Labels: homework

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is a woody,perennial herb with fragrant evergreen needle-like leaves. It is native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the mint familyLamiacaea, which also includes many other herbs.

The name rosemary has nothing to do with the rose or the name Mary, but derives from the Latin name rosmarinus, which is from "dew" (ros) and "sea" (marinus), or "dew of the sea" — apparently because it is frequently found growing near the sea.

Description

Forms range from upright to trailing; the upright forms can reach 1.5 m (5 ft) tall, rarely 2 m (6 ft 7 in).

The leaves are evegreen, 2–4 cm (0.8–1.6 in) long and 2–5 mm broad, green above, and white below with dense short woolly hair.

Flowering, very common in a mature and healthy specimen, usually appears in winter or spring and is variable in color, being white, pink, purple, or blue.

Cultivation

Since it is attractive and tolerates some degree of drought, it is also used in landscaping, especially in areas having a Mediterranean culture. It is considered easy to grow for beginner gardeners, and is pest-resistant.

Rosemary grows on friable loam soil with good drainage in an open sunny position, it will not withstand water logging and some varieties may be susceptible to frost. It grows best in neutral - alkaline conditions pH (pH 7-7.8) with average fertility.

Rosemary is easily pruned into shapes and has been used for topiary. When grown in pots, it is best kept trimmed to stop it getting straggly and unsightly, though when grown in a garden, rosemary can grow quite large and still be attractive. It can be propagated from an existing plant by clipping a shoot 10–15 cm (4–6 in) long, stripping a few leaves from the bottom, and planting it directly into soil.

Numerous cultivars have been selected for garden use. The following are frequently sold:

• Albus — white flowers
• Arp — leaves light green, lemon-scented
• Aureus — leaves speckled yellow
• Benenden Blue — leaves narrow, dark green
• Blue Boy — dwarf, small leaves
• Golden Rain — leaves green, with yellow streaks
• Gold Dust -dark green leaves, with golden streaks but stronger than Golden Rain
• Irene — lax, trailing
• Lockwood de Forest — procumbent selection from Tuscan Blue
• Ken Taylor — shrubby
• Majorica Pink — pink flowers
• Miss Jessop's Upright — tall, erect
• Pinkie — pink flowers
• Prostratus
• Pyramidalis (a.k.a. Erectus) — pale blue flowers
• Roseus — pink flowers
• Salem — pale blue flowers, cold hardy similar to Arp
• Severn Sea — spreading, low-growing, with arching branches; flowers deep violet
• Tuscan Blue — upright

Usage

Culinary use

The fresh and dried leaves are used frequently in traditional Mediterranean cuisine; they have a bitter, astringent taste, which complements a wide variety of foods. A tisane can also be made from them. When burned they give off a distinct mustard smell, as well as a smell similar to that of burning which can be used to flavor foods while barbecuing.

Rosemary is extremely high in iron, calcium, and Vitamin B6.

Hungry water was first prepared for the Queen of Hungary to "renovate vitality of paralyzed limbs" and to treat gout. It was used externally and prepared by mixing fresh rosemary tops into spirits of wine.

Don Quixote (Chapter XVII, 1st volume) mixes it in his recipe of the miraculous balm of Fierabras with revolting results.

Rosemary has a very old reputation for improving memory, and has been used as a symbol for remembrance (during weddings, war commemorations and funerals) in Europe and Australia. Mourners would throw it into graves as a symbol of remembrance for the dead. In Shakespear's Hamlet, Ophelia says, "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance." (Hamlet, iv. 5.) One modern study lends some credence to this reputation. When the smell of rosemary was pumped into cubicles where people were working, those people showed improved memory, though with slower recall.

