Plum

A plum or gage is a stone fruit tree in the genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus. Mature plum fruit may have a dusty-white coating that gives them a glaucous  appearance and is easily rubbed off. This is an epicuticular wax coating and is known as "wax bloom". Dried plum fruits are called dried plums or prunes, although prunes are a distinct type of plum, and may have antedated the fruits now commonly known as plums.

Plum benefits are many, and they make a cheap and easy way of turning back the clock and looking younger. The health benefits of plums have certainly gained them the label of superfood. And the amount of plum recipes is endless, such as stewed plums, plum jam recipe, plum sauce recipe, you can even make plum wine and the list goes on.

Here are some profits of using plum :

•     Natural way for helping with constipation
•     Cleanse your intestine
•     Help keep a healthy heart
•     Maintain blood sugar levels
•     Help keep wrinkles at bay
•     Maintain digestive health

The prune, a variety of dried plum, has been recommended as a remedy against viciousness and irritability. An American doctor declares that there is a certain medicinal property in the prune which acts directly upon the nervous system, and that is where the evil passions have their seat. He reports that he tried the experiment of including prunes in the meals of the vicious, intractable youths of a reformatory, and that by the end of a week they were peaceable as lambs. Most writers who comment on this seem to suggest that any fruit which is mildly aperient would produce the same effect. But the mother of a large family tells me that she has observed that prunes seem to possess a soothing property that is all their own.

Banana

Banana is invaluable in inflammation of all kinds. For this reason it is very useful in cases of typhoid fever, gastritis, peritonitis, etc., and may constitute the only food allowed for a time. Bananas are excellent food for anemic persons on account of the iron they contain. A very palatable way of taking them is with fresh orange juice.

Not only does it actually subdue the inflammation of the intestines, but, in the opinion of at least one authority, as it consists of 95 per cent. nutriment, it does not possess sufficient waste matter to irritate the inflamed spots.

But great care should be taken in its administration. The banana should be thoroughly sound and ripe, and all the stringy portion carefully removed. It should then be mashed and beaten to a cream. In severe cases I think it is better to give this neat, but if not liked by the patient a little lemon juice, well mixed in, may render it more acceptable. It may also be taken with fresh cream.

A friend who has had a very wide experience in illness told me that she was once hurriedly sent for at night to a girl suffering from peritonitis. Not knowing what she might, or might not, find in the way of remedies when she arrived at her destination, my friend took with her some strong barley water, bananas, and an enema syringe. She found the girl lying across the bed screaming, obviously in agony. First of all my friend administered a warm water enema. A pint of plain warm water was injected first, and after this had come away as much warm water as could be got in was injected and then allowed to come way. The object of this was to thoroughly wash out the bowels. Then the barley water was warmed, the bananas mashed, beaten to cream, and mixed in with the barley water. A soothing nutrient lotion was thus prepared, and as much as the patient could bear comfortably was injected in the bowel and retained as long as possible. The effect was magical. The pain subsided, and the patient ultimately recovered.

In the absence of  perfectly  ripe bananas, baked bananas may be used. But, although better than no fruit at all, cooked fruit is never so valuable as the fresh fruit, if only the latter be perfectly ripe. Bananas should be baked in their skins, and the stringy pieces carefully removed before eating. From twenty minutes to half an hour's slow cooking is required.

A comparatively old-fashioned remedy, for sprained or bruised places that show a tendency to become inflamed is to apply a plaster of banana skin.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon has long been used in both cooking and in medicine. Since Egyptian times, cinnamon's healing abilities have been recognized and utilized. Chinese medical journals record cures with cinnamon dating back to 2,800 B.C. Cinnamon has also been used in Ayurvedic Medicine in India. Cinnamon is a known antibacterial and antifungal and has anti-inflammatory properties.

Cinnamon is a very old-fashioned remedy for soothing the pain of internal or unbroken cancer. Cinnamon has a powerful influence over disease germs, but care must be taken to obtain it pure. It is often adulterated with cassia. Cinnamon tea may be taken with advantage in cases of consumption, influenza, and pneumonia.

The active ingredient in cinnamon is a chemical called coumarin. This compound is known to thin blood, and for this reason, pregnant women and diabetics are not advised to consume cinnamon.