HowToDoThings.com Herbs & Supplements

How To Understand Cinnamon and Diabetes

Staff468 — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 10:14:00 -0500

Insulin, which is produced in the pancreas, helps the body's cells convert glucose into energy. People who suffer from Type 1 diabetes do not produce enough insulin while those with Type 2 diabetes produce insulin but their bodies do not use it efficiently. Thus without adequate insulin or insulin function, too much glucose (or blood sugar) remains in the bloodstream, where it can damage the body's organs.

Over the years, people have tried various folk remedies purported to help regulate blood sugar. Richard Anderson of the U.S. Department of Agriculture researched many of these purported folk remedies at the Human Nutrition Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland. Mr. Anderson and his fellow researchers discovered that cinnamon helped insulin to increase glucose metabolism in fat cells.

How To Make Herbal Tea

Theresa157 — Mon, 03 Jul 2006 17:45:00 -0500

We all know that herbs are great medicines. And a wonderful way to unlock the medicinal qualities of herbs is through teas.

When making an herbal tea, many people want to know how much herb to add to the water. The traditional way that you'll find in most herbal recipes is to use one teaspoon of dried herbs or two tablespoons fresh herb to one cup of water. But Rosemary Gladstar in her book Herbal Healing for Women feels that you should use your 'sense of taste and your knowledge of the herbs as a guide about how much to use.'

Common herbs used in teas include:

How To Use Lavender

Theresa157 — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 09:01:00 -0500

Lavender is one of the most well-known herbs, especially for decreasing stress and covering up bad smells. Historically, Greeks and Romans used lavender to scent their bathwater, and during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, it was often strewn on the floors of homes, castles and streets to keep insects away and mask smells. The name comes from the root lavare which means, "to wash."

If you want to use lavender around your house, the following information will help get you started.