flickr image byGlobal Food Book showing peeled and unpeeled bitter kola
The nut comes from a kola tree which is found in the rainforests in Africa which has a deep brown peel covering it and has a bitter taste. This nut is used for many things in Africa.
It is used for celebrations in Nigeria, it is given to guest at a christening ceremony, funeral and weddings. This miracle nut is also used for medicinal purposes.
The nut contains caffeine, which gives a similar effect to coffee thereby giving a persons’ metabolism a boost. It also enhances alertness and gives physical energy.
According to Medical News Today, kola nut contains about 2 to 3 percent caffeine and 1 to 2 percent theobromine, both of which act as stimulants when consumed
They also revealed that “kola nut may be helpful for people who have migraine headaches. Migraines often affect the blood vessels in the head and caffeine has been used for headache pain. The theobromine and caffeine contained in the kola nut may dilate or widen blood vessels in the brain, which might decrease migraine pain”
AY who takes the nut whenever she feels she has taken too much junk food says “I take the kola nut even though it’s better because I know what benefit I derive from it. It helps me flush out the rubbish I have taken over a period of time and I feel fresh and healthier after taking the nut and using the toilet.”
The nut has also been known to suppress appetite and hunger which can help with weight loss.
Other function of the nut include it being used as aphrodisiac, as remedy against poison, as a treatment for catarrh and abdominal colicky pain, as an anti- diabetic and as an anti-inflammatory.
Experts advise against taking kola nut if you are allergic to nut, or have problem sleeping because of caffeine present in the nut, or have high blood pressure.
Coconut oil are given little to no credit for what they do. They are made from coconut. The oil in coconut is extracted to make the oil. There are lots of benefits of using coconut oil, they are… coconut oil has various use they can be eaten, used as moisturizer, used as makeup removal, used to make facial scrub and lip scrub and hair mask.
This article shows you tricks to using coconut oil as a DIY(Do It Yourself)
Homemade Mayonnaise
If you want to make homemade mayonnaise, and don’t want to buy from the stores here are the ingredient. Make sure before you start that all the ingredients listed below are at room temperature.
Raw eggs (yolk) 4-5
Powdered mustard 1/2tbsp
Salt. A pinch
Apple cider vinegar (mother) 2tbsp
Coconut oil 3tbsp
Herbs(optional) 1tbsp
Preparation
Separate the egg yolk and white in a bowl
Pour the egg yolk into the blender or food processor with the powdered mustard and salt.
Add any choice of herb or spice that you will like to try.
Add the apple cider vinegar
Blend the ingredients together and add the coconut oil in very little quantity at a time so that the oil can mix properly with the egg.
Scoop out from the blender and store in closely tight container and store in the fridge and consume within 2 weeks.
Coconut oil as moisturizer
If you have dry skin and your body lotion is not moisturizing your dry skin properly we got you covered.
You can easily use coconut oil as your body cream. You can rub coconut oil on your sink immediately after having your bath in order to restore and give instant shine to the skin. Or get a container and put in coconut oil then add your favorite lotion and mix thoroughly to make a smooth paste. Rub this on your body and see your skin come to live and moisturized all day long.
Coconut oil as a makeup remover
Gather here makeup lovers, do u have a hard time removing eye makeup and matte lipsticks? What if I told you coconut oil can easily take that down for you. All you have to do is put coconut oil on a cotton wool, an use it to clean off eye makeup and stubborn lipsticks. This can also be used to remove foundation and any form of makeup. It dissolves makeup fast and effectively leaving skin clean and moisturized.
Coconut oil is one of the best oil to use for the hair because it protects the hair from damage. It can be used as hair cream, hair mask and for protein treatment.
For hair mask, mix honey and coconut together in a container and apply on the root and strands of hair and cover with a shower cap or plastic bag for 30 minutes and rinse off with warm water.
