It Is Believed That Astragalus Makes Your Metabolism Stronger

With the growing popularity of Chinese medicine, more and more people are being acquainted with the numerous health benefits of astragalus – the Chinese magical herb. Be it a heart disease or a respiratory problem – astragalus helps you in curing almost all of them. Here are the top five health benefits of astragalus for which it is most commonly used:
Distribution: New Mexico, northeastern Otero County, Sacramento Mountains.

Habitat: Limestone soils on steep slopes and road cuts in lower montane coniferous forest; 1,900-2,500 m (6,500-8,200 ft).

Remarks: A narrow endemic inhabiting the forests around Cloudcroft. It was originally known from only three collections made in 1889 and 1891, then was not found again until 1968. There are now approximately 30 known locations for this species on public lands; additional locations are on tribal lands. It often inhabits road cuts and other sites for some years after disturbance, and may be generally increasing with the increase of road building within its geographic area.

Conservation Considerations: Highway maintenance and herbicide application for weed control could impact plants inhabiting road rights-of-way. Residential and recreational development in the area is extensive. The effects of forest fire on this species have not been studied. These plants are occasionally browsed by deer or elk, but its palatability to livestock has not been determined.

Aids Digestion Process:

It is believed that astragalus makes your metabolism stronger, thereby improving your digestive system. As such, it also helps in curing gastrointestinal disorders, including stomach ulcers, gas, bloating and diarrhea.

• Improves Immunity:

The antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties of astragalus strengthen your immunity as well. It helps in healing your wounds and injuries faster. In case a person is suffering from weakened immunity, a regular dose of astragalus helps him/her in fighting the diseases better. It also helps you fight both viral and bacterial infections. For the very same reason, it helps you fight cold, asthma, bronchitis and so on. It is also used in cancer treatments as the antioxidants present in them help the adrenal glands to work better.

• Keeps Your Heart in a Better State:

Using astragalus benefits your heart as well in a lot many ways. Astragalus can relieve a person suffering from chest pain or even breathlessness caused due to heart problems. It prevents blood clots from forming. At the same time, it helps a person in retaining less salt and water in his/her body, which in turn, helps in lowering cholesterol and blood pressure levels. The protective properties of astragalus also stop plaque from developing in arteries, thereby keeping your heart in a better state.

• Anti-Stress Agent:

The roots of this medicinal herb are believed to be an “adaptogen” and therefore, small doses of astragalus roots work wonders on your physical, mental and emotional state. It helps your body to resist fatigue, anxiety, stress, tension and trauma, thereby keeping you happy and stress-free.

• Fights AIDS:

Recent studies have claimed that astragalus roots also fight against HIV virus to a great extent. Using astragalus roots for AIDS not only helps the patient to fight the disease, but it does so without the adverse effects of harmful prescription drugs as well.

Variegated Liriope Is One Of The Ideal Plants For Container Gardening

There are many different types of liriope plants and the variegated types are highly valued for the stripy leaves. These plants are often mistaken for grass or lilies, but, do not come under those genera. Liriope is a genus that consists of flowering plants that may look like grass or lilies. These plants are known by different names, like, the lilyturf, monkey grass, or spider grass. They are mainly grown as edging plants or as ground covers. Some species being invasive in nature, care must be taken to control its spread. Even though, species like Liriope spicata with white flowers are grown in gardens, Liriope muscari with purple flowers are found to be one of the most popular plants in the genus. Nowadays, variegated liriope varieties are fast gaining momentum, among plant lovers.

Variegated Liriope Plant

This liriope is a cultivar of the popular Liriope muscari. But, unlike the latter, the cultivar has variegated or stripy leaves and hence the name. While Liriope muscari has dark green leaves that resemble grass blades, in case of variegated type, the green leaves have creamy yellow to white or silvery borders. Some of the leaves may appear golden yellow to creamy yellow in color. As in liriope muscari, the variegated versions too are found to be low growing and clump forming. During late summer and fall, they produce spikes of purple flowers that transform to black berries. One of the advantages of this plant is that they are shade tolerant as well as drought resistant. However, they may turn invasive and so, mowing this plant is advisable to control its unwanted growth. This will also revive the looks of the plant that will produce fresh leaves within a short span.

How to Take Care of a Variegated Liriope

Growing Liriope muscari variegata is not a difficult task, as they have certain minimal requirements only. One of the basic needs of a variegated liriope plant is the soil, which has to be preferably acidic in nature and rich in organic material. It must be well draining too. Ideally, such soil must have average moisture, for this plant to grow well. However, these plants can tolerate poor soil and even dry conditions. Another advantage about this plant is that it can grow in partial to full shade and even in full sun. But, usually, they are found to be fond of partial sun or full shade rather than full sun.

