Blog List

Sunday 24 April 2016

What Happens If I Eat a Protein Shake Before a Workout?

Protein shakes consist of protein powder mixed with water or milk. Usually prepared in a blender or a shake cup, protein shakes are an integral part of the pre-workout regimen for many people. Drinking a protein shake before exercising is supposed to improve your workout and aid in achieving fitness goals. While protein shakes aren't for everyone, drinking one before your workout may have benefits.

What Happens If I Eat a Protein Shake Before a Workout?
A protein shake before working out can give you the energy you need to give your workout your all. Photo Credit ferlistockphoto/iStock/Getty Images.


Muscle Manufacturing

According to Bodybuilding.com, drinking protein shakes before exercising is important for those who are looking to build muscle. Muscles are made up primarily of protein, and taking a protein shake before work helps provide your body with the protein it needs to become stronger and build muscle. Protein is also used to create enzymes and other hormones that your body needs to continue to build strength.

Muscle Healing

Working out causes intense contractions which lead to small tears in the fibers of your muscles. This minor damage to the muscles when you work out is one of the reasons why rest days are so important -- the muscles need time to recuperate and repair themselves. Protein helps deliver many of the vital nutrients that your body needs for this repair. Not getting enough protein can lead to over-training of your muscles, which can eventually lead to injury. Drinking a protein shake before working out can help your body heal more quickly and efficiently between workouts, reports Bodybuilding.com.

Protein for Energy

Protein shakes contain complex carbohydrates, which are an important source of energy for the body. Drinking a protein shake before your workout can help ensure that you have enough energy to put your all into your workout and get the most out of it. Take a protein shake before your workout on the days when you need a bit of an extra push to get you going.

Before Workout vs. After Workout


The benefits of a protein shake can be had by those who choose to take them after working out, as well, reports Straight Health. While there is no way to reap the energy-giving benefits of a protein shake during your workout as you would by taking it beforehand, taking a shake after working out can still help to provide the vital protein needed to repair the damage that working out can do to your muscles. Experiment with a protein shake before and after your workout and see which one works best for you.
www.livestrong.com

Buying & Restoring Hand Tools with Ron Herman

THE JEFF MILLER WOODWORKING COLLECTION - ORDER NOW!

By Ron Herman

Format: DVD 


Other available formats: DOWNLOAD
Breathe new life into old woodworking hand tools!
There’s nothing more satisfying than bringing a fine old woodworking tool back to life. Restoring old hand tools the right way can save you money, and provides you with a high-quality tool that’s often more precise than modern-day replacements.
In the woodworking double-disc video, Buying & Restoring Hand Tools, traditional hand-tool expert Ron Herman will help you assess individual tools and shop for the best deal to ensure you’re making a smart purchase. Once you have what you know is a quality tool, learn how to bring it back to working condition and tune it for maximum performance.
Join Ron Herman for 6+ hours of instruction as he explains exactly how to restore:
  • hand planes
  • drills and bits
  • braces
  • chisels
  • marking gauges
  • and more.
About the Author:
Ron Herman has been working with antique and vintage tools as a master housewright and carpenter – sharpening, fettling, using and restoring them – almost all of his life. Ron teaches on this topic in classes (woodworkingwithron.com) and in magazines. He is also the owner of his family's 100-year-old business, Antiquity Builders.

For further information log on website:

http://www.shopwoodworking.com/buying-restoring-hand-tools-with-ron-herman-dvd

The Ultimate Table Saw Guide

THE JEFF MILLER WOODWORKING COLLECTION - ORDER NOW!

By Popular Woodworking

Format: DVD 

3 books on 1 disc!
The table saw is the No.1 power tool in most woodworking shops. Its versatility has been proven again and again. This DVD contains three books that provide you with all the information you need to:
  • Learn about saw blades and safety 
  • Tune up your table saw 
  • Flush trim and straight-line rip 
  • Make tapered cuts 
  • Cut sheet stock
You'll also discover how to make:
  • A circle-cutting fixture 
  • Rip and crosscut sleds 
  • A miter jig with sliding stop 
  • A raised panel fixture with positive sliding action and integral hold-downs 
  • Shop-made splitters and push sticks 
  • An adjustable dado-spacing fixture 
  • A vacuum-actuated fence for ripping thin slices of wood.

For further information log on website:

http://www.shopwoodworking.com/woodworking-warehouse-sale

Healthy Breakfast Foods With High Carbohydrates, Lean Proteins & Low Fats

Eat a healthy breakfast and avoid running out of energy before lunch. Eggs, low-fat dairy and soy products offer those seeking a healthy breakfast protein grams without a lot of fat. Pair your protein with whole-grain products to get a dose of carbohydrates and complete incomplete vegetarian proteins. Adding fruit to your breakfast, such as bananas, strawberries and raisins, also contributes carbohydrates and trace amounts of fats to your healthy breakfast.

