Fantastic Phytochemicals

In all material mass there are radio-isotopes as a trace elements. These radio-isotopes release electrons in the form of free radicals which , in the body, often causes little damage, but occasionally has a carcinogenic effect. In fact, a free radical is released 6 times every second in an average sized human. In places where there has been uranium misuse this problem is greatly increased. However, there are organic compounds (carbon based) that are the answer to this minor threat. They are found in plants, and they are called phytochemicals.
The plant uses the phytochemicals as part of their immune system, protecting them from fungal and bacterial infections. They also add flavour and colour to the plant. The phytochemicals are non-nutritive, but they can save lives.

Here is a list of foods that one can eat or use that have phytochemical action.
Broccoli, Aloe vera, Cabbage, Ginseng (Western and Korean), Brussel Sprouts, Clary Sage, Tomato (best cooked), Common Mallow, Garlic, Cornsilk, Acai, Dandelion, Almond, Ground Ivy, Bilberry, Hawthorn, Black Raspberry, Hop, Blackberry, Hyssop, Cranberry, Indian Cress, Grape, Lemon balm, Guarana, Lemon Verbena, Hazelnut, Marigold, Mangosteen, Milfoil, Maqui Berry, Milk Thistle, Noni, Red Clover, Olive, Rooibos, Orange, Rosemary, Leeks, Pomegranate, Sage, Red Raspberry, Schizandra, Sea Buckthorn, Stinging Nettle, Wild Strawberry, Sweet Clover, Wolfberry, Tea, Wild Carrot, Wild Pansy, Woodruff, Soy, Cacao, Comfrey, Common Broom, Echinacea, Ginkgo, Goat's Rue, Lesser Celandine, Lungwort, Opium Poppy (not recommended), Passion Fruit, Periwinkle, Red Byrony, Valerian, Wintergreen, Vanillin, Cinnamon, Tumeric.

Although that is a substantial list, there are others of course, some that are yet to be discovered and understood. They all have anti-cancer properties. Here is a few examples of which phytochemicals are in which plans and what their effect is.
Antioxidants (the most fashionable phytochemicals) such as allyl sulfides are found in onion, garlic and leeks). Carotenoids are found in fruits and carrots. Flavonoids are found in fruits and vegetables. Polyphenols are found in tea and grapes.
Isoflavones have a hormonal action and have a estrogen effect helping with menopause symptoms and preventative towards osteoporosis. It is found in soy beans, red clover, licorice and garbanzo.
Indoles stimulate enzymes. Cabbage indoles disaffect estrogen, thereby reducing breast cancer risks.
In soy and beans there are protease inhibitors. Terpenes are found in citrus fruits and cherries.
Some phytochemicals interfere with DNA, thereby reducing cancer multiplication. Saponins found in beans do this.
Allicin in garlic has antibacterial properties.
Proanthocyanidins in cranberries have the physical action of binding to the cell wall, preventing pathogens from doing the same thing. Cranberries have this compound, and is good for reducing urinary tract infections and are good for dental health.

If you want to do further research or play match the chemical to the plant, here is a list of other phytochemicals.
Alkaloids such as caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline. Anthocyanins such as cyanioin and malvidin. Carotenoids such as beta-caroene, lutein, and lycopene. Coumestans, and Flavan-3-Ols. Flavonoids such as epicatechin, hesperidin, isorhamnetin, kaempferol, myricetin, naringin, proanthocyanidins, quercetin, resveratrol, rutin, and tangeretin. Hydroxycinnamic acids such as chicoric acid, coumarin, ferulic acid, and scopoletin. Isoflavones like daidzein and genistein. Lignans as silymarin. Monophenals as hydroxytyrosol. Monoterpenes such as geranoil and limonene. Organosulfides such as allicin, glutathione, indole-3-carinol, isothiocyanates, and sulforaphane.

The pith (the white stuff) in fruit has a lot of phytochemicals and vitamin C.

If you extend the logic of using phytochemicals to reduce the effects of free radicals upon the body to an external level, as in the enviroment, it could be that living in an area that has a large biomass (has a lot of plants and animals living in it, mostly plants), the environment around the body is absorbing a lot of free radicals and other carconagens (like radiation). This would in turn reduce the amount of work that the bodie's internal workings has to expend in stabilising and removing these damaging particals. Also, areas with little biomass have very little insulation from free radicals as well as a tendency to have a higher degree of free radicals, carconegens, and heavy metals etc. that can stay that way for longer periods with the only changes being a larger extreme in temperatures.

