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Botanical Name: Echinacea (E. angustofolia, E. purpurea, and E. pallida)

Parts used: Roots, leaves and lowers

Contra indications: Echinacea is not recommended for people with autoimmune diseases

 

Echinacea is among the most popular and well-researched herbs in the modern world. It is native to  the American continent and had been used by the native people for hundreds of years to treat bug and snake bites, gastric problems and diphteria,  before research studies supported its medicinal value and established  it  as a very potent immune system stimulant, anti-viral and anti-inflammatory.

There are three species of this plant, also called “purple cone flower”: Ecinacea angustofolia, E. purpurea and E. pallida. Herbalists argue over which  species is best, however all of them possess phytochemicals that help improve immune system function. How exactly does it do this?

• the plant’s phyochemical  “inulin” improves the white cell blood cells’ ability to travel to the infection
• it increases the number of white blood cells and activates them
• it signals the body to  release interferon, a powerful anti-viral agent

Ecinacea is a first-line defense against cold and flus, yeast and respiratory infections. Even though very potent, it is absolutely safe for children and older people. To maximize the benefits, it is best used immediately at the onset of cold and flu symptoms. Echinacea should be used for a short period of time only, since its effectiveness will decrease if it is used continuously.

Dosage: You can make an herbal infusions using the leaves and flowers. Take 1-2 tsp per 8oz of boiling water and steep for 15 minutes. Drink 3 cups per day. If you prefer a tincture or extract, use 30-40 drops in juice or water 3 times daily.

While Echinacea is an excellent herb to ward of a cold or shorten its duration, there are many other herbs which can be taken as tonics to strengthen your immune system so that you may not even need Echinacea .

If you want to find out which herbs those are, sign up for our 2 hour class “Immunitea” on Sunday, September 19th and taste 5 immune-boosting herbals, learn about their use and make your own blend. You will also learn how to make other herbal remedies, such as lozenges, syrups and tinctures and take come some great samples and recipes!

Herb of the Week: Echinacea - http://souviatea.com/blog/2010/09/02/herb-of-the-week-echinacea/

[-] Darjeeling, Sept. 1: The tea industry, under “extreme” pressure from the CPM-led state government which has its eyes on next year’s Assembly polls, is likely to accept the demand for an interim wage hike for its workers in north Bengal. The next round of talks to discuss the wage hike will be held in Calcutta on September 9.

In the last five rounds of meeting between the state, trade unions and the garden managements, the planters were unwilling to accept any interim hike since the 2008 wage agreement is in place till March next year. The 3 lakh workers in the gardens of Darjeeling and the Dooars and Terai receive a daily wage of Rs 67. The workers had demanded an interim wage hike because of the rise in prices of essential commodities.

“During the last meeting, we were under extreme pressure from state labour minister Anadi Sahu and we are now actively considering an interim hike,” said an industry source. The meeting was held in Calcutta on August 30.

Observers believe that the Bengal minister is exerting pressure on the industry with an eye on the coming Assembly elections. “The Left has much at stake in north Bengal. With the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad making substantial inroads, it is a difficult time for the Left in north Bengal now,” said an observer.

Since setting up base, the tribal outfit has been making inroads into the Dooars and the Terai displacing dominant unions like the CPM’s Citu and the Congress’s Intuc. The loyalty switch of workers that followed was such that during a strike called by the Citu on July 5, almost 80 per cent of the 227 gardens were open in the Dooars.

Till recently, the tea management was unwilling to budge from its stand to go for an interim hike. But now, when it has changed its stand, the Adivasi Parishad has made it clear that it does not want an interim hike but a new agreement where the daily wage of workers will be Rs 250. “There is still some possibility of the negotiations falling through as the Adivasi Parishad is adamant that instead of an interim wage hike, the workers should be paid Rs 250 per day. This would be very difficult to accept,” a source said.

“So far the management had agreed only to repair the workers’ houses,” the source added.

The management is, however, pinning hopes on the labour minister to also impress on the Adivasi Parishad to accept the interim wage hike and keep the demand for Rs 250 daily wage for discussion at a latter stage. “Since the minister is exerting pressure on us which has forced us to change our minds, it is only right that he should impress on the unions, especially the Adivasi Parishad to be flexible,” said the source.

Sandip Mukherjee, secretary, Darjeeling Tea Association, said there were indications of a positive outcome in the next meeting.