In the Middle Ages, rosemary was associated with wedding ceremonies - the bride would wear a rosemary headpiece and the groom and wedding guests would all wear a sprig of rosemary, and from this association with weddings rosemary evolved into a love charm. Newly wed couples would plant a branch of rosemary on their wedding day. If the branch grew it was a good omen for the union and family. In ‘A Modern Herbal’, Mrs Grieves says “A rosemary branch, richly gilded and tied with silken ribands of all colours, was also presented to wedding guests, as a symbol of love and loyalty.” Another example of rosemary’s use as a love charm was that a young person would tap another with a rosemary sprig and if the sprig contained an open flower, it was said that the couple would fall in love. Rosemary was used as a divinatory herb-several types of herbs were grown in pots and assigned the name of a potential lover. Then they were left to grow and the plant that grew the strongest and fastest gave the answer. Rosemary was also stuffed into poppets (cloth dolls) in order to attract a lover or attract curative vibrations for illness. It was believed that placing a sprig of rosemary under a pillow before sleep would repel nightmares, and if placed outside the home it would repel witches. Somehow, the use of rosemary in the garden to repel witches turned into signification that the woman ruled the household in homes and gardens where rosemary grew abundantly. By the 16th century, this practise became a bone of contention; and men were known to rip up rosemary bushes to show that they, not their wives, ruled the roost.

Potential medicinal use

The results of a study suggest that carnisic acid, found in rosemary, may shield the brain from free radicals, lowering the risk of strokes and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Lou Gehrigs.

Rosemary contains a number of potentially biologically active compounds, including antioxidants such as carnosic acid and rosmarinic acid. Other bioactive compounds include camphor (up to 20% in dry rosemary leaves),caffeic acid, ursolic acid, betulinic acid,rosemaridiphenol, and rosmanol.

Health precautions and toxicology

Rosemary in culinary or therapeutic doses is generally safe. A toxicity studies of the plant on rats has shown hepatoprotective and antimutagenic activities,however, precaution is necessary for those displaying allergic reaction or prone to epileptic acids. Rosemary essential oil may have epileptogenic properties, as a handful of case reports over the past century have linked its use with seizures in otherwise healthy adults or children. Rosemary essential oil is potentially toxic if ingested. Large quantities of rosemary leaves can cause adverse reactions, such as coma, spasm, vomiting, and pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs) that can be fatal. Avoid consuming large quantities of rosemary if pregnant or breastfeeding.

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• Nurain Nazuraa bt. Ghazali (:
  
• Nurizazi bt. Zanuri (:
  
• Nurul Adlina Syazwani bt. Mohamad Arif (:
  
• Neesha bt. Hazis (:
  

Pn. ChristinaMsAudrey

Do you know anything about Dandelion?
Hundreds of species of Dandelion grow in the temperate regions of Europe, Asia and North America. Dandelion is a hardy, variable perennial that can grow to a height of nearly 12 inches. Dandelions have deeply notched, toothy, spatula-like leaves that are shiny and hairless. Dandelion stems are capped by bright yellow flowers. The grooved leaves funnel the flow of rainfall into the root. Dandelion flowers are sensitive to light, so they open with the sun in the morning or close in the evening or during gloomy weather. The dark brown roots are fleshy and brittle and are filled with a white milky substance that is bitter and slightly odorous.
I don't know how to grow them.
It's a very easily grown plant, succeeds in most soils. It becomes quite large when cultivation, the leaves reaching a foot or more in length. Dandelion is often cultivated as an edible salad crop and as a medicinal herb plant.
Do you know any other names for it?
Oh yes, Common Dandelion, Lion's Tooth, Priest's Crown, Pu Gong Ying, Swine's snout, Dent de Lion.
They do have medicinal uses and indications, correct?
Correct.

Dandelion is a natural diuretic that increases urine production by promoting the excretion of salts and water from the kidney. Dandelion may be used for a wide range of conditions requiring mild diuretic treatment, such as poor digestion, liver disorders, and high blood pressure. Dandelion is a source of potassium, a nutrient often lost through the use of other natural and synthetic diuretics.

