Asia Herbs

The problem of insomnia is as old as time itself and affects the lives of millions of people from just about every country causing modest irritation to some and severely affecting the quality of life for a large number of us.

Astragalus herb was originally found in Asia. The name of this Chinese herb, huang qi, is translated "yellow leader", for of it's yellow root. The herb is a member of a large genus of over 2,100 types of herbs and small plants, and is part of the legume family. it may also be commonly known as milk vetch, goat's thorn, and sometimes locoweed.

This herb is considered one of the most effective and useful ancient Chinese healing remedies. These ancient remedies are generally produced from the root of the plant.

There are many types of astragalus, with over 2,000 species of the plant. Of the 2,000 species, only two are used for medical purposes.

• Astragalus membranaceus
• Astragalus mongholicus

These two types of astragalus may go under a number of different names including:

• Bei qi
• Huang qi
• Ogi
• Milk vetch
• Hwanggi
• Astragalus

The traditional Chinese medical practice is to boil the plant's root in water, to remove any impurities. It is then usually often combined with other herbs, and root plants such as ginseng, and maitake mushroom. Astragalus Herb can be found in many different forms such as supplements, extracts, and teas.

Traditional Uses

• Intestinal Maladies
• Night Sweats
• Energy Drink
• Improve the Immune System
• Heart Disease
• High Blood Pressure
• Cautions and Concerns

Landscaping and Gardening

You may also find several species used as decorative plants in many gardens.

Cautions and Concerns

There have been very few studies to this point on Astragalus, so please consult with a medical professional before embarking on any vitamin, supplement, or medicinal regimen. People with certain autoimmune problems, such as AIDS, arthritis, Crohn's disease, lupus, or diabetes, as well as transplant patients should not used any supplements unless approved by their physician. Additionally, people using certain medications which effect the immune system, need to consult with their doctor before suing this herb, or supplement derivative.

Four Healthy Reasons to Eat Fennel

Fennel is full of beneficial nutrients including vitamin C, fiber, potassium, manganese, folate, niacin, phosphorous, calcium, magnesium, iron, and copper. It also provides these other good-for-you benefits:

• Amazing Phytonutrients: The phytonutrients in fennel -- rutin, quercitin, anethole and more -- have been found to reduce inflammation, help prevent cancer and protect animal livers from damage caused by chemicals.

• Antioxidant Protection: The fennel bulb is loaded with vitamin C, an antioxidant that helps protect your body from free radical damage, is antimicrobial and helps keep your immune system functioning effectively.

• Fiber: Fennel is a good source of fiber, which may help to reduce cholesterol levels and remove cancer-causing toxins from your colon.

• Folate: Fennel is also a good source of folate, a B vitamin that helps convert the dangerous homocysteine molecule (which can increase your risk of heart attack or stroke) into a harmless compound.

Ginger, is inaccurately referred to as “ginger root”, although the edible section sold in the markets and used in dishes, is actually the stem or the rhizome. In Western culture, it is mostly used in sweets and alcoholic beverages such as: ginger beer and ginger wine. While in Asian cultures, it is directly used by chopping it up or using its powder in traditional dishes and in soft drinks such as coffee and tea. Ginger’s irresistible fragrance is due to an essential oil in its composition, coveted and extracted by perfumers since ancient times.

Not only is ginger known as an essence and spice, it is known to be one of the oldest remedies known to the herbal and aromatic traditions, especially in China, India, and the Middle East. In China, it has been used for over 2000 years for curing inflammation and diarrhea. A native to the Indo-Malaysia rain forests, ginger favors lush, moist, tropical soils for cultivation. Ginger’s perennial plant grows bright red flowers that come in different shapes such as: torch and honeycomb, and are often used in seasonal festivals in the South Pacific for decoration of stalls, houses, and even dresses.

