Back to Nature Organic

Binchota Charcoal soap - handmade, natural, chemical free soap

2011-01-01T07:27:00.000-08:00

Binchota Charcoal Soap

Handmade,

Natural,

Chemical-Free,

No synthetic preservative,

No Fragrance Oil,

No artificial coloring,

Advantages of Binchota Charcoal Soap

Binchota Charcoal Soap contains Binchota charcoal to unclog pores and remove dead hard cells from the top skin layer. It also helps to remove oily substances from facial skin.

Excellent for skin cleansing and promote healthy skin.

INGREDIENTS:

Palm oil,

Water,

Sodium,

Binchotan Charcoal Powder

Rosmary Antioxidant

Approximate net weight: 100g

Bincho-tan or white charcoal is a traditional charcoal of Japan.

It dates to the Edo period, when during the Genroku era, a craftsman named Bitchu-ya Chozaemon began to produce it in Tanabe, Wakayama.

The raw material is oak, specifically ubame oak (Quercus phillyraeoides), now the official tree of Wakayama Prefecture.

Charcoal offers numerous beneficial effects that are exploited to make a wide array of products, from everyday items to beautifying agents.

Charcoal is attracting attention because its unique characteristics can be used in many ways.

It has so many tiny cavities oriented in so many directions that one gram of charcoal has a surface area of about 250 m2. The cavities can attach different substances to their walls, then release them later.

For example, they absorb moisture from humid air, then release it during dry conditions. This makes charcoal an excellent humidity regulator.

Charcoal has other benefits, too: it absorbs unpleasant room odors and harmful substances; it generates negative ions that are said to put people in a better frame of mind; and it exerts a far-infrared effect that supposedly improves blood circulation.

Researchers in Japan are examining these benefits, exploring new uses to develop innovative products like water purifiers (for drinking and bathing), agents to keep vegetables and other foods fresh, soil enhancers, humidity regulators for the walls and floors of homes, and deodorants.

New Organic Misai Kucing Orthosiphon Grandiflorus tea (Cat Whiskers')

2011-01-01T07:14:00.000-08:00

Misai Kucing (Orthosiphon Grandiflorus) or cat whiskers is trusted for many centuries in many countries for treating ailments of the kidney, bladder stone, urinary tract infection, liver and bladder problems, diabetes, rheumatism and gout. And, it is also used to reduce cholesterol and blood pressure.

This herbal tea is organically grown in GK Organic Farm and Certified by Skim Organic Malaysia (SOM)

and is processed, dry and packed in recycle container.

It is 100% Caffein Free

Preparation

Put 1 table spoon of herb tea leaf per mug cup in a tea pot. Pour over freshly boiled drinking water.
Infuse 5-10 minute or decoct if stronger flavour is desired

Net Weight
140 gm

1. Medicinal uses

It is trusted for many centuries for treating ailments of the kidney, bladder stone, urinary tract infection, liver and bladder problems, diabetes, rheumatism and gout. And, it is also used to reduce cholesterol and blood pressure. It is believed to have antiallergic, antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory diuretic properties. Furthermore, it is used as a remedy for arteriosclerosis (capillary and circulatory disorders), kidney stones, diabetes and nephritis. and

It has a mild diuretic action, so it is very useful for flushing the kidneys and urinary tract. It also relieves spasms of the smooth muscle in the walls of the internal organs, making it valuable for gallbladder problems. Researchers have found it to be mildly antiseptic as well.

2.Synonyms

It (misai kucing) is also known as Kumis Kuching (kumis kucing) or Remujung. Other names for Misai Kuching are Orthosiphon Stamineus Benth, Orthosiphon Aristatus, Orthosiphonblaetter, Indisher Nierentee, Feuilles de Barbiflore, Java Tea, Javatee, Kidney Tea, Koemis Koetjing, Yaa Nuat Maeo and Immortali Tea.

Because of the characteristic form of its flowers, it is also known as Cat's whiskers.

In Visayas, Philippines (especially in Cebu), cat's whiskers is known as wachichao. It is now used for commercial medicinal tea (wachichao as the brand name itself) that is approved by the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD).

