mutate into malignant cells in the basal, or lower layers of the skin. Squamous cell carcinomas are another common form of skin cancer, and one which causes nearly two thousands deaths annually. This wart-type growth has irregular borders and can also be treated with the eggplant extract.

Used as a cream for over twenty-five years in clinical trials in both Australia and the United Kingdom, BEC5 had success rate of over 78% when applied for eight weeks. Used for 12 weeks, the cream had a 100% success rate in removing cancers, none of which returned for the following five years.

Over one million new cases of non-melanoma skin cancers are diagnosed each year in the United States alone. Skin cancer is now the most common illness in men over the age of 50. It is even more common than lung, prostate or colon cancer. Incidences are so common that one out of three Caucasians are now expected to develop skin cancer at some point in their lives. With this simple, natural remedy, many surgeries might be prevented and health restored.

http://ahha.org/SkinCancerCure.htm

http://www.lmreview.com/articles/eg…

http://www.skincancer.org/

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/lrn/l…

Article from Natural News / www.naturalnews.com

(NaturalNews) Avocados are Mother Nature’s skin moisturizer. With their healthy fats and phytonutrients, they offer remarkable benefits to human skin — both when eaten and when used topically.

Here, we present a collection of supporting information about avocados from some of the top authors and personalities in the natural health industry, including David “Avocado” Wolfe himself.

Check out the quotes below, then pick up some avocados for yourself. They just help you save your own skin!

Avocados and healthy skin

For an excellent skin complexion, rub one or more of the following items against the skin two to four times a week: papaya pulp, avocado, cucumber, spirulina, fresh noni fruit and/or aloe vera. For dry skin, rub hempseed oil, jojoba oil and MSM lotion directly into the skin. This will alleviate dryness quickly. Or use avocado on the skin directly. Avocado oil is similar to our skin’s oil.
- The Sunfood Diet Success System by David Wolfe

Treat yourself to an avocado facial. Beauty, they say, is only skin deep. Luckily, avocado has moisturizing power to help make your skin more beautiful. For years, people have used avocado as a natural facial treatment, especially for dry skin. It’s easy to do in your own home. Just remove your makeup and wash your face with warm water and soap or your favorite cleanser. Mash some avocado and mix it with a little milk or oatmeal and apply it to your face. Leave it there for 10 minutes, then rinse it off with lots of water.
- Eat and Heal (Foods That Can Prevent or Cure Many Common Ailments) by the Editors of FC&A Medical Publishing

Eating half an avocado every other day would probably help your own cholesterol drop some. A rather remarkable twofold approach towards relieving the itchy misery of psoriasis is by eating half of an avocado daily and applying an extra-rich cream of chamomile flowers extract to the skin. The oils in the avocado will work internally towards the surface of the skin, soothing deep muscle inflammation. The oils in CamoCare Soothing Cream help the skin to literally repair itself from the damage done by psoriasis.
- Heinerman’s Encyclopedia of Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs by John Heinerman

There’s more to avocado than guacamole. Its oil is actually patented as a treatment for some forms of dermatitis and arthritis. According to Aubrey Hampton, author of Natural Organic Hair and Skin Care, long-term treatment with avocado oil helps relieve eczema. I’m not surprised, as avocado oil is rich in vitamins A, D and E, all of which help maintain healthy skin. I suggest applying it directly to any itchy, red or irritated areas.
- The Green Pharmacy: New Discoveries in Herbal Remedies for Common Diseases and Conditions from the World’s Foremost Authority on Healing Herbs by James A. Duke, Ph.D.

