Taro

Taro (Colocasia esculenta) is a crop from the family of aroids (Araceae), which has been cultivated for over 2000 years as a food plant.

Taro is now cultivated in humid, tropical and subtropical climates. For export it is planted in Egypt, Costa Rica, the Caribbean, Brazil and India.

Use
Used are mainly the starchy rhizome of the plant. They are boiled like potatoes. In the producing countries, the leaves and stems are eaten as a vegetable. They are high in minerals, vitamin A, B and C.


Source: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taro
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Leonurus sibiricus

Leonurus sibiricus, commonly called Honeyweed or Siberian motherwort, is an herbaceous plant species native to central and Southwest Asia, including China, Mongolia, and Russia. It is naturalized in many other parts of the world, including North America.

Leonurus sibiricus is an herbaceous annual or biennial with upright stems that grow from 20 to 80 cm tall. Plants have long petioled basal leaves that are ovate-cordate in shape. The leaves have toothed margins and are incised with deeply cut lobes. Typically one or a few flowering stems are produced from short tap-roots. The lower stem leaves are deciduous and wither away as the plants begin blooming. The petioles of the leaves, midway up the stems are 2 cm long. The flowers are produced in many flowered verticillasters, produced in whorls around the top half or more of the stem. The flowers are sessile with 8 mm long calyxs that are tubular-campanulate in shape. The corolla is white or reddish to purple-red, with an upper lip that is oblong in shape and longer than the lower lip. When flowering is done, brown oblong shaped nutlets are produced in good number. Blooming occurs from July into late September, but flowering can occur year round when climate permits.

This species' habitat within its natural range is stony or sandy grasslands or pine forests.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonurus_sibiricus
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Lapsana

Lapsana is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, containing a single species, Lapsana communis (Nipplewort). It is native to Europe and northern Asia.

It is an annual or perennial herbaceous plant growing to 1-1.2 m tall, with hairy stems and clear (not milky) sap. The leaves are spirally arranged; larger leaves at the base of the flowering stem are often pinnate, with a large oval terminal leaflet and one to four small side leaflets, while smaller leaves higher on the stem are simple oval; all leaves have a toothed margin. The flowers are yellow, produced in a capitulum 1-2 cm diameter, the capitula being numerous in loose clusters at the top of the stem.

Cultivation and uses
The young leaves are edible, and can be used in salads or cooked like spinach. The scientific name comes from Lapsane, an edible herb described by Marcus Terentius Varro of ancient Rome. The English name 'Nipplewort' derives from its closed flower buds, which resemble nipples. Because of its resemblance to nipples, under the doctrine of signatures it was once used as treatment for breast ulcers.

Away from its native area, Lapsana communis is naturalised, and sometimes considered an invasive species, in many areas around the world, including Australia, Chile, New Zealand, and most of North America.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapsana
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Jatropha curcas

The physic nut (Jatropha curcas) is a species in the genus Jatropha in the family Euphorbiaceae (Euphorbiaceae). The German name of the species refers to the previous use of seeds as a laxative (purgative). Nux vomica also the name used is ambiguous, since it is also used for the Strychnine tree (Strychnos nux-vomica) and the whole genre of crushing nuts (Strychnos). Even the botanical name refers to the former medical use (cure).

Frequently, the physic nut is simplistic, even after the generic name called jatropha.

The Jatropha curcas is a succulent shrub of up to 8 m high. Their branches, which contain a slightly milky, pink-colored juice, are covered by a flaky crust. The 10-15 cm long stalks educated, slightly five-lobed leaves are about 15 cm long and wide. The stipules are minute.

The multi-branched inflorescences are mostly flat heads. Male flowers bear sepals 3 mm long, 6 mm long, half of each deformed petals and eight stamens. Female blossoms have five sepals mm long and 6 mm long, detached petals. All Kron and sepals are yellow. The 3 × 2 cm to large, three-lobed fruit capsules are laid off at maturity black and elliptical, 1.7 × 1 cm large seeds with small caruncle (oil bodies). The seeds contain about 50% oils.