Healthy Breakfast Foods With High Carbohydrates, Lean Proteins & Low Fats
Drink a glass of low-fat milk with breakfast for a protein boost. Photo Credit Goodshoot/Goodshoot/Getty Images.

Poached Eggs

Poach eggs by putting them into gently simmering liquid, over low heat. When you poach eggs with water, you add no calories. You can also poach eggs in broth, tomato sauce or other liquid. Remove the egg yolks to reduce the fat content. Three poached egg whites have no carbohydrates, 12 g of protein and zero g of fat. Serve the eggs with whole grain carbohydrates like two pieces of wheat toast.

Low-Fat Dairy

Eat low-fat dairy for breakfast to get protein and carbohydrates. Spoon out a 1 cup serving of 1 percent fat cottage cheese for 10 g of carbohydrates, 28 g of protein and 2 g of fat. Drink a cup of 1 percent fat milk for 12 g of carbohydrates, 8 g of protein and 1.6 g of fat.

Vegetable Protein

Vegetarians and vegans can prepare tofu scramble and vegetarian sausage as part of a high protein and low fat breakfast. Pair your protein with whole grain toast to make it high in carbohydrates. To make tofu scramble, season mashed tofu with spices and turmeric for a yellow color, then heat it in a non-stick pan with no oil. A half-block of tofu has 2 g of carbohydrates, 14 g of protein and 8 g of fat but only 0.5 g of saturated fat. Vegetarian sausage links are another option for breakfast. Two unprepared links have 3.1 g of carbohydrates 8.6 g of protein and 2.75 g of fat.

Whole Grain Carbohydrates

Eat whole grain carbohydrates such as wheat toast and hot oatmeal as a complement to lean proteins at breakfast. Two slices of cracked wheat toast has 24 g of carbohydrates, 4 g of protein and 2 g of fat. One cup of oatmeal has 25 g of carbohydrates, 6 g of protein and 2 g of fat.
www.livestrong.com

CANOPY (BIOLOGY)

In biology, the canopy is the aboveground portion of a plant community or crop, formed by the collection of individual plant crowns.
A canopy of a forest in Sabah, Malaysia.
In forest ecology, canopy also refers to the upper layer or habitat zone, formed by mature tree crowns and including other biological organisms (epiphytes, lianas, arboreal animals, etc.).
Sometimes the term canopy is used to refer to the extent of the outer layer of leaves of an individual tree or group of trees. Shade trees normally have a dense canopy that blocks light from lower growing plants.


A Monkey Ladder Vine canopy over a road

Canopy layer of forests
Dominant and co-dominant canopy trees form the uneven canopy layer. Canopy trees are able to photosynthesize relatively rapidly due to abundant light, so it supports the majority of primary productivity in forests. The canopy layer provides protection from strong winds and storms, while also intercepting sunlight and precipitation, leading to a relatively sparsely vegetated understory layer.
Forest canopies are home to unique flora and fauna not found in other layers of forests. The highest terrestrial biodiversity resides in the canopy of tropical rainforests. Many rainforest animals have evolved to live solely in the canopy, and never touch the ground.
Canopy of a forest
The canopy of a rainforest is typically about 10m thick, and intercepts around 95% of sunlight. The canopy is below the emergent layer, a sparse layer of very tall trees, typically one or two per hectare. With an abundance of water and a near ideal temperature in rainforests, light and nutrients are two factors that limit tree growth from the understory to the canopy.
In the permaculture and forest gardening community, the canopy is the highest of seven layers.
References

  1. ^ Campbell, G.S., and J.M. Norman. 1990. The description and measurement of plant canopy structure. pp. 1-19 In: Russell, G., B. Marshall, and P.G. Jarvis (editors). Plant Canopies: Their Growth, Form and Function. Cambridge University Press.
  2. ^ Moffett, M.W. 2000. What's up? A critical look at the basic terms of canopy biology. Biotropica 32:569-596.
  3. ^ Hay, R., and R. Porter. 2006 Physiology of Crop Yield (Second edition). Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 1-4051-0859-2, ISBN 978-1-4051-0859-1
  4. ^ Parker, G.G. 1995. Structure and microclimate of forest canopies. pp. 73-106 In: Lowman, M.D. and N.M. Nadkarni (editors). Forest Canopies. Academic Press, San Diego, CA.
  5. ^ Lowman, M.D. and M.W. Moffett. 1993. The ecology of tropical rain forest canopies. Trees 8:104-107.
  6. ^ "Light in the Rain Forest". garden.org. Retrieved 23 November 2015.

