GrowingSUPERFOODSin your garden

Morag GambleSEED International & Ethos Foundation

www.seedinternational.com.au www.ethosfoundation.org

ethos@ethosfoundation.org07 5494 4833

Backyard superfoods

1. lime

2. turmeric

3. amaranth

4. chia

5. aloe vera

6. tulsi

7. comfrey

8. yakon

LimeCitrus aurantifolia

• Antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic, antibiotic and detoxifying properties.

• High Vit C

• helps lower cholesterol.

• aids digestion

• Anti-congestive - scratch the peel (relieves congestion, nausea)

• relieves arthritis - Anti-inflammatory and dissolves uric acid

• Women's health - calcium and folate - two nutrients important for post-menopausal women and women of child-bearing age.

• stimulates the healing process of peptic and oral ulcers

• helps prevent formation of kidney stones.

• a diabetes super food - high levels of soluble fibre help regulate the body’s absorption of sugar into the bloodstream, reducing the occurrence of blood sugar spikes. Low GI.

Tumeric Curcuma longa

• Used in India for at least 2500 years. Marco Polo, in 1280, mentioned turmeric in notes of his travels in China

• used as a colouring agent for food and fabric since 600 B.C. cultivated first as a dye, as spice later.

• flavour resembles a combination of ginger and pepper

• help ward off dementia and reduce your risk of cancer, reduces arthritis pain, menstrual pain, heartburn, gallstones, and stomach ulcers.

• internal antiseptic and antidote to blood poisoning.

• a natural anti-inflammatory

• Boost immunity, fight allergies - a powerful antioxidant

• good for the heart - helps lower cholesterol and prevent clogged arteries

• helps fights colds and flus

• helps indigestion and weight loss - stimulates gall bladder and bile

• assists diabetes sufferers - lowers blood sugar (but not sure about combining with diabetes medicine)

• Detoxify the liver

• Stimulate digestion

• Enhance the complexion4

LEAVES (purple - pop in China, green - pop in India)

In China and Japan it is the main vegetable used as a cooked green.

Nutritious, leafy green for warmer areas - sow spring and summer

3x calcium and niacin(B3) than spinach, 20xCalcium and 7x Iron than lettuce

Eat young leaves - sweet, tangy flavour

Doesn’t sell well or keep well - plant and harvest as needed

SEEDS

staple diet in pre-Columbian Aztec society

high in calcium (1/3 daily needs in 1 serve), magnesium, iron (82% from 1 serve), zinc, potassium, Vitamin B & E

20% protein

Highest source of vegetarian LYSINE - calcium absorption and collagen producing

AmaranthAmaranth Leaf syn. Leaf Amaranth; Chinese Spinach, Tampala, bayamAmaranthus tricolor

Spectacular, Hardy, Very nutritious, Super easy to grow.

Fast-growing - harvest is 30 days to baby leaf and 50 days to maturity

• Ancient food revered by Mayan, Aztecs and Native Americans as early as 3500BC. 3rd most important crop to Aztecs after corn and beans - used as tribute, taxes

• Enhanced strength, energy and endurance in extreme conditions - long treks

• weight loss - increases metabolism - filling and lots of nutrients with little calories

• stronger bones - high calcium and boron - and dental health - 5x calcium than milk

• high quality protein - 30% - build muscle

• strontium - trace mineral - catalyst for assimilating protein and production of energy, also strengthens cartilage, teeth and bones

• great for digestion and cleansing the colon

• prevents dehydration - holds 10x it’s weight in water

• reverses inflammation, regulates cholesterol and lowers blood pressure - makes it extremely beneficial for heart health

• research now underway to explore how it can prevent diabetes

• Use seeds raw, ground, soaked, baked, sprouted. Eat leaves. Leaf tea is very healing and taken regularly for hot flushes. Chia sprouts relieve gas

• Improves egg production

ChiaSalvia hispanica (salare - to save)

• Rediscovered superfood - 30% protein, Omega 3 and 6 (highest known source), antioxidant, 25% fibre, gluten free

• Annual, full sun, good drainage, little water once established, self-pollinating, self-seeding, hardy

Aloe Vera hardy plant filled with a clear gel-like substance - 99% water

used therapeutically for over 5000 years

• a medicinal plant full of nutritional benefits - contains over 200 active components including vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes, polysaccharide, and fatty acids

• salad and smoothies - aids digestion, irritable bowel syndrome, acid reflux

• detox - gelatinous plant foods move through the intestinal tract absorbing toxins - helps the proper elimination of waste from your body

• alkalizes the body - disease cannot manifest in an alkaline environment.