Source: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purgiernuss
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Gypsophila paniculata

Gypsophila paniculata, commonly known as Baby's-breath, is a cultivated ornamental flower popular in the florist trade, and originally from Eastern Europe. There are some 55 species of Gypsophila found in Europe, Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean. It is cultivated in Peru corresponding to a large portion of this country's flowers exports. It belongs to the family Caryophyllaceae, which includes the common carnation. Its natural habitat is on the steppes in dry, sandy and stony places, often on calcareous soils (gypsophila = "chalk-loving"). Specimens of this plant were first sent to Linnaeus from St Petersburg by the Swiss-Russian botanist Johann Amman.

Several members of the genus have roots which are rich in saponins. The saponins are being researched for their usefulness in treating leukemia and so far the research looks promising.


Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gypsophila_paniculata
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Gymnema sylvestre use as herbal medicine

While it is still being studied, and the effects of the herb are not entirely known, the herb has been shown to reduce blood sugar levels when used for an extended period of time. Additionally, Gymnema reduces the taste of sugar when it is placed in the mouth, thus some use it to fight sugar cravings. From extract of the leaves were isolated glycosides known as Gymnemic acids, which exhibit anti-sweet activity.

This effect lasts up to about 2 hours. Some postulate that the herb actually reduces cravings for sugar by blocking sugar receptors in the tongue. This effect was observed in rats in a 2003 study conducted by CH Lemon, et al. It is currently being used in an all natural medication for diabetes with other ingredients such as cinnamon, chromium, zinc, biotin, banaba plant, huckleberry and bitter melon.

The active ingredient is thought to be gurmenic acid which has structure similar to saccharose. Extracts of Gymnema is not only claimed to curb sweet tooths but also for treatment of as varied problems as hyperglycemia, obesity, high cholesterol levels, anemia and digestion. According to the Sushruta of the Ayurveda it helps to treat Madhumeha ie glycosuria.

In 2005, a study made by King’s College, London, United Kingdom, showed that a water-soluble extract of Gymnema Sylvestre, caused reversible increases in intracellular calcium and insulin secretion in mouse and human β-cells when used at a concentration (0.125 mg/ml) without compromising cell viability. Hence forth these data suggest that extracts derived from Gymnema Sylvestre may be useful as therapeutic agents for the stimulation of insulin secretion in individuals with Type 2 Diabetes.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gymnema_sylvestre
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Erythrina Uses

Some coral trees are used widely in the tropics and subtropics as street and park trees, especially in drier areas. In some places, such as Venezuela, bucarés are used as shade trees for coffee or cocoa crops. In the Bengal region, they are used for the same purpose in Schumannianthus dichotoma plantations. E. lanceolata in particular is considered highly suitable as "frame" tree for vanilla vines to grow up on.
The conspicuous, even dramatic coral trees are widely used as floral emblems. Cockspur Coral Tree (E. crista-galli) is the national flower of Argentina and Uruguay. The Coastal Coral Tree (E. caffra) is the official city tree of Los Angeles, California, where it is referred to simply as the "coral tree". The state trees of Mérida and Trujillo in Venezuela are bucaré ceibo (E. poeppigiana) and Purple Coral Tree (bucaré anauco, E. fusca), respectively. Yonabaru, Okinawa as well as the Okinawa Prefecture and Pathum Thani Province have the Indian Coral Tree (E. variegata) as floral emblems. Known as thong lang in Thailand, the latter species is also one of the thong ("trees") referred to in the name of Amphoe Chom Thong, Chiang Mai Province. In a similar vein, Zumpahuacán in Mexico derives its name from Nahuatl tzompahuacá, "place of the Erythrina americana". In Vietnam, people use the leaves of E. variegata to wrap nem (a kind of fermented pork).
In Hinduism, the mandara tree in Indra's garden in Svarga is held to be E. stricta. The same motif is found in Tibetan Buddhism, where the man da ra ba growing in Sukhavati is identified as an Indian Coral Tree (E. variegata). The concept of the Five Trees of Paradise is also found in Christian Gnosticism. Though as none of the trees is identified as an Erythrina here, the concept might not be as directly related to the Asian religions as some presume.
The seeds of at least one-third of the species contain potent erythrina alkaloids, and some of these are used for medicinal and other purposes by indigenous peoples. They are all toxic to some degree however, and the seeds of some can cause fatal poisoning. The main active compounds in this genus generally seem to be alkaloids, such as scoulerine, erysodin and erysovin (namely in E. flabelliformis), and the putative anxiolytic erythravine (isolated from Mulungu, E. mulungu). Except for ornamental purposes, growing, selling or possessing Erythrina is prohibited by Louisiana State Act 159 (where the genus is misspelt Erythina).


Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythrina
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Elecampane

Elecampane, also called Horse-heal (Inula helenium) or Marchalan (in Welsh), is a perennial composite plant common in many parts of Great Britain, and ranges throughout central and Southern Europe, and in Asia as far eastwards as the Himalayas.

It is a rather rigid herb, the stem of which attains a height of from 3 to 5 feet; the leaves are large and toothed, the lower ones stalked, the rest embracing the stem; the flowers are yellow, 2 inches broad, and have many rays, each three-notched at the extremity. The root is thick, branching and mucilaginous, and has a warm, bitter taste and a camphoraceous odor.

In France and Switzerland it is used in the manufacture of absinthe.


Medical use
For medicinal purposes, the roots should be procured from plants not more than two or three years old. Besides inulin (C6H12O6[C6H10O5]n), a body isomeric with starch, the root contains helenin (C15H20O2), a stearoptene, which may be prepared in white acicular crystals, insoluble in water, but freely soluble in alcohol. When freed from the accompanying inula-camphor by repeated crystallization from alcohol, helenin melts at 110 °C.


Herbalism
The root was employed by the ancients both as a medicine and as a condiment, and in England it was formerly in great repute as an aromatic tonic and stimulant of the secretory organs. As a drug, however, the root is now seldom resorted to except in veterinary practice, though it is undoubtedly possessed of antiseptic properties.

John Gerard recommended elecampane for "the shortness of breath"; today herbalists prescribe it as an expectorant and for water retention; it also is claimed to have antiseptic properties. It has minor applications as a tonic and to bring on menstruation.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elecampane
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Caulophyllum

Caulophyllum is a small genus of perennial herbs in the family Berberidaceae. It is native to eastern Asia and eastern North America. These plants are distinctive spring wildflowers, which grow in moist, rich woodland, it is known for its large triple-compound leaf, and large blue, berry-like fruits. Unlike many spring wildflowers, it is not an ephemeral plant and persists throughout much of the summer. Common names for plants in this genus include Blue Cohosh, Squaw Root, and Papoose Root. As hinted at by its common names, this plant is well known as an alternative medicine for inducing childbirth and menstrual flow; it is also considered a poisonous plant.

These large, smooth plants (0.3–0.9 m tall) have a single to few stems with each stem bearing normally one, but on large stems two, large triple-compound leafs which the casual observer might assume to be several smaller leaves arranged on three separate branches. Each leaflet ends in three to five distinct tips. Plants produce under ground stems called rhizomes that give rise to the leaves each spring and in the fall when the foliage dies back a scar is left on the rhizome and a new bud is formed that will grow into the foliage next spring. Plants are long lived and can live for more than 50 years, they are found in wooded locations with moisture retentive soils.