Fresh or dried dandelion herb is also used as a mild appetite stimulant and to improve upset stomach (such as feelings of fullness, flatulence, and constipation). The root of the dandelion plant is believed to have mild laxative effects and is often used to improve digestion. Research suggests that dandelion root may improve the health and function of natural bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. Studies have also reported that dandelion root may help improve liver and gallbladder function.

Some preliminary animal studies also suggest that dandelion may help normalize blood sugar levels and improve lipid profiles (lowering total cholesterol and triglycerides while increasing HDL, "good," cholesterol) in diabetic mice. However, not all animal studies have shown the same positive effect on blood sugar. In addition, research needs to be done on people to determine if this traditional use for diabetes (see Overview) has modern-day merit.

P.S. THIS IS HOW WE ARE POSTING ABOUT OUR FLOWER. THE MEDICINAL USES JUST SPOILS IT ALL, HUH? OH WELL. ENJOY.

Naveena shot Naveenya. Therefore Nicole took her to the hospital to get Nor Aliah's profesional 'healing' magic.

Santa stole my girlfriend, like nohhhwayhhhh.
TEEHEE

Labels: flowers

Curry Leaves

The Curry Leaves or Karivepallai also known as Kadipatta is a tropical to sub-tropical tree in the family Rutaceae, which is native to India. It produces the leaves known as Curry leaves or Sweet Neem leaves.

Description

It is a small tree, growing 4-6 m tall, with a trunk up to 40 cm diameter. The leaves are pinnate, with 11-21 leaflets, each leaflet 2-4 cm long and 1-2 cm broad. They are highly aromatic. The flowers are small white, and fragrant. The small black, shiny berries are edible, but their seeds are poisonous.

The Uses Of Curry Leaves

The leaves are highly valued as seasoning in South Indian and Sri Lankan cooking, much like bay leaves and especially in curries with fish or coconut milk. In their fresh form, they have a short shelf life though they may be stored in a freezer for quite some time; however, this can result in a loss of their flavour. They are also available dried, though the aroma is much inferior.

The Medicinal Value Of Curry Leaves

The leaves of Murraya koenigii are also used as a herb in Ayurvedic medicine. Their properties include much value as an antidiabetic, antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory.

· The plant is grown by seeds.

SOURCE : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curry_leaf

http://images.google.com

Group Members : Gan Phui Yee

Hari Priya

Iqffa Nadia

Izah Athira

ps: I don't know why there are word links on random words in this post. =|

Rainwater harvesting is the gathering, or accumulating and storing, of rainwater.^[1] Rainwater harvesting has been used to provide drinking water, water for livestock, water for irrigation or to refill aquifers in a process called groundwater recharge. Rainwater collected from the roofs of houses, tents and local institutions, or from specially prepared areas of ground, can make an important contribution to drinking water. In some cases, rainwater may be the only available, or economical, water source. Rainwater systems are simple to construct from inexpensive local materials, and are potentially successful in most habitable locations. Roof rainwater is usually of good quality and does not require treatment before consumption. Household rainfall catchment systems are appropriate in areas with an average rainfall greater than 200mm per year, and no other accessible water sources (Skinner and Cotton, 1992).

There are a number of types of systems to harvest rainwater ranging from very simple to the complex industrial systems. Generally, rainwater is either harvested from the ground or from a roof. The rate at which water can be collected from either system is dependent on the plan area of the system, its efficiency, and the intensity of rainfall.

SMK (P) Sri Aman's Rainwater Harvesting

The students of Sri Aman has joined this rainwater harvesting system in the year 2009 . This system is organised by the school rainwater harvesting club which is under Pn. Nur Hafizah . The members is Nur Syazwana Izzati , Nur Shahirah , Iqffa Nadia , Izah Atira , Rohatira , Nur Syafeeqah and Nur Fatini .

The Sri Aman's students who involved in this project has joined "Anugerah Hijau" competiton but the results is not available yet . This project is to save some amounts of water in our school . This water is clean but its only can use for watering plants and other ways except drinking .