Poetry, art, music, photography and anything else that flows from the heart.

Art by Svetlana Sablina

"Creation and Birth"

"Ode to Motherhood"

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"I shall build a home" by Oles' from Liuboistok

The pictures used in this video come from "Milenki" Kin's Settlement

Lyrics of "I shall build a home" song

I shall build a home on my native land.
And once in it, happiness will take root.
In the spring will bloom a white lilac.
Everything that is now only a dream will come true...

The stars and moon shall adorn our dreams.
A new star shall blaze, so as not to be extinguished.
With inspiration we shall realize our dreams.
Our love will have a continuation.

And sometime in the morning at the dawn, laughter will awaken us.
It is our children who are laughing.
We shall set a table full of ripe berries.
The fresh juice of fruits, clusters of grapes.

We shall invite our friends to be our guests
Before the dawn to celebrate how wonderful this life is!
And when the years multiply our success
Children through the centuries will continue our life.

We shall be loved by our great-grandchildren and grandchildren.
And, taking your hands in my palm, I shall tell you:
I was so happy in this earthly life!
And as before, you see how much I love you!

Do not grieve that we have become grey.
You and I shall meet and be again young!
Remember the birth-mark on my face.
And in a new life you will recall my eyes...

And I shall build a home on my native land...

Please visit the forum at Source of Life Association and share your opinions on the books of Vladimir Megre. Discuss Anastasia's ideas about harmonic life, and how you use them for yourself. Share your impressions.

You can now discuss your ideas on the following topics:

• Opinions - Anastasia's ideas in books by V. N. Megre. Share your thoughts.
• Let's get to know each other - A section in which you can create your personal profile for people to see as well as your personal page if you have something to share.
• Get Together People! - Searching for friends in your community.
• Forgotten Knowledge of Our Ancestors - All new, well forgotten old
• Health - Share your experiences.
• About Our Children - Forum that is dedicated to our children, from birth to education.

Let's build a strong community together. Support each other with positive thoughts and create a real plan for making our dreams come true.

Visit the Forum.

Forum Talk

Posted by 'Zorac' in a topic 'Is this the Priest who still rules the World today?'. Join the discussion of this topic here:

This is quite a ‘shotgun' viewpoint that encapsulates numerous points that many other posts have touched on in this forum. Why not join those posts and evolve those threads with your beautiful sentiments. Threads are like rivers, gently meandering their way to the ocean...

http://www.ringingcedarsforum.com/

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed on this forum are personal opinions of individuals creating the posts. We are not liable for any information posted on the forum.

This section is devoted to the information that will be useful in the creation of a Kin's Domains.

How to Simplify Your Homeschool Curriculum

By Marianne Vanderkolk

When you begin to homeschool, you are keen to go to curriculum fairs and search out the perfect homeschool curriculum for your family. When you have been homeschooling for a few years, you may discover that your first choices did not work out that well, and you are on the hunt again. Five or so years later, you may be bored and keen to re-think the homeschool curriculum and cater for your highschool students. Ten years later, you throw out so much of what you have bought and never used and keenly look to simplify your homeschool curriculum.

I am not sure if you subscribe to numerous homeschooling e-newsletters or ezines. I subscribe to a few to find out what homeschool curriculum is around and the see what other homeschoolers may be sing. At times, I like to read reviews. However, as my email box is continually bombarded with new homeschool products and resources, I wonder if all the new products have helped our desire or vision for homeschooling. Are we more focussed on the task of homeschooling now with the plethora of curriculum that is put before us or did those early veteran homeschoolers with limited resources capture the essence of homeschooling in a better way? Have we lost the vision?

Am I against homeschool curriculum? Absolutely not! I am very thankful to numerous publishers who have put time and thought into a product and are selling it to the homeschool market. Thankyou! It has made my task so much easier! However, I am concerned that some publishers are just viewing homeschooling as another market and we are steered into thinking that each child needs to have a textbook for each subject each year! Four children, eight subjects each year means literally 128 textbooks for every year of homeschooling. Most of these will be pricey and consumable.

"What are you doing for Language Arts?"

"DS has a Year 3 book for Spelling, Year 4 for grammar, Year 3 book for Literature Studies, Year 3 text for writing and Year 4 Book for Reading Comprehension. Yes, I am so glad that we can cater for his individual abilities!"

Is this the only way? Are you ready to simplify your homeschool curriculum and not fall into the marketing traps? How can that be done?

If you have spent any time on my website, you would know that I always refer to your educational and family goals. That is the first thing that you need to do now if you want to simplify your homeschool curriculum.

1. Decide on the big picture goals

Why are you homeschooling? For what purpose and to what end are you preparing and educating your children? Let these answers drive the curriculum you choose to implement in your homeschool.

2. Decide why you want to teach a certain subject

Here you should pose questions to yourself which will help you formulate why you want to teach a certain subject.

This step can be quite simple. The most obvious answer as to why we want to teach reading, is, so that our children will read widely and understand what they read. True? How do we do that? Firstly, we set up an atmosphere that encourages reading. We read widely to them; We give them the tools so that they can read for themselves (phonics instruction when ready); We offer a range of quality reading resources - both fiction and non-fiction living books. We include reading in all subject areas and do not treat it as a separate subject, but instead, a skill to be developed in each subject.

The most obvious answer as to why we want to teach writing, is, so that our children can write appropriately for different audiences and in different situations. This includes writing notes, letters, essays, descriptive writing, fiction, non-fiction, responses, critical essays, essays of persuasion and more.

So, how would we do that? Does it mean we need a consumable textbook for each grade level? Probably not! If we want to teach our children to write, they need to write! - all types of forms of writing, across the curriculum. Begin by teaching them correct letter formation, writing words, copying sentences, narrations, copying their own oral narrations, essay writing. I would encourage you to get a book which explains different writing forms. I like the Write Source books and have chosen a few age-appropriate teaching texts. These are non-consumable and are written directly to the child.

If you would like to work on writing skills, you could choose an excerpt of literature, discuss the grammar, spelling, sentence structure, word usage and use it as a basis for copywork, and modeling.

Spelling can flow directly from their own writing and an individual spelling list can be created from their incorrect spelling. Spelling in context is far more effective. However, if you would like a Spelling Program, choose one which spans across the ages and years.

If your goal for history teaching is that they memorize dates, you would look for a program that just focusses on memorization of facts, but if your goal is that they gain an understanding of the time period and understand it in the context of a Biblical Worldview, you would look for a curriculum that helps you to do that.

The answer you give for each subject area, will help you choose appropriate homeschool curriculum which has the same purpose in mind.

3. Combine subjects and Skill Teaching

To simplify the curriculum, you need to look for ways to combine subjects. If you teach history in an integrated approach, you can teach history, geography, literature, art history, science history, music history and worldview (depending on the curriculum you choose to help you teach). As you integrate these subjects, you use and develop age-appropriate reading and writing skills. Writing can be done in the context of any subject area!

During a study on Ancient Egypt, you can read aloud an historical fiction novel such as "Mara, daughter of the Nile", create a salt map of Egypt; Read about the culture; Put the time period into the Biblical timeline; Copy the way the Ancient Egyptians decorated their tombs; Dress like an Egyptian, Hold a feast; Write a story/narration/summary/book report/essay from what was learned.

4. Combine ages

To simplify your homeschooling life, combine ages where you can. History can be taught successfully to the whole family at once, but the writing and reading assignments which are set will be different for the different ages. I expect more from my fifteen year old, than from my ten year old.

Some families like to begin their day with their 'together' work - such as Bible, Memorization, History/Science Readings, Art, and whatever they combine, and then continue the day in independent studies. Other families like to begin independently, and then finish working on projects together.

5. Make memorable learning experiences and keepsakes

Textbooks may have a place as educational tools, but the consumable workbooks that some children work in year after year, will not be treasured years after. However, a book which they have created, a scrapbook, a personal diary, an art collection, a poster, a photo journal, a project, notebook or portfolio will have an important place in the lives of your children for years. These will be kept as wonderful memories and as the pages which they have spent energy, heart and soul creating, are turned, the experiences and memories of that year of homeschooling will come back too! My children love looking back at what they have created, but have not had any attachment at all to a consumable workbook, which subsequently has been tossed in the bin.

6. All of Life is Education

To simplify your homeschooling, do not confine education to books. All of life is education even chore training, kitchen duties, house cleaning. Do not be anxious if you can not get to the books as much as you would like. Talk to your children, converse with them about all of life, as you sit down, as you get up and as you walk along the road. Remember there are phases of learning and different ages have different things you need to focus on. When a child is ready, they can work quite independently, structure their own days and learn things quickly. How much more effective would it be if we taught our children a difficult concept when they were truly ready, rather than to our timetable or the timetable of our text?

Remember that excursions, holidays, visiting the sick, providing a meal are opportunities for training and education.

Also, one needs to be reminded that you can not do it all. Be realistic in your own expectations.

7. Do not compare.

Above all, do not compare yourself with others.

Use the homeschooling resources which conform with the goals you have for your children. If it is working for you and your family, there is no need to change.

As you step out to simplify your homeschool curriculum, keep your own goals in mind and be driven by them, not by the hype and advertising of numerous publishers.

http://www.homeschool-articles.com/

Images Copyright:http://nclearningonline.org/

When Your Perfect Homeschool Plan Isn't Going So Perfectly

By Charmaine Wistad

Most of us start the school year with great plans and high hopes but it often doesn't take very long to realize that we just don't live in a perfect homeschooling world.

Are any of the following true for you?

Your children don't like the curriculum. You don't like the curriculum. Your meticulous scheduling isn't working out very well. There are too many interruptions during the day. You're already feeling isolated and cooped up. The house is getting messier by the moment. You are irritable and overreacting to minor issues.

If you see yourself in any (or all!) of the above scenarios, don't despair. Read on for some ideas to help you move beyond these road blocks.

1. Be flexible.

If something isn't working, be willing to try something different. If there are tears or tensions on either side, put aside whatever you are working on and take a breather. Try playing a game, reading aloud from a funny book or going to the park. Remember why you are homeschooling! This is a whole-life experience and if you stop for one day it is not going to ruin any child's life.

2. Limit scheduled activities.

When the schedule starts feeling overwhelmingly full, you have the power to control it. Homeschool moms have a tendency to schedule way too many activities both inside and outside the home. Look over your schedule carefully and decide what is really necessary. Say no to the ‘good things' so you can say yes to the ‘great things.'

3. Get support.

Get Dad involved (but you're going to have to TELL him that you need his support and help; he's not likely to just pick up on it). Join and attend your local Homeschool Support Group. No group in your area? Join an on-line support group or a telephone support group. YahooGroups.com has many homeschool related email groups. Hire a Life Coach who specializes in helping homeschool moms.

4. Change your teaching style or curriculum.

If the curriculum isn't working, give yourself permission to stop using it. Mary Pride suggests asking yourself: "Am I overdoing it? Am I making simple subjects too fancy? What can I eliminate? Do I need to be doing this at all? Is my child not ready for this subject? Should I give it a rest? Are there other worthwhile things we would like to study or do and come back to this later?"

5. Engage everyone in the household chores.

Don't do everything yourself! Take time every day to train the children to pick up their rooms, do simple chores and keep the house in a general state of order. It is well worth the time and energy it takes to get this part of your homeschool life organized.

When motherhood, homeschooling or life in general is overwhelming, stop and simplify. So often when we see problems in our life, our tendency is to try and do a major overhaul. Take some good advice from Charlotte Mason: implement only one new habit or idea at a time. With focus, diligence and consistency you will soon see improvement in this one area and you will not feel overwhelmed by trying to change too many things at once. When the new habit is solid in your life, go ahead and move on to another one….but JUST ONE. Success in changing habits depends on setting one small goal at a time and achieving it.

http://www.homeschool-articles.com/
Images copyright: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/

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Home Schooling

Babies hooked on junk food in the womb

By Fiona Macrae

Mothers-to-be who gorge on junk food may be more likely to give birth to a child with a sweet tooth, research shows.

The study, one of the first of its kind, suggests that a mother's diet during pregnancy, and even when breastfeeding, can affect her unborn child's taste for foods.

Researchers warned that women who use pregnancy as an excuse to indulge in fatty foods when "eating for two" may be inadvertently putting their children at risk of obesity in later life.

The finding comes as Britain fights the worst weight problem in Europe with almost a quarter of adults classed as obese. Child obesity rates have trebled over the last 20 years, with 10 per cent of six-year-olds and 17 per cent of 15-year-olds now obese.

By 2050, half of all primary school-age boys and a fifth of girls could be so overweight that their health is at serious risk.

Experts have warned that unless the Government acts now, an entire generation faces an old age blighted by heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other diseases brought on by obesity, with today's children dying at a younger age than their parents.

The latest research suggests that some of the roots of obesity can be traced back to the first days of life, with exposure to fatty and salty foods in the womb and through breastmilk having long-lasting effects on the development of those parts of the brain that control appetite.

Dr Stephanie Bayol (CORR), the study's main author, said: "Our study has shown that eating large quantities of junk food when pregnant and breastfeeding could impair the normal control of appetite and promote an exacerbated taste for junk food in offspring.

"This could send the offspring on the road to obesity and make the task of teaching healthy eating habits in children even more challenging."

Dr Bayol, of the Royal Veterinary College in London, looked at the effect of maternal diet on the appetite and weight of more than 300 rat pups.

Half of the mother rats were fed normal rat food, while the others were also given unlimited access to junk foods, including jam doughnuts, chocolate chip muffins, marshmallows and chocolate.

