Spotted by its rough-edged leaves and star-shaped flowers, Buchu is harvested from the dried leaves of three kinds of Buchu Barosma plants. It's a herb native to the fynbos family of South Africa’s Cape region. Fynbos refers to the myriad of plants grown along this stretch of mountainous land. ...

Society is assuredly moving towards being more health-conscious than ever as evidenced by the huge interest in natural health options. We are more concerned about the food we eat and any hormones or chemicals that may be present, hence the greater emphasis on ‘clean’ eating.  There is also a shift ...

Slippery elm (scientifically known as 'Ulmus rubra' and native to eastern North  America) is an elm with coarsely textured leaves and a rough outer bark. Here is some surprising info that will certainly interest you to pick some up on your next health-food store visit. Read on for our Top 5 Health ...

What is Yacon or Smallanthus sonchifolius? It's a sweet tuberous root originally from Northern and Central Andes, primarily Colombia and Argentina. It is now also grown in Italy, Vietnam and New Zealand. Due to the presence of inulin, it has a sweet apple taste as well as texture. Being a tuber, it ...

Daikon (大根  - Japanese radish or 'big root') are white, large, long, hard, and crunchy vegetables from the radish family. They're somewhat similar in appearance to fresh horseradish but have a subtler pepper flavour, like watercress. Also known as mooli, they can equally be eaten cooked or ...

The most well-known of all the oriental mushrooms, the shiitake mushroom not only tastes good, but also has a number of potencies. Its name comes from the Japanese words ‘shii’, which refers to the tree it grows on, and ‘také’, which simply means mushroom. Now you know a little bit more about these ...

Turkey tail mushrooms, named for their colourful, autumn-­‐like striped caps, are as healthful as they are aesthetically lovely. These little fungi have myriad health benefits, particularly surrounding the boosting of your immune system, so it’s little wonder they've been used in medicinal teas ...

Camu Camu or Myrciaria dubia is a sour cherry-size fruit that grows on small bushy trees on the banks of rivers in South America, particularly in Peru and Brazil and is now cultivated in Japan too. It has been used traditionally for hundreds of years by the Amazonian Indians, as food, pain reliever ...

Cannabis oil or Cannabidiol made from the controversial marijuana plant, is gaining popularity worldwide. Cannabidiol oil, (CBD for short) unlike THC (the main psychoactive component in marijuana), is used to treat a number of conditions and does not give you the ‘high’ associated with normal ...

You might not have heard of shatavari, or maybe you have but it got lost in the muddle of other supplements we’re told are 'absolutely essential' on a daily basis. But bear with us, because shatavari is a supplement worth considering, and we’re not just saying that because of its sassy name, ...

Persimmons; what are these strange looking orange-tomatoes, well persimmon is the name given to a number of different species of highly similar fruits from the genus, Diospyros. Although the most popular version of this fruit was originally native to China, it has spread around the world over the ...

Stevia, what is it and why does it sound like the female version of Steven? Well I can only answer one of those questions. It's a sweetener and sugar substitute native to south America, extracted from the leaf of plant species Stevia rebaudiana. A lot of us love the sweet, sweet taste of sugar and ...