Discover Licorice/ Liquorice (gan cao)

Posted on September 21, 2011 by

Liquorice Root (Gan Cao)

Did you know that liquorice root is about 50 times sweeter than sugar? Liquorice means “sweet root” , named by a Greek physician “Dioscorides”. Liquorice has been used around the world for thousands of years and is a very popular herb in Chinese medicine.
In Chinese medicine, liquorice is used for it’s ability to detoxify the body and increase energy. It has a special property of entering all 12 energy channels in the body, especially the lung, heart, stomach and spleen.

Liquorice root is good for

• Abdominal pain
• Poor appetite
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Palpitations
• Sore throats
• Stomach Ulcers
• Poisoning
• Coughs

The Chinese Herbal Description

Thermal qualities: raw dried (gan cao) is neutral, dry fried (zhi gan cao) is warm

Taste: Sweet in nature

Actions
• Nourishes spleen qi and augments qi
• Moistens lungs and stops cough
• Alleviates pain
• Clears heat and relieves fire toxicity
• Harmonizes formulas
• Acts as an antidote to toxicity

Dose: 2-12g No more than 3g per day if using daily

Cautions and Contraindications

Large doses can increase blood pressure, salt and water retention. Avoid combining with blood pressure medications, corticosteroids, diuretics and heart medication. Avoid with bloating, vomiting or digestive upset.
Always contact your healthcare provider about adding herbs to your daily regime.

References

Dr Paul Carter
Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine Melbourne

http://acupunctureaustralia.com.au/

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Muay Thai Kickboxing Training Melbourne

Posted on September 16, 2011 by

Feel like getting super fit and becoming more agile at the same time? Give Muay Thai kickboxing at go at my local Mixed Martial arts school Kaizen Fitness. Kaizen is conveniently located close to St Kilda at 42 William Street Balaclava, Melbourne and offers great classes to accommodate all skill and fitness levels.

I’ve been training at Kaizen for over a year now and I’m still impressed by the friendliness of the trainers and participants.

Muay Thai is a very yang activity perfect for spring. So for those that need to increase some enthusiasm for life, decrease stress, warm up and feel stronger, I highly recommend trying a class and seeing if it’s for you.

Paul Carter

http://acupunctureaustralia.com.au/

 

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Adult Trampoline & Foam Pit Melbourne

Posted on September 15, 2011 by

If you want to loosen your body, have lots of fun, lose weight and learn some skills all at the same time then you definitely should try Sylark Circus Adult Classes in East Hawthorn Melbourne Victoria. I Went along to a free trial class last night and after some fun warm ups, trampolining into the foam pit, and lots of other activities involving flying through the air I highly recommend it as a fantastic way to keep active. Also great for cross training for Skiing, Snowboarding, BMX, Skating, Surfing, Wakeboarding, Kiteboarding, Wushu, or any other agile extreme activity. Most other class members were simply there for fun and fitness.

The instructors offered a safe, fun and social evening with lots of great instruction for improving technique at whatever level you’re at. Trampolining and acrobatics is a fantastic spring activity for freeing your physical and emotional energy. For more information on tips staying healthy in spring check out my Spring Chinese Medicine Newsletter.

To stay healthy and youthful you have to keep moving and what better way to do it than having fun on some tramps.

Paul Carter

Ki viva Wellbeing Studio
3 Glen Eira Avenue
Ripponlea
Victoria 3185
Australia

http://acupunctureaustralia.com.au/

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Brown Rice Nutrition

Posted on August 25, 2011 by

Brown Rice Nutrition:

In the process of updating information. Please come back soon

What is Brown Rice

Brown Rice Benefits

  • Weight Loss
  • Sustained energy
  • Calmer mind
  • Healthy bones
  • Circulation
  • Immune function
  • Asthma
  • Lowers blood pressure

A Chinese Medicine Perspective on Brown Rice

Anyone that knows me knows I’m a brown rice freak, and it’s more than its nice nutty flavour. From a Chinese medicinepoint of view brown rice balances the spleen and stomach energy which is so important for a slim energetic body and calm worry free mind.

Brown rice has been cultivated in china for over 6000 years as its main staple. It’s mentioned in many Chinese medicine classic texts for its ability to bring balance back to your energy system due to its neutral thermal qualities, so neither heating nor cooling, yet nourishing your body. The 2000 year text “The Yellow Emperors Classic of Medicine” advised practitioners to prescribe a week of brown rice congees (rice soup) to balance the energy of the body before treating with herbal medicine.You can aim to restore balance to your body by simply incorporating brown rice into your daily diet alongside wholesome fruit and vegetables

Brown Rice Nutrition

Brown rice its nutritionally high in:

  • Magnesium: relaxes muscles and nerves, builds bones and improves circulation
  • Manganese: maintains blood sugar levels, maintains healthy thyroid
  • Selenium: high in antioxidants
  • B vitamins: energy, muscle tone, healthy nerves
  • Fibre: digestive health, detoxes the body and keeps you feeling full

How to cook brown rice

Buy organic or bio-dynamic brown rice. Conventional brown rice has been shown to contain higher concentrations of arsenic than organic brown rice.

1. Steamed Brown Rice

Ingredients
1 cup of brown rice
1 1/2 cups of purified water
pinch of sea salt

Brown Rice Cooking instructions
Rinse brown rice
Add a cup of rice to your saucepan.
Add 1 1/2 cups of purified water and salt

Boil uncovered till the water evaporates just below the rice surface.
Cover and put on low heat for 20 min. Should take 35-40min. Enjoy

2. Cooking Brown Rice in Rice Cooker

Brown Rice Recipes

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