In April or May, each mature stem bears a spike of flowers. Each flower has six petal-like sepals which range from greenish-yellow to purple. The different rates of maturity between the stamens and the pistil insures cross pollination. There are six fleshy nectar glands at the base of each sepal which attract pollinators. Each fertilized flower matures into a large (1 cm) deep-blue berry-like fruit which houses two bitter seeds. The large seeds are covered with a characteristic blue coat and the fruits remain on the plants until fall. Seed germination can take a few years and the seedlings are hypogeal, the cotyledons remaining underground after germination and seedling emergence, the seedlings need a few years of growth before they are large enough to flower.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caulophyllum
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Rambutan

The rambutan (pronounced /ræmˈbuːtən/, Nephelium lappaceum) is a medium-sized tropical tree in the family Sapindaceae, and the fruit of this tree. It is native to Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, although its precise natural distribution is unknown. It is closely related to several other edible tropical fruits including the Lychee, Longan, and Mamoncillo. It is believed to be native to the Malay Archipelago. Rambutan in Indonesian, Filipino and Malay literally means hairy caused by the 'hair' that covers this fruit. There is a second species regularly for sale at Malay markets which is known as "wild" rambutan. It is a little smaller than the usual red variety and is colored yellow. The outer skin is peeled exposing the fleshy fruit inside which is then eaten. It is sweet, sour and slightly grape like to the taste.

It is an evergreen tree growing to a height of 10–20 m.

The leaves are alternate, 10–30 cm long, pinnate, with 3-11 leaflets, each leaflet 5–15 cm wide and 3-10 cm broad, with an entire margin.

The flowers are small, 2.5–5 mm, apetalous, discoidal, and borne in erect terminal panicles 15–30 cm wide.

Rambutan trees are either male (producing only staminate flowers and, hence, produce no fruit), female (producing flowers that are only functionally female), or hermaphroditic (producing flowers that are female with a small percentage of male flowers).

The fruit is a round to oval drupe 3–6 cm (rarely to 8 cm) tall and 3-4 cm broad, borne in a loose pendant cluster of 10-20 together. The leathery skin is reddish (rarely orange or yellow), and covered with fleshy pliable spines, hence the name rambutan, derived from the Malay word rambut which means hairs. The fruit flesh is translucent, whitish or very pale pink, with a sweet, mildly acidic flavour.

The single seed is glossy brown, 2–3 cm, with a white basal scar. The seed is soft and crunchy. They are mildly poisonous when raw, but may be cooked and eaten.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rambutan
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Plantain

Musa × paradisiaca, the plantain (pronounced /ˈplæntɨn/, US: /plænˈteɪn/) is a crop in the genus Musa and is generally used for cooking, in contrast to the soft, sweet banana (which is sometimes called the dessert banana).

The population of North America was first introduced to the banana plantain, and in the United States and Europe "banana" generally refers to that variety. The word "banana" is often used (some would say incorrectly, although there is no formal botanical distinction between bananas and plantains) to describe other plantain varieties, and names may reflect local uses or characteristics of varieties: cooking plantain, banana plantain, beer banana, bocadillo plantain, etc. All members of the genus Musa are indigenous to the tropical regions of Southeast Asia and Oceania, including the (redundant term) Malay Archipelago (modern Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines) and Northern Australia.

Plantains tend to be firmer and lower in sugar content than dessert bananas. Bananas are most often eaten raw, while plantains usually require cooking or other processing, and are used either when green or under-ripe (and therefore starchy) or overripe (and therefore sweet). Plantains are a staple food in the tropical regions of the world, treated in much the same way as potatoes and with a similar neutral flavour and texture when the unripe fruit is cooked by steaming, boiling or frying. Regions with plantain crops include the Southern United States, Hawaii, the Caribbean, Central America, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Southern Brazil, the Canary Islands, the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, Madeira, Egypt, Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Okinawa, Taiwan, Thailand, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, the Pacific Islands and northern Australia. Farmers grow plantains as far north as Northern California and as far south as KwaZulu-Natal.

