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Il ginepro ha numerose virtù: è stomachico e masticarne le bacche facilita la digestione, è un antisettico naturale per le vie urinarie e respiratorie (utile per la cura della calcolosi urinaria, per sedare la tosse o come espettorante) e ha proprietà antireumatiche, spesso infatti l'olio essenziale di ginepro viene usato per massaggi. Massaggiare il corpo con olio di ginepro aiuta a rilassare i muscoli contratti, a previene i crampi e a tonificare i tessuti connettivi.
♦️Garlic is recognized for its powerful antibiotic effects.
♦️The odour is the result of anilin, an organic sulphur compound.
♦️Garlic should be stored in a ventilated container… or in a paper bag
♦️To avoid mould and sprouts, do not refrigerate or store in plastic bags.
♦️California grown garlic has more allicin than the garlic grown in China.
♦️Garlic has a sticky juice that is often used as adhesive for delicate/fragile projects.
♦️The smell of garlic can be removed by running your hands under cold water while rubbing a stainless steel object. (This I have to try)
♦️Garlic is said to fight off evil spirits and keep vampires away. (This I also have to try.)
♦️Garlic contains probiotic “Inuline” which helps in digestion.
♦️Garlic contains only 4 calories per clove.
♦️Garlic contain 17 amino acids.
♦️China produces 66 % of total world production.
lonely stranger / Eric Clapton
"Dos alienígenas llegaron hace seis días en su nave a las inmediaciones de Barcelona. Uno de ellos, de nombre Gurb, adoptó la forma de un humano llamado Marta Sánchez y desapareció dentro del coche de un profesor universitario. El otro empezó su periplo en busca de Gurb, mientras se acomodaba a las formas de vida de los humanos."
Día 10
07.00. Decido salir en busca de Gurb.
Antes de salir oculto la nave para evitar reconocimiento e inspección de la misma por parte de la fauna local. Consultado el Catálogo Astral, decido transformar la nave en cuerpo terrestre denominado vivienda unifamiliar adosada, calef., 3 dorm., 2 bñs. Terraza. Piscina comunit. 2 plzs pkng. Máximas facilidades.
07.30. Decido adoptar apariencia de ente humano individualizado. Consultado Catálogo, elijo el conde-duque de Olivares.
07.45. En lugar de abandonar la nave por la escotilla (ahora transformada en puerta de cuarterones de gran simplicidad estructural pero de muy difícil manejo), opto por naturalizarme allí donde la concentración de entes individualizados es más densa con objeto de no llamar la atención.
08.00. Me naturalizo en lugar denominado Diagonal-paseo de Gracia. Soy arrollado por autobús número 17 Barceloneta-Vall d'Hebron. Debo recuperar la cabeza, que ha salido rodando de resultas de la colisión. Operación dificultosa por la afluencia de vehículos.
08.01. Arrollado por un Opel Corsa.
08.02. Arrollado por una furgoneta de reparto.
08.03. Arrollado por un taxi.
08.04. Recupero la cabeza y la lavo en una fuente pública situada a pocos metros del lugar de la colisión. Aprovecho la oportunidad para analizar la composición del agua de la zona: hidrógeno, oxígeno y caca.
08.15. Debido a la alta densidad de entes individual izados, tal vez resulte algo difícil localizar a Gurb a simple vista, pero me resisto a establecer contacto sensorial, porque ignoro las consecuencias que ello podría tener para el equilibrio ecológico de la zona y, en consecuencia, para sus habitantes.
Los seres humanos son cosas de tamaño variable. Los más pequeños de entre ellos lo son tanto que si otros seres humanos más altos no los llevaran en un cochecito, no tardarían en ser pisados (y tal vez perderían la cabeza) por los de mayor estatura. Los más altos raramente sobrepasan los 200 centímetros de longitud. Un dato sorprendente es que cuando yacen estirados continúan midiendo exactamente lo mismo. Algunos llevan bigote; otros, barba y bigote. Casi todos tienen dos ojos, que pueden estar situados en la parte anterior o posterior de la cara, según se les mire. Al andar se desplazan de atrás a delante, para lo cual deben contrarrestar el movimiento de las piernas con un vigoroso braceo. Los más apremiados refuerzan el braceo por mediación de carteras de piel o plástico o de unos maletines denominados Samsonite, hechos de un material procedente de otro planeta. El sistema de desplazamiento de los automóviles (cuatro ruedas pareadas rellenas de aire fétido) es más racional y permite alcanzar mayores velocidades. No debo volar ni andar sobre la coronilla si no quiero ser tenido por excéntrico. Nota: mantener siempre en contacto con el suelo un pie -cualquiera de los dos sirve- o el órgano externo denominado culo.
11.00. Llevo casi tres horas esperando ver pasar a Gurb. Espera inútil. El flujo de seres humanos en este punto de la ciudad no decrece. Antes al contrario. Calculo que las probabilidades de que Gurb pase por aquí sin que yo lo vea son del orden de 73 contra una. A este cálculo, sin embargo, hay que añadir dos variables: a) que Gurb no pase por aquí, b) que Gurb pase por aquí, pero habiendo modificado su apariencia externa. En este caso, las probabilidades de no ser visto por mí alcarizarían los nueve trillones contra una.
12.00. La hora del ángelus. Me recojo unos instantes, confiando en que Gurb no vaya a pasar precisamente ahora por delante de mí.
13.00. La posición erecta a que llevo sometido el cuerpo desde hace cinco horas empieza a resultaríne fatigosa. Al entumecimiento muscular se une el esfuerzo continuo que debo hacer para inspirar y expirar el aire. Una vez que he olvidado hacerlo por más de cinco minutos, la cara se me ha puesto de color morado y los ojos me han salido disparados de las órbitas, debiendo ir a recogerlos nuevamente bajo las ruedas de los coches. A este paso acabaré por llamar la atención. Parece ser que los seres humanos inspiran y expiran el aire de un modo automático, que ellos llaman respirar. Este automatismo, que repugna a cualquier ser civilizado y que consigno aquí por razones puramente científicas, lo aplican los humanos no sólo a la respiración, sino a muchas funciones corporales, como la circulación de la sangre, la digestión, el parpadeo -que, a diferencia de las dos funciones antes citadas, puede ser controlado a voluntad, en cuyo caso se llama guiño-, el crecimiento de las uñas, etcétera. Hasta tal punto dependen los humanos del funcionamiento automático de sus órganos (y organismos), que se harían encima cosas feas si de niños no se les enseñara a subordinar la naturaleza al decoro.
Eduardo Mendoza ( publicado originalmente por entregas en www.elpais.com/articulo/opinion/noticias/Gurb/elpepiopi/1... )
Dreaming of a big, spilled swamp symbolizes small satisfactions. You are always trying to please yourself, in spite of obligations and other obstacles. You have rituals that are making you happy, so you always find time for them. You usually do sports, go out, take massages, or go to the cinema. Shrek since an elf is a fictional character, he may also represent the problems that you have created on your own. Symbolism:An elf represents festivity, problems, annoying people, intellectual minds, foes and health. If you dream of a laughing elf, it indicates the laughter of your enemy.
Despite Shrek's frightening and repulsive outer appearance and incorrect identification as a monster (devil figure), he turns out to be:
The Hero: Shrek fulfills the ultimate task of breaking Fiona's curse with the true love's kiss. He also follows the hero's journey with significant character development on his Quest.
Onion: Shrek speaks about how ogres are like onions, which also reflects on the universal theme of the movie. Onions have layers, and his analogy represents that despite his repugnant appearance, like that of an onion, he is actually kind-hearted and capable of love after you peel at the layers.
Wall: Shrek talks about putting up a wall around his swamp to keep people away, but I believe it's also a figurative symbol for his need for isolation and fear of not being accepted or loved. Shrek tries to shut people out before they can do the same to him.
Shrek's Swamp
By George Gantz
Name & Symbols where Shrek's symbols linked with Nephthis
live in the swamps of the Nile's delta... like King Moses with is born in the same Delta or Swamps!!!!
Afterlife, regeneration and Green Color slopes and the regeneration of trees on decaying boles in swamps.
'Nephthys' is the Latin version of her Egyptian name `Nebthwt' (also given as Nebet-het and Nebt-het) which translates as "Lady of the Temple Enclosure" or "Mistress of the House" and she is routinely pictured with the heiroglyph for 'house' on her crown. The 'house' is neither an earthly home nor temple but linked to the heavens as she was related to air and ether.
The 'enclosure' may refer to the courtyard outside a temple as she was represented by the pylons outside of temples. Shrek's pylons are his ears.
in her role as a protective goddess; just as the pylons and wall protected the inner temple, Nephthys protected the souls of the people. She was associated with death and decay from an early period and was regularly invoked during funeral services. Professional mourners at Egyptian funerals were known as "Hawks of Nephthys" and she is one of the four goddesses (along with Isis, Selket, and Neith) whose images were found in the tomb of Tutankhamun as guardians of his canopic vessels. Historian Margaret Bunson notes:Nephthys was associated with the mortuary cult in every era and was part of the ancient worship of Min [a god of fertility and reproduction]. The desert regions were dedicated to her and she was thought to be skilled in magic (188).
In folklore, a will-o'-the-wisp, will-o'-wisp or ignis fatuus is an atmospheric ghost light seen by travelers at night, especially over bogs, swamps or ... Folk belief attributes the phenomenon to fairies or elemental spirits, explicitly in the term " hobby and now in 2020 for the kids that's Shrek... mysterious lights as omens of death or the ghosts of once living human beings. In modern science, it is generally accepted that will-o'-the-wisp phenomena (ignis fatuus) are caused by the oxidation of phosphine (PH3), diphosphane (P2H4), and methane (CH4). These compounds, produced by organic decay, can cause photon emissions. Since phosphine and diphosphane mixtures spontaneously ignite on contact with the oxygen in air, only small quantities of it would be needed to ignite the much more abundant methane to create ephemeral fires. Furthermore, phosphine produces phosphorus pentoxide as a by-product, which forms phosphoric acid upon contact with water vapor, which can explain "viscous moisture" sometimes described as accompanying ignis fatuus.The idea of the will-o'-the-wisp phenomena being caused by natural gases can be found as early as 1596, as mentioned in the book Of Ghostes and Spirites, Walking by Night, And of Straunge Noyses, Crackes, and Sundrie forewarnings, which commonly happen before the death of men: Great Slaughters, and alterations of Kingdomes, by Ludwig Lavater, in the chapter titled "That many naturall things are taken to be ghoasts":
Many times candles & small fires appeare in the night, and seeme to runne up and downe... Sometime these fires goe alone in the night season, and put such as see them, as they travel by night, in great feare. But these things, and many such lyke have their naturall causes... Natural Philosophers write, that thicke exhilations aryse out of the earth, and are kindled. Mynes full of sulphur and brimstone, if the aire enter unto it, as it lyeth in the holes and veines of the earth, will kindle on fier, and strive to get out. "Shrek lets fart in a fairy tale". Farting across the animal kingdom is wonderfully diverse, a new Tale with Shrek ... and our mammalian relatives, farts are mainly the result of digestion or regeneration.
Swamp monsters in folklore, legends, and mythology
The Will-o'-the-wisp appears in swamps, and in some areas there are legends of it being an evil spirit.
The Bunyip are a creature from Aboriginal mythology that lurk in swamps, billabongs, creeks, riverbeds, and waterholes.
The Grootslang are huge elephant-like creature with a serpent's tail which according to legend live in caves, swamps, freshwater in South Africa.
The Lernaean Hydra in Greek and Roman mythology, was the creature Heracles killed in the swamp near Lake Lerna.
The Honey Island Swamp monster in Louisiana.
Mokele-mbembe, a legendary water-dwelling creature of Congo River basin folklore that resembles a Brontosaurus.
The skunk ape is a horrible smelling large ape creature said to live in swamps.
The Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp.
In Beowulf, Grendel lived in a marsh near King Hrothgar's mead hall, as did Grendel's mother.
Our world seems to be mired in anxiety and fear; and civic discourse has degenerated to accusations, outright lies, and rhetoric. While we hear calls to “drain the swamp,” any common understanding of what that means, and a willing consensus required to achieve it, seems to elude us. Perhaps we are looking at the situation from too narrow a perspective. It is not just our politicians who are lost in the marsh; it is our spiritual life, too.
The English language is full of references to the soggy, wet places of the world. Have you ever gotten tangled up “in the weeds”? Or perhaps someone you know is “stuck in the mud” (or perhaps is a “stick-in-the-mud”)? Recently, we have heard calls to “drain the swamp” of Washington DC lobbyists and political insiders. These sayings all have a common origin: the idea that marshy places should be avoided, lest we become entrenched in the unpleasantness they represent. While modern environmental science is struggling to change this negative narrative about “wetlands,” there are natural contextual explanations for it. The negative imagery is quite powerful, and it holds true on a variety of levels: from natural to psychological, societal, and spiritual. Let’s unpack these different layers of meaning.
The Nature of Wetlands
Marshes, mires, and swamps—collectively referred to as “wetlands”—are essential natural features found all around the globe. They often develop wherever the land intersects major bodies of water, at the interface, as water from terrestrial sources makes its way toward the sea. Technically, marshes are characterized by grassy or shrub-like vegetation, while swamps feature trees. Mires, or bogs, are acidic and contain accumulated humus deposits known as peat.
Marshes are often difficult to access and to maneuver in (especially for us humans). The water usually moves slowly and may be brackish, or salty. Typically, oxygen levels are low, a condition to which indigenous species adapt. Reeds, for example, grow hollow stems for sucking oxygen to their root structures. Marshes do, however, provide useful water storage and filtration functions: they fill up with water in rainy periods and drain water downstream in dry periods; and they serve as a filter and a sink basin for sediments and pollutants.
Marshes can be highly productive biologically. But they can be quite unpleasant and inhospitable as well, as some of that productivity includes a variety of parasites, leeches, spiders, snakes, and even alligators. Since marsh waters move slowly, oxygen may be depleted by respiration and decomposition, particularly when pollution levels are high. Hypoxia, or oxygen deficiency, may result, causing the death of fish and invertebrates. When decomposition turns anaerobic, fetid odors are produced. This all helps explain the negative reputation held by marshes, mires, and swamps. And as a result, they have become fertile sources for our imaginative depiction of the horrors of stagnation.
Marshes and their renewing properties are also vulnerable to degradation if the natural water cycles are disrupted, and their historically negative reputation has made them a great target for human intervention. We have been very aggressive in intentional filling and draining, damming for flood control, water withdrawals, agricultural and urban development, and pollution. According to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data, perhaps half of all the marshes in the United States were drained or destroyed prior to 1970. And that destruction has continued. A Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) study reported that in the five years between 2004 and 2009, almost one percent of coastal wetlands disappeared as a result of development pressures and silviculture (human-planned forests) expansion.
Psychological Stagnation
Stagnation is defined simply as “a state of not flowing,” yet our imagination associates the word with the unpleasant “marshy” qualities of death and decay. In the natural world, the low-oxygen conditions of stagnation are unfavorable to growth and change, and they give rise to illness and death. In the psychological sense, stagnation refers to the similar condition of being emotionally or rationally stuck or stunted. Without the ability to renew ourselves by absorbing new thoughts, ideas, experiences, and emotions, our vitality and resilience stagnate.
The story of Narcissus offers a good example. Narcissus was a beautiful Greek youth who fell in love with his own reflection. He became so enamored of his image that he forgot about food and rest, and he eventually died. This story is the origin of the modern personality diagnosis of narcissism, an excessive pre-occupation with self-gratification and self-image. Some current psychological research suggests that our omnipresent digital environment and our excessive attention to social media, in particular, promote narcissistic tendencies.
Depression is another psychological condition that represents the quality of stagnation, as it involves getting “stuck” in negative thought patterns and losing the motivation and energy to reach out to others or try something new. While the causes of depression may be varied and difficult to assess, it is clear that extreme emotional distress and feelings of isolation and alienation are shared by many: depression is on the rise worldwide, as is suicide, an ultimate and tragic statement of hopelessness. As we will see below, one key to preventing psychological stagnation may be found in better understanding our spiritual condition.
Societal Entrenchment
In economics and politics, marsh-like stagnation is often referred to as entrenchment. The word entrench simply means “to put in a trench,” which is suggestive of being stuck or tightly confined. A corporate management team may become entrenched, for example, if its members stick too closely together and refuse to bring in outside people or outside ideas. Entrenchment can be deadly for a business enterprise when upstart competitors with new and better ideas come along. An individual, a group, or an entire enterprise can get “mired in the weeds” arguing about minutiae while in the midst of a crisis. Stuck in this way, they are unable to break through an impasse or develop a realistic plan forward. As the saying goes, “Nero fiddled while Rome burned.” In the broader economic sense, monopolies, cartels, price-fixing, and insider trading represent different forms of entrenchment; they are all disastrous for productivity, creativity, and healthy markets.
In the political arena, entrenchment refers to the condition in which incumbents or small, tightly controlled elite groups are able to dominate and control the political process. By cutting out other participants, eliminating dissent, and rejecting new ideas, these groups set the agenda and determine the outcomes—all in their own favor. As a result, what is lost is any sense of renewal or accountability to the citizens whom the government is presumed to serve. It is on this basis that our nation’s capital is described as a swamp, dominated by professional politicians, who have been in office a long time, and their enablers, the lobbyists who wield immense war chests of campaign funds and who trade in secrets and inside information. The entrenchment narrative has become more prevalent in recent years, as indicated by the large volume of books and articles that talk about governments behaving as oligarchies, kleptocracies, or autocracies.
The common thread in our negative image of wetlands, psychological stagnation, and societal entrenchment is this: when what is pure and fresh—whether it be water, our emotions, or our relationships with others—does not flow into each of these systems, the system ceases to thrive and grow and goes into decomposition and decay.
But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt. (Ezekiel 47:11)
Friendly Beast: The donkey aids Shrek throughout the journey and is his constant companion through all the trials. As an animal, he shows that nature supports Shrek.
Fire/Red/Black: The dragon has dark red skin representing violent passion and fire, setting up the character to be perceived as cruel and monstrous. Dark colors such as black are used in her tower to develop this theme as well.
The writers started with a fun and cartoony premise, and then layered in one technique after another which makes the film resonate with adults.
Our Spiritual Condition
Emanuel Swedenborg devoted much of his writing to the idea of spiritual correspondences. In a spiritual sense, flowing water is living truth. When the flow of water stops, this truth becomes stagnant and spiritual life dies. Being stuck in the marsh spiritually means becoming confirmed in falsities.