Further Reading

  • Lowman, M.D., and H.B. Rinker (editors). 2004. Forest Canopies (Second edition). Academic Press. ISBN 0-12-457553-6, ISBN 978-0-12-457553-0
  • Moffett, M.W. 1994. The High Frontier: Exploring the Tropical Rainforest Canopy. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA.
  • Russell, G., B. Marshall, and P.G. Jarvis (editors). 1990. Plant Canopies: Their Growth, Form and Function. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-39563-1, ISBN 978-0-521-39563-2

Wikipedia 

SHRUB

shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized woody plant. It is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 6 m (20 ft) tall. Plants of many species may grow either into shrubs or trees, depending on their growing conditions. Small, low shrubs, generally less than 2 m (6.6 ft) tall, such as lavender periwinkle and most small garden varieties of roses, are often termed subshrubs.
A broom shrub in flower
An area of cultivated shrubs in a park or a garden is known as a shrubbery. When clipped as topiary, suitable species or varieties of shrubs develop dense foliage and many small leafy branches growing close together. Many shrubs respond well to renewal pruning, in which hard cutting back to a "stool" results in long new stems known as "canes". Other shrubs respond better to selective pruning to reveal their structure and character.
Shrubs in common garden practice are generally considered broad-leaved plants, though some smaller conifers such as mountain pine and common juniper are also shrubby in structure. Species that grow into a shrubby habit may be either deciduous or evergreen.

A rhododendron shrubbery in Sheringham Park.
Shrubs as a botanical structural form
In botany and ecology, a shrub is more specifically used to describe the particular physical structural or plant life-form of woody plants which are less than 8 metres (26 ft) high and usually have many stems arising at or near the base.
For example, a descriptive system widely adopted in Australia is based on structural characteristics based on life-form, plus the height and amount of foliage cover of the tallest layer or dominant species.
For shrubs 2–8 metres (6.6–26.2 ft) high the following structural forms are categorized:
  • dense foliage cover (70–100%) — closed-scrub
  • mid-dense foliage cover (30–70%) — open-scrub
  • sparse foliage cover (10–30%) — tall shrubland
  • very sparse foliage cover (<10%) — tall open shrubland
For shrubs less than 2 metres (6.6 ft) high the following structural forms are categorized:
  • dense foliage cover (70–100%) — closed-heath or closed low shrubland—(North America)
  • mid-dense foliage cover (30–70%) — open-heath or mid-dense low shrubland—(North America)
  • sparse foliage cover (10–30%) — low shrubland
  • very sparse foliage cover (<10%) — low open shrubland
References

  1. ^ Costermans, L. F. (1993) Native trees and shrubs of South-Eastern Australia. rev. ed. ISBN 0-947116-76-1

Wikipedia 

High Sodium Levels & Constipation

If you follow a typical Western diet, you are probably consuming much more sodium than you should be. High sodium levels can pose numerous risks to your health, such as increasing your blood pressure. While consuming too much of it may not directly lead to constipation, many processed foods contain large amounts of sodium, and these can cause your bowels to become sluggish. Talk to your doctor about your sodium levels and bowel concerns.
High Sodium Levels & Constipation
Burgers and fries are high in sodium. Photo Credit Thinkstock/Comstock/Getty Images.

Function and Intake of Sodium

Sodium helps your body maintain its balance of fluids, and it also influences the proper functioning of your muscles, including those in your digestive tract. Most healthy adults should consume no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day, which is equivalent to 1 teaspoon of salt. If you use the salt shaker liberally or eat a lot of processed foods, it's likely you are getting much more than the recommended dietary allowance. Certain groups of people, such as those with diabetes or high blood pressure, should not get more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium a day.

Processed Foods

Sodium is naturally in a variety of foods, such as milk, beets and celery, and these are not likely to cause constipation. However, it is also added to processed foods like bacon, sausage and ham, as well as fast foods like burgers and fries. These foods are high in sodium and also tend to be greasy and high in fat, making them more likely to cause constipation. If your diet consists primarily of processed, sodium-laden foods, you may experience frequent constipation or other digestive problems.

Dietary Alterations

If you suspect your diet is causing your constipation, or if you are consuming too much sodium, talk to your doctor about making changes to your eating habits. For example, choose fresh foods over processed ones, which can both cut down on the amount of sodium you get and help promote regular bowel movements. Try to get more fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet as well, as these are naturally low in sodium, and the fiber they contain can help relieve constipation.

Additional Considerations

Never alter your diet without first discussing the changes with a licensed health care provider. If you have certain medical conditions or increased risk factors for diseases associated with high sodium levels, your doctor may suggest you cut your intake even further than 1,500 milligrams. She can also give you more dietary tips on how to reduce your sodium consumption. Additionally, let her know if you are experiencing constipation, particularly if it is recent or has lasted for more than three days.
www.livestrong.com

Building a Carolina Cellarette

THE JEFF MILLER WOODWORKING COLLECTION - ORDER NOW!

