Natural Healing Sea Buckthorn
(Page 10 of 12)
November/December 2002
By Gina Mohammed, Ph.D.
Brazil nuts (Bertholletia excelsa) are native to South America and are harvested from wild trees in the Amazon Valley. The nuts fall from the trees contained in pear-shaped fruits, weighing between two and four pounds. Watch your head if walking through the jungle! Brazil nuts are a good source of the amino acids cysteine and methionine, making them beneficial in a vegetarian diet. They are a rich enough source of calcium to be considered beneficial for teeth and bones. Once, we had no birthday candles for a cake. We stuck fresh raw Brazil nuts in the cake, lit them, and they burned like candles!
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Cashews (Anacardium occidentale) are members of the Anacardiaceae family, relatives to mango, pistachio, and poison ivy. Native to Brazil, India, and the West Indies, the genus name, Anacardium, means “heart shaped.” The English word cashew is from the Brazilian Tupi-Indian word for the nut, acaju. Cashews are lower in fat then most nuts and about 20 percent protein.
Flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum) is a Mediterranean/Egyptian native. The genus name is from the Greek, linon, meaning cord. The species name usitatissimum means “most useful.” Flaxseeds are rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and considered analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-tussive (stops cough), decongestant, demulcent, emollient, and expectorant. Flaxseed has been used to improve arthritis, asthma, breast cysts, bronchitis, constipation, cystitis, eczema, hemorrhoids, and sore throat. Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Whenever flaxseeds become a regular food among the people, there will be better health.”
Hemp seed (Cannabis sativa) is one of the best sources of vegetable protein, next to soy. Yet hemp is easier to digest and unlikely to cause allergic reactions. Like flaxseed, it contains omega-3s, but hemp has longer shelf stability. By now, most people are aware of the multiple uses of hemp, including fiber, fuel, paper, and that it helps reclaim marginal soil and can easily be grown without chemicals. I have written a cookbook called The HempNut Health and Cookbook (HempNut, 2000) with Richard Rose that is resplendent with delicious hemp fare. The flavor is sweet and mild and somewhere between a sunflower seed and pine nut.
Macadamia (Macadamia tetraphylla, M. integrifolia), also known as Queensland Nut, are native to Australia. Macadamias are high in fat (70 percent) and lowest in protein (8 percent), but also contain carbohydrates, calcium, iron, and phosphorus. They are considered liver rejuvenating, have been used to discourage alcohol cravings and improve anemia and convalescence.
Pecans (Carya illinoensis) are native to the Mississippi River basin and are a close relative of walnuts. The English word pecan is from the Algonquin Indian word pecan, which includes hickory and walnuts—and means something that is so hard that it must be cracked by a stone. Pecans are about 71 percent fat and a rich source of protein. They are considered especially nourishing for the nervous system and helpful in repairing damaged cells in cases of heart disease.
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