TOP 100 SCIENCE SITES
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| Study aims to tackle rural depression Xstrata Coal and national depression initiative Beyondblue are jointly funding a new research project to tackle male suicide in rural communities. abc.net.au |
In praise of… mint In Greek mythology she was a nymph about to be seduced by Hades before Queen Persephone turned her into a plant. Pliny the Elder thought it reanimated the spirit. The Romans brought it to Britain. The Pilgrim Fathers may have taken it to America. Thus do the mint-flavoured affairs of the world go round and round. Now a team from Newcastle University appears to have proved what Brazilian herbalists have known for thousands of years: Brazilian mint tea can be as potent a painkiller as commercially produced analgesics. The concoction is not mint as we know it. Dried leaves need to be boiled in water for 30 minutes and cooled before being drunk. And the lead researcher of the university team, Graciela Rocha, who can remember being given the tipple in her childhood, says that it tastes more like sage than mint. No matter. The finding demonstrates the extraordinary versatility of mint. It eases toothache, aids digestion, and has anti-asthmatic qualities. It pops up in cuisine around the world, anywhere from southern mint juleps to tea, from tabouli to raita. Mint is one of the first plants to sprout in spring, and it will quickly take over garden beds by pushing out wandering shoots. In fact, you have to possess the qualities of Agent Orange as a gardener to kill it off. It may take many more years to find out what in Hyptis crenata, or Brazilian mint, soothes headaches and calms fevers. But surely the chemistry matters less than the effect or the taste. Mint is just a good thing to have around.HealthBrazilPlantsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Climate change fears tipped to boost hinterland house prices A property researcher is predicting a rapid rise in Queensland's Sunshine Coast hinterland property prices in the next 10 years. abc.net.au |
Queensland Health issues mosquito disease warning Queensland Health is warning residents in flood-affected regions to protect themselves from mosquito-borne diseases. abc.net.au |
In pictures Scientists follow narwhals; strange, unicorn-like whales news.bbc.co.uk |