Even though their height can be enormous, they are not part of the tree family species. In fact, they are evergreen grasses. Currently, there are over a thousand species and nearly a hundred different grass subgenera. As different species can be used for different things, this variety helps to ensure the lasting survival of a bamboo plant.

In several eastern countries, such as, India, China and Japan, bamboo is highly valuable. As the bamboo plants are used as food, wood and fuel, the fast growing rate makes this renewable resource a cornerstone of those societies. Bamboo, when properly treated, can be extremely durable and long lasting, it provides an easy solution to many problems.

One of which, is that it is cultivated has a highly desirable wood product. Bamboo can create massive, stable scaffoldings, provide a base wood over slower growing trees, and provide ornamental value to both the interior and exterior of homes. In addition to construction material for homes, bamboo is also used on smaller wood products people use on a daily basis, such as chop sticks, tables, cutting boards, sushi bowls and other kitchen accessories.

When bamboo plants are young, the shoots can be eaten from many different varieties. It is important to note, that not all species of bamboo shoots can be ingested. For example, the giant bamboo plant contain cyanide within its shoots. Cyanide can be lethal to humans.

Many types of animals survive by eating bamboo. Most notably is the panda, which only eats bamboo stalks and leaves.

Even with all of modern uses of bamboo, bamboo plants do not come without faults. The bamboo plant, for reasons yet proven by science, tend to have mass flowering and fruiting seasons. This is most notable in the Bay of Bengal, where the bamboo plants bloom once every 30 to 35 years. This mass blooming and fruiting cases severe consequences to human populations nearby. Rats are attracted to the fruit as it falls to the ground. In many cases these rats are known to carry diseases that are very harmful to humans. This can lead to many human deaths, as there is little that can be done to stop the spread of disease once it has begun. With the increased technology of today’s society, solutions to the infestation and disease problems are being addressed, in a manner that will preserve the bamboo plant during its fruiting season.

Because of its versatility, bamboo is grown and harvested in many different regions throughout the world. Bamboo is most commonly found in East Asia, although they can thrive in sub-Saharan Africa, North and South America. When people think of Bamboo, they most often think of it as the stuff panda bears eat, however, you can now see that it is used extensively as building materials and certain bamboo plants offer a good source of food.

It is found across central Asia over to North Africa, although is very common in the northern areas of India where the climate is more semi-arid than equatorial.  Guggul does not like a lot of water and can thrive in ground where the soil has few nutrients. Its Latin name is Commiphora wightii, and it grows about 12 feet high.  

It has been predominantly used in the Ayurvedic medicine of ancient India, and like many such ancient remedies and treatments, is now used in modern medicine to treat specific conditions: conditions such as some forms of heart condition, where it has been found to be able to lower your blood cholesterol levels, weight loss and some forms of arthritis and other inflammatory conditions.

However, it has been used so successfully over the years, particularly in India, which it is now in danger of extinction and is contained in the Red Data List of the World Conservation Union that lists endangered species.  So what is so special about this plant that makes it so popular?  To get the answer to that we have to go back a bit in its history, although not quite as far as the two or three thousand years that it is known to have been used in traditional Hindu medicine.

The active ingredient is found in the sap of the tree, and is used to fight against obesity and other diseases that can be caused by excess weight or cholesterol, such as arthritis, obesity and atherosclerosis.  Until recently it has had very little support for its claims from conventional medicine. It was in the 1960s that an ancient Sanskrit text was found that recommended guggul as a treatment for high cholesterol levels. Since that discovery, research has focused on the plant’s anti-cholesterol properties, and a great deal of evidence has been gathered supporting the claims of that ancient text.

So much so that the Indian government has approved the use of guggul for the treatment of high cholesterol levels, largely because it has been found very effective in reducing the levels of ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol in the blood while increasing the levels of the beneficial HDL cholesterol. Several trials have supported this, including one study involving 228 patients that showed the extract to be equally as effective as the anti-cholesterol drug clofibrate.