Queen Elizabeth I of England, a fan of ginger herself, was the one to invent the gingerbread man in the 16th century- now loved by millions of children around the world. The gingerbread man was presented at a Royal ball, and several were made to resemble respected guests.

Today, ginger is on the FDA’s list of generally safe foods and is used to mask the taste of bitter medicines such as cough syrups. The various health benefits of ginger are given below:

• Bone Health: Ginger is known to boost bone health and relieve joint pains. Two years ago, a study was conducted by the University of Miami, recruiting several hundred patients — from different backgrounds and ages — with osteoarthritis symptoms. The patients were then weaned away from anti-inflammatory and analgesic medications for cleansing purposes. The week after, they were split into two groups, one put on a placebo, and the other on ginger. After six weeks of intensive dosage, a survey was conducted among the two groups, both groups felt improvement, however; 63% of the ginger group felt a notable pain reduction, while only half of the placebo group recorded notable improvement. The last test was for the patients to walk the distance of 50 feet, which proved to be the lion’s share for the ginger group, since their results showed twice as much improvement than those on placebos.
• Diarrhea: Ginger has been used since ancient times to cure diarrhea, and it was found by scientists that ginger indeed helps since it prevents stomach spasms and gases that contribute to and accentuate diarrhea. In China, ginger power has been given to those with diarrhea with success; scientists have concluded that the ancient ways are indeed beneficial in this case.
• Digestion: Ginger has been discovered to be a facilitator to the digestion process. The elevated sugar levels after a meal may cause the stomach to lose its natural pace of emptying its contents. Ginger helps in regulating high sugar levels that may disrupt digestion and soothe the stomach, thus, maintaining its regular rhythm.
• Sexual Activity: A known aphrodisiac, ginger has been used for years in arousing desire and enhancing sexual activity. Ginger’s scent has its unique allure that helps in establishing the connection. Not to mention, ginger also help to the blood circulation, hence blood flows more easily to the mid-section of the body.
• Menstrual Cramps: Cramps are the body’s way of alarming an individual to danger or damage. In this case, prostaglandins — hormones that function as chemical messengers— are the key activators of symptoms such as: cramps, pains, and fevers. Scientists believe that high levels of prostaglandins contribute to the increased menstrual cramps. Ginger helps by reducing the levels of prostaglandins in the body, hence relieving the cramps.
• Nausea: Studies have concluded that ginger helps in curing nausea connected with pregnancy, motion sickness and chemotherapy. Its quick absorption and rapid regulation of body functions cures nausea without the side effects of medication.
• Flu: Ginger has been prescribed to fight inflammation for ages now. Its soothing effect, helps reducing the body’s alarm to the damaged cells in the body. While the white cells work on patching the cells, ginger acts a barrier to the high levels of prostaglandin that induce fever, headaches, and cramps.

Other health benefits of ginger currently under research are: reducing heart diseases, arthritis, migraine, depression, and curing stress-related anxiety disorders.

Ginger may, at times, have side effects for those suffering from gallstones since the herb incites the release of bile from the gallbladder. Therefore, it is advised if such a condition is suspected and to consult a doctor before consuming ginger.

Think about an herb tea garden! Wouldn't it be nice to have a little herb area in the sun near the kitchen door where you could snip fragrant pieces of fresh green herbs for tea. This garden would be pretty, fragrant useful and alive about nine months of the year. You can even do this garden in a series of large pots for a deck or patio. It is fun to grow your own herbs to use for tea and you can dry extra at the end of the season to use during the winter. Choose a place and plan what herbs you will plant.

I love to pick a few fresh, pieces of whichever herb I want to use and place the sprigs in a teapot. Some folks like to bruise the leaves so the aromatic oils will more readily be released into the boiling water. With most of the following tea plants, you can just pick off a few leaves whenever you want to make tea. As you pick you will find that a healthy, well cared for plant will constantly grow more new leaves. Having a few of each kind is a good idea, as it will allow the plant to grow in between pickings.