Plantains are mostly sterile triploid hybrids between the species Musa acuminata (A genome), and Musa balbisiana (B genome). Musa species are likely native to India and Southern Asia. It is assumed that the Portuguese Franciscan friars were responsible for the introduction of plantains from Africa to the Caribbean islands and other parts of the Americas.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantain
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Mamoncillo

The mamoncillo (Melicoccus bijugatus) is a fruit-bearing tree in the soapberry family Sapindaceae, native or naturalised over a wide area of the American tropics including Central America, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Suriname and the Caribbean. It is also known as mamón (although use of the word may be considered to be in bad taste in Spanish-speaking countries, as it can also mean 'person who sucks (fellare)' or even 'large breast'), and ackee (in St. Lucia, Barbados). However, in the rest of the Caribbean the name is used to refer to the unrelated Blighia sapida), chenet (in Trinidad and Tobago), guaya, gnep, guinep, skinnip (in Jamaica, St. Kitts), genip, guinep, ginnip, kenèp (in Dominica, Guyana, Haiti, Belize, Bahamas), (in some parts of Central America), talpa jocote, canepa, quenepa (in Puerto Rico), genepa, xenepa and Spanish lime, limoncillo (in the Dominican Republic).

It is a large tree growing up to 30 m high. The leaves are alternate, 8–5 cm long, pinnate with 4 or 6 opposite leaflets (no terminal leaflet), each leaflet 5–10 cm long. It is grown and cultivated for its ovoid, green fruit, which grow in bunches. The fruit ripen during the summer. The fruit, somewhat like a cross between a lychee and a lime, is classified as a drupe. A mamoncillo fruit has a tight and thin but rigid layer of skin, traditionally cracked by the teeth. Inside the skin is the tart, tangy, cream pulp of the fruit, which is sucked by putting the whole fruit inside the mouth (the seed takes most of the volume of what is inside the skin). Despite the light color of the fruit's flesh, the juice stains a dark brown color, and was often used by indigenous Arawak natives to dye cloth.

Each mamoncillo fruit has a large seed inside, the same ovoid shape as the fruit itself. Mamoncillo seeds can be roasted and eaten just like sunflower seeds or chestnuts.

The mamoncillo has small, greenish-white, fragrant flowers in panicles. They begin to blossom from the branch tips when the rainy season begins. The mamoncillo is an example of a polygamous plant, producing bisexual flowers as well as flowers that are exclusively male or exclusively female. Occasionally, a bisexual flower will have a "dud" (sterile) anther, which limits the number of fruits produced from self-pollination when cross-pollination is possible.

Being tropical, the mamoncillo prefers warmer temperatures. Its leaves can be damaged if the temperature hits freezing point, with serious damage occurring below -4°C. Gardeners of mamoncillos should occasionally give their plants heavy watering during the summer and propagate via seeds; grafting is also used to propagate cultivars.

The mamoncillo is also commonly planted along roadsides as an ornamental tree.

This fruit can be sweet or sour. In the southern areas of Mexico it's generally eaten with chili powder, salt, and lime. The sweet varieties are generally eaten without condiments of any kind.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamoncillo
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Diospyros blancoi

Mabolo, Velvet Apple or (locally) kamagong (Diospyros blancoi) is a plant of the genus of ebony trees and persimmons, Diospyros. Its edible fruit has a skin covered in a fine, velvety fur which is usually reddish-brown, and soft, creamy, pink flesh, with a taste and aroma comparable to fruit cream cheese(the aroma of the fruit itself, however, is unpleasant, comparable to rotten cheese or cat feces; inspiring names like the french "Caca de Chat" in Reunion). It is native to the Philippines, where kamagong usually refers to the entire tree, and mabolo is applied to the fruit.