That is not all, and other studies included one in which a decrease in LDL cholesterol of almost 13% was measured in a double blind study involving 61 subjects, of which around half received a placebo. An average 12.7% reduction in LDL cholesterol, 12% in triglycerides and 11.7% in total cholesterol was experienced by the group given the guggul extract.  Every 1% drop in total cholesterol is associated with a 2% decrease in the risk of heart disease.

Guggul reduces the levels of harmful cholesterol in your blood by converting it into bile.  The plant extract contains substances given the name guggulsterones that block the activity of a protein that regulates the metabolism of cholesterol in your body known as FXR (the Farsenoid X Receptor).  This protein can increase the risk of you contracting heart disease by preventing the liver from converting cholesterol into bile acids, so that the concentration of cholesterol in your blood continues to build up.

The problem with bile acids is that once they reach a certain concentration in your body, the FXR comes into play and stops more being produced. Guggulsterones prevent the FXR from doing this, and so helps the liver to destroy more cholesterol. There is a reason for the body not allowing too much bile acid to be generated, but for those with excess cholesterol, it is more beneficial for this regulation to be prevented, and more cholesterol to be destroyed by the liver.

It is the resin of the plant that is prized, being extracted from the bark in much the same way as rubber is tapped. It is also used in fragrances and perfumes in addition to its medicinal uses, and the dosage generally recommended is 1500 mg (1.5 grams) twice daily.  However, it is not recommended for those suffering liver disease, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease or any form of diarrhea, and should not be taken by those on beta blockers.

It is not only for its cholesterol-lowering properties that guggul is prized, however. Another property it possesses is its ability to render blood platelets less sticky, and so reduce the risk of coronary disease, and prevent the formation of blood clots and thrombosis.

Another use it has found is in the field of weight loss, where it has been found effective in reducing the weight of obese adults.  It does so by the activation of lipolytic enzymes and increased levels of triiodothyronine (T3), believed to be due to the formation of T3 from T4 (thyroxine) in the liver.  

T3 increases the metabolic rate, and the rate of the breakdown of glycogen and gluconeogenesis: the biosynthesis of glucose. It also causes cholesterol to be broken down and increases the rate of lipolysis - the breakdown of fats stored in fat cells in the body. Studies have shown that those taking guggul lost up to 6 times the weight of a control group within 15 days, and the practice is going along with the theory.

Not only that, but when you are on a diet, your body is likely to respond by decreasing levels of triiodothyronine, and so reducing the rate at which fat burns.  Hence, your diet does not help you top reduce weight as quickly as it could.  Guggul, however, stimulates the production of T3, and so you are not only taking less fat into your body, but are also burning it up at an accelerated rate.

Other uses to which the resin has been put are based upon its anti-inflammatory properties. It has been found to be an effective treatment for some forms of arthritis and also in the treatment of acne. The active inflammatory ingredient is believed to be myrrhanol A, a polypodane-type triterpene, which would also explain the antioxidant effect of guggulipid on lipid peroxidation.

Guggul is a versatile plant, and a good supplement to take for anybody suffering increased lipid or cholesterol levels, and who wants to increase the weigh-loss effect of their diet. However, make sure that you purchase a supplement standardized on its guggulipid content.  Guggul can be found at your local or internet health food store.

So is the case with television. Television is the most wonderful invention capable of bringing the whole world of entertainment and education to our door. It is the most powerful means of mass communication, capable of revolutionizing man’s life. Since TV programmes appeal to our eyes as well as our ears, they have an irresistible charm.

If, as is the case in India at present, the TV is used mostly as a means of entertainment, information and advertisement, TV programmes are likely to be more harmful than useful. Uneducated people and children remain glued to their seats for hours on end to watch the TV. They become V-addicts. They thus spoil their eyes and their health. They prefer passive entertainment and lose the capacity to enjoy simple, innocent pleasures of life. They cannot enjoy or appreciate natural beauty. Excessive violence shown in the TV films blunts people’s sensitivity to suffering and violence around them. The TV thus becomes a curse for mankind.

