At last, my jug has come along

After months of dehydrated searching, I've finally been united with the perfect beverage receptacle. My brother gave me the top item on my Christmas list, the Sigg Traveler Classic Water Bottle.

Its made of aluminum, which is lovely to look and to drink from. It holds a lot of water without too much bulk, is pleasantly cool to the touch, reusable with a lifetime warranty , and BPA-free.

Best of all, it keeps your water totally delicious. I've dug it out of my purse after two days, and the water still tasted clean and fresh.

My brother also got me the Sigg Vintage Water Bottle. Its really cute and at 14oz, its great for carrying beverages you wouldn't want or need by the liter.

I love these bottles so much they've inspired me to come out of [blogging] retirement. This new found hydration has left me spilling over with ideas, so I should be updating at least a few times per week. Cheers!

nalgene bottes get even uglier

I've always hated nalgene bottles; they're so ugly, and they always get gross. In my efforts to reduce my contribution to environmental decay while staving off thirst, I've occasionally gotten past appearance and tried one out, but it never stuck. Learning that they are made mostly of the plastic BPA, a known estrogen (exposure to which can be linked with estrogen-based cancers, especially breast cancer), and that there were indicators the plastic could leak into the stored water, I swore off nalgenes completely. So I'm glad the results of a longitudinal study looking at BPA exposure in humans got enough press to provoke the first class-action lawsuit filed against nalgene (asserting they understated the health risks to consumers), to get bottles pulled off the shelves, and to incite nalgene to phase out BPA. So while they'll still be hideous, at least they won't cause cancer anymore.

I'm still in the market for a refillable bottle that is relatively stylish. I usually refill old bottles, but glass is to fragile and I'm temporarily ignoring the horror stories I head about refilling disposable plastic bottles because I don't really have any other option.

If you have any suggestions for attractive reusable water bottles, post in the comments!

Back from Brazil

This time last week I was with my mom on a rainforest expedition along the Rio Negro, the largest tributary to the Amazon River. Now I'm back in front of my computer. Sigh.
Led by very knowledgeable local naturalist guides, we explored the rainforest by canoe and on foot, and stopped in villages in the Amazon River Basin. We not only got to enjoy the lush beauty of the jungle, but we got to learn a lot about the utility of plants in the rainforest, the habits of jungle animals, and the culture of Amazon villages and towns.
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I will likely get a bit off-topic, but in coming weeks I'll be writing about different aspects of this trip, including medicinal plants of the rainforest and healthcare in Brazil.

parsley: not just a garnish

This pretty green herb can add much more than decorative value to your kitchen. Parsley is rich in antioxidants, and is a great source of the essential nutrients vitamin C and vitamin A (via beta-carotene), as well as vitamin K, folic acid and iron. These nutrients are linked with heath benefits including heart health and protection against arthritis.

Parsley tea can be a fertile woman's best friend. Parsley is also known to nudge along a late period; its mild emmenagogue properties can stimulate menstruation, as long the lateness isn't due to pregnancy. Parsley is traditionally thought to relax the cervix and improve digestion, so it is also useful in relieving menstrual cramps and bloating. To prepare the tea, simply fill a mug with fresh chopped parsley and steep in hot water for about a half hour. Drink a cup every few hours to stimulate menstruation or ease menstrual distress.

Big hopes for a little bulb

Health beverages are abundant in Japan. Between the amino-acid infused water and vitamin c fiber drink, you'll find airplane bottles of ginger extract, garlic extract, and various extracts I could not identify by the picture on the bottle. While visiting my boyfriend who was living in Tokyo, I had the (unfortunate) opportunity to test the antibiotic properties of garlic.

I'm pretty sure I transported a bug from the US, because my man got terribly ill the day after I arrived. Having no luck finding echinacea, zinc, or any of my regular cold combatants, I selected garlic extract. The bottle looked almost identical to the one on the right, but the the drawing on the label depicted garlic instead of ginger. He drank one every few hours and was feeling much better within a day.

Today I crossed the boundary from calling my sneezing allergies to accepting I'm coming down with something, so I'm loading up on odorless garlic extract tablets. Hopefully it will help salvage my weekend.

Ode to Ginger

Ginger tops my list of favorites for both spices and home remedies. I became addicted to the flavor, pink picked sweet slices with sushi and the zest in my dad's stir fry, and never thought about why my mom would get me ginger ale whenever my stomach was upset.

I became passionate about ginger after learning that it is traditionally served with sushi to combat any bacteria that may be ingested with raw fish. The simplicity of such a delicious tradition made ginger my favorite tummy stand-by.

There's data to show that ginger helps with motion sickness, morning sickness, post-operative surgery related nausea, chemotherapy nausea, and inflammation, and it is thought in Traditional Chinese Medicine to increase energy and heat.

For a cheap treat, make some fresh ginger tea by steeping fresh ginger root for 5-10 minutes in hot water with a dash of honey and lemon.

the data is in: grandma was right!

Always delighted to read clinical evidence that supports home remedies, I'm happy to report that honey got some evidence-based positive press today.

In a comparison of buckwheat honey, dextromethorphan (DM) cough syrup (honey-flavored, notes the abstract) and no treatment for cough in children, honey was rated the best by study participants and their parents.

The study, conducted by researchers at Penn State Pediatric Center in Hershey (the sweetest place on earth demonstrating its nature, as usual) was recently published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. It should be noted that funding was provided by the National Honey Board, and industry-funded government based agency whose mission statement focuses on the promotion of honey; however I'd be surprised if the honey industry handles its investigators the same way as big pharm.