The Scent of Elves The Scent of Elves
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Photo by Annie Spratt/Unsplash
Good Food

The Scent of Elves

On Lavender Oil
Dominika Bok
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I like to think about the scent of lavender oil as elven, because in English the plant is sometimes known as ‘elf leaf’. Perhaps this is why it grew on me – and lucky that it did, because it

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A Craving for Cranberries A Craving for Cranberries
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Photo by liz west/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
Good Food

A Craving for Cranberries

Harness the Fruit’s Healing Power
Dominika Bok

There are two varieties of cranberry. There’s the bog cranberry, otherwise known as Vaccinium oxycoccos, which has smaller fruits (about ½ inch in size) and grows in northern and central Europe. Then there’s Vaccinium macrocarpon, which bears fruits as large as one inch in diameter.

The latter is native to North America. Indigenous inhabitants applied cranberries to wounds because it speeds up the healing process. In Europe, the local variety is valued for its antiseptic, antioxidant, and medicinal properties, e.g., in urinary tract and bladder infections. It is also used as a supportive agent in cancer treatment and protects the cardiovascular system.

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