Do you know 91% of Soybean in USA is Genetically engineered?

2010-10-03T18:50:00.000-07:00

Dear all,

Are you taking soybean milk or soybean related products ie toufu daily?

Do you know that 91% of soybean in USA is genetically engineered in 2009?

Just to share with you this interesting articles from USAToday:-

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2010-03-17-Biotech17_cv_N.htm

Is it safe to consume soybean and related products ?

regards,

George

---------------------------------------------------------------

Genetically modified foods get U.S. traction, global debate


Enlarge	By Frank Hormann, AP

Andreas Heise of the German company BASF presents a handful of genetically manipulated "Amflora" potatoes prior to planting a test field near Buetow, northern Germany. The European Commission on March 2, 2010, authorized the cultivation of the genetically modified potato, the first such green light for 12 years.

MODIFIED FOOD AND FIBER


Enlarge	By Toby Talbot, AP

Cat Buxton of Sharon, Vt., holds a sign during a 2003 demonstration in Montpelier, Vt., against genetically modified crops.

ADOPTION OF BIOTECH

In 2009, the main genetically modified crops grown, by country:

Acres (millions)		Crop type

United States	158.1	Soy, corn, cotton, canola

Brazil	52.8	Soy, corn, cotton

Argentina	52.6	Soy, corn, cotton

India	20.7	Cotton

Canada	20.2	Canola, corn, soy, sugar beet

China	9.1	Cotton, tomato, poplar

Paraguay	5.4	Soy

South Africa	5.1	Corn, soy, cotton

Source: International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications

Which modifications are the most common?

The most commonly used biotech trait, 62% worldwide, is herbicide resistance. These plants have been engineered to resist the herbicide glyphosate, often sold under the name Roundup. This allows farmers to plant their seed, let the weeds and crop grow up, and then spray glyphosate, killing only the weeds but not the crop. It has led to "no-till" crops where farmers don't have to plow, decreasing soil erosion, water loss and the release of carbon.

The second most commonly grown genetically modified crops, 16% worldwide, are various Bt varieties, which have had a gene from a naturally occurring soil bacteria called Bacillus thuringiensis added and produce a mild pesticide. The same protein these crops produce also is allowable in organic agriculture because it is considered natural and non-toxic.

Varieties that contain both traits make up 21% of genetically modified crops, according to the International Agency for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.


Enlarge	ISAAA

Women pick through bioengineered cotton in Chin

By Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY

For more than a decade, two opposing views of the technology used for genetically engineering crops have fought for the hearts and minds of the world's farmers.

At best, they've come to a standoff.

The technology allows scientists to genetically manipulate common crops such as corn, cotton and soybeans, inserting traits that, in one case, lets farmers spray weed killer without hurting the crop and, in other instances, fight off insects. The effort has been embraced by some as a way to better feed a world population that's soaring, but others raise the specter of "Frankenfood," whose long-term effect on human and environmental health has never been adequately studied.

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Count the Europeans in the latter group. They've largely rejected genetically modified crops on the grounds they pose potential ecological and health nightmares.

Meanwhile in North America, and increasingly in South America, farmers embrace them, arguing they protect the environment by decreasing pesticide use and making no-till crops (where the soil is not plowed) possible. This increases water retention and decreases erosion, and at least by some measures reduces carbon released into the atmosphere.

But now, like a global tug of war, that standoff may be starting to shift in favor of biotech supporters. In an announcement that drew little attention in November, China said it had approved biotech rice and corn varieties, which some believe could be the beginning of a broader acceptance of the 16-year-old technology.

That's disturbing to groups like Friends of the Earth, which opposes genetically engineered crops and fights them in both the USA and Europe.

"China most definitely will have an influence in the future of agriculture and trade. They grow an incredible amount of food and fiber, and the more they embrace this technology, the more it's going to be used," says Eric Hoffman, the group's genetic engineering policy campaigner in Washington, D.C. "There's potential for China shifting the balance away from the movement that Europe is creating to stop these technologies."

China's move could be mitigated in part by India's decision in February to reject a newly approved eggplant variety genetically engineered to produce its own insecticide. But the struggle is still on to win over the largely undecided portions of the globe: Africa and Asia.

