Lower your blood pressure with an ancient symbol for peace

If you take blood pressure medication, there’s new evidence that an extract from an ancient tree could help.

According to a new study, the leaf of the olive tree can lower your blood pressure as effectively as the drug Captopril. As you may know, the olive branch is an ancient symbol for peace. But this study shows that it has medicinal uses as well.

In the study, researchers gave the participants either an extract of the olive leaf or 12.5 mg of Captopril twice daily. In some cases, when needed, they increased the Captopril to 25 mg twice daily.

The truth about bottled teas

You’ve read here and elsewhere that both black and green teas are loaded with polyphenols. Polyphenols are plant chemicals that can do wonders to protect your health. Naturally, the food industry is trying to take advantage of the news. You’ll find bottled tea beverages promoted at just about any grocery store and health food store. But are these teas as healthy for you as fresh brewed tea?

Polyphenols are rather bitter tasting compounds. That explains some of the bitterness in many vegetables, like broccoli, as they’re loaded with these plant chemicals. I drink home-brewed green tea and can tell you it has lots of bitterness. But the American Chemical Society reports that the bottled teas aren’t nearly as bitter – nor do they have as many polyphenols.

Is your breakfast destroying your brain?

Many people continue to eat and feed their children boxed breakfast cereals.

I keep asking “why?”

These processed concoctions are the epitome of stale, chemicalized, imbalanced foods. Common sense says that they just can’t be good for you. But the ad companies do such a good job making them look like the “Breakfast of Champions” that common sense does not always prevail.