• an immune enhancer - high level of anti-oxidants, which help combat the unstable compounds known as free-radicals, contributing to the ageing process

• a well-known adaptogen - something that boosts the body’s natural ability to adapt to external changes and resist illness

• external - skin, burns, bites

• an astringent - used to reduce bleeding from minor wounds

• increases the elasticity of the skin making it more flexible through collagen and elastin repair. Aloe is an emollient, helping to soften and soothe the skin. It helps supply oxygen to the skin cells.

7

Tulsi Holy Basil, Ocimum sanctumIndia's "Queen of Herbs". A tonic for the entire body.Revered as one of the most sacred herbs for 5000 years.

Tulsi has very potent germicidal, fungicidal, anti-bacterial and anti-biotic properties.

• immense benefits from clear skin to dissolving kidney stones and properties that are great for resolving fevers.

• used in treatment of diabetes

• protects heart - chewing a few leaves of tulsi on an empty stomach everyday can both prevent and protect heart ailments.

• helps maintain the normal levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) in the body

• dissolves kidney stones - great diuretic and detoxifier, and painkiller

• helps to quit smoking - chew on leaves

• powerful purifying properties - purifies the blood giving the skin a beautiful glow, and prevents the appearance of acne and blemishes. Its anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties are very effective in preventing breakouts on acne prone skin.

• a great relief for coughs, cold, and other respiratory disorders including chronic and acute bronchitis

• helps to relieve headaches and migraines. It has pain relieving and decongestant properties,8

Yacon Peruvian Ground Apple, Smallanthus sonchifolius

• native to Colombia and Ecuador

• a member of the sunflower family, yacon can grow to 2 metres in height with small, daisy-like yellow flowers

• hardy, attractive perennial

• yields a large harvest of tubers

• edible roots - bake, stirfry, boil, grate, slice

• edible leaves - leaves have a protein content of 11-17%

• Yacon tubers store carbohydrate in the form of inulin, a type of fructose, which is a suitable food for type II diabetics. Type II diabetics are not insulin dependant and so can control blood sugar levels through diet

• yacon syrup

• exposed to the sun for up to 2 weeks to accelerate the sweetening process

• potential anticancer benefits of consuming

9

comfrey : knitboneSymphytum officinale Origin: Europe

• actions anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer (stasis), emmolient, astringent. • external use used as poultice, salve, oil or liniment for bruises, chronic skin

ulcer, fracture, strains, sprains, wounds, rashes nappy rash, osteoarthritis• internal use: used as tea or tincture - traditionally used for many conditions,

including conjunctivitis, cough, irritable bowel syndrome and peptic ulcer disease.

• as a food: as you use spinach, high B12 (good for vegetarians), high protein.• every part of the body functions better as a result of regular consumption of

comfrey, and the body is more resistant to the attacks of disease and ageing.

• PERENNIAL HERB IN FULL/PARTIAL SUN - to 1m

• COMFREY TEA AND COMPOST ACTIVATOR

• FERTILISER - silica, nitrogen, magnesium, calcium, potassium and iron

• MULCH AND WEED BARRIER

• DEEP NUTRIENT CYCLER

• ANIMAL FEED - UP TO 30% PROTEIN, STIMULATE EGG PRODUCTION

• BEE FORAGE

healthy soil

healthy plants

healthy food

healthy people

morag gambleEthos Foundation

SEED International: Sustainability Education and Ecological Design

info@seedinternational.com.au, ethos@ethosfoundation.org

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