Learn easy techniques for inlay, dovetails & banding 

Format: DVD 


A Sophisticated Project Made with Simple, Modern Techniques.
This elegant walnut, maple and pine Cellarette has all the style of the Early American original on which it was based. But as craftsman Glen D. Huey demonstrates, the delicate dovetails, inlay and edge banding are simple to make with a handful of modern machines and tools.
Watch as Huey walks you through the steps to build this cabinet using a router, a table saw and a few choice hand tools. Listen as he explains the history of the cellarette (sophisticated Colonists used them to store precious imported gin). Learn tips and techniques you can use to speed your work on this and every new project

For further information log on website:

http://www.shopwoodworking.com/build-carolina-cellarette-dvd-u7265

Getting Started With Veneer

JEFF MILLER WOODWORKING COLLECTION - ORDER NOW!

By Steve Shanesy

Format: DVD 


Expand Your Woodworking Skills
  • Learn how to work with veneer flitches for matching
  • Learn how to cut veneer using three different methods
  • Discover small-shop methods to press veneer using cauls or a vacuum bag
  • Achieve excellent results using time-tested techniques
Working with Veneer has Never Been so Easy! 
If you love wood, especially figured wood, you'll love the results you can achieve using veneer. After all, the best logs harvested are sent to the veneer mill! 
In this two-hour video Steve Shanesy shares his years of experience making beautiful cabinets and furniture using high quality veneer. And he shows you practical techniques to cut, join and press veneers in a small, home wood shop. You'll learn that working with veneer is easy and uses techniques you already know as a woodworker. 
You'll benefit from Steve's vast experience as he walks you through all the steps, from making veneer "faces" to the best methods for gluing up panels. Get started using veneer now ! 

Steve Shanesy has over 30 years full-time woodworking experience in both commercial furniture shops and, since 1994, as editor and publisher at Popular Woodworking Magazine.
For further information log on website :

http://www.shopwoodworking.com/getting-started-with-veneer-w6795

The Pros & Cons of Putting Apple Juice in Your Protein Shake

Mixing protein powder with water generally results in a not-so-palatable drink, no matter what flavor you choose. For a tastier exercise-recovery snack or meal replacement, whirl a scoop of protein powder in a blender along with a cup of frozen fruit and a cup of flavored liquid, such as soy milk, low-fat milk, almond milk or fruit juice. The benefits and drawbacks of adding a fruit juice like apple juice depend on your nutritional goals.
The Pros & Cons of Putting Apple Juice in Your Protein Shake
Adding apple juice to a smoothie provides both nutrients and calories. Photo Credit Brand X Pictures/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images.

Calories and Carbs

Adding a cup of unsweetened apple juice to your protein shake contributes 114 calories to your drink, including 28 grams of carbs. Naturally-occuring sugars, mostly in the form of fructose, account for 23 grams of those carbohydrates. If you're looking to cut calories and carbs, unsweetened almond milk offers an attractive alternative to apple juice. With only 40 calories, a cup of unsweetened almond milk contains a mere 2 grams of carbohydrates and 0 grams of sugar.

Vitamins and Minerals

Mixing a cup of unsweetened apple juice into your protein shake gives you 250 milligrams of potassium, which is 5 percent of the recommended dietary allowance, or RDA, of this essential mineral. If you select an apple juice with ascorbic acid added, you'll also get more than 100 percent of the RDA of vitamin C. Apple juice also provides less than 5 percent of the RDA of several additional nutrients, including calcium, iron and vitamin B-6.
Fat
If you're watching your total fat intake, a cup of unsweetened apple juice makes a superb liquid choice to add to your protein shake. It contains less than a single gram of fat. By contrast, unsweetened almond milk has 3 grams of fat per cup, and unsweetened soy milk contains 4 grams of fat per cup. Other protein shake liquid options with negligible fat contents include most other fruit juices and nonfat dairy milk.