Whatever governments are doing, a report out last month shows that worldwide, these crops are being adopted at a blistering rate, jumping 7% last year, an increase of 22.2 million acres. That's not bad for a technology targeting farmers, a generally conservative group when it comes to innovation, says Clive James of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Application (ISAAA), which is financed by the biotech industry.

"Farmers are smart people," says Gregory Jaffe, biotechnology director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a non-profit group in Washington, D.C., that tracks biotechnology but is neutral on its use. "They wouldn't continue to grow these over the years if in fact they weren't beneficial to them."

U.S. farmers certainly think so. By last year, biotech crops accounted for 85% to 95% of some key crops, including soybeans and cotton, the ISAAA says.

Another reason there's little concern in North America is that almost all those crops are either fed only to animals (soy and feed corn), used for fiber (cotton) or are so processed that the genetically engineered proteins are no longer present (sugar beets and high-fructose corn syrup). An attempt to introduce genetically engineered wheat in 2004 failed because growers were afraid it would hurt export prices.

The 'precautionary principle'

Others, including Doug Gurian-Sherman of the Union of Concerned Scientists, say that the crops do little for consumers and that conventional breeding techniques are just as powerful.

Because the technology involves introducing genes from one plant or bacteria into another in combinations not found in nature, many believe it can never be proven entirely safe. They think science should operate on the "precautionary principle" that if something can't be proven to be 100% safe long term, it shouldn't be used. And they feel long-term research hasn't been done.

"There really haven't been enough studies on the health effects of humans," Hoffman says.

Others argue that dozens of scientifically valid studies have found no human or animal health effects from crops resistant to herbicides and others grown to produce their own pesticide — a natural soil bacteria known as Bt.

Jaffe believes "for the current crops that are grown throughout the world, there's a lot of data that show those crops are very safe to eat and safe for the environment. The more they're grown and the longer they're grown without a problem surfacing, (the more it) supports the people who said there wasn't a problem."

But for some, no amount of scientific proof would make them comfortable. "There are still some people who refuse to give vaccines to their children, yet they've been tried and tested and they're beneficial and safe," Jaffe says. The public-interest science center's goal is to move away from emotions and see that governments make "science-based decisions."

Worldwide, biologically engineered crops continue to be embraced in both developed and developing nations. Last year, 330 million acres of biotech crops were planted in 25 countries, the ISAAA says.

The largest increases were in the developing world. Internationally, the USA is the biggest adopter, growing 158 million acres.

In Europe, however, the trend is reversed. Of 26 European Union countries, only six plant the one genetically modified, or GM, crop accepted there: insect-resistant corn. Germany discontinued GM planting in 2008.

Supporters of the technology want opponents to get real.

With Earth's population expected to peak at 9 billion by 2050, from 6.8 billion today, humanity can't afford to give up any tools that might make agriculture more efficient, says Carl Pray, a professor of agricultural economics at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

"We are going to have to produce more food, and we're going to have to produce it more efficiently in the sense that we have water and land constraints and environmental concerns about not cutting down and burning all of the rain forest," Pray says. Biotech can be a tool in achieving that, he believes.

Biggest on the list are the anticipated arrival of drought-tolerant biotech corn in the USA in 2012 and in sub-Saharan Africa in 2017, the ISAAA's James says.

The emergence of China

Europe's opposition may be less significant in the future. China is now "the biggest investor in public biotech crop research in the world," says Guillaume Gruère, an agricultural economist with the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington, D.C.

China also will be the first country where a major staple food of humans, in this case rice, will be genetically engineered with the Bt gene to resist the rice stem borer. Its other newly approved crop is corn that contains an enzyme that makes pigs better able to digest the nutrient phosphorus, which decreases the phosphorus they excrete in their manure. Phosphorus is a major polluter of waterways.

China also changes the debate because one argument against bioengineered crops has been that they are primarily owned and sold by large, multinational companies that don't have the interests of farmers, society or the environment at heart.

"We can't just let these corporations make huge profit at the expense of public health and environmental health and biodiversity," says Friends of the Earth's Hoffman.