But the TV can be used for good purposes like education along with healthy entertainment. Just as a doctor gives sugar-coated pills to his patients, people can be educated through well-prepared and well-presented entertainment programmes. The TV can be used to teach people how to read and write, to teach farmers better methods of cultivation, to teach professional people to improve their professional efficiency, to teach people useful arts and crafts, to provide them useful information about what is happening in other parts of the world and to familiarize them with the latest discoveries, inventions and innovations in different branches of knowledge. TV programmes can also be used to cultivate good tastes and develop healthy interests, to teach people how to appreciate good things of life, to make them aware of their social responsibilities and to arouse people’s interests and enthusiasm in the tasks of national development. TV programmes can reach millions of people in their homes. They can be watched by people at their convenient time if they are prepared in the form of video films. In this respect learning through TV is better than learning in schools and colleges.

In short, if TV programmes are planned to make people better citizens and better human beings, TV then will be a great blessing for mankind.

I had the good luck to witness India’s ninth general elections. Our area had to elect one representative for the Lok Sabha and one for the state assembly. But there were in all seven candidates in the fray for one Lok Sabha seat and ten for the lone assembly seat.

Distribution of leaflets, appeal from blaring loudspeakers on the moving cars and jeeps, posters and banners, processions and meetings were the usual modes of canvassing. In the last few days there was door-to-door canvassing also. Representatives went from door to door and solicited votes* Sometimes, there were clashes between the supporters of rival candidates and the police had to intervene to restore peace.

The canvassing stopped 48 hours before the election day. Peace was restored. At last the much awaited election day dawned. Voting started at eight in the morning. There were long queues of voters at all polling booths. Voters went in the booth by turn. Each had his name in the electoral roll ticked. His left-hand finger was marked with indelible ink and he was given the two ballot-papers-one for the Lok Sabha seat and the other for the assembly seat. Names of all the candidates along with their election symbols were printed on the ballot papers. The voter went to a secluded corner, stamped the symbol of the candidate of his choice, folded the ballot-paper and dropped it in the sealed ballot box. There were two boxes - one for the Lok Sabha seat and the other for the assembly seat. Voting slowed down after eleven, but picked up speed after four. As the closing time neared, people rushed to the polling booths to exercise their voting rights. There were all types of voters-men and women, young and old, the disabled and the sick. An old man was brought on a stretcher to enable him to caste his vote. India is proud of such politically conscious voters who help to keep the democracy alive.

Polling stopped sharp at the stroke of six. An exciting day was over at last. Now began the guess and expectations and waiting for the results.

Spiritually, Iyengar yoga is based upon Patanjali’s eight limbs of raja yoga. The first is Yama, meaning physically and mentally abstaining from the following five things: violence toward others and oneself, from coveting others’ belongings, from sexual intercourse, from attachment to possessions and anything that is untrue. The second limb is called Niyama, referring to the five observances: cleanliness of body and mind, satisfaction with what one has, penance and mental control, introspection and surrender to God. Asana refers to posture and position (ideally an erect stance with relaxed muscles) and Pranayama is the directed control of one’s breath, which is so vital to successful yoga practice. Pratayahara calls for the quieting of senses connected with the outer world. Only then will Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (oneness with the Supreme Being) naturally follow.

A typical Iyengar yoga lesson will cover up to 200 posture positions and 14 breathing techniques. Certified instructors pace around the room, assisting students with these techniques and sharing various props, including: buckles, straps, benches, chairs, blocks and even sandbags. This form of yoga is often used for physical healing, as the movements are minimal and the props take much of the strain off the body. Beginners also like this style because they receive individualized assistance and with the mastery of these positions, it will help them in other yoga classes. 