The baby rats exposed to junk foods in the womb or through their mothers' milk were more likely to be overweight ten weeks after birth, the British Journal of Nutrition reports.

Further analysis showed these creature ate more junk food themselves, and were particularly fond of treats high in fat, sugar and salt - the nutrients thought to activate the brain regions responsible for making food taste good.

Dr Bayol, whose work was funded by the Wellcome Trust, said the finding could also explain why some people crave fatty and salty snacks more than others.

She said: "Exposure to a maternal junk food diet during their foetal and suckling life might help explain why some individuals might find it harder than others to control their junk food intake even when given access to healthier foods in later life."

Fellow researcher, Professor Neil Strickland, said it was important that women were made aware of the potential consequences of "eating for two".

He said: "The Government is trying to encourage healthier eating habits in schools, but our research shows that healthy eating habits need to start during the foetal and suckling life of an individual.

"Giving children better school dinners is very good but more needs to be done to raise awareness in pregnant and breastfeeding women as well.

"Future mothers should be aware that pregnancy and lactation are not the time to overindulge on fatty, sugary treats on the misguided assumption they are 'eating for two'."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

Image Copyrights: http://vita.e-gloryon.com/

How Eating at Home Can Save Your Life

By Mark Hyman, MD

The slow insidious displacement of home cooked and communally shared family meals by the industrial food system has fattened our nation and weakened our family ties. In 1900, 2 percent of meals were eaten outside the home. In 2010, 50 percent were eaten away from home and one in five breakfasts is from McDonald's. Most family meals happen about three times a week, last less than 20 minutes and are spent watching television or texting while each family member eats a different microwaved "food." More meals are eaten in the minivan than the kitchen.

Research shows that children who have regular meals with their parents do better in every way, from better grades, to healthier relationships, to staying out of trouble. They are 42 percent less likely to drink, 50 percent less likely to smoke and 66 percent less like to smoke marijuana. Regular family dinners protect girls from bulimia, anorexia, and diet pills. Family dinners also reduce the incidence of childhood obesity. In a study on household routines and obesity in U.S. preschool-aged children, it was shown that kids as young as four have a lower risk of obesity if they eat regular family dinners, have enough sleep, and don't watch TV on weekdays.

We complain of not having enough time to cook, but Americans spend more time watching cooking on the Food Network than actually preparing their own meals. In his series, "Food Revolution," Jamie Oliver showed us how we have raised a generation of Americans who can't recognize a single vegetable or fruit, and don't know how to cook.

The family dinner has been hijacked by the food industry. The transformations of the American home and meal outlined above did not happen by accident. Broccoli, peaches, almonds, kidney beans and other whole foods don't need a food ingredient label or bar code, but for some reason these foods -- the foods we co-evolved with over millennia -- had to be "improved" by Food Science. As a result, the processed-food industry and industrial agriculture has changed our diet, decade by decade, not by accident but by intention.

That we need nutritionists and doctors to teach us how to eat is a sad reflection of the state of society. These are things our grandparents knew without thinking twice about them. What foods to eat, how to prepare them, and an understanding of why you should share them in family and community have been embedded in cultural traditions since the dawn of human society.

One hundred years ago all we ate was local, organic food; grass-fed, real, whole food. There were no fast-food restaurants, there was no junk food, there was no frozen food -- there was just what your mother or grandmother made. Most meals were eaten at home. In the modern age that tradition, that knowledge, is being lost.

The sustainability of our planet, our health, and our food supply are inextricably linked. The ecology of eating -- the importance of what you put on your fork -- has never been more critical to our survival as a nation or as a species. The earth will survive our self-destruction. But we may not.

Common sense and scientific research lead us to the conclusion that if we want healthy bodies we must put the right raw materials in them: real; whole, local; fresh; unadulterated; unprocessed; and chemical-, hormone- and antibiotic-free food. There is no role for foreign molecules such as trans fats and high-fructose corn syrup, or for industrially developed and processed food that interferes with our biology at every level.

That is why I believe the most important and the most powerful tool you have to change your health and the world is your fork. Imagine an experiment -- let's call it a celebration: We call upon the people of the world to join together and celebrate food for one week. For one week or even one day, we all eat breakfast and dinner at home with our families or friends. For one week we all eat only real, whole, fresh food. Imagine for a moment the power of the fork to change the world.

The extraordinary thing is that we have the ability to move large corporations and create social change by our collective choices. We can reclaim the family dinner, reviving and renewing it. Doing so will help us learn how to find and prepare real food quickly and simply, teach our children by example how to connect, build security, safety and social skills, meal after meal, day after day, year after year.

Here are some tips that will help you take back the family dinner in your home starting today.

Reclaim Your Kitchen

Throw away any foods with high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated fats or sugar or fat as the first or second ingredient on the label. Fill your shelves with real fresh, whole, local foods when possible. And join a community support agriculture network to get a cheaper supply of fresh vegetables weekly or frequent farmers markets.

Reinstate the Family Dinner

Read Laurie David's "The Family Dinner". She suggests the following guidelines: Make a set dinnertime, no phones or texting during dinner, everyone eats the same meal, no television, only filtered or tap water, invite friends and family, everyone clean up together.

Eat Together

No matter how modest the meal, create a special place to sit down together, and set the table with care and respect. Savor the ritual of the table. Mealtime is a time for empathy and generosity, a time to nourish and communicate.

Learn How to Cook and Shop

You can make this a family activity, and it does not need to take a ton of time. Keep meals quick and simple.

Plant a Garden

This is the most nutritious, tastiest, environmentally friendly food you will ever eat.

Conserve, Compost and Recycle

Bring your own shopping bags to the market, recycle your paper, cans, bottles and plastic and start a compost bucket (and find where in your community you can share you goodies).

Invest in Food

As Alice Waters says, food is precious. We should treat it that way. Americans currently spend less than10 percent of their income on food, while most European's spend about 20 percent of their income on food. We will be more nourished by good food than by more stuff. And we will save ourselves much money and costs over our lifetime.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

Image Copyrights: http://chmag.ru/

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"Permaculture Trio" -- Forest Gardening, Edible Landscapes and Urban Permaculture

This Type of Exercise Can Actually Make You Smarter

By Dr. Mercola

Your brain can shrink up to 15 percent as you get older, and this size decrease is associated with dementia, poor memory and other mental health issues like depression.

But this shrinkage isn't inevitable. People with "healthy" brains are less likely to experience this loss in brain size, even if they're older.

What's one of the most important steps you can "take" to keep your brain healthy? Exercise!

Want to Get Smarter? Do This Often...

If you value your brainpower, you'll want to make certain that exercise is a regular part of your life.

Staying active with a variety of activities is best, as each type of exercise may offer unique benefits for your brain health and may even help your brain to grow as you get older, rather than shrink.

For instance, a review of more than 100 studies, published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, revealed that both aerobic and resistance training are important for maintaining cognitive and brain health in old age.

The lead researcher, Michelle Voss, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Iowa, noted multiple benefits of each.

As reported in the Los Angeles Times:

"Aerobic exercise improves ability to coordinate multiple things, long-term planning and your ability to stay on task for extended periods. Resistance training, which is much less studied than the aerobic side of things, "improves your ability to focus amid distracters."

... Voss explained that MRIs of people in their 60s showed increases in gray and white matter after just six months of exercise. This happens in the prefrontal and temporal lobes, sites that usually diminish with age. With exercise, Voss says, they grow.

Voss also explained that the hippocampus area of the brain, key for memory formation, shrinks 1% to 2% per year in those older than 60, but when people in this age group begin fitness regimens, it grows by 1% to 2% instead.  Beyond growing one's brain, exercise improves the ability of different parts of the brain to work together, Voss says."

Do You Want to Avoid Alzheimer's Disease?

According to one of the studies referenced above, moderate exercise can reverse normal brain shrinkage by 2 percent, effectively reversing age-related hippocampus degeneration by one to two years. Also according to the study, the people in the control group who didn't exercise saw an average of 1.4 percent decrease in hippocampus size.

Now listen up … when these researchers say the hippocampus region of the brain increases in size as a response to exercise, they are talking about a powerful tool to fight the onset of Alzheimer's disease. The hippocampus, which is considered the memory center of your brain, is the first region of your brain to suffer shrinkage and impairment at the onset of Alzheimer's disease, leading to memory problems and disorientation.

According to the research team:

"We demonstrate that loss of hippocampal volume in late adulthood is not inevitable and can be reversed with moderate-intensity exercise."

Other contributing factors to brain disease caused by the normal aging process may also include a decrease in blood flow to your brain, and the accumulation of environmental toxins in your brain. Exercise can help ameliorate both of these conditions by increasing blood flow to your brain, thereby increasing oxygen supply to your brain and encouraging a more vigorous release and removal of accumulated toxins through better blood circulation. Increased blood flow may also promote delivery of more of the nutrients necessary to keep your brain cells healthy in the first place.

This is Your Brain "on Exercise"

Exercise encourages your brain to work at optimum capacity by causing nerve cells to multiply, strengthening their interconnections and protecting them from damage. Animal tests have illustrated that during exercise their nerve cells release proteins known as neurotrophic factors. One in particular, called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), triggers numerous other chemicals that promote neural health, and has a direct benefit on brain functions, including learning. Further, exercise provides protective effects to your brain through:

The production of nerve-protecting compounds Greater blood flow to your brain Improved development and survival of neurons Decreased risk of cardiovascular diseases

A 2010 study on primates published in the journal Neuroscience also revealed that regular exercise not only improved blood flow to the brain, but also helped the monkeys learn new tasks twice as quickly as non-exercising monkeys -- a benefit the researchers believe would hold true for people as well.

Exercise Important for Kids' Brains Too

Many people don't think about their brain function until they start to lose it, i.e. when they begin to feel the hands of time start ticking away. But that is not to say that only those who are in their golden years can benefit. An extensive review of 14 studies, ranging in size from as few as 50 participants to as many as 12,000, demonstrated that the more physically active schoolchildren are, the better they do academically.

One test program not too far from our Chicago-area office at Naperville Central High School in Illinois illustrated this point in a powerful way two years ago. Students participated in a dynamic morning exercise program at the beginning of the day, and had access to exercise bikes and balls throughout the day in their classrooms. The results were astounding. Those who participated nearly doubled their reading scores, and their math scores increased 20-fold!

Research has also shown that after 30 minutes on the treadmill, students solve problems up to 10 percent more effectively. So it's important that you encourage your child to stay active after school and on weekends in order to reap the wonderful brain-boosting benefits that exercise has to offer. Even better, be a positive role model and stay active together as a family.

You Can Still Have a Life if You Exercise...

Many people sabotage their exercise efforts before they even begin because they tell themselves they're too busy. But here's the thing, you don't have to devote hours every day to stay in shape and get the health benefits exercise has to offer.

One of the best exercises available -- Peak Fitness -- takes just 20 minutes to complete. This is because it's a high-intensity exercise, alternating short bursts of activity with periods of rest in between, which gives you phenomenal results in a fraction of the time compared to traditional cardio workouts. There are no rules for the specific manner in which this is achieved—you could do this running in the backyard, or using a treadmill, elliptical machine, or recumbent bike – or you could do it bicycling outdoors. Here are the core principles:

Warm up for three minutes Then, go all out, as hard as you can for 30 seconds Recover at a moderate pace for 90 seconds Repeat 7 more times, for a total of 8 repetitions Cool down for a few minutes afterwards by cutting down your intensity by 50-80 percent

Peak Fitness should only be done a few times a week. So one day you might do a Peak Fitness interval type workout, the next day you might spend 45 minutes going through a strength-training routine. The next, you pop in a Pilates video before your morning shower, and then over the weekend maybe you don another Peak Fitness work out and head outside hiking with the kids or riding bikes around your neighborhood.

Your exercise program can and should conform to your lifestyle, and once you develop a solid routine, you'll find you look forward to and enjoy your exercise sessions all while reaping their massive rewards to your brain, and your overall, health. You simply won't want to stop as you know how good you feel when you exercise regularly. That my friends, is one of the best types of positive reinforcement known to man.

* * *

The NEW Peak Fitness Program

Dr. Al Sears first introduced me to his PACE concept but I always found his material too general and non specific and no information on the use of this exercise for growth hormone. I really started to understand this when I met Phil Campbell at a fitness camp earlier this year in Mexico. He wrote the book "Ready Set Go" which details how these exercises for super fast muscle fibers can increase growth hormone.

So that is the history and what we sought to do is to provide the material in a digestible format, just like we do with the medical news, to provide you with a simple to comprehend guide that can explode you into fitness and health. In addition the the peak cardio exercises promoted by Sears and Campbell, we are seeking to promote a holistic approach to exercise.

Peak fitness is a term I am coining to represent a comprehensive exercise program that includes far more than typical cardio training. The major change is that once or twice a week you do peak exercises, in which you raise your heart rate up to your anaerobic threshold for 20 to 30 seconds, and then you recover for 90 seconds.

You would repeat this cycle for a total of eight repetitions. These cycles are preceded by a three minute warm up and two minute cool down so the total time investment is about 20 minutes.

It has been my personal experience that using this approach is far more effective than traditional cardio for a number of reasons that I will describe below. I was able to use this to help me lose over ten pounds of body fat and get my percent body fat down to 12 percent, but my goal is single digits.

The intensity is absolutely individual. For some it may be as simple as fast walking alternating with slow walking.

