Week 6 [ 31.05-06.06.2021] Benefits of herbal medicine

As people who live in times of constant technological development, we are eager to move to big cities in search of great experiences, fascinated by the fast pace of life and enchanted by the gorgeous views from skyscrapers. We do not think about less important matters. Only continuous development matters. If necessary, we know that we can easily take advantage of various amenities. One of such facilities is public health care. Another convenience, thanks to the development of medicine, is the availability of all kinds of drugs and supplements. Due to the incessant race, we often forget about things as simple and accessible as, for example, natural medicine. The gifts of nature in the form of herbs are a valuable treasure that we had been using for years, but unfortunately, we do not use it so often recently.

https://pixabay.com/pl/photos/zio%C5%82a-naturalnych-farmaceutyczny-906140/

Herbal medicine is nothing different but a reasonable use of the healing properties of plant extracts. Herbs help to fight chronic diseases, food poisoning, stomach pains, headaches, and sore throats. Herbal medicine supports our immune system and helps people who suffer from nervous disorders. Interestingly, some herbal brews also help with such ailments as nosebleeds, fever, hormonal imbalances, or even bad breath.  They can also be used in the form of compresses for rheumatic ailments, burns or acne. You can make brews out of many herbs even out of such plants as plantain or mistletoe. I can recommend you highly fennel tea for stomach aches, white mulberry brew to lower blood sugar levels and rosemary tea which has antibacterial and antifungal effects comparable even to some antibiotics.

You need to remember that certain herbs can cause strong effects on your body, and it is best to use them as prescribed by your doctor. I have experienced some strong effects of herbs myself. I once bought Ashwagandha in powder form. Ashwagandha is a plant extract with many health benefits, especially those connected with stress relief. The recommended dose on the package was as much as 3 teaspoons (which NOTE is a quite large dose, especially for the first use). One morning, after taking the Ashwagandha extract for the first time, I went to work. After half an hour, I felt my heart rate drop significantly and I became so incredibly sleepy that I had to put my head on the desk. In addition, I felt a slight stomachache. Fortunately, the symptoms passed within half an hour. This situation presents how powerful herbs can be and that you have to be careful when using them. I have been using ashwagandha since then - of course in reasonable amounts and I must admit that I am satisfied with the results.

Synthetic drugs, commonly available in pharmacies, often have many side effects. Herbal medicine on the other hand, when used responsibly, does not cause any side effects, but provides advantages only. We feel the best in natural environment, and we should more often make use out of what it offers.

https://pixabay.com/pl/photos/herbata-pi%C4%87-%D1%84%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%87%D0%B0%D0%B9-zio%C5%82owe-3673714/

Below I attached two short videos: the first about the History of Herbal Medicine and the second about Ashwagandha:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8SHvgM1bMc

https://www.bbc.co.uk/reel/video/p094qx83/is-ashwagandha-the-new-super-herb-

 

Questions:

1.      Did you have any experience with herbal medicine? If yes, how did you feel about it? Did it work for you?

2.      If you feel sick, do you use painkillers right away or are you looking for other solutions first?

3.      What is your favorite kind of tea/herbal brew if you have any?

 

Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o53_csOQI6M

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00jhprs

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zwkm97h/revision/3

Week 5 [17-23.05.2021] Benefits of keeping a houseplant

From health benefits to enhancing the overall appearance of space – reasons to have an indoor plants in house are plenty. Not only do plants create ‘like home’ feeling, but also they are able to boost your mood, reduce stress level and support the healing process.

Why do we need them?

First of all, they just look good. Plants can rapidly increase the property value. They can breathe life into any room by giving the sense of final decor touch. Some of the varieties have the ability to release delicate scent, which can’t be compered to any artificial air refreshers. Adding some green plants is a simple hack, commonly used in home rental or sales process to make potential buyers more at home.

Reducing stress and anxiety level. Spending time in nature has been proven to relive stress, relax and rejuvenate both body and mind. Plants also have the ability to purify the air, which has overall positive effects on health. To ease anxiety and fight insomnia, try lavender. It’s commonly seen in essential oils and candles scents, but keeping it as a plant could also work. If you are an enthusiast of herbal infusions you can also try lemon balm to calm nerves.

More benefits of houseplants:

• Boost creativity and productivity.

• Better mood during winter.

• Increased quality of sleep.

