Lifesaver Tomatoes

The tomato is the world's most popular fruit.
And yes, just like the brinjal and the pumpkin,
botanically speaking it is a fruit, not a vegetable.
More than 60 million tons of tomatoes are produced per year,
16 million tons more than the second most popular fruit,
the banana. Apples are the third most popular (36 million tons),
then oranges (34 million tons) and watermelons (22 million tons).

Tomatoes were first cultivated in 700 AD by Aztecs and Incas.
Explorers returning from Mexico introduced the tomato into Europe,
it was first mentioned in 1556. The French called it "the apple of love,"
the Germans "the apple of paradise."

Tomatoes are rich in vitamins A and C and fibre, and are cholesterol free.
An average size tomato (148 gram, or 5 oz) boasts only 35 calories.
Furthermore, new medical research suggests that the consumption of lycopene -
the stuff that makes tomatoes red - may prevent cancer.
Lycopene is part of the family of pigments called carotenoids,
which are natural compounds that create the colours of fruits and vegetables.
For example, beta carotene is the orange pigment in carrots.
As with essential amino acids, they are not produced by the human body.
Lycopene us the most powerful antioxidant in the carotenoid family and,
with vitamins C and E, protect us from the free radicals that
many parts of the body.

The scientific term for the common tomato is lycopersicon lycopersicum,
mean "wolf peach." It is a cousin of the eggplant, red pepper,
ground cherry, potato, and the highly toxic belladonna,
also known as the nightshade or solanaccae.
There are more than 10,000 varieties of tomatoes.
Tomatoes are used in many food product, including,
of course, tomato sauce (ketchup), pasta and pizza.
According to a Steel Packing Council survey of 1997,
68% of chefs use canned tomatoes for convenience, quality and flavouring.
It hasn't changed much since.

Scientists have found a substance in tomatoes that can help
prevent heart attacks and strokes.
It works by helping to stop blood becoming sticky and
forming the clots that can cause potentially fatal
blockages in arteries and veins. The lycopene which gives tomatoes
their red colour is known to protect against various cancers.
The anti-clotting properties are found in the yellow fluid surrounding the seeds.
It was found that the stickiness of platelets -
the particles in blood that cause clotting -
was reduced by 70 per cent when 220 volunteers
had a drink containing the tomato extract.

Blood platelets are vital for helping wounds heal after an accident or surgery,
but if they become too sticky, then they bind together,
which can stop the free flow of blood.
The tomato substance reduces the stickiness of platelets
so they flow smoothly through blood vessels,
reducing the risk of a blockage occurring.

Up to 50,000 people a year die as a result of clots caused
by a buildup of platelets.

Those most at risk are people who have already had a heart attack
or stroke, smokers, women on the Pill, long-distance air travellers,
the long-term sick and pregnant women.

Research has shown that the anti-clotting substance
in the drink has no detrimental effect on the natural clotting process.
Nor does it cause the side-effects, such as gastric problems,
often associated with blood-thinning drugs.

LIVER CARE!

The liver is the largest single gland in the body.
It is located on the right side of the abdomen under the lower ribs
and just under the diaphragm which divides the chest from the abdomen.
Liver performs a number of important functions in the body.
When the liver is healthy it works very smoothly.
But the liver can be affected by a number of serious disorders,
such as virus infections, parasites, and disturbances of the circulation,
stone formation in the bile ducts, injuries due to poisonous substances,
and various kinds of tumors.

Most of the foods we eat are stored in the liver,
after having been digested and absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract.
The liver has another very important function, that of detoxifying
or destroying many harmful poisons and even certain medicines
that are taken into the body for other purposes.
When the liver is sick these functions are impaired
and soon the whole body suffers.
Not only does the liver store food materials, it also produces bile,
a golden-yellowish liquid that is needed for the absorption
of fat from the intestine. Another important substance
produced in the liver is cholesterol, part of which passes into the bile.
It may even form stones in the bile ducts and gall bladder under certain conditions.

Another important component is prothrombin,
which is needed for the clotting of the blood.
Urea, an important component of the urine,
is also produced in the liver. The production of all these
substances may be changed under certain disease conditions.