But in Asia, "for the most part, it's not companies that are doing it. It's coming out of the public sector, and that's really going to change the landscape," says Peggy Lemaux, a microbial biologist at the University of California-Berkeley, who is involved in genetic engineering of crops suitable for developing countries.

When China begins to grow genetically modified rice, "it will have a huge impact, at least in Asia," Gruère says. "Other Asian countries will say, 'They're growing it, they're eating it, they have less pesticide use. Maybe we should, too.' "

How to make compost from your kitchen waste?

2010-09-15T21:37:00.000-07:00

Hi, my esteemed friends,

In an effort to save our earth, one of the basic step EVERYONE of us can do is to reduce and recycle household waste/organic/biodegradabe materials ie paper,kitchen waste, fruit peels, garden weed, dry grass etc..and make it into compost.

You could use the compost to plant your vegetable/crop in your garden.

Dont you think is a good idea that you could save your fertilizer cost and at a same time could enjoy a safe,healthy, pesticide free, chemical free home grown juicy and delicious vegetable/crops?

To make a compost, basic 3 materials are:-

1. Wet material - Kitchen waste, fruits peels, unwanted vegetable leave & roots etc
2. Dry material - newspaper, garden dry grass & leaves, shredded egg tray, coconut husk/fibre etc
3. Microbs (friendly bacteria,yeast & mould)

Steps :-
1. Cut the wet material to small pieces
2. Cut the dry material to samll pieces
3. Mix the wet and dry material together in pot (I use clay flower pot; plastic one not advisible as no aeration) with the microbs and stir evenly
4. Cover with tiles and allow some space for respiration and aeration.
5. Leave under shed and avoid direct sunlight as heat may destroy the friendly microbs
6. If possible stir it daily
7. Compost should be ready by 2-3 weeks.

I use compost to plant vegetables such as sawi,spinash, kailan, long bean and also sweet corn and they are growing very well..

Please do not hesitate to contact me at btgeorge3@gmail.com should you need further clarifications.

Happy Trying and Thank you for your efforts to save our earth!

best regards,

George

Zero rubbish & sustainable life in Klang. Is it possible?

2010-03-06T06:10:00.000-08:00

Dear all,

With the current alarming Global Warming and climate change, we hear about people talking how to save our earth.

I believe we could help to save the earth by generating less rubbish, using environmentally household products, practicing recycling and sustainable activities, saving the energy and living a simple life.

My Vision is towards ZERO Rubbish generated from my house.

Is it possible?

Yes. It is possible, with strong PASSION for the environment/our mother earth.

Action speak louder than words.

I practice saving our mother earth from my DAILY activities.

How do I practice an organic and sustainable daily life in Bandar Botanic, a township around 8km from Klang, Selangor, Malaysia?

1. I practice full Recycling

Basically I broadly categorized my household rubbish into:-

a) Organic matter - kitchen waste, fruit and vegetables ie potatoes, carrot peels, unwanted vegetable leafs and root, left over foods, garden's grass, weed etc

I will use the organic matter to feed the earthworm (The worm species I use is Eisenia foetida). I will use the vermicompost (combination of vermicast, dung of the earthworm + organic matter compost by microbs) to grow vegetables in my garden.

I plant sweet potatoes leaves, lemon grass, chili padi, spinach, sweet corn and with some herbs. So basically i do not need to buy chemical fertilizer..The vegetables grow so healthy and I do not use any pesticide or fungicide.

In addition, i will use the organic matter to make garbage enzyme too.

b) `Inorganic' matter - cardboard, paper, glass, plastic etc

I will send the inorganic matter to recycling centre.

2. I do not pollute our environment by using environmentally friendly household soap, shampoo,tooth brush. The soap (made from Charcoal and Red yeast) and shampoo (made from coconut oil and natural plant) are homemade and chemical free, colouring free and fragrance free. It is also SLS and paraben free.

In addition, I do not use any insecticide, pesticide or fungicide in my house and as well as in my garden

3. I support genuine organic vegetables producers with internationally organic certification and non GMO grains, beans, nut and seed with no colouring and preservative. I take simple but nutritious breakfast prepare by my own.