Anyway, I personally think that a lot more research could be done in the area of phytochemicals and the naturally derived carbon based compounds in plants as solutions for all sorts of medical, social, industrial and primary industry problems. There are medicinal plants known and unknown all around the world that have yet to be experimented with and understood for their greatest potential. I'm sure that random exploration of the phytochemicals in our wilderness, with the help of "primitive" forest, and desert, peoples (including other primates) could be most lucrative for both the people, microbiologists and other scientists (like anthropologists), herbalists and general (primary, farmers and secondary, pharmaceutical) industry.

Mycelia Miracles

Moulds, mushrooms, lichen and toadstools. What would we do without them? We wouldn't survive. They are a very important part of all ecosystems, breaking down dead organic compounds and recycling them into useful loams etc for the rest of he ecology to use. One creature's trash is another's treasure. Plants couldn't absorb food without their symbiotic relationship with mycelia (which lives on and in their root system).
Mycelia are the "root" system of fungal life. We often see the mushrooms etc, which is actually just the sex organ of the fungus, but the most important part is often hidden or ignored, and that is the mycelium.
The biggest living organism is actually 2400 acres of a single mycelia in the American state of Oregon. It has been broken up by logging tracks, but it is still the same organism. It would have to have started from a single spore over a thousand years ago.
Because mycelia have the crucial task of breaking down organic compounds, it has been cited for potentially consuming pollution and toxins that have wrecked havoc on our delicate ecosystem (such as petroleum, or residual fertilisers). Mycelium does release carbons back into the air, but it is worth it for the cleansing and feeding effect it has on the environment. Some farmers actually add mycelia into their soil to boost plant growth.
It has already provides all sorts of things for us besides mushrooms. Penicillin and cheeses both use various mycelium. The original fungus that produces penicillin sold for a very tidy sum for the day, but it's value in lives saved and quality of lives improved is immeasurable.
The pattern created in fairy rings comes from the way mycelium operate underground, spreading outwards and consuming it's original base in the middle to recycle and reuse the parts that have run out of food. It will concentrate on areas where there is more organic compounds for it to eat, and less where there is less food, or where conditions are harsh. It will become hardened when there is not enough water.
In every breath each of us breathes there are usually more mycelia spores then pollen. It is a very diverse lifeform, giving the earth that wonderful smell after a rainfall. Some people are allergic to mould spores, just as some are allergic to pollen.
Although warm, nutritious, wet and not too bright places are there their favourite places, they are found in cooler places. Tropical forest fungi are an area which still needs a lot of research as a lot of fungi are still not classified. In fact, definitions between fungi are still unclear, as flagellated (spores with tails) mycelia and other lifeforms are still being classified, maybe even requiring a kingdom of their own.
As mycelia use enzymes to break down carbon based biomass, they are very interesting for other reasons, namely the production of chemicals that could be useful to us as medicines and other industries. It is an area that deserves funding from governments and industries simply as research for research sake, as it is highly likely that one would accidentally stumble upon some compound that is extremely useful (and therefore profitable) in some area of modern life.
Anyway, saving the world is all in a day's work for the humble mycelia. They deserve a pop song all of their own!

Phenomenal Phytoplankton

Phytoplankton are amazing little microscopic plants that the entire world depends on for oxygen, food and carbon removal. They live in water (oceans, lakes and rivers), near the surface. There are approximately 5000 different kinds (which is surprising considering they are autotropic). They are fascinating to look at because they form all kinds of geometric shapes, looking like something off a UFO (http://www.cedareden.com/). They produce about half of the world's oxygen, and absorb thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. When they die, they sink to the bottom of the ocean or lake, taking the carbon with them. Lots of things eat them, like krill. They are the bottom of the food chain, but they are highly inspiring! Buddha or Christ would be proud of their meekness.
All they need to grow is sunlight, and minerals. Ocean currents bring minerals up from the bottom of the ocean (or the mouths of rivers) which the phytoplankton use to grow, using sunlight for energy. They absorb carbon from the atmosphere and organic compounds such as carbohydrates, utilising minerals dissolved in the water and produce oxygen. They particularly need iron as well as other minerals.
There is a modern problem for phytoplankton though. Because of all the unstable acids, salts from fertilisers, carbon overload in the air etc, and other chemical rubbish we pump into our waterways and oceans, the sea is becoming more acidic. This is causing difficulties for all lifeforms there, such as weakening crustacean's protective shells, damaging coral, and reducing the productivity of phytoplankton (and reducing the food supply of the animals who rely on them). This is a problem.
There are saving graces in the case of phytoplankton though. Phytoplankton reproduce rapidly, living for only a couple of days. There are, of course, mutations that occur regularly. If our oceans get irrepairably acidic we may lose most of our food sources, but at least phytoplankton will evolve fast enough to survive. Lets just hope that whatever evolves next is still producing oxygen, not some other gas, considering it is utilising very different chemicals, and levels of chemicals, to the ones it grew used to over millennia.