Those who cannot be reformed because they are in the falsities of evil are signified by “the miry places and marshes that are not healed, but are given to salt.” (Apocalypse Explained §513:7)
“To be given to salt” signif[ies] not to receive spiritual life, but to remain in a life merely natural, which, separate from spiritual life, is defiled by falsities and evils, which are “miry places” and “marshes.” (Apocalypse Explained §342:7)
One common feature of a healthy spiritual life is the belief in and commitment to a truth that is higher than just the laws that govern the natural world. Out of one’s personal commitment to a transcendent realm (the infinite) or agent (God), many blessings can flow. These include a sense of purpose, feelings of joy and gratitude, and the willingness to improve the world and the lives of those around us with love. Without such an affirmative commitment, our understanding of life is by definition constrained to the finite realm of physical space and time. If we do not believe in and are not open to spiritual ideas and experiences, then we destroy our potential to receive any inflow of such ideas and experiences.
Meaning and purpose, as they relate to Creation as a whole or to our lives in particular, become limited and relative only to the physical parts of experience. Some thinkers take this to an extreme, framing meaning and purpose as mere illusions. Love becomes just a biological function. Improving the world is defined in purely materialistic terms. This is the condition referred to in Ezekiel, above, where one’s spirit has been given to salt.
A commitment to the idea that there is no spiritual life—that the natural world is all there is—is destructive to spiritual life. When we are confirmed in this falsity, any goodness that we might see, feel, or experience is sucked out of life. We are stuck in the marsh and cannot be spiritually reformed, cleansed, and healed.
There is nothing more delightful than a marshy, and also a urinous [stink] to those who have confirmed themselves in falsities, and have extinguished in themselves the affection for truth. (Apocalypse Explained §659:5)
Conclusion
By following the chain of correspondences, we can identify solutions to the various forms of stagnation. As we know from the natural world, fresh water must continue to flow in and through the marsh in order to keep it healthy and biologically productive. In addition, external pollutants must be limited to what the marsh can absorb.
Similarly, our emotional and psychological lives need to include appropriate amounts of openness, recreation, and renewal in order for us to remain healthy. We need to balance our internal preoccupations with outward companionship, aesthetic experiences, and learning opportunities; and we need to avoid the “pollutants” of excessive stimulation, addiction, obsession, and distraction.
In society, we need to foster and support institutions that are resilient, responsive, and open to new people and new ideas. This requires that we go against our natural tendencies toward complacency and complicity and that we resist the temptations of using institutions for personal gain, as all of these behaviors pollute civic life.
To grow spiritually, we need to be open to transcendent possibilities, searching for knowledge and experiences that enrich our appreciation of spiritual truth. If we close ourselves off to spiritual ideas and to the possibility of having spiritual experiences, then our spiritual life will be deprived of sustenance and will decay.
If our spiritual life is “stuck,” then where is the foundation for a healthy psychological and emotional experience? When we focus on our own inadequacies or our personal gratifications, we undermine our opportunities to learn, to share love, and to be a full participant in our community. A healthy spiritual life is the wellspring for a healthy psychological and emotional life. It also sustains the virtues essential for a vibrant and thriving civic life: the commitment to truth and the dedication to the well-being of those we are responsible for serving.
Without a healthy civic life, we will never be able to agree on the rules and the practices that will assure that clean water flows into all our different marshes, refreshing, renewing, and rejuvenating the life that exists within them.
It all ends where it begins: with the water of truth that is the source of life.
George Gantz is a writer and philosopher at Spiral Inquiry and directs the Swedenborg Center Concord (SCC), a non-denominational educational project supported by the New Church of Concord, Massachusetts, that seeks to integrate the knowledge of science with the wisdom of religion.
Read more posts from the Spirituality in Practice series >
Here are some of those techniques:
Edgy Comedy
What's considered funny in our culture tends to change from time to time. It might be Mork and Mindy one year, Northern Exposure further down the line, and South Park a few years later. Of course, this is an over-simplification, for there are quite a number of popular comedy styles alive at any moment.
Still, there do tend to be trends, and adults are likely to be responsive to them. One trend alive today is a somewhat gross, edgy kind of comedy.
In Shrek the grossness doesn't have a sexual component, such as in American Pie, but there is a scene where Fiona sings a morning duet with a little bird in a nest. When Fiona hits an extremely high note, the bird swells up and explodes. The camera zooms in on the two little eggs left behind, then zooms out on them, now frying away, as Fiona cooks them for Shrek and Donkey.
In another scene, Fiona makes some cotton candy for Shrek by wrapping a spider's web around a stick, and then catching flies with the mess. She and Shrek both enjoy the delicacy. In yet another scene, Fiona and Shrek feast on cooked rats together.
This is very original, hip, and edgy comedy. It appeals to (at least some) adults.
Parody Humor: Spoofing Cultural References
When you spoof cultural references, especially when you do it well, you can create a kind of humor to which adults will respond.
In Shrek, Walt Disney Pictures and Disneyland bear the brunt of some clever spoofing. It was done with enough intelligence and wit that adults would appreciate it, such as:
Seeing, near the start of the film, various Disney-like animated characters depressed (and thus the opposite of their usual normal cheery selves) as they're being hauled away.
Lord Farquaad's castle, which possesses the ominous overtones of a nightmarish Disneyland, or
The weird singing toy figures which greet Shrek and Donkey at the castle wall, which spoof the singing toy figures in Disneyland's Small, Small World ride.
Non-Cliché Characters
A cliché character is one whom we've seen before, especially a character we've seen frequently. Shrek is certainly not a cliché. His personality is marked by some of the following attributes, or as I call them, Traits.
He likes himself (evident in the bathing scene under the opening credits).
He's clever. (He scares off the townspeople by convincing them he's much meaner than he is.)
He's brave (never shirking from a fight).
He's afraid of rejection, resulting in him pushing people away before they can reject him, which results in:
He's a loner (at least in the beginning), but he longs for connection with others, even as he also fights it off.
Can you think of another film or TV character with this exact set of traits? If you have a hard time remembering one, that's exactly why Shrek isn't a cliché.
Fiona also has an interesting array of traits:
She's romantic.
She's earthy. That's what I call women who eat rats.)
She's tough. She beats up Robin Hood with a few moves borrowed from The Matrix.)
She thinks she's ugly. And, like Shrek, she fears rejection.
Once again, we have a non-cliché character. Adults respond to characters who aren't clichés.
Emotional Problems We Can Relate To
Both Shrek and Fiona, for similar reasons (feeling that they're hideous), believe that no one could love them. This fear is so great in both of them, that it drives many of their actions.
Giving a character a powerful fear, a shame, or an emotional problem that adults can relate to will also help draw an adult audience -- as will that character's arc (his or her path of emotional growth) as circumstances in the plot force them to wrestle with this issue.
The Use Of Masks
A Mask is the term I use to describe ways characters can hide their fears and vulnerability.
There are at least eight different kinds of Masks that characters can hide behind. In Fiona's case, of course, her Mask is literally a visual lie: a fake body and face, created by magic.
Shrek's Mask is an attitude—the attitude that he doesn't need or want anyone in his life. (An Attitude is one of the eight types of Masks characters can hide their fears behind.) His behavior, stemming from this attitude, is the one I touched upon earlier: to push people away before they can reject him.
This is a Mask because, by watching this attitude and corresponding behavior, you might initially think that he hates others. But it simply covers up his fear that they would find him loathsome.
Using one of the eight types of Masks to create more complex characters is another technique that gives the film adult appeal.
Parallel Plot-Lines
There are about 100 techniques I'm aware of to give a feeling of emotional depth to a plot. I call these Plot Deepening Techniques.
(By the way, there are also Dialogue Deepening Techniques, Character Deepening Techniques [like the eight types of Masks], and Scene Deepening Techniques.)
The whole area of techniques which inject emotional and psychological depth into one's writing is vast, but we see one such Plot Deepening Technique used here, and that's parallel plot-lines.
There is the parallel of both Shrek and Fiona feeling too hideous to be lovable, but there's a third one too. The dragon, who falls in love with Donkey, uses such behaviors as shish-kabobbing people as a form of stopping them from getting too close.
Her efforts to frighten people off are very similar to the way Shrek handles the same fear.
As a general rule of thumb, Deepening Techniques work best when no more than 25% of the audience consciously notices them. Usually, to maximize their emotional effectiveness, you want them to operate a little bit outside the level of awareness of those watching the film.
All Plot Deepening Techniques contribute to making a film resonate more strongly with adults. The writers of Shrek employ many other techniques besides the one mentioned here, but my limited space here doesn't permit me to list them all.
Set-Ups And Payoffs
Sometimes a writer will introduce an object, and action, an image, or a phrase spoken by a character—the set-up—and then revisit it one or more times later in the script, usually in interesting ways (the payoff or payoffs).
It makes for sophisticated writing, which in turn makes the script appeal to adults.
Shrek utilizes many set-ups and payoffs. Here's one: When we first meet Shrek, he's in his outhouse. We learn his outhouse, like the rest of his swamp, is a place where he can be alone in total self-contentment. It's a symbol of his privacy, but here his desire for privacy is seen in a good light: as a reflection of his self-satisfaction.
Later in the film, when Shrek has experienced his worst nightmare—rejection by Fiona—and when he in turn has pushed Donkey away, he retreats into an outhouse. Now this symbol of solitude represents all his fears of getting close to others, and of literally shutting them out.
So, the outhouse is set up in the beginning, and then revisited later in an interesting payoff.
Don't worry if you didn't catch this when you saw the film, for, like Deepening techniques, set-ups and payoffs, in general, create their greatest emotional impact if they operate a little outside the conscious awareness of most people in the audience.
Summary:
The bottom line is that it's no accident that Shrek appealed as much to adults as it did to kids. The writers took a fun and amusing story which any kid would enjoy, and then artfully wove into the script a number of techniques not found in normal kids' fare.
The writing in this script is extremely tight. For me, tight means that most scenes accomplish several functions simultaneously: moving the story forward, drawing us into the characters, making us laugh or sad or both simultaneously, setting up elements which will be revisited later on, and always entertaining us with highly original lines and scenes.
If you want to reach both kids and adults and thus capture a wide demographic for your film, it wouldn't hurt to master the techniques these writers employed so artfully.
Inspired by his time below, Boba sets out to revolutionize vapor farming and external digestion. Finds himself fond of pineapple and longjumping.
This is a real-world functioning Technic RC balancing motorcycle that was drivable on tennis courts. It used Boba himself to lean into turns and control the bike. Some Photoshop was used to merge fake sky and horizon to the real ground, but most is a layered multi-exposure staged shot at the jr. high jump-pit with some pineapple leaves.
YOUR BABY IS DUE Aug 28:
You are currently 4 WEEKS PREGNANT
Estimated Date of Conception: Dec 05, 1988
(4 weeks 3 days or 1 months)
This is based on the cycle length provided, not an average cycle length of 28 days, however it is still an estimate.
PROGRESS: You are 12% of the way through your pregnancy.
12% Weekly Development WEEK 1 & 2
Weeks 1 & 2 of your pregnancy is Nov 22, 1988 - Dec 05, 1988
Baby Conceived: It's ovulation time. If sperm and egg meet, you're on your way to pregnancy.
WEEK 3: Week 3 of your pregnancy is Dec 06, 1988 - Dec 12, 1988
Implantation occurs: Your baby is a tiny ball of several hundred cells that are rapidly multiplying and burrowing into the lining of your uterus. The cells that become the placenta are producing hCG, the pregnancy hormone. It tells your ovaries to stop releasing eggs and keep producing progesterone. Once there's enough hCG in your urine, you'll get a positive pregnancy test result.
WEEK 4: Week 4 of your pregnancy is Dec 13, 1988 - Dec 19, 1988 - Positive Pregnancy Test: Your baby is an embryo made up of two layers, the hypoblast and the epiblast. The placenta is developing and preparing to provide nutrients and oxygen to your growing baby. The amniotic sac is developing and will surround and protect your baby while it continues to grow.
WEEK 5: Week 5 of your pregnancy is Dec 20, 1988 - Dec 26, 1988 - Your embryo is now made up of three layers, the ectoderm, the mesoderm and the endoderm which will later form all the organs and tissues. You might start to feel the first twinges of pregnancy such as tender breasts, frequent urination, or morning sickness.
WEEK 6: Week 6 of your pregnancy is Dec 27, 1988 - Jan 02, 1989
Heartbeat detectable by ultrasound. Your baby's heart is beating about 160 times a minute and the nose, mouth and ears are taking shape. Lungs and digestive system are forming organs.
WEEK 7: Week 7 of your pregnancy is Jan 03, 1989 - Jan 09, 1989 - Your baby is forming hands and feet. Key organs like the stomach, liver and esophagus are beginning to form. Your uterus has doubled in size. The umbilical cord is transferring blood and waste between baby and mother.
WEEK 8: Week 8 of your pregnancy is Jan 10, 1989 - Jan 16, 1989 - The respiratory system is forming now. Breathing tubes extend from the throat to the branches of the developing lungs.
WEEK 9: Week 9 of your pregnancy is Jan 17, 1989 - Jan 23, 1989 - Your baby is nearly an inch long now. If you watch closely, you may see your baby move if you have an ultrasound done
WEEK 10: Week 10 of your pregnancy is Jan 24, 1989 - Jan 30, 1989 - Your baby's organs are growing and beginning to mature. The baby's head comprises half the length of the body.
WEEK 11: Week 11 of your pregnancy is Jan 31, 1989 - Feb 06, 1989 - Fingers and toes have separated and the bones are beginning to harden. External genitalia has almost completely formed.
WEEK 12: Week 12 of your pregnancy is Feb 07, 1989 - Feb 13, 1989 - The kidneys can now secrete urine and the nervous system is maturing. You baby may be curling all 10 toes, practicing opening and closing fingers and sucking a thumb. And mom should have gained from 0,5 -3 kgs.
WEEK 13: Week 13 of your pregnancy is Feb 14, 1989 - Feb 20, 1989 - Miscarriage risk decreases. Your baby now has unique fingerprints and the kidney and urinary tract are completely functional, that means she's peeing. And if you are having a girl, her ovaries are already full of thousands of eggs.
WEEK 14: Week 14 of your pregnancy is Feb 21, 1989 - Feb 27, 1989 - Your baby's facial muscles are getting a workout as he squints, frowns, grimaces and practices his first smile for you.
WEEK 15: Week 15 of your pregnancy is Feb 28, 1989 - Mar 06, 1989 - Your baby is looking more like a baby with legs growing longer than the arms and all her limbs moving. The ears are properly positioned on the side of her head and the eyes are moving from the side of the head to the front of the face. At your doctor's visit, he should offer you a quad screening test to check for Down's syndrome or other chromosomal abnormalities.
WEEK 16: Week 16 of your pregnancy is Mar 07, 1989 - Mar 13, 1989 - Baby's heart is pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day. His eyes are working and moving side to side even though the eyelids are still sealed. Mom will have a "pregnancy glow" due to increased blood supply.
WEEK 17: Week 17 of your pregnancy is Mar 14, 1989 - Mar 20, 1989 - Baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone and her heart is now regulated by her brain. She's practicing her sucking and swallowing skills in preparation for that first suckle at your breast or the bottle. Mom's breasts may have increased a full bra size.
WEEK 18: Week 18 of your pregnancy is Mar 21, 1989 - Mar 27, 1989 - Gender reveal time. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticable now but he may hide them during an ultrasound. Are you feeling kickes and punches? Baby's hearing is also developing, so you may want to start talking to your baby.
WEEK 19: Week 19 of your pregnancy is Mar 28, 1989 - Apr 03, 1989 - Baby's brain is designating specialized areas for his 5 senses - vision, hearing, taste, smell and touch. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on his skin to prevent wrinkling.
WEEK 20: Week 20 of your pregnancy is Apr 04, 1989 - Apr 10, 1989 - Your baby weighs about 300 grams and is the size of a small banana. Her uterus is fully formed this week and she may have tiny primitive eggs in tiny ovaries now. His testicles are waiting for the scrotum to finish growing and will begin their descent soon. Mom can expect to gain about 1/2 lb per week for the rest of her pregnancy.
WEEK 21: Week 21 of your pregnancy is Apr 11, 1989 - Apr 17, 1989 - Feel all that moving and shaking going on! Baby's arms and legs are in proportion now and movements are much more coordinated. Bone marrow is now helping the liver and spleen produce blood cells. The intestines are starting to produce meconium, the thick tarry looking stool first seen in baby's diaper.
WEEK 22: Week 22 of your pregnancy is Apr 18, 1989 - Apr 24, 1989 - Senses are growing stronger. Now she can hear your heart beat, your breathing and digestion. Sense of sight is becoming more fine-tuned and he can preceive light and dark. Hormones are now developing which will the organs the commands they need to operate.
WEEK 23: Week 23 of your pregnancy is Apr 25, 1989 - May 01, 1989 - Premature baby may survive. Baby's organs and bones are visible through his skin, which has a red hue because of the developing veins and arteries beneath. He'll become less transparent as his fat deposits fill in. Baby is also developing surfactant which will help the lungs inflate if baby is born prematurely
WEEK 24: Week 24 of your pregnancy is May 02, 1989 - May 08, 1989 - Baby's face is almost fully formed complete with eyelashes, eyebrows and hair. Right now her hair is white because there's no pigment yet. Between now and 28 weeks, the doctor should send mom for a glucose screening test for gestational diabetes.
WEEK 25: Week 25 of your pregnancy is May 09, 1989 - May 15, 1989 - Baby is gaining more fat and looking more like a newborn. Hair color and texture is in place. His lungs are maturing and preparing for that first breath. You might feel the baby having hiccups.
WEEK 26: Week 26 of your pregnancy is May 16, 1989 - May 22, 1989 - Brain-wave activity is on high That means baby can hear noises and respond to them with an increase pulse rate or movement. Eyes are beginning to open but they don't have much pigmentation. That will develop over the next couple months and may even continue to change until she's about 6-months-old.
WEEK 27: Week 27 of your pregnancy is May 23, 1989 - May 29, 1989 - Start talking to your baby . Baby may recognize both your and your partner's voices. This is the time to read and even sing to your baby. She now has taste buds so when you eat spicy food, your baby will be able to taste the difference in the amniotic fluid. Her mealtime comes about two hours after yours. Feel some belly spasms? Those are likely hiccups from that spicy food. It doesn't bother the baby as much as you. Baby also has settled in to a regular sleep cycle, but it may be different from mom's.