Cultivation
It is a tropical tree that grows well in in a diversity of grounds, from the sea level to the 2,400 feet above sea level. Seed trees are normally planted 30 or 45 feet from each other; this one can be planted from 25 to 30 feet from each other. It needs a good distribution of rainfall through the year. Trees that were planted by seeds could take 6 or 7 years to give out fruit, but trees that were propagated by cuttings produce fruit in 3 or 4 years. It is a very productive tree. In Puerto Rico it produces through the months of August and October.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mabolo
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Lansium domesticum

Lansium domesticum is a medium-sized, single-trunked tree that usually grows from ten to fifteen meters tall.
The plant has pinnately compound leaves that grow to a length of around twenty to fifty centimeters long per leaf. Each fully-grown leaf has five to seven slightly-leathery, obovate leaflets that can reach a length of twenty centimeters each. A very prominent midrib bisects each dark green, glossy leaflet.

L. domesticum flowers are hermaphrodite, having both stamen and pistil structures in the same flower. The pale-yellow, fleshy flowers are found in inflorescences of around thirty blossoms, in most cases in a raceme usually around thirty centimeters long.

Fruits are ovoid, roundish orbs around five centimeters in diameter, usually found in clusters of two to thirty fruits along the branches and trunk. Each round fruit is covered by yellowish, thick, leathery skin. Underneath the skin, the fruit is divided into five or six slices of translucent, juicy flesh. The flesh is slightly acidic in taste, although ripe specimens are sweeter. Green seeds are present in around half of the segments, usually taking up a small portion of the segment although some seeds take up the entire segment's volume. In contrast with the sweet-sour flavor of the fruit's flesh, the seeds are extremely bitter. The fruit taste has been compared to a combination grape and "perfect" grapefruit with no bitterness. Yet the seeds if bitten have the bitterness of a grapefruit yet stronger. The sweet juicy flesh contains sucrose, fructose, and glucose.

Ecology and life history
It grows wild in Sumatra forests where a wide and longest river in Indonesia lay across the southern part of Sumatra. The river rises and floods the forest lands for a few months, when it subsides, the flood leaves plenty of fallen leaves and twigs enriching and moistening a large area of the forest bed, resulting in ideal conditions for the plant to grow naturally. Local people will come and harvest it as natural forest produce. They climb up the tree with ripe fruits (after observing it), holding with their hands on the smaller branches and shaking it. Mature fruits will fall easily down to the ground. They will then collect it and transport it on a small boat on a nearby river to the villages and sell it. In a good year a 20-year old tree can produce 100 kg of fruits, however fruiting is often uneven.

Source:
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Açaí Palm

The açaí palm (About this sound pronunciation (help·info)) (Euterpe oleracea) is a species of palm tree in the genus Euterpe cultivated for their fruit and superior hearts of palm. Its name comes from the European adaptation of the Tupian word ïwasa'i, '[fruit that] cries or expels water'. Global demand for the fruit has expanded rapidly in recent years, and açaí is now cultivated for that purpose primarily. The closely-related species Euterpe edulis (jucara) is now predominantly used for hearts of palm.

Eight species are native to Central and South America, from Belize southward to Brazil and Peru, growing mainly in swamps and floodplains. Açaí palms are tall, slender palms growing to 15–30 meters, with pinnate leaves up to 3 meters long.

The fruit, a small, round, black-purple drupe about 1-inch (25 mm) in circumference, similar in appearance but smaller than a grape and with less pulp, is produced in branched panicles of 500 to 900 fruits. Two crops of fruit are produced each year. The fruit has a single large seed about 0.25–0.40 inches (7–10 mm) in diameter. The exocarp of the ripe fruits is a deep purple color, or green, depending on the kind of açaí and its maturity. The mesocarp is pulpy and thin, with a consistent thickness of 1 mm or less. It surrounds the voluminous and hard endocarp, which contains a seed with a diminutive embryo and abundant endosperm. The seed makes up about 80% of the fruit (Schauss, 2006c).

The berries are harvested as food. In a study of three traditional Caboclo populations in the Brazilian Amazon, açaí palm was described as the most important plant species because the fruit makes up a major component of their diet, up to 42% of the total food intake by weight.

