Some of you may
remember certain person mentioning the “Doña Tota’s boldo tea” for relieving stomach aches.
Let me inform you that it seems not to be such a funny fiction, people;
actually, these so called old wives’ tales have become a fascinating object of
study for several scientists.
Even
though these may not contribute very much in our memory as a vast number of
grannies tend to say, raisins can be a good remedy for our teeth. Dentists
usually recommend not to consume raisins provided the high amount of sugar that
they have; however, a study conducted by the microbiologist Christine Wu from
the University of Illinois in Chicago led to find out that raisins contain five
chemicals which are able to destroy several oral microorganisms such as the streptococcus, the major
causative of cavities in our teeth, and those are: oleanolic acid, oleanolic
aldehyde, betulin, betulinic acid and 5 - (hydroxymethyl)-2-furfural.
For those girls who became obsessed with their figure
and drink no other thing but green tea in the evening, there is spectacular
news: apart from its polyphenols and tannins that burn your fat and help you
lose weight—if you combine it with a balanced diet an exercise, of course—it
was proven in animal testing conducted by the molecular toxicologist Thomas
Gasiewicz of the University of Rochester, NY that a compound named
epigallocatechingallate—also known as EGCG—can alter the structure of HSP90,
one of the proteins responsible for cancer. This does not mean, nevertheless,
that it is 100% assured that green tea will cure cancer, since this has not
been proven yet in humans.
So, do you still think that Doña Tota’s boldo tea
story is just an old wives’ tale or you may give it a try some time?
I’ve never questioned the power of alternative medicines, and why should we do it. We must consider that primal medicines like penicillin or Aspirin come from plants. About raisins, I personally don’t like them, but I’ve heard several times of their benefits—the one about memory is the most known, I think. Perhaps we should try this kind of medicines because they are less harmful and more available.
ReplyDeleteI have to say I agree with you, provided the fact that you mentioned about where those medicines come from; nothing comes from spontaneous generation, everything that man has made existed initially in nature as the raw material for many manufactures. About raisins, I have also read that they contain proteins that can enhance our cone and rod cells in our eyes.
DeleteAs I've said in previous posts, I've always believed that mother nature offers us lot of alternatives to cure some illnesses. From a cold and menstrual cramps to fever and diarrhea, there are many natural ways in which we can fight against them. As Andrés mentioned, I've heard that rainsins—besides being delicious—have lots of propeties that benefit our health, and it is said that one of them is that it helps our memory.
ReplyDeleteI do believe in Doña Tota's boldo tea, in my mother's potato slices to treat fever and in my green tea to stay awake a bit more: all of them have worked for me at least.
Indeed, I have the feeling that you are on the right track, miss; everyone and everything has a purpose in this world--otherwise, what would all these species be doing but just existing? I strongly believe in nature as an unconditional helper; as I told Andrés, what man creates does not come from thin air. However, I am afraid I cannot go along with your taste for raisins, yet I am aware of some of its benefits; henceforth, I may give them a try, provided that my memory is not something I could be proud of.
Delete