Avocado oil has been used extensively for its ability to heal and soothe the skin. This use is based on the high hydrocarbon content of the pulp and oil, which may help dry skin. Avocados are frequently included in health diets, and recent evidence suggests they are effective in modifying lipid profiles. In a randomized study, women chose either a diet high in monounsaturated fatty acids enriched with avocado or a high complex-carbohydrate diet. After 3 weeks, the avocado diet resulted in a reduction in total cholesterol level from baseline (8.2%).
- Guide to Popular Natural Products by Ara Dermarderosian

Throughout Central and South America the avocado is not only consumed with great relish, but also highly regarded for its extremely nourishing properties. It is a favored saying among the Maya Indians inhabiting the Yucatan Peninsula and the highlands of Guatemala that where avocados grow, “hunger (or malnutrition) has no friends.” Too many of us think only of avocados in the traditional Mexican sense of guacamole. But among the Mayan the avocado is considered to be a food which keeps the joints of the body moving freely and the skin young and supple.
- Heinerman’s Encyclopedia of Healing Juices by John Heinerman

The expressed oil of the avocado seed nourishes and maintains skin tone. It softens rough, dry, or flaking skin and, massaged into the scalp, improves hair growth. Avocado is very nutritious and makes an excellent baby food. Indigenous to Central America, avocado is widely cultivated for its fruit in tropical and subtropical areas, including Israel, Spain, and South Africa. It is propagated from seed. The leaves are harvested as needed, and the unripe fruit is picked when fully grown.
- The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants by Andrew Chevallier

A naturally fatty fruit, avocado is also rich in vitamins, and the green pulp left attached to the peel has the highest concentration. Scrape off the pulp, and apply it directly to the skin. The abundant oils lubricate and soften the skin - the most basic step in preventing wrinkles.
- Uncommon Cures For Everyday Ailments by Bottom Line Books

Honey, avocado, eggs, fresh fruits, oats, cream of wheat and nutritional yeast are a few other possibilities for a facial mask. So are ginger, papaya, pineapple and cucumber, which have skin-softening enzymes. Yogurt, sour milk, vinegar, apples, citrus fruits and wine contain AHAs, which are particularly important for a mask because they loosen the tight bond that holds the old surface skin (they also restore the skin’s natural acidity).
- Herbs for Health and Healing by Kathi Keville

Use any heavy oil for dry skin, such as avocado or wheat-germ, and a light oil such as almond or sunflower for oily skins. The essential oils of clary-sage, lemon, lime, sage, or thyme are cleansing and suitable for all skin types. Other good options would be rosemary, chamomile, lavender, or geranium.
- The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy by Valerie Ann Worwood

Mashing an avocado and rubbing it into your hair for five minutes after washing will add luster to your hair; rinse afterwards. In South Africa, an avocado mask made of mashed avocados, honey, and lime juice is applied to the face as a moisturizing treatment to counteract the drying effects of the hot sun.
- Timeless Secrets of Health & Rejuvenation: Unleash The Natural Healing Power That Lies Dormant Within You by Andreas Moritz

Every part of the avocado has been used at one time or another to tackle a few of life’s inconveniences. Throughout the Caribbean, Mexico, and South America, the avocado has been put to use in unique ways. A powder made from avocado seeds has been used to control dandruff. Some people have chewed the seeds to reduce toothache pain, and even the skin has been used as an antibiotic for intestinal parasites and dysentery. The flesh has long been used to condition dry hair and as a soothing shaving cream.
- 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life! by David W. Grotto, RD, LDN

Use olive, avocado, or almond oil to cleanse the skin. Pat the oil on, then wash it off with warm water and a soft cloth. Use a facial loofah occasionally with the oil and warm water to remove dead skin. Use liquid creams and lotions (not solid creams) that contain nutrients and natural ingredients to keep your skin from becoming too dry. Do not use cold creams, cleansing creams, or solid moisturizing creams. These are hardened saturated fats that become rancid rapidly and then create free radicals, which can cause premature wrinkles.
- Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 4th Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements by Phyllis A. Balch, CNC

Olive, wheat germ, safflower, sesame, almond, apricot kernel, and avocado oils are closer in composition to the natural secretions of the skin. Most of them are also rich in linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid that aids in skin-cell renewal. Some manufacturers have also replaced synthetic coloring and scents with herbal extracts and powdered flowers, such as rose, iris, orange blossom, lavender, and chamomile.
- Menopause Without Medicine: The Trusted Women’s Resource with the Latest Information on HRT, Breast Cancer, Heart Disease and Natural Estrogens by Linda Ojeda