In the northern state of Pará, Brazil, açaí pulp is traditionally served in gourds called "cuias" with tapioca and, depending on the local preference, can be consumed either salty or sweet (sugar, rapadura, and honey are known to be used in the mix). Açaí has become popular in southern Brazil where it is consumed cold as açaí na tigela ("açaí in the bowl"), mostly mixed with granola. Açaí is also widely consumed in Brazil as an ice cream flavor or juice. The juice has also been used in a flavored liqueur. Since the 1990s açaí juice and extracts are used globally in various juice blends, smoothies, sodas, and other beverages.

In May 2009, Bloomberg reported that the expanding popularity of açaí in the United States was "depriving Brazilian jungle dwellers of a protein-rich nutrient they’ve relied on for generations."

Apart from the use of its berries as food or a flavoring in tequila, the açaí palm has other commercial uses. Leaves may be made into hats, mats, baskets, brooms and roof thatch for homes, and trunk wood, resistant to pests, for building construction. Tree trunks may be processed to yield minerals. The palm heart is widely exploited as a delicacy.

Comprising 80% of the fruit mass, açaí seeds may be ground for livestock food or as a component of organic soil for plants. Planted seeds are used for new palm tree stock, which, under the right growing conditions, requires months to form seedlings.The seeds are a source of polyunsaturated and saturated fatty acids.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Açaí
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Gypsywort

Lycopus europaeus (Gypsywort, Gipsywort, Bugleweed, European Bugleweed, Water Horehound, Ou Di Sun) is a perennial plant in the Lycopus genus, native to Europe and Asia, and naturalized in the United States.

Gypsywort grows primarily in wetland areas. Its root is a rhizome. It is in flower from June to September, and produces seeds from August to October.

It is reputed to have medicinal qualities and has been used by various peoples as an astringent, cosmetic, douche, narcotic and refrigerant.

It has also been used to treat fever, hyperthyroidism, sores and wounds. Several research studies have been undertaken on the properties of this plant.

The name Gypsywort comes from the belief that Gypsies were reputed to stain their skin with the juice of the plant, although Howard (1987) states that they used it to dye their linen.




Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gypsywort


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White mulberry

The white mulberry (Morus alba) is a short-lived, fast-growing, small to medium sized mulberry tree, which grows to 10–20 m tall.

The species is native to northern China, and is widely cultivated (and even naturalized) elsewhere. It is also known as Tuta in Sanskrit and Tuti in Marathi.

On young, vigorous shoots, the leaves may be up to 30 cm long, and deeply and intricately lobed, with the lobes rounded. On older trees, the leaves are generally 5–15 cm long, unlobed, cordate at the base and rounded to acuminate at the tip, and serrated on the margins. The leaves are usually deciduous in winter, but trees grown in tropical regions can be evergreen. The flowers are single-sex catkins, with catkins of both sexes being present on each tree; male catkins are 2–3.5 cm long, and female catkins 1–2 cm long. The fruit is 1–2.5 cm long; in the species in the wild it is deep purple, but in many cultivated plants it varies from white to pink; it is sweet but bland, unlike the more intense flavor of the red mulberry and black mulberry. The seeds are widely dispersed by birds, which eat the fruit and excrete the seeds.

The white mulberry is scientifically notable for the rapid plant movement of the pollen release from its catkins. The flowers fire pollen into the air by rapidly (25 µs) releasing stored elastic energy in the stamens. The resulting movement is in excess of half the speed of sound, approximately 350mph, making it the fastest known movement in the plant kingdom

Uses
White mulberry leaves are the preferred feedstock for silkworms, and are also cut for food for livestock (cattle, goats, etc.) in areas where dry seasons restrict the availability of ground vegetation. The fruit are also eaten, often dried or made into wine.

In traditional Chinese medicine, the fruit is used to treat prematurely grey hair, to "tonify" the blood, and treat constipation and diabetes. The bark is used to treat cough, wheezing, edema, and to promote urination. It is also used to treat fever, headache, red dry and sore eyes, as well as cough.

