DAFFODILS

Health Benefits of Ginseng
Ginseng is one of the most popular herbal supplements in the US, perhaps most well known for its traditional use of boosting memory and energy levels. However, it has many other uses. For starters, ginseng is considered an adaptogen, which means it helps your body to withstand mental and physical stress.
Delving further into the benefits first requires understanding the different typesof ginseng available. There are three major varieties, each with unique attributes, although only two are actually ginseng:
• American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius): This tan, gnarled root contains ginsenosides, which are thought to be responsible for many of its medicinal properties. Chinese medicine, which has used ginseng for thousands of years, considers American ginseng a "cool" calming tonic.1

Bilberry (Vaccinium Myrtillus)
Bilberry has a long medicinal history in Europe. It has been used to treat anything from kidney stones to Typhoid fever. During World War 2 British pilots noted that Bilberry jam before a flight dramatically improved night vision. Modern research now supports these claims.

Jerusalem Artichokes: Health Benefits & Nutritional Properties

The Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus), native to eastern North America, belongs to the sunflower family of plants. Also known as the earth apple, sunchoke, sunroot and topinambour, the Jerusalem artichoke is a healthy root vegetable cultivated for its highly nutritious and fleshy tuber. The skin of the root, which varies in color from light brown and white to purple and red, can be eaten as well, provided that you clean it thoroughly before eating.
Jerusalem artichokes can be eaten raw or cooked, and they make a nice, health boosting addition to soups and salads alike. To learn more about the health benefits of eating Jerusalem artichokes, keep reading. The paragraphs below aim to provide an overview of the most important health benefits and nutritional properties of Jerusalem artichokes.

Jerusalem artichokes have prebiotic effects

NETTLE
Commonly known as dwarf nettle, annual nettle or small nettle, Urtica urens is a semi-woody plant belonging to genus Urtica that grows annually. Traditionally, people have been using this herb as a medication for skincare as well as alleviate skin inflammation or itchiness. In effect, scientists have especially studied the herb Urtica urens for its potential in supporting the skin when external irritants result in certain complaints.

What Are Cherries Good For?
Cherries are a favorite summer fruit in the US, where about 370 million pounds are grown each year.1 With a short peak season (May to July), high susceptibility to disease and short shelf life after harvest, cherry season comes and goes in the blink of an eye.
If you enjoy cherries, now is the time to get them if you live in the US (although if you decide to save some for later, put them in your freezer where they'll keep for up to one year). Come September, fresh cherries will be long gone for another year…
8 Top Health Benefits of Cherries
Cherries, which are members of the same fruit family as peaches, plums, apricots, and almonds, are often regarded as a "dessert" fruit for use in pies, or perhaps as a garnish for cocktails (the maraschino cherry).
But cherries have a healthy side too, one that may actually offer therapeutic benefits to your health, as cherries are rich in antioxidants and many other health-promoting compounds.

Grapefruit
Tart and tangy with an underlying sweetness, grapefruit has a juiciness that rivals that of the ever popular orange and sparkles with many of the same health promoting benefits. Although available throughout the year, they are in season and at their best from winter through early spring.
Grapefruits usually range in diameter from four to six inches and include both seed and seedless and pink and white varieties. The wonderful flavor of a grapefruit is like paradise as is expressed by its Latin name, Citrus paradisi.
The Gossip on Grapefruit
Botanical name: Citrus paradisi
If you're looking for a juicy burst of flavor that's as refreshing as anything you'll ever eat, grapefruits certainly deliver. Large in comparison to other citrus fruits, grapefruits could be described as mouth-wateringly tart with a hint of sweetness – somewhere between a lemonand an orange.

What are the health benefits of medlar?
Medlar is a naturally fat-free, sodium-free and cholesterol-free fruit, making it a healthy choice for consumption, according to the Produce for Better Health Foundation. It is also known to contain several vitamins and is used as an ingredient in several everyday products such as liqueur, notes VanDusen Botanical Garden.
A primary ingredient found in medlar is thiamine, which aids in digestion of food and is a part of a healthy diet, explains WebMD. Medlar also contains ascorbic acid, which functions as a naturally occurring antioxidant and supplements a healthy immune system. Ascorbic acid helps boost vitamin C and aid iron absorption. It is also used to ward off the common cold and other ailments.

