Black currant (Ribes nigrum) is a deciduous shrub of the family Saxifragaceae native to Asia, north and central Europe. It has erect spineless twigs, and alternate stalked leaves that are three- to five-lobed, the lobes pointed and coarsely toothed. The flowers are small, greenish-white in colour and arranged in loose pendulous racemes in the leaf axils. The fruit is an edible - though very bitter - globose black berry.
Black currant has been cultivated for its fruit for hundreds of years, and has been used as a general tonic - presumably due to its high vitamin C content - since at least the 16th century. Research Black Currant
Guava is the popular name of the genusPsidium, which are tropical trees of the family Myrtaceae. Psidium Guaiava (the guava tree) is a small tree, with square branches, egg-shaped leaves, and large white axillary flowers, which are succeeded by fleshy berries, which are either apple or pear shaped in the two principal varieties. The pulp is of an agreeable flavour, and of this fruit is made a delicious and well-known jelly. There is also a product called guava cheese. The fruit of the guava is high in vitamin C. Research Guava
Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) is a deciduous shrub or small tree of the family Elaegnaceae with much-branched, thorny, grey twigs and alternate, almost sessile, linear to lanceolate leaves which have inrolled margins and are dark-green above and silvery white below. The flowers are dioecious and greenish in colour. The fruit is an orange-coloured drupe-like ovoid. The fruits contain organic acids, tannins, provitamin A, vitamin C, B vitamins and vitamin E, and are used prepared into syrups and preserves and used to prevent infection and improve eyesight. Research Sea Buckthorn
The strawberry (Fragaria) is a genus of low growing perennials of the Rosaceae family. The bright red fruit is the swollen and fleshy base of the flower, and has numerous achenes embedded on the surface, and are rich in vitamin C. The leaves are trefoil, rough, and toothed, hairy on the underside. The flowers are white or yellow, five-petalled and unisexual. Strawberries propagate themselves by way of fast-growing runners. There are eight species, of which Fragaria vesca is native to Great Britain. Research Strawberry
Budding yeasts are true fungi of the phylum Ascomycetes, class Hemiascomycetes. The true yeasts comprise the family Saccharomycetes, which has but one genusSaccharomyces, but includes at least ten species. The classification of yeasts is a specialized field using cell, ascospore, and colony characteristics for distinguishing genera, and physiological characteristics - particularly the ability to ferment individual sugars - to identify species. Yeasts are heterotrophic, lack chlorophyll, and are characterized by a wide dispersion of natural habitats. Common on plant leaves and flowers, yeasts are also found on the skin surfaces and in the intestinal tracts of warm-blooded animals, where they may live symbiotically or as parasites. In women, who are pregnant or taking antibiotics, an infection of the vagina and vulva caused by a yeast like fungus Candida albicans, is common. Yeasts are also found in soil and saltwater, where they contribute to the decomposition of plant and algal matter.
Yeasts multiply as single cells that divide by budding or direct division, or they may grow as simple irregular filaments. In sexual reproduction most yeasts form asci, which contain up to eight haploid ascospores. These ascospores may fuse with adjoining nuclei and multiply through vegetative division or, as with certain yeasts, fuse with other ascospores. The most well-known and commercially significant yeasts are the related species and strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These organisms have long been utilized to ferment the sugars of rice, wheat, barley, and corn to produce alcoholic beverages and in the baking industry to expand, or raise, dough. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is commonly used as baker's yeast and for some types of fermentation. Yeast is often taken as a vitamin supplement because it is 50 percent protein and is a rich source of B vitamins, niacin, and folic acid. The yeast's function in baking is to ferment sugarspresent in the flour or added to the dough. This fermentation gives off carbon dioxide and ethanol. The carbon dioxide is trapped within tiny bubbles and results in the dough expanding, or rising. Research Yeast
Erythrocytes or red blood cells, carry 99% of the oxygen the body needs. Although plasma circulates throughout the body, it can only carry about one percent of the oxygen that the body needs. Red blood cells are the most abundant cells in the body, constituting about 45% of the blood. Their main function is to carry oxygen to tissue and remove carbon dioxide waste. Red blood cells are mainly made of water and hemoglobin, an iron- containing protein. Hemoglobin gives red blood cells their colour and is so highly concentrated in individual cells that it almost forms crystals. It is an important protein in the transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Red blood cells are manufactured in myeloid tissue, better known as red bonemarrow. It is found mainly in the sternum, ribs, and cranial bones, although a few other bones also contain small amounts of the tissue. Each cell is very small, about .008 centimeter in diameter and shaped like a round cushion, with a hollow on each side. The rate of red cellformation is regulated by a messenger hormone called erythropoietin which is
produced in the kidneys. This hormone signals the cell to begin growth. First, the cell splits in two. Each of the pair in turn divides until there are sixteen red blood cells. Inside each of the cells hemoglobin is being produced. This production continues until the concentration of the protein becomes 95% of the dry weight of the cell. As this saturation point nears, the cell expels its nucleus, taking on a biconcave shape and thus, increasing its oxygen- carrying potential. At this point, the cell is called a corpuscle. The production of a corpuscle takes six days to complete. Yet the cell will only live for 120 days. About two and a half million red blood cells are destroyed every second. They are broken down into their constituent parts, some of which can be used again to manufacture new red cells. Normal red bloodcell production depends upon the body having an adequate supply of iron and two main vitamins: B12 and folic acid. There are many diseases due to deficiencies in red cells, they are collectively known as anemia. Hemolytic anemia is caused by
excessive destruction of red blood cells. It is often caused by poisoning, or a disease such as malaria, or may be an inherited condition. Pernicious anemia, in which large numbers of abnormally large red cells are made, is due to lack of proper absorption of vitamin B12. It can now be easily controlled with regular injections of the vitamin. Research Erythrocytes
Isonicotinic acid hydrazide is an agent found by Domagk to inhibit the growth of tubercle bacilli. It has been used since 1952 in the treatment of tuberculosis. It is closely related to the vitaminnicotinamide, and is also used in the treatment of depression. Research Isonicotinic acid hydrazide
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Black Currant
