Healthy Product News

  o3mega + glow for Essential Fatty Acids and Great Skin

Report by Rob Ferraz

Unless you’ve been living in a sensory deprivation tank for the last few years, you’re probably aware that you need to get plenty of Omega 3 essential fatty acids in your diet. Unfortunately, studies have shown that Canadians are getting far less than the recommended amount.

There are many foods available which contain Omega 3 (from orange juice to eggs) but since there are four different kinds of this essential fatty acid, you may not get enough of the right one. The two most important forms of Omega 3 are DHA and EPA which come from fish oil.

Genuine Health’s o3mega + glow is designed to make the most of EPA’s proven anti-inflammatory properties to help improve the appearance of skin. It also contains lycopene from tomatoes and Vitamin C in the form of ascorbyl palmitate, scientifically proven to be 30 times more effective in preventing skin cancer than regular Vitamin C.

According to the manufacturer, o3mega + glow increases your skin’s moisture, firmness, and tone and helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. The inclusion of Vitamin E also helps to reduce sun damage and affords UV protection.

There are myriad skin care products out there which are applied externally, and may or may not provide much in the way of actual benefits. With this in mind, it makes sense to take something that’s been scientifically formulated and proven to help improve your skin from the inside out.

Visit www.genuinehealth.com for info about o3mega + glow and other products. Available in health food stores across Canada.

  Job’s Tears for Cancer Prevention and Relief from Arthritis and Rheumatism

Report by Julia Woodford

Coix lacryma, also known as “Job’s Tears”, is a food-herb that many people confuse with barley. It is actually referred to as Chinese pearl barley in North America because it has a similar taste and appearance to common barley.

In Asia, Job’s Tears is both a food and a medicine. In China, it is one of the most popular foods used in the therapy of painful and stiff joints, either singly or in soup mixes. The fruits are used in folk remedies for various cancerous tumours, as well as for warts. According to Treating Cancer with Herbs by Michael Tierra, ND (Lotus Press 2003), this medicinal food should form a regular part of the diet of those wishing to prevent or even treat cancer, particularly of the breast, lungs, stomach, and large intestine.

Known by the Chinese name Yi Yi Ren, it can also be used as a general health tonic, primarily benefitting the functions of the spleen, lungs, and skin. It improves the flow of water throughout the body, so it can be used by those experiencing water stagnation such as abdomenal bloating and edema (excessive water weight). Coix is also commonly used in many formulas for arthritis and rheumatism since these conditions are associated with excess moisture. It is also said to be very nourishing to the skin, helping to clear blemishes and soften coarse skin, thus it is considered as a beauty aid in Asia. By grinding the seeds and mixing with honey, a paste can be made to smooth on problem skin, reducing blemishes and redness.

In terms of nutrients, Job’s Tears contain numerous amino acids, lysine, arginine, B1, adenoisine, and thiamin.

Regarding preparation, Coix can be used as an extremely healthy and nutritious grain substitute in cooking, and there are currently a number of products on the market which use Coix as the food base for diet cereals. (My own Chinese Medicine doctor has recommended regular inclusion of barley in my diet for weight loss. So I plan to start cooking up pots of Job’s Tears on a frequent basis so I can have at least one bowl per day.)

Recently a new product has come to the Toronto marketplace called Namu Organics Job’s Tears. According to the importer/distributor, it is collected from a pristine mountain valley in China, and is certified 100% organic by Ceres and Ecocert. It comes in a 250 gram vaccum packed bag ($6.49), with directions on the back for cooking: “Soak in water for 30 minutes to soften and to remove any hulls. Drain off water and rinse again as necessary. Use in barley recipes or make a risotto. Can be mixed and cooked with rice.” For those who wish to make an extract of Job’s Tears for medicinal use, the directions are included as well.

For more information on the medicinal uses of Job’s Tears or to purchase the product, contact Francis Ashwagandha at the Big Carrot Dispensary in Toronto (416) 466-8432. For product information call Namu Organics at 1-905-664-6845 (Stoney Creek, Ont) or email: smhawley67@hotmail.com. The website for www.namuorganics.com, will be up and running by mid-July.

 

Rariteas; Adding Colour and Beauty to an Old Favourite

Report by Rob Ferraz

Except for maybe that lame marketing ploy of ‘round’ tea bags used by one of the big companies a couple of years ago, we generally think of tea as either loose or bagged.

Now along comes Rariteas Blooming White Teas with a new twist on this venerable beverage. Rariteas puts the emphasis on presentation and beauty. The kit includes a 300ml clear glass tea pot and several tea flower bulbs with names like “serenity”, “civility”, “humanity”,  “integrity”, and ten others.

You simply place the bulb into the pot, add hot water and watch it ‘bloom’. The bulbs are crafted in China by artists who hand tie the white tea leaves around a dried flower blossom. Flowers used include: Marigold, Lily, Jasmine, Chrysanthemum, and more. Each bulb can be steeped three times.

It’s not surprising that given their aesthetically pleasing look, Rariteas are becoming a popular item at weddings and dinner parties.

There’s also the added benefit of White tea which helps to kill bacteria, viruses, and fungi and to decrease LDL cholesterol in the body. It contains antioxidants and a high concentration of polyphenols which help reduce the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease.

So for something that’s soothing, aesthetically pleasing, and healthy, expect to see a Rariteas pot in front of you sooner or later when you attend a fancy event. The flavour is sublime.

RariTeas blooming white teas can be purchased online at www.RariTeas.com. A package of six bulbs in your choice of flowers and themes is available for $12.50 (U.S.D.). RariTeas is the only company to focus exclusively on white-tea-based blooming teas. They also offer a large selection of unusual teaware (teapots, tea cups, and warmers) for those who enjoy unique tea presentation accessories for everyday use or modern-day tea ceremonies.

TerraCycle Plant Food for Eco-Friendly Gardeners

TerraCycle Plant Food became the first consumer product to earn the Zerofootprint Seal and now is available to eco-conscious plant-lovers at major hardware and garden centres across Canada and the US. The seal signifies that the materials and manufacturing process used to produce a product have virtually no negative environmental repercussions.

TerraCycle Plant Food is made by feeding premium organic waste to millions of worms, liquefying their 'poop' and packaging the brew in used pop bottles. Since the production process actually consumes waste – organic waste and used plastic bottles – and since the product itself is all natural, TerraCycle's overall environmental 'footprint' is very small.

What little footprint they have, from transportation and energy inputs, TerraCycle offsets with Zerofootprint, making its footprint nearly net-zero.

TerraCycle products provide, in addition to natural-source nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, micronutrients for all your lawn and garden plants. Products now available from the company include Garden and Lawn fertilizers, a plant food specifically for tomatoes and one for tropicals, as well as All-Purpose and Orchid plant foods. All are easy to use with no mixing required.

One of the reasons TerraCycle's footprint is so small is their packaging choice. Currently in their U.S. operation, the 'Bottle Brigade' program picks up the plastic bottles needed to hold the product from 3000 community groups that earn five cents per usable bottle.

TerraCycle has also made headlines recently since Scott's Miracle-Gro is trying to sue this relatively tiny competitor.

“It has been an interesting year,” says Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle. “We have increased sales and product selection, put together a bottle collection program that is educating tens of thousands of people on how to reduce their eco-footprints, and now a huge chemical company is trying to take our organic operation to task.  I think that we are close to making a huge impact on the way people do business!”

To connect to the TerraCycle website, head to www.terracycle.net and for more information on Zerofootprint please visit www.zerofootprint.net

Zerofootprint is a not-for-profit organization that provides information, products and services to the global network of consumers and businesses that wish to reduce their environmental impact.