Some herbs are known for their health value and are grown to use for upset stomachs, the onset of a cold or to help one sleep. I know that a tangy pot of lemon balm tea with a slice of lemon on a cold day will really help ward off a cold. Our large patch of lemon balm covers an area under two old holly trees. We pick and pick and pick from spring to late fall and also dry bunches for winter tea.

In fall herbs can be picked to dry. Just tie up 6 –10 inch stems and hang in a dry spot indoors. When they are crisp and dry place them in brown paper lunch bags and write name and date on bag. Store in a cabinet where it is dry so they will not mold. Then just add a sprig or two of the dry to your pot of tea. It is hard to tell one how much to use, this is matter of personal taste and varies. You will soon develop your own tastes and formula for herb tea.

The following list will discuss a few of the favorite herb teas

Chamomile

This sweet and also pretty herb is known as the relaxing herb. It is one of the ingredients in most "night time" teas. Roman chamomile is a low growing perennial and German is the self-seeding annual variety with more flowers to pick. They do need full sun but will grow well in most soils as long as it drains well. You can grow chamomile in containers on a balcony, but it doesn't do well indoors. Chamomile does well in my sandy soils in good of sun, but in order to grow all summer it needs plenty of water during the hottest parts of the summer. For tea, pick the golden flowers any time the white petals appear. Use fresh or place on paper towel or screen for a few days, store in paper bags or clean jars. Just be sure they are really dry before closing in a jar.

Anise hyssop

This plant has a licorice flavor and the square of the labiate family. The tall spikes of purple-blue flowers are really nice in any perennial garden and attract butterflies and honey bees. The plants are hardy and also reseed so you will have quite a few if you allow them to come back up. This plant reseeds but is not invasive. It prefers full sun and a rich soil, but here it grown in sand and in the shade. The plants are just not as lush as ones in good soil and sun. Both the leaves and flowers of this plant for delicious licorice-flavored tea.

Lemon verbena

People all over love this tea with its wonderful fresh, lemony scent. It is most often added to other teas to impart a lemon scent and flavor. Here in the Delaware Valley we have to either bring this one in or treat it as an annual. When I bring them indoors for the winter they most often lose their leaves in January, but I see that all are sending out new leaves from what looked like dead branches. They need full sun and make a wonderful patio plant in a very large pot.

Bee Balm (Monarda)

This herb makes a naturally citrus flavored sweet tea and is known as the Oswego tea plant (named after the first botanist who collected it). The colonial people learned of this plant from the natives soon use it. Legend tells us that it was the tea used after the local ‘Greenwich' N J tea party as well as after the Boston Tea Party as a form of rebellion. We often call this plant bergamot since it smells like the fruit from the Mediterranean plant of that name. But since a Spanish botanist named monarda in the late 1500’s found it, is correctly named Monarda. Attractive red, pink, or white flowers that look wonderful in the garden and attract both bees and hummingbirds are another plus for this hardy perennial. It enjoys fairly rich, moist soil that is slightly acidic in full sun to partial shade. You can use both the leaves and flowers for tea but if you leave the flowers behind the hummingbirds and bees will visit! It is best to use the young leaves as the older leaves may give a bitter aftertaste.

Orange mint

Orange mint has a pleasant citrus fragrance and flavor. One of the nicest things about this plant is that it isn't as invasive as most mints. If you're worried you can plant it in a container, but it grows much better in the ground. This mint likes partial to full sun, fairly rich soil, and lots of water. It usually grows about 2 feet tall, but can be harvested at any size for teas. It is also very pretty in the garden as it has deep green purple-tinged leaves and stems and spikes of lavender bloom. Butterflies love the nectar in the blooms

Other mints

There are many varieties of mint each with it's distinct taste: spearmint, peppermint, apple mint or even chocolate mint. Mint will grow readily indoors in a very cool, sunny window in a large pot.

