gardening - Stephen T Radentz

TURMERIC; amazing health benefits, easy to grow.

I just harvested my turmeric and thought I would share a few health facts with you. This simple root plant has amazing proven health benefits.

Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric. It has powerful anti-inflammatory effects. It is a very strong anti inflammatory, as strong as some pharmaceutical medications. It also has cancer and tumor reducing properties.
Unfortunately, curcumin is poorly absorbed into the bloodstream. It helps to consume black pepper with it, which contains piperine, a natural substance that enhances the absorption of curcumin by 2,000%

What else can turmeric do for you?

Fights free radicals (Zombie cells) high antioxidants (curcumin delivers a one-two punch against free radicals. It blocks them directly, then stimulates your body’s own antioxidant defenses.)

Increases brain activity which may improve memory

Strengthens endothelium, which is the lining of your blood vessels. Improving blood flow and possibly reducing heart disease

Studies have shown that it can contribute to the death of cancerous cells and reduce angiogenesis (growth of new blood vessels in tumors) and metastasis (spread of cancer). It is a cancer killer. It has been found to reduce tumors in laboratory animals (tumor-ic ie; turmeric).
May help with arthritis pain.

Releases serotonin and dopamine which activates our happiness centers. Has been found to be as effective as prozac in treating depression. (so has St. John’s wort!)

There is some evidence that it may prevent cancer from occurring in the first place, especially cancers of the digestive system like colorectal cancer. In a 30-day study in 44 men with lesions in the colon that sometimes turn cancerous, 4 grams of curcumin per day reduced the number of lesions by 40%
(healthline.com)

Turmeric is fairly easily grown from Georgia south (zones 8 and up) by simply covering the rhizomes with 1-2 inches of soil. Water occasionally, fertilizer is not needed but may add to the size of the plants. Wait 8 months and as the leaves begin turning yellow, harvest the roots (rhizomes) carefully.

DIY vine trellis

What’s up nature lovers, gardening friends, and visitors? I hope you get outside and embrace nature today. It is free healthcare after all…

Our passion vine gets decimated by zebra longwing and gulf fritillary butterfly caterpillars a couple of times a year. I mean it goes from overflowing with leaves, to just a bunch of sticks.

It has been grown on an old wooden trellis that was just falling apart. So this year after the caterpillars had their fill, and most of the leaves were gone, the vine was cut back and a new teepee type trellis was constructed. I had some spare pvc pipes laying around, and some twine, that was just perfect for a quick simple trellis for our Passiflora.

I will miss the butterflies for a little while until the vine re-establishes itself. But for now I’m satisfied with the new trellis which will allow it to grow much larger to support more caterpillars. Yeah!!

If you were wondering how to make this amazingly simple trellis I’ll tell you…

1. Get 4 pvc poles any height you like. I had 4 already cut pipes that were close in height within 4″ of each other, so no cutting needed. My pipe is approx 5′ tall, 2″ diameter pipe.

2 Then I drilled holes through both sides at 10″ increments.

3. Now take some string or??? (any vine climbing material, fishing line, rope, cloth) and thread it through the holes you drilled.

I recommend starting with the top to form the tepee, then cut and tie off that string and start a new line from the bottom, circling the structure. We left one side of the teepee open, so that we could view the center and see what’s going on in there… caterpillars, chrysalis, and other cool stuff.

4. Now as the vine grows, you will have to teach it to climb up the trellis. Simply set it on the spot you want it to attach too, and it will.

That’s all there is to it. It took an hour or less for the whole project, and my cost was $0.

Here comes my nature preaching.. haha…

Working in the garden is one of the most free therapeutic things we can do with our time. It’s your choice how you spend your day, but I can assure you that watching tv, sitting still snacking, is killing you. While being outside could be healing you.

When you are outside you get vitamins from the sun, and beneficial chemicals from the air. When your hands are dirty from gardening you are strengthening your immune system thanks to friendly microbes in the soil.

And… when you become responsible for your plants you are reducing stress, while creating a bind with another living thing. It is mentally stimulating. Working, or playing as I call it, in your garden is possibly prolonging your life. So get outside and garden whenever you can.

Back to my original trellis post…

Have you made a makeshift trellis from scraps?

What simple garden projects have you made from recycled junk?

Post a pic and tell us of your success with penny pinching gardening.

Gardening, and getting dirty, is fun, and healthy for you.

#garden #nature #patiogarden #citygarden #urbangarden #passionflower #passiflora #passionvine #zebralongwing #butterfly #catipillar #gardenprojects#gardening#pennypinching#diy #diygardening

Balancedbynature.net

Free Healthcare

Garden Therapy

If you have been following along I’ve talked a little bit about how nature is healing. How it was designed to heal us and assist us in our search for perfect balance. But, what if you can not get into nature. The answer is to create your own natural environment. Create a garden for your health.

Just like being out in nature, gardening can heal you both mentally, and physically. Many of you live in the city and can’t always get into nature. However you can bring nature to you through a garden. Even a couple of potted plants can help to heal you.

Studies have shown that patients in the hospital recover on average, one full day faster when allowed in a garden setting versus those patients who stayed in their rooms. This healing effect was even noticeable when the patient had a view of nature versus looking at a wall. It’s pretty obvious that gardens, like nature, have healing powers. If you can get outdoors you will heal faster.

When you are in a garden you are healing your body and mind. When you are working in the garden you are exercising while healing your body and your mind. The minute you plant a seed you have developed a connection to that plant. Just like a baby, your new plant needs you to guide it until it can survive on its own. Plants, like your children, need a little help at first. If you guide them while they are young, give them nourishment and love, they will give back in abundance when they are on their own.

This simple process of nurturing plants greatly benefits your mental health. It makes you feel alive and full of purpose. It gives you a reason to wake up everyday. Even on bad days when the world is crashing down on you, the minute you walk into your garden, the challenges and stress of life seem to evaporate. It’s like magic.

Growing your own herbs, fruits and vegetables is also very fulfilling. I can think of nothing I like better than picking a tomato off of the vine and eating it. They just taste better when they are home grown and fresh. You also get the awesome feeling of accomplishment for creating and nurturing life. The plant you loved and cared for will give back in an over abundance of food or flowers. Which brings with it an abundance of happy feelings. That’s how the universe is designed. When you give freely, you will always get back in abundance, and that abundance will make you feel happy. Here is a little gardening hack:

Always pick your fruit and vegetables in the morning. I swear they have more flavor than late day harvested foods. I have my own theories why this is and maybe in my next book I’ll fill ya in on that secret. Stay tuned.

There is no better way to achieve a sense of self worth than planting a seed and watching it grow, giving it some love and nutrients along the way, then harvesting the food, or just enjoying the flowers. You get an amazing sense of accomplishment. It’s a major boost to your ego and it definitely gets your endorphins flowing.

Stephen T Radentz

Click on the photo, or link above 👆 to check out my healing through nature booklets on amazon. Simple easy ways to make your body, mind, and life a little healthier.

Get… Balanced By Nature without trying.

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