“I can only say that the outcome should be positive,” said Mukherjee.

Source: The Telegraph

Planters face state pay-up pressure - Interim hike hope for tea sector - http://teanewsdarjeeling.blogspot.com/feeds/8752545261260527312/comments/default

[-] Alipurduar, Aug. 31: More than a thousand workers of Subhasini Tea Estate confined the garden manager to his office for 10 hours today demanding the restoration of electricity lines that had been disconnected five months ago.

The siege that began at 7.30am was lifted at 5.30pm after the manager, Anindya Roy, assured the protesters that he would sit with the trade unions on Thursday to thrash out the issue. Work in the garden in Kalchini was hampered throughout the day.

According to Abdul Hamid, the unit secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad’s Progressive Tea Workers’ Union, the management had begun to deduct Rs 350 a month from the workers’ wages as electricity charges from October last year causing widespread resentment among the workers.

Earlier, the management had charged a worker between Rs 200 and Rs 225 a month for power consumption. But the workers protested the sudden rise in deduction from their wages and said they were ready to pay Rs 100 a month for electricity supply for 12 hours a day. Earlier, the supply was for 24 hours.

“The management did not heed our plea and instead disconnected the power lines from every worker’s quarters from April 1 this year. Since then we are living in tremendous hardship, especially the elders and the students. So we decided to gherao the manager till some assurance was given,” Hamid said.

The PTWU leader said the workers had submitted a proposal that electricity meters be installed in each quarters and the amount consumed would be paid for. But that demand was also rejected by the management, he said.

The garden has 1,200 workers.

Around 3pm, police from Hashimara outpost arrived at the garden office and tried to persuade the protesters to lift the gherao but failed.

As the manager was feeling uneasy — garden sources said the agitating workers did not allow him to drink water or use the washroom — the police asked the central leaders of the Parishad from Hashimara to come and negotiate. After the talks with the Adivasi leaders, the agitation was withdrawn.

While the manager was not available for comments, Amitangshu Chakrabarty, the secretary of the Indian Tea Planters’ Association’s Birpara branch, of which the garden is a member, said Roy’s confinement was uncalled for.

“It was very undemocratic of the workers to confine the manager to his office in this manner. What the workers have been demanding is unreasonable. However, let us see what takes place in the meeting scheduled for Thursday,” Chakrabarty said.

Source: The Telegraph

Garden siege over power demand - http://teanewsdarjeeling.blogspot.com/feeds/1267925364544175316/comments/default

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Teacup Thursday: A Vintage Royal Standard - http://www.friendshiptea.net/feeds/2297111791091840558/comments/default

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Tea feeds my soul.  A friend of mine who owns a small tea company recently challenged me to stop writing so much about the business of tea and wear my soul on my sleeve a little more.  So I’m taking this opportunity to describe why I’ve developed a passion for tea.

It’s true that much of my writing on T Ching, TeaRetailer.com, and other places focuses on the business of tea.  It can accurately be said that I am a tea capitalist.  Since a bankrupt company can’t be socially or environmentally conscious, I make no apologies for pursuing profit.  Success is a necessary prerequisite for positively impacting the world around you.  The key, of course, is balance.  A company that pursues short-term profit at any cost is a menace.  A company that pursues social values at any cost is defined as a non-profit, and subsists on donations, not customers.

I’ve worked in a variety of industries.  I’ve started small businesses, consulted for medium-sized businesses, and worked in the bowels of giant corporations.  I’ve learned a lot, had a good deal of success, and had a tremendous amount of fun, but I’ve never worked in an industry that fed my soul the way the tea industry does.  I’ve never been able to be so proud of what I do.  So what is it about tea, or the tea industry, that feeds my soul?

Tea is Sensual

Webster’s defines “sensual” as “relating to or consisting in the gratification of the senses or the indulgence of appetite.”  There you go.  Tea is warm on a cold day or iced on a hot day.  Tea offers incredible aromas, and either robust flavors or delicate nuances as your current preference dictates.  Tea is guilt-free, delightful, and offers a never-ending voyage of sensory discovery.

Tea is Intellectual

Tea is rich in culture, history, and science.  There is far more to be learned than I can ever hope to absorb.  While I have little interest, to be honest, in reading a history or science text book, I do find pleasure in learning tid-bits about tea that can guide my sensory discovery and add an intellectually fulfilling element to the voyage.  Whereas fruit juice may taste good, notes of plum or apricot in a Chinese oolong are fascinating in a way that awakens both my senses and my intellect.

