A Latin American
Blue Zone
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This Central American nation isn’t that far from the U.S. geographically, but it is way ahead of us in longevity. The Caribbean nation is economically secure and has excellent health care. But other factors are at play, especially in Nicoya, an 80-mile peninsula just south of the Nicaraguan border.
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Secrets of the World's Longest-Living Women
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The islands at the southern end of Japan have historically been known for longevity, once called the land of immortals. Okinawans have less cancer, heart disease and dementia than Americans, and women there live longer than any women on the planet.
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The Island Where People Forget To Die
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This tiny island’s long history has been as rocky as its topography. The outcropping in the Aegean Sea has been the target of invasions by Persians, Romans and Turks, forcing its residents inland from the coasts. The result: An isolated culture rich in tradition, family values – and longevity.
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Home to the World's Longest-Living Men
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A cluster of villages in a kidney-shaped region on this island make up the first Blue Zone region ever identified. In 2004, a research team set off to investigate a rare genetic quirk carried by its inhabitants. The M26 marker is linked to exceptional longevity, and due to geographic isolation, the genes of the residents in this area of Sardinia have remained mostly undiluted. The result: nearly 10 times more centenarians per capita than the U.S.
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How is Ginger Used?
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Young ginger is often pickled in vinegar or sherry as a snack or cooked as an ingredient in many dishes. It can be steeped in boiling water to make ginger tea, to which honey is often added. The juice from ginger roots is often used as a spice in Indian recipes and is a common ingredient of Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, and many South Asian cuisines for flavoring dishes such as seafood, meat, and vegetarian dishes.
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The Meaning of Songlines
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The term "Songline" describes the features and directions of travel that were included in a song that had to be sung and memorized for the traveller to know the route to their destination. Certain Songlines were referred to as ‘Dreaming Pathways’ because of the tracks forged by Creator Spirits during the Dreaming. These special Songlines have specific ancestral stories attached to them.
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The Mayan Healing System
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Mayan medical practice was a complex blend of mind, body, religion, ritual and science. Health was the result of living according to the laws of nature and society, and illness the result of the transgression of those laws. The Maya equated sickness with captivity of the soul by supernatural beings, angered by some perceived misbehavior. Medicine was only practiced by the specially selected individuals who had received an extensive education. These people were called shamans and ah-men.
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The Kula Exchange
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The objects exchanged in Kula are not particularly valuable in themselves, but rather serve to help forge social connections which are depended upon at various times throughout an individual's life. The study of this practice has helped to show that many indigenous peoples have traditions that serve many purposes beyond basic survival functions, enabling sometimes distant social groups to have harmonious relationships that benefit all.
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Background of Black Garlic
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Black Garlic was invented by Asian scientists to eliminate the characteristically pungent odor and the spiciness of raw garlic. Through the process, the fermented black garlic cloves get a sweet savory taste with a jelly-like texture similar to fresh dried fruit. A month-long fermentation process under strictly controlled heat and humidity of black garlic production appears significantly to increase its beneficial compounds.
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Discovering a Problem
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During the winter of 2006-2007, some beekeepers began to report unusually high losses of 30-90 percent of their hives. As many as 50 percent of all affected colonies demonstrated symptoms inconsistent with any known causes of honey bee death: Sudden loss of a colony’s worker bee population with very few dead bees found near the colony. The queen and brood (young) remained, and the colonies had relatively abundant honey and pollen reserves.
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Uses of Hibiscus​
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Traditionally, hibiscus has many uses — in medicine, food, drink and otherwise. Farmers often use leaves and seeds to feed both people and livestock. Many farmers depend on sorrel for income as it’s known as a cash crop in Sudan, Senegal and Mali. Its seeds are harvested and eaten roasted, used for oil, or when ground, added to soups or sauces. Its leaves and shoots are cooked or eaten raw as a bitter vegetable or dried and ground to be added as sour flavoring for vegetables.
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Yanomami Healing System​
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The Yanomami healing system is based on the action of shamans. They are like a protective shield against the evil powers of humans and non-humans. They are tireless warriors of the invisible, dedicated to protecting the lives of the members of their communities. When someone in the village falls sick, medicines collected from the forest are used in conjunction with the action of the shaman. Knowledge of these remedies was traditionally held and transmitted by older women who would apply them in conjunction with the healing work of shamans. Read more >
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