The 7.1 earthquake that hit China April 14 now has a rippling effect on the most famous of Chinese herbs, cordyceps. Families are depending on this acclaimed herb not just for their health but now, more than ever before, for income.  Cordyceps is one of most sought after Chinese herbs which grows in the mountains near the region heavily hit by the quake.

 

The twig like fungus that grows from a caterpillar shell is found in the mountainous region near where the quake crumbled the regions small villages.   Because of over harvesting today it’s found only at high altitudes. Families traditionally start to hunt in late May for this fungus which is known for its miraculous healing properties.  More locals are hoping to recover some of their loses by digging and selling more cordyceps.

 

But the fungus

Australia-based researchers said herbs not only relieved pain, but reduced the recurrence of the condition over three months, according to the Cochrane Library journal. Who  writes The Cochrane Library Journal?   An international not-for-profit and independent organization, dedicated to up-to-date, accurate information about the effects of health-care readily available worldwide.

The Cochrane Collaboration produce and disseminates systematic reviews of health-care interventions and promote the search for evidence in the form of clinical trials and other studies of interventions. The Cochrane Collaboration was founded in 1993.  They publish the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews quarterly as part of the Cochrane Library.

A new sugar substitute has hit the American market and it won't raise your blood sugar level.  This small gourd is the size of your palm and it’s 300 times sweeter than sugar by weight, and the locals of this Asian fruit know it as Lo Han Guo or Longevity Fruit.   It got it's name because the folks that grow and often eat Lo Han Guo have an unusually high number of people within their communities living over 100 years. Nobody really knows whether its the fruit they eat but the name stuck anyway. 

 

What really makes this fruit so special is a chemical called mogrosides, in addition to glucose and fructose, which give it a very sweet, sugary flavor.  It has now been developed into a non-caloric sweetener to compete with other herbal sweeteners such as stevia. We just added it