WEEK 28: Week 28 of your pregnancy is May 30, 1989 - Jun 05, 1989 - During the third trimester the brain triples in weight adding billions of new nerve cells. Senses of hearing, smell and touch are developed and functional. Your baby is having different sleep cycles, including rapid eye movement. That means she's dreaming.
WEEK 29: Week 29 of your pregnancy is Jun 06, 1989 - Jun 12, 1989 - Baby can breathe. Baby's bones are soaking up lots of calcium as they harden so be sure to consume good sources of calcium. We recommend taking Nordic Naturals and Fairhaven Health supplements.
WEEK 30: Week 30 of your pregnancy is Jun 13, 1989 - Jun 19, 1989 - Baby's brain is taking on characteristic grooves and indentations to allow for an increased amount of brain tissue. Bone marrow has taken over the production of red blood cells. This means she'll be better able to thrive on her own when she's born Baby is now weighing about 1.36 kgs and is 28 centimetres.
WEEK 31: Week 31 of your pregnancy is Jun 20, 1989 - Jun 26, 1989 - Baby's brain is developing faster than ever and he's processing information, tracking light and perceiving signals from all five sense. She's probably moving a lot, especially at night when you're trying to sleep. Take comfort that all this activity means your baby is healthy. Mom may start feeling some Braxton Hicks contractions.
WEEK 32: Week 32 of your pregnancy is Jun 27, 1989 - Jul 03, 1989 - Baby can focus on large objects not too far away; toenails and fingernails have grown in along with real hair. He's practicing swallowing, breathing, kicking and sucking. All key skills for thriving after birth.
WEEK 33: Week 33 of your pregnancy is Jul 04, 1989 - Jul 10, 1989 - Immune system is maturing. The bones in your baby's skull are still pliable which makes it easier for her to fit through the birth canal. Your uterine walls are becoming thinner allowing more light to penetrate your womb. That helps baby differentiate between night and day.
WEEK 34: Week 34 of your pregnancy is Jul 11, 1989 - Jul 17, 1989 - Baby's fat layers are filling her out and will help regulate body temperture when she's born. If your baby is a boy, the testicles are making their way down from the abdomen to the scrotum.
WEEK 35: Week 35 of your pregnancy is Jul 18, 1989 - Jul 24, 1989 - Kidneys are fully developed and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her physical development is complete. She'll spend the next few weeks gaining weight and adding baby fat. Baby is settling lower into the pelvis preparing for delivery and this is called "lightening".
WEEK 36: Week 36 of your pregnancy is Jul 25, 1989 - Jul 31, 1989 - Hopefully your baby is in a head-down position. If not, your practitioner may suggest an external cephalic version to manipulate your baby into a head down position. The vernix caseosa has now disappeared.
WEEK 37: Week 37 of your pregnancy is Aug 01, 1989 - Aug 07, 1989 - Baby is considered full term. Baby is taking up most of the room in your womb so he's only kicking and poking you, no more somersaults. Baby is sucking her thumb, blinking eyes and inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid.
WEEK 38: Week 38 of your pregnancy is Aug 08, 1989 - Aug 14, 1989 - Baby's eyes right now are blue, gray or brown but once they're exposed to light they may change color or a shade. The lanugo, the fine downy hair that covered his body for warmth is falling off in preparation for delivery. Her lungs have strenthened and her vocal cords have developed. That means she's ready for her first cry.
WEEK 39: Week 39 of your pregnancy is Aug 15, 1989 - Aug 21, 1989 - Baby is ready to make his debut. He's adding more fat as his pinkish skin turns white or white-grayish. He won't have his final pigment until shortly after birth.
WEEK 40: Week 40 of your pregnancy is Aug 22, 1989 - Aug 28, 1989 - This is the official end of your pregnancy but because due dates are just a calculation he might be "late." No need to worry, your body knows the right time to go into labor, or your doctor may suggest you be induced. At birth your baby's eye sight is a little blurry since central vision is still developing. Just say hello and he'll recognize your voice.
During the Process of Fertilization, the sperm and the oocyte cease to exist as such, and a new human being is produced.
The gorilla's gestation period is about 8.5 months.
It is difficult to tell if a female gorilla is pregnant since her stomach is large to begin with (for food digestion). However, some females have swollen knuckles temporarily during pregnancy
Young are born throughout the year and usually at night.
Females usually give birth around every 4 years.
Usually a single infant is born with twins being rare.
There is a 40% mortality rate for newborns which means that an adult female usually only has 1 surviving offspring produced every 6 to 8 years. Therefore many females will only have 2 to 6 offspring in a lifetime
Newborns usually weigh about 2 kg (4.5 lbs.) with pale gray-pink skin that is sparsely covered with hair.
Infants are able to cling to their mothers with a very powerful grip from both their hands and feet. The female will initially assist the infant when it is holding on to her chest or stomach.
Young gorillas like to play with their siblings or other youngsters their age. They wrestle, tumble, climb trees, and even form a chain and walk in synchronization through the forest.
Infants are in almost constant contact with their mothers for the first 6 months and nurse for about 2.5 to 3 years.
Although the silverback is the troop's guardian and can be the most aggressive troop member it can also be patient and gentle with the young. A silverback has even been documented sharing his nest with an orphaned infant.
Gorilla infants grow and develop much quicker than human babies. They usually begin playing, smiling, and bouncing at 8 weeks. At about 9 weeks they begin crawling. Exploration of their environment and object manipulation begins around 3 months of age. They are able to stand at 20 weeks and at 34 weeks they are usually walking and traveling short distances from their mothers. Around 6 to 7 months of age, the infants are able to climb on their mothers' backs and ride.
Babies will begin eating some vegetation at around 2.5 months and make it the majority of their diet by 6 to 7 months.
Males and females look very similar during their juvenile (3-6) and adolescent (6-8) years. However, when males mature into their black period, they are taller and begin developing adult male characteristics. The silvering of hair on the back begins at around 13 years of age.
For Gorillas short videos you can see through these links below each of them is not exceeding 50Secs
Your Actions of clicking and watch one of these videos through any of these links below of Gorilla's behaviors will be helping me to continue the research and motivation of continuing with different updates about Gorillas
rumble.com/vg3ril-mountain-gorilla-is-hurrying-for-bamboo...
rumble.com/vfylh3-happy-gorillas-family-in-social-affairs...
rumble.com/vfxnxb-mountain-silver-back-gorilla-moves.html
rumble.com/vfxniv-rwanda-mountain-gorillas-male-fighting-...
rumble.com/vhguhf-drc-goma-volcano-reactions.html
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Looking into the not to distant future this voyager thinks: "Digestion; the final frontier"
Bon apetit.
-Llorar a lágrima viva-
Llorar a chorros.
Llorar la digestión.
Llorar el sueño.
Llorar ante las puertas y los puertos.
Llorar de amabilidad y de amarillo.
Abrir las canillas,
las compuertas del llanto.
Empaparnos el alma,
la camiseta.
Inundar las veredas y los paseos,
y salvarnos, a nado, de nuestro llanto.
Asistir a los cursos de antropología,
llorando.
Festejar los cumpleaños familiares,
llorando.
Atravesar el África,
llorando.
Llorar como un cacuy,
como un cocodrilo...
si es verdad
que los cacuyes y los cocodrilos
no dejan nunca de llorar.
Llorarlo todo,
pero llorarlo bien.
Llorarlo con la nariz,
con las rodillas.
Llorarlo por el ombligo,
por la boca.
Llorar de amor,
de hastío,
de alegría.
Llorar de frac,
de flato, de flacura.
Llorar improvisando,
de memoria.
¡Llorar todo el insomnio y todo el día!
(Oliverio Girondo)
Atlas d'anatomie descriptive du corps humain.
Bonamy, Broca, "Beau (dessinateur) "
Troisième partie , appareil de la digestion, appareil surrénal, rein.
(Paris G. Masson éditeur)
The green bee-eater (Merops orientalis) has caught a dragonfly, most probably a female Ditch Jewel (Brachythemis contaminata). After catching the dragon, it perched on this high-tension electric cable, hit the fly a few times on to the cable before consuming it.
Birds that eat insects (like this bee-eater) and hard-scaled fish (like kingfishers) tend to hit their prey against the hard surfaces of their perches, so as to kill and break their prey before swallowing them whole. This is to reduce the friction and possible damage to their softer insides of throat and crop. This process also enriches their digestion.
blog.siendosaludable.com/vida-sana/aceite-de-oliva-el-oro...
Presente en cientos de recetas y un acompañante ideal para muchas comidas. Muy consumido en la zona del Mediterráneo y con múltiples propiedades. Los beneficios del aceite de oliva son tantos… ¡Que aún no se han descubierto todos!
Tanto es el poder del “oro líquido” que escritores de la talla de Pablo Neruda, Federico García Lorca y Antonio Machado les dedicaron poemas y líneas de alabanza y adoración. En este artículo te contamos cuáles son las ventajas de su consumo para la salud.
Razones para disfrutar del aceite de oliva
Según el sitio Infobae de Argentina, la dieta mediterránea es de las más sanas del mundo debido a que uno de sus principales ingredientes es el aceite de oliva. A su vez nos detallan los 5 principales beneficios del conocido como “oro líquido”:
Previene las enfermedades cardiovasculares (evita que se endurezcan las arterias y promueve una buena circulación)
Disminuye las células cancerosas (sobre todo previene cáncer de mama y de piel).
Reduce el colesterol “malo” (y aumenta el bueno al mismo tiempo que equilibra la presión arterial)
Favorece el envejecimiento saludable (debido a sus múltiples efectos antioxidantes que aumentan la longevidad de las personas)
Lucha contra la osteoporosis (protege los huesos y combate enfermedades óseas)
El aceite de oliva y la diabetes
En el sitio Canal Diabetes nos muestran un estudio realizado en una Universidad de Italia donde se pudo verificar que el consumo de aceite de oliva reduce los picos de glucemia en aquellas personas que tienen diabetes tipo 1.
En los pacientes con diabetes tipo 1 se tuvo en cuenta la combinación de los efectos de los alimentos ricos en carbohidratos y grasas para medir el tiempo y la dosis de administración de insulina prandial. La limitación de los picos de glucosa posprandial no sólo contribuirá a la prevención de las complicaciones crónicas de la diabetes, sino también a la mejora de la calidad de vida de las personas con esta enfermedad. los efectos beneficiosos del aceite de oliva virgen extra observados en este estudio podrían estar relacionados, además de con su contenido en grasa monoinsaturada, con otros compuestos bioactivos como los polifenoles, sustancias con alto poder antioxidante.
Aceite de oliva + limón = Remedio excepcional
Si al preparar una ensalada la condimentamos con zumo de limón y aceite de oliva las propiedades curativas se multiplican, según nos afirman en la web LR21 de Uruguay.
La forma de consumir aceite de oliva con limón es muy sencilla, solo se debe servir aceite en una cuchara y agregar las gotitas de limón. Lo ideal es hacerlo en ayunas, antes desayunar para poder aprovechar todos sus beneficios: depurar, favorecer el corazón y la digestión y proteger el organismo de los radicales libres.
Bonus track: Poemas sobre el olivo
Como te hemos dicho al inicio de este artículo, varios escritores han realizado poesías y poemas en favor del olivo y su aceite. Aquí te dejamos algunos fragmentos:
Oda al aceite (Pablo Neruda)
Yo amo
las patrias del aceite,
los olivares
de Chacabuco, en Chile,
en las mañanas
las plumas de platino
forestales
contra las arrugadas
cordilleras
en Anacapri, arriba,
sobre la luz tirrena,
la desesperación de los olivos,
en el mapa de Europa,
España,
cesta negra de aceitunas
espolvoreada por los azahares
como una ráfaga marina.
Poemas sobre el Olivar (Federico García Lorca)
El campo
de olivos
se abre y se cierra
como un abanico.
Sobre el olivar
hay un cielo hundido
y una lluvia oscura
de luceros fríos.
Tiembla junco y penumbra
a la orilla del río.
Se riza el aire gris.
Los olivos,
están cargados
de gritos.
Una bandada
de pájaros cautivos,
que mueven sus larguísimas
colas en lo sombrío.
Los olivos (Antonio Machado)
¡Viejos olivos sedientos
bajo el claro sol del día,
olivares polvorientos
del campo de Andalucía!
¡El campo andaluz, peinado
por el sol canicular,
de loma en loma rayado
de olivar y de olivar!
Son las tierras
soleadas,
anchas lomas, lueñes sierras
de olivares recamadas.
Para ver la entrada completa haz click aquí: Aceite de Oliva: El Oro Líquido - De Nuestro Blog www.SiendoSaludable.com
Allspice
General Description
Allspice is the dried, unripe berry of Pimenta dioica, an evergreen tree in the myrtle family. After drying, the berries are small, dark brown balls just a little larger than peppercorns.
Geographical Sources
Allspice comes from Jamaica, Mexico, and Honduras.
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Allspice is used in Jamaican jerk seasoning and in Jamaican soups, stews, and curries. It also is used in pickling spice, spiced tea mixes, cakes, cookies, and pies. Food producers use it in ketchup, pickles, and sausages.
Taste and Aroma
Allspice is pungent and fragrant. It is not a blend of "all spices," but its taste and aroma remind many people of a mix of cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
History/Region of Origin
Christopher Columbus discovered Allspice in the Caribbean. Although he was seeking pepper, he had never actually seen real pepper and he thought Allspice was it. He brought it back to Spain, where it got the name "pimienta," which is Spanish for pepper. Its Anglicized name, pimento, is occasionally used in the spice trade today. Before World War II, Allspice was more widely used than it is nowadays. During the war, many trees producing Allspice were cut, and production never fully recovered. Folklore suggests that Allspice provides relief for digestive problems.
Anise Seed
General Description
Anise Seed is a gray brown oval seed from Pimpinella anisum, a plant in the parsley family. It is related to caraway, dill, cumin, and fennel.
Geographical Sources
Spain and Mexico.
Traditional Ethnic
Uses Europeans use Anise in cakes, cookies, and sweet breads. In the Middle East and India, it is used in soups and stews. Its licorice like flavor is popular in candies and Anise oil is used in liqueurs.
Taste and Aroma
Anise Seeds smell and taste like licorice.
History/Region of Origin
Anise is native to the Middle East and has been used as a medicine and as a flavor for medicine since prehistoric times. Ancient Romans hung Anise plants near their pillows to prevent bad dreams. They also used Anise to aid digestion and ward off epileptic attacks. Colonists in the New World used it as a medicinal crop too.
Arrow Root
General Description
Arrowroot is a white powder extracted from the root of a West Indian plant, Marantha arundinacea. It looks and feels like cornstarch.
Geographical Sources
Arrowroot is grown in Brazil and Thailand
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Arrowroot is used as a thickening agent for sauces, fruit pie fillings and glazes, and puddings.
Taste and Aroma
Arrowroot has no flavor.
History/Region of Origin
Arrowroot is indigenous to the West Indies, where native people, the Arawaks, used the powder. The Arawaks used the substance to draw out toxins from people wounded by poison arrows. Its name is thought to be derived from that practice.
Basil (Sweet)
General Description
Basil is a bright green, leafy plant, Ocimum basilicum, which is in the mint family.
Geographical Sources
Basil is grown primarily in the United States, France, and the Mediterranean region.
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Basil is widely used in Italian cuisine and is often paired with tomatoes. It is also used in Thai cooking. The herb complements meat, vegetables, cheese, and egg dishes.
Taste and Aroma
Basil has a sweet, herbal bouquet.
History/Region of Origin
Basil originated in India and Persia, and was both prized and despised by ancient peoples. Though its name means, "be fragrant," Greeks hated it. However, the Romans loved it and made it a symbol of love and fertility and settlers in early America prized it. Today, Hindus plant it in their homes to bring happiness to the family.
Bay Leaves
General Description
Bay Leaves come from the sweet bay or laurel tree, known botanically as Laurus nobilis. The elliptical leaves of both trees are green, glossy, and grow up to 3 inches long.
Geographical Sources
Bay Leaves are grown in the Mediterranean region.
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Bay Leaves, a staple in American kitchens, are used in soups, stews, meat and vegetable dishes. The leaves also flavor classic French dishes such as bouillabaisse and bouillon.
Taste and Aroma
Bay Leaves are pungent and have a sharp, bitter taste.
History/Region of Origin
Ancient Greeks and Romans crowned victors with wreaths of laurel. The term "baccalaureate," means laurel berry, and refers to the ancient practice of honoring scholars and poets with garlands from the bay laurel tree. Romans felt the leaves protected them against thunder and the plague. Later, Italians and the English thought Bay Leaves brought good luck and warded off evil.
Caraway Seed
General Description
Caraway Seed is actually the fruit of a biennial herb in the parsley family, known as Carum carvi. The seed is about 1/5inch long and tapered at the ends. The hard seed shells have five pale ridges.
Geographical Sources
Holland is the world's largest Caraway producer. It is also grown in Germany, Russia, Morocco, parts of Scandinavia, Canada, and the United States.
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Caraway Seed is a common flavoring for many kinds of rye bread. It is also used to flavor sauerkraut, sausage, cheese, cabbage, and soups.
Taste and Aroma
Caraway Seed has a pungent aroma and a distinctly sweet but tangy flavor.
History/Region of Origin
Caraway is native to Asia as well as northern and central Europe. First used in antiquity, Caraway has been cultivated in Europe since the Middle Ages. Evidence of Caraway's use in medieval times comes from seeds found in debris in lakes in Switzerland. Caraway is thought to be the spice used longer than any other in Europe. Writings from the 17th century indicate that Caraway Seed was used in breads, fruits, and cakes, and considered a digestive aid.
Cardamom
General Description
Cardamom is the ground seed of a tropical fruit in the ginger family known as Elettaria cardamomum. The seeds are found in oval shaped fruit pods that are between 1/4 and 1inch long.
Geographical Sources
Cardamom comes from India, Guatemala, and Ceylon.
Traditional Ethnic Uses
In India Cardamom is traditionally used in curry blends, and in Scandinavian countries it is commonly added to breads; however, most of the world's Cardamom crop is used in Arabic countries as a flavoring for coffee.
Taste and Aroma
Cardamom has an intense, pungent, sweet flavor.
History/Region of Origin
As early as the 4th century BC Cardamom was used in India as a medicinal herb. Greeks and Romans imported it as a digestive aid. In Sweden it has become a more popular spice than cinnamon.
Cayenne Pepper
General Description
Cayenne Pepper is made from the dried pods of pungent chili peppers. This fiery spice adds flair to dishes from Asia, the Americas, and the Middle East.
Geographical Sources
Cayenne Pepper comes from Central and South America and the West Indies.
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Cayenne Pepper is traditionally used in Mexican and Italian cooking.
