OPOPANAX

Opopanax, also known as opobalsam, refers to a number of gum resins (natural substances that are a mixture of water-soluble gums and alcohol-soluble resins) traditionally considered to have medicinal properties. Pliny (Historia Naturalis) and Dioscorides (De Materia Medica) described various kinds with uncertain identifications, which have been distinguished as:

• A species of Centaurea
• Lovage (Levisticum officinale)
• Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
• Echinophora tenuifolia (Umbelliferae)
• Ferula opopanax, also known as Opopanax chironium (Umbelliferae)
• Fig-leaved cow parsnip, Heracleum panaces (or other species of Heracleum)

In recent times, the main source of commercial opopanax is from species of Commiphora, particularly C. erythraea and C. kataf. (Some sources suggest the entire production is from C. erythraea var. glabrescens, a tree growing in Somalia). Myrrh is also obtained from Commiphora species.

Etymology

The name opopanax derives from Anglo-Norman opopanac, from Latin opopanax, from Hellenistic Greek ὀποπάναξ, from Ancient Greek ὀπός "vegetable juice" + πάναξ "panacea" (all healing). Panacea (Gk. πανάκεια) denotes a kind of savory, named for Panakeia, a daughter of Aesculapius.

The OED gives opopanax as the principal spelling, but lists opoponax as a variant spelling recorded from the 19th century.

Perfumery opopanax

A resinoid is prepared from the resin by solvent extraction. Steam distillation of the resin gives the essential oil, which has a warm, sweet, balsamic odor. Opopanax oil and resinoid are used in perfumes with oriental characteristics. An IFRA recommendation exists.

African opopanax is the resin of Commiphora kataf (Forssk.) Engl.

Opopanax, a major export article from Somalia since ancient times, is also known as bisabol- bissa bol (Hindi)  and as hebbakhade - habak hadi (Somali), "bissa bol" is scented myrrh, in contrast to "heera bol", bitter myrrh. However, the botanical origin of bisabol is Commiphora guidottii and not Commiphora erythraea, as generally has been presumed.

References

1. ^ "panaces", Oxford Latin Dictionary, Oxford University Press, 1968, p. 1288
2. ^ Dioscorides (1902), Julius Berendes, ed., De materia medica (PDF) (in German), PharmaWiki.ch
3. ^ Royle, J.F. (1847). Materia Medica and Therapeutics: Including the Preparations of the Pharmacopoeias of London, Edinburgh, Dublin, and (of the United States) with Many New Medicines. Lea and Blanchard. p. 405.
4. ^ Osbaldeston, Tess Anne (translator) (2000). "3.55 Panakes Herakleion". Dioscorides. Johannesburg: Ibidis Press. Panances heracleum (from which opopanax is gathered) grows in abundance in Boeotia, and Psophis in Arcadia... The [dried] juice that excels is the most bitter to the taste, inside indeed white and somewhat red, but outside a saffron colour, smooth, fat, brittle, fit for use, melting quickly, and with a strong scent;
5. ^ ^{a b c d e} Lumír O. Hanuš; et al. (2005), "Myrrh-Commiphora Chemistry", Biomed. Papers149 (1): 3–23, doi:10.5507/bp.2005.001, PMID 16170385.
6. ^ Burdock, G.A. (2004). Fenaroli's Handbook of Flavor Ingredients, Fifth Edition. Taylor & Francis. pp. 1452–1454. ISBN 9781420037876.
7. ^ "opopanax". Oxford English Dictionary. Retrieved 2009-12-27. (subscription required)
8. ^ "panacēa", Oxford Latin Dictionary, Oxford University Press, 1968, p. 1288
9. ^ Karl-Georg Fahlbusch; et al. (2007), "Flavors and Fragrances", Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry (7th ed.), Wiley, pp. 107–108
10. ^ Jehuda Feliks (2007), "Bdellium", Encyclopaedia Judaica 3 (2nd ed.), Thomson Gale, p. 234

Wikipedia 

Classic Arts & Crafts Furniture

THE JEFF MILLER WOODWORKING COLLECTION - ORDER NOW!

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By Robert W. Lang

Format: Paperback 

Discover exactly how furniture should be made . . .

Join Popular Woodworking Magazine Executive Editor Robert Lang for 160 pages of woodworking advice, how-tos and design inspiration. Available for the first time 14 of Bob’s Arts & Crafts pieces are collected and presented in a how-to, step-by-step presentation.

Helping to overcome the challenges as a builder and a designer, Bob will show you how to combine the basic tasks of joinery and wood selection well enough that they are worthy of being the focus, while understanding the lessons of proportion and subtle details.