Protein

A scoop of whey protein powder usually contains 25 grams of protein, meaning you're already getting half of the RDA of protein if you add this amount to your protein shake. A cup of apple juice contributes practically no additional protein to your drink. If you want more protein, adding a cup of nonfat dairy milk contributes nearly 9 grams of protein. Unsweetened soy milk adds 7 grams of protein, while unsweetened almond milk adds only 1 gram of protein.
www.livestrong.com

Causes, Risk Factors and Prevention of STDs

Overview

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs, also known as sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs) are largely spread exactly how the name suggests – through sexual intimacy. However, although people often believe STIs are only spread through intercourse, the reality is that STIs are easily spread through oral sex (“blow jobs”, “going down”), anal sex and vaginal intercourse. Some STIs, such as pubic lice (“crabs”), can be spread by contaminated clothing or linens, so no sex of any type is required for transmission. Other STIs, such as herpes, syphilis and HPV, can be spread by direct skin-to-skin contact with an infected partner, even without intercourse. Lastly, pregnant mothers infected with an STI can directly pass on this infection to their baby during pregnancy or childbirth. 
Causes, Risk Factors and Prevention of STDs
Photo Credit Getty Images

The major risk factor for catching a sexually transmitted infection is being sexually intimate with another person, and the greater number of partners a person has, the greater their numerical risk of developing an STI. On the other hand, remaining celibate or in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner minimizes risk. However, there are other risk factors that are less obvious.
Condom Use
“Unprotected sex” has traditionally referred to intercourse without a condom, and “safe sex” suggests intercourse with a condom. Since several common STIs (such as herpes and HPV) can be spread from skin beyond the area covered by a condom, “safer sex” is a more accurate term. Condoms dramatically reduce the risk of transmitting STIs that are spread through semen and vaginal fluid, including HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia and trichomoniasis. Condoms also significantly decrease but cannot eliminate transmission of herpes, HPV, and syphilis. However, condoms must be used correctly and consistently to decrease risk of STIs. Specifically, condoms should be used for all types of genital intimacy, including oral, anal and vaginal penetration, and they must be placed before any pre-ejaculate is released.

Alcohol or Drug Use

Not surprisingly, any mind-altering substance usage, such as drugs or alcohol, increases risk for STIs (through impaired judgment regarding personal sexual intimacy limits and choices regarding condom use).

Age and Physical Predisposition

Of the over twenty million new STIs estimated each year in the United States, over half occur in young people ages fifteen to twenty-four.
Adolescent females are at higher risk of acquiring some STIs because the area with the most vulnerable cells on their cervix (entrance to the womb) is larger and more exposed than in older women.

Prior STI

Having a previous STI increases the risk of getting another STI:
1. People are often re-infected with the same disease because their partner was not treated properly, or they were intimate again before both partners had completed a full course of medication.
2. When one STI is present, it is much easier to catch a second STI, because there is irritation and inflammation that disrupts the lining of the vagina or anus, breaking down the tissue around these areas (so the usual barrier is not intact), allowing the second infection to enter the body more easily. For example, studies show that having an untreated trichomonas vaginal infection can triple a woman’s risk of contracting HIV if she were to have sex with an HIV-infected partner.
3. STIs frequently occur together, meaning you are infected with two or more STIs at the same time because they are transmitted the same way. For example, when someone tests positive for gonorrhea, the CDC recommends to also treat the patient for chlamydia.

Mother-to-Child

If a pregnant woman is infected with an STI, this infection may be passed on to her baby either during pregnancy or during a vaginal delivery. Routine prenatal screening for STIs helps clinicians detect and treat these infections as early as possible to minimize risk to the baby.

Men with Erectile Dysfunction

Studies show that men taking erectile dysfunction medications have higher rates of STIs. In a frustrating loop, men with ED often avoid using condoms, thus increasing their risk of acquiring STIs, and STIs can cause or worsen ED through both physical and psychological means.

Next Steps

STIs are very often silent, so the only way to know if you have one is to get tested. Talk with your doctor about STI testing if you have been sexually intimate with a new partner since your last exam.
www.livestrong.com

Does Cycling Help You Lose Weight in Your Waist & Thighs?

Cycling is an aerobic exercise, which is the kind of exercise you need to perform to lose fat on any part of your body. Aerobic exercise burns many calories, and the key to losing weight is burning more calories than you consume. You can't perform exercises that target a specific area such as your waist and thighs; instead, you need to perform heart-rate-raising exercises like cycling that burn abundant calories and reduce your total body mass. Cycling will help you get rid of that excess fat but only in combination with a healthy diet.
Does Cycling Help You Lose Weight in Your Waist & Thighs?


Biking is a good form of cardiovascular exercise. Photo Credit Warren Goldswain/iStock/Getty Images.

Weight-Loss Basics

To lose weight on any part of your body, you need to burn more calories than you consume. A pound of fat equals 3,500 calories, so you need to burn an excess of 500 to 1,000 calories per day to lose 1 to 2 pounds of fat per week, which is considered a healthy rate. Achieving this deficit requires a combination of eating fewer calories and burning additional calories through exercise and increased daily activity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend a minimum of 150 minutes of aerobic exercise and two days of strength training per week.