You can improvise it into just about any type of exercise, and you really don't require a gym membership or any equipment to do it. If you do have access to equipment, using an elliptical or recumbent bike work really well.

One of my favorites is to use a recumbent bike. It is extremely challenging, and I enjoy that! This is the one I chose and am personally committed to, but the alternatives are almost limitless.

They key is to push your heart rate into that training zone for 30 seconds and then recover slowly for 90 seconds.

We call it "peak fitness" because if you graph your heart rate, you will see that it peaks 8 times during the workout.

http://fitness.mercola.com/

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Types of Exercise and Their Effect on Blood Glucose

Types of Exercise

Aerobic (with oxygen)

Uses large muscle groups Rhythmic activity lasting at least 20 minutes Intensity of heart rate at 60 percent to 85 percent of maximum Exercise frequency should be at least three times per week Activities such as walking, jogging, cycling, swimming and aerobic dancing Primary benefit is cardiovascular fitness Increases insulin sensitivity and can decrease daily insulin requirement

Resistance/Interval Training

Can be done to be achieve an aerobic effect Includes repeated exercise bouts interspersed with short recovery periods of light exercise The exercise interval lasts more than 60 seconds at an intensity of 70 to 80 percent of maximum heart rate The length of time of the rest/recovery interval is typically the same as that of the exercise interval. However, for people who are new to exercise, the rest interval time may be two to three times as long as the exercise interval time.

A resistance/interval training regimen involves:

Light to moderate weight training to condition the major muscle groups. Eight to 12 repetitions (one set) of eight to 10 exercises with rest periods in between. Multiple sets and/or varying repetitions may be done to get even greater benefit from the training regimen. An ideal training frequency of at least two to three times per week. Exercise whose primary benefit is muscle strength/endurance and cardiovascular fitness. However, for diabetics, studies have indicated that increased muscle mass can improve insulin sensitivity.

Anaerobic (without oxygen)

Exercise of short duration (lasting less than 60 seconds) that are of high intensity Used by athletes to improve athletic performance Examples include heavy weight lifting and sprinting

Flexiblity/Stetching Exercises

Flexibility and stretching exercises allow for range of motion at the joints of the musculoskeletal system.

Benefits:

Can allow for more efficient body movement Enhances muscular performance Aids in the prevention and treatment of musculoskeletal injuries

Components:

Includes exercises for all major muscle/tendon groups Requires at least four repetitions per muscle/tendon group Has a training frequency of at least of two to three days per week Is conducted following aerobic phase of exercise when muscles and joints are warm

Warm-up and Cooldown

Warm-up (5 to 10 minutes)

Prepares your muscles and joints for exercise while safely raising your pulse toward your target heart rate.

Cool-down (5 to 10 minutes)

Allows your heart rate to slow down gradually and prevents blood from pooling in your legs. This can prevent dizziness.

Caution:
Unlike aerobic endurance exercise, weight or resistance training does not lower blood pressure and may not be recommended for people who have hypertension (high blood pressure), heart disease or diabetic autonomic neuropathy (a common diabetes complication). Ask your doctor if you can safely participate in an exercise program before you begin.

Types of Exercise and Their Effect on Blood Glucose

Aerobic

Mild exercise, such as walking or golfing, uses energy primarily from fats rather than glucose (sugar). Therefore, mild exercise will have less effect on lowering blood glucose levels than more strenuous activities. Strenuous exercise, such as running at a fast pace, uses a much greater percentage of calories from glucose. The more glucose that is used for energy, the greater the drop in blood sugar. Duration of exercise also influences how much carbohydrate (glucose) is used for energy. The longer the exercise period lasts the more likely it is that blood sugar will drop.

Anaerobic

During short periods of anaerobic exercise, blood glucose levels can rise despite insulin levels that appear adequate. This may occur because glucose is being mobilized from storage to supply fuel to exercising muscles. This can overwhelm the ability of available insulin to regulate blood glucose levels, and as a result, blood sugar may increase. If this occurs, check with your doctor or diabetes educator for specific instructions on insulin adjustments.

Effect of Stress Hormones At the beginning of a competitive aerobic event, rising stress hormone levels can cause a very rapid release of stored glucose into the bloodstream. As mentioned above, because a diabetic's body has an inadequate supply of insulin, it is unable to transfer this glucose into exercising muscle rapidly enough to prevent blood sugar levels from rising. If you feel nervous and/or excited before a competitive aerobic event, remember that these emotions could affect your blood sugar.

Mild versus Strenuous Exercise 1

At rest we burn free fatty acids as our primary fuel source. Depending on how fit we are, even with mild activity, such as walking or golfing, the majority of energy is obtained from fat rather than carbohydrate (glucose). Therefore, the effect of these activities on the lowering of blood glucose levels can be small. On the other hand, performing an exercise more intensely, such as running at a strenuous pace, can cause up to 80 percent of energy to be generated from carbohydrate sources. As a result, blood glucose can drop significantly.

Duration of Exercise 2

The length of an activity also has a significant influence on how much carbohydrate is burned for energy. The longer the duration, the more likely it is that the blood glucose will drop. For example, a walk lasting 30 minutes will drop blood glucose levels less than one lasting 60 minutes. However, once the duration of an activity lasts more than 40 to 60 minutes, the body begins switching from a carbohydrate burning mode to a fat burning mode. This is because there is only a limited supply of glucose in the bloodstream and what is available as the stored form of glucose in muscles (glycogen) is less accessible to the body. Fat storage, on the other hand, is available in large supply. Even though relatively strenuous exercise can use up to 80 percent of its fuel from carbohydrate, after three hours, energy is balanced equally between carbohydrate and fat. After six hours of exercise, the body obtains almost 80 percent of its fuel from fat stores.

Described above is what occurs when a person without diabetes exercises and the pancreas automatically decreases its secretion of insulin. However, in the setting of diabetes, this will not happen unless insulin doses are reduced. Otherwise, the body will be incapable of accessing its fat and glycogen stores for energy, and glucose will continue as the body's primary fuel source.

Consequently, a diabetic must eat or drink something containing carbohydrates to keep up with the energy requirement of continuing exercise. For lengthy exercise, it is unrealistic to consume enough carbohydrate to make up for the body's needs. Therefore, a diabetic must reduce insulin when participating in longer duration activities to prevent both low blood sugar and the need to eat or drink unreasonable quantities of carbohydrate without feeling ill effects.

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Exercise Improved Blood Sugar Control

Microclimates
Observing natural microclimates and creating microclimates

by Shantree Kacera, D.N., Ph.D.

What is a Microclimate?

A microclimate is an area that due to its situation in the landscape may be warmer or colder, drier or wetter than the rest of the property. It is a play of the elements: air, sun, water, earth and space. It is basically a local atmospheric zone where the climate differs from the surrounding area. This may refer to areas as small as a few square meters (for example a corner of your garden) or as large as many square kilometers (for example a valley).

By understanding the theory behind microclimates you can often grow plants that are normally tender in your zone. You may even be able to grow those plants that need a bit more chilling than your climate naturally provides.

If your garden is more than a few years old, you may find yourself taking up plants and moving them to areas you think they’ll thrive better. Experimenting with and observing your plants will teach you about your land’s unique variations in soil moisture, light, and soil acidity. You can use this knowledge to assemble communities of plants that are well adapted to your garden’s microclimates.

For garden microclimates, think of moisture and shade. Using just these two factors can show you how to make a microclimate work in your garden. Each of the following is an example of a microclimate:

Dry Soil/Lots of Sun:

Plant drought tolerant plants. It is a great spot for a Mediterranean herb garden.

Dry Soil/Shade:

This is usually found under large trees. These areas may be cooler than the surrounding areas making them ideal for cool weather plants that wither in the sun.

Moist Soil/Lots of Sun:

Here's the spot for a water garden or bog garden. Plant anything that doesn't mind wet feet.

Moist Soil/Shade:

A woodland community. This is the perfect place for wild ginger, wild leeks, ginseng, goldenseal, black cohosh, blue cohosh, etc. For all those shade loving plants that love having their feet wet.

Temperatures Patterns of Light Humidity Distribution Air Circulation Soil pH & Structure

1)Temperature

We all too rarely think about temperature in terms of what plants we can grow. The key fact is that when the thermometer says it is 20 degrees outside, it is 20 degrees at the thermometer. But that doesn’t mean that it is 20 (°C) degrees everywhere in your garden. Take that thermometer over to a shady spot and see what it says. Sunny spots are called hot spots and almost invariably have the highest temperatures. This is usually where cats like to lie around.

We also know that hot air rises - but usually only think about that in terms of indoor heat and hot-air balloons. But it is also true outdoors. If your land slopes, like mine does, then if you carried that thermometer around the yard you would discover that the higher the rise, the warmer the temperature. In the dips and valleys temperatures are slightly cooler. So, the more tender the plant the higher it needs to be and the more sun or reflected heat it needs. If you try growing it in a dip in your garden - probably a frost pocket – well, you know what that means.

2) Patterns of Light

A microclimate is also affected by the amount of sunlight an area receives. Areas that get little or no sun tend to be cooler than those that receive a great deal of sun. Many factors can affect the amount of sun an area receives, including the following: buildings, soil mounds, walls, fences, trees and other vegetation.

Shady areas tend to hold moisture for longer periods of time and are consistently cooler than the sunny areas of your garden.

Some of these elements create different amounts of shade seasonally. Trees lose their leaves and suddenly an area gets more sunlight than it did in summer. In winter the shadows are longer and the days are shorter because the angle of the sun is lower (about 30 degrees) than in summer when it is at the higher angle of about 75 degrees.

So, when we take these various factors into account, the slopes that face south or southwest are warmer than those facing north or northeast. This is because they will receive the sun most directly - but they stay warm because, as we saw above, heat rises while the cooler air literally slides down the slope and settles at the lowest point.

A south facing built-up soil mound or stonewall (perhaps about 2 meters high) can absorb the heat and light of the sun during the day and then slowly release the heat at night. If this same area is protected from winds it can actually be a microclimate as much as 10 (°C) degrees higher than in other spots in your garden!

Conversely, plants that languish in the hot summer can survive happily in a shadier place with more humidity and slightly damper soil.

You can somewhat adjust the amount of light and heat a wall may create with the colors that you use on them. Keep in mind that white reflects heat back at the plants while black absorbs the heat.

One way to create a warm microclimate for early spring or late fall is to put shade trees on the northern side of your garden. This will increase the amount of heat you get from the sun, by absorbing the heat during the day and then emitting it at night.

3) Humidity Distribution

Water also affects the amount of heat or cold in an area. The presence of larger bodies of water nearby – such as the great lakes - creates a more moderate climate. But even a small pond can affect the temperature of a portion of the garden to a small degree. The lake or pond sends moisture out into the air. That water vapor acts a bit like a miniature greenhouse effect as it traps the infrared radiation reflected from the earth.

As long as there is vapor in the air then, we are getting those reflected infrared rays. The air that takes on moisture from your pond is literally trapping heat. So plants near your pond will enjoy some extra humidity during the day - and if you get out that thermometer again you may find that during the day the temperatures there are warmer. This explains why I am able to grow pecans, peaches, apricots and almonds (supposedly not that hardy in this region of southwestern Ontario) next to our large pond. Plants also release humidity into the air. In your garden you can take advantage of that by putting drought tolerant plants at the edge of a grouping and those that need a higher humidity in the center of the bed. That way the plants that need more moisture will benefit from that released by the drought tolerant plants that surround it.

4) Air Circulation

As mentioned, hot air rises, which means the reverse is also true - cold air sinks. Look around your garden early one spring morning or late autumn and see which areas have frost on the lawn. They are probably all the depressions in the land. It is easy to see that wherever the ground slopes downward will most likely be frosty - whereas the high points are quite frost free. The point being: plants that need heat belong on higher ground. Wind is another factor that affects the microclimate. Plants that are sheltered from winter winds survive better than those that are right out there getting the brunt of them.

Plant trees or shrubs in areas that get high winds if you need to create an area that is safe for those tender plants. We can grow persimmons and almonds that are allegedly only marginally hardy in zone 7 and they are quite happy in our zone 6 garden. We are growing them between a windbreak and a hedge of tall evergreen trees – and they are planted at what is the highest elevation on our property. They flourish for us because of the protection from wind as well as the heat and light reflected from the soil mound we have been creating over the years.

5) Soil pH & Soil Structure

Soil acidity is measured on the pH scale. A lower number equals higher acidity, and because the scale is logarithmic, each number is ten times more acidic than the number above it. Neutral pH is 7, and plants vary in their tastes and tolerances. Many traditional garden plants thrive the best with a soil pH between 6.5 to 7.0. You can learn the pH of your soil using testing kits that are easily found at garden centres. Check the pH of the soil in several different areas of the land, as it can vary considerably. Soil acidity is influenced by local sources of acidity (like many evergreens) or alkalinity (such as limestone). Though there are many naturally occurring substances that you can use to change your soil’s acidity, you can avoid a never-ending battle against your garden’s characteristics by choosing plants that will enjoy the soil your garden offers.

Learning about the structure of your soil will also help indicate which plants will prosper. Soil structure can be determined by how it feels between your fingers. Sandy soil will crumb easily, clay will hold together like a ball when slightly moist. The majority of plants will thrive in a loamy black soil. Loam is a rich soil consisting of a mixture of sand and clay and decaying organic materials. It is quite high in nutrients to grow healthy plants.

