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If we think about it, tea hides a paradox within itself: we all associate it with a relaxing moment, a moment in which each of us takes a break to savor its pleasant and beneficial infusion. When we think of tea, we think of a relaxed atmosphere. Tea and caffeine Yet, both black and to a lesser extent green tea contain caffeine, a stimulating alkaloid that tones our body and stimulates neuronal synapses, as well as being a molecule that promotes diuresis (that's why green tea is an excellent diuretic!) To support all this, there is also history: tea was in fact imported to Japan thanks to Bu..

The names and origins of mint The mentha viridis, commonly known as "Roman mint", is a particular variety of mint, characterized by long serrated leaves and lance-shaped stems with a reddish color. Even the blooms produced by this type of mint are different from other varieties such as peppermint, showing spike-shaped flowers with a purplish hue. Widely used by both the Greeks and the Romans, sweet mint is still highly appreciated today in Europe, especially among the Anglo-Saxon peoples, where it is widely used in the preparation of sweet recipes and delicious healthy herbal teas. In Cuba, i..

Discover Moringa, a plant with many properties and uses Also known as the "Miracle Tree," Moringa is an incredible source of amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It is often known as Moringa tea, or in powder form, and can be used in many ways and recipes. Today we talk about the Moringa tree. Commonly referred to as the "tree of miracles" (scientific name: Moringa oleifera), resistant to drought, requiring little water, growing all year round, and almost every part of the tree is edible and valuable: from the seeds used to purify water to the powerful medicinal properties of t..

Oleolites are oils enriched with active ingredients from certain plants (herbs, flowers, spices, seeds...). The oleolite is obtained by macerating these drugs in a suitable oily vehicle. The substance is placed inside a dark glass container and then completely covered with oil. The substance/solvent ratio is very variable, depending on the type of plant, whether it is fresh or dry, and the intended use of the oleolite. Personally, I really like the daily use of oleolites in cooking. Not only do they give a particular flavor to our dishes, but they transform them into authentic medicines! The o..

You may have heard this word: oolong or wu long. It indicates a category of tea that falls between green and black according to a principle of leaf oxidation. Name Black Oolong Green and white Percentage of leaf oxidation 100%-60% 60%-15% 15%-0% Depending on how oxidized the leaves are, the distinction of tea families that we all know occurs. Its name means black dragon, a direct reference to the shape of some oolongs. In the West, they are known because the media often present them as slimming teas. We will only say that there a..

Many names, one race: henna. Depending on the country, but very often depending on the region within the same country, the natural dye, the subject of this article, can change its name. In the Arab world, for example, it is known as "henna", while in Pakistan and India with the term "mehndi". In the Barcelona area, as in all of Catalonia, women associate the word alhena with natural coloring that will give more health to their hair. The Lawsonia inermis is a plant whose leaves are collected, dried, ground to a powder that is used for hair or tattoos. However, before immersing yourself in the ..

Fenugreek is a plant that belongs to the Legume family and is mainly cultivated in Egypt, India, and the Mediterranean area. It has long been used for therapeutic purposes, especially in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine to combat diabetes. Among the many benefits of fenugreek, we find those of protecting organs such as the pancreas, heart, and liver. It is used in herbal medicine to improve metabolism and digestion. Fenugreek against diabetes: the study A 2009 study showed how fenugreek helps the body manage high blood sugar and cholesterol better. Thanks to the abundant amounts of 4-hydroxy iso..

For a curry specialist, spices are what the palette is for a painter. In fact, preparing curries is an art, a creative endeavor whose limits are only set by the chef's ability to balance flavors and textures. But don't be intimidated by "creativity"; once the basics are understood, creating a curry, even one of your own invention, is simple, like drawing. Of course, we are talking about quality curries, made with top-notch ingredients, certainly not the curry found on supermarket shelves. It is clear, therefore, that curry is a blend of different spices, expertly put together following a recip..

Our test review continues to describe more accurately, with accompanying photos, what color your hair will become exactly once you use the brown henna. Too often, natural henna is purchased and one is disappointed or not used at all for fear of making a mistake, because it is a widely held opinion that "The final color of henna is not always the same" Well, we are here to clarify better about hair and ideas on what color your hair will become, depending on your original color. Following are some illustrative photos that will truthfully show (we have personally tried it on ourselves and acqua..

Natural henna seems to be gaining more and more popularity in Italy as well. These are natural dyes that not only allow you to color your hair but also nourish and preserve its volume. Nothing to do with supermarket dyes that, beyond some immediate nice results and compliments from acquaintances met on the street, over time tend to weaken the scalp and ruin the vigor and shine of our hair. Therefore, purchasing pure and high-quality henna is the first step we can take to give ourselves healthy hair as we grow. This is often an underestimated issue by teenagers who often use aggressive dyes to..

Have you ever heard of spagyria? Spagyric is the name that Paracelsus gave to his medical doctrine, based on alchemy, the study of nature and biological phenomena, and the therapeutic use of "chemical" products. The term would derive from the two operations of alchemical practice: separation and assembly (from the Greek spao and ageiro). As Paracelsus and many others explain, it involves extracting active principles from an entire plant using various methods, thus reaching different fractions that are then recombined, concentrated, purified, and potentiated. The preparation normally co..

Since we talked about how to make homemade iced tea with herbal teas and loose leaf tea, now we also need to know which drinks to prepare. In reality, all teas can be made cold... but there are some that turn out better; one of these is definitely hibiscus tea, and if you have ever been to Africa in the spring-summer period, you probably already knew that. Yes, because our dear African friends drink a lot of it considering that it is an excellent thirst quencher and with two/three tablespoons of leaves you can get a liter of drink.                                                         SO WH..

Henna, Lawsonia inermis, is a plant. It is a large bush, or a small tree, that grows in warm and dry climates. Since ancient Egypt, five thousand years ago, henna was regularly used to dye hair and may have been used in Jericho already eight thousand years ago. Henna was used to keep hair healthy and to color white hair. Henna leaves are harvested, dried, and powdered. When mixed with a slightly acidic liquid, henna will dye the skin, hair, and nails red-orange. Henna leaves contain a red-orange coloring molecule, lawsone, visible in the central vein of young leaves. Henna leaves contain one t..

If the English have imposed on Europe the taste for black tea, which they drink sweetened with a cloud of milk, green tea that has been consumed in China for five thousand years remains the drink of the vast majority of the peoples of Asia and the Maghreb. The best green tea gardens are found in mainland China, Formosa, and Japan. In China, the preparation of this tea has been more or less the same for immemorial time. In artisanal factories of cooperatives, the tea is roasted for less than a minute in large tanks, in order to destroy the enzymes of the leaves that could alter the quality of t..