Low-Impact Exercise

Cycling, short for bicycling, can be done on a bicycle outdoors or on a stationary bike in a gym. You can cycle for long distances at low resistance, or you can ride hills for higher resistance over a shorter period of time. Cycling is often recommended for weight loss because it is easier on your joints than running. It's considered a low-impact aerobic exercise. Unless you're cycling at more than 20 mph, you'll burn fewer calories per hour than running at 10 mph. However, the low-impact aspect and slower pace makes it easier for non-athletes to follow a regular cycling routine.


Calories Burned Cycling

The number of calories you burn during any workout depends largely on your current weight. It also depends on how vigorously you exercise and the duration of your exercise. If you weigh 130 pounds and take a leisurely pace on either an outdoor bike or a stationary bike, you will burn between 170 and 250 calories per hour. If you weigh 205 pounds, on the other hand, you will burn between 270 and 370 calories per hour. At 130 pounds at a moderate intensity, you would burn about 400 to 470 calories, and at a high intensity, you would burn about 700 calories per hour. Generally, stationary bikes burn slightly fewer calories than real bikes, but you may have a harder time staying honest about your intensity on a normal bike, whereas gym bikes track the calories for you.

Muscle Building

Like any exercise, cycling can build specific muscles, which can cause you to put on more weight. However, as long as you are creating a calorie deficit with your diet, this should not occur, as muscles need extra nutrients and fuel to grow. Still, if you want to wholly avoid building muscle and boost your endurance, cycle at low to moderate resistance for longer periods of time, rather than cycling at high intensity for short bursts. This will keep your heart rate elevated at a fat-burning level and help you burn an adequate number of calories to lose weight without giving you bulky muscles.
www.livestrong.com

STYRAX

Styrax is a genus of about 130 species of large shrubs or small trees in the family Styracaceae, mostly native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the majority in eastern and southeastern Asia, but also crossing the equator in South America. Common names include snowbellstyrax, and the more ambiguous storax and benzoin.
The genus Pamphilia, sometimes regarded as distinct, is now included within Styrax based on analysis of morphological and DNA sequence data. The spicebush (Lindera benzoin) is a different plant, in the family Lauraceae.
Styrax trees grow to 2–14 m tall, and have alternate, deciduous or evergreen simple ovate leaves 1–18 cm long and 2–10 cm broad. The flowers are pendulous, with a white 5–10-lobed corolla, produced 3–30 together on open or dense panicles 5–25 cm long. The fruit is an oblong dry drupe, smooth and lacking ribs or narrow wings, unlike the fruit of the related snowdrop trees (Halesia) and epaulette trees (Pterostyrax).
Styrax (snowbell)
Styrax platanifolius.jpg
Styrax platanifolius
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Plantae
(unranked):Angiosperms
(unranked):Eudicots
(unranked):Asterids
Order:Ericales
Family:Styracaceae
Genus:Styrax
L.
Species
About 130, see text
Synonyms
Pamphilia Mart. ex A. DC.
Uses
Uses of Resin
Benzoin resin, a dried exudation from pierced bark, is currently produced from various Styrax species native to Sumatra, Java and Thailand. Commonly traded are the resins of S. tonkinensis (Siam benzoin), S. benzoin (Sumatra benzoin) and S. benzoides. The name "benzoin" is probably derived from Arabic lubān jāwī (لبان جاوي, "Javan frankincense"); compare the obsolete terms "gum benjamin" and "benjoin". This incidentally shows that the Arabs were aware of the origin of these resins, and that by the late Middle Ages at latest international trade in them was probably of major importance.
The chemical benzoin (2-Hydroxy-2-phenylacetophenone), despite the apparent similarity of the name, is not contained in benzoin resin in measurable quantities. However, benzoin resin does contain small amounts of the hydrocarbon styrene, named however for Levant styrax (from Liquidambar orientalis), from which it was first isolated, and not for the genus Styraxitself; industrially produced styrene is now used to produce polystyrene plastics including StyrofoamTM.
History of sources
Since Antiquity, styrax resin has been used in perfumes, certain types of incense and medicines.
Styrax officinalis resin was mainly used in antiquity.
There is some degree of uncertainty as to exactly what resin old sources refer to. Turkish sweetgum (Liquidambar orientalis) is a quite unrelated tree in the family Altingiaceae that produces a similar resin traded in modern times as storax or as "Levant styrax," like the resins of other sweetgums, and a number of confusing variations thereupon. Turkish sweetgum is a relict species that occurs only in a small area in SW Turkey and not in the Levant at all); presumably, quite some of the "styrax resin" of the Ancient Greek and the Ancient Roman sources was from this sweetgum, rather than a Styrax, although at least during the former era genuine Styraxresin, probably from S. officinalis, was imported in quantity from the Near East by Phoenician merchants, and Herodotus of Halicarnassus in the 5th century BC indicates that different kinds of "storax" were traded.
The nataf (נטף) of the incense sacred to Yahweh, mentioned in the Book of Exodus, is loosely translated by the Greek term staktē!(στακτή, AMP: Exodus 30:34), or an unspecific "gum resin" or similar term (NIV: Exodus 30:34). Nataf may have meant the resin of Styrax officinalis or of some other plant, perhaps Turkish sweetgum, which is unlikely to have been imported in quantity into the Near East.
Since the Middle Ages, Southeast Asian benzoin resins became increasingly available; today there is little international trade in S. officinalis resin and little production of Turkish sweetgum resin due to that species' decline in numbers.
Use as incense
Styrax incense is used in the Middle East and adjacent regions as an air freshener. This was adopted in the European Papier d'Arménie. Though highly toxic benzene and formaldehyde are produced when burning Styrax incense (as with almost all organic substances), the amounts produced by burning a strip of Papier d'Arménie every 2–3 days are less than those achieved by many synthetic air fresheners. Styrax resin from southern Arabian species was burned during frankincense (Boswellia resin) harvesting; it was said to drive away snakes:
"[The Arabians] gather frankincense by burning that storax which Phoenicians carry to Hellas; they burn this and so get the frankincense; for the spice-bearing trees are guarded by small winged snakes of varied color, many around each tree; these are the snakes that attack Egypt. Nothing except the smoke of storax will drive them away from the trees."
 