Uncover Bob’s favorite period of furniture in fourteen classic Arts & Crafts projects, including a Morris Chairs, bookcases, and occasional tables and more. Plus, get access to associated "how-to" articles on traditional joinery and finishing add even more depth to the learning process.

"In my work at the magazine, I tried to explore the projects that had been overlooked and present methods of building that make exposed joinery approachable and possible. The projects in this book were chosen selfishly; they are pieces I wanted to make for myself, challenges I wanted to take on, and side trips to the less-travelled areas of the Arts & Crafts period. The issues and needs that original pieces of Craftsman furniture addressed are still with us, and making this furniture is an excellent way to both fill your home and let your family and guests know that quality material, sound design and good craftsmanship are still worthy values.” - Robert W. Lang

About the Author:
Bob Lang, Executive Editor of Popular Woodworking Magazine, grew up in northeastern Ohio and has been a professional woodworker since the early 1970s. He learned woodworking repairing wooden boats on Lake Erie and in a large commercial shop in Cleveland. Along the way he studied industrial design at The Ohio State University, and his experience includes building custom furniture and cabinets as well as managing and engineering large architectural millwork projects. He is the author of several "Shop Drawings" books about furniture and interiors of the Arts & Crafts Movement of the early 1900s.

For further information log on website:

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Activities for a 2-Month-Old

A baby plays with her father's face while laying on the bed. Photo Credit Purestock/Purestock/Getty Images

Your 2-month-old baby averages approximately 13 hours of sleep and dozing time during a 24-hour period, according to KidsHealth, but your baby needs more than sleep during this important period of development. Children at this age typically sleep for 4 to 5 hours and then wake up for food, but this waking period also offers a time to stimulate your baby's emotional, intellectual and physical growth. The time also allows you to guide your child to develop early social skills

Cognitive Activities

A mother sits with her baby on her lap and shows him a picture book. Photo Credit Wavebreakmedia Ltd/Wavebreak Media/Getty Images

Pediatrician Jamie Loehr, M.D., recommends sitting with your baby and showing him images in picture books. Select books with simple images with contrasting bright colors. Talk to your baby throughout the day. Encourage your child to interact with his environment by hanging a toy above his crib or play area. Use an unbreakable mirror in play to let your baby see his image. Select toys for your child that use different sounds and noises to help build his curiosity.

Physical Challenges

A baby boy wearing a tiger outfit lays on his belly on a blanket outside. Photo Credit Ingram Publishing/Ingram Publishing/Getty Images

Give your 2-month-old tummy time several times a day. The March of Dimes encourages parents to turn a baby onto his tummy and prop his head to avoid suffocation. Tummy time develops the muscles in your child's neck, arms and shoulders. Choose hanging toys for the crib or playpen that feature colorful pieces that move to attract your child's interest. Interesting toys encourage your baby to physically reach out for the toys -- this action tones muscles and helps him develop smooth movements.

Emotional Play

A mother plays with her baby on an outdoor bench. Photo Credit MIXA next/MIXA/Getty Images

Smile for your baby and encourage him to smile back when he coos. Model exaggerated facial expressions to show surprise or delight and and give your child a huge smile to show your pleasure when good things happen. Your happy face demonstrates to your baby how to use facial expressions in similar situations. Give your 2-month-old lots of hugs to show your love as well as to demonstrate how to show affection. The National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families tells parents that it's impossible to spoil a 2-month-old by giving too much affection.

Introducing Socialization

A dad gives his baby a foot massage. Photo Credit oksun70/iStock/Getty Images

Speak to your baby in soothing tones frequently during waking periods, and introduce him to guests visiting your house. Take baby to visit relatives and friends, but select calm places where your baby won't be alarmed by loud or sudden noises. Encourage your child to hold your finger and give your child a soft back and leg rub to relax. Massage helps your child to learn to control emotions and gives parents and baby a time to bond and connect, according to the Oregon Health and Science University Center for Women's Health. The health center recommends massage as a way for parents to learn to read baby's needs and special cues that signal problems or discomfort.

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STYRAX BALSAM

Styrax (storax) balsam is a recent natural resin isolated from the wounded bark of Liquidambar orientalis,Mill. (Asia Minor) and Liquidambar styraciflua L. (Central America) (Hamamelidaceae). It is often called benzoic resin, a similar resin obtained from the Styracaceae plant family.
Composition

Purified storax contains circa 33 to 50% storesin, an alcoholic resin, both free and as cinnamic esters. Contains 5 to 15% cinnamic acid,  5 to 15% cinnamyl cinnamate, circa 10% phenylpropyl cinnamate; small amounts of ethyl cinnamate, benzyl cinnamate,  and styrene. Some may contain traces of vanillin. Some sources report a resin containing triterpenic acids (oleanolic and 3-epioleanolic acids).

