Wurzburg, Germany  - Unless you're allergic to it, birch trees are one of the godsends of spring, according to scientist Johannes Gottfried Mayer.

Drinking birch juice is a great way to detoxicate the body. "The leaves have a diuretic effect," explains Mayer, of an herbal medicine research group at the University of Wurzburg.

He attributes the affect to flavonoids, as well as the birch's high levels of Vitamin C.

While modern practitioners of herbal medicine focus almost exclusively on the birch's leaves, people used to use the bark, buds and tar.

Wurzburg, Germany  - Gourmets consider the artichoke a tasty delicacy, but for people with digestive problems its bitterness is a helpful natural cure.

"The use of artichoke leaves is scientifically recognized in treating stomach and intestinal problems, above all when they are caused by liver or gall bladder dysfunction," said Johannes Gottfried Mayer of a medical research group at the University of Wurzburg.