Sumatra Benzoin (Styrax benzoin) parts drawing.
Franz Eugen Köhler. Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen in naturgetreuen Abbildungen, etc. 1887).
Medical user
There has been little dedicated research into the medical properties of styrax resin, but it has been used for long, and apparently with favorable results. It was important in Islamic medicine; Avicenna (Ibn Seena, ابن سینا) discusses S. officinalis it in his Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb (القانون في الطب, The Law of Medicine). He indicates that styrax resin mixed with other antibiotic substances and hardening material gives a good dental restorative material. Benzoin resin is a component of the "Theriaca Andromachi Senioris", a Venice treacle recipe in the 1686 d'Amsterdammer Apotheek.
Tincture of benzoin is benzoin resin dissolved in alcohol. This and its numerous derived versions like lait virginaland Friar's Balsam were highly esteemed in 19th-century European cosmetics and other household purposes; they apparently had antibacterial properties. Today tincture of benzoin is most often used in first aid for small injuries, as it acts as a disinfectant and local anesthetic and seems to promote healing. Benzoin resin and its derivatives are also used as additives in cigarettes.
The antibiotic activity of benzoin resin seems mostly due to its abundant benzoic acid and benzoic acid esters, which were named after the resin; other less well known secondary compounds such as lignans like pinoresinol, are likely significant too.
Horticultural uses

Several species of styrax are popular ornamental trees in parks and gardens, especially S. japonicus and its cultivars like 'Emerald Pagoda', and Styrax obassia.


Early summer blossoms of Styrax japonicus.
Uses of wood

The wood of larger species is suitable for fine handicrafts. That of egonoki (エゴノキ, S. japonicus) is used to build kokyū (胡弓), the Japanese bowed instrument. 
Ecology and conservation
The resin of Styrax acts to kill wound pathogens and deter herbivores. Consequently, for example, few Lepidoptera caterpillars,eat styrax compared to other plants. Those of the Two-barred Flasher (Astraptes fulgerator) were recorded on S. argenteus, but they do not seem to use it on a regular basis.
Some styrax species have declined in numbers due to unsustainable logging and habitat degradation. While most of these are classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN, only four trees of the nearly extinct palo de jazmin (S. portoricensis) are known to survive at a single location. Although legally protected, this species could be wiped out by a single hurricane.
Selected species


Styrax obassia.

Styrax camporum parts drawing.
Johann Baptist Emanuel Pohl : Plantarum Brasiliae icones et descriptiones hactenus ineditae Vol. 1. (1827)