Uses

Styrax has a pleasant, sweet, balsamic, slightly spicy odor. Storax and its derivatives (resinoid, essential oil, absolute) are used as flavors, fragrances, and in pharmaceuticals (Friar's Balsam), 

American styrax resin (Liquidambar styraciflua) is chewed like gum to freshen breath and clean teeth.

History 

Mnesimachus, Aristoteles, Theophrastus (Historia Plantarum), Herodotus, and Strabo are the first ones to mention the styrax tree and its balsam. In Ancient Greece, styrax also denoted the spike at the lower end of a spearshaft.

Pliny (Historia Naturalis 12.98, 15.26; 24.24) notes the use of styrax as a perfume, while Scribonius Largus drank wine flavored with styrax. Ciris mentions storax as a fragrant hair dye. Dioscorides (De materia medica 1.79) reports its use as incense, similar to frankincense, having expectorant and soothing properties.

The 10th century Arab historian al-Masudi listed storax gum (mayʿa) as a spice in his book Murūdj al-dhahab (Meadows of Gold).

Chao Ju-Kuan, a 13th century trade commissioner in Fukien province, described liquid storax gum as a product of the Somali (Po-pa-li) coast.

Linnaeus, who determined the scientific names of plants, thought that storax was extracted from the tree called in modern Hebrew livneh refu'i which he termed Styrax officinalis. However in the light of tests made in Israel it is very doubtful if a sap with medicinal or aromatic qualities can be extracted from this tree. The storax of the ancients was probably extracted from a different tree, seemingly from the Liquidambar orientalis which grows wild in northern Syria and may even have been grown in Israel; from it is extracted an aromatic sap with healing qualities called storax liquidis. This may possibly be the biblical balm, though other sources conclude that the biblical balm is Balsam (opobalsamum).

Styrax benzoin is a more humid Asian species, reported from India, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Java, Sumatra, and Malaysia. Thus, this species historically would have needed to be imported from outside Israel.

In the nineteenth century, styrene was isolated by distillation of storax balsam.

In North Africa, for mystical purposes, women burn benzoin and styrax in potsherds.

Safety

Storax resin is "generally regarded as safe" (GRAS), but at low levels, for example, circa 15 ppm in candy and 25 ppm in baked goods.

References

1. ^ ^a b Karl-Georg Fahlbusch; et al. (2007), "Flavors and Fragrances", Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry (7th ed.), Wiley, p. 115
2. ^ ^a b James A. Duke (2008), "Storax (Liquidambar orientalis Mill. and L., Styraciflua L.)", Duke's Handbook of Medicinal Plants of the Bible, Taylor & Francis, pp. 258–259
3. ^ George A. Burdock (2010), "Styrax", Fenaroli's Handbook of Flavor Ingredients (6th ed.), Taylor & Francis, pp. 1853–1854
4. ^ "Compound Benzoin Tincture", British Pharmacopoeia 3, 2009
5. ^ ^a b James A. Duke (2008), "Benzoin (Styrax benzoin Dryander.)", Duke's Handbook of Medicinal Plants of the Bible, Taylor & Francis, p. 445
6. ^ Henry George Liddell; Robert Scott, eds. (1897), "στύραξ", Greek-English Lexicon (8th ed.), Harper & Brothers, p. 1442
7. ^ "styrax", Oxford Latin Dictionary, Oxford University Press, 1968, p. 1832
8. ^ "storax", Oxford Latin Dictionary, Oxford University Press, 1968, p. 1825
9. ^ Dioscorides (1902), "Styrax", in Julius Berendes, De materia medica (PDF), PharmaWiki.ch, p. 89
10. ^ A. Dietrich (2004), "AFĀWĪH", The Encyclopaedia of Islam, 12 (supplement) (2nd ed.), Brill, pp. 42–43
11. ^ E. Cerulli;  M. Orwin; G. S. P. Freeman-Greenville (1997), "SOMALI", The Encyclopaedia of Islam 9 (2nd ed.), Brill, pp. 713–727
12. ^ Jehuda Feliks (2007), "Storax", Encyclopaedia Judaica 19 (2nd ed.), Thomson Gale, p. 238
13. ^ Denis H. James; William M. Castor (2007), "Styrene", Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry (7th ed.), Wiley, p. 1
14. ^ D. S. Margoliouth (1997), "ḲĀDIRIYYA", The Encyclopaedia of Islam 4 (2nd ed.), Brill, pp. 380–383

How Much Sleep Should a 17-Month-Old Baby Get?

Everyone needs a certain amount of sleep to maintain health, but growing children need more sleep than adults. The amount of time children should sleep is loosely based on age but also on a child’s individual needs. By the time a child is 17 months old, he should be able to fall asleep independently and remain asleep all night. Child-care professionals use a range of hours for the amount of time a toddler should sleep. The range can help parents determine if their child has sleep problems.