• Taking care of houseplant can be therapeutic.

 

When it comes to taking care of plant, it almost seems that some of us are just born with green thumb. Others believe that they can kill a cactus. The hesitation behind becoming a plant parent and buying first plant is totally understandable. But fear not! Recommendations for aspiring plant parents with short descriptions below:

 

Monstera    

Or so called ‘trendy plant, which can be seen almost everywhere.’

This tropical, evergeen beauty is famous for it’s characteristic leaf-holes. 

Monstera thrives in indirect, bright to medium light, needs watering every 1-2 weeks and prefers humid conditions.

 https://www.pexels.com/pl-pl/zdjecie/zielona-roslina-w-bialym-garnku-5858235/

 

 

Snake plant

 Also known as ‘Mother-in-Law’s Tongue’ or Sanseveria is one of the easiest to take care of plants. Very forgiving but dosen’t like too much water or soggy soil (which can lead to root rot). 

Prefers bright, indirect light. Just remember to protect this plant from drafty windows during winter.

 https://www.pexels.com/pl-pl/zdjecie/zdjecie-green-snake-house-plant-2123482/

 

 

 

Peace Lily

Another easy to go houseplant. This lovely, popular plant choice, not only brights up the space,

but also clears air. Enjoys medium to low light and tolerates underwatering over overwatering. To chceck if your peace lily needs watering, just touch the soil once a week and check it its dry or still damp. 

 https://zielony-parapet.pl/blog/skrzydlokwiat-kwiaty-domowe-oczyszczajace-powietrze

 

 

 

Are you a plant parent? Do you have any plant at home or want to have? If so, do you enjoy taking care of your plants?

Do you enjoy spending time in nature?

Do you agree that nowadays people started to 'treat their plants as pets and pets as children'?

 

Sources:

https://www.struttandparker.com/knowledge-and-research/5-surprising-health-benefits-of-having-plants-in-your-home

https://www.thesill.com/blogs/care-miscellaneous/why-you-need-plants-in-your-life

https://www.bhg.com.au/indoor-plants-best-house-plants

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes-personal-shopper/2021/01/08/best-indoor-plants-best-house-plants/

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/gardening/advice/g1285/hard-to-kill-plants/

https://www.thesill.com/blogs/plants-101/how-to-care-for-monstera-monstera-deliciosa

https://www.almanac.com/plant/snake-plants

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/peace-lily/peace-lily-plants.htm

 

 

Week 5 [17-23.05.2021] Are Electric Cars Really Greener

 

Over the last few years, we have seen huge pressure from governments and society to change from traditional combustion vehicles to fully electric ones or at least hybrid for ecological reasons. In this article, I would like to present less obvious information about the production of electric cars and a comparison of the ecological aspects of traditional combustion cars to fully electric cars.

The first point is the process of manufacturing the car. The first car is the one with an internal combustion engine. The "cost" of producing a car with an internal combustion engine is about 10 tons of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere. It is a very high value of this gas, but unfortunately it is much lower than in the case of electric cars. This is primarily related to the batteries necessary in electric cars, additional cost in the case of a small electric car is about 5/10 tons of CO2, while in the case of large electric cars such as e.g. Tesla Model S is up to 20 tons of CO2 with the largest version of the battery. This value is three times higher than in the case of an average car with an internal combustion engine.

Another issue is CO2 emissions during the operation of the car. For example, an Opel Corsa with a 130 HP internal combustion engine emits about 136g of CO2 per 1km, while an electric car of the same manufacturer with similar power officially emits 0 CO2. Unfortunately, we have to take into account how electricity is produced in a given country, so for example in Poland it is mainly coal power plants which also emits CO2 where, calculated (in the source) it gives us about 110 g per 1 km. The situation is much better in the case of countries where energy is based on renewable energy sources. Another aspect of ecology in the production of these electric cars is the fact that electric batteries are made of a large amount of minerals such as cadmium, lithium and nickel. These raw materials are very harmful to the environment, they are also difficult to dispose of because their reuse or regeneration is not profitable.

A big problem that is not discussed yet is the question of the durability of these batteries. Manufacturers guarantee a battery life of up to about 160,000 km or 8 years. In the event that this time or mileage limit ends, the replacement is unprofitable due to the price of the battery, which is often not much less than the value of the entire car. In addition, in the event of a collision in which the battery has been damaged, the car cannot be repaired and is completely scrapped or the entire battery has been replaced (remember about CO2 emissions in the production of batteries). Norway is a good example, where 54% of new cars are fully electric. It turns out that even with the smallest bumps, cars are scrapped due to the unprofitable repair or the inability to repair it. As a result, scrap yards in Norway are flooded with new cars.

