- Series:Humans, Plants, Transcript English
1 Corinthians 15:49
“And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.”
Celery is an old Asian folk remedy for mild cases of high blood pressure. In one unscientific test, the father of a University of Chicago medical student lowered his mild hypertension simply by adding a quarter pound of celery to his diet every day for a week.
Now his son, a doctor named Quang T. Le, believes he has discovered how celery lowers blood pressure. His discovery could change the way high blood pressure is treated. Hypertension is caused when the smooth muscle lining of the blood vessels tightens. This makes vessels narrower, making it more difficult for blood to get through. Stress hormones in the blood cause the muscles to tighten.
Dr. Le discovered that celery contains a chemical that relaxes the smooth muscle tissue of the vessels. It does this by getting to the root of the problem. Stress hormones are made by the body using a specific enzyme. The natural chemical in celery prevents the enzyme from forming into stress hormones, thus preventing the chemistry that creates high blood pressure. The researchers hope that the chemical will lead to a more effective treatment for high blood pressure. They also recommend against eating celery to lower blood pressure since it contains sodium and other chemicals that can be harmful to some people when taken in high dosages.
How did the ancient Asians learn about this natural solution to hypertension? Clearly, so-called ancient man had a great deal of knowledge about the creation that we are only just learning.
Prayer:
Lord, when people today talk about previous generations as simple and primitive, they are demeaning Your workmanship, for man was made in Your image. Through the forgiveness of my sins, help me live in Your image today. Amen.
Notes:
Carol Ezzell. 1992. “Celery Studies Yield Blood Pressure Boon.” Science News, May 9, p. 319. Photo: Licensed under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2.