Toddler Sleep

Children develop natural sleep cycles, which are regulated by light and dark, by the time they are 6 months old. Most children between the ages of 1 and 3 sleep for 10 to 13 hours, according to KidsHealth.org. Your 17-month-old toddler may have begun to nap less. Instead of several naps each day, he may only have one nap for one to three hours a day.

Sleep Problems

Children who do not get enough sleep often have more difficulty falling asleep. Sometimes toddlers are simply uncooperative. Separation anxiety can cause them to fight going to sleep. Your toddler might be afraid to sleep if she has dreams or nightmares, and teething and other physical discomforts can rob a child of sleep. Children have trouble falling asleep if their environment is not quiet, comfortable and safe. Your child’s sleeplessness also might be caused by a medical condition, such as sleep apnea.

Toddlers who don't get enough sleep may be tired and cranky. Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images.

Too Many Late Nights

When your toddler does not get enough sleep, he may be tired, cranky and have trouble concentrating. Children who do not get enough sleep may become sleep-deprived, a condition that can cause serious physical and mental health problems. A sleep-deprived child might exhibit anxiety or depression. Sleep deprivation can lead to obesity and attention deficit disorder. Lack of sleep can increase a child’s risk for developing diabetes and compromise your toddler’s immunity.

Remedies

Children need time to wind down and get ready for sleep. Schedule about 15 minutes of quiet time before bedtime and use that time to read a book or talk. Allow your toddler to create her own simple before-bedtime routine to practice each night. Stick to the same times for naps and bedtime so that your 17-month-old becomes accustomed to the schedule. Avoid scheduling naps too close to bedtime. If your toddler does not want a nap, allow her to have quiet time instead.

Tips and Warnings

Talk to your pediatrician if you suspect a medical problem or if your toddler continues to have sleep problems. Also alert your pediatrician if your toddler is sleeping too much.

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The Best Dinner for Weight Loss

After a long day at the office, you might be tempted to throw a frozen dinner into the microwave or pick up some take-out on the way home. If you're trying to lose weight, however, neither of those options is a good idea. When you're dieting, dinners don't need to be complex, but they do need to be nutritious and to fit within your caloric intake limit for the day. Take the stress out of dinner by learning a few simple tricks for putting weight-loss meals together.

A fish dinner on a plate. Photo Credit Radist/iStock/Getty Images.

Fit Dinner Into Your Day

When you're dieting, your goal is to create a calorie deficit, and each meal and snack needs to fit within your daily calorie budget. Although you'll need to figure out your own calorie goal based on your weight and activity level, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Association states that most people can lose weight eating 1,000 to 1,600 calories a day. If 1,400 is your magic number, you can have three meals of about 400 calories each and two 100-calorie snacks. That means you'll need to count calories and create dinners that fall right around that 400 mark.

Use Your Plate as a Guide

The USDA's MyPlate icon makes meal-planning easy for any kind of diet. Split your dinner plate in quarters so that you fill one quarter with lean protein such as chicken, fish or tofu; one quarter with whole grains such as brown rice; and the remaining half with fresh fruits and vegetables such as a large green salad and sliced strawberries. Supplement your meal with a small amount of dairy such as an ounce of feta cheese sprinkled on your salad.

Stick to Proper Portion Sizes

On a weight-loss diet, you'll need to take the MyPlate guidelines one step further to make sure your meal fits within your calorie budget by serving the correct portions. Keep these serving sizes in mind so that you know exactly how much food to prepare. One serving of lean protein is 2 to 3 ounces; a serving of whole grains is 1/2 cup; and a serving of vegetables is 1 cup. A serving of fruit is one medium whole fruit, such as an apple, or 1/2 cup of cup of berries, and a serving of dairy is 1 cup of milk or 1.5 ounces of cheese. You may need to adjust serving sizes slightly to make sure your meal fits into your specific calorie goal.

Mix It Up

For a dinner that contains about 400 calories, you can have a 3-ounce portion of salmon for about 150 calories, paired with 1 cup of cooked broccoli for 55 calories and 1/2 cup of brown rice for a little over 105 calories. Have 4 ounces of fat-free yogurt and one-half cup of strawberry halves for another 90 calories. Substitute chicken breast or tofu for salmon, a leafy green salad or roasted carrots for broccoli and quinoa or whole-wheat pasta for brown rice to keep your dinners interesting.

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Build Better Bookcases

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 Digital Download

By Robert W. Lang

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WINDOW

We show you how to make a great bookcase in any style, with one basic box design, and one sheet of plywood. Includes plans for a Shaker, Contemporary, Arts & Crafts and Formal style bookcases.

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