Saturday, March 1, 2008

Herbs and Herbal Teas

Herbs have been important contributors to the quality of human life for thousands of years. Throughout history plants have served mankind as valuable components of seasoning, teas, cosmetics, dyes and medicines. The term herbs is used to refer not only to herbaceous plants but also to bark, roots, leaves, seeds, flowers and fruit of trees, shrubs and woody vines.

Recently there has been a resurgence of interest in the use of herbs. Various herbal teas are used in place of caffeine-containing beverages. Dietary recommendations encourage the use of herbal seasonings to flavor food as a way to cut down on the use of table salt.

Safe Herbs used in Seasoning:
Caraway
Cardamo
Coriander
Dill
Oregano
Garlic
Onion
Saffron
Sage
Sweet Basil
Thyme
Tumeric

Some view herbal products as natural remedies for the treatment of varied disorders and illness. Self-prescribed herbal preparations are widely used for a whole host of common conditions including insomnia, arthritis, colds, coughs, ulcers, allergies, constipation, infections, high blood pressure, intestinal disorders, premenstrual syndrome, headaches, fever, anemia, weakness, aging, stress, nervousness, sexual disorder, and indigestion.

A number of herbal products, such as aloe vera, blue-green manna and bee pollen, have been promoted as possessing special healing and health-promoting properties. One should always be wary of products that are sold as cure-alls, miracle food supplements of panaceas. While the fresh juice of aloe vera may promote wound healing when applied externally, the commercial gels, ointments and creams containing aloe vera have no therapeutic and cannot be retained over time. Furthermore, experiments are unable to verify that blue-green manna (algae) has any significant health-promoting properties. Likewise, it has not been proven that bee pollen has valid use as a general tonic, or that can help in weight reduction, stop premature aging or serve to improve ones athletic performance.

Unsafe Herbal Teas:
Arnica
Goldenseal
Morton tea
Snake root
Black cherry
Gordo lobo
Nutmeg
Tansy ragwort
Bloodroot
Groundsel
Oleander
Tonka bean
Buckthorn
Jimsonweed
Pennyroyal
Tu-san-chi
Burdock root
Kavakava
Periwinkle
Water Hemlock
Cohosh
Lobelia
Poke root
Woodruff
Comfrey
Mandrake
Sassafras
Wormwood
Elderberry
Melilot
Senna
Yohimbe
Foxglove

Safe Herbal Teas:
Alfalfa
Fenugreek
Hyssop
Rose Hips
Blackberry
Feverfew
Lemon Grass
Rosemary
Chamomile
Flaxseed
Orange
Sarsaparilla
Chickweed
Ginseng
Peppermint
Savory
Chicory
Gotu Kola
Psyllium
Slippery elm
Dandelion
Hibiscus
Raspberry
Spearmint
Echinacea
Hops
Red Raspberry
Valerian
Fennel
Horehound

Guidelines to Follow

1.Avoid buying unlabeled loose or bulk teas.
2.Be alert to the toxicities of certain herbs.
3.Refrain from considering herbal beverages as natural panaceas.
4.Read labels carefully, so that only prepackaged teas with safe ingredients are used.
5.Used moderate amounts of those teas with safe and effective constituents.
6.Drink no more thatn1-2 sups of tea per day on a regular basis, since the long term effects of drinking most herbal teas in large quantities is not known.
7.People who show allergic response to ragweed, asters, or chrysanthemums should avoid all teas containing marigold, yarrow and chamomile flowers.
8.Pregnant women should especially use caution in drinking any herbal tea since few have been thoroughly tested for safety. Before using any herbal tea, a pregnant woman should first consult with her physician. Likewise young children should be restricted in their use of herbal teas.



Super Profitable Techniques for Selling Books By Mail

The total number of books sold by small, part-time mail orderentrepreneurs is growing each year. Total sales each year for thepast five years have increased by almost 30-percent over theprevious year's sales.

Two "angles" have greatly contributed to this phenomenalgrowth in total sales.

One is the practice of offering a wide selection of books via"mini-catalogs" The other "angle" is the practice of sendingthese "mini-catalogs" to prospective buyers as "inserts" inprinted materials the prospect has already ordered.

