Maximum Yield USA 2014 June | Page 26

MAX FACTS growing tips, news and trivia Ginger and Diabetes Ginger, the spice that adds a kick to your favorite foods, has been a go-to medicine for eons to treat ailments such as colds, motion sickness and arthritis pain. Now, it looks like the spice can lower blood sugar in people with Type 2 diabetes, according to a new study by researchers from Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences in Yazd, Iran. The research team studied 88 people with Type 2 diabetes. The volunteers, all of whom had been living with diabetes for at least 10 years, were randomly given either three daily one-gram capsules of ginger powder or three identical-looking sham capsules, in addition to their regular diabetes meds. Those who took the ginger capsules saw a significant decrease in blood sugar after eight weeks.  (Source: prevention.com) US Airlines Experiencing a Lime Crisis Some United States airlines claim to be suffering a lime crisis, with most of the supply coming from Mexican producers. One airline reported to be flying with just between 15% and 20% of its usual storage of limes for use with the beverage service and another has decided to stop offering limes with its cocktails. The United States Department of Agriculture says the halts in the supply of Mexican limes to the US is the result of a combination of bad weather in Mexico and violent conflicts between cart els in the country. Mexico exported 96% of the limes shipped to the US in 2012. In January, the average price per box was $22 dollars; in March, the price increased to $80 per box, says Peter Leifermann, sales director at Brooks Tropicals, a Florida-based lime importer.  (Source: freshplaza.com) 24 Maximum Yield USA  |  June 2014