You have to hand it to South America: that part of the world produces an impressive number of nutritious foods. The vitamin C-rich camu camu, the sweet and juicy mangosteen, the antioxidant-packed acai berry… all of them are native to that fertile continent. If there’s one South American food that stands head and shoulders above the rest in the health department, however, it’s Peruvian Ginseng – or, as it’s more commonly known, maca. Native to…
Sacha inchi (Plukenetia volubilis) is a plant native to the Amazon rainforest in Peru. It is characterized by its star-shaped green leaves, towering height (it can often reach two meters or higher), white flowers, and edible seeds. These seeds, which look like brown nuts and are also called sacha peanuts, Inca peanuts, or mountain peanuts, have been cultivated by Peru’s indigenous population for centuries, although they are just as likely to be used in oil…
Royal jelly is a substance secreted from the glands of worker bees to feed their larvae and queens. It is thick in texture, milky-white in color, and has been harvested by humans for centuries for its alleged rejuvenating properties. Indeed, it is a fact that queen bees – which are fed royal jelly their entire lives – live approximately 40 times longer than drone or worker bees, largely due to the jelly’s nutritiousness. List of…
Propolis, also called bee glue, is a sticky, brown mixture that honey bees make from their saliva and the resin of tree bark for repairing damage to their hive and sealing it from invaders. Unlike beeswax, which is used to seal larger open spaces, bees tend to reserve propolis for smaller gaps. Europeans have treasured the mixture for centuries for its medicinal properties, though its popularity is slowing growing in North America as well. Propolis…
The kakadu plum, also called the gubinge, the billygoat plum, or the murunga, is a flowering plant native to Arnhem Land in northern Australia. Despite their name, the fruits of the kakadu plum plant – simply called kakadu plums – are more closely related to the almond than the plum, and they are unusual for fruits insofar as they remain on the plant after ripening. Australian Aborigines have treasured the plums for thousands of years due to…