Taste and Aroma
Cayenne Pepper has little aroma, but it is extremely hot to taste.
History/Region of Origin
Cayenne Peppers were grown for thousands of years in the West Indies and Central and South America. Spanish explorers looking for black pepper misnamed them as pepper, and introduced them to the rest of the world. One of Columbus’ passengers, de Cuneo, wrote how the Native Americans ate pepper like fruit “like we eat apples.”
Celery Seed
General Description
Celery Seed is the dried fruit of Apium graviolens, a biennial in the parsley family. This is the same genus and species used for growing table celery, although there are particular varieties that are used for the vegetable. The seeds are very small (about 1/16th of an inch), ovoid and light brown.
Geographical Sources
Celery Seed is grown in France and India.
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Celery or as the ancients called it "smallage" has been used as a medicine since the time of the Greeks. In the Middle Ages, it was discovered that cultivation produced a much superior plant. At that time people began to use it more widely as a vegetable. It was not until the 19th century that the seeds were used in recipes, appearing first in pickling recipes.
Taste and Aroma
Celery Seed tastes similar to table celery, with its warm, slightly bitter, aromatic flavor.
History/Region of Origin
Celery Seed and table celery are grown from a domesticated variety of a wild plant known as "smallage." Smallage was grown by Greeks and Romans for medicinal qualities. It was associated with funerals and bad luck.
Chervil
General Description
Chervil is a light green, lacey, fernlike leaf of Annthriscus cerefolium, a lowgrowing member of the parsley family.
Geographical Sources
Chervil is grown in California and New Mexico.
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Chervil is one of the classic components of the popular French herb blend, fines herbes.
Taste and Aroma
The leaves of this aromatic and sweet herb bear a slight resemblance to parsley; however, the flavor is more distinctive with a trace of anise.
History/Region of Origin
Chervil is native to southern Russia. Pliney, in the first century, used Chervil as a seasoning. The Romans took it to France where it has been important for centuries. Only recently has it been cultivated and used in the United States.
Chives
General Description
Chives are the bright green, long, hollow, thin leaves of Allium schoenoprasum, an onion like member of the lily family.
Geographical Sources
California
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Chives are one of the herbs used in fines herbes, a traditional French herb blend. They also are great as a garnish.
Taste and Aroma
Chives have a mild, onion like flavor, with a hint of garlic.
History/Region of Origin
Chives grow wild in both the Old and the New World. They have probably been used since ancient times, but they have only been cultivated since the Middle Ages.
Cilantro
General Description
Cilantro is the leaf of the young coriander plant, Coriandrum sativum, an herb in the parsley family, similar to anise.
Geographical Sources
Cilantro is grown in California.
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Cilantro is traditionally used in Middle Eastern, Mexican, and Asian cooking.
Taste and Aroma
Cilantro's taste is a fragrant mix of parsley and citrus.
History/Region of Origin
Coriander is probably one of the first herbs to be used by mankind, perhaps going back as far back as 5000 BC. It is mentioned in early Sanskrit writings dating from about 1500 BC. The Romans spread it throughout Europe, and it was one of the first spices to arrive in America.
Cinnamon
General Description
Cinnamon is the dried bark of various laurel trees in the cinnamomun family. One of the more common trees from which Cinnamon is derived is the cassia. Ground cinnamon is perhaps the most common baking spice. Cinnamon sticks are made from long pieces of bark that are rolled, pressed, and dried.
Geographical Sources
True Cinnamon is native to Sri Lanka. The Cinnamon used in North America is from the cassia tree which is grown in Vietnam, China, Indonesia, and Central America.
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Possibly most the common baking spice, Cinnamon is used in cakes, cookies, and desserts throughout the world. Cinnamon is also used in savory chicken and lamb dishes from the Middle East. In American cooking, Cinnamon is often paired with apples and used in other fruit and cereal dishes. Stick Cinnamon is used in pickling and for flavoring hot beverages.
Taste and Aroma
Cinnamon has a sweet, woody fragrance in both ground and stick forms.
History/Region of Origin
Cinnamon has been popular since ancient times. Egyptians imported it from China in 2000 BC. Romans believed Cinnamon was sacred, and Nero burned a year's supply of the spice at the funeral for his wife. Finding Cinnamon was a primary motive of world exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries.
Cloves
General Description
Cloves are the rich, brown, dried, unopened flower buds of Syzygium aromaticum, an evergreen tree in the myrtle family. The name comes from the French "clou" meaning nail.
Geographical Sources
Cloves come from Madagascar, Brazil, Panang, and Ceylon.
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Cloves are used in spice cookies and cakes. Much of the world crop is used in Indonesia for Clove cigarettes, called "kreteks".
Taste and Aroma
Cloves are strong, pungent, and sweet.
History/Region of Origin
Cloves are native to the Molucca Islands, now a part of Indonesia. Cloves have been used for thousands of years. One of the earliest references to them says that the Chinese, in order to approach the emperor, had to have a few Cloves in their mouths to sweeten the breath. Cloves were once very costly and played an important part in world history. Wars were fought in Europe and with native islanders to secure rights to the profitable Clove business. Natives in the Molucca Islands planted a Clove tree for each child born. They believed that the fate of the tree was linked to the fate of that child. In 1816, the Dutch set a fire to destroy Clove trees and raise prices. The natives revolted in a bloody battle which changed the climate and politics of the area forever.
Coriander
General Description
Coriander is the seed of Coriandrum sativum, a plant in the parsley family. The seed is globular and almost round, brown to yellow red, and 1/5 inch in diameter with alternating straight and wavy ridges.
Geographical Sources
Coriander comes from Morocco and Romania.
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Coriander is used in Indian curries, gin, American cigarettes, and sausages.
Taste and Aroma
Coriander has a mild, distinctive taste similar to a blend of lemon and sage.
History/Region of Origin
Coriander is probably one of the first spices used by mankind, having been known as early as 5000 BC. Sanskrit writings dating from about 1500 BC also spoke of it. In the Old Testament "manna" is described as "white like Coriander Seed." (Exodus 16:31) The Romans spread it throughout Europe and it was one of the first spices to arrive in America.
Cream of Tartar
General Description
Cream of Tartar is a natural, pure ingredient left behind after grape juice has fermented to wine.
Geographical Sources
Cream of Tartar is obtained from wine producing regions.
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Cream of Tartar is used to stabilize egg white foams. It is also a major ingredient in baking powder.
Taste and Aroma
Cream of Tartar has no aroma and has an acidic flavor.
History/Region of Origin
Cream of Tartar has been known since ancient times.
Cumin
General Description
Cumin (pronounced "comein") is the pale green seed of Cuminum cyminum, a small herb in the parsley family. The seed is uniformly elliptical and deeply furrowed.
Geographical Sources
Iran and India
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Cumin is frequently used in Mexican dishes such as chili con carne and hot tamales.
Taste and Aroma
Cumin has a distinctive, slightly bitter yet warm flavor.
History/Region of Origin
An ancient spice, Cumin is native to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and Egypt. Currently it is grown in many places, as it is rather easy to grow and adapts well to many climates. Cumin is one of the ancient spices, a favorite of the Romans and it is mentioned in the Old Testament. During medieval times, it was favored in Europe and Britain, but it seems to have gradually lost favor in those places. The increasing popularity of Mexican influenced foods is boosting the sale of Cumin.
Curry Powder
General Description
Curry Powder is a blend of many spices and is used widely in savory dishes throughout India and Southeast Asia.
Dill
General Description
Dill is a tall, feathery annual, Anethum graveolens, in the parsley family. Both Dill Seed and Weed (dried leaves) come from the same plant.
Geographical Sources
United States and India
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Dill Seed and Weed are widely used in pickling as well as in German, Russian, and Scandinavian dishes.
Taste and Aroma
The Dill Seed flavor is clean, pungent, and reminiscent of caraway. Dill Weed has a similar but mellower and fresher flavor.
History/Region of Origin
Dill is indigenous to the Mediterranean area and southern Russia. It has been used since ancient times. Babylonian and Syrian herbalists used it, and Romans thought it was an effective stimulant for gladiators. Although native to the Mediterranean region, it became a staple in northern Europe where it is still popular. In fact, the name is derived from the old Norse word "dilla" meaning "to lull" because it was used to lull babies to sleep, and as an antidote to witchcraft and sorcery. Dill Weed is currently gaining popularity in North America.
Fennel Seed
General Description
Fennel Seed is the oval, green or yellowish brown dried fruit of Foeniculum vulgare, a member of the parsley family.
Geographical Sources
India and Egypt
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Fennel goes well with fish and is used in Italian sausages and some curry powder mixes.
Taste and Aroma
Fennel has an anise like flavor but is more aromatic, sweeter and less pungent.
History/Region of Origin
Fennel is native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean area. The name comes from the Greek word for "marathon" because the famous battle at Marathon (490 BC) against the Persians was fought on a field of Fennel. Pliny said that snakes casting off their skins ate Fennel to restore their eyesight.
Garlic
General Description
Garlic is the dried root of Allium sativum, a member of the lily family. Garlic grows in a bulb that consists of a number of cloves. Each clove is protected by a layer of skin, but all are held together in one larger unit by additional layers of skin.
Geographical Sources
California
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Garlic is used in cuisines throughout the world. It is indispensable in Chinese, Italian, and Mexican foods.
Taste and Aroma
Garlic has a distinctive odor and flavor.
History/Region of Origin
Garlic is native to central Asia, but its use spread across the world more than 5000 years ago, before recorded history. It was worshipped by the Egyptians and fed to workers building the Great Pyramid at Giza, about 2600 BC. Greek athletes ate it to build their strength. Garlic came to the Western Hemisphere with some of the first European explorers, and its use spread rapidly. In the United States it was first cultivated in New Orleans by French settlers. Missionaries brought it to California, where it is grown today.
Ginger
General Description
Ginger is a flavoring from a tuberous root of Zingiber officinale, a plantin the Ginger family. The root is often dried and ground or "crystallized" with sugar.
Geographical Sources
India and Jamaica
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Ginger is used in gingerbread, ginger ale, gingersnaps, and Asian dishes.
Taste and Aroma
Ginger has a slightly biting and hot note. Its aroma is rich, sweet, warm, and woody.
History/Region of Origin
No one is sure how old Ginger is, or where it came from, since it has never been found growing wild. It was first cultivated by the Chinese and Indians. It was one of the important spices that led to the opening of the spice trade routes. The name Ginger comes from the Sanskrit word "sinabera" meaning "shaped like a horn" because of its resemblance to an antler. In the 19th century it was popular to keep a shaker of Ginger on the counter in English pubs so the patrons could shake some into their drinks. This practice was the origin of ginger ale.
Horseradish
General Description
Horseradish is a hot, pungent condiment made from a plant in the mustard family. The powdered form of Horseradish is made by grinding the root and drying in a gentle heat. Horseradish vinegar is the root combined with shallots, onions, garlic, and red pepper in vinegar.
Geographical Sources
Oregon
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Its most common use is as a condiment for roast beef, fish, and oysters.
Taste and Aroma
Hot and pungent
History/Region of Origin
The earliest account of Horseradish comes from 13th century western Europe, where Germans and Danes used it as a condiment, stimulant, and digestive medicine. It was introduced in England in the 16th century, where it is still used to treat hoarseness and coughs. It was brought to the United States in the 19th century, and now grows wild along the East Coast.
Juniper Berries
General Description
Juniper Berries come from the juniper shrub, an evergreen in the genus juniperus, which grows in the Northern Hemisphere.
Geographical Sources
Europe and North America
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Juniper Berries are used in Northern Europe and the United States in marinades, roast pork, and sauerkraut. They enhance meat, stuffing, sausages, stews, and soups.
Taste and Aroma
Juniper Berries have a bittersweet aroma.
History/Region of Origin
Juniper Berries grow wild throughout the Northern Hemisphere and are used widely in Scandinavian and French kitchens.
Mace
General Description
The nutmeg tree, Myristica fragrans, is special in that it produces two separate spices, nutmeg and Mace. Mace is the ground outer covering (aril) of the nutmeg seed. A piece of unground Mace is called a blade.
Geographical Sources
Indonesia, Grenada
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Mace is most popular in European foods where it is used in both savory and sweet dishes. It is the dominant flavor in doughnuts.
Taste and Aroma
Mace has a flavor and aroma similar to nutmeg, with slightly more pungency.
History/Region of Origin
Mace is indigenous to the Molucca Islands. There are both male and female trees and they are planted in a ratio of about 1 male tree for every 10 female trees. The Portuguese controlled the Mace trade until they were driven out by the Dutch in 1602. At one point the price of Mace was so high and nutmeg so low that one Dutch official, unaware that Mace and nutmeg came from the same tree, ordered growers to burn nutmeg trees and grow more Mace.
Marjoram
General Description
Marjoram is the gray/green leaf of Majorana hortensis, a low growing member of the mint family. It is often mistaken for oregano, although they are not the same plant.
Geographical Sources
United States and France
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Marjoram is used as a flavoring for meat dishes.
Taste and Aroma
Marjoram has a delicate, sweet, pleasant flavor with a slightly bitter undertone.
History/Region of Origin
Marjoram is indigenous to the Mediterranean area and was known to the Greeks and Romans, who looked on it as a symbol of happiness. It was said that if marjoram grew on the grave of a dead person, he would enjoy eternal bliss.
Mint
General Description
Mint is the dried leaf of a perennial herb. There are two important species, Mentha spicata L. (spearmint) and Mentha piperita L. (peppermint).
Geographical Sources
United States
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Mint jelly served with lamb, sprinkled in peas, or in chocolate desserts.
Taste and Aroma
Mint is strong and sweet with a tangy flavor and a cool after taste.
History/Region of Origin
Spearmint and peppermint are both native to Asia. Peppermint was used by Egyptians, and spearmint is mentioned in the Bible. Spearmint grew wild in the United States after the 1600s, and peppermint was cultivated commercially before the Civil War.
Mustard Seed
General Description
Mustard Seed comes from two large shrubs, Brassica juncea (brown mustard) and Brassica hirta (white mustard), native to Asia. Both plants produce bright yellow flowers that contain small round seeds; brown mustard is more pungent than white.
Geographical Sources
Canada
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Mustard Seed's hot and spicy flavor enhances meats, fish, fowl, sauces, and salad dressings. Whole Mustard Seed may be used in pickling or in boiling vegetables such as cabbage or sauerkraut. Brown Mustard Seeds are an important flavoring in Indian dishes.
Taste and Aroma
Powdered Mustard has no aroma when dry, but a hot flavor is released when it is mixed with water.
History/Region of Origin
Mustard was used in ancient Greece and Rome as a medicine and a flavoring. By 800 AD, the French were using Mustard as an enhancement for drab meals and salted meats. It was one of the spices taken on Spanish explorations during the 1400s. Mustard powder was invented by Mrs. Clements of Durham, England, who made a fortune selling the dry, pale yellow mustard flour.
Nutmeg
General Description
Nutmeg is the seed of Myristica fragrans, an evergreen tree native to the Molucca Islands. Interestingly, the tree produces both Nutmeg and mace, and grows up to 60 feet tall. Although the tree takes seven years to bear fruit, it may produce until the 90th year. Both spices come from the tree’s fruit, which splits into a scarlet outer membrane, mace, and an inner brown seed, Nutmeg.
Geographical Sources
Nutmeg is grown in Indonesia and Grenada.
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Nutmeg is a mild baking spice and is used in sausages, meats, soups, and preserves. Nutmeg is commonly added to eggnog, puddings, and fruit pies. It is popular in The Netherlands and Italy, where it is used in vegetables, puddings, and stews.
Taste and Aroma
Nutmeg is more pungent and sweeter than mace.
History/Region of Origin
The Roman philosopher Pliny wrote about Nutmeg and mace in the first century. Indian Vedic literature recommended Nutmeg for bad breath, headaches, and fever. Arabian writing mentions its uses as an aphrodisiac and stomach medicine. Middle Eastern traders brought Nutmeg and mace to Southern Europe in the sixth century, and they were well known by the twelfth century from Italy to Denmark. The Portuguese found Nutmeg trees in the Molucca Islands, and dominated the Nutmeg and mace trade until the Dutch overcame it in 1602. Unaware that the spices came from one tree, one Dutch official ordered the Moluccan islanders to plant more mace trees, and fewer Nutmeg trees. Nutmeg production spread to the West Indies, Trinidad, and Grenada under the British in the 1800s.
Onion
General Description
The familiar and popular onion is a bulb of Allium cepa, a low growing plant. Botanists classify it in either the lily family or the amaryllis family.
Geographical Sources
Onions are grown worldwide, including the United States.
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Onions are popular everywhere and are used as both a condiment and a vegetable in almost any savory food.
Taste and Aroma
Fresh onions are pungent and have a sharp bite. Cooked onions lose this heat and develop a rich sweetness.
History/Region of Origin
Onions have been grown since before recorded history. They were fed to workers building pyramids and were found in the tomb of King Tut. Onions are noted in the Bible as one of the foods most longed for by the Israelites after leaving Egypt for the Promised Land. They have been enjoyed by most cultures throughout history. Christopher Columbus brought Onions with him to the Americas. Their popularity quickly spread among native American cultures.
Oregano
General Description
Mediterranean Oregano is the dried leaf of Origanum vulgare L., a perennial herb in the mint family. Mexican Oregano is the dried leaf of one of several plants of the Lippia genus.
Geographical Sources
Oregano is grown in California and New Mexico, as well as the Mediterranean region.
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Oregano is the spice that gives pizza its characteristic flavor. It is also usually used in chili powder.
Taste and Aroma
Oregano has a pungent odor and flavor. Mexican Oregano is a bit stronger than Mediterranean Oregano.
History/Region of Origin
Mediterranean Oregano was originally grown extensively in Greece and Italy. Since Greek and Roman times it has been used with meats, fish, vegetables, and as a flavoring for wine. Before World War II, Oregano was almost unknown in the United States. However, its popularity skyrocketed with the popularity of pizza.
Paprika
General Description
Paprika is a spice which comes from a mild red pepper in the family Capsicum annum. It is a brilliant red powder and often used as a garnish.
Geographical Sources
The peppers used in Paprika are grown in Hungary, Spain, South America, and California.
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Paprika is the main flavor in Hungarian cooking, including dishes such as Goulash and Chicken Paprikash. In the United States, it is often used as a garnish on stuffed eggs, fish, and cheese and vegetable casseroles. Spanish Paprika flavors shellfish, rice, and sausage dishes. In Morocco, Paprika is used in tomato dishes and salads.
