Traditional & Herbal Medicine

This video covers some medicinal herbs - peria katak, belimbing tanah, sambung nyawa, hempedu bumi, kemuning Cina (periwinkle), etc. The traditional practitioners (& artist) are interviewed. There are 2 success stories - jus peria katak for gastritis; air rebusan pokok belimbing tanah for hypertension. The massage technique looks good - also works for stroke.

Stroke

Stroke occurs increasingly in our society and is a cause of great concern. It is important to note down the details of a stroke. The time & venue it occurs and the body part(s) affected are important.

In Islam, if the stroke occurs in the toilet, that is thought to be caused by syaitan. A stroke with a drop-shoulder (bahu jatuh) is severe.

In Islamic Medicine, freshly squeezed goat's milk is taken for stroke. An Ayat from Surah Yaasin is read before drinking the goat's milk. This was taught by Gibreel (Jibra'il) to Nabi Muhammad s.a.w., who used this technique to overcome the stroke in his grandson, Hassan, who was playing in the sand and suffered a stroke.

Source: tv9, Tanyalah Ustaz (Ustaz Sharhan Shafie), Penyakit & Penawarnya, 25 Sept 2011, 7.30am

Note: His books can be bought at Popular and most bookstores.

Vegan lifestyle ‘ups risk of heart attack, stroke’

People who follow a vegan lifestyle — strict vegetarians who try to eat no meat or animal products of any kind — may increase their risk of developing blood clots and atherosclerosis or “hardening of the arteries,” which are conditions that can lead to heart attacks and stroke, according to a new study.

Researchers come to the conclusion after a review of dozens of articles published on the biochemistry of vegetarianism during the past 30 years.

In the review, researcher Duo Li notes that meat eaters are known for having a significantly higher combination of cardiovascular risk factors than vegetarians.

Lower-risk vegans, however, may not be immune. Their diets tend to be lacking several key nutrients — including iron, zinc, vitamin B12, and omega-3 fatty acids, Li said.

While a balanced vegetarian diet can provide enough protein, this isn't always the case when it comes to fat and fatty acids. As a result, vegans tend to have elevated blood levels of homocysteine and decreased levels of HDL, the “good” form of cholesterol. Both are risk factors for heart disease.

It concludes that there is a strong scientific basis for vegetarians and vegans to increase their dietary omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B12 to help contend with those risks. Good sources of omega-3s include salmon and other oily fish, walnuts and certain other nuts.

Good sources of vitamin B12 include seafood, eggs, and fortified milk. Dietary supplements also can supply these nutrients.

The finding appeared in ACS' bi-weekly Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Source: BioScholar Latest Research News, 7 April 2011

FYI, I will write on chemical extraction when I have time. It is a big problem when extracting active compounds using hexane. One is danger of explosion especially when large amounts are kept on site. - Prof Faridah