The last thing I want to discuss here is the air condition in Poland and what percentage of this phenomenon is caused by cars. Every year in Poland smog kills many people, but what percentage of air pollution is caused by cars. According to the NIK report from 2018, pollution in Poland caused by cars is only 6%. It turns out that the greatest percentage of the tragic air quality is caused by households which cause 82% to 92% of smog (poor quality of fuel burned in stoves and outdated technology of stoves). They go back to pollution caused by cars. From these 6%, we can distinguish three main sources of pollution, of which as much as 80% is secondary dust, i.e. road dust that is carried by all cars, including electric ones, while 13% is abrasion of tires and brakes. . Only 7% of air pollutants caused by cars are exhaust fumes. This means that car exhaust fumes are responsible for only 0.5% of air pollution in Poland.

Questions:

1.       Did you know that electric cars are not so green?

2.       Do you prefer electric cars or internal combustion car?

3.       What fuel can be better for cars if not electricity?

 

Sources:

https://www.nik.gov.pl/plik/id,7764,vp,9732.pdf

https://youmatter.world/en/are-electric-cars-eco-friendly-and-zero-emission-vehicles-26440/

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/02/climate/electric-vehicles-environment.html

https://e.autokult.pl/35416,blisko-100-tys-zl-za-akumulatory-w-autach-elektrycznych-wysoka-cena-ratowania-swiata

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYkQDLJMSu8&ab_channel=Ca%C5%82aPrawda

Week 5 [17-23.05.2021] Secret Sky Virtual festival

 

 (https://photos.bandsintown.com/large/11204126.jpeg)

    Concerts and music festivals are often eagerly anticipated by fans. These are events where you can meet many interesting people, create friendships and experience something unforgettable. Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus pandemic, virtually any events of this type have become something unattainable. The artists and their fans were deprived of interaction with each other, people could not feel the thrill that accompanied them when the lights on the stage and the sound of music were suddenly turned on.

    Even though I haven't been to many concerts, I'm a big fan of them. It's amazing how this type of event can connect people and arouse so many positive emotions. I believe that along with the need to cancel all kinds of concerts and festivals, their fans have lost something very important and they were looking forward to anything that could at least slightly recreate what they had lost.

    Fortunately for fans of electronic music and Porter Robinson himself, on April 24 a very interesting and important event took place. The aforementioned electronic music author Porter Robinson with Swardy, Wave Racer, Rezz, Kero Kero Bonito and many others decided to organize a virtual festival called Secret Sky. The concert took place in a browser-based auditorium built by Active Theory's creative design team, with optional VR support developed in collaboration with Oculus.

 

(https://i0.wp.com/thegroovecartel.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/rsz_porter_robinson_secret_sky_amain_area.jpg?fit=1024%2C490&ssl=1)

    The site took fans into a huge field full of avatars depicting real people. Each of the users, instead of the typical nickname above their head, had only a short information where they came from. The white circles on the floor allowed players to join voice chats and mix with other groups from around the world. Thanks to this solution, many interesting situations had place, many new bonds were created and many new acquaintances were made during the festival. I had a chance to talk to people from many corners of the world, on the most common topics, from musical tastes, politics, hobbies to how someone's day just passed. Even though I didn't have direct contact with other festival goers, I felt as if they were right next to me. It was possible to take part in the festival via a browser, but the main attraction was the possibility of using a VR set. I had never used a VR for such a long time before, the festival lasted until 5am and I must admit that at the end of it I thought my eyes had turned into hot embers, but it was worth it.

Ending of festival 

song: Porter Robinson - Look at the sky

    Something as simple as being able to voice my enthusiasm about how much I "love this song" with other people around was really cool. You can say that thanks to this whole pandemic, I started to appreciate even such simple things that I would never even think about.

 

1. What do you think about the event I have described, do you think that such events may gain popularity in the future? Or maybe you also took part in this festival?

2. Would you like to take part in such an event? If so, which artist would you like to hear?

3. What is your opinion on the VR technology itself? Do you think it may find wider application in the future?