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Herbs & Plants

Giloy

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Botanical Name: Tinospora Cordifolia , Menisper mum cordifolium, Cocculuc cordifolia
Other Names: Guduchi, Amrita, Giloy , Amrithu, Gulansha
Family: Menispermaceae


Description :

Large, glabrous, deciduous, climbing shrubs. Leaves broadly ovate, cordate, long petiolate. Flowers small, yellow or greenish-yellow, appearing when the plant is leafiless, in axillary and terminal racemes or racemose panicles; male flowers clustered females usually solitary. Parts used : Root, stem, leat. Major Constituents : The dry stem with bark constitutes the drug, which have different reported constituents, such as bitter glycoside Gillian a non glucoside giloinin. Three bitter compounds namely tinosporon acid and tinosporol have been reported.

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. The stems are rather succulent with long filiform fleshy aerial roots form the branches. The bark is gray brown and watery. The leaves are membranous and cordate. The flowers small and greenish yellow. This herb is found throughout tropical India ascending to a height of 300 mts. This herb is found in the in many parts of the north & south India.

Stems – Fleshy
Roots – long thread like, aerial,arise from branches.
Bark – Thin, greyish or creamy white in colour, when peeled fleshy stem is exposed.
Leaves – Cordate (heart shaped), membranous, juicy.
Flowers – Bloom during summer
Male flower – Small, yellow or green coloured occur in clusters.
Female flower – Occur singly.
Fruits – Pea shaped, fleshy, shiny turn red when boiled. Occur in winter
Seeds – curved, pea sized.

Part Used: Stems, Roots

Uses :
This herb is used in seminal weakness and urinary affections. It is also a valuable tonic. Other applications of this herb include: fever, gout, jaundice, torpidity of the liver, skin diseases, secondary syphilis, rheumatism, constipation, tuberculosis, and leprosy. It is a blood purifier and may be useful in AIDS and other immune diseases also. It is also being proposed for cancer patients before and after chemotherapy.

It is an important constituent of several preparations, used in general debility, dyspepsia fever as aphrodisiac in urinary disorders. It is also reported to provide relief in diabetes, piles and dysentery. A part from stem, the decoction of the leaves is used in the treatment of gout. The root is also powerful emetic and also used for visceral obstruction.

Healing power and curative properties:
This herb is used in stomach ulcer and urinary affections. The entire plant is regarded as a valuable alterative and stimulant. Tinospora is used in Ayurvedic medicine as a tonic, vitalizer and remedy for diabetes and metabolic disorders. It is also helpful in the treatment of problems that are chronic and cause fatigue, and difficulties with digestion (resulting in poor nutritional status). It has been used to reduce blood glucose level. The plant is used to improve the immune system and body’s resistance against infections. It is used as Immunomodulator in Immunosuppression of obstructive Jaundice, Hepatic fibrosis, Peritonitis and Sepsis. The plant has been found effective in preventing fibrous changes and promotes regeneration of the liver from drug induced hepatic toxicity It is useful in eye conditions, as a tissue builder, helps development of intelligence, and retains youth by helping to prevent premature aging.

Stomach Ulcer:

Giloy use for soothing inflamed and injured mucous membranes in the digestive tract. This herb protect the stomach and duodenum by increasing production of mucin, a substance that protects the lining of these organs against stomach acid and other harmful substances.

Urinary disorder :

This herb is used in urinary affections. The juice of the roots is very much effective in Urinary problems.

Immunity Disorders :
Giloy has been proven to be effective in inhibiting the growth of bacteria and enhancing the buildup of immune resistance. Scientific research is now providing clues to Giloy immune-boosting ability to fight diseases. In a study using human white blood cells, Giloy increased the killing ability of macrophages, the immune cells responsible for fighting invaders.

Mental Disorder :
The whole plant and the juice of the leaves is traditionally used in various mental disorders. This is regarded as one of the best psychotropic drugs in India.