Lemon Balm

1.Be Young – The anti-oxidants in manjakani reduce the process of aging

2.Prevention on unpleasant odour – Due to its astringent properties, manjakani helps in eliminating bacterial, yeast and fungal infection, the main causes of itching and unpleasant odors in the intimate area.

3.Healing tissues in vagina – Tannins in manjakani has the properties of tightening the vagina muscle and helps reverse loss of elasticity caused by ageing, hormonal changes and childbirth.

4. Reducing excessive vaginal discharge – Astringent also helps in reducing excessive discharge which can cause unpleasant odours.5. Cleaning the excessive menstruation – Astringent can also absorb the excessive of blood due to menstrual. 6. Healing external tissues – Astringent in manjakani also aids in healing external tissue damage after childbirth. 7. Firmer and smoother skins – Astringent in manjakani helps for a smoother skin and also prevents acne. 8. Breast treatment – Due to elasticity properties in manjakani in treating muscles, therefore the habit of drinking manjakani can help improve the breast elasticity.9. Mouth – Astringent in manjakani maintains the cleanliness in mouth.10. Dry and Oily Skin – Astringent also helps in preventing dry and oily skin. 11. Rich in food vitamins – Due to fibres which contains in manjakani, it helps in preventing constipation. Vitamins, minerals, carbohydrate, and protein are also beneficial for a healthy life style.

It views human as a part of nature and the universe and views health as a balance between person and the environment.

Human life is a combination of body and emotion. The four essential elements of the body are earth, water, wind and fire. 111-health is a result of imbalance among these elements together with a lack of harmony between patient, his circumstances in life and the world around him.

Earth element represents structural organs of the body: hair, nail, teeth, skin, brain, muscle, tendon, bone, bone, marrow, spleen, heart, liver, ligament, kidney, lung, intestine, early digested food and absorbed food together with the waste product.

Water element represents all liquid, phlegm and semisolid in the body: blood, bile, sputum, pus, sweat, thick fat, oily fat, tear, saliva, nostril fluid, urine and joint fluid.

Wind element means the energy that controls movement in the body: upward wind, downward wind, abdominal wind, wind in the bowel, wind the blood circulation, wind penetrating all over the body and breathe.

Fire element represents vital heat energy that makes the body warm, heat or burn, fire to warm the body, fire to warm the body, fire that causes anxiety, fire that cause aging and fire for digestion.

Disease develops from the imbalance of these elements. The imbalance is classified into three degrees: excessive, weakness, and deficiency.

For example:

Element Sample	Balance	Excessive	Weakkness	Deficiency
Earth/muscle	Normal movement of the body	Clamp, stress	Weak, no elasticity convulsion	Inflammation, painful feeling, bruise, spasm, fatigue, atrophy and paralysis
Water/salvia	Soothe the mouth; normal speech, chewing and swallowing; digest starch to sugar	Too much saliva in the mouth, dripping saliva	Thick saliva, hard to speak, chew and swallow	Dry, painful, bloody mouth, bad smell, dry teeth and throat, thirsty
Wind/ wind in the blood circulation	Normal blood circulation	High blood pressure, headache	Low blood pressure, fatigue, fainting	Circulatory failure unconsciousness, paralysis
Fire/ fire that cause aging	Make tissue deteriorate in normal rate	Faster deterioration of cells and organs	Lower rate of deterioration, the results such as thicker skin, thick tongue	Bleeding and circulatory problems; blood vessel construction, brain atrophy, heart failure and can cause death.

Etiology of disease
As it has been written that most illness arise from prolonged problems in diets, exercise, etc. thus factors influencing the elemental imbalance are:
1. eating habit, too much, not enough or bad quality of food and water, etc..
2. imbalance action and work: overloaded working, standing or sitting for a long period of time, restlessness, sleep disorder, too long urinary and feces retention, etc.;
3. environment and climate, rapid change of temperature, pollution, etc and
4. emotions: sadness, depression, anger, rage etc.