"You can fix all the world's problems, in a garden. You can solve them all in a garden" Geoff Lawton, PDC Designer, Teacher

Take a look around your garden at the areas described above. What is a characteristic of microclimates that you can modify or enhance? Can you build a rock garden in that dry sunny place? Large rocks or boulders absorb heat during the day and release it at night. They can be used to block the wind. A plant from one zone warmer might be able to thrive in such a place.

Choose plants that might benefit from creating microclimates in small pockets of your garden. You might extend your growing season by planting frost tender plants on the south side of your house using the sun and shelter of the building, or by creating a microclimate earth mound for them. With a little time and thought, you can figure out how to make a microclimate work for you and your garden. Here are 12 basic steps to help you create a microclimate oasis.

Step 1 Garden Layout

Know exactly where the sun is in your garden, morning and evening, and in different seasons.

Step 2 Elevation

Exactly where your garden is on a hill affects levels of temperature, light, and wind.

Step 3 Soil ph & Structure

Soil types react with climate in various ways. Structure can be modified to affect microclimate.

Step 4 Plants

Choose plants from climates and habitats similar to your own garden for lower maintenance and good success rates with plants.

Step 5 Location

Use your house walls, soil mounds, garden walls and fences to best advantage when choosing plants.

Step 6 Wind

Plan to baffle, filter and drain rather than contain wind.

Step 7 Heat

Make use of available storage heaters in your garden – soil mounds, patios, buildings and walls.

Step 8 Cold

Position kitchen gardens so that they receive sun to warm up the soil early in the season, avoiding frost pockets.

Step 9 Planting for Hot and Cold

Use plants from hotter climates in warm south facing areas and near hot spots.

Step 10 Work with What You Got

Take advantage of what you already have, use the resources at hand.

Step 11 Be Curious!

Nothing happens or changes unless you are truly interested.

Step 12 Have Fun!!!

Without this step the ones above become abandoned.

Remember: The first and last principle is observation. By looking closely you can find those small microclimate pockets in your garden.

Forest gardening and microclimates

"Forest Gardening is seeing through the eyes of an ecologist." Forest Gardening: Roots of Regeneration

The beauty with 3-dimensional forest gardening is that you can easily distinguish three microclimate zones: a sunny spot, a forest edge and under the shade of a tree.

Like natural forests, a forest garden can integrate some clearings with many edges where there is enough light for growing most vegetable crops. It will also use the space efficiently by having plants growing at all the layers such as:

Canopy: larger fruit or nut trees.

Small trees: semi-dwarf varieties of fruit trees or other smaller food producing trees.

Shrubs: may be fruits and nuts on dwarfing rootstocks, bush fruit such as currants, gooseberries, etc.

Herbaceous perennials: such as herbs, flowers, insectary plants, nutrient accumulators.

Ground covers: may be creeping plants such as creepy thyme, strawberries.

Vertical layer: may be climbing berries, kiwis, vine crops.

Rhizosphere: can be used for shade-tolerant root crops such as daikon, horseradish and many bulbs.

Epiphyte layer: such as mosses and lichens that grow on trees that can be harvested and used as mulch or craft material.

The concept of forest gardening is to design a system that uses a diversity of plants to produce food and other products in a sustainable way. Such a system is resilient in the face of climate irregularities and pests and diseases, utilizes growing space to a maximum, benefits the environment by reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide, and provides other less tangible, moral and spiritual benefits. When creating a forest garden, you are creating a diversity of microclimates for a wide variety of plants, while also creating a resilient garden for the future.

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Plant an Edible Forest Garden

Harvey Ussery

Make your garden more productive by learning how to mimic a natural forest.

Are you feeling adventurous? Do you want to delve deeper into gardening? Even better, are you thinking of planting an orchard? If so, consider starting a forest garden. With a little planning, you can grow a productive forest garden, full of plants that work together in imitation of a natural forest.

I'm convinced that imitating natural systems is fundamental to any successful effort to raise food. The idea behind forest gardening is that natural forests produce an abundance of food. People the world over have harvested food from the forest, reaping where they did not sow. Forest gardeners imitate the forest's natural structure to take advantage of this abundance, but they increase yields even further through careful planning and management. The result is a productive fusion of garden, orchard and woodland.

I've been exploring the idea of forest gardening for several years, and have recently begun to try it on my own homestead. But before looking at my forest gardening efforts, let's consider in more detail how a forest garden works.

A GARDEN OF PERENNIALS

One of the main differences between a forest garden and the typical food garden is that forest gardens rely on perennials. Most vegetable gardens include mainly annuals — such as tomatoes, lettuce or radishes.

To understand the difference this makes, consider the role of annual plants in nature. Annuals colonize and cover disturbed ground, because theirs is a high-energy, in-a-hurry lifestyle. In a single season, an annual sprouts from seed, grows to maturity, ripens fruits and seeds, then dies.

Because of the speed and fecundity of the annuals' lifestyle, they are able to cover patches of bare ground quickly. This energy intensive lifestyle is only possible in full sun — in shade, most annuals will not receive sufficient power for their task. Over time, however, as the annuals protect and build the soil of the disturbed area, they give way to perennials, and these are the plants we want to establish in a forest garden.

Most gardeners are used to a fair amount of disturbance and change in their gardens, from tillage, crop rotation, and so on. In contrast, a natural forest tends to maintain its character over time, and resists rapid change. Changes in plant species do happen in a forest, but they usually take place very slowly. The goal of the forest gardener is to follow these patterns and establish a perennial polyculture from which food is harvested with minimal disturbance.

LAYERS OF THE FOREST

Several groups of perennials form a natural forest. The biggest are the trees, which need the full light of the sun to thrive and support their massive growth. To get that sunlight, they grow high and wide, forming a canopy of leaves to soak up the sun. On the other hand, shrubs have learned how to thrive in the shade of the canopy, where there is less light. Intermediate between these two classes of plants are the vines, growing in the shade but reaching for the full light of the canopy.

Finally, there are the ground plants that cover the forest floor, and like the shrubs, these plants have learned how to live in the canopy's shade. In a natural forest, these perennials eventually take over the annuals' duty of keeping the ground covered, but they're a good deal more conservative in their lifestyle. They have a slower growth rate than the annuals and different strategies for reproducing. For example, they may store energy in their roots to avoid having to start anew from seed in the spring.

Many natural forests fit this pattern, and with judicious selection, we can design gardens that provide the same thing: a compatible, mutually supportive community of food-bearing plants in all three layers. That is the forest garden.

PLANTS THAT WORK TOGETHER

Some plants in a forest garden produce food in the form of nuts and fruits, while the herbaceous plants often have edible stems, leaves or shoots. Many of these plants also provide food and shelter to insects, amphibians and birds. This balance of predator and prey species imitates a natural forest community. However, not all the plants in our forest garden are intended to produce food for us, or even for wildlife. Some might be chosen for their ability to boost soil fertility.

Among the fertility boosting plants are dynamic accumulators — plants such as comfrey with roots that grow deep into the subsoil, "mining" minerals that otherwise would never be tapped, and making them available to shallow-rooted plants.

Other fertility boosting plants are nitrogen fixers. The roots of these plants associate with rhizobial bacteria — a partnership that benefits both the bacteria and the host plant, and that provides a nitrogen boost for other plants in the community as well.

Plants in all three layers of the forest garden can serve as dynamic accumulators or nitrogen fixers. For example, a few excellent dynamic accumulators include black locust trees, flowering dogwoods at the shrub level, and comfrey and dandelions at ground level. Nitrogen fixers include alder and black locust trees; in the shrub layer, bayberry and acacias; and in the herbaceous layer, vetches and perennial clovers.

CHOOSE A STRATEGY

An established forest garden can be very low-maintenance, but it requires a lot of planning before you get started. The best approach to begin a forest garden depends on your individual preferences and circumstances. It's possible to "start from scratch" — say with a plot of grass sod — and assemble the forest garden as an interlocking set of plantings in all three layers. This option offers the greatest flexibility, and the widest choices of species, design and strategies.

At the other extreme, you might start with an existing plot of woodland, and clear strategic areas to make way for new plantings. This must be approached with care and respect, since cutting down a tree is a serious matter that can't be undone.

In either case, extensive planning is the key: Making changes to the layout of a vegetable or herb bed is easily done, and even most shrubs can be moved, if done so with care. But once a large tree is established, moving it is not an option.

Another approach to creating a forest garden is to start with an existing orchard and add plantings. Imagine a typical orchard: fruit trees at their required spacing over a ground cover of grass. Unless we go back to the historical practice of grazing sheep on the grass, the only harvest from the orchard will be its fruit.

Now imagine that between the fruit trees we "shoehorn" in various shrubs that will produce fruits, berries and nuts in the shade of their taller brothers and sisters. Further, we might replace the grass cover with herbaceous plants that produce food, medicine, or other benefits, such as feeding wildlife and beneficial insects, or increasing soil fertility.

Plants that grow in the shade are an essential part of a forest garden, but there is also room for plants requiring full sun — you can simply place them along the edges of your forest garden.

It is much easier to work with your site and climate, rather than fighting them. For example, if a desirable fruit such as peaches would require a lot of spraying in your area, it might be wiser to forego the peaches and explore alternative fruits that are naturally disease-resistant in your climate. But whatever you choose to plant, the well-designed forest garden offers a much greater potential yield than that from the conventional orchard, in the same space.

PREPARE TO PLANT!

Most forest gardens will need to be started on sites with an existing ground cover. Don't till to destroy an established cover if you can avoid it — it's very disruptive to soil life.

A better option is to begin with a "kill mulch." Start by laying down a smothering layer of organic matter such as newspaper or cardboard, then cover thickly with grass clippings or leaves. Under so much mulch, the existing sod dies, but rather than damaging the web of soil life, the soil is given a big boost by the rapid breakdown of the dying sod. It's now possible to open up holes in the kill mulch and put in new plants there.

MY TWO SMALL FOREST GARDENS

From the beginning, I've thought of the forest garden as quite a flexible concept. If you start with any part of your homestead and turn it into a more complex, multifunctional polyculture, you have created a forest garden, however small the scale. I've started two of these small-scale forest gardens on my own homestead.

For two decades, I've managed my poultry flocks on our one acre of pasture. Then, last year, I decided to make this model a bit more interesting: I planted two mulberries and three chestnut trees on the pasture, and put in comfrey as ground cover under the trees.

Even this small step toward making a forest garden provides some remarkable benefits. First, we'll have the mulberries and the chestnuts from the trees. Also, as the trees grow, they'll provide shade for my chickens, ducks and geese, who also will eat the comfrey and the dropped fruit from the mulberries. One of the biggest challenges to growing chestnuts is dealing with chestnut weevils, but my sharp-eyed birds will help me keep their numbers down. And the comfrey not only feeds the poultry, it also makes the soil more fertile.

I'm also experimenting with opening up an existing bit of woodland to forest garden by planting nine nut trees, which arrived as I write this! They consist of two black walnuts, a shagbark and a shellbark hickory, two pecans, a hican (hybrid between hickory and pecan), a heartnut and a Carpathian walnut. Many of the nut trees are quite large, so to make room for them I'll have to cut some swaths into my woods' edges. Because there are already established wild hickories and black walnuts in my woods, I am confident that grafted cultivars of these related species should do well here.

One part of our woods tends to stay moist. Last year I transplanted ramps (wild leeks) into this space, and this spring made it obvious they like their new environs. Despite an earlier failure with ginseng and goldenseal elsewhere on our property, I'll try planting them again this year in this new location. Along the edges of this forest area we have planted many brambles — including wineberries and black cap raspberries.

I'm excited about the potential for using mushroom species in the forest garden for both edible and medicinal varieties, and to speed the decomposition of thinned trees. I inoculate the occasional hardwood tree I cut down with spawn for shiitake mushrooms, a fine edible species. This year I have "plugged" hardwood logs and stumps with reishi spawn (Ganoderma lucidum, highly prized in Asia as a medicinal), turkey tail (Trametes versicolor, medicinal) and lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus, edible).

I'm also experimenting with two other edible mushroom species to speed decomposition of wood debris in the edges of our woods: blewitts (Lepista nuda) and king stropharia (Stropharia rugoso annulata, also known as wine cap stropharia). For more on the exciting uses of mushrooms as decomposers, edibles, medicinals and for bioremediation, I highly recommend Mycelium Running, the latest book by Paul Stamets (Ten Speed Press, 2005).

A LARGER PROJECT: CONVERTING AN ORCHARD

My main forest gardening project is to convert our existing orchard to forest garden. At the beginning, I had 20 trees: apples, plums, pears, kaki persimmons, paw paws, cherries, juneberries and mulberries.

At the start of the growing season last year, I put heavy kill mulches over as much of the orchard as I could manage. Then, in the spaces between the existing fruit trees, I planted another 20 trees and shrubs, including cherry, elderberry, Asian pears and hazelnut trees, as well as jujubes, gooseberries, currants, two bush cherries, two Nanking cherries and one che (melon tree).

All of these are plants that do well in my climate. As I mentioned earlier, I think it's wiser to forego fruits and other crop plants that do not thrive in your region without extensive spraying or other major interventions. In my case that has meant ripping out the four peach trees I had nurtured for years, while harvesting only a dozen ripe peaches for all my pains.

So far, my main effort at ground-level plantings has been to use mulch to kill the existing grass sod and make way for a more complex herbaceous cover. I've started to establish a few permanent plantings, including a great deal of comfrey directly under my established fruit trees. I harvest this high-protein, mineral-rich plant in large quantities to feed my poultry and the worms in my vermiculture bins, as well as for mulches and composting.