4. I save electricity. I do not installed air conditioner in my house and rooms, compare with both side of my neighbor with at least 2 or some even 5 air conditioners in their house.

5. I shop only when necessarily. Imagine I only buy my clothing once a year just before Chinese New Year!

6. My house furnitures are simple are non-luxurious.

I believe this is what I can do in my daily life, to help to save our mother earth!

We have to save the planet for our children!

I believe there are many LOHAS people and please share with me your experiences to save our mother earth.

Thank you!

best regards,

George

How Lemon Grass cause cancer cell to commit suicide

2009-03-08T05:58:00.000-07:00

Dear all,

Attached please find interesting article on

How cancer cell commit suicide by Lemon Grass

by Allison Kaplan Sommer April 02, 2006

Fresh lemon grass fields in Israel become mecca for cancer patients

At first, Benny Zabidov, an Israeli agriculturalist who grows greenhouses full of lush spices on a pastoral farm in Kfar Yedidya in the Sharon region, couldn't understand why so many cancer patients from around the country were showing up on his doorstep asking for fresh lemon grass.

It turned out that their doctors had sent them.

"They had been told to drink eight glasses of hot water with fresh lemon grass steeped in it on the days that they went for their radiation and chemotherapy treatments," Zabidov told ISRAEL21c. "And this is the place you go to in Israel for fresh lemon grass."

It all began when researchers at Ben Gurion University of the Negev discovered last year that the lemon aroma in herbs like lemon grass kills cancer cells in vitro, while leaving healthy cells unharmed.

The research team was led by Dr. Rivka Ofir and Prof. Yakov Weinstein, incumbent of the Albert Katz Chair in Cell-Differentiation and Malignant Diseases, from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at BGU.

Citral is the key component that gives the lemony aroma and taste in several herbal plants such as lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus), melissa (Melissa officinalis) and verbena (Verbena officinalis.)

According to Ofir, the study found that citral causes cancer cells to "commit suicide: using apoptosis, a mechanism called programmed cell death." A drink with as little as one gram of lemon grass contains enough citral to prompt the cancer cells to commit suicide in the test tube.

The BGU investigators checked the influence of the citral on cancerous cells by adding them to both cancerous cells and normal cells that were grown in a petri dish. The quantity added in the concentrate was equivalent to the amount contained in a cup of regular tea using one gram of lemon herbs in hot water. While the citral killed the cancerous cells, the normal cells remained unharmed.

The findings were published in the scientific journal Planta Medica, which highlights research on alternative and herbal remedies. Shortly afterwards, the discovery was featured in the popular Israeli press.

Why does it work? Nobody knows for certain, but the BGU scientists have a theory.

"In each cell in our body, there is a genetic program which causes programmed cell death. When something goes wrong, the cells divide with no control and become cancer cells. In normal cells, when the cell discovers that the control system is not operating correctly, for example, when it recognizes that a cell contains faulty genetic material following cell division, it triggers cell death," explains Weinstein. "This research may explain the medical benefit of these herbs."

The success of their research led them to the conclusion that herbs containing citral may be consumed as a preventative measure against certain cancerous cells.

As they learned of the BGU findings in the press, many physicians in Israel began to believe that while the research certainly needed to be explored further, in the meantime it would be advisable for their patients, who were looking for any possible tool to fight their condition, to try to harness the cancer-destroying properties of citral.

That's why Zabidov's farm - the only major grower of fresh lemon grass in Israel - has become a pilgrimage destination for these patients. Luckily, they found themselves in sympathetic hands. Zabidov greets visitors with a large kettle of aromatic lemon grass tea, a plate of cookies, and a supportive attitude.

"My father died of cancer, and my wife's sister died young because of cancer," said Zabidov. "So I understand what they are dealing with. And I may not know anything about medicine, but I'm a good listener. And so they tell me about their expensive painful treatments and what they've been through. I would never tell them to stop being treated, but it's great that they are exploring alternatives and drinking the lemon grass tea as well."

Zabidov knew from a young age that agriculture was his calling. At age 14, he enrolled in the Kfar Hayarok Agricultural high school. After his army service, he joined an idealistic group which headed south, in the Arava desert region, to found a new moshav (agricultural settlement) called Tsofar.