To use coconut oil as protein treatment for hair, you need one egg,(you can use two or more based on hair volume and length) two table spoon of honey, coconut oil, and any other type of oil you like. Mix all this together in a bowl and apply from root to strands of hair and cover with a plastic bag and leave on for 60 minutes and rinse off with look warm water to avoid cooking the egg in your hair.
Coconut oil can also be used for chapped lips. You can always keep coconut oil handy to use whenever your lips are dry.
Coconut oil can be used as face and lip exfoliator. If you have white heads and black heads on your face and chapped lips coconut oil should be your friend.
To use coconut oil as a face exfoliator, all you need is baking soda. Add baking soda to a bowl containing 1tbsp of coconut oil and mix in properly to make a paste then apply to the paste to the face and scrub in to exfoliate the skin. Rinse the face properly with warm water after 5mins.
To use coconut oil for chapped lip all you need is sugar. Add sugar to 1tbsp of coconut and mix properly to form a thick paste. Apply and rub this into the lips for 3-5mins to remove dead cells from the lips.
flickr image by Lance McCord. picture of a lady taking a shot
Need your children and loved ones to feel safe and healthy this winter and be able to fight of flu outbreak? Why not take them for the vaccination.
Each flu season is different, and influenza can affect people differently, but every year millions of people get flu, hundreds of thousands are hospitalized, and thousands to ten thousand people die each year from flu-related causes. The best way to help protect against flu is through an annual seasonal flu vaccine.
The virus (flu) infects the lungs and the upper airways, causing extreme high temperatures and general aches and pains, headache, fatigue and exhaustion. Symptoms can continue for up to a week.
The flu vaccine helps produce antibodies in the immune system to fight influenza virus. If the jab has been taken and the individual comes in contact with the virus, the vaccine will be attacked by these antibodies to stop the body from getting sick. Within two weeks, the flu vaccine will begin to work.
According to the Centres for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) the benefit of getting the flu vaccination is enormous as it keeps the body from getting sick, reduces the risk of flu-associated hospitalization for children, working age adults, and older adults, helps protect people around us especially people with certain chronic health conditions (such as people with HIV, Cancer etc. ).
People from the age of 65, pregnant women, children, people with Down syndrome, people who work in the healthcare sector, or a carer, and people who works with pig, poultry and water fowl are in the at-risk group are urged to take the vaccination as not taking them may lead to serious health risk or infecting others. They are advised to take the vaccination because their immunity is low.
The HSE who is doing a remarkable work in announcing that the seasonal flu vaccination should be taken in order to not have to deal with the pain that comes with the flu, has advised anyone who is at a risk of contracting the virus to please walk into a pharmacy, GP office, or an occupational health department to have their shot of the vaccination. The HSE also announced that the shots are available from October 2019 till April 2020, as that is when the flu spreads like wide fire during winter because of the cold.
There is nothing that has an advantage that doesn’t have its disadvantages, the flu vaccination also has its disadvantages. Dr Jill Seladi-Schulman, explained in an article that an individual can get the flu shot and occasionally, still come down with the flu. It takes about two weeks for your body to develop immunity after getting the vaccine. You can still get the flu during this time.
“If you have a negative reaction to the vaccine, you usually experience symptoms within minutes to hours of receiving the vaccine”. Symptoms may include: wheezing, difficulty breathing, rapid pulse, swelling of the hives or rash around the mouth and eyes, and feeling weak or dizzy said Dr Jill. There are also people who shouldn’t take the vaccine they are Children younger than 6 months of age and people with severe reactions to the flu vaccine or any of its components.
He also continued to say that the flu can cause the Guillain-Barre syndrome which is a rare condition in which the immune system starts destroying the peripheral nerves. He advised the general public that if they have influenza vaccination questions or concerns, they should contact their doctor about it.
Families are advised to take the shots yearly to prevent falling sick. Please make sure your loved ones are protected this season. If you don’t take care of them who will? For more information about the flu vaccination contact the HSE at 041 6850300 or hselive@hse.ie or walk into the nearest pharmacy or visit your GP.
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