Tea is Healthy

Yeah, I know, but honestly I don’t really care.  Tea is good for you in the same way that fruits and vegetables are good for you.  Tea is not a super drug and not a cure - it’s part of a healthy lifestyle.  I’m well aware that many tea companies out there are using the buzz (and myth) around the health benefits of tea to line their pockets, but much of what is claimed is accurate in the same way that infomercials are accurate.  With all due respect to the pitchmen, the health benefits of tea are a bonus, not a business.

Tea is Social

Sharing my passion for tea with others is richly rewarding.  Tea is definitely a secret worth sharing.  I am completely confident that I can find a tea that will impress just about anyone, and equally confident that a little bit of targeted information will make their tea-drinking experience both intellectually and sensually rewarding for them too.  It’s a real pleasure to experience tea with others and share what I’ve discovered.

So many people spend their days developing, supporting, or selling products or services that simply don’t excite them or the customer.  I know people need their cavities filled, their cars fixed, and their groceries to be fresh.  At the same time, as a customer, I don’t get excited when I experience these goods and services.  I have to believe that the people selling them to me don’t have anywhere near as much fun as I have selling tea.  With tea, I get to spend my time introducing people to a pleasurable passion of mine.

Tea is Profitable

So maybe I’m slipping back onto my business side, but bear with me for a moment.  The most profitable, sustainable businesses don’t make their money by taking advantage of customers.  They make money giving the customers something they really want.  How cool is it that I get to spend my days introducing tea drinkers to a better product at a lower price?  Even better, I get to introduce non-tea drinkers to the most popular beverage in the world.  I know they’ll love it.  I know I’m giving them a great value and a great experience.  I know that between the sensory, intellectual, health, and social aspects of tea, customers are definitely getting their money’s worth when they buy tea from me.

Honestly, is there another product that can make customers this happy and yet is really good for them?

I get paid for drinking tea and making people happy.  That’s pretty cool.

Passion, pleasure, and profit - http://www.tching.com/2010/09/passion-pleasure-and-profit/

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2006 CNNP "Yun Tianxia Mengku Daxueshan" - http://half-dipper.blogspot.com/feeds/7410646835917935388/comments/default

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Saturday Morning, along with a few thousand friends, I practiced Full Body Contact Temple Visiting. Bus loads made the most of the last weekend before children go back to school.

 Nice to some traditional building skills being used. Not up to standards seen in Japan, but enjoyable to see. Most of the fascination with these calligraphy panels is in enjoying the hand carving with character variations .. This one is machine generated, and lacks impact, part of price of proliferation in the name of progress.

Moving up in latitude, Central East China - http://chawu.blogspot.com/feeds/355996765921311498/comments/default

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When To Drink Fresh Young Puerh and Tasting Notes From 2010 Essence of Tea Man Sai - http://mattchasblog.blogspot.com/feeds/348950997764399395/comments/default

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First Reading on Meditation - http://themandarinstea.blogspot.com/feeds/5588616837080766804/comments/default

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*cough...cough* and...............I'm back!
Faster than any of you could even pronounce Tisane properly - May I suggest some help from Forvo? Fancy 'eh...now only if I could somehow get my Canadian accent to sounds french and sexy...Hmmmmm.

So I have been gone now going on a little less than 1 month. I was extremely busy with life including Vet Appointment (a total of 5 - and if your wondering how much fun it was, let me tell you my mastercard is still smokin' hot from the action it got), Birthday Parties, Babies, Weddings (planned by the one and only) and of course my Alice in Wonderland Un-Birthday Tea Party (last Sunday).

The long and short of it - I survived. Came out with a few dented credit cards and some serious extra weight however I managed to keep it all together and start September not only on a budget but doing some serious rain jogging - oh the fun I have jogging in rain boots.

I will be posting momentarily with the Photos from my ever so amazingly fabulous Un-Birthday Tea Party. With 11 of my very closest friends and family joining me while I sip, eat, and croquet....yes that's right, I used croquet as a verb! You have a problem with that? Didn't think so....

Glad to be back...
(Photo credit thanks to weheartit.com)


XOXO
Yours Truly

I'm Back...let the sipping begin! - http://lahteadah.blogspot.com/feeds/5610465622444916117/comments/default