Last spring I also started skirret (Sium sisarum), a perennial with an edible root whose flavor resembles parsnip. Other edible perennials I established last year were perennial bunching onions, garlic chives, violets (both flowers and leaves are edible) and sorrel. I planted a variety of other culinary and medicinal herbs, as well as some small fruits at ground level: cranberry, lingonberry and wintergreen.

There are several plants I formerly considered "weeds" that I have also welcomed into our forest garden. Dandelion and yellow dock (Rumex crispus) are both excellent dynamic accumulators, and they also furnish nutritious greens for our poultry. (Dandelion makes excellent "people food" as well.)

I also now allow upland or field cress (Barbarea verna) to grow anywhere it volunteers — its leaves make a delicious and nutritious potherb. Burdock (Arctium lappa) furnishes edible roots and stems, and is also known to be an excellent detoxifier. Poke is a beautiful plant whose (very short, early) shoots make an excellent cooked "spring salad." This spring, I also sowed mixed clovers (for soil fertility and insect habitat) and mixed crucifers (to enhance beneficial insect populations) in the areas of the forest garden where I killed the sod with mulches last year. This mix will be the main cover in these areas until replaced with other perennial plantings.

I've mentioned numerous fruit, shrub and perennial ground plants well suited to a forest garden, but believe me, we've barely scratched the surface of the many possibilities for crops you could plant!

To me, forest gardening is exciting not only because it promises to increase food yield, but because it offers a deeper connection to the natural world. Those of us who are gardeners usually work with such a "tame" version of nature that we forget we're part of a much larger and more complex "garden" that we can cooperate with, but cannot control. The forest garden merges the cultivated and the wild; offering food not only for the body, but for the eye and the soul. It can be the place where the Garden of Eden meets the Sacred Grove.

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"Permaculture Trio" - Forest Gardening, Edible Landscapes & Urban Permaculture

Are Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs Dangerous?

by John Matson

Compact fluorescent lightbulbs contain a minuscule amount of mercury, and you can't safely ignore potential contact with it.

Lightbulbs break all the time. So why would a single broken bulb in a Maine household trigger the state's Department of Environmental Protection to refer the homeowner to a decontaminator?

The answer lies in the type of bulb that broke—a compact fluorescent lightbulb—and what was inside that bulb. Compact fluorescents, like their tubular fluorescent precursors, contain a small amount of mercury—typically around five milligrams. Mercury is essential to a fluorescent bulb's ability to emit light; no other element has proved as efficient.

As effective as it is at enabling white light, however, mercury—sometimes called quicksilver—is also highly toxic. It is especially harmful to the brains of both fetuses and children. That's why officials have curtailed or banned its use in applications from thermometers to automotive and thermostat switches. (A single thermostat switch, still common in many homes, may contain 3,000 milligrams (0.1 ounce) of mercury, or as much as 600 compact fluorescents.)

The problem comes when a bulb breaks. Mercury escapes as vapor that can be inhaled and as a fine powder that can settle into carpet and other textiles. At least one case of mercury poisoning has been linked to fluorescents: A 1987 article in Pediatrics describes a 23-month-old who suffered weight loss and severe rashes after a carton of eight-foot (2.4-meter) tubular bulbs broke in a play area.

State and federal government agencies say that breakages, though deserving of caution, can usually be cleaned up inexpensively with household goods. (In the Maine case, the state acknowledges providing the referral but insists the homeowner was informed that such a step was unnecessary.)

Jim Berlow, director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Hazardous Waste Minimization and Management Division, recommends starting by opening the windows and stepping outside. "Any problems at all frequently are handled for the most part by quickly ventilating the room," he says. "Get all the people and pets out of the room for 15 minutes and let the room air out. If you have a central heating system or an HVAC [heating, ventilating and air-conditioning] system, you don't want it sucking the fumes around, so shut that down."

The important thing is not to touch the heavy metal. After airing out the room, the larger pieces of the bulb should be scooped off hard surfaces with stiff paper or cardboard or picked up off carpeted surfaces with gloves to avoid contact. Use sticky tape or duct tape to pick up smaller fragments; then, on hard surfaces, wipe down the area with a damp paper towel or a wet wipe. All materials should be placed in a sealable plastic bag or, even better, in a glass jar with a metal lid.

"If it gets in the jar, that's pretty good containment," Berlow states. "We've found that the plastic bags actually don't contain any mercury fumes, so absolutely, if you've got the plastic bag, get it outside when you're done." Vacuums or brooms should generally be avoided, as they can spread mercury to other parts of the house.

Intact bulbs can be a headache to dispose of, too. In many locales it is illegal to throw fluorescents out with regular garbage, but the closest recycling or take-back facility may be miles away. (And, given the number of bottles and cans that end up in landfills despite the prevalence of curbside recycling programs, it seems likely that any barrier to recycling will make for relatively low reclamation rates; in 2004 the Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers estimated a residential mercury bulb recycling rate of 2 percent.) Many municipal waste facilities and some vendors accept fluorescents; the EPA and Earth 911 maintain online directories of collection sites. Among major retailers of fluorescents, IKEA offers to take back compact fluorescent bulbs in its stores free of charge.

"Our first preference is not to see them go into landfills," Berlow says. "Recycling really closes the loop on this as best we can right now. But on the other hand, we also don't see huge risks from them going into landfills, either."

And compact fluorescent bulbs actually reduce the mercury pollution from the single largest U.S. source: coal-fired power plants. "Probably the most important thing that people need to connect with compact fluorescents is that they save significant quantities of energy," Berlow adds. "We're talking about two thirds to three quarters of the energy associated with lighting being reduced."

James Dakin, senior consulting engineer at GE Lighting in Cleveland, says that a mercury-free lighting replacement may be in the works: light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are advancing rapidly. "LEDs are perhaps the most promising mercury-free alternative," he says, "but they currently fall far short in the overall efficiency/color/cost trade-off."

But for as long as fluorescents reign, don't look for a mercury phaseout. "Lots of other atoms and molecules have been investigated," Dakin explains, "but nobody has found anything as practical and efficient as mercury."

http://www.scientificamerican.com/
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Why Is LED Lighting Considered A Safer Alternative?

by William Penworthy

LED lighting has become increasingly popular within both businesses and homes, and there are many reasons why LED bulbs can be seen as preferable over traditional bulbs, including filaments, halogen bulbs and the new, low energy compact fluorescent lights, or CFLs as they are called. One of the words frequently associated with LED lighting is ‘safe’, and certainly the use of LED bulbs does offer a safer alternative to many other forms of lighting. But what is it about an LED light which makes it a safer alternative, and are there any drawbacks to consider when switching to LED light solutions?

For many years most of us have been used to using filament bulbs, and the recent legislation which has ruled that filament bulbs should no longer be sold has led to a number of people looking for alternatives, and not always liking what they see. The initiative has been designed to encourage people to buy CFLs, as these are low energy bulbs, helping to lower the impact on the environment. However, there are a number of drawbacks with using CFLs, and these negative issues have caused a great many people to express concerns. In such cases, LED lighting may well help to solve these problems, managing to reduce the impact on the environment whilst at the same time not causing the problems which CFLs can generate. So what is it that makes LED bulbs safer and more preferable when compared to compact fluorescent lights?

The first argument against CFLs is that they take too long to become fully illuminated. For a long time we have been used to being able to flick a switch, and have a light come on immediately, lighting up the room, cupboard or stairs fully. Because of the way they work, CFLs can take many minutes to reach full brightness, meaning that the area is dim and poorly lit for some time. This might be acceptable in rooms where no immediate need for light is necessary, but the light will be kept on for a long time. However, in many cases immediate light at full brightness is required. If you are looking in a cupboard, you need brightness immediately. Similarly, for dark passages or stairs, poor lighting can be the direct cause of accidents and injuries.

LED lighting works differently, and provides focused lighting immediately, at full brightness. There is no period of warming up - the light is crisp, bright and immediate, providing full illumination for cupboards, stairs, and other areas where immediate lighting is required. This in itself provides a much safer alternative, particularly in key areas. Because LED bulbs provide a focused light, the beam can light up key areas more fully and more effectively than CFLs, which diffuse light in a 360 degree radius. With more light focused where you need it, and reaching full illumination immediately, it’s clear to see why many people are switching to LED lighting as a safer and more efficient alternative.

However, there is another issue relating to CFLs, and that relates to the strobe effect. Not everyone is conscious of the strobe effect caused by CFLs, but as with any fluorescent light, there is a constant flicker. For those using computer monitors this can create a distracting strobe effect on the screen, causing ripples or waves to appear to glide up the screen. More seriously, however, is the fact that the strobe effect from CFLs can trigger unwanted side effects in a number of people, from epileptic seizures to headaches and nausea. LED lighting uses an entirely different technology, resulting in a completely flicker free form of lighting. LED bulbs do not flicker or strobe, meaning that for those with conditions which may be triggered by rapid strobing of fluorescent lighting, either at work or in the home, they represent a much safer and healthier option.

Yet another issue concerning CFLs is their manufacture. A compact fluorescent light contains several dangerous compounds, including phosphor and mercury, both of which are extremely dangerous to the health of people and pets. Quite apart from the danger of the glass, if a CFL breaks you are advised to vacate the area immediately, and only return after a period of venting, and even then, only with safety equipment. LED lighting is completely safe, incorporating no chemicals substances and presenting no danger to the health of people or animals. With no glass to break, LED bulbs are not only completely safe, they are also fully recyclable, making them a safer and healthier alternative for both the home and for business.

http://www.alternativeenergybase.com/
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The antiparasitic properties of Cedar Nut Oil enriched with Cedar Resin

Siberian Cedar Resin

Scientists have revealed that cedar nut oil enriched with cedar resin is an excellent antiparasitic agent. In the electronic testing of food products with regard to their antiparasitic effect, 46 types of edible and aromatic oils were examined. The testing demonstrated that cedar nut oil enriched with cedar resin possesses elevated antiparasitic properties. Here, then, lies the secret of its cleansing, regenerative, and medicinal effect.

Over the past twenty years, scientists have conducted a large number of studies and have ascertained that the cause of many serious illnesses (including cancer) are parasites. There exist more than 40 types of parasites that take up residence in the human body: in the intestines, liver, lungs, reproductive organs, beneath the skin, etc. The parasites suck out fluids, poison the blood, and suppress immunity. As a result, a person develops diseases that lend themselves to treatment only with difficulty: migraines, chronic tonsillitis, bronchitis and acute respiratory infections, poor cardiac health, diseases of the liver and kidneys, ulcers of the stomach and intestine, diabetes mellitus, obesity, schizophrenia and epilepsy, suicidal tendencies, and others.

Cedar nut oil enriched with cedar resin kills parasites while not traumatizing the liver and, to the contrary, restoring a person’s health potential.

Cedar resin is a most powerful antiseptic. The data from medical studies indicates that, when cedar nut oil enriched with cedar resin is ingested, there is an increase in the blood of the content of phagocytes, which destroy viruses and foreign pathogens, including parasites. The composition of cedar resin includes terpenes and essential oils—biologically active substances that have antimicrobial, bactericidal, anti-inflammatory, and antiparasitic properties. It is these biological substances that give the resin its bitter taste. The bitterness of the resin, in its turn, stimulates the action of the spleen, which receives and renews old blood. Besides that, it manufactures a special microflora that has a destructive action on parasites. It is essential that the spleen be supported with cedar nut oil enriched with cedar resin since it assists in the cleansing and renewal of the blood. The oily consistency and bitterness of cedar nut oil enriched with cedar resin also stimulates the formation of the full complement of bile secretions, which also participate in the antiparasitic defences of the organism, since they possess bacteriostatic properties.

Because of its wide spectrum of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, cedar nut oil enriched with cedar resin facilitates the removal of residues from the organism and restores its immune system and stimulates the production of leucocytes and macrophages, which recognize and attack parasites travelling through the blood channels of the organism. As it cleanses residues from the organism, cedar nut oil contributes to the destruction of the parasites’ comfortable living environment, and also dissolves the toxic products of their activity, impedes the process of their reproduction, and removes dead parasites from the organism.

Turpentine Balsam - 5%, 10% and 20% extracts available

Many modern antiparasitic agents successfully fight parasites, but few people know what harm they do to the organism. The majority of drugs contain toxins intended to poison the parasites, but the person is also the recipient of the poisoning. First and foremost, these toxins are neutralized by the liver, and it is precisely the liver that suffers the most as a result. Following the extended ingestion of antiparasitic medications, the liver becomes enlarged, and the person acquires a dysfunction of this organ forever. In this situation, the combined use of antiparasitic agents and cedar nut oil enriched with cedar resin will help the liver withstand the medicinal therapy more easily, since cedar nut oil lessens medicinal intoxication, and protects liver cells and promotes their renewal.

Since it is a food product, cedar nut oil not only gently cleans parasites from an organism, but also restores the mineral balance of an organism that has been infected with parasites.

Medical studies of patients infected with parasites have revealed that these patients have all suffered from a silicon deficit. In the human organism, silicon actively participates in the processes of survival. About 38% of our health is based on silicon (M. G. Voronkov). With a lack of silicon, the distribution of the energy supply is disrupted in the human organism and, therefore, so is the metabolism, since more than 70 chemical elements are simply not assimilated. The composition of liquid mediums is changed, their properties as electrolytes do not correspond to the requirements of the human organism’s normal existence. For the existence of parasites, just like all living creatures, silicon is essential, therefore, when parasites find their way into the human organism, it is precisely silicon that they begin to take up first.