"We were very successful; we raised fruits and vegetables, and," he notes with a smile, "We raised some very nice children."

On a trip to Europe in the mid-80s, he began to become interested in herbs. Israel, at the time, was nothing like the trend-conscious cuisine-oriented country it is today, and the only spices being grown commercially were basics like parsley, dill, and coriander.

Wandering in the Paris market, looking at the variety of herbs and spices, Zabidov realized that there was a great export potential in this niche. He brought samples back home with him, "which was technically illegal," he says with a guilty smile, to see how they would grow in his desert greenhouses. Soon, he was growing basil, oregano, tarragon, chives, sage, marjoram and melissa, and mint just to name a few.

His business began to outgrow his desert facilities, and so he decided to move north, settling in the moshav of Kfar Yedidya, an hour and a half north of Tel Aviv . He is now selling "several hundred kilos" of lemon grass per week, and has signed with a distributor to package and put it in health food stores.

Zabidov has taken it upon himself to learn more about the properties of citral, and help his customers learn more, and has invited medical experts to his farm to give lectures about how the citral works and why.

He also felt a responsibility to know what to tell his customers about its use. "When I realized what was happening, I picked up the phone and called Dr. Weinstein at Ben-Gurion University, because these people were asking me exactly the best way to consume the citral. He said to put the loose grass in hot water, and drink about eight glasses each day."

Zabidov is pleased by the findings, not simply because it means business for his farm, but because it might influence his own health.

Even before the news of its benefits were demonstrated, he and his family had been drinking lemon grass in hot water for years, "just because it tastes good."
________________________________________________________

Noted: lemon grass makes absolutely delicious and refreshing tea. It was my best friend when I'd sit guarding at the gate last summer. It doesn't seem terribly easy to transplant or at least, I haven't succeeded very well, but it grows in people's planters in various places around the kibbutz. Try it - fresh lemon grass is superb (nothing like the dried version).

May this remedy truly offer a cure for those suffering from cancer.

Back 2 Nature Organic since 2006

2009-03-01T03:42:00.000-08:00

Back 2 Nature Organic

Our Mission

To be the most trustworthy one-stop organic supplier and put to action ` Let’s food be the medicine’ and `you are what you eat’.

Company Profile

Back 2 Nature is a family owned, family-operated business since 2006.

You could count on us for the quality product and superior service you deserve.

We are extremely strict to our suppliers as we are the consumer too.

We ensure that any organic products you get from us are truely
`value for money’

List of Organic foods :-

1. Fresh Organic Vegetable and fruits (with NASAA Certification)

2. Organic Sundry dry goods - Pumpkin Kernel, Mung Beans, Soy Beans, Red Kidney beans, White kidney beans, Black soya, white seasame, sunflower seeds, millet, Golden Flaxseed, Adzuki Beans, Brazil Nuts, Sea Salt, Oat groat,Peanuts, Raisin,Green Raisin, 7 colours soup mix, Black-eyed bean, Cane sugar, Rolled oat, Baby Rolled Oat (With BCS OKO-GARANTIE, Germany, BOLICERT, Bolivia, B.F.A, OC-PRO/Pro-Cert, Canada, QAI, Ecocert, Canada, I.C.E.A, Organic, JAS, Japan, NASAA, Australia)

3. Fresh antibiotic and hormone Free kampong chicken

4. Fresh antibiotic and hormone free herbal chicken egg

5. Fresh organic Shitakii mushroom (1st organic mushroom in Malaysia)

6. Homemade bread (free from melamine, preservative, coloring etc)

7. Body Soap and shampoo (chemical, coloring and perfume free)

8. Sea Mineral (for chronic diseases)

9. Pi-Water (Ultra High activation Energy, Ultra Strong Anti-oxidant, Ultra Strong Antibacteria, Ultra Small Molucule Cluster and Ultra high Dissolved Oxygen)

10. Chinese Herbs (Sulphur free)

11. Fresh Lemon Grass

The Secret of Health

2009-01-20T00:40:00.000-08:00

Hi, Please click for the presentation on

Secret of Health