World looks to Indian Herbs & Ayurveda during COVID

COVID has created quite a disruption in the world, which is now looking to some cure/ preventive measure to help things get back to normal. Several herbal concoctions are now being studied as possible cures for COVID.Our own

• Tulsi (Basil), 
• Neem, 
• Ginger, 
• Turmeric, 
• Betel leaves , 
• Cinnamon, 
• Cardamom
  and a variety of herbs and leaves that form a part of a typical Indian diet are believed to boost immunity and prevent infection. 

Ayurveda being a holistic system suggests a rigorous and disciplined routine coupled with home-made simple food to prevent the spread of the VIRUS.

Of course, clinical research is being carried out to validate all the above. But no harm befalls one who follows the above as a possible preventive measure.

Tea - A beverage that helps you live longer

Tea is an aromatic drink that is popular the world over. It has many excellent properties that are beneficial for our health, so much so that they help us live longer. It contains anti-oxidants that help reduce the harmful effects on the body, and help us look and feel younger. It is also known to help in weight-loss which has a very positive cascading effect on the entire body system. 

Compared to coffee, tea contains less caffeine, and thereby does not stress the nervous systems. Medical research proves that consuming tea regularly reduces the risk of stroke and other heart diseases. 

Going beyond the vintage, classic teas, the market today is flooded with Ayurvedic Teas that blend various useful ingredients (right from the very useful Ginger) to normal tea to make it even more beneficial to the consumer. 

 

A creepy wonder - the Betel leaves

Betel leaves have several medicinal properties as described in Ayurveda. It helps in digestion and also acts as an antiseptic. I bought a betel plant about two months back. Its a very slender creeper and hardly occupies any space. It has a tendency to cling on to other plants which are beside it. I planted it right next to a wall and very amazingly, the creeper has clung to the wall at several places by letting out small roots. These roots bind the creeper to the wall pretty strongly and the creeper keeps growing steadily and vertically. Its really amazing how these plants adapt to the various conditions.

Betel is popularly called Paan in Hindi and Vettrilai in Tamil. Its a tradition to have a few betel leaves immediately after food due to its digestive properties. It feels good to walk out to the garden, pluck one or two leaves and have it fresh. It looks so tender and nice as compared to the betel leaves that are sold in the market. Its pretty pungent too and spicy.

Detergent growing on trees

I was reading about nature and natural products and was amazed to read that we had detergent growing on trees - yes, you read it right. I am talking about soap nuts. The online material suggests that they could be packaged properly and used even with a washing machine. 100% natural and as good as (or even better than ) the detergent that we buy from the supermarkets. Soap nuts are also used in Ayurvedic Medicinal system for treating hair-loss.

Herbal Leaves - Collection

I recently read about Indian Spinach and was wondering what plant it is. After some searching on Google, landed upon http://www.medindia.net/alternativemedicine/ayurvedaanddiet/Herbal-Plants/Indian-spinach.asp. 

Its a wonderful site containing descriptions on a collection of Herbal Leaves. If you can follow the Tamil language, the names in Tamil are also present, making life more comfortable. It also gives information on problems solved by the herbs, and a nice recipe to turn the herbal leaves into a nice dish for dinner. 

Where to Plant ? One important tip

If you are trying to have maximum plants in your garden, the outer periphery of the house can also be used and made a part of the garden. Of course, the key concern would be a threat to the plants from cattle (assuming people are not a threat). There are certain plants which cattle do not eat. The Oleander, for instance, is not consumed by cattle. Among trees, the Indian Beech tree, popularly called Pungai in Tamil, is not touched by cattle. Any cactus-like plant would also be a safe bet to plant outside. The Parijat Tree(Nyctanthes arbor-tristis, also called Night-flowering Jasmine) which bears beautiful flowers that give off a very pleasant scent, is another good tree to plant outside. The Parijaat tree is revered by Hindus. It also has immense medicinal properties. The flower stem, which is a brilliant orange in colour, is used for cloth dyeing.

A word of caution here. While cattle do not eat these plants, they could trample on them(which is often the case near my house). One should build atleast a simple wooden fence to protect the crops.

Growing Mint is easy

Mint is a very nice spice to have in the garden. And i discovered that its very easy to grow them. All I did was buy mint from the market, which is sold as a bunch of stems containing the leaves, some of the stems having roots. I planted the stems in a pot. Within a week's time, small mint leaves have sprung out of the barren stem.

Mint Leaves have the Botanical name of Mentha Sativa and in Tamil, they are known as Pudina, as in most other Indian languages. In addition to its property of spicing up food, Mint is widely known as a medicinal herb.

Medicinal properties

Ayurveda, traditional Indian medicinal system, makes extensive use of the Mint leaves as a medicine. Some of the effects of Mint on the human body are:

• It is a good appetizer
• Causes contraction on skin application and reduces swelling
• It is cooling - refrigerant
• Strengthens the stomach
• It is a diuretic
• It is a stimulant
• Relieves flatulence - carminative
• Relieves spasms
• It is an aphrodisiac
• Restores the normal tone of tissues - tonic
• Promotes the oral ejection of mucus by spitting (Expectorant)
• Found to be effective in the treatment of - Digestive disorders
  - Liver disorders
  - Gall bladder disorders
  - Anorexia
  - Vomiting
  - Poor digestion
  - Bleeding diseases
  - Diarrhea
  
  Preparing mint chutney:
  
  Ingredients:
  
  Mint leaves – 2 bunches
  Black gram (urud dal) – 3 spoons full
  Ginger – 1 small piece
  Ghee – 10 ml
  Pepper – 1
  Rock salt – according to taste
  
  
  Recipe:
  It is usually prepared as chutney. Separate the leaves. Wash and saute them in ghee for two minutes. Along with sauteed black gram, ginger, rock salt, and pepper, put it into a mixer and grind it into a smooth paste. The chutney is ready.
  
  More information is available at: http://www.mintrubbing.org/themintplant.pdf