Taste and Aroma
Paprika ranges from sweet and mild to hot. American Paprika is the blandest, while Hungarian Paprika has the greatest range of flavor.
History/Region of Origin
Paprika, as a member of the capsicum family, is indigenous to the Western Hemisphere. The pepper is grown widely and takes on a slightly different flavor depending on local soil and climatic conditions.
Parsley
General Description
Parsley is the dried leaf of Petroselinum crispum, a biennial in the parsley family.
Geographical Sources
Parsley is grown in California.
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Parsley is most popular as a garnish and is an excellent breath freshener. It is high in vitamins A and C, and contains iron, iodine, and copper.
Taste and Aroma
Parsley has a light, fresh scent and flavor.
History/Region of Origin
Parsley was cultivated as early as the third century BC. The Romans used Parsley as a garnish and flavoring. They put it on their tables and around their necks in the belief the leaves would absorb fumes. Medieval Europeans believed that one could kill an enemy by plucking a sprig while speaking the person’s name. It spread to the Americas in the 17th century, where it now grows plentifully. It is the most widely used culinary herb in the United States. Parsley is difficult to process because it takes twelve pounds of fresh Parsley to make one pound of dried. However, more people still use dried Parsley than fresh leaves as a garnish in soups, salads, meats, vegetables, and sauces.
Pepper
General Description
Pepper is the dried berry of Piper nigrum. This vine which can grow up to ten feet tall is indigenous to India and Asia. Pepper is actually berries that are picked about nine months after flowering. (This is true pepper, and should not be confused with paprika, cayenne pepper, chili pepper, red pepper, and bell pepper, which are fruits from the capsicum family.) Black Pepper, the spiciest, is berries that are picked unripe. The berries used for White Pepper are ripened on the vine and soaked so that their outer hulls are easily removed. Green Peppercorns are immature berries which are freeze dried or packed in brine for preservation.
Geographical Sources
Pepper is grown in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brazil.
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Pepper is a universal table condiment used to flavor all types of dishes in cuisines worldwide. It's commonly used in stocks, pickling, and sausages.
Taste and Aroma
Black Pepper has a sharp, pungent aroma and flavor. White Pepper is hotter, less subtle and mildly fermented. Green Peppercorn is milder in flavor and has a fresh taste.
History/Region of Origin
Since the Roman times, Pepper has been the most important spice. The cities of Alexandria, Genoa, and Venice owed their economic success to Pepper. Three thousand year old Sanskrit literature mentions Pepper. It was one of the earliest items traded Asia and Europe. In 1101, victorious Genovese soldiers were each given two pounds of Pepper as a gift for their successful Palestinian conquest. In the Middle Ages, Europeans often used Pepper to pay rent, dowries, and taxes, and Shakespeare mentions Pepper in his plays. The need for Pepper inspired Spanish exploration and spice trade in the 15th century.
Poppy Seeds
General Description
Poppy Seeds are tiny nutty tasting, blue gray seeds inside capsules on Papaver somniferum, a yellowish brown opium plant indigenous to the Mediterranean.
Geographical Sources
Poppies are native to Mediterranean regions, India, China, Turkey, and Iran. Today, Holland and Canada are the main producers of poppy seeds.
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Poppy Seeds are used to flavor breads, cakes, rolls, and cookies in European and Middle Eastern cooking. In Turkey, they are often ground and used in desserts. In India, the seeds are ground and used to thicken sauces. The seeds are also used in noodle, fish, and vegetable dishes in Jewish, German, and Slavic cooking.
Taste and Aroma
Poppy Seeds have a slightly nutty aroma and taste.
History/Region of Origin
Since antiquity, poppies have symbolized honor. Women in second century Crete cultivated poppy plants for opium and Hypocrites suggested opium in medicine. Islamic and Arabian countries used opium as a medicine and narcotic in the sixth century. By the 17th century, Asians used the poppy plant as an opiate. Europeans began trafficking the drug in the 19th century, culminating in the Opium Wars, in which China lost control of the industry. The Greeks used the seeds as flavoring for breads in the second century, and medieval Europeans used them as a condiment with breads.
Red Pepper
General Description
Red Pepper is made from the ground fruit of a plant in the Capsicum family. The fruits, commonly known as "chilies" or "chili peppers," are fiery red or orange pods which rarely grow to more than 4 inches in length. The ground product ranges from orange red, to deep, dark red. According to the American Spice Trade Association, "Red Pepper" is the preferred name for all hot red pepper spices. Cayenne Pepper is another name for the same type of product. Some manufacturers use the term Cayenne Pepper to refer to a hotter version of Red Pepper.
Geographical Sources
China, Japan, India, Mexico, Africa, and Louisiana
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Red Pepper is used to achieve the characteristically hot flavor of Mexican, Creole, Cajun, Thai, Szechwan, and Indian cooking. It also is used in chili, Spanish rice, and barbecue sauce as well as meats, salads, and casseroles.
Taste and Aroma
Red pepper is a pungent, hot powder with a strong bite.
History/Region of Origin
Capsicum peppers are native to Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and parts of South America. The Spanish discovered the pods in the New World and brought them back to Europe. Before the arrival of Spaniards, Indians in Peru and Guatemala used capsicum medicinally to treat stomach and other ailments.
Rosemary
General Description
Rosemary is an herb in the mint family. It is a small evergreen shrub, Rosmarinus officinalis, whose 1inch leaves resemble curved pine needles.
Geographical Sources
Rosemary is native to the Mediterranean. Today it is widely produced in France, Spain, and Portugal.
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Rosemary is used primarily in Italy in lamb, pork, chicken, and rabbit dishes.
Taste and Aroma
Rosemary has a tea like aroma and a piney flavor.
History/Region of Origin
Rosemary's name is rooted in legend. The story goes that during her flight from Egypt, the Virgin Mary draped her blue cloak on a Rosemary bush. She then laid a white flower on top of the cloak. That night, the flower turned blue and the bush was thereafter known as the "rose of Mary". Greeks, who wove Rosemary wreaths into their hair, believed Rosemary strengthened the brain and enhanced memory. It was also known as a symbol of fidelity. In the Middle Ages, Rosemary was used medicinally and as a condiment for salted meats. In Europe, wedding parties burned Rosemary as incense. Judges burned it to protect against illness brought in by prisoners.
Saffron
General Description
Saffron is the stigma of Crocus sativus, a flowering plant in the crocus family. Saffron, the world's most expensive spice, is costly because more than 225,000 stigmas must be hand picked to produce one pound. In its pure form, saffron is a mass of compressed, threadlike, dark orange strands.
Geographical Sources
Saffron is native to the Mediterranean. Today it is cultivated primarily in Spain.
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Saffron is used in French bouillabaisse, Spanish paella, Milanese risotto, and many Middle Eastern dishes.
Taste and Aroma
Saffron has a spicy, pungent, and bitter flavor with a sharp and penetrating odor.
History/Region of Origin
Ancient Greeks and Romans scattered Saffron to perfume public baths. The 13th century Crusaders brought Saffron from Asia to Europe, where it was used as a dye and condiment. In Asia, Saffron was a symbol of hospitality. In India, people used Saffron to mark themselves as members of a wealthy caste.
Sage
General Description
Sage is an herb from an evergreen shrub, Salvia officinalis, in the mint family. Its long, grayish green leaves take on a velvety, cotton like texture when rubbed (meaning ground lightly and passed through a coarse sieve).
Geographical Sources
Sage is grown in the United States. It also is grown in Dalmatia and Albania.
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Sage enhances pork, lamb, meats, and sausages. Chopped leaves flavor salads, pickles, and cheese. It is one of the most popular herbs in the United States.
Taste and Aroma
Sage has a fragrant aroma and an astringent but warm flavor.
History/Region of Origin
The name "Sage" comes from the Latin word “salia,” meaning “to save.” Greeks and Romans used it to cure snake bites and to invigorate the mind and body. In the Middle Ages, people drank Sage in tea and used Sage to treat colds, fevers, liver trouble, and epilepsy. Although Sage is no longer used medicinally, it has become one of the world's most popular herbs.
Sesame Seed
General Description
Sesame Seed is the seed of an annual herb, Sesamum indicum, which grows well in hot climates. Sesame Seed is the most commonly produced seed. The yellowish, red, or black seeds are used in bread products, stir-fries, Jewish and Chinese confectionaries, and Middle Eastern dishes.
Geographical Sources
Africa and Indonesia
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Sesame Seed has been enjoyed by humans since the dawn of civilization. It is used in breads, candies, main dishes, as a garnish on pasta and vegetables, and for its oil content.
Taste and Aroma
Sesame Seeds have a nut-like, mild flavor.
History/Region of Origin
Sesame Seed is probably the oldest crop grown for its taste, dating back 2000 years to China. The Egyptians used Sesame Seed as medicine around the same time. The Turks used its oil in 900 BC. The term “open sesame” first appeared in the Arabian book "The Thousand and One Nights." The phrase refers to the seeds' ability to pop, at the slightest touch, when ripe. Sesame was imported from India to Europe during the first century. Persians used sesame oil because they had no olive oil. Africans, who called it “benne,” brought it with them to the United States in the 17th century during the slave trade.
Summer Savory
General Description
Summer Savory is an annual herb, Satureja hotenis, belonging to the mint family. Its dark-green, narrow leaves are dried and crushed.
Geographical Sources
United States and Yugoslavia
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Summer Savory enhances almost any savory dish. It goes well with soups, stews, bean dishes of any sort, succotash, cabbage, and sauerkraut.
Taste and Aroma
Summer Savory has a clean, piney fragrance and peppery flavor.
History/Region of Origin
Romans used Savory as an herb and seasoning even before they used pepper. They used it as a medicine, a bee sting treatment, and an aphrodisiac. When the Romans brought it to England, it was used as an ingredient in stuffing rather than as an herbal remedy.
Tarragon
General Description
Tarragon is a small, shrubby herb, Artemisia dracunculus, in the sunflower family. Two species are cultivated, Russian and French. Leaves of the French variety are glossier and more pungent. Most commercial Tarragon comes from dried leaves of the French Tarragon plant.
Geographical Sources
Tarragon is native to southern Russia and western Asia. Today, its primary producer is France.
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Tarragon is commonly known as a flavoring for vinegar and is used in pickles, relishes, prepared mustards, and sauces. Tarragon also goes well with fish, meat, soups and stews, and is often used in tomato and egg dishes. Tarragon adds distinctive flavor to sauces.
Taste and Aroma
Tarragon has a slightly bittersweet flavor and an aroma similar to anise.
History/Region of Origin
Tarragon, unlike many other herbs, was not used by ancient peoples. It was mentioned briefly in medieval writings as a pharmaceutical, but did not come into common use until the 16th century in England. It was brought to the United States in the early 19th century.
Thyme
General Description
Thyme is the leaf of a low-growing shrub in the mint family called Thymus vulgaris. Its tiny grayish-green leaves rarely are greater than one-fourth inch long. For use as a condiment, Thyme leaves are dried then chopped, or ground.
Geographical Sources
Thyme is grown in southern Europe, including France, Spain, and Portugal. It is also indigenous to the Mediterranean.
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Thyme is often included in seasoning blends for poultry and stuffing and also commonly used in fish sauces, chowders, and soups. It goes well with lamb and veal as well as in eggs, custards, and croquettes. Thyme often is paired with tomatoes.
Taste and Aroma
Thyme has a subtle, dry aroma and a slightly minty flavor.
History/Region of Origin
Ancient Greeks considered Thyme a symbol of courage and sacrifice. Tradition tells that Thyme was in the straw bed of the Virgin Mary and the Christ child. In the Middle Ages, ladies would embroider a sprig of Thyme into scarves they gave to their errant knights. At various periods in history, Thyme has been used to treat melancholy, reproductive system ailments, and to improve digestion. In the 18th century, it was recommended as a cure for a hangover.
Turmeric
General Description
Turmeric comes from the root of Curcuma longa, a leafy plant in the ginger family. The root, or rhizome, has a tough brown skin and bright orange flesh. Ground Turmeric comes from fingers which extend from the root. It is boiled or steamed and then dried, and ground.
Geographical Sources
India is the world's primary producer of Turmeric. It is also grown in China and Indonesia.
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Turmeric is a necessary ingredient of curry powder. It is used extensively in Indian dishes, including lentil and meat dishes, and in Southeast Asian cooking. Turmeric is routinely added to mustard blends and relishes. It also is used in place of saffron to provide color and flavor.
Taste and Aroma
Turmeric is mildly aromatic and has scents of orange or ginger. It has a pungent, bitter flavor.
History/Region of Origin
Turmeric, with its brilliant yellow color, has been used as a dye, medicine, and flavoring since 600 BC. In 1280, Marco Polo described Turmeric as "a vegetable with the properties of saffron, yet it is not really saffron." Indonesians used Turmeric to dye their bodies as part of their wedding ritual. Turmeric has been used medicinally throughout Asia to treat stomach and liver ailments. It also was used externally, to heal sores, and as a cosmetic.
Vanilla
General Description
Vanilla Beans are the long, greenish-yellow seed pods of the tropical orchid plant, Vanilla planifolia. Before the plant flowers, the pods are picked, unripe, and cured until they're dark brown. The process takes up to six months. To obtain Pure Vanilla Extract, cured Vanilla Beans are steeped in alcohol. According to law, Pure Vanilla Extract must be 35 percent alcohol by volume.
Geographical Sources
Vanilla beans are grown in Madagascar, Mexico, Indonesia, and Tahiti.
Traditional Ethnic Uses
Vanilla is one of the most popular flavorings in the world. It is used in flavoring most desserts, including ice cream, custard, cake, candy, and pudding. Vanilla is also used to enhance the flavor of beverages and sauces.
Taste and Aroma
Vanilla Beans have a sweet, perfumed aroma with a woody or smoky flavor. Pure Vanilla Extract has a similar aroma.
History/Region of Origin
Vanilla originated in Mexico, where the Aztecs used it to accent the flavor of chocolate drinks. The Mexican emperor, Montezuma, introduced Vanilla to the Spanish explorer Cortez, who brought it to Europe in the 16th century. The drink, made with Vanilla pods and cacao beans, became popular among the aristocracy in Europe. In 1602, a chemist for Queen Elizabeth I suggested that Vanilla could be used alone as a flavoring.
Yarrow is an ancient medicinal plant that contains many active substances such as essential oil composed in particular of camphor, cineol and chamazulene. In addition, the plant contains achillein, tannins, isovaleric acid, salicylic acid, asparagine, flavonoids and resin.
The substances works sweat drifting, antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and stimulate digestion. In addition, yarrow is soothing and diuretic.
Yarrow (because of the above mentioned effects) have been used in fevers and infections, for example. by colds and flu.
The plant is not poisonous, but by ingestion of very high doses it causes headaches and dizziness. Some people are allergic to yarrow, and pregnant women should avoid consuming the plant.
Western Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)
Gorillas are largely herbivorous (plant-eating). Plant material contains cellulose, which is indigestible to many non-herbivorous animals. With regard to digestion, herbivorous animals that do not ruminate (re-chew their food as part of the digestive process) rely solely on the microbes (microscopic bacteria) living in their colon. The bacteria function to breakdown the indigestible plant cellulose and turn it into digestible carbohydrates through the fermentation process.
Food availability affects both diet and foraging behaviour of gorillas. High quality herbs that are easily digestible and rich in proteins and minerals are scarce and patchily distributed in outside swamp forest areas. Fruit is relatively widely available in their habitats and forms an important part of the diet of Western Lowland Gorillas. The availability of seasonal fruit appears to shape foraging and ranging patterns of gorillas (Remis, 1997). When fruit is abundant, it may constitute most of the diet.
High-quality herbs (rich in minerals and proteins contents) are eaten all year round, while low-quality herbs are eaten only when fruit is scarce. More leaves and woody vegetation are consumed during the dry season (January-March) when few fleshy fruits are available. In habitat where the leguminous tree Gilbertiodendron dewevrei is present, gorillas feed heavily on its seeds and can travel some distance during mass fruiting events (occurring at five year intervals) to congregate in stands of G. dewevrei (Blake & Fay, 1997). Insects are also part of their diet (termites and ants), although their relative importance is still undetermined (Tutin & Fernandez 1992; Remis, 1997; Deblauwe, 2003; 2006). Western gorillas travel farther when more fruit (and termites) are available in the forest and have shorter day ranges when they must rely on leaves and woody vegetation (Goldsmith, 1999).
Bronx Zoo Congo Gorilla Forest
Sueño con serpientes, con serpientes de mar,
con cierto mar, ay, de serpientes sueño yo.
Largas, transparentes, y en sus barrigas llevan
lo que puedan arrebatarle al amor.
Oh, la mato y aparece una mayor.
Oh, con mucho más infierno en digestión.
No quepo en su boca. Me trata de tragar
pero se atora con un trébol de mi sien.
Creo que está loca. Le doy de masticar
una paloma y la enveneno de mi bien.
Ésta al fin me engulle, y mientras por su esófago
paseo, voy pensando en qué vendrá.
Pero se destruye cuando llego a su estómago
y planteo con un verso una verdad.
1. line to heaven... happy 4th of july to all ;-), 2. one night in old town alexandria... a blessed and safe weekend to all ;-), 3. heaven knows... love is here my friends !, 4. perfectly fit... a lovely and beautiful evening to all ;-), 5. oakley me up canon... nikon is watching ;-), 6. when i grow up, i just want to be like uncle ron ;-) cheeze!, 7. the future of this generation... a blessed weekend to all!, 8. children, in Christ you stand...,
9. don't touch my birdie... hbw my friends ;-), 10. on a bright and sunny day..., 11. the hands that rocks the..., 12. busy streets of alexandria..., 13. o praise HIM..., 14. butterfly kisses..., 15. PK Processing Challenge #31, 16. portrait of a butterfly...,
17. the colorless beauty of the butterfly ;-), 18. "Exhilarating, Invigorating, Aids Digestion.", 19. if you drink don't drive.... take a cab or walk if you can't fly ;-), 20. in the heat of the sun... sdaviator ;-), 21. frozen in time... freezing orchids ;-), 22. two heads are better than one... thanks mate ;-0, 23. here comes summer... happy tuesday to all!, 24. solitude... a busy weekend my friends... God Bless!,
25. reminiscing... tgif my friends ;-), 26. "come and see me closer... i was shot by a canon" -Bugs Life, 27. about face... large, medium, small, extra large ;-), 28. owl portrait..., 29. The LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." Numbers 21:8, 30. a different perspective in minimalism... poor little fella.... do you see her ;-), 31. sleep now little bear... the evening is growing older!, 32. light and shade...,
33. seeing is believing... California Sea Lion!, 34. what about some black stripes mates...., 35. i wanna ride a tricyle..., 36. place in this world..., 37. i will rise... hbw my friends!, 38. revelation..., 39. as they fall down...., 40. will you ever love me...,
41. from my point of view..., 42. your love..., 43. you do all things well in black and white film... kernersville lake sooc eos 100 ;-), 44. mighty to save... blessed tuesday to all... sooc!, 45. 2009 - PK BASIC Post Processing Challenge #17 - San Pedro De Alcantara Church (Pakil Church) in Sepia, 46. what life would be like..., 47. before the day... happy easter my friends!, 48. All Because of YOU... my LORD!,
49. on a nice, peaceful and lovely day... my neighborhood..., 50. Takip Silim, 51. Dawsons Creek... Ge and Gen Engagement Shooting Wilmington, North Carolina, 52. at the cross... blessed sunday to you all my friends!, 53. buzz lighting... almost friday my friends!, 54. i will lift my eyes..., 55. bawat bata... every child!, 56. oh my deer!,
57. infinite beauty..., 58. would you take the place of this MAN..., 59. take me back to the boat on the river..., 60. the beauty on the other side...