Jaundice is a disease marked by a yellow discoloration
in the skin or in the whites of the eye.
This is due to excessive amount of bile in the blood stream.
Hepatitis is an acute inflammation of the liver caused by
some infectious or toxic agent. The skin may be discolored
and the whites of the eyes turn yellow. Various substances and
organisms may be responsible for hepatitis, including germs,
viruses, and toxic agents.

Another important disease of the liver is the cirrhosis of the liver.
It is mostly associated with alcoholism.
Poor nutrition may be responsible for this condition also.
In some cases chronic poisoning with industrial fluids,
such as carbon tetrachloride, may also play a part.
In the early stages of the disease there may be frequent
attacks of gas and indigestion, with occassional nausea and
vomiting and with abdominal pain and weight loss.

Cancer may occur in almost any organ of the body.
When it begins in the stomach or large bowel,
the liver may soon be involved mainly because the blood flows
toward the liver from all the digestive organs including
the pancreas and gall bladder.
This is known as metastatic carcinoma.

HOME REMEDIES FOR LIVER CARE

Papaya has been found beneficial in the treatment of cirrhosis
of the liver, caused by alcoholism and malnutrition.
Take a tablespoon of juice by grinding the seeds,
mix with ten drops of fresh limejuice,
and take it once or twice daily for about a month
as a medicine for this disease.
This is one of the important home remedies for liver care.

The herb trailing eclipta, botanically known as eclipta Alba (Bhringaraj ), has proved invaluable in cirrhosis of the liver. Take the juice of all parts of this plant in doses of one teaspoon, mixed with one teaspoon of honey, three times daily.

Picrorhiza known as picrorhiza kurroa (Katuki) is a drug of choice in ayurveda for cirrhosis of the liver among adults. Mix a tablespoon of the powder with an equal
quantity of honey, take this thrice daily.

The juice of carrots, in combination with spinach juice,
has been found beneficial in the treatment of cirrhosis of the liver.
Mix -200 ml of Spinach juice with 300 ml of carrot juice to
prepare 500 ml or half a liter of combined juices.
Similarly, 300 ml of carrot juice, combined with 100 ml each of
cucumber and beet juices can be used effectively.
The patient must stop taking alcohol in any form.
One of the best home remedies for liver care.

Vegetables such as beets, squashes, bitter gourd, eggplant,
tomatoes, carrots, radishes, and papaya are especially
useful in this condition.

The patient should avoid all refined, processed, and canned foods;
spices and condiments; strong tea and coffee; fried foods;
all preparations cooked in ghee, oil, or butter; all meats;
and all chemical additives in food. The use of salt should be limited.

Application of hot and cold compresses, for two to three minutes each,
on the liver area are beneficial.

Daily morning exercises, which involve stretching and deep breathing,
are also effective in preventing the liver.
Stretching and deep breathing kind of exercises early in the morning
provide the most benefit for anyone with sluggish liver.

Soak 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of Bentonite clay in 1 cup
of filtered water for 12 hours. Then add ½ to 1 tablespoon of
psyllium husks or plantago seeds to the clay mixture and mix well.
Drink and eat the whole cup of mixture immediately and
then followed by 1 cup of warm water before bedtime.
This is an effective home remedy for liver.

Drink at least 8 cups of warm water a day including 2 cups
first thing in the morning. Epsom salt may help in flushing
out the stones from the gall bladder. Epsom salt dilates the bile duct.

Take 2 tablespoons of GCG to crush the stone and wait for
1½ to 2 hours before taking 1 tablespoon each of Coptis and Curcuma again.
The crushed stones appear to move easier and the pain is relieved.
This is one of the best home remedies for liver care..

Milk thistle is found useful in patients who have developed
acute liver disease from drugs, environmental toxins or
ethanol or mushroom poisoning.

Another good home remedy for liver care is to take
one tablespoon each of Coptis and Curcuma can usually help to
push out the stones or other blockages.

A licorice root extract called glycyrrhizin has also shown
good result as a possible remedy for chronic hepatitis C and liver cancer.
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