Iyengar yoga has spread like wildfire in the United States, with hundreds of teachers. Major branches of the Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States are located in California, Colorado, Washington, New York, Nevada, Texas, Michigan and Minnesota. To find classes near you, check out Iynaus.org as a starting point toward enlightenment and happiness.

There are many different forms of Yoga that people around the world practice. Some use it primarily for its low-impact workout whereas others love the feel of meditation and concentration required in some of the many poses. Yoga is a great way for those suffering from injury or unused to a cardiovascular workout to begin their path to becoming physically and mentally fit. Exercise is an important part of our daily lives and the added benefit of learning relaxation techniques is enough to entice anyone onto a mat. Find your relaxation and work out by clicking here for more information: Yoga Pants and at Tantric Yoga also at Yoga Pants

So, what’s the fascination behind live tarot cards? Are people losing faith, looking for answers, or just plain curious? “People come by because they are looking for some kind of direction,” said Dawna SuMaria, one of the more experienced tarot card readers at the Hawaiian Islands’ 12th annual Psychic Faire in Lihu’e. For her 49 years of practice, Miss SuMaria charges $25 for fifteen minutes and aims to help people focus and reflect on their self growth. Another who does tarot card readings, Erik Taylor, said that self-actualization is a big part of his readings as well. “It’s about helping people get through their everyday things and be the best possible person they can be,” Taylor said. Like a mirror, he reflects back to them so they “see the scene as it really is.” The Psychic Faire is just one of many spiritual events happening this year.

In Shoreditch, London, a fundraising cocktail event for the Terrence Higgins Trust featured tarot card readings and relaxing massages, raising £35,000 in the end. A group called “Posh Milwaukee” hosts “selfless spoiling” fundraising events featuring massage therapists, tarot card readings, bottomless champagne and music at The Moct in Wisconsin, which has garnered much praise. In Haverhill, Massachusetts, you can find tarot card readers at the Winnekenni Castle for “Psychic Nights” offering 15 minutes of spiritual guidance for $20. All summer long, the Lilydale Spiritualist community on Cassadaga Lake features special events with clairvoyants, tarot readers, psychics and spiritual healers. In Etobicoke, Canada, tarot card readers are lending their ability to a good cause. The Women’s Habitat hosted their third annual Girls Night Out Fundraiser June 5th, which featured dinner, tarot card readings, zumba dancing and a silent auction. Port Richey, Florida held its first-ever Metaphysical Fair this year, featuring $15 psychic readings. The lines were longest for the dozen tarot card readers, festival organizers say. Adding tarot cards reading to the itinerary is a powerful draw for people who need an excuse to try it, they added.

The rising popularity of tarot card readings tells us a few things about our collective consciousness. One is that people are more open-minded and actively seeking answers. Generally, we do not believe that help can only be found in traditional means. (This idea is also demonstrated by the rise in Traditional Chinese Medicine clinics and schools within the United States that use massage and acupuncture to treat long-term diseases.) Another thing we learn from the popularity of the tarot cards is that the power of suggestion and the power of one’s own mind is a powerful thing; one that more people express an interest in studying. What better way than to take time out for reflection, introspection and meditation? You can learn how to read tarot cards as a way of sorting through the chaotic matrix that is your life.

Looking at the daily horoscope has become routine for many people. They use their horoscopes to make major decisions in their lives. There is a problem with this logic. Often horoscopes are too vague to do anyone any good. There is an answer that means a more personalized conjecture about your past, present and future. That answer is in tarot cards. These cards can be easy to learn and you can have a deck right in the comfort of your own home. There is no need to consult a psychic to get a reading.

Find your future by: Clicking Here Now

After independence Indian villages have made some progress. However, a lot more needs to be done for rural development. Villages are still backward and neglected. There is almost total illiteracy, acute poverty, widespread unemployment, scarcity of essential things, lack of basic amenities and absence of public sanitation in almost all villages.