Principle of the art of traditional compounding
The remedies used for ill-health are made from plants, animals of minerals. Each formula composes of many drugs which can be divided into 4 groups:
1. main ingredients to exert the main action;
2. auxiliary drugs to support the main ingredients keep balance of the four elements and restore the health;
3. controlling drugs to control the action and sometimes toxicity of the main ingredients; and
4. coloring and flavoring agents to make the whole formula more palatable.
Traditional herbalist usually possesses distinct knowledge of the history of the natural ingredients. He must understand clearly about the name, appearance, color, odor and taste. He also have the knowledge of tastes and properties which are divided into 2 categories;

1. Rot prathaan (chief tastes of the whole remedy); cold, hot and gentle.

Taste of the remedy	Remedy contains these as main ingredient	Remedy
Cold	Leaves, flowers, stamens, heated drug to charcoal, etc	Fever, toxic substances, etc
Hot	Piper, Ginger, Galangal, etc	Flatulence, constipation, etc
Gentle	Kot Thang Ha (Selinum, Artemisia, Angelica, Lovage and Atractylis), Thian Thang Haa (Cumin, Black cumin, Garden cress seed, Fenel and Caraway), Cinnamon, etc	Fainting, blood disease, etc

2. Yaa Kao Rot (nine taste of the drugs): astringent, sweet, nauseating, bitter, nutty, fragrant, salty, sour and pungent.

Taste of Yaa	Properties	Incompatibilities
astringent	Diarrhea, wound healing, stomachic	Cough, constipation, flatulence, thirst
sweet	Skin refresher, muscle tonic, cardiac tonic, demulcent, thirst	Diebetes mellitus, skin diseases, carries
nauseating	Detoxificant, skin diseases, insect bites, depressant	Cardiac disease, cough
bitter	Blood and bile tonic, antipyretic, tonic, stimulate appetite	Flatulence
nutty	Deficiency of tendon, tonic for joint fluid, tonic	Astma, cough with sputum, fever, thirst
fragant	Heart, liver and lung tonic, tonic for pregnant women, relieve thirst	Flatulence
salty	Laxative, eliminate fatty substances from the intestine, blood purified, soften the sputum	Flatulence
sour	Cough with sputum, blood purified, relieve thirst	Fever, diarrhea
pungent	Carminative, fire element tonic, antiflatulent, promote sweating	Fever, inflammation of the eyes.

Differing from modern medicine, traditional treatment is not limited to relieve or cure symptom, but also aim to restore the body's normal function, so that it can heal itself. This is an alternative, medicine for everyone to desire and design his own destination.

An aleing herb (and a medicinal one, too), Costmary (Tanacetum balsamita, also Chrysanthemum balsamita), a cousin to Tansy, appears in the literature in the 16^th century, mentioned in Green’s Universal Herbal (1532). Markham in The Countrie Farmer (1616) refers specifically to Costmary’s use in ale making. (Gerard [1597] and Culpepper [1653] wrote of an herb called maudlin (Magdalene), which might have been similar to Costmary.) (