What Are the Benefits of Mandarin Oranges?
Antioxidants
You can count on mandarin oranges to provide vitamin C, with 1 cup of orange segments delivering 28 percent of the recommended daily intake. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals, including those resulting from exposure to sunlight. Mandarin oranges also contain the carotenoids beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin. Beta-carotene functions as an antioxidant, but it can also be converted into retinol, which is the form of vitamin A used by cells in the eyes for vision and to support the immune system. Lutein and zeaxanthin are antioxidants that protect the retina from damage and may prevent age-related macular degeneration.
Bone Health

Pomegranate (Punica Granatum)
Pomegranate Benefits

Full of antioxidants, and known to contribute a variety of other health benefits, the pomegranate (Punica granatum) is a vital component of Mother Nature's medicine cabinet. Pomegranates have been used as medicinal remedies for thousands of years, and have became widely popular throughout the modern world.
History of Pomegranates
The word, pomegranate, comes from the Latin words, pomum, which means "apple", and granatum, meaning "seeded". The pomegranate tree bears a roundish fruit with a deep red coloring that contain hundreds of seeds surrounded by an edible pulp, known as the aril. This fruit is cultivated in many countries around the world, but especially thrives in a Mediterranean climate. The pomegranate tree originated from the Persian region as early as 3,000 B.C., but was brought to the Western Hemisphere by Spanish colonists in the eighteenth century.
Health Benefits of Pomegranate

13 Health Benefits of Oranges
1. Oranges contain phytochemicals that protect against cancer.
Oranges are rich in citrus limonoids, proven to help fight a number of varieties of cancerincluding that of the skin, lung, breast, stomach and colon.

2. Orange juice can help prevent kidney diseases.
Drinking orange juice regularly prevents kidney diseases and reduces the risk of kidney stones.
Note: drink juice in moderate amounts. The high sugar content of fruit juices can cause tooth decay and the high acid content can wear away enamel if consumed in excess.

3. Mandarin oranges fight liver cancer, according to studies.
According to two studies in Japan eating mandarin oranges reduces liver cancer. This may be due in part to vitamin A compounds known as carotenoids.
4. Oranges lower cholesterol.
Since they’re full of soluble fiber, oranges are helpful in lowering cholesterol.
5. They are rich in potassium and boost heart health.

Garlic
• Botanical name: Allium sativum
• Revered in Egypt for its medicinal qualities, and prized in Italian, Asian, and Indian cooking, garlic has been called “the stinking rose” for good reason. Closely related to the onion, it’s a bulbous root with an undeniably fragrant pungency. It was mentioned in historical documents that date back 5,000 years ago, before its fame permeated the rest of the known world.
• Today, China, South Korea, India, Spain, and the U.S. are foremost in garlic production. Not only does it lend a delicious complexity to foods, it claims legitimate beneficence for dozens of different maladies.
• Fresh garlic has nutritional benefits superior to that of any kind of processing, such as minced and refrigerated, or dried in flakes. Whole garlic bulbs will keep fresh for about a month if stored properly, preferably away from sunlight in an uncovered container.
• Health Benefits of Garlic

Tomato
Botanical name: Lycopersicon esculentum P. Miller
There are hundreds of them – varieties of tomato, that is – tiny types like grape, plum, and cherry for snacking pleasure, firm, petite Romas, good for cooked foods, and hefty beefsteak, ideal for BLTs and burgers. The colors can vary as well, from the palest pink to yellow, and even purple. Preparations of tomato are endless: sun-dried, fried green, stew, sauce, paste, ketchup, juice, Bruschetta, veggie soup, pizza, salsa, salad…
Some advice: refrigerating tomatoes halts the ripening process and diminishes the flavor and texture – so don't. For rapid ripening, place them in a paper bag with a banana or apple and let the ethylene gas do its work. Never use metal pans, spoons or storage containers, because impurities and poisons, including aluminum, can be absorbed first by your tomato products, and then your body when ingested. Grow heirloom in your own garden or look for organics to avoid GM tomatoes.

Parleying Parsley
Botanical name: Petrosalinum sativum
Some know parsley only as an attractive leaf garnish that's ignored, not eaten. It's true that parsley leaves are an attractive plant with small, scalloped leaves, but it has more than a pretty appearance. It’s an annual herb thought to have originated in southeastern Europe or western Asia, now grown in gardens throughout the world.

Terrific Turnip
• Botanical name: Brassica rapa
• Enjoyed since ancient times, the turnip is a round, apple-sized root vegetable from the Brassicaceae family. It’s white at the bottom with a light purple blush around the top, which appears when the plant has been exposed to sunlight. Native to northern Europe, turnip was a staple of ancient Greek and Roman diets. Roman author and philosopher Pliny the Elder described the turnip as “one of the most important vegetables” of his time.
• Turnips thrive best in cold weather and grow up to two feet high, with long and slender hairy leaves. You can buy them all year long, but are enjoyed best during fall and spring, when they are small and sweet. “Baby turnips” – small, young, all-white turnips that have been harvested early in the growing stage – are a favorite of many people, as they are delicate and sweet, frequently added raw to vegetable salads. The larger the turnip, the woodier its taste becomes.