UAE scientists have found that chemicals on frog skin can produce antibiotics for otherwise resistant “superbugs” Frogs eat annoying, disease-carrying mosquitoes that we’re so eager to get rid of, as well as other insects and pests, and despite being a tasty snack for various omnivores, including humans, have survived 300 million years of earth’s onslaughts. […]
Painful bee stings are said to relieve serious ailments. Green Prophet talked to beekeeper Yanay Zacks about Bee Venom Therapy in Israel. We thought we knew plenty about the medicinal value of honey and bee products. Bee pollen, propolis, and royal jelly have all been used as medicine for centuries. But who knew that bee […]
Herbal teas, as far as the eye can see, and all with healthy benefits. Despite the heat of what is one of the hottest Middle Eastern summers in years, it is still easy to get sick when moving in and out of air-conditioning. As a child, getting sick always amounted to one thing for me: […]
We look at herbs and minerals from around the world used to improve female sensual health. When in doubt, ask your local witch.
One hump or two? Feisty camels might have a bad rap, but their milk is low in fat, and full of vitamin C and iron. The next thing to hit Whole Foods? At the tail end of breastfeeding week, we thought we’d draw attention to another kind of milk widely touted in the Middle East […]
Greening your office space is also about creating the right “peace” of mind. Read on for tips and inspiration. Why is it that your office colleague, once so sweet, now grates on your nerves? How could it be the long bus ride to the office, which used to be a relaxing hour to catch up […]
Learn how to reduce the carbon footprint of your wedding with tips from eco-Muslim Rianne ten Veen. Image via Amrufum The sun is shining and the days are long right now in the Middle East, which can only mean one thing- it’s wedding season! Invitations are flooding in and every night there seems to be […]
Deep Economy is probably the first economics book you’ll read that advocates for less economic growth. The book is framed around a simple, yet zealous premise – that what we need is Better rather than More. Author Bill McKibben believes, as do a growing number of economists, that we indeed have to choose between one […]
“Smoked pigs” decompose slower than those that don’t smoke. (They were actually injected with nicotine). With smoking rampant in the Middle East, and rates in children increasing all the time, a new CSI study, using pigs of all creatures has found that those injected with nicotine decompose slower than those pigs which weren’t injected, reports […]
Miriam recommends natural teas and a tincture for third-trimester ladies – and their husbands. Having actively worked as a doulah for many years, I’ve always used herbalist’s wisdom to support women in pregnancy. Here are some herbs to ease the wait of the lady in waiting: The third trimester can be trying. Exhaustion, possibly return of […]
The humidity of the Middle East can result in a six month stretch of “bad hair day”. But help is on the way, naturally. Image via Perfecto Insecto When I think of summer, one of the first ideas that pops into my head is the beach, followed very closely by the thought “Oh no, but […]
The crucial test, apparently, and one which we should remember and apply, is "would our grandma or great-grandma recognise this alleged food item as food?"
The USA allows them, and the EU has banned them, but the controversy over genetically modified foods is far from over, globally or in the Middle East. While Israel prohibits the import of genetically modified seeds, according to a 2009 article in Haaretz, even green-savvy consumers may be eating their fair share of Frankenfoods. (Genetically […]
Miriam continues the fourth part of her series on medicinal herbs from the Middle East. To keep things simple for this series, we’re only considering the medicinal properties of dried seasonings. (See parts I, II, and III here on Green Prophet.) Some herbs don’t amount to much when dried. Basil, parsley, and coriander leaf, for […]
Need another reason to eat organic? Or at least pesticide-free? In a study to be published this month, Israeli researchers examining the prevalence of Parkinson’s disease in the Wadi Ara Arab communities in northern Israel found an unusually high prevalence of the disease in the areas of Baqa al-Gharbiyeh. Baqa al-Gharbiyeh, an Arab community, […]
Exercise in the United Arab Emirates: If more people did it, maybe the UAE wouldn’t be the 18th fattest country in the world. Photo by The National. With the United Arab Emirates boasting one of the world’s highest obesity rates, expatriates working there complain that their adopted country is packing on their pounds. Abu Dhabi-based […]
When we wrote about the new Herbawi Home Center in Jenin earlier this year, we wondered if it would bring suburban living to the West Bank. Another change is afoot this month in the town of Ya’abad, west of Jenin, reports the Maan News Agency. With most of the town’s 8,000 residents working in wood-coal, […]
Vegans, vegetarians, and vegawarians make a difference every day by not eating meat. The meat industry is one of the leading industries responsible for fossil fuel consumption and a 2006 UN report found that the global meat industry produces more greenhouse gases than all of the world’s SUVs, cars, trucks, planes and ships combined. If […]
A real-time "Optical Soil Dipstick" (OSD), may help solve the mystery and provide a new diagnostic tool for assessing the health of our planet.
Worried that dust from a nearby construction zone will harm your family’s health? A new Tel Aviv University tool could either confirm your suspicions or better yet, set your mind at rest. Prof. Eyal Ben-Dor and his Ph.D. student Dr. Sandra Chudnovsky, of TAU’s Department of Geography have developed a sensor called “Dust Alert” — […]
A new study reveals that too much sweetened soda and fruit juice may cause long-term liver damage. Switching to water is the best preventive measure to contribute to long-term health.
One of the dangers of exploring the nuclear energy option in the Middle East is radiation sickness and the risks it poses to power plant workers. Of course we are all too aware of the risks of explosions like in Chernobyl too. Radiation sickness, which by many is considered to be even more devastating than […]
Come on guys: this is just another umpteenth reason why people need preserve nature and our seas and respect them — BioLineRx just got a $282 million deal to license its heart healing medicine based on the common brown seaweed. No doubt it is the most expensive seaweed known to medical history – the Israeli […]
If you’re in the South today and haven’t yet seen An Inconvenient Truth, the Watermelon series of six “Green and Red” lectures at Beer Sheva‘s Ashan Hazman cafe/bookshop kicks off with a movie screening and discussion (in Hebrew) at 7 p.m. For the last few months, Ashan Hazman (The smoke of time) has gradually become […]
Breastfeeding involves no processing and no waste, and helps protect the environment, as we’ve been exploring here on Green Prophet’s breastfeeding series. Even though breastfeeding is a natural continuation of pregnancy and birth, mothers still worry about producing enough milk. An understanding of how milk production works can help mothers avoid problems and know when […]