Species:	Tanacetum balsamita.
Origin:	Western Asia.
Source:	Costmary has now become naturalised in many parts of Southern Europe. It became popular in more Northern latitudes in the Middle Ages, when it was grown in monasteries and Imperial gardens in accordance with Charlemagne's Capitulare de Villis. The plant was introduced into Britain in the 16th century and was soon found in almost every garden, but it has now gone so completely out of favour as to have become a rarity.
Used Part:	Leaves.
Family:	Asteracaea (daisy family).
Effect:	The whole of this plant emits a soft balsamic odour, reminiscent of tansy but pleasanter and more aromatic.
Etymology:	The common English name "costmary"(Middle English costmarie) derives from the Old English cost, from Latin costum and Greek kostos "costusroot" (a root used as a spice and preserve) and Marie "the Virgin Mary", in biblical reference. In the Middle Ages, the plant was widely associated with the name Mary and was known in France as herbe Sainte-Marie.
	Genus name tanacetum refers to the family relationship with tansy and species balsamita derives from Latin balsamum "balsam tree", originating from Old Hebrew bōshem denoting the balsam tree, but also meaning "fragrance" or "spice" in general. The plant has sometimes been erroneously called "mace"in English, this term being reserved for a spice derived from the nutmeg tree.
Uses:	On account of its aroma and the taste of its leaves, costmarywas much used to give a spicy flavouring to ale (before being superseded by hops), a practice which gave rise to the English alternative name "alecost". The fresh leaves were also used in salads and in pottage and dried leaves were often included in pot-pourri, as they retain their aroma well. In an earlier age bundles of costmarywere tied up with lavender and used as a domestic air freshener.
	Costmarywas at one time employed medicinally, having somewhat astringent and antiseptic properties and use in treating dysentery. An ointment made by boiling the herb in olive oil with the woodland flower erythronium albidum "trout lily" and thickening the strained liquid with wax, resin and turpentine was considered to be very valuable for application to sores and ulcers.
	Costmary is closely related to tansy.

About Lemon Grass Herbs

Make your body heal itself

Many varieties of lemon grass have been produced as a whole. The quality and the taste will differ from each variety because of the weather conditions in the plantation area, the process and procedures used to make lemon grass. Because of the high value of the health benefits the lemon grass gives, it is scientifically proved that all should consume it can reduce the risk of getting heart related problems. It serves the purpose of the best solution for weight losing management. The lemon grass juice or extracts used in empty stomach will cause adverse effect. It will cure congestion and certain types of cancers. So it is very important to have the limited amount of lemon grass is always good for health. Since it will have Vitamin C in it, it helps in a greater way for mails and skins. The growth of colorectal tumors will be reduced because of regular consumption of lemon grass and sometimes will lead to cancer related problems also. Studies clearly say that the oil produced out of lemon grass will be used as a pesticide and preservative.

Medical uses of Lemon Grass Herbs

The boiled tealeaves along with lemon grass will improve the condition of the human health. Limited consumption of lemon grass will reduce major heart diseases. It will also help to control cholesterol to a larger extent possible. The fat oxidation of the green tea is high. It also helps to reduce the size of the kidney stones to certain extent. Lemon grass is more of antioxidant. Some of the studies proved that consumption of green tea will not give much relief to heart related problems. Lemon tea helps a lot to dieters. It prevents tooth decay. It also fights with the bacteria in the teeth and kills it to avoid plaque. Lemon grass to the maximum level prevents and fights with various virus and germs in the diseased body. The advantage of green tea is it is steamed. Five to six percent of men and women drinking green tea will have the advantage of preventing to get the heart diseases. Insomnia is one of the effects by drinking the lemon grass. Since green tea will have caffeine into it which leads to insomnia. The lemon grass lovers are considered as the health lovers in the society by their society. Lemon grass will have fresh and clean leaves like lemon and contains more essential oil, which is similar to that of in the lemon peel. Taking a cup of lemon grass juice daily along with tea or along will give a good relief to the total body after recovering from fever.

Lemon grass also can be used either fresh, dried or powdered. The fresh stalks can be found in Asian markets and now in many health food markets. Be sure to buy ones that have plump bases and long, blade-like green leaves: these will be the freshest ones. When using it fresh, strip off the tough outer leaves and cut off the bottom root portion. Slice the bulbous end into rings about 1/4" in size on a diagonal. Cut into longer strips if you are not going to strain your dish so you can remove these course pieces before serving. Bruise the pieces before adding to release the flavors. Lemon grass freezes well which is a good thing, since it is usually sold in large bundles, far more than I can use at once. It can be stored whole in the refrigerator in plastic for up to two weeks, but usually I'll just go ahead and prep it at the moment and place it in a plastic bag in the freezer. It holds well for up to five months. If using dried lemon grass, soak in hot water to reconstitute. The powder, called sejeh, is mostly added to curry pastes and used in beverages.