While planting this liriope, make sure to keep a distance of at least four inches between them. Prepare the soil with organic material and once planting is done, mulch the area around these plants. Mulching is good to prevent the growth of weeds. Thorough watering, once a week is found to be sufficient for liriope plants. Even though, feeding is not required, you may use any regular garden fertilizer that has to be applied during early spring and mid summer. It will be beneficial to mow these plants, during February, in order to revive its appearance. Make sure that the crowns of the plant are not damaged during mowing.

In short, variegated liriope is one of the ideal plants for container gardening, as edging plants or as ground covers. The biggest advantage of these plants is that they are non messy and easy to care. If you want to grow this liriope in your garden, contact your local nursery. The above said is only a brief overview about this plant and its growing conditions. So, it will be better to gain some extra knowledge about liriope plant care.

Coleus Plants Are Often Given High Regards As Decorative Garden Plants

Belonging to the plant genus Solenostemon, the coleus plant species includes five different types of tropical perennial plants. Owing to their colorful foliage and ornate leaves, many hybrid varieties of coleus are also cultivated which impart these plants their multi-colored look and mixed foliage patterns. The geographical regions that serve as the native growing grounds, the cradles of inception so to say, of these plants are the tropical regions of Africa, Australia, Asia, South and Southeast Asia, the Indonesian Archipelago and the Philippines. Due to its brightly colored leaves, coleus plants are often given high regards as decorative garden plants by plant lovers and gardening enthusiasts. Also, potted coleus plants are often kept in apartments and flats by people to impart some color and natural beauty to these otherwise enclosed habitats, that do not have a garden. Come, let's get to know this beautiful garden plant a little closely.

Scientific Name of Coleus

Although more than one plant species are known commonly as coleus, Coleus Blumei and Coleus X hybridus are the common scientific names that are used to identify species belonging to the coleus group. Other common names by which coleus plants are known are Poor Man's Croton, Flame Nettle, Painted Nettle, Painted Leaf and simply Coleus.

Caring for a Coleus Plant

If you're all upbeat about getting a coleus plant for your apartment, then you must be wondering how to care for a coleus plant, aren't you? Well, rid yourself of all worries as I bring you relevant information regarding all you need to know about coleus care. Coleus plants grow best when placed in bright, open areas that are partially covered and receive indirect sunlight. Although they undergo no damage, if exposed to direct sunlight, the brightly colored leaves of coleus plants often exhibit signs of fading when fully exposed to the sun. One of the best tips to keep your coleus fresh and perennial for several years is to remove the flower spikes, as and when they appear and to keep the plant pinched back. If flowers are allowed to bloom, the leaves lose much of their color.

The ideal soil for growing coleus should be quick draining to avoid excess moisture accumulation at the roots. Excess water at the roots can cause them to decay, making the plant die out sooner than it should. You can get commercial potting soil set into the flower-pot in which you intend to grow the coleus plant. You must always take care to ensure that the soil is evenly moist without inching towards sogginess. The ideal pH of the soil should be either neutral or marginally alkaline. Although these seemingly delicate but otherwise hardy plants are extremely adaptable to a wide range of atmospheric temperatures above 55 °F, they undergo the best rate of growth and exhibit the most strikingly bright hues of color when kept within a temperature range of 70°F to 85°F.

If it's an open garden that you intend to grow your coleus plants in, make sure that you plant them at least a foot apart from each other in the flower bed. Suppose the plants appear to wilt due to the soil getting dried out, this should not be a cause of concern as they recover very quickly once the adequate amount of moisture is restored. Nourishing your coleus plants with a liquid, multipurpose fertilizer once every month along with overseeing the soil moisture levels and keeping the flowers off are sufficient to keep your plants healthy and colorful for many seasons.

Are Coleus Plants Poisonous?

Well, depending upon the sensitivity level of each individual's skin, the coleus leaves may give you a mild version of allergic dermatitis. You may get reddish rashes on the skin if you've been in contact with the leaves for a long time or pretty frequently. The irritation usually lasts for just a few minutes and medical attention may not be needed at all.

That is all you need to know about coleus plants and croton plant care, whether you keep them as houseplants or plant them in elaborate flower beds. Slugs, snails, aphids, mealy bugs and white flies are the most common parasitic bugs that pose threat to the colorful foliage of coleus plants. Look out for random perforations and tears in the leaves to identify bug attacks on your beloved coleus plants and sprinkle appropriate anti-parasite products to keep them at bay. After all, you wouldn't want those little devils to spoil the colorful view, would you?