Cedar nut oil enriched with cedar resin was analyzed for its elemental and biochemical composition at the Institute of Chemical Kinetics and Combustion and the Central Siberian Botanical Garden of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Using the method of synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence analysis, approximately 20 elements were found, including phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sodium, calcium, iron, manganese, copper, zinc, molybdenum, aluminum, iodine, boron, nickel, cobalt, lead, strontium, silver, and silicon. The scientists concluded that cedar nut oil enriched with cedar resin not only restores any silicon that has been lacking, but also supplies 19 other essential elements to the organism, allowing them to be assimilated well.

Thus, cedar nut oil enriched with cedar resin assists in gently cleansing parasites from the organism and restoring its healthy functioning. The consumption of cedar nut oil enriched with cedar resin is recommended for all members of the family for cleansing parasites from the organism, as well as for preventive purposes.

Nikolay Mechin
http://www.strannik.ru

http://www.RingingCedarsofRussia.org/
Used by permission
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The Importance of Vegetable Oils in Our Life

Siberian Cedar

If you were to look around with the eyes of a physician seeking a medicine, then it can be said that we live in a world of medicines, for there is no substance in nature that would not be suitable for a medicine.
(Ancient Buddhist proverb)

Since prehistoric times people have used various vegetable fats in their food. Vegetable oils improve the taste qualities of food, provide a feeling of satiety, and are a concentrated source of energy in the food allowance and a valuable building material for the cells and tissues. Modern humans often obtain many more calories from their food than they are able to expend in their sedentary way of life and many fewer vitamins and essential fatty acids, which are literally "burned" during the stresses that accompany people throughout their lives. How much fat and which fats should be obtained in a food allowance? Dietitians assert that attention should be paid not only to the quantitative limits of fats in the diet, but also to the quality of the fat products consumed. The best source of the necessary fats for children and adults, for healthy and sick persons, is Cedar Nut Oil (See footnote 1), an ancient Russian product.

The Siberian cedar (Pinus sibirica)-a mighty tree reaching a height of 40 metres, with a trunk diameter from 1.5 to 2 metres-grows slowly, lives up to 500-800 years, its fruitful period begins at 40 to 50 years, the cedar cone takes a long time to ripen, the second year following its flowering. The medicinal properties of the cedar have been well-known for a very long time, the young shoots, needles, bark, and resin are used as raw materials for medicines, but the principal component of value for people are the cedar nuts and products prepared from them.

Applications of Cedar Nut Oil

The medicinal properties of Cedar Nut Oil have been well-known for a long time. As long ago as the reign of Ivan the Terrible, the cedar nut was an item of export-Russia sold up to 5 million kilograms of the nut each year to Sweden, England, Persia, and other countries. "In Switzerland they are used in chemist's shops, they are used to make a milk that is prescribed for chest illnesses... because of their penetrating, delicate, and partly balsamic oil, they were effectively used by people with consumption," wrote the Academician P. S. Pallas at the end of the XVIII century. Comments about the medicinal properties of the Siberian cedar are found in monastery records. The monks grew "cedar orchards" around their monasteries, and outside of Yaroslavl in the XVI century the Tolgskaya Cedar Grove was laid out. Some cedars in that grove have been preserved to our day and are abundantly fruitful.

Russian physicians have used the oil from cedar nuts in the treatment of hypertension, atherosclerosis, stomach ulcers, and have also used it externally-they have treated burns, bruises, and performed inhalations with the oil, as well as baths and massages. In recent years the interest of scientific medicine in the Siberian cedar has grown, fundamental and clinical studies are providing scientific explanations for the beneficial effects of the cedar nut on the health of humans, effects that were well-known from the experience of folk medicine. To date, the chemical structure of cedar nuts has been adequately studied, the richness of this structure is responsible for the broad range of useful effects of cedar products on the human body. Regular use of Cedar Nut Oil enriches the food allowance with essential foodstuffs-polyunsaturated fatty acids, amino acids, fat-soluble vitamins, and macro- and micro-elements.

Siberian Cedar Forest

Cedar Nut Oil is a rich source of natural antioxidants. These properties have been established for vitamins E and A, the carotinoids, nicotinic acid, in mineral substances such as magnesium, calcium, zinc, manganese; in sulphur-containing amino acids. In recent years, the problem of the peroxide oxidation of lipids and the antioxidant status of the organism have attracted active attention. In normal conditions of vital activity, many important metabolic and physiological processes occur with the formation of free radicals. They are involved in the accumulation and biotransformation of energy, provide for the detoxification of certain foreign compounds, participate in the work of the nonspecific immunological protection system of the organism. In the normal situation, the intensity of the processes of free-radical oxidation is maintained at a specified level by a complex antioxidant defence system, which includes a whole series of vitamins, enzymes, micro-elements, amino acids, and certain hormones (thyroxine, the estrogens). In physiological conditions, the peroxide oxidation of lipids and antioxidant defence represent a single system, which is in a state of dynamic equilibrium and capable of self-regulation. The pollution of the external and internal environment of an organism with toxic substances, constant psychological and emotional stress, significant physical loads, the use of a large quantity of refined carbohydrates and animal fats in food lead to the exhaustion of the natural antioxidant defence systems and excessive activation of free-radical oxidation. When free radicals enter into chemical reactions, they damage enzyme systems, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids, and lead to disruptions in the functions of the cells, they are regarded as the causes of many acute and chronic illnesses, including atherosclerosis, cardiovascular diseases, oncological diseases, premature aging of the organism, and reduction of the life span. Maintaining the antioxidant defence systems of the organism at an optimal level of functioning plays an important role in disease prevention and health. In this respect, great hopes are being placed on antioxidants of plant origin, since they possess great affinities with the tissues of the human organism, exhibit, as a rule, little toxicity, and, with judicious use, do not cause overdoses.

Cedar Nut Oil is an effective natural antioxidant and may be used for the preventive treatment of any illness, as a means for maintaining the antioxidant status of the organism.

The high content and optimal ratio of mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids, phospholipids, fat-soluble vitamins, and amino acids, which have a lipotropic action, make it possible to recommend the inclusion of Cedar Nut Oil in healthy diets for the prevention of disruptions in lipid metabolism and its use in the alimentary therapy of persons suffering from obesity and atherosclerosis.

Cedar Nut Oil is traditionally used in the treatment of colds, as a general strengthening agent and agent that increases the nonspecific immune defences. It is used in the form of oil inhalations or taken internally. The carotinoids (provitamins A), vitamins E, B, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and micro-elements that make up Cedar Nut Oil display an alleviating and anti-inflammatory effect on the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract, increase the process of regeneration in them, and stimulate the local immune defence system.

The ability of Cedar Nut Oil to hasten the processes of the regeneration (renewal) of mucous membranes is also put to use in the treatment of disorders of the gastro-intestinal tract. Clinical studies carried out at the Tomsk Scientific Research Institute for Health Resort Studies of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation have demonstrated that the inclusion of Cedar Nut Oil in the comprehensive treatment of ulcers of the stomach and duodenum leads to a reduction of the scar formation period of the ulcer. Cedar Nut Oil is well tolerated by patients. When diluted with milk, Cedar Nut Oil displays an anti-inflammatory effect in cases of accompanying cholesystitis and hepatocholecystitis.

Cedar Nut Oil has found wide application in cosmetology. With only Cedar Nut Oil on hand, it is possible to provide proper care of the skin-it can be used to cleanse, nourish, and protect the skin on any part of the body. Cedar Nut Oil dissolves well and removes all dirt, it provides the clean skin with valuable nourishment and vitamins-the antioxidants of Cedar Nut Oil protect the skin from the aggression of oxygen radicals, postpones the aging processes-on the surface of the skin fats form the thinnest film, which retains moisture but does not prevent the skin from breathing. Together with this, it is good to combine the external application of Cedar Nut Oil with its use in food, in order to act on the skin "from the inside."

Importance of lipids for the human body

Don't get carried away, but pay the necessary attention
I. P. Pavlov

Siberian Cedar (Pine) Nut Oil

Lipids play an important role in the vital activity of the body. The overall quantity of fat in a healthy person makes up 10-20% of the body mass, in the case of obesity it can reach 50%. Several classes of lipids exist, which differ significantly from each other in structure and biological functions. Strictly speaking, fats (triglycerides) are the esters of higher fatty acids and glycerin. In the body, they serve as the main source of energy and create reserves of energy material. Among the food substances, fats possess the greatest energy value-the combustion of 1 gram of fat produces 9 kcal, the combustion of proteins and carbohydrates produces approximately 4 kcal. In many tissues, even with a balanced diet, fats are used almost exclusively to obtain energy, while glucose is retained for the tissues, especially those that need it (brain, erythrocytes). Fats fulfill protective functions. Fatty capsules are formed around vitally important organs (kidneys, sexual glands, thymus, etc.) that hold them in their normal anatomical position and protect them from shifting and injury. On the surface of the skin, fats form a water-repellent film that protects the tissue both from loss of moisture as well as from over-moisturization, and also has an anti-microbial action. In addition, subcutaneous fat creates a thermo-insulating covering for the body. Fats are poor heat conductors, and protect internal organs from overcooling. Fatty tissue is the site of the formation of the hormone leptine, which has an all-round influence on the human body.

Complex lipids-these are complexes of lipids and proteins (lipoproteins), derived from orthophosphoric acid (phospholipids or phosphatides), with sugars (glycolipids), with polyatomic alcohols (sphingolipids, etc.), and also a whole series of compounds. Complex lipids fulfill plastic functions-together with proteins they serve as the basic structural components of cellular membranes.

Lipids also include compounds that are not derivatives of fatty acids-steroids. Their most common representative is cholesterol, it is included as a structural element as part of cellular membranes, and also serves as the precursor of a series of other steroids-cholic acids, steroid hormones (hormones of the adrenal cortex, sexual hormones), and vitamin D.

The simplest in structure of the lipids are the fatty acids, which serve as the intermediate products of lipid metabolism, and also take part in the biological regulation of cellular functions.

Fatty acids may be saturated and unsaturated. In saturated acids, the bonds between the carbon atoms are maximally saturated, unsaturated fatty acids contain one or more double (unsaturated) bonds, on whose site oxygen may join. Fatty acids with one double bond are called monounsaturated. The most common monounsaturated acid in human fat tissue is oleic acid, among the other fatty acids its proportion is 55%. Oleic acid is involved in the regulation of cholesterol metabolism, it facilitates the increase in blood of the level of high density lipoproteins, which transport cholesterol from the tissues to the liver for utilization. This cholesterol is not atherogenic, or "good," its high level in the blood is an antirisk factor for the development of atherosclerosis.

Fatty acids with two (linoleic acid), three (alpha linolenic acid), four (arachidonic acid), and more double bonds are called polyunsaturated.

Siberian Cedar Nut Oil

Polyunsaturated fatty acids are subdivided into Omega classes depending on the location of the double bond, closer to the methyl or Omega-carbon. Monounsaturated oleic acid and palmitic acid are designated as Omega-9 and Omega-7 respectively, and the polyunsaturated fatty acids linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid, as Omega-6 and Omega-3. Two polyunsaturated fatty acids, linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid, are indispensable (essential) for humans, since they are not synthesized in the body and must come from the outside, from food products.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids perform a number of important physiological functions in the body: they are part of cellular membranes, they have an influence on the metabolism of other lipids-they stimulate the removal of excess cholesterol from the body, prevent its deposit on the walls of the blood vessels; they participate in the metabolism of several vitamins (thiamine and pyridoxine), they have an immunomodelling action, increase the resistance of the organism to infectious diseases and the action of unfavourable factors from the external environment. In animals that have received a fat-free food allowance, a shortening of the life span has been noted. A deficit of essential polyunsaturated acids has a particularly negative effect on the growing organism, linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid are essential for growth and the normal development of the brain, organ of vision, sexual glands, kidneys, and skin.

Linoleic and alpha-linolenic fatty acids are the forebears of two families of polyunsaturated fatty acids-Omega-6 and Omega-3, including the eicosanoids: prostaglandins, leucotriens, thromboxanes, which are tissue hormones.

The Omega-6 family is represented by linoleic acid, which, in the presence of the necessary enzymes, in the body becomes gamma-linolenic acid. Gamma-linolenic acid is the precursor of dihomogammalinolenic acid, which is the precursor of the first series of prostaglandins and arachidonic acid, the precursor of the second series of prostaglandins.

Alpha-linolenic acid becomes eicosopentenoic acid, the precursor of the third series of prostaglandins, and docosohexenoic acid.

The metabolism of linoleic acid (18 carbon atoms, two double bonds) and alpha-linolenic acid (18 carbon atoms, three double bonds) is linked to additional desaturation, that is, the increase in the number of double bonds and the lengthening of the basic chain made up of carbon atoms. As a result, arachidonic acid has 20 carbon atoms and 4 double bonds, eicosopentenoic acid has 20 carbon atoms and 5 double bonds, docosohexenoic acid has 22 carbon atoms and 6 double bonds. Arachidonic, eicosopentenoic, and docosohexenoic acid are called long-chain fatty acids. They are important structural components of the cellular membranes of all organs and tissues, but their content is especially great in the brain, retina of the eye, and in the reproductive cells.

