Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla), flower, whole, Egypt, a/k/a German chamomile, Hungarian chamomile, and Manzanilla, not to be confused with Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile). The chamazulene in this flower has antiallergenic and anti-inflammatory properties and it works along with other components against inflammation, allergies, muscle spasms and certain fungi and bacteria. Ingesting Roman chamomile sometimes induces allergic […]
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Cayenne (Capsicum annuum [Solanaceae]), powder, (40,000 Heat Units), India a/k/a hot pepper, Tabasco pepper, capsicum and paprika. Cayenne is a cultivar of C. annuum and its heat is primarily due to 33 to 95% capsaicin of the total capsaicinoid content. The use of ground sweet peppers as a product called paprika reputedly dates to an […]
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Calendula (Calendula officinalis), dried whole flower, Egypt. Also known as Maravilla, Souci, Pot Marigold, Golds and Ruddles. The carotenoid-rich yellow to orange petals of this annual daisy were once used to color butter, cheeses, and custards, to thicken soups, to add a pleasant, spicy taste to salads, and to substitute for expensive imported saffron. The […]
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Black Walnut (Juglans nigra), powdered hull, U.S. A thick green hull covers the actual walnut. This hull has to be removed to reveal the hard, wrinkled shell beneath. A dark, oily substance is between the hull and the shell. Walnut hulls are used to make dyes. The hulls can be boiled in water to make […]
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Benzoin is a resin of the balsamic variety. Normally the trees do not produce it or any substance simular to it, but the infliction of a wound sufficiently severe to injure the cambium results in the creation of numerous oleoresin ducts in which the secretion is produced, therefore it is a pathological product. The trunk […]
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