Wellness

BEAUTIFUL BLOSSOMS ARE HEALING BODIES & MINDS NOW

Blossoms aren’t just beautiful to see and smell, some can help make our minds and bodies more beautiful too. We are sharing recents studies that show how cherry and honeysuckle blossoms can make you more beautiful now.

A new study has found that cherry blossom extract (CBE) significantly reduces inflammation when applied to skin.

This study, published by Chinese scientist Y.Q. Zhang, tested the effects of cherry blossom extract on nitric oxide, an inflammatory present in the human body. Both in vitro, and in vivo, among 40 human subjects, the positive results were remarkable.

When tested against placebo, CBE was found to reduce the production of nitric oxide, an inflammatory present in the human body, by 31.83%.

Look for cherry blossom extract in skin care products now, including Refan, The Body Shop Japanese Cherry Blossom Lotion, L'Occitane Eau de Toilette Cherry Blossom, and L’Occitane Cherry Blossom Hand Cream.

Read more about the study in a recent article published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science.

HONEYSUCKLE BLOSSOMS

Chinese researchers, led by Dr. Chen-Yu Zhang, of Nanjing University, have just discovered a “virological penicillin” in honeysuckle blossoms. This is exciting news because there is currently no natural medicinal treatment on the market for viral infections.

While, honeysuckle (Longerica japonica) has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat influenza for centuries, scientists have finally identified exactly what it is about honeysuckle that fights viruses, a molecule called MIR2911 (honeysuckle-encoded atypical microRNA2911).

MIR2911 directly targets multiple strains of influenza, including swine and avian flu. It represses two genes, PB2 and NS1, required for replicating the virus.

This discovery could be comparable to Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin to fight bacterial infections almost a century ago, which has since saved millions.

Honeysuckle blossom tea can be marketed to help prevent influenza A, and potentially other viruses as well.

The study was published recently in the journal Cell Research.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

Image: by Barbara Friedman. Cherry Blossoms.
Image: Courtesy of U.S. Department of State (IIP Bureau). Cherry Blossom Festival.
Image: by sallysue. Spring blossoms.
Image: by Taís Melillo. Cherry Blossoms.
Image: Courtesy of L’Occitane. L'Occitane Eau de Toilette Cherry Blossom.
Image: by Marise Caetano. Uma madressilva inglesa nessa quinta-flower! Saudade dos amigos!
Image: by J. Michael Raby. Japanese Honeysuckle.
Image: by Carol Foil. Japanese Honeysuckle.
Image: by dw_ross. Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica).
Image: by Jon Sullivan. Japonica Flower.
Image: Courtesy of BeautifulNow. BN App.
Image: by Roine Johansson. Honeysuckle.