  • Styrax agrestis  China
  • Styrax americanus – SE USA
  • Styrax argenteus
  • Styrax argentifolius - China
  • Styrax bashanensis – China
  • Styrax benzoides - Thailand, S China
  • Styrax benzoin Dryand. – Sumatra Benzoin – Sumatra
  • Styrax calvescens – China
  • Styrax camporum Pohl
  • Styrax chinensis – China
  • Styrax chrysocarpus -  China
  • Styrax confusus – China
  • Styrax cordatus – Peru and Ecuador
  • Styrax crotonoides – Malaysia
  • Styrax dasyanthus – central China
  • Styrax faberi – China
  • Styrax ferrugineus Ness et Mart.
  • Styrax formosanus - China
  • Styrax foveolaria -  Peru
  • Styrax fraserensis -  Malaysia
  • Styrax grandiflorus -– China
  • Styrax grandifolius - SE USA
  • Styrax hainanensis – S China
  • Styrax hemsleyanus – China
  • Styrax hookeri -  Himalaya
  • Styrax huanus -  China
  • Styrax jaliscana -  Mexico
  • Styrax japonicus - egonoki -  Japan
  • Styrax limpritchii - SW China (Yunnan)
  • Styrax litseoides – Vietnam
  • Styrax loxensis – Ecuador
  • Styrax macranthus-  China
  • Styrax macrocarpus – China
  • Styrax martii Seub.
  • Styrax obassia – Japan, China
  • Styrax odoratissimus – China
  • Styrax officinalis L. – SE Europe, SW Asia
  • Styrax pentlandianus – Bolivia, Colombia
  • Styrax perkinsiae – China
  • Styrax peruvianum – Peru
  • Styrax philadelphoides - China
  • Styrax platanifolius – Texas, NE Mexico
  • Styrax pohlii A.DC.
  • Styrax portoricensis – palo de jazmin -  Puerto Rico
  • Styrax redivivus – California
  • Styrax roseus – China
  • Styrax rugosus - China
  • Styrax schweliense -  W China
  • Styrax serrulatus – Himalaya, SW China
  • Styrax shiraianum – Japan
  • Styrax socialis – Peru
  • Styrax suberifolius - China
  • Styrax supaii - China
  • Styrax tafelbergensis – Suriname
  • Styrax tonkinensis Craib – Siam Benzoin -  SE Asia
  • Styrax veitchiorum – China
  • Styrax vilcabambae – Peru
  • Styrax wilsonii -  W China
  • Styrax wuyuanensis – China
  • Styrax zhejiangensis – China

Footnotes

  1. ^ Fritsch et al. (2001)
  2. ^ "Styrax". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  3. ^ Wallnöfer (1997), Fritsch et al. (2001)
  4. ^ Herodotus of Halicarnassus (c.440 BC) III.107.2
  5. ^ Although Herodotus saw bones of many of "these [...] snakes", their having wings is hearsay information and either incorrect or refers to some kind of agama with neck or body ornaments. See Herodotus of Halicarnassus (c.440 BC) II.75.1-4.
  6. ^ Herodotus of Halicarnassus (c.440 BC) III.107.2:
    ton men ge libanôton sullegousi tên sturaka thumiôntes, tên es Hellênas Phoinikes exagousi: tautên thumiôntes lambanousi: ta gar dendrea tauta ta libanôtophora ophies hupopteroi, mikroi ta megathea, poikiloi ta eidea, phulassousi plêtheï polloi peri dendron hekaston, houtoi hoi per ep' Aigupton epistrateuontai, oudeni de allôi apelaunontai apo tôn dendreôn ê tês sturakos tôi kapnôi.
  7. ^ Pastrorova et al. (1997)
  8. ^ Hébert et al. (2004), Brower et al. (2006)

References

  • Brower, Andrew V.Z. (2006): Problems with DNA barcodes for species delimitation: 'ten species' of Astraptes fulgerator reassessed (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae). Systematics and Biodiversity 4(2): 127–132. doi:10.1017/S147720000500191X PDF fulltext
  • Fritsch, P.W.; Morton, C.M.; Chen, T. & Meldrum, C. (2001). Phylogeny and Biogeography of the Styracaceae. Int. J Plant Sci162(6, Supplement): S95–S116. doi:10.1086/32341 HTML abstract, first page image
  • Herodotus of Halicarnassus (c.440 BC): The Histories. Annotated HTML fulltext of 1921 A. D. Godley translation.
  • Pastrorova, I.; de Koster, C.G. & Boom, J.J. (1997): Analytical Study of Free and Ester Bound Benzoic and Cinnamic Acids of Gum Benzoin Resins by GC-MS and HPLC-frit FAB-MS. Phytochem. Analysis 8(2): 63-73. DOI:10.1002/(SICI)1099-1565(199703)8:2<63::AID-PCA337>3.0.CO;2-Y HTML abstract
  • Hébert, Paul D.N.: Penton, Erin H.; Burns, John M.; Janzen, Daniel H. & Hallwachs, Winnie(2004): Ten species in one: DNA barcoding reveals cryptic species in the semitropical skipper butterfly Astraptes fulgeratorPNAS 101(41): 14812-14817. doi:10.1073/pnas.0406166101 PDF fulltext Supporting Appendices
  • Wallnöfer, B. (1997). A revision of Styrax L. section Pamphilia (Mart. ex A. DC.) B. Walln. (Styracaceae). Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien 99B: 681–720.

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