According to TastingTable, black garlic is very trendy with foodies right now. It's a new variety of garlic that has recently hit the market. When I first saw an image of black garlic I thought it looked like something I had baked, meaning I had messed up yet another meal by leaving my dish on the stove for a little too long. In reality, it is just garlic that has been fermented with nothing special added to it.

Black garlic develops its dark color, soft texture and sweet flavor while it ferments for about a month. Not only is it tasty, it is healthy—it is said to help prevent cancer and it is packed with twice the amount of antioxidants as raw garlic!

To incorporate black garlic into your next entrée, visit www.blackgarlic.com for recipes such as Black Garlic & Tomato Sauce, Mushroom & Black Garlic Risotto and Oven Baked Beef with Black Garlic.

www.gobizkorea.com

New Scientist has a report that vitamin supplements may cut the benefits of exercise. Specifically, the free radicals mopped up by antioxidant supplements, such as vitamin A, may play a role in how the body prevents cellular damage after exercise.

In other news, I don't feel so bad about forgetting my vitamins this morning. This perplexing tidbit is food for thought: While of course I  won't swear off supplements or antioxidant supplements, I will take this as another reminder to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, as the article reccomends.

Photo by C(...)YK/Courtesy Flickr
www.flickr.com/photos/chuuyoko 

Discover magazine (one of my non-Herb Companion faves) features a magnified (by a scanning electron microscope) image of a strawberry (Fragaria spp.). Check it out; it's really cool. 

The make-up of the fruit is clearly visible, with the seeds looking like boulders in a red sea. Plus, they give a great tip for teeth whitening, which works because of the fruit's malic acid. (Mix crushed strawberries with baking soda.)

You don’t have to abandon your love for herbs to stay up-to-date with the latest technology. Keep herbal knowledge at your fingertips with the new iPhone and iPod Touch application “Natural Cures.”

Created by Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, the author of Pain Free 1, 2, 3—A Proven Program for Eliminating Chronic Pain Now (McGraw-Hill), “Natural Cures” is a free application that combines natural and prescription schools of thought. Alphabetically presenting more than 100 health conditions, this application is more or less a travel-friendly guide to treating every-day ailments with natural remedies. It has been placed in the top ten “Top Free Apps” list for the Healthcare & Fitness iPhone category.

The Herb Companion has not been lucky enough to test this application, so we really would like to hear your thoughts! Have you used this application? Was it helpful? Did it offer a comprehensive list of herbal treatments for common health conditions? Go try it out—it’s free!

Click here to purchase the application for your iPhone or iPod Touch.