The Indian gooseberry, also known by the Hindi name amla, is a deciduous tree that is native to Asia. It is well-known for bearing edible fruits of the same name, which are characterized by their light green color and extremely sour, astringent taste. Indian gooseberries have been used in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries to treat numerous ailments, including diabetes, although they are better-known in the West for their impressive antioxidant activity. List of Health Benefits…
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…
Moringa oleifera, also called the drumstick tree and horseradish tree, is a sturdy tree native to the lower slopes of the Himalayan mountain range in northwestern India. Its pods and leaves are often cultivated for food and oil extraction in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, as well as for water purification purposes. The leaves and pods of the moringa tree are unusually nutritious, even when compared to other tropical vegetables, and they have…