It should be noted that the metabolism of Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids occurs with the involvement of exactly the same enzymes, which elicits the occurrence of competing reactions between the two families. An excess of the fatty acids of one class may slow the transformation of the acids of the other class, lowering their activity and modifying their biological action.

Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids are the precursors of the eicosanoids (prostaglandins, thromboxanes, leucotriens), which fulfill the functions of local tissue hormones, which regulate numerous functions, including tonus of the blood vessels, musculature of the bronchial tubes and uterus, the degree of the inflammatory reaction, the activity level of the cells of the immune system, the processes of blood coagulation, and a number of others. In addition, the direction of the action of the eicosanoids of the Omega-6 and Omega-3 family are directly opposite. Prostaglandins, which form Omega 6 from fatty acids, narrow the apertures of the blood vessels and bronchial tubes, increase inflammation, increase blood coagulation. Prostaglandins-derivatives of the Omega-3 fatty acids-dilate the bronchial tubes and blood vessels, reduce inflammation, reduce the aggregation of blood platelets, and reduce the formation of blood clots in the blood vessels. Sometimes the first are called the "bad" prostaglandins, and the second, the "good" prostaglandins. However, this assessment is incorrect. It is precisely on the principle of opposing actions that the processes of the regulation of tissue homeostasis are based. For that reason it is important not to oppose these two classes of fatty acids, but to observe a balance between them. Since the source of Omega-6 and Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are food products, it is necessary to know their content and ratio in the food allowance.

Because they perform such significant functions in the human body, fats are an important component of the food allowance. In order to maintain optimum health, it is necessary to keep to the general rules of sound nutrition and the consumption of fats in particular. The average physiological requirement of fats for the healthy person is approximately 30% of the overall calorie content, a third of the consumed fats must be made up of vegetable oils. In some special diets, the proportion of vegetable oils is increased to 50% and more (the rest being nuts, fruits, vegetables, eggs, milk). Fats improve the taste of food and cause a feeling of satiety, in the metabolic process they can be formed from carbohydrates and proteins, but they cannot be replaced completely. The food value of fats is determined by their fatty-acid content, the presence of essential nutritional factors, the degree of assimilability and digestibility. The biological activity of alimentary fats is determined by their content of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids. Since the basic source of polyunsaturated fatty acids is vegetable oils, they also possess the greatest biological activity. The degree of assimilability of vegetable oils is also high, on the average this indicator comes to 97-98%.

Fatty oils of plants are a concentrated energy and building reserve, concentrated in the seeds and other organs of plants. The basic role of stored fats in a plant is their use for food during the germination of seeds and the development of the bud; in addition, they play the important role of protective substances, which help the plant endure unfavourable environmental conditions, in particular, low temperatures. Fats of hibernating seeds promote the preservation of the bud in cold conditions. In trees, in the transition to the dormant state, reserve starch becomes fat, which raises the frost-resistance of the trunk. The greatest calorific capability is possessed by unsaturated fats, for that reason the plants of the northern latitudes contain them in the highest quantities. Vegetable fats are essentially made up of triglycerides-esters of glycerin and fatty acids. Approximately 75% of vegetable fats are made up of the glycerides of only three acids-palmitic acid, oleic acid, and linoleic acid. The fats of some plants contain specific fatty acids that are characteristic only to them. Triglycerides may be monoacids and heteroacids (mixed). The overwhelming majority of fats are a mixture of heteroacidic triglycerides. Fatty acids in vegetable fats may be saturated and unsaturated. The biological value of vegetable oils depends also on their content of accompanying substances-phospholipids, waxes, steroids, fat-soluble vitamins, pigments, photochemical compounds contained in plants and giving the oils a specific direction of action.

Characteristics of Cedar Nut Oil

Cedar Nut Oil is obtained from the purified kernel of the cedar nut by means of cold pressing, which makes it possible to preserve the useful properties of all its components. Unrefined Cedar Nut Oil is light yellow with a greenish hue, a slight nutty aroma, and the highest taste qualities, several orders higher than the best edible oils-olive, almond, peanut.
The fatty-acid component of Cedar Nut Oil is characterized by a high content of mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids (Table 1).

Table 1. Content of fatty acids in some of the most common vegetable oils (in % of the total mass)

Type of oil Saturated fatty acids Monounsaturated fatty acids Polyunsaturated fatty acids Oleic (class 9) Linoleic (class 6) Linolenic (class 3) Cedar Nut Oil 10-15 25-30 44-60 25-50 Linseed oil 8-10 14 25-30 21-30 Soya oil 7.2-15.1 32.5-35.6 51.7-57 2-3 Olive oil 9.1-14.2 70-87 4-12 - Sunflower oil 9 33.3 39.8 - Corn oil 11.9 44.8-45.4 41-48 - Hempseed oil 4.5 14 65 16 Grape oil 12 18 70 - Sesame oil 14 40 43 -

In the previous section, mention was made of the necessity to maintain a balance between the various classes of fatty acids. The optimal ratio between the Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids has not yet been definitively established, this problem is actively being discussed in the scientific literature. In the typical diet of a modern person, the ratio of Omega-6/Omega-3 is in the range of 10:1 to 25:1. The World Health Organization recommends an adherence to the ratio from 4:1 to 10:1, while doing so one should strive to increase the proportion of Omega-3 fatty acids, since an excess of Omega-6 fatty acids has even worse consequences for health. Studies on the type of nutrition in the Paleolithic period and features of the nutrition of modern hunter-gatherers make it possible to suppose that, in the food allowance of our ancestors, the ratio between the Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids was more balanced and came to approximately 1:1. The development of new technologies in plant growing and animal husbandry led to the replacement of some types of fats by others. Many cultivated plants contain a significantly smaller quantity of Omega-3 fatty acids in comparison to wild plants, correspondingly also the oil of domestic animals eating feed from cultivated plants is also depleted in Omega-3 fatty acids in comparison to the meat of wild animals, in addition to all this more and more scientists are relating the consumption of meat to the appearance and development in people of such terrible diseases as cancer, atherosclerosis, diseases of the vessels and heart, for that reason one should try to replace meat with natural plant food.

In Cedar Nut Oil the ratio of the Omega-6/Omega-3 fatty acids is approximately 2:1. What attracts our attention is the high content of monounsaturated oleic acid, which is necessary for the normal metabolism of cholesterol. The use of polyunsaturated fatty acids in food requires a concomitant increase in the intake of tocopherols, natural antioxidants, which protect fatty acids from free-radical oxidation. It has been determined that for 1 g of polyunsaturated fatty acids, 0.6 mg of tocopherols should be taken, moreover in the most active forms-alpha and gamma tocopherols. This balance has been observed in Cedar Nut Oil, its content of alpha-tocopherol comes to 55 mg.

Siberian Cedar Nut Oil

The kernel of the cedar nut contains a high quantity of phospholipids-6.9% (in Cedar Nut Oil, it is 1.3%), which exceeds its content in all nut and oil crops. The most common phospholipids are the phosphatidylcholines (old name: lecithins), whose constituents are glycerin, unsaturated fatty acids, and the vitamin-like substance choline, related to phosphoric acid. Phosphatidylcholine is an interchangeable substance, it can be synthesized in the organism in the presence of all the necessary elements, including the essential amino acid methionine. Phosphatidylcholine is of fundamental importance in nutrition, it promotes the digestion, absorption, and proper metabolism of fats, increases bile secretion, normalizes the metabolism of cholesterol, reduces the accumulation of fats in the liver. Cedar Nut Oil also contains phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerin, phosphatidylinositol, and phosphatidic acid. What attracts our attention is the presence in Cedar Nut Oil of cerebrosides, sulpholipids, and glycolipids, which are nonspecific for plant substances.

Unrefined vegetable oils always contain associated substances, which are extracted together with fats, dissolve in them, and have an influence on their physico-chemical, organoleptic, and, primarily, their pharmacological properties. These substances make up the so-called nonsaponifiable residue of fat. In Cedar Nut Oil, the associated substances are represented by pigments, phytosterols, triterpine hydrocarbons, and fat-soluble vitamins.

Pigments cause the colouring of natural fats, and are mainly represented by chlorophylls and carotenes. Chlorophyll, which is found in the oil, displays its activity also as a medicinal agent. Chlorophyll has a toning action, increases basic metabolism, stimulates the regeneration of the tissues, and possesses bactericidal properties. Chlorophyll-the green pigment of plants-is related in its chemical construction to the hemoglobin of the human erythrocyte. This makes it possible to explain the fact that chlorophyll taken with food has an influence on the blood system-it promotes an increase in the quantity of leucocytes, erythrocytes, and hemoglobin.

Sterols and esters make up the greater part of the nonsaponifiable residue of oils. A distinction is made between sterols of plant origin (phytosterols) and those of animal origin (zoosterols). The most common phytosterol is sitosterol, of the zoosterols it is cholesterol. Sitosterols, in particular the most studied of them beta-sitosterol, has a hypocholesteremic effect, lowering the absorption of cholesterol in the intestines; it displays estrogen, anti-tumor, fungicidal, and bacteriostatic (reduces the growth and multiplication of bacteria) activity. In recent years it has been determined that phytosterols may be included in lipid formation in humans and animals, for example, in the membranes of erythrocytes.

Cedar Nut Oil contains the steroid squalene, which is an intermediary product in the biosynthesis of cholesterol.

Triterpene carbohydrates form triterpene saponins, and are part of the essential oil, they have bactericidal, anti-inflammatory, and expectorant actions.

Cedar Nut Oil is a rich source of fat-soluble vitamins and some B vitamin groups.

Vitamin D regulates the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus, ensures that these substances are absorbed in the intestines and deposited in growing bones, thus ensuring the strength of bones and teeth. Vitamin D promotes the assimilation of magnesium, which is also necessary for the building of bone tissue. Vitamin D has an influence on the permeability of cellular and subcellular membranes to calcium ions. It is synthesized in the organism as a result of the action of sunlight on the skin. The formation of the biologically active form of the vitamin occurs in the liver and kidneys. Vitamin D insufficiency is widespread among very young children, and plays an important role in the development of rickets. In adults, D vitaminosis occurs rarely, and manifests itself in the form of osteoporosis. Vitamin D is toxic, with the unreasonable use of concentrated preparations, hypervitaminosis may develop, for that reason it is important that it enters the body in a natural form, with food products.

5% Turpentine Balsam

Vitamin PP (niacin, nicotinic acid) participates in reactions involving cellular respiration and intermediate metabolism, since it is incorporated into proteins that carry out oxidation-reduction reactions; it improves carbohydrate metabolism, has a positive effect on mild forms of sugar diabetes; it lowers the level of cholesterol in the blood; it normalizes the secretory and motor functions of the gastro-intestinal tract, it has a positive effect on stomach ulcers; it displays a vasodilatory effect. In avitaminosis, pellagra ("rough skin") develops, typical of which is dermatitis (inflammation of the skin), a disturbance of the functions of the gastro-intestinal tract, lesions of the oral mucous membrane, mental disturbances. Niacin is formed in the body from the amino acid tryptophan, 60 mg of tryptophan makes 1 mg of niacin.

A kernel of the cedar nut ripened to the milky stage contains 64 mg of vitamin C.

A kernel of the cedar nut contains a large quantity of mineral substances-2.6%-which represents a collection of macro- and micro-elements.

Significant from a dietary point of view is the content of phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, zinc, and iodine. The presence of the listed macro- and micro-elements classifies the kernel of the cedar nut as a natural source of the mineral substances that play an important role in many biochemical processes in the human body.

Cedar Nut Oil contains nitrogenous compounds, represented mainly by free amino acids. Among them are all the essential amino acids-valine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, threonine, tryptophan, phenylalanine-and the nonessential amino acids-arginine, histidine, tyrosine, alanine, glycine, proline, serine, asparagine, glutamine.

The importance of amino acids for the body depends above all on the fact that they are used for the synthesis of proteins. In addition, a large number of substances of a non-peptide nature used in special functions are formed from amino acids. These substances include choline (a constituent of phospholipids), taurine (involved in the metabolism of cholic acids), and heme (a component of hemoglobin). The amino acid tyrosine is the precursor of the hormones of the thyroid gland, the catecholamines-adrenaline and norepinephrine-are constituents of the dark-coloured pigments, the melanins, which determine the colour of the skin and hair. The melanins are also found in the pigmented layer of the retina of the eyes. Derived from histidine is the biogenic amine-histamine-which plays the role of a local hormone. A small quantity of vitamin PP (niacin) is synthesized from tryptophan in the body, in addition, tryptophan is the precursor of the neuromediator serotonin, on which the emotional state of the organism depends, an insufficiency of serotonin is characteristic of depressive conditions.

Some amino acids themselves have a biological activity. The amino acid lysine increases the nonspecific resistance of the body, influences the tone of the cardiac vessels, and lowers the level of cholesterol in the blood. Methionine prevents the deposit of excess fat in the liver, protects liver cells from the influence of toxic substances, and participates in the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine. The amino acids alanine and glycine play the role of inhibiting mediators in the brain, while glutamic acid and aspartic acid play the role of stimulating mediators. The amino acid arginine increases the nonspecific resistance of the body, alleviates spasm of the blood vessels, lowers the level of cholesterol in the blood, and is an essential amino acid in the growth period of children. The sulphur-containing amino acid cysteine is a natural antioxidant.