Mini-catalogs are usually printed on 8 1/2 x 11 sheets ofpaper, then folded in half along the length, and simply slippedinside the covers of a magazine or the folds of a newspaper.Often-times, a mini-catalog is folded and sent out as aself-mailer. Both of these methods of obtaining circulation arevery profitable.

A book-selling "mini-catalog" is made up of a "full-pagecommercial" on the front page. This is your main sales thrust, orprimary attempt to sell a "featured" book with ease of yourmailings. The second, third, and half of the last page of themin-catalog should be two columns of listings of other books youhave to offer.

Each listing should consist of the title of the book offered,followed by a short description of either the book itself, or howthe book can benefit the buyer. This is then followed by thecatalog number of the book, and the price.

The bottom half of the page of your mini-catalog should bedevoted to your customer order coupon. The "mini-catalog" shouldbe typeset, and printed on a different color of paper for eachmailing. Recent sales results indicate that the better qualitypaper your mini-catalog is printed on, the more sales it bringsin for you.

Once you've got a mini-catalog with which to advertise yourbooks, you must bring all your efforts to bear on the problem ofobtaining maximum circulation of your mini-catalog among theprospective book buyers.

The easiest and least expensive method is as follows: Check atyour newspaper offices for a listing of all their distributorsand/or route carriers. Contact these people and ask them to giveyou a price they would charge to include one of yourmini-catalogs with each paper they sell or deliver. Determine howmany "mini-catalogs" you'll need for this kind of distributors,have that number of mini-catalogs printed, hand them out to yourcontracted distributors and newspaper carriers; then sit back andprepare to fill book orders. It's simple and easy, but best ofall it really results in big profits for your book-sellingbusiness!

Another simple method would be to line up students fromdifferent junior high schools in your area, and pay them each $10per thousand to deliver your mini-catalogs door-to-door. If youhave junior high school age children, this could be the easiestand least expensive method of distribution for you.

Major cities also have professional distributing services whichdeliver advertising material to the residents. Check your localphone directory for their names and addresses.

The orders which you develop through the local distributionmethod can be filled by mail.

To expand your market beyond the local area, you need tosolicit the business by mail. Several excellent books areavailable on developing sales by mail. Follow these steps then sit back and prepare to fill book orders. It's simple and easy.

Note to editors:
To show my appreciation to the editors that use my articles, I offer a free solo ad. Simply send an email to me by using the form on the contact me page on my website to tell me the url the article was used on or send me a copy of the ezine it was used in.

DeAnna Spencer is a virtual assistant that helps entrepreneurs run a successful business by providing affordable administrative help. She also publishes a blog for small business owners. Visit this small business resource today.



New Business Loans UK Enter Business Field Through Easy Finance

Are you looking for financial assistance so that you can start a new business in the UK? You have this option for applying a new business loan that is especially designed keeping in view the requirements of a new business in the UK.

Depending on the amount you want to borrow and as per your personal circumstances, you can opt for secured or unsecured new business loans. In case of greater amount for starting a new business, secured new business loans should be opted for. You would be offering your home or any valued property to the lender as security. The lender will approve greater amount depending on value of home or any property. But the main advantage is that secured new business loans UK are approved at lower interest rate. Low rate makes the loan repaying fairly easier and it is not a burden on the loan. Another advantage is that secured new business loans can be paid back as per the business persons repaying capacity. You can repay the loan in larger duration also if you want to reduce monthly outgo for the loan installments.

Unsecured new business loans UK are given without demanding any security from the business person. Thus the loan is completely risk free for new business people. However for covering risks, lenders charge higher interest rate on unsecured new business loans. You would be approved smaller amount for shorter repaying duration.

And new business people should not worry about past bad credit history. Secured or unsecured new business loans in the UK are approved with ease for bad credit new business borrowers as well. The loan approval for such borrower will depend on prospects of the business and a convincing loan repaying plan in place.

Banks, financial companies and online lenders can be applied for in order to get new business loans in the UK. However compare lenders first and take rate quotes for a suitable deal. See if the lender provides loan for your type of business or not. And pay off the loan in time so that new loans can be easily taken at easier terms for the business.

Tim Kelly is an expert in finance having completed her LLM in Finance (Master of Laws in Finance) from Institute for Law and Finance at Frankfurt University. She is currently working with Businessloans.uk.com as a financial advisor. To find New Business Loans UK, small business loans uk, business loans uk, business loan uk visit http://www.businessloans.uk.com/