The avocado got its name from the ancient Aztec word for “testicle.” Maybe that’s why men once thought eating avocados would boost their virility. In earlier times, avocado pulp was used as a hair pomade to stimulate hair growth and to help heal wounds. Native Americans treated dysentery and diarrhea with its seeds. Even today, its oil can be found in many cosmetics.
- Eat and Heal (Foods That Can Prevent or Cure Many Common Ailments) by the Editors of FC&A Medical Publishing

The same vitamins make avocado good for the skin. To help reduce the itching, dryness, and inflammation, apply the mashed fruit directly to patches of eczema, or (if green’s not your Avocado color) apply the oil.
- The Herbal Drugstore by Linda B. White, M.D.

Soap the entire body with a nonabrasive, emollient soap or avocado oil. Dip a large non-nylon brush, hemp washcloth, or loofah into hot water and scrub the skin for 2 to 5 minutes in circular motions until the skin is red and the body feels invigorated. End the bath with a warm shower, gradually reducing the water temperature until it becomes cool.
- The complete Book of Water Healing - Using the Earth’s most essential resource to cure illness, promote health, and soothe and restore body, mind, and spirit by Dian Dincin Buchman, Ph.D.

The mild oil pressed from the luscious avocado is known to be soothing to the skin. Avocado oil is used for gourmet cooking, so look for it in well-stocked grocery stores as well as health food stores. To magnify the moisturizing effects of the oil, use it when your hands are still a bit damp from washing, Dr. Bihova says. The oil will form a protective seal that will retain the moisture that your dry digits are so thirsty for.
- The Doctors Book of Home Remedies II: Over 1,200 New Doctor-Tested Tips and Techniques Anyone Can Use to Heal Hundreds of Everyday Health Problems by the Editors of PREVENTION

To soften and nourish the skin, mash half of an avocado and apply it to your face. Leave it on until it dries, then rinse off with warm water. Avocado contains essential fatty acids and other nutrients that help prevent premature wrinkling. To tighten and refine pores, whip up the white of an egg with a pinch of alum and apply it to your face as a mask. After fifteen to twenty minutes, rinse it off with lukewarm water. Wrinkle lines from the lips toward the nose may be due to a deficiency of vitamin B2 (riboflavin).
- Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 4th Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements by Phyllis A. Balch, CNC

Paul Neinast, who runs a famous beauty salon in Dallas, Texas, combines peach with papaya, banana and avocado in a blender until well purged. This facial mask is then applied and left on 30 minutes, after which it is rinsed away with tepid water. Then he will saturate several cotton balls with any polyunsaturated oil (sunflower oil is good to use) and gently rub the skin in a circular motion. This keeps dryness out, moisture in and gives the skin more elasticity. The face may also be rubbed with a little juice from some freshly pressed green grapes before the oil is applied.
- Heinerman’s Encyclopedia of Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs by John Heinerman

Through our interpreter, I learned that they were using avocado oil to keep their skin from getting burned by the hot, glaring sun and the rough elements of wind and rain. They even rubbed some on their lips to keep them nice and moist. Some of the Chorti women seemed to be in their late 20s or early 30s. Imagine my utter astonishment when my interpreter told me that most of them were in their mid-to-late fifties! Now I’m a pretty good judge of age because of my training in anthropology, but their constant use of avocado oil sure fooled me about how old I thought they were.
- Heinerman’s Encyclopedia of Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs by John Heinerman

A recipe for curing dermatitis combines avocado, aloe, and vitamin E cream. The fruit is also valued for constipation because the skin and pulp are seen to be good as cathartics. The seed is always saved because boiled in a tea it may be used as a poultice for bruises or sores. The powdered seed of avocado may be purchased at certain supermarkets in Arizona.
- Healing with Plants in the American and Mexican West by Margarita Artschwager Kay

Mexican avocado leaves contain 3.1% of an essential oil that is 95% estragole and 5% anethole. The pulp oil is used as a massage oil, in creams, lotions, and hair products. The seed oil has been patented for use in treatment of sclerosis of the skin.
- Healing with Plants in the American and Mexican West by Margarita Artschwager Kay

Article from Natural News / www.naturalnews.com

Thursday, November 12, 2009 by: Kerri Knox, RN, citizen journalist

(NaturalNews) Gardasil, a vaccine designed to prevent cervical cancer in women, has recently been the target of debate about its safety and efficacy. While young girls have been dying and key researchers are saying the vaccine doesn’t work, there are dozens of studies using natural compounds in broccoli that DO work to not only PREVENT but possibly TREAT cervical cancer as well.