RUSSIAN CONSUMER SOCIETY

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Images Copyright: http://www.geog.ucsb.edu/; http://mallola.com/; http://www.bestplastic.ru/

Our Unique Production Technique:

Cedar Nut Sheller This equipment and method of shelling Siberian Cedar Nuts brings the difference in the quality of "RINGING CEDARS OF RUSSIA" Siberian Cedar Kernels and Siberian Cedar Nut Oil

Cedar Nut Oil Press This equipment and method of pressing Siberian Cedar Nuts brings the difference in the quality of "RINGING CEDARS OF RUSSIA" Siberian Cedare Nut Oil

The brand name "THE RINGING CEDARS OF RUSSIA" stands for business integrity, decency and the highest possible quality of product. All products marketed under this brand name convey the primordial power of Nature and the warmth of our hearts. We offer:

A variety of high-quality cedar products, including cedar nuts and cedar nut oil.

Huge plantations of cedar trees grow in the Siberian taiga, said to be the ecologically purest area of the world. The virgin forest of the taiga has never been treated with any chemicals or artificial fertilisation, nor abused by agricultural machines.

Cedar nuts (the seeds of the cedar tree) take two years to mature, during which time the tree accumulates a huge volume of positive cosmic energy. Crops of nuts are harvested manually by people lovingly devoted to this task, working in a pleasant environment without undue haste to create unique products full of positive energy reflecting the infinite powers of Nature. Specific preparations include:

We pick only cedar cones which fall naturally from the trees, thus ensuring that only ripe cones are selected. We always avoid hitting the trees to shake unripe cedar cones down (as happens with some other commercial operations) -- a practice which causes the nuts to lose their healing power.

Cones are then manually shelled with the help of wooden shell-removers. Nut centres are separated from their shells using wooden rollers.

Cedar nut oil and cedar nut flour marketed under our brand name are obtained by the cold-pressure method, using manual wooden oil-presses.

Cedar nut oil is then stored in special containers and packed in a small village near Novosibirsk by name "Kandayrovo" using unique technology to avoid any contact with metal. The whole process is strictly supervised to ensure it complies with all sanitary requirements.

Final products are placed in special packaging to prevent daylight penetration, and stored at a temperature of 0C to +5C to better preserve the product's natural components. The resulting product is a bright gold-coloured liquid with the pleasant smell of cedar nuts. It is a 100% natural product with strong healing powers.

SIBERIAN CEDAR NUT OIL

Siberian Cedar nuts (cedar nuts) contain about 60% oil. They are therefore pressed to obtain Cedar nut oil, which is available on the market as a very expensive gourmet cooking oil. Cold pressing in all-wooden presses is preferred to retain the nutritional properties of nuts and derive the oil of highest quality.

The Cedar nut oil bearing "The Ringing Cedars of Russia" brand comes exclusively from wild-harvested Siberian Cedar nuts - one of the most nutritious Cedar nuts in the world. In comparison, other Cedar nut oils are usually pressed from the Italian pignolia Cedar nuts, which are not nearly as potent and are often harvested from trees growing in plantations. Our Siberian Cedar nut oil is extra virgin (100% cold pressed from freshly shelled raw Siberian Cedar nuts), whereas most Cedar nut oils on the market are either not cold pressed or even pressed from roasted (!) Cedar nuts, which significantly decreases the oil value. Finally, "The Ringing Cedars of Russia" Siberian Cedar nut oil is the only one which is available on the market anywhere in the world pressed with wooden presses in accordance with traditional techniques described in Vladimir Megre's life-changing book "The Ringing Cedars of Russia". In contrast, all other Cedar nut oils are pressed using steel presses, which immediately degrades them (contact with steel oxidizes some of the Cedar nut oil's most important ingredients such as vitamins, and is known to remove the 'life force' from the oil).

Cedar nut oil has also traditionally been used in ancient Russian and European natural medicine to cure a wide array of ailments - ingested (decreasing blood pressure, boosting immune system resistance, etc.) or applied externally (a range of dermatological disorders). It is also used in expensive cosmetics.

Cedar nut oil contains pinolenic acid, a polyunsaturated fatty acid, and is marketed in the U.S. as a means stimulate cell proliferation, prevent hypertension, decrease blood lipid and blood sugar, and inhibit allergic reactions.

Copyright: http://www.RingingCedarsOfRussia.org/

SPINACH, CEDAR NUT AND FETA PASTRIES

A melt-in-the-mouth pastry laden with toppings that go together perfectly.

Ingredients:
1 sheet of fresh or frozen ready-rolled puff pastry, cut into 4
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
100g feta cheese, crumbled
a handful of cedar nuts
200g young leaf spinach, cooked in a little butter then squeezed or excess water
1 onion, sliced and cooked in butter until soft
1 egg yolk, whisked for glazing

Preparation:

Take ready-rolled puff pastry from the fridge 30 minutes before use to prevent it cracking when you unroll it.

Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Mix the spinach, cedar nuts, onion and balsamic and season. Put the pastry pieces on a baking sheet, score a border 11/2 cm in from each edge and glaze. Divide the spinach mix and feta between them and spread inside the border. Bake for 20-25 minutes until puffed and golden.

SWISS CHARD WITH RAISINS AND CEDAR NUTS

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds Swiss chard (preferably rainbow or red; from 2 bunches)
1/2 cup cedar nuts (2 1/2 ounces)
1/4 cup cedar nut oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup golden raisins, finely chopped
1 cup water

Preparation:

Tear chard leaves from stems, then coarsely chop stems and leaves separately.

Toast nuts in oil in a wide 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until golden, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, then transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain and season with salt.

Cook onion in oil remaining in pot, stirring occasionally, 1 minute, then add chard stems and cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Add raisins and 1/2 cup water and simmer, covered, until stems are softened, about 3 minutes. Add chard leaves and remaining 1/2 cup water and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until leaves are tender, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve sprinkled with cedar nuts.

Serves 4

FETTUCCINE WITH BRUSSELS SPROUTS AND CEDAR NUTS

The natural nuttiness of Brussels sprouts is greatly enhanced by the addition of cedar nuts, and sauteing the sprouts deepens that flavor. Tossing them with al dente fettuccine will make you wonder how anyone could dislike them.

Ingredients:
3/4 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed
1/2 pound dried egg fettuccine
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin cedar nut oil
3 tablespoons cedar nuts

Preparation:

Slice Brussels sprouts in a food processor fitted with slicing disk.

Cook fettuccine in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (3 tablespoons salt for 6 quarts water) until al dente.

Meanwhile, heat butter and oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat until foam subsides, then cook cedar nuts, stirring, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add Brussels sprouts, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, then saute over medium-high heat until tender and lightly browned, about 4 minutes.

Reserve 1/2 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain pasta and add to skillet, tossing with enough reserved water to moisten.

Serves 4

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For Educational purposes only
This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
These articles come directly from researchers and are passed on to everybody. The company assumes no liability for any content in these articles.

For more great articles go to http://www.ringingcedarsofrussia.org/cedar_nuts_and_ringing_cedars_information.php

ESSENTIAL-OILS.PRO

History of Aromatherapy

For millenniums humanity has been discovering mysterious properties of plants. Knowledge obtained through experiments and researches and its systematization resulted in a new science - Aromatherapy.

Aromatherapy is an art of healing by means of plant aromas. Aromatherapy emerged long before it was thought as a science. Have you noticed how easily you breathe when you are walking in a forest? How nice it is to feel piny wood scent and redolence of green pine needles and resin! This is a natural aromatherapy.

According to the first manuscripts with fragrance recipes aromatherapy has been used for 6000 years! In Egypt the use of aromatherapy is confirmed by earthenware tablets that described embalming process by means of aromatics.

Ancient people perfectly understood aromatic and therapeutic properties of plants. Contemporary civilization just begins to uncover the value of aromatherapy hidden treasures.

In the ancient times aromatic, antiseptic, antimicrobial and wound-healing properties of essential-oil plants were known and widely used from Babylon and Persia to India and China. In the old medical texts of these countries, written around 3000 years ago, many herbs and their utilization were described. Plants whose aromas were able to impact on consciousness were burned during religious ceremonies.

The resins that were used for incense were highly therapeutic; they influenced on respiratory system and immersed priests into meditative state. Egyptians applied fragrances from perfumery and cosmetics to medicine and mummification. Some perfume jars still smell with fragrance that was kept there 3200 years ago. Also Egyptians used aromas for skin care, washing clothes, added them into vine and food. Frankincense oil used to be burned in honor of Egyptian God Ra, it also was a great component in skin care recipes. Cedar and Myrrh oils were used for embalming. As it turned out essential oils of cedar and myrrh contained elements with strong prophylactic and antiseptic properties, which allowed mummies be preserved for a very long time. Egyptians acquired a reputation of perfume experts; however, they were not familiar with essential oil extraction methods and used only infusions and ointments.

Greeks continued researches in aromatherapy. They found new uses for essential oils in medicine. Ancient thinker and pharmacologist Pedanius Dioscorides wrote a book about healing with herbs "De Materia Medica". This book had been very popular in Europe for 12 centuries. Many recipes offered in this book are still useful today. Another Greek physician Hippocrates - the founder of contemporary scientific medicine composed a work where 236 plants and their medical use were described. Reflecting Greek philosophy of his time, Hippocrates approached patient as a unified whole and as a part of nature. He believed that plants contain medical elements in optimal combination and thus they heal better when unprocessed or as natural juices.

Romans based their knowledge on Greeks' aromatherapy achievements. Their innovation was in bringing aromatic plants and ingredients from Aravia and Eastern India. With new plants more deceases could be cured. Romans paid a lot of attention to the aromatic properties of plants. In antique Rome and Greece perfumery with floral scents was booming, the essential oils were widely used in steam baths as a daily ritual. Many Greek doctors served in Roman army and carried their aromatherapy knowledge through different countries. Ancient Greek philosophers believed that essential oils were given to people by Olympus Gods as a means of supreme light, awakening love.

After the collapse of Roman Empire, Arabic perfumers improved aromatherapy knowledge. They were the first who applied steam distillation for extracting essential oil from rose petals. This invention is believed to belong to Avicenna, philosopher and a physician of Middle East. He described more than 800 medical means that were mostly of botanical origin. In his book "The Canon of Medicine" he described steam distillation method which is used nowadays as well.

European aromatherapy was developing in medieval times. During crusades Arabic fragrances were spread over entire Europe. Plant's medical properties were intensively studied at the times of pestilence spread. Branches of lavender and cypress were burned on the streets. It was the only protection against Black Death that people knew.

In the ninetieth century with the development of synthetic pharmacology the importance of aromatherapy began to decrease. However, when it was noticed that synthetic products caused multiple complications the interest in aromatherapy arose again.

In 1930, French scientist-chemist Rene-Maurice Gattefosse put into practice a term of Aromatherapy. His family owned a perfumery fabric, and, according to the legend, Maurice, working in a laboratory, burned his hand badly. By reflex, he dipped his hand into lavender oil that was standing by. Later he was so amazed watching mystical recovery and disappearance of scars on his hand. As a result he dedicated his live to researches about essential oil cosmetic and dermatological properties.

French physician Jean Valnet significantly expanded uses of aromatherapy. He was using essential oils for disinfection of wounds and for internal organs spasms relieving. In 1964 he published a book "Practice of Aromatherapy" triggering the aromatherapy practice in Europe. Homeopathic clinics, practicing aromatherapy were build in Paris, Sveden and England where obvious rejuvenation properties of essential oils were studied.

Contemporary aromatherapy is first of all a prophylactic and healthful method of maintaining good psycho-emotional and physical fitness. It is a therapy that relieves everyday stress and prevents development of infirmity. In Canada, US, Europe and Japan thousands of aromatherapy clinics operate, aromatherapy books are published and scientific laboratories are working, continuing the tradition of aromatherapy use.

With the growing popularity of aromatherapy many people get familiarized with therapeutic properties of essential oils and start using them at home on a daily basis.

On the current market the world leading Essential Oil company is Young Living Essential Oils. Young Living's line of pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils and essential oil blends are sourced from the world's finest plants. They are not diluted with chemical and synthetic additives and are carefully prepared to maintain plant integrity. This commitment to purity makes Young Living products the world's highest-quality essential oil line.

Part of the proceeds go to the creation of an Eco-Village.

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Used by permission
Copyright http://www.youngliving.pro/

For Educational purposes only
This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
These articles come directly from researchers and are passed on to everybody. The company assumes no liability for any content in these articles.

For more great articles go to http://www.ringingcedarsofrussia.org/infoE.php#articles

Message submitted from: Radha Theresa,

Address: 83 Cassilis St Coonabarabran NSW Australia Phone number: 0268424778
Email: capricorndancer@live.com.au
Title: Vedruss Kins Oasis
User classifieds ad:
Calling Vedruss! A Kin's Village is called into being in Coonabarabran, Australia. If you feel called to participate, please email Radha or Chris for more details - capricorndancerlive.com.au

Shambhala-Shasta

SUCCESS!!!
The Anastasia Eco-settlement project has found its home in North America on Sacred Motherland!

Many great thanks to all of you who contributed to this success and to many who have supported this dream and vision with your love from near and far.

Shambhala-Shasta community has taken back 466 acres of prestine motherland. Free and clear. No debt. No Encumbrances. No liens. Free and clear!!!

To freedom, independance and sovereignty!!!

The community will steadily grow out from here as we are bordered on the east and north by national forests.

More to come soon after our visit to our motherland in the next few days.

We have several settlers who have begun the intake process and purchased their domains. If you are ready and feel the beat in your heart, come and join!!!

http://shambhala-shasta.org/become/

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