Basil comes from India, but has been cultivated in the Mediterranean for thousands of years and is now also grown in North Africa. The genus name Ocimum is probably from the Greek word “to smell.” Once made into cleansing water for the...
Clary sage was mixed with ambergris, cinnamon, brandy and sugar into a popular European cordial for digestive problems and to improve the complexion. It still flavors muscatel wine and tobacco; the largest U.S. grower is the tobacco company R. J...
Also called “laurel,” bay leaves were once placed on the heads of headache sufferers and Greek scholars. Today, we still confer a baccalaureate degree, which means “noble berry tree” in French. Crush a leaf and the smell is...
Not a picturesque plant with its grasslike leaves, vetiver’s (or vetivert) thin, aromatic roots are its treasure. They are distilled in Java, R‚union, Haiti, Brazil and India. Door and window screens (called tatties) and fans are woven in East...
They include: * Zinc. This is crucial for regulating more than 100 enzymes. One study found a significant reduction in 5-alpha-reductase activity in rat prostate tissue previously injected with zinc (Andrologia, 1993; 25: 369-75). Another study...
This little understood disease causes progressive loss of normal pigment (melanin) in variously sized and shaped, white, smooth, sharply defined patches. ...
Q My life is being made hell by hot flushes and night sweats. I am 50 years old and reluctant to take HRT. And now all the herbs have been discredited. Can you recommend any natural ways to combat the menopause? - S.T., via e-mail
Reader's Corner
Q In WDDTY vol 5 no 3, your cover story on power lines gave evidence that exposure to electromagnetic fields was harmful to people, particularly children. I was wondering whether electromagnetic fields
Test-taking anxiety or stress is common among secondary-school and university students. It can be both distressing and debilitating. It is not uncommon for a good student who has had good grades throughout the year