Cervical cancer is very slow growing and is generally treatable with minor interventions when caught early; hence, pap smears have been recommended as a routine part of an annual physical exam for decades. But a paradigm shift in cervical cancer thought occurred in 1984 when it was discovered that the Human Papilloma Virus causes cervical cancer. Drug researchers immediately went to work on a vaccine and their dream came true when Gardasil, the first cervical cancer vaccine, was released in 2006. A disease mostly controlled with routine screenings became the new public health threat that immediately required mandatory vaccinations for every young woman in the US, whether at risk or not.

But while new evidence is coming to light that young women are suffering serious health effects and even death from a vaccine that may not even do what it is intended to do, readily available strategies for prevention of cervical cancer are being completely overlooked. Broccoli and other ‘Brassicas’ like cabbage and Brussels sprouts have long been touted as health foods- and with good reason. Antioxidants and anticancer agents are continually being isolated from this family of vegetables, making them some of the biggest health powerhouses available. One particular compound in broccoli called Indole-3-Carbinol, also called I3C, has been isolated and studied for over 2 decades for its anti-cancer properties.

“Studies increasingly indicate that dietary
indole-3-carbinol (I3C) prevents the development of
estrogen-enhanced cancers including breast,
endometrial and cervical cancers”
‘Indole-3-Carbinol Is a Negative Regulator of Estrogen’

I3C’s chemoprotective properties are unquestioned in the many animal and laboratory studies that have been done. And with only two adverse reactions having ever been reported, human studies have proven it to have an astonishingly good safety profile. The research using I3C against cervical cancer is extremely promising as well. In one double-blind placebo controlled trial, a full one-half of women with biopsy-proven early stage cervical cancer had COMPLETE REGRESSION of their cancer where NONE in the control group did. That means that simply by supplementing once daily with I3C, 50% of these women’s cancers were completely reversed. In addition, animal studies not ONLY show that supplementation with I3C can prevent cervical cancer in the animals taking it, but it ALSO prevents cervical cancer in their offspring!

“Addition of chemoprotective agents to the maternal diet
during pregnancy and nursing may be an effective new approach
in reducing the incidence of cancers in children and young adults.”
‘Indole-3-carbinol in the maternal diet provides chemoprotection
for the fetus against transplacental carcinogenesis’

The benefits of I3C don’t stop there, though; other studies have shown that it can help to prevent and treat breast, endometrial, vulvar, skin and prostate cancers as well. But even while I3C is being ignored as a natural supplement, drug researchers are feverishly attempting to reproduce its properties in the lab in order to create a patentable synthetic anticancer agent. In the study ‘A potent indole-3-carbinol-derived Antitumor agent’ , the researchers called its anticancer effects “weak” and therefore they are “…exploiting indole-3-carbinol to develop potent antitumor agents”. But “weak” is not the first word that comes to mind when discussing this natural substance that reduces cancer by:

Lowering ‘bad’ estrogen levels,
Killing cancer cells directly,
Inhibiting the viruses associated with these cancers and
Strengthening the immune system.

Like most natural substances, doctors’ offices and medical centers are ignoring this research and, instead, are having teenage girls line up for a shot with a nebulous safety profile that may not even be effective. Yet, it would be far safer, less expensive and likely more effective if public health campaigns were directed at teaching women the benefits of eating foods like broccoli and cabbage that are naturally rich in anticancer compounds like I3C.

Resources:

1)http://www.sciencedirect.com/scienc…

2)http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/c…

3)http://www.easy-immune-health.com/e…