For landscaping, a fruitless mulberry was developed from a clone for use in the production of silk in the U.S. The industry never materialized, but the mulberry variety is now used as an ornamental tree where shade is desired without the fruit. A weeping cultivar of white mulberry Morus alba 'Pendula' is a popular ornamental plant.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Mulberry
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Corn whiskey

Corn whiskey is an American liquor made from a mash made of at least 80 percent corn.

The whiskey is typically run off to high proof and cut to not less than 40 percent alcohol by volume. It does not have to be aged but; if so, it is characteristically in new or used uncharred oak barrels. Aging usually is brief, six months or less, during which time the whiskey picks up color and flavor from the barrel while its harshness is reduced.

Corn whiskey is also frequently called "Corn liquor" or "Corn Squeezin’s"
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corn_whiskey

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Toblerone

Toblerone (pronounced /ˈtoʊbləroʊn/ in English and [toblɛˈʁone] in German) is a chocolate bar made by Kraft Foods, who acquired former owner Jacobs Suchard in 1990.

It is well-known for its distinctive packaging, its prism shape (triangular prism or pentahedron) and its ubiquity in airport duty-free shops.

The triangular shape of the Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps is commonly believed to have given Theodor Tobler his inspiration for the shape of Toblerone.

However, according to Theodor's sons, the triangular shape originates from a pyramid shape that dancers at the Folies Bergères created as the finale of a show that Theodor saw.

Toblerone was created by Theodor Tobler and Emil Baumann in Bern, Switzerland in 1908. They developed a unique milk chocolate including nougat, almonds and honey with a distinctive triangular shape.

The product's name is a portmanteau combining Tobler's name with the Italian word torrone (a type of nougat). The image of a bear is hidden in the Matterhorn mountain symbolizing the town of its origin.

Theodor Tobler applied for a patent for the Toblerone manufacturing process in Bern in 1906. The Toblerone brand was trademarked in 1909, at the Federal Institute for Intellectual Property in Bern.

The Tobler company was independent for many years. In 1970, it merged with Suchard, the makers of Milka, to become Interfood.

A merger with the Jacobs coffee company in 1982 created Jacobs Suchard. Kraft acquired the majority of Jacobs Suchard, including Toblerone, in 1990.



Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toblerone



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Kit Kat

A Kit Kat is a confection which was first created by Rowntree's of York, England and now produced worldwide by Nestlé, which acquired Rowntree in 1988, except in the United States where it is made under licence by The Hershey Company.

Each bar consists of fingers composed of three layers of crème-filled wafer, covered in an outer layer of chocolate. Each finger can be snapped from the bar one at a time.

The original four-finger version of the bar was developed after a worker at the Rowntree's factory in York put a suggestion in the reccomendation box for a snack that a "man could have in his lunch box for work".

It was launched in September 1935 in the UK as Rowntree's Chocolate Crisp (price: 2d). The two-finger version was launched on May 15, 1936. Rowntree's Chocolate Crisp was renamed Kit Kat Chocolate Crisp in 1937, and after World War II just Kit Kat.

The name is believed to have come from the Kit-Kat Club, an eighteenth-century conservative Whig circle in England. In 1937, the Norwegian firm Freia launched a near-identical chocolate bar called Kvikk Lunsj for the Norwegian market. USA 4-finger Kit Kat

The traditional bar has four fingers which each measure approximately 1 centimetre (0.39 in) by 9 centimetres (3.5 in). The Kit Kat Chunky (known as Big Kat in the U.S.) has one large finger approximately 2.5 centimetres (0.98 in) wide and was introduced in 1999.

Kit Kat bars contain varying numbers of fingers depending on the market, ranging from the half-finger sized Kit Kat Petit in Japan to the three-fingered variants in Arabia to the twelve-finger Kit Kat family-size bars in Australia and France.

Kit Kat bars are sold either individually or in bags, boxes or multi-packs. In Ireland, the UK, and America, Nestlé also produces a Kit Kat ice cream; and in Malaysia, Kit Kat Drumsticks.


Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KitKat


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