In the meantime.....
Back to basics in Costa Rica
Few beverages on this planet are as biocompatible to the
human body and its hydration needs as coconut water. Indeed, coconut water has been reported to have been used
for intravenous hydration and resuscitation of critically ill patients in
remote regions of the world for over half a century. It is also an excellent
preserving medium for avulsed teeth (and semen!), besting even Hank’s balanced
salt solution, a commonly used medical solution.
While some are concerned about the sugar content of this
slightly sweet beverage, recent research shows it actually exhibits blood sugar
lowering properties in an experimental model of diabetes. Additional animal research shows
coconut water prevents and reverses high blood pressure associated with
fructose feeding-induced hypertension, as well being able to reduce oxidative
stress and insulin resistance.
Perhaps one of the most amazing properties of coconut water
is its superior lipid modulating activity in the animal model vis-à-vis the
cholesterol-lowering statin drug known as lovastatin.] Which means we can, in clear
conscience, modify Hippocrates’ famous saying to: “Let What You Drink Be Your
Medicine.”
read the rest of the story
read the rest of the story
Our stop @ Banana Azul for a bit of aqua de pipa (coconut water)
Plant based medicine
While medicinal plants are the actual plants themselves,
plant medicines are preparations made from those plants. Plant medicines are
the most widely used medicines in the world today. An estimated eighty percent
(80%) of the world's population employs herbs as primary medicines. And while
drugstore shelves in the US are stocked mostly with synthetic remedies, in
other parts of the world the situation is quite different. In parts of Europe,
for example, pharmacies dispense herbs prescribed by physicians.
For 5.1 billion people worldwide, natural plant-based
remedies are used for both acute and chronic health problems, from treating
common colds to controlling blood pressure and cholesterol. Not so long ago,
this was true in the US as well. As late as the early 1950's, many of the
larger pharmaceutical companies still offered a broad variety of plant-based
drugs in tablet, liquid and ointment forms.
The replacement of herbs with synthetic drugs is a
relatively new phenomenon, less than a century old, born largely out of
economic opportunities afforded by patent laws. Drug companies can't typically
patent commonly used plants, but they can develop patented, proprietary
synthetic drugs, often reaping billions in sales. Since the 1940's, chemists employed
by pharmaceutical companies have developed novel synthetic molecules which have
replaced plant medicines, and are sold both over the counter and by
prescription.
But these drugs are often dangerous –
But these drugs are often dangerous –
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