The wonders of nature - yet another thing that is good for you

Reading about Tannins. These are the group of chemicals that give wine it smoothness as it ages. If the food is to high in tannin it gives the dryness/pucky taste that is not sour, but bitter and astringent. Tannin also makes the water in bogs and streams brown, like you can see on the left. Photo credit

My interest in tannins come from wine. when you drink new wine ie wine before it goes into the bottles, the tannin levels make it astringent. This coupled with the harshness of the alcohol makes these new wines very undrinkable. If drink a new wine you think how revolting, lets through it out. Yet 6 - 12 months later it becomes very drinkable.As the wine ages in a oak barrel the tannins from the wine, plus the tannins seeping from the oak  modify to become the rich smoothness of a great wine. You don't need a oak barrel if tannins are high enough in the original wine. However I am experimenting with adding oak chips into selected bottle.

Well it turns out that these tannins are beneficial to your health. It can draw out poison from a bee sting as it makes the skin contract and squeezes out the poison. It has anti inflammatory properties, stops bleeding helpful with bowel issues and the list goes on.

Everywhere you look there is so much goodness in the plants the surround us. The issue is having a lifestyle that integrates all these wonderful natural substances into our body.

Right them I think I will go and have a nice glass of my oak leaf wine (yep you can make a wine from fresh new oak leaves!)