Herbs are nutritional foundation nutrients and good alternative medicine to nourish the body’s deepest and most basic elements. Medicinal herbs have been used safely and effectively since the time of recorded history for an endless list of reasons from health, healing, weight loss/gain/maintenance, to survival and more. Herbs can offer the body nutrients it does not always receive, either from a poor diet, or environmental deficiencies in the soil and air. They are great body balancers that help regulate body functions.

The benefits of herbs are many and varied. Even the once skeptical traditional medical community is starting to embrace alternative medicine practices using herbal remedies and healing philosophies and practices incorporating herbal medicine and medicinal herbs. Chinese herbs have been used by the Chinese for over 4,000 years to promote health and as healing agents.

Chinese Herbs are taken as tonics to enhance physical and mental well being. Since the dawn of man, herbs have been used for healing purposes and to promote wellness. Today, herbs are still the alternative medicine and primary source of health care for 80% of the world.

Here are some of the more well-known herbs and plant products and their modern uses.

Herbs Modern Uses
Bilberry Fruit Extract, Vaccinium myrtillus Various microcirculatory conditions. Night blindness and poor ability to adapt to bright light.

Cascara Sagrada Aged Bark, Rhamnus purshiana Constipation.

Cayenne Pepper Fruit, Capsicum annuum Carminative, diaphoretic, counter-irritant.

Cranberry Fruit, Vaccinium macrocarpon Prevention of urinary tract infections.

Dong Quai Root, Angelica sinensis Various menstrual disorders.

Echinacea Herb, Echinacea purpurea As supportive therapy for colds and chronic infections of the respiratory tract.

Evening Primrose Oil, Oenothera biennis Conditions related to deficiency of essential fatty acids (e.g., chronic fatigue syndrome) and alcoholism.

Feverfew Leaf, Tanacetum parthenium Treatment of migraines, fever, menstrual disorders..

Garlic Cloves, Allium sativum Elevated levels of cholesterol in blood and as a preventative measure for age dependent vascular changes.

Ginger Root, Zingiber officinale Modern Use: Prevention of the nausea and vomiting of motion sickness, dyspepsia, stomachic.

Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Ginkgo biloba Memory deficits, dementia syndromes. Improvement of distance and pain-free walking in peripheral arterial occlusive disease. Vertigo and tinnitus.

Asian Ginseng Root, Panax ginseng Tonic for invigoration and fortification in times of fatigue and debility, physical or mental exhaustion, stress, inadequate resistance to infections.

Siberian Ginseng Root, Eleutherococcus senticosus Tonic for invigoration and fortification in times of fatigue and debility, also during convalescence.

Goldenseal Root, Hydrastis canadensis Catarrhal conditions of the upper respiratory tract associated with colds and flus. Mucosal inflammations.

Gotu Kola Herb, Centella asiatica Improved memory. Venous insufficiency.

Grape Seed Extract, Vitis vinifera Microcirculatory maldistribution of blood flow. Altered capillary fragility and permeability. Anti-inflammatory.

Green Tea Leaf Extract, Camellia sinensis Chemopreventative. Hypercholesterolemia.

Kava Kava Root Extract, Piper methysticum Conditions of nervous anxiety, stress, and restlessness. Sedative and sleep enhancement.

Licorice Root, Glycyrrhiza glabra For catarrhal conditions of the upper respiratory tract and gastric/duodenal ulcers. Bronchitis. Adrenocorticoid insufficiency.

Milk Thistle Seed Extract, Silybum marianum Toxic liver damage, and for supportive treatment in chronic inflammatory liver disease and hepatic cirrhosis.

Saw Palmetto Berry Extract, Serenoa repens Urination problems in benign prostate hyperplasia stages 1 and 2.

St. John’s Wort Herb Extract, Hypericum perforatum Mild to moderate depressive states.

Valerian Root, Valeriana officinalis Restlessness, sleeping disorders based on nervous conditions.

So it’s time to start your gain weight diet and stack on some extra weight, no doubt your not thinking “man, I wish I could be like that fat guy over there”.

If you’re like us your thinking “man, I wish my chest was thicker and had that nice “V” shape to it. I wish my arms were thicker too. Maybe thick enough to fill up the sleeve of my shirt.

I’d like my back, lats and traps to look full and strong and I would sure like to get rid of these chicken legs. We’re sure that every guy on the planet would like to be bigger and stronger.

I don’t know too many people that just want to gain weight fat. The fact is, it is just not appealing to be fat. To yourself or to others. It is not healthy to maintain higher percentages of body fat either. That’s why we’ve developed simple techniques and strategies with regard to diet to ensure you properly gain weight and muscle. In other words, we want to show you how to gain muscle weight and not fat weight.

We have found that the majority of weight gain diets out there fail for two reasons. They are kind of opposite to one another. Many, have no idea just how much food you should be eating and what kind of food you should be eating to promote muscle growth and development. The other is that too many weight gain tips don’t seem to be too concerned about making you fat at the same time as helping you build muscle.

In fact, contrary to popular opinion it is possible to burn fat and build muscle at the same time. It is all about learning to feed the muscle and burn the fat. With the right combination of exercise and nutrition it is very possible to achieve your fat burning and muscle gaining goals at the same time and we’re here to help gain weight.

Let’s stop with all this intro stuff and just give you three important secrets to properly gaining weight. They fall into these categories:

1) How much do you eat
2) How often do you eat
3) when do you eat in relation to your training.

We’ve have written so much on the why’s of all of these recommendations. Here we are just going to give you the recommendation. Consider some of our other articles for further insight. We’ll do this up in point form:

How much should you eat?

i. 16 times your body weight in calories per day. You should weigh yourself every couple of weeks. You should set a target to gain 1 – 2 lbs per week. If you remain in this target keep your calories where they are at. If you drop below this target, up your caloric intake by 200 – 250 calories per day. If your are over the target take 200 – 250 calories per day out of your diet.

ii. 3 – 4 grams of carbohydrates per day per pound of body weight. These should be in large portion simple carbs. Oatmeal, Whole grain bread or cereal etc. If you easily gain body fat then try keeping your carbs to the lower number. If you find your body fat percentage increasing with this number of carbs reduce it by .5 carbs per pound of body weight per day until you are maintaining your current body fat percentage.

iii. 1 gram of protein per day per pound of body weight. Eggs, chicken, beef, turkey, cottage cheese, nuts, isolate shakes etc. are all excellent sources of lean protein. Your protein should be divided up into amounts that are fairly evenly spaced over all of your daily meals to ensure maximum absorption.

iv. You should consume a good amount of unsaturated essential fats every day too. Extra virgin cold pressed olive oil, fish oil, flax oil hemp oil, beans and nuts are great sources of good fat.

How Often should you eat?

i. You should eat almost first thing in the morning every day. After that you should never go more than three hours without eating. You will have to get it in your mind that you will need to eat when you are not hungry sometimes. You will need to eat when you don’t feel like making yourself something at that time. You will need to eat when it is inconvenient to do so.&