It will require combined efforts of the government, village people and the students to improve the condition of villages. The villagers can provide the necessary men and materials, the government the necessary financial and legal support and the students the necessary leadership and brain work.

The first task is to provide sufficient cultivable land to the farmers. The government should pass and enforce legislation to take away excess land from those who have more land and distribute it among the landless farmers and farmers having insufficient land. The government should start cottage industries and handicrafts connected with agriculture to provide employment to those who do not have land.

Government should also construct a school, a health-centre, a post office, and a panchayat office in every village.

The students should visit the near by villages and teach the villagers how to read and write, the habits of cleanliness and useful arts and crafts. They should persuade people to give up bad habits like smoking and drinking and bad customs like wasteful expenditure, infant marriages,untouchability and unequal matches.

The students should help them in forming a panchayat which would then take up the work of providing basic amenities like water and electricity, and public sanitation like public drainage system, public toilets, etc.

Students should persuade the villagers to form a co-operative society which would provide them loans, buy good seeds, manure and implements and tools and distribute them among the members and make arrangements to sell the farmers’ produces at satisfactory prices. This will improve the economic condition of the farmers.

Thus the face of the Indian villages will change with the comprehensive measures of village development covering all aspects of the village life, viz., social, economic and political.

Traditionally, Hatha yoga (pronounced “ha-tuh”) translates to “sun-moon.” It is believed that each person harbors a “sun” energy channel and a “moon” energy channel. The sun channel is said to govern our thought processes, while the moon channel governs our emotions. The millions of chakras (literally translated from Sanskrit to mean “wheels” or energy centers) swirling around us keep the sun-moon channels in motion. On a deeper level, practitioners believe in a moral code based upon self-restraint, quietude, concentration, regulation of breathing, uniting body and mind through action, withdrawing from the senses and studying religious texts.

The first step is the practicing of the different asanas (poises) to help the mind and body align with one another and open the inner channels of communication. By finding the right posture, one can remain comfortable for long periods of time while meditating. Secondly, proper breathing techniques (sometimes referred to as “pranayama”) are taught. Next, some students may choose to delve more deeply into the philosophical roots. Yoga instructor David Williams (from Hawaii) once noted, “Before you’ve practiced, the theory is useless. After you’ve practiced, the theory is obvious.”

The end result of practicing this style of yoga is markedly noticed almost immediately. Suddenly you can stretch a bit further and touch those toes. You’re not huffing and puffing carrying laundry up to the top floor of the house anymore. Your bowel movements are even more regular than usual and you find that stomach aches and head aches rarely occur these days. Your abdomen, legs and gluteus are looking more defined too. When you’re at work and start to feel stressed, you take a deep breath and reconnect with the relaxation techniques you learned in class, although the anxiety rarely reaches you on a physical level anymore. Your energy levels are revitalized, your hormones are balanced and a calm sense of euphoria and appreciation for each day takes root in your soul. Life is good, thanks to Hatha yoga, a practice that goes back thousands of years to some infinite source of knowledge the West generally seemed to have overlooked.

There is certainly something to be learned from ancient Indian religions and yogi sages. The practicality of Hatha yoga appeals to many Westerners who aren’t entirely sure how to go about physically and mentally reaching spirituality and a true understanding of oneself. While magazines like Vogue may have us believing yoga is for celebrities and athletes, the essential nature of Hatha yoga encompasses a philosophical level too. “The beauty is that people often come here for the stretch, and leave with a lot more,” says Liza Ciano, co-owner & co-director of Yoga Vermont. Check YogaFinder.com to find your class today.