Created with fd's Flickr Toys.
Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more joints than their lizard ancestors, enabling them to swallow prey much larger than their heads (cranial kinesis). To accommodate their narrow bodies, snakes' paired organs (such as kidneys) appear one in front of the other instead of side by side, and most have only one functional lung. Some species retain a pelvic girdle with a pair of vestigial claws on either side of the cloaca. Lizards have independently evolved elongate bodies without limbs or with greatly reduced limbs at least twenty-five times via convergent evolution, leading to many lineages of legless lizards. These resemble snakes, but several common groups of legless lizards have eyelids and external ears, which snakes lack, although this rule is not universal (see Amphisbaenia, Dibamidae, and Pygopodidae).
Living snakes are found on every continent except Antarctica, and on most smaller land masses; exceptions include some large islands, such as Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, the Hawaiian archipelago, and the islands of New Zealand, as well as many small islands of the Atlantic and central Pacific oceans. Additionally, sea snakes are widespread throughout the Indian and Pacific oceans. Around thirty families are currently recognized, comprising about 520 genera and about 3,900 species. They range in size from the tiny, 10.4 cm-long (4.1 in) Barbados threadsnake to the reticulated python of 6.95 meters (22.8 ft) in length. The fossil species Titanoboa cerrejonensis was 12.8 meters (42 ft) long. Snakes are thought to have evolved from either burrowing or aquatic lizards, perhaps during the Jurassic period, with the earliest known fossils dating to between 143 and 167 Ma ago. The diversity of modern snakes appeared during the Paleocene epoch (c. 66 to 56 Ma ago, after the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event). The oldest preserved descriptions of snakes can be found in the Brooklyn Papyrus.
Most species of snake are nonvenomous and those that have venom use it primarily to kill and subdue prey rather than for self-defense. Some possess venom that is potent enough to cause painful injury or death to humans. Nonvenomous snakes either swallow prey alive or kill by constriction.
Etymology
The English word snake comes from Old English snaca, itself from Proto-Germanic *snak-an- (cf. Germanic Schnake 'ring snake', Swedish snok 'grass snake'), from Proto-Indo-European root *(s)nēg-o- 'to crawl to creep', which also gave sneak as well as Sanskrit nāgá 'snake'. The word ousted adder, as adder went on to narrow in meaning, though in Old English næddre was the general word for snake. The other term, serpent, is from French, ultimately from Indo-European *serp- 'to creep', which also gave Ancient Greek ἕρπω (hérpō) 'I crawl' and Sanskrit sarpá ‘snake’.
The fossil record of snakes is relatively poor because snake skeletons are typically small and fragile making fossilization uncommon. Fossils readily identifiable as snakes (though often retaining hind limbs) first appear in the fossil record during the Cretaceous period. The earliest known true snake fossils (members of the crown group Serpentes) come from the marine simoliophiids, the oldest of which is the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian age) Haasiophis terrasanctus from the West Bank, dated to between 112 and 94 million years old.
Based on comparative anatomy, there is consensus that snakes descended from lizards. Pythons and boas—primitive groups among modern snakes—have vestigial hind limbs: tiny, clawed digits known as anal spurs, which are used to grasp during mating The families Leptotyphlopidae and Typhlopidae also possess remnants of the pelvic girdle, appearing as horny projections when visible.
Front limbs are nonexistent in all known snakes. This is caused by the evolution of their Hox genes, controlling limb morphogenesis. The axial skeleton of the snakes' common ancestor, like most other tetrapods, had regional specializations consisting of cervical (neck), thoracic (chest), lumbar (lower back), sacral (pelvic), and caudal (tail) vertebrae. Early in snake evolution, the Hox gene expression in the axial skeleton responsible for the development of the thorax became dominant. As a result, the vertebrae anterior to the hindlimb buds (when present) all have the same thoracic-like identity (except from the atlas, axis, and 1–3 neck vertebrae). In other words, most of a snake's skeleton is an extremely extended thorax. Ribs are found exclusively on the thoracic vertebrae. Neck, lumbar and pelvic vertebrae are very reduced in number (only 2–10 lumbar and pelvic vertebrae are present), while only a short tail remains of the caudal vertebrae. However, the tail is still long enough to be of important use in many species, and is modified in some aquatic and tree-dwelling species.
Many modern snake groups originated during the Paleocene, alongside the adaptive radiation of mammals following the extinction of (non-avian) dinosaurs. The expansion of grasslands in North America also led to an explosive radiation among snakes. Previously, snakes were a minor component of the North American fauna, but during the Miocene, the number of species and their prevalence increased dramatically with the first appearances of vipers and elapids in North America and the significant diversification of Colubridae (including the origin of many modern genera such as Nerodia, Lampropeltis, Pituophis, and Pantherophis).
Fossils
There is fossil evidence to suggest that snakes may have evolved from burrowing lizards, during the Cretaceous Period. An early fossil snake relative, Najash rionegrina, was a two-legged burrowing animal with a sacrum, and was fully terrestrial. One extant analog of these putative ancestors is the earless monitor Lanthanotus of Borneo (though it also is semiaquatic). Subterranean species evolved bodies streamlined for burrowing, and eventually lost their limbs. According to this hypothesis, features such as the transparent, fused eyelids (brille) and loss of external ears evolved to cope with fossorial difficulties, such as scratched corneas and dirt in the ears. Some primitive snakes are known to have possessed hindlimbs, but their pelvic bones lacked a direct connection to the vertebrae. These include fossil species like Haasiophis, Pachyrhachis and Eupodophis, which are slightly older than Najash.
This hypothesis was strengthened in 2015 by the discovery of a 113-million-year-old fossil of a four-legged snake in Brazil that has been named Tetrapodophis amplectus. It has many snake-like features, is adapted for burrowing and its stomach indicates that it was preying on other animals. It is currently uncertain if Tetrapodophis is a snake or another species, in the squamate order, as a snake-like body has independently evolved at least 26 times. Tetrapodophis does not have distinctive snake features in its spine and skull. A study in 2021 places the animal in a group of extinct marine lizards from the Cretaceous period known as dolichosaurs and not directly related to snakes.
An alternative hypothesis, based on morphology, suggests the ancestors of snakes were related to mosasaurs—extinct aquatic reptiles from the Cretaceous—forming the clade Pythonomorpha. According to this hypothesis, the fused, transparent eyelids of snakes are thought to have evolved to combat marine conditions (corneal water loss through osmosis), and the external ears were lost through disuse in an aquatic environment. This ultimately led to an animal similar to today's sea snakes. In the Late Cretaceous, snakes recolonized land, and continued to diversify into today's snakes. Fossilized snake remains are known from early Late Cretaceous marine sediments, which is consistent with this hypothesis; particularly so, as they are older than the terrestrial Najash rionegrina. Similar skull structure, reduced or absent limbs, and other anatomical features found in both mosasaurs and snakes lead to a positive cladistical correlation, although some of these features are shared with varanids.
Genetic studies in recent years have indicated snakes are not as closely related to monitor lizards as was once believed—and therefore not to mosasaurs, the proposed ancestor in the aquatic scenario of their evolution. However, more evidence links mosasaurs to snakes than to varanids. Fragmented remains found from the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous indicate deeper fossil records for these groups, which may potentially refute either hypothesis.
Genetic basis of snake evolution
Main article: Limb development
Both fossils and phylogenetic studies demonstrate that snakes evolved from lizards, hence the question became which genetic changes led to limb loss in the snake ancestor. Limb loss is actually very common in extant reptiles and has happened dozens of times within skinks, anguids, and other lizards.
In 2016, two studies reported that limb loss in snakes is associated with DNA mutations in the Zone of Polarizing Activity Regulatory Sequence (ZRS), a regulatory region of the sonic hedgehog gene which is critically required for limb development. More advanced snakes have no remnants of limbs, but basal snakes such as pythons and boas do have traces of highly reduced, vestigial hind limbs. Python embryos even have fully developed hind limb buds, but their later development is stopped by the DNA mutations in the ZRS.
Distribution
There are about 3,900 species of snakes, ranging as far northward as the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia and southward through Australia. Snakes can be found on every continent except Antarctica, as well as in the sea, and as high as 16,000 feet (4,900 m) in the Himalayan Mountains of Asia. There are numerous islands from which snakes are absent, such as Ireland, Iceland, and New Zealand (although New Zealand's northern waters are infrequently visited by the yellow-bellied sea snake and the banded sea krait).
Taxonomy
All modern snakes are grouped within the suborder Serpentes in Linnean taxonomy, part of the order Squamata, though their precise placement within squamates remains controversial.
The two infraorders of Serpentes are Alethinophidia and Scolecophidia. This separation is based on morphological characteristics and mitochondrial DNA sequence similarity. Alethinophidia is sometimes split into Henophidia and Caenophidia, with the latter consisting of "colubroid" snakes (colubrids, vipers, elapids, hydrophiids, and atractaspids) and acrochordids, while the other alethinophidian families comprise Henophidia. While not extant today, the Madtsoiidae, a family of giant, primitive, python-like snakes, was around until 50,000 years ago in Australia, represented by genera such as Wonambi.
There are numerous debates in the systematics within the group. For instance, many sources classify Boidae and Pythonidae as one family, while some keep the Elapidae and Hydrophiidae (sea snakes) separate for practical reasons despite their extremely close relation.
Recent molecular studies support the monophyly of the clades of modern snakes, scolecophidians, typhlopids + anomalepidids, alethinophidians, core alethinophidians, uropeltids (Cylindrophis, Anomochilus, uropeltines), macrostomatans, booids, boids, pythonids and caenophidians.
Legless lizards
Main article: Legless lizard
While snakes are limbless reptiles, evolved from (and grouped with) lizards, there are many other species of lizards that have lost their limbs independently but which superficially look similar to snakes. These include the slowworm and glass snake.
Other serpentine tetrapods that are unrelated to snakes include caecilians (amphibians), amphisbaenians (near-lizard squamates), and the extinct aistopods (amphibians).
Biology
The now extinct Titanoboa cerrejonensis was 12.8 m (42 ft) in length. By comparison, the largest extant snakes are the reticulated python, measuring about 6.95 m (22.8 ft) long, and the green anaconda, which measures about 5.21 m (17.1 ft) long and is considered the heaviest snake on Earth at 97.5 kg (215 lb).
At the other end of the scale, the smallest extant snake is Leptotyphlops carlae, with a length of about 10.4 cm (4.1 in). Most snakes are fairly small animals, approximately 1 m (3.3 ft) in length.
Perception
Pit vipers, pythons, and some boas have infrared-sensitive receptors in deep grooves on the snout, allowing them to "see" the radiated heat of warm-blooded prey. In pit vipers, the grooves are located between the nostril and the eye in a large "pit" on each side of the head. Other infrared-sensitive snakes have multiple, smaller labial pits lining the upper lip, just below the nostrils.
A snake tracks its prey using smell, collecting airborne particles with its forked tongue, then passing them to the vomeronasal organ or Jacobson's organ in the mouth for examination. The fork in the tongue provides a sort of directional sense of smell and taste simultaneously. The snake's tongue is constantly in motion, sampling particles from the air, ground, and water, analyzing the chemicals found, and determining the presence of prey or predators in the local environment. In water-dwelling snakes, such as the anaconda, the tongue functions efficiently underwater.
The underside of a snake is very sensitive to vibration, allowing the snake to detect approaching animals by sensing faint vibrations in the ground. Despite the lack of outer ears, they are also able to detect airborne sounds.
Snake vision varies greatly between species. Some have keen eyesight and others are only able to distinguish light from dark, but the important trend is that a snake's visual perception is adequate enough to track movements. Generally, vision is best in tree-dwelling snakes and weakest in burrowing snakes. Some have binocular vision, where both eyes are capable of focusing on the same point, an example of this being the Asian vine snake. Most snakes focus by moving the lens back and forth in relation to the retina. Diurnal snakes have round pupils and many nocturnal snakes have slit pupils. Most species possess three visual pigments and are probably able to see two primary colors in daylight. The annulated sea snake and the genus Helicops appears to have regained much of their color vision as an adaption to the marine environment they live in. It has been concluded that the last common ancestors of all snakes had UV-sensitive vision, but most snakes that depend on their eyesight to hunt in daylight have evolved lenses that act like sunglasses for filtering out the UV-light, which probably also sharpens their vision by improving the contrast.
Skin
The skin of a snake is covered in scales. Contrary to the popular notion of snakes being slimy (because of possible confusion of snakes with worms), snakeskin has a smooth, dry texture. Most snakes use specialized belly scales to travel, allowing them to grip surfaces. The body scales may be smooth, keeled, or granular. The eyelids of a snake are transparent "spectacle" scales, also known as brille, which remain permanently closed.
The shedding of scales is called ecdysis (or in normal usage, molting or sloughing). Snakes shed the complete outer layer of skin in one piece. Snake scales are not discrete, but extensions of the epidermis—hence they are not shed separately but as a complete outer layer during each molt, akin to a sock being turned inside out.
Snakes have a wide diversity of skin coloration patterns which are often related to behavior, such as the tendency to have to flee from predators. Snakes that are at a high risk of predation tend to be plain, or have longitudinal stripes, providing few reference points to predators, thus allowing the snake to escape without being noticed. Plain snakes usually adopt active hunting strategies, as their pattern allows them to send little information to prey about motion. Blotched snakes usually use ambush-based strategies, likely because it helps them blend into an environment with irregularly shaped objects, like sticks or rocks. Spotted patterning can similarly help snakes to blend into their environment.
The shape and number of scales on the head, back, and belly are often characteristic and used for taxonomic purposes. Scales are named mainly according to their positions on the body. In "advanced" (Caenophidian) snakes, the broad belly scales and rows of dorsal scales correspond to the vertebrae, allowing these to be counted without the need for dissection.
Molting
Molting (or "ecdysis") serves a number of purposes. It allows old, worn skin to be replaced and it can remove parasites such as mites and ticks that live in the skin. It has also been observed in snakes that molting can be synced to mating cycles. Shedding skin can release pheromones and revitalize color and patterns of the skin to increase attraction of mates. Renewal of the skin by molting supposedly allows growth in some animals such as insects, but this has been disputed in the case of snakes.
Molting occurs periodically throughout the life of a snake. Before each molt, the snake stops eating and often hides or moves to a safe place. Just before shedding, the skin becomes dull and dry looking and the snake's eyes turn cloudy or blue-colored. The inner surface of the old skin liquefies, causing it to separate from the new skin beneath it. After a few days, the eyes become clear and the snake "crawls" out of its old skin, which splits close to the snake's mouth. The snake rubs its body against rough surfaces to aid in the shedding of its old skin. In many cases, the cast skin peels backward over the body from head to tail in one piece, like pulling a sock off inside-out, revealing a new, larger, brighter layer of skin which has formed underneath.
A young snake that is still growing may shed its skin up to four times a year, but an older snake may shed only once or twice a year. The discarded skin carries a perfect imprint of the scale pattern, so it is usually possible to identify the snake from the cast skin if it is reasonably intact. This periodic renewal has led to the snake being a symbol of healing and medicine, as pictured in the Rod of Asclepius.
Scale counts can sometimes be used to identify the sex of a snake when the species is not distinctly sexually dimorphic. A probe is fully inserted into the cloaca, marked at the point where it stops, then removed and measured against the subcaudal scales. The scalation count determines whether the snake is a male or female, as the hemipenes of a male will probe to a different depth (usually longer) than the cloaca of a female.
Skeleton
The skeletons of snakes are radically different from those of most other reptiles (as compared with the turtle here, for example), consisting almost entirely of an extended ribcage.
The skeleton of most snakes consists solely of the skull, hyoid, vertebral column, and ribs, though henophidian snakes retain vestiges of the pelvis and rear limbs.
The skull consists of a solid and complete neurocranium, to which many of the other bones are only loosely attached, particularly the highly mobile jaw bones, which facilitate manipulation and ingestion of large prey items. The left and right sides of the lower jaw are joined only by a flexible ligament at the anterior tips, allowing them to separate widely, and the posterior end of the lower jaw bones articulate with a quadrate bone, allowing further mobility. The mandible and quadrate bones can pick up ground-borne vibrations; because the sides of the lower jaw can move independently of one another, a snake resting its jaw on a surface has sensitive stereo auditory perception, used for detecting the position of prey. The jaw–quadrate–stapes pathway is capable of detecting vibrations on the angstrom scale, despite the absence of an outer ear and the lack of an impedance matching mechanism—provided by the ossicles in other vertebrates—for receiving vibrations from the air.
The hyoid is a small bone located posterior and ventral to the skull, in the 'neck' region, which serves as an attachment for the muscles of the snake's tongue, as it does in all other tetrapods.
The vertebral column consists of between 200 and 400 vertebrae, or sometimes more. The body vertebrae each have two ribs articulating with them. The tail vertebrae are comparatively few in number (often less than 20% of the total) and lack ribs. The vertebrae have projections that allow for strong muscle attachment, enabling locomotion without limbs.
Caudal autotomy (self-amputation of the tail), a feature found in some lizards, is absent in most snakes. In the rare cases where it does exist in snakes, caudal autotomy is intervertebral (meaning the separation of adjacent vertebrae), unlike that in lizards, which is intravertebral, i.e. the break happens along a predefined fracture plane present on a vertebra.