Take A Look At The Interesting And Amazing Pitcher Plant Information

We all know that animals hunt for prey and feed on them. Even humans consume some animals and plants. But, have you ever heard of plants, that feed on insects. Yes, there are some carnivorous plants too, like, the pitcher plants. These carnivorous plants usually grow on soil, which has very less amounts of nutrients, especially nitrogen. They derive nutrients by trapping and digesting insects and some other arthropods. There are various types of carnivorous plants with different trapping mechanisms and pitcher plant is one among them. In general, carnivorous plants exhibit any of the following five trapping mechanisms. Some of them have pitfall traps, like, in case of pitcher plants, others have sticky mucilage to get the prey stuck on the plant. In case of snap trap plants, leaves act like traps, whereas bladder plants suck in the prey. Another type of carnivorous plant called lobster-pot trap have hair that guide the prey to the plant's digestive organ. This article is about pitcher plants, that have pitcher-like adaptations to catch prey. Let us take a look at some amazing pitcher plant information.

Pitcher Plant Facts

Now, we know that there are carnivorous plants, that trap insects and digest them. Unlike animals and humans, plants do not have limbs to catch prey. Then, what is the mechanism behind plants trapping insects? The interesting piece of information on the pitcher plant is that these plants have specialized structures that enable them to trap their prey. We have already discussed the different trapping mechanisms in different carnivorous plants. In case of pitcher plant, the trapping mechanism involves pitcher shaped structures formed at the end of the leaves or made of whole leaves.

How do Pitcher Plants Trap Insects?

Most of the pitcher plants have something to lure insects. The lures can be in the form of attractively colored elongated pitchers or nectar. The insects that enter the pitcher find it difficult to get out of the structure, as it has slippery or grooved surfaces. These pitchers contain a liquid called phytotelmata, which drowns the prey and dissolves it gradually. So, the insect that enters the pitcher may directly drown in the liquid or fail to get out of the structure and gradually drowns. This liquid, which is found inside the pitcher may either contain bacteria, that acts on the prey or insect larvae, that feed on the trapped insects. In the latter case, the pitcher plant absorbs the excreta of the larvae, which live harmoniously with the pitcher plant. In some other cases, the liquid contains digesting enzymes, secreted by the plant itself. Once the prey is dissolved the pitcher plant extracts amino acids, peptides, phosphates, ammonium and urea from the solution. Now, you have a basic idea about the course of action of pitcher plant.

Pitcher Plant Classification

Most of the pitcher plants to the families Nepenthaceae and Sarraceniacea. There are two other families, termed Cephalotaceae (with a single species of pitcher plant) and Bromeliaceae (2 to 3 species), with a few pitcher plant species. Pitcher plants belonging to the family Nepenthaceae are mainly tropical and are considered as old world pitcher plants. Those belonging to the family Sarraceniacea can be found across the globe in different climatic conditions. The members of Sarraceniacea are the new world pitcher plants. While the family Nepenthaceae consists of a single genus called Nepenthes with 120 species of pitcher plants, the family Sarraceniacea comprises three genera - Sarracenia, Darlingtonia and Heliamphora. The main difference between the old world and new world pitcher plants lies in the formation and placement of pitcher.

The old world pitcher plants are often found as climbers, with pitchers formed at the tip of tendrils that develop from the midribs of the plant's leaves. While most of them are climbers, there are some, that grow on ground or as epiphytes on trees. Unlike the former category, the new world pitcher plants are mostly ground dwelling with horizontal rhizomes. In case of new world pitcher plants, the pitchers are made of whole leaves. In most cases, the entire leaf rolls to form the pitcher. Even though, all the pitcher plants have pitchers, each type has different interesting features. For example, the pitcher of the cobra pitcher plant resembles the hood of a cobra with an inflated tip and a structure like forked tongue.

Popular Types of Pitcher Plants

Now, you have some basic information on the pitcher plant. Let us take a look at some of the areas where pitcher plants are found along with the pitcher plant scientific names. Among the two largest families of pitcher plants, the most popular species belong to Sarraceniacea, especially the genus Sarracenia. Most of the pitcher plants in this genus are found in the United States and are grown as outdoor plants. The most popular among them are red pitcher plant (Nepenthes ventricosa), pale pitcher plant (Sarracenia alata), yellow trumpet pitcher plant (Sarracenia flava), purple pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea), Sarracenia Dana's Delight, etc. In case of Nepenthaceae family, Nepenthes raja and Nepenthes alata are more commonly grown as houseplants. Red pitcher plants are also considered to be the easiest to grow indoors as long as you maintain proper surroundings and environment conditions and follow pitcher plant care guidelines. These guidelines and other red pitcher plant info can be gained at your local nursery or botanist. Pitcher plant propagation is mainly done through leaf and roost cuttings. Even though, pitcher plant seeds are available, it may take a few years for the plants to grow from seeds.

Now, you have some of the interesting and amazing pitcher plant information. These plants are truly fascinating and if you are interested, you may conduct a deeper study about the various types of pitcher plants and other carnivorous plants.