There are many different forms of Yoga that people around the world practice. Some use it primarily for its low-impact workout whereas others love the feel of meditation and concentration required in some of the many poses. Yoga is a great way for those suffering from injury or unused to a cardiovascular workout to begin their path to becoming physically and mentally fit. Exercise is an important part of our daily lives and the added benefit of learning relaxation techniques is enough to entice anyone onto a mat. Find your relaxation and work out by clicking here for more information: Kriya Yoga and at Yoga For Kids also at Yoga Exercises During Pregnancy

Accompanied along with the yoga craze that is sweeping the globe, the practice that was started in ancient India has been co-opted into becoming the basis of a multi-billion dollar industry. Just in the United States alone people end up spending in excess of 3 billion USD per year on classes for yoga and associated yoga equipment.

It’s no big surprise that numerous amounts of people with only minimal knowledge on the practice of yoga are attempting to get in on a piece of the action. As a result of this behavior, numerous McYoga type of schools or schools of yoga that are of lower quality have been springing up like so many pimples on a teenagers face all over the nation.

The desire for the would be practitioners of this sacred and ancient practice to learn which schools are legitimate and which are the ones that need avoiding have subsequently led to the practice of yoga certification.

Accreditation of Yoga Schools

Yoga certifications official bodies themselves are a highly discriminating sort. Some will if a particular school will end up teaching a specific type of yoga, for example. Some in depth research will help a person to reveal which yoga certification bodies will be of the greatest assistance for the type of yoga that a person  is interested in.

You will also find that there are general practice yoga certification groups for instance Yoga Alliance in the USA that might even assist you to locate schools that are properly accredited in any form or yoga in your local area.

When searching for a school for yoga or an instructor for yoga, always proceed with the same precautions that you would normally take if you were thinking of attending any other school. Yoga certification ought to be constantly checked and rechecked. If a certain school gets certification, always do more research on that certification.

There are some yoga certifications that can be purchased on the internet without having any true assurance of proficiency from the instructor or any type of quality from the school. When your own health as well as your own personal money is at stake, you can never take too many precautions to ensure a successful outcome.

Frequently you will find that there are some instructors that will claim to practice a specific form of yoga that they will claim to have created on their own. As such it is not probable that this type of practice will be given yoga certification from any official body that certifies orthodox yoga practices.

Even though there might be some instructors who are providing actual advantages with their particular system, it will be difficult to discern which do as numerous others will simply be hucksters who end up claiming to have created their own system so that they can dodge questions of certifications.

To learn more go to Yoga Classes advice  and at Power Yoga tips.

Floods may be caused by excessive rainfall in foe catchment area of a river, by earthquake, by breach in a dam. In,North India floods are caused even in summer by the melting of the snow in the Himalayas.

Floods take a heavy toll of life and property. They flood vast areas of land. Low-lying areas are completely submerged in water. People lose all their belongings and become homeless. Standing crop and goods lying in shops, warehouses and factories are destroyed. Roads, railway-lines and bridges are damaged. Means of communication are disrupted. Failure of electricity plunges vast areas into darkness.

People stranded in floods have to remain without food and water for days together.

Floods destroy the uppermost fertile layer of the earth and turn cultivable land barren. This long-term effect of the flood is far more damaging than the other short-term effects.

Even after the flood has receded, it leaves behind a trail of death and destruction. Fallen buildings, breached roads, rail lines and bridges, uprooted trees and telegraph poles, dead bodies of human beings and animals sunk in deep mud present a ghastly sight. Often epidemics like cholera and jaundice spread in the wake of the flood.

Fortunately modern means of transport and communication make it possible to provide quick relief to the victims of flood. Food, medicine and other essential things are air-dropped from helicopters to the people trapped in the flood. Government and voluntary charitable agencies come forward to help and rescue the victims.

Though timely and efficient relief measures go a long way towards mitigating hardships caused to the people by the flood, government should devise long-term measures to prevent the recurrence of floods. These measures include building up of dams, canals and embankments, walls, growing more trees and afforestation.

Government and voluntary agencies should also devise a permanent relief machinery which would provide instant relief to the victims of flood.