In some snakes, most notably boas and pythons, there are vestiges of the hindlimbs in the form of a pair of pelvic spurs. These small, claw-like protrusions on each side of the cloaca are the external portion of the vestigial hindlimb skeleton, which includes the remains of an ilium and femur.
Snakes are polyphyodonts with teeth that are continuously replaced
Snakes and other non-archosaur (crocodilians, dinosaurs + birds and allies) reptiles have a three-chambered heart that controls the circulatory system via the left and right atrium, and one ventricle. Internally, the ventricle is divided into three interconnected cavities: the cavum arteriosum, the cavum pulmonale, and the cavum venosum. The cavum venosum receives deoxygenated blood from the right atrium and the cavum arteriosum receives oxygenated blood from the left atrium. Located beneath the cavum venosum is the cavum pulmonale, which pumps blood to the pulmonary trunk.
The snake's heart is encased in a sac, called the pericardium, located at the bifurcation of the bronchi. The heart is able to move around, owing to the lack of a diaphragm; this adjustment protects the heart from potential damage when large ingested prey is passed through the esophagus. The spleen is attached to the gall bladder and pancreas and filters the blood. The thymus, located in fatty tissue above the heart, is responsible for the generation of immune cells in the blood. The cardiovascular system of snakes is unique for the presence of a renal portal system in which the blood from the snake's tail passes through the kidneys before returning to the heart.
The vestigial left lung is often small or sometimes even absent, as snakes' tubular bodies require all of their organs to be long and thin.[71] In the majority of species, only one lung is functional. This lung contains a vascularized anterior portion and a posterior portion that does not function in gas exchange. This 'saccular lung' is used for hydrostatic purposes to adjust buoyancy in some aquatic snakes and its function remains unknown in terrestrial species. Many organs that are paired, such as kidneys or reproductive organs, are staggered within the body, one located ahead of the other.
Snakes have no lymph nodes.
Venom
Cobras, vipers, and closely related species use venom to immobilize, injure, or kill their prey. The venom is modified saliva, delivered through fangs. The fangs of 'advanced' venomous snakes like viperids and elapids are hollow, allowing venom to be injected more effectively, and the fangs of rear-fanged snakes such as the boomslang simply have a groove on the posterior edge to channel venom into the wound. Snake venoms are often prey-specific, and their role in self-defense is secondary.
Venom, like all salivary secretions, is a predigestant that initiates the breakdown of food into soluble compounds, facilitating proper digestion. Even nonvenomous snakebites (like any animal bite) cause tissue damage.
Certain birds, mammals, and other snakes (such as kingsnakes) that prey on venomous snakes have developed resistance and even immunity to certain venoms.Venomous snakes include three families of snakes, and do not constitute a formal taxonomic classification group.
The colloquial term "poisonous snake" is generally an incorrect label for snakes. A poison is inhaled or ingested, whereas venom produced by snakes is injected into its victim via fangs. There are, however, two exceptions: Rhabdophis sequesters toxins from the toads it eats, then secretes them from nuchal glands to ward off predators; and a small unusual population of garter snakes in the US state of Oregon retains enough toxins in their livers from ingested newts to be effectively poisonous to small local predators (such as crows and foxes).
Snake venoms are complex mixtures of proteins, and are stored in venom glands at the back of the head. In all venomous snakes, these glands open through ducts into grooved or hollow teeth in the upper jaw. The proteins can potentially be a mix of neurotoxins (which attack the nervous system), hemotoxins (which attack the circulatory system), cytotoxins (which attack the cells directly), bungarotoxins (related to neurotoxins, but also directly affect muscle tissue), and many other toxins that affect the body in different ways. Almost all snake venom contains hyaluronidase, an enzyme that ensures rapid diffusion of the venom.
Venomous snakes that use hemotoxins usually have fangs in the front of their mouths, making it easier for them to inject the venom into their victims. Some snakes that use neurotoxins (such as the mangrove snake) have fangs in the back of their mouths, with the fangs curled backwards. This makes it difficult both for the snake to use its venom and for scientists to milk them. Elapids, however, such as cobras and kraits are proteroglyphous—they possess hollow fangs that cannot be erected toward the front of their mouths, and cannot "stab" like a viper. They must actually bite the victim.
It has been suggested that all snakes may be venomous to a certain degree, with harmless snakes having weak venom and no fangs. According to this theory, most snakes that are labelled "nonvenomous" would be considered harmless because they either lack a venom delivery method or are incapable of delivering enough to endanger a human. The theory postulates that snakes may have evolved from a common lizard ancestor that was venomous, and also that venomous lizards like the gila monster, beaded lizard, monitor lizards, and the now-extinct mosasaurs, may have derived from this same common ancestor. They share this "venom clade" with various other saurian species.
Venomous snakes are classified in two taxonomic families:
Elapids – cobras including king cobras, kraits, mambas, Australian copperheads, sea snakes, and coral snakes.
Viperids – vipers, rattlesnakes, copperheads/cottonmouths, and bushmasters.
There is a third family containing the opistoglyphous (rear-fanged) snakes (as well as the majority of other snake species):
Colubrids – boomslangs, tree snakes, vine snakes, cat snakes, although not all colubrids are venomous.
Reproduction
Although a wide range of reproductive modes are used by snakes, all employ internal fertilization. This is accomplished by means of paired, forked hemipenes, which are stored, inverted, in the male's tail. The hemipenes are often grooved, hooked, or spined—designed to grip the walls of the female's cloaca. The clitoris of the female snake consists of two structures located between the cloaca and the scent glands.
Most species of snakes lay eggs which they abandon shortly after laying. However, a few species (such as the king cobra) construct nests and stay in the vicinity of the hatchlings after incubation. Most pythons coil around their egg-clutches and remain with them until they hatch. A female python will not leave the eggs, except to occasionally bask in the sun or drink water. She will even "shiver" to generate heat to incubate the eggs.
Some species of snake are ovoviviparous and retain the eggs within their bodies until they are almost ready to hatch. Several species of snake, such as the boa constrictor and green anaconda, are fully viviparous, nourishing their young through a placenta as well as a yolk sac; this is highly unusual among reptiles, and normally found in requiem sharks or placental mammals. Retention of eggs and live birth are most often associated with colder environments.
Sexual selection in snakes is demonstrated by the 3,000 species that each use different tactics in acquiring mates. Ritual combat between males for the females they want to mate with includes topping, a behavior exhibited by most viperids in which one male will twist around the vertically elevated fore body of its opponent and force it downward. It is common for neck-biting to occur while the snakes are entwined.
Facultative parthenogenesis
Parthenogenesis is a natural form of reproduction in which growth and development of embryos occur without fertilization. Agkistrodon contortrix (copperhead) and Agkistrodon piscivorus (cottonmouth) can reproduce by facultative parthenogenesis, meaning that they are capable of switching from a sexual mode of reproduction to an asexual mode. The most likely type of parthenogenesis to occur is automixis with terminal fusion, a process in which two terminal products from the same meiosis fuse to form a diploid zygote. This process leads to genome-wide homozygosity, expression of deleterious recessive alleles, and often to developmental abnormalities. Both captive-born and wild-born copperheads and cottonmouths appear to be capable of this form of parthenogenesis.
Reproduction in squamate reptiles is almost exclusively sexual. Males ordinarily have a ZZ pair of sex-determining chromosomes, and females a ZW pair. However, the Colombian Rainbow boa (Epicrates maurus) can also reproduce by facultative parthenogenesis, resulting in production of WW female progeny. The WW females are likely produced by terminal automixis.
Embryonic Development
Snake embryonic development initially follows similar steps as any vertebrate embryo. The snake embryo begins as a zygote, undergoes rapid cell division, forms a germinal disc, also called a blastodisc, then undergoes gastrulation, neurulation, and organogenesis. Cell division and proliferation continues until an early snake embryo develops and the typical body shape of a snake can be observed. Multiple features differentiate the embryologic development of snakes from other vertebrates, two significant factors being the elongation of the body and the lack of limb development.
The elongation in snake body is accompanied by a significant increase in vertebra count (mice have 60 vertebrae, whereas snakes may have over 300). This increase in vertebrae is due to an increase in somites during embryogenesis, leading to an increased number of vertebrae which develop. Somites are formed at the presomitic mesoderm due to a set of oscillatory genes that direct the somitogenesis clock. The snake somitogenesis clock operates at a frequency 4 times that of a mouse (after correction for developmental time), creating more somites, and therefore creating more vertebrae. This difference in clock speed is believed to be caused by differences in Lunatic fringe gene expression, a gene involved in the somitogenesis clock.
There is ample literature focusing on the limb development/lack of development in snake embryos and the gene expression associated with the different stages. In basal snakes, such as the python, embryos in early development exhibit a hind limb bud that develops with some cartilage and a cartilaginous pelvic element, however this degenerates before hatching. This presence of vestigial development suggests that some snakes are still undergoing hind limb reduction before they are eliminated. There is no evidence in basal snakes of forelimb rudiments and no examples of snake forelimb bud initiation in embryo, so little is known regarding the loss of this trait. Recent studies suggests that hind limb reduction could be due to mutations in enhancers for the SSH gene, however other studies suggested that mutations within the Hox Genes or their enhancers could contribute to snake limblessness. Since multiple studies have found evidence suggesting different genes played a role in the loss of limbs in snakes, it is likely that multiple gene mutations had an additive effect leading to limb loss in snakes.
Behavior
Snake coiled on a stick in Oklahoma. It was brumating in a large pile of wood chips, found by this landscaper after he bulldozed the pile in late autumn 2018.
In regions where winters are too cold for snakes to tolerate while remaining active, local species will enter a period of brumation. Unlike hibernation, in which the dormant mammals are actually asleep, brumating reptiles are awake but inactive. Individual snakes may brumate in burrows, under rock piles, or inside fallen trees, or large numbers of snakes may clump together in hibernacula.
Feeding and diet
All snakes are strictly carnivorous, preying on small animals including lizards, frogs, other snakes, small mammals, birds, eggs, fish, snails, worms, and insects. Snakes cannot bite or tear their food to pieces so must swallow their prey whole. The eating habits of a snake are largely influenced by body size; smaller snakes eat smaller prey. Juvenile pythons might start out feeding on lizards or mice and graduate to small deer or antelope as an adult, for example.
The snake's jaw is a complex structure. Contrary to the popular belief that snakes can dislocate their jaws, they have an extremely flexible lower jaw, the two halves of which are not rigidly attached, and numerous other joints in the skull, which allow the snake to open its mouth wide enough to swallow prey whole, even if it is larger in diameter than the snake itself. For example, the African egg-eating snake has flexible jaws adapted for eating eggs much larger than the diameter of its head. This snake has no teeth, but does have bony protrusions on the inside edge of its spine, which it uses to break the shell when eating eggs.
The majority of snakes eat a variety of prey animals, but there is some specialization in certain species. King cobras and the Australian bandy-bandy consume other snakes. Species of the family Pareidae have more teeth on the right side of their mouths than on the left, as they mostly prey on snails and the shells usually spiral clockwise.
Some snakes have a venomous bite, which they use to kill their prey before eating it. Other snakes kill their prey by constriction, while some swallow their prey when it is still alive.
After eating, snakes become dormant to allow the process of digestion to take place; this is an intense activity, especially after consumption of large prey. In species that feed only sporadically, the entire intestine enters a reduced state between meals to conserve energy. The digestive system is then 'up-regulated' to full capacity within 48 hours of prey consumption. Being ectothermic ("cold-blooded"), the surrounding temperature plays an important role in the digestion process. The ideal temperature for snakes to digest food is 30 °C (86 °F). There is a huge amount of metabolic energy involved in a snake's digestion, for example the surface body temperature of the South American rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus) increases by as much as 1.2 °C (2.2 °F) during the digestive process. If a snake is disturbed after having eaten recently, it will often regurgitate its prey to be able to escape the perceived threat. When undisturbed, the digestive process is highly efficient; the snake's digestive enzymes dissolve and absorb everything but the prey's hair (or feathers) and claws, which are excreted along with waste.
Hooding and spitting
Hooding (expansion of the neck area) is a visual deterrent, mostly seen in cobras (elapids), and is primarily controlled by rib muscles.[98] Hooding can be accompanied by spitting venom towards the threatening object,[99] and producing a specialized sound; hissing. Studies on captive cobras showed that 13 to 22% of the body length is raised during hooding.
Locomotion
The lack of limbs does not impede the movement of snakes. They have developed several different modes of locomotion to deal with particular environments. Unlike the gaits of limbed animals, which form a continuum, each mode of snake locomotion is discrete and distinct from the others; transitions between modes are abrupt.
Lateral undulation
Lateral undulation is the sole mode of aquatic locomotion, and the most common mode of terrestrial locomotion In this mode, the body of the snake alternately flexes to the left and right, resulting in a series of rearward-moving "waves". While this movement appears rapid, snakes have rarely been documented moving faster than two body-lengths per second, often much less. This mode of movement has the same net cost of transport (calories burned per meter moved) as running in lizards of the same mass.
Terrestrial lateral undulation is the most common mode of terrestrial locomotion for most snake species. In this mode, the posteriorly moving waves push against contact points in the environment, such as rocks, twigs, irregularities in the soil, etc. Each of these environmental objects, in turn, generates a reaction force directed forward and towards the midline of the snake, resulting in forward thrust while the lateral components cancel out. The speed of this movement depends upon the density of push-points in the environment, with a medium density of about 8[clarification needed] along the snake's length being ideal. The wave speed is precisely the same as the snake speed, and as a result, every point on the snake's body follows the path of the point ahead of it, allowing snakes to move through very dense vegetation and small openings.
When swimming, the waves become larger as they move down the snake's body, and the wave travels backwards faster than the snake moves forwards. Thrust is generated by pushing their body against the water, resulting in the observed slip. In spite of overall similarities, studies show that the pattern of muscle activation is different in aquatic versus terrestrial lateral undulation, which justifies calling them separate modes. All snakes can laterally undulate forward (with backward-moving waves), but only sea snakes have been observed reversing the motion (moving backwards with forward-moving waves).
Sidewinding
Most often employed by colubroid snakes (colubrids, elapids, and vipers) when the snake must move in an environment that lacks irregularities to push against (rendering lateral undulation impossible), such as a slick mud flat, or a sand dune, sidewinding is a modified form of lateral undulation in which all of the body segments oriented in one direction remain in contact with the ground, while the other segments are lifted up, resulting in a peculiar "rolling" motion. This mode of locomotion overcomes the slippery nature of sand or mud by pushing off with only static portions on the body, thereby minimizing slipping. The static nature of the contact points can be shown from the tracks of a sidewinding snake, which show each belly scale imprint, without any smearing. This mode of locomotion has very low caloric cost, less than 1⁄3 of the cost for a lizard to move the same distance. Contrary to popular belief, there is no evidence that sidewinding is associated with the sand being hot.
Concertina
When push-points are absent, but there is not enough space to use sidewinding because of lateral constraints, such as in tunnels, snakes rely on concertina locomotion. In this mode, the snake braces the posterior portion of its body against the tunnel wall while the front of the snake extends and straightens. The front portion then flexes and forms an anchor point, and the posterior is straightened and pulled forwards. This mode of locomotion is slow and very demanding, up to seven times the cost of laterally undulating over the same distance. This high cost is due to the repeated stops and starts of portions of the body as well as the necessity of using active muscular effort to brace against the tunnel walls.
Arboreal
The movement of snakes in arboreal habitats has only recently been studied. While on tree branches, snakes use several modes of locomotion depending on species and bark texture. In general, snakes will use a modified form of concertina locomotion on smooth branches, but will laterally undulate if contact points are available. Snakes move faster on small branches and when contact points are present, in contrast to limbed animals, which do better on large branches with little 'clutter'.
Gliding snakes (Chrysopelea) of Southeast Asia launch themselves from branch tips, spreading their ribs and laterally undulating as they glide between trees. These snakes can perform a controlled glide for hundreds of feet depending upon launch altitude and can even turn in midair.
Rectilinear
The slowest mode of snake locomotion is rectilinear locomotion, which is also the only one where the snake does not need to bend its body laterally, though it may do so when turning. In this mode, the belly scales are lifted and pulled forward before being placed down and the body pulled over them. Waves of movement and stasis pass posteriorly, resulting in a series of ripples in the skin. The ribs of the snake do not move in this mode of locomotion and this method is most often used by large pythons, boas, and vipers when stalking prey across open ground as the snake's movements are subtle and harder to detect by their prey in this manner.
Interactions with humans
Snakes do not ordinarily prey on humans. Unless startled or injured, most snakes prefer to avoid contact and will not attack humans. With the exception of large constrictors, nonvenomous snakes are not a threat to humans. The bite of a nonvenomous snake is usually harmless; their teeth are not adapted for tearing or inflicting a deep puncture wound, but rather grabbing and holding. Although the possibility of infection and tissue damage is present in the bite of a nonvenomous snake, venomous snakes present far greater hazard to humans. The World Health Organization (WHO) lists snakebite under the "other neglected conditions" category.
Documented deaths resulting from snake bites are uncommon. Nonfatal bites from venomous snakes may result in the need for amputation of a limb or part thereof. Of the roughly 725 species of venomous snakes worldwide, only 250 are able to kill a human with one bite. Australia averages only one fatal snake bite per year. In India, 250,000 snakebites are recorded in a single year, with as many as 50,000 recorded initial deaths. The WHO estimates that on the order of 100,000 people die each year as a result of snake bites, and around three times as many amputations and other permanent disabilities are caused by snakebites annually.
The treatment for a snakebite is as variable as the bite itself. The most common and effective method is through antivenom (or antivenin), a serum made from the venom of the snake. Some antivenom is species-specific (monovalent) while some is made for use with multiple species in mind (polyvalent). In the United States for example, all species of venomous snakes are pit vipers, with the exception of the coral snake. To produce antivenom, a mixture of the venoms of the different species of rattlesnakes, copperheads, and cottonmouths is injected into the body of a horse in ever-increasing dosages until the horse is immunized. Blood is then extracted from the immunized horse. The serum is separated and further purified and freeze-dried. It is reconstituted with sterile water and becomes antivenom. For this reason, people who are allergic to horses are more likely to have an allergic reaction to antivenom. Antivenom for the more dangerous species (such as mambas, taipans, and cobras) is made in a similar manner in South Africa, Australia , and India, although these antivenoms are species-specific.
Snake charmers
In some parts of the world, especially in India, snake charming is a roadside show performed by a charmer. In such a show, the snake charmer carries a basket containing a snake that he seemingly charms by playing tunes with his flutelike musical instrument, to which the snake responds. The snake is in fact responding to the movement of the flute, not the sound it makes, as snakes lack external ears (though they do have internal ears).
The Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 in India technically prohibits snake charming on the grounds of reducing animal cruelty. Other types of snake charmers use a snake and mongoose show, where the two animals have a mock fight; however, this is not very common, as the animals may be seriously injured or killed. Snake charming as a profession is dying out in India because of competition from modern forms of entertainment and environment laws proscribing the practice. Many Indians have never seen snake charming and it is becoming a folktale of the past.
Trapping
The Irulas tribe of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in India have been hunter-gatherers in the hot, dry plains forests, and have practiced the art of snake catching for generations. They have a vast knowledge of snakes in the field. They generally catch the snakes with the help of a simple stick. Earlier, the Irulas caught thousands of snakes for the snake-skin industry. After the complete ban of the snake-skin industry in India and protection of all snakes under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, they formed the Irula Snake Catcher's Cooperative and switched to catching snakes for removal of venom, releasing them in the wild after four extractions. The venom so collected is used for producing life-saving antivenom, biomedical research and for other medicinal products. The Irulas are also known to eat some of the snakes they catch and are very useful in rat extermination in the villages.
Despite the existence of snake charmers, there have also been professional snake catchers or wranglers. Modern-day snake trapping involves a herpetologist using a long stick with a V-shaped end. Some television show hosts, like Bill Haast, Austin Stevens, Steve Irwin, and Jeff Corwin, prefer to catch them using bare hands.
Consumption
Although snakes are not commonly thought of as food, their consumption is acceptable in some cultures and may even be considered a delicacy. Snake soup is popular in Cantonese cuisine, consumed by locals in the autumn to warm their bodies. Western cultures document the consumption of snakes only under extreme circumstances of hunger, with the exception of cooked rattlesnake meat, which is commonly consumed in Texas and parts of the Midwestern United States.
In Asian countries such as China, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Cambodia, drinking the blood of a snake—particularly the cobra—is believed to increase sexual virility. When possible, the blood is drained while the cobra is still alive, and it is usually mixed with some form of liquor to improve the taste.
The use of snakes in alcohol is accepted in some Asian countries. In such cases, one or more snakes are left to steep in a jar or container of liquor, as this is claimed to make the liquor stronger (as well as more expensive). One example of this is the Habu snake, which is sometimes placed in the Okinawan liqueur Habushu (ハブ酒), also known as "Habu Sake".
Snake wine (蛇酒) is an alcoholic beverage produced by infusing whole snakes in rice wine or grain alcohol. First recorded as being consumed in China during the Western Zhou dynasty, this drink is considered an important curative and is believed to reinvigorate a person according to traditional Chinese medicine
Pets
In the Western world, some snakes are kept as pets, especially docile species such as the ball python and corn snake. To meet the demand, a captive breeding industry has developed. Snakes bred in captivity are considered preferable to specimens caught in the wild and tend to make better pets. Compared with more traditional types of companion animal, snakes can be very low-maintenance pets; they require minimal space, as most common species do not exceed 5 feet (1.5 m) in length, and can be fed relatively infrequently—usually once every five to 14 days. Certain snakes have a lifespan of more than 40 years if given proper care.
Symbolism
In ancient Mesopotamia, Nirah, the messenger god of Ištaran, was represented as a serpent on kudurrus, or boundary stones. Representations of two intertwined serpents are common in Sumerian art and Neo-Sumerian artwork and still appear sporadically on cylinder seals and amulets until as late as the thirteenth century BC. The horned viper (Cerastes cerastes) appears in Kassite and Neo-Assyrian kudurrus and is invoked in Assyrian texts as a magical protective entity. A dragon-like creature with horns, the body and neck of a snake, the forelegs of a lion, and the hind-legs of a bird appears in Mesopotamian art from the Akkadian Period until the Hellenistic Period (323 BC–31 BC). This creature, known in Akkadian as the mušḫuššu, meaning "furious serpent", was used as a symbol for particular deities and also as a general protective emblem. It seems to have originally been the attendant of the Underworld god Ninazu, but later became the attendant to the Hurrian storm-god Tishpak, as well as, later, Ninazu's son Ningishzida, the Babylonian national god Marduk, the scribal god Nabu, and the Assyrian national god Ashur.
In Egyptian history, the snake occupies a primary role with the Nile cobra adorning the crown of the pharaoh in ancient times. It was worshipped as one of the gods and was also used for sinister purposes: murder of an adversary and ritual suicide (Cleopatra). The ouroboros was a well-known ancient Egyptian symbol of a serpent swallowing its own tail. The precursor to the ouroboros was the "Many-Faced", a serpent with five heads, who, according to the Amduat, the oldest surviving Book of the Afterlife, was said to coil around the corpse of the sun god Ra protectively. The earliest surviving depiction of a "true" ouroboros comes from the gilded shrines in the tomb of Tutankhamun. In the early centuries AD, the ouroboros was adopted as a symbol by Gnostic Christians and chapter 136 of the Pistis Sophia, an early Gnostic text, describes "a great dragon whose tail is in its mouth". In medieval alchemy, the ouroboros became a typical western dragon with wings, legs, and a tail.
In the Bible, King Nahash of Ammon, whose name means "Snake", is depicted very negatively, as a particularly cruel and despicable enemy of the ancient Hebrews.
The ancient Greeks used the Gorgoneion, a depiction of a hideous face with serpents for hair, as an apotropaic symbol to ward off evil. In a Greek myth described by Pseudo-Apollodorus in his Bibliotheca, Medusa was a Gorgon with serpents for hair whose gaze turned all those who looked at her to stone and was slain by the hero Perseus. In the Roman poet Ovid's Metamorphoses, Medusa is said to have once been a beautiful priestess of Athena, whom Athena turned into a serpent-haired monster after she was raped by the god Poseidon in Athena's temple. In another myth referenced by the Boeotian poet Hesiod and described in detail by Pseudo-Apollodorus, the hero Heracles is said to have slain the Lernaean Hydra, a multiple-headed serpent which dwelt in the swamps of Lerna.
The legendary account of the foundation of Thebes mentioned a monster snake guarding the spring from which the new settlement was to draw its water. In fighting and killing the snake, the companions of the founder Cadmus all perished – leading to the term "Cadmean victory" (i.e. a victory involving one's own ruin).
Three medical symbols involving snakes that are still used today are Bowl of Hygieia, symbolizing pharmacy, and the Caduceus and Rod of Asclepius, which are symbols denoting medicine in general.
One of the etymologies proposed for the common female first name Linda is that it might derive from Old German Lindi or Linda, meaning a serpent.
India is often called the land of snakes and is steeped in tradition regarding snakes. Snakes are worshipped as gods even today with many women pouring milk on snake pits (despite snakes' aversion for milk). The cobra is seen on the neck of Shiva and Vishnu is depicted often as sleeping on a seven-headed snake or within the coils of a serpent. There are also several temples in India solely for cobras sometimes called Nagraj (King of Snakes) and it is believed that snakes are symbols of fertility. There is a Hindu festival called Nag Panchami each year on which day snakes are venerated and prayed to. See also Nāga.
In India there is another mythology about snakes. Commonly known in Hindi as "Ichchhadhari" snakes. Such snakes can take the form of any living creature, but prefer human form. These mythical snakes possess a valuable gem called "Mani", which is more brilliant than diamond. There are many stories in India about greedy people trying to possess this gem and ending up getting killed.
The snake is one of the 12 celestial animals of Chinese zodiac, in the Chinese calendar.
Many ancient Peruvian cultures worshipped nature. They emphasized animals and often depicted snakes in their art.
Religion
Snakes are used in Hinduism as a part of ritual worship. In the annual Nag Panchami festival, participants worship either live cobras or images of Nāgas. Lord Shiva is depicted in most images with a snake coiled around his neck. Puranic literature includes various stories associated with snakes, for example Shesha is said to hold all the planets of the Universe on his hoods and to constantly sing the glories of Vishnu from all his mouths. Other notable snakes in Hinduism are Vasuki, Takshaka, Karkotaka, and Pingala. The term Nāga is used to refer to entities that take the form of large snakes in Hinduism and Buddhism.
Snakes have been widely revered in many cultures, such as in ancient Greece where the serpent was seen as a healer.[148] Asclepius carried a serpent wound around his wand, a symbol seen today on many ambulances. In Judaism, the snake of brass is also a symbol of healing, of one's life being saved from imminent death.
In religious terms, the snake and jaguar were arguably the most important animals in ancient Mesoamerica. "In states of ecstasy, lords dance a serpent dance; great descending snakes adorn and support buildings from Chichen Itza to Tenochtitlan, and the Nahuatl word coatl meaning serpent or twin, forms part of primary deities such as Mixcoatl, Quetzalcoatl, and Coatlicue." In the Maya and Aztec calendars, the fifth day of the week was known as Snake Day.
In some parts of Christianity, the redemptive work of Jesus Christ is compared to saving one's life through beholding the Nehushtan (serpent of brass). Snake handlers use snakes as an integral part of church worship, to demonstrate their faith in divine protection. However, more commonly in Christianity, the serpent has been depicted as a representative of evil and sly plotting, as seen in the description in Genesis of a snake tempting Eve in the Garden of Eden. Saint Patrick is purported to have expelled all snakes from Ireland while converting the country to Christianity in the 5th century, thus explaining the absence of snakes there.
In Christianity and Judaism, the snake makes its infamous appearance in the first book of the Bible when a serpent appears before Adam and Eve and tempts them with the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. The snake returns in the Book of Exodus when Moses turns his staff into a snake as a sign of God's power, and later when he makes the Nehushtan, a bronze snake on a pole that when looked at cured the people of bites from the snakes that plagued them in the desert. The serpent makes its final appearance symbolizing Satan in the Book of Revelation: "And he laid hold on the dragon the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years."
In Neo-Paganism and Wicca, the snake is seen as a symbol of wisdom and knowledge. Additionally, snakes are sometimes associated with Hecate, the Greek goddess of witchcraft.
Medicine
Several compounds from snake venoms are being researched as potential treatments or preventatives for pain, cancers, arthritis, stroke, heart disease, hemophilia, and hypertension, and to control bleeding (e.g. during surgery).
Stegi and Trici are chilling a little.
It is Monday, so there are a few days left to prepare for the weekend.
They might go out to party heavily on Friday, maybe returning on Sunday evening.
To have a party with these two remarkable dancers is a blast!
Perhaps you will meet them in your favorite club ...
But be careful: They have a pretty vivid digestion ...
Atlas d'anatomie descriptive du corps humain.
Bonamy, Broca, "Beau (dessinateur) "
Troisième partie , appareil de la digestion, appareil surrénal, rein.
(Paris G. Masson éditeur)
Atlas d'anatomie descriptive du corps humain.
Bonamy, Broca, "Beau (dessinateur) "
Troisième partie , appareil de la digestion, appareil surrénal, rein.
(Paris G. Masson éditeur)
Atlas d'anatomie descriptive du corps humain.
Bonamy, Broca, "Beau (dessinateur) "
Troisième partie , appareil de la digestion, appareil surrénal, rein.
(Paris G. Masson éditeur)
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Trachelophyllum sigmoides es un ciliado propio del fango y de las pequeñas charcas cargadas de nutrientes orgánicos y ahora, junto con Stentor fuliginosus se pasea por las aguas del Lago y busca su alimento entre los restos de algas y detritus que flotan entre en fitoplancton.
Su cuerpo de hoja asimétrica y alargada cambia constantemente de forma cuando se desliza con suavidad -ahora es ballena, pero puede ser dentro de poco delfín o anguila- mientras sortea los obstáculos que son pequeñas islotes entre los que encuentra su alimento.
Trachelophyllum sigmoides es grande para ser un ciliado, pero siempre minúsculo. Protege su cuerpo bajo un abrigo de mucílago tanto en invierno como en verano y de este abrigo sobresalen los cilios que le impulsan. La boca forma una estructura tubular en el extremo de su largo cuello formada por extrusomas -armas que se disparan como minúsculos arpones y que utiliza para capturar a sus presas- y se prolonga interiormente en un tubo faríngeo que penetra en el cuerpo de manera oblicua.
En el interior de su cuerpo se aprecian dos estructuras redondeadas que corresponden a los dos macronúcleos que posee y que controlan sus funciones vitales además de una gran cantidad de corpúsculos dorados y plateados que parecen ser restos de la digestión de todos los alimentos que ha ingerido. La parte final del cuerpo remata en una vacuola contráctil que expulsa cuando late el exceso de agua que se acumula en su interior.
Aunque a Trachelophyllum sigmoides le gustan los fondos en los que rebusca su alimento en el fango hoy se mueve entre aguas de la superficie donde sin duda puede encontrar fácilmente los alimentos que necesita y ahora que se acerca el invierno su envuelta gelatinosa parece que puede ser un buen abrigo para soportar los fríos que pronto vendrán.
Trachelophyllum sigmoides, Stentor fuliginosus, o Chilodonella, entre otros ciliados, y varias especies de ameba se presentan ahora en la superficie de las aguas del Lago y vieven entre las algas que conforman el fitoplancton y los hongos que las devastan. Todos estos seres nos hablan de unas aguas alteradas y de la necesidad de resolver el problema de la depuración de las que llegan a Lago de Sanabria de una forma eficiente e inmediata.
La imagen, tomada a 400 aumentos con la técnica de contraste de interferencia, procede de una muestra de superficie tomada en la parte central del Lago de Sanabria (Zamora) por Ismael y Laura el día 8 de agosto de 2014 desde el catamarán Helios Sanabria el primer catamarán del mundo propulsado por energía eólica y solar.
presentación ponencia congreso internacional de Limnología
informes de contaminación en el Lago de Sanabria
informe de evolución de la contaminación en el Lago de Sanabria
#Yogaposture #Seatedtwistyoga #ArdhaMatsyendrasana #spinaltwistpose #Abdominalorgans #Digestionsystem- Stimulates the blood flow to the abdominal organs, Digestion system improved. Abdominal organs working well.
While Margaret and I were eating lunch at one of are favorite picnic areas (Nezperce Ford), I noticed this Bald Eagle across the Yellowstone River eating a fish. Before I could get all my gear out he flew off. Darn! Luckily, he didn't go far and landed on a snag just down river and posed for about 15 minutes while he let that fish settle.
Best viewed 'L'arge.
This iconic Australian carnivorous plant is spectacular to witness in the field. Know to achieve sizes of 1 meter tall this plant inhabits wet sandy soils on swamp edges and goes dormant during the Australian winter. The plant persists as an underground tuber which is typically 15-20cm below the soil surface in mature plants
Images here represent plants from 5 sites visited in the Perth area of Western Australia. Individual traps are quite small (1cm or less), but the mass of traps in a large population are capable of entangling masses of insects for digestion rather easily.
Although it is well known that lemons are good for one's health, there are many benefits which are only now being recognized and taken advantage of. Because of its high level of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), for example, lemons have been known to help out against infections and skin diseases like scurvy; they may also be a potent weapon against cancer.
Among the less-well-known health benefits, however, are the following:
1. A remedy against heartburn?
Because of its high acidity, it may come as a surprise that lemons could possibly help out in the area of gastro-esophageal reflux disease. Lemons, however, appear to be good for the digestion, thus helping to relieve many of the symptoms that come with GERD, including indisgetion, bloating, and belching.
2. Relieving hiccups?
Drinking lemon juice may help to treat and help reduce the chances of succumbing to hiccups. The strong sourness of lemons is usually a strong medicine against the involuntary nerve spasms that constitute what we call "hiccups."
3. Dissolving gall, kidney, and pancreatic stones?
Some sources have suggested that lemons may be useful in the fight against stones that develop in the kidneys, gallbladder and the pancreas. Medicine may find this lithotripsy ability useful in the coming years, if this can be further confirmed through clinical studies. Because this remedy carries such low risk factors, however, it may be something people facing these problems may use on a trial basis, preferably by first contacting their physician.
4. Reduction of the phlegm your body produces?
Supposedly because of its natural antiseptic prowess, lemons (which contain, among other things, anti-microbial saponins) may help your body produce less phlegm, possibly by helping to strengthen your immune system.
5. Helping to fade burn scars?
Burns can greatly damage skin cells, often leaving ugly scars behind. By helping to cool and heal damaged skin, however, lemons may reduce the ugliness of said scars.
6. A weight reducer and diuretic?
Much of the weight gain some people experience comes in the form of water retention. Lemons (possibly consumed as lemon juice mixed with warm water and honey) may aid in the fight to keep water retention to a minimum, supposedly by helping the kidneys and the other fluid-management organs to work more efficiently.
7. Strengthening the heart?
Because of its high potassium content, lemons may help to keep the heart healthy and strong. Its cardiovascular benefits may also lie in its ability to keep high blood pressure low.
8. Used as a sedative?
Lemon juice is said to help against dizziness, stress, and depression, ostensibly by helping the body to stay calm and relaxed--especially when consumed in conjunction with other stress-reducing foods (e.g., green tea, honey, yogurt, etc.).
9. Remedy against respiratory problems?
Lemons may help (most probably because of their anti-inflammatory properties) people who suffer from breathing problems such as asthma.
10. An anti-aging supplement?
Lemons may help in the fight against premature aging, most probably because of their anti-oxidant capacity. They can help to prevent and remove wrinkles and blackheads, as well as to keep skin looking healthy, shiny and supple. Among other things, lemons are thought to be able to help the body restore pH balance.
Conclusion
Although for centuries lemons have been known to provide many health benefits, it's only relatively recently that we can to some extent understand why. Simply put, we did not have the technology to pinpoint some of the scientific reasons; what is more interesting, though, is the fact that there may be even more benefits we have yet to identify or discover.Source : Fred Fletcher To know more visit www.yogagurusuneelsingh.com Pic by Rohit Suri
Erythrina herbacea, commonly known as Coral Bean, Cherokee Bean, Mamou, Red Cardinal or Cardinal Spear, is a flowering shrub or small tree found throughout the southeastern United States and northeastern Mexico; it has also been reported from parts of Central America and Pakistan.
The bark and leaves of this tree are mainly the parts used in Ayurvedic medicine in the Indian subcontinent, with the juice from the leaves being put into ears to stop earache. The paste made from the tree parts is used for rheumatism and joint pains, and it is also used for wounds as it has antiseptic properties, and for inflammation, including for eye problems. A powder is made to aid digestion, as an aphrodisiac and for erectile dysfunctions. It is also used to get rid of intestinal worms, for blood purification, to regulate menstruation, for infections of the urinary tract such as cystitis, obesity, fevers and externally for skin problems.
Coral Bean, Erythrina herbacea
Biscayne Park FL