Lemon grass has been used for centuries in Indonesia and Malaysia by herbalists and in Ayurvedic herbalism. It is used in teas to combat depression and bad moods, fight fever and as well as nervous and digestive disorders. Studies show that lemon grass has antibacterial and antifungal properties. The oil is used to cleanse oily skin, and in aromatherapy it is used as a relaxant. Valued for its exotic citrus fragrance, it is commercially used in soaps, perfumes and as an ingredient in sachets.

Dr. Park Chi-wan looks over his patient in terminal stage cancer. An Oriental Medicine doctor claims that wild cultivated ginseng may be the key to health and longevity. Dr. Park Chi-wan of Kyung Hee Sungsin Oriental Medicine Hospital in Seoul said that a special extract from the root is effective against cancer and some other diseases. He said the combination of extract injections, extract pills and a proper diet could increase the survival rate of cancer patients, and have an anti-aging effect. Whether his claims will be acknowledged by mainstream medical circles is still questionable, but the doctor said he has enough field data to prove his theory. He said he sees more than 100 cancer patients a day with a considerable number of them thanking him for easing their pain. Park said saponin extracted from distilled ginseng helps cure cancer, liver cirrhosis and other critical diseases. He said there is a simple mechanism to all the treatments. ``Cancers or other major sicknesses are usually aging diseases. You get old, your body organs do not function as well as they did when you were young. However, by injecting the saponin, one's body can go back to the days where you were young and healthy, when you had self-healing power inside you. So you get healed,'' he said. Park and Sangji University research team found that mice injected with saponin tend to have better hair texture and color; move well and see better. They also found that when injected into the bloodstream it was found with various proteins to work as an antioxidant. He said he recently decided not to accept payment for the treatment of patients unless they live longer than initially diagnosed, or will give refunds to family members if they die during treatment or live less than their Western medical doctors predicted.

The study was made up of 60 people with Type 2 diabetes who were divided into 6 groups of 10. Three groups received cinnamon in the form of capsules totaling 1, 3 or 6 grams of cinnamon a day. The other three groups received placebo capsules. The capsules were taken three times a day, after meals. All three levels of cinnamon showed results, leading researchers to believe that as little as 1 gram a day of cinnamon may benefit people who have Type 2.

There has been some debate in this country on whether "true" cinnamon was used for the study. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there are two types of cinnamon sold in the United States; cinnamomum zeylanicum nees or cinnamomum cassia (L.) blume. Most of the cinnamon sold in our grocery stores is cinnamomum cassia. The Pakistani study does list cinnamomum cassia as the cinnamon that was used.

Richard A. Anderson, Ph.D., CNS, of the the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center (BHNRC), is one of the original researchers in the Pakistan study. The BHNRC is under the United States Department of Agricuture (USDA). From results of his continued study of the components of cinnamon and their effect on blood glucose and cholesterol, he states,

"We have also shown that the active components of cinnamon are found in the water-soluble portion of cinnamon and are not present in cinnamon oil, which is largely fat-soluble. In addition to ground cinnamon consumed directly, one can also make a cinnamon tea and let the solids settle to the bottom or use cinnamon sticks, which make for a nice clear tea. Cinnamon can also be added to orange juice, oatmeal, coffee before brewing, salads, meats etc. The active components are not destroyed by heat."

Based on these studies, it seems that cinnamon may lower blood glucose, triglycerides and LDL cholesterol in people with Type 2 diabetes. The fact that studies so far have involved a small amount of people and have not yet explored the long term benefits of cinnamon, would lead to the conclusion that there may not be enough evidence gathered yet, to support cinnamon as a major player against Type 2. But adding more cinnamon to already healthy lifestyle changes probably wouldn't hurt either.