Other uses :
Studies on induced oedema and arthritis and on human arthritis proved anti-inflammatory potency of the water extract of plant. It also has antipyretic action. This drug relaxes the intestinal and uterine smooth muscles. It is proved effective in prevention of fibrosis and in stimulating regeneration in hepatic tissue.

Ayurvedic supplements that contains Giloy : Giloy Satwa

Safety:
No information available. To be taken only under the direct supervision of a qualified professional.

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Help taken from:Allayurveda.com,http://presidentofindia.nic.in/herbal.html and http://www.holisticonline.com/Herbal-Med/_Herbs/h150.htm

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Categories
Herbs & Plants

Bay Leaf

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Botanical Name: Laurus nobilis.
Family: Lauraceae
Genus: Laurus
Species: L. nobilis
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Laurales
Origin: Probably Western Asia.
Habitat :The laurel tree grows all over the Mediterranean region, with Turkey one of the main exporters. Due to poor frost-resistance, laurel is not generally native to more Northern regions, although cultivars are frequently found in cities and other warmer locations.
Used Part: Leaves. Industrially, laurel oil is prepared from the fruits, which may also be used as a spice.
Family: Lauraceae (laurel family).
Effect& Taste : Aromatic and slightly bitter.

Etymology: The botanical genus name laurus and English laurel are derived from the Latin name of the tree, laurus. Almost all languages of Europe have related names, e.g. German lorbeer, Swedish lager, Italian alloro and Portuguese louro. The origin of laurus is not known with certainty but it is neither related to Latin laus “praise” nor loaned from Greek.
In the Ancient Greek tongue, the plant was named daphn? after the nymph Daphne who turned into a laurel shrub to escape the persecution of Apollo. Bay leaves are called dafin in Romanian, dafni in Modern Greek and defne in Turkish. There are also names meaning “leaves of Daphne”, such as Hebrew aley Daphna and Bulgarian Dafinov list.
Species name nobilis is Latin for “noble”. The English term bay leaf (Middle English baye, Old French baie) derives from the Latin bacca “berry”, referring to the fruits.

The bay tree is indigenous to Asia Minor, from where it spread to the Mediterranean and then to other countries with similar climates. According to legend the Delphi oracle chewed bay leaves, or sniffed the smoke of burning leaves to promote her visionary trances. Bay, or laurel, was famed in ancient Greece and Rome. Emperors, heroes and poets wore wreaths of laurel leaves. The Greek word for laurel is dhafni, named for the myth of the nymph Daphne, who was changed into a laurel tree by Gaea, who transformed her to help her escape Apollo’s attempted rape.

Description
The bay leaf is oval, pointed and smooth, 2.5 – 8 cm (1 to 3 in) long. When fresh, the leaves are shiny and dark green on top with lighter undersides. When dried the bay leaf is a matte olive green.
Bouquet: Warm and quite pungent when broken and the aromatic oils are released.
Flavour: Slightly bitter and strongly aromatic.
Hotness : Mild

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Preparation and Storage:    Dried leaves should be whole and olive green. Brown leaves will have lost their flavour. Whole leaves are often used in cooking and crushed or ground leaves can be used for extra strength. Kept out of light in airtight containers the whole leave will retain flavour for over two years.

Uses:  Bay leaves are widely used throughout the world. It may be best known in bouquets garnis or used similarly in soups, sauces, stews, daubes and courts-bouillon’s, an appropriate seasoning for fish, meat and poultry. Bay leaf is often included as a pickling spice.

Bay leaves were considered holy and were associated with Apollo in Ancient Greece. Winners of the Olympic Games were originally decorated with a wreath of olive twigs, but this changed to laurel after the Pythian Games, conducted in honour of Apollo. Roman Emperors made use of laurel wreaths as a symbol of Apollo and bay leaves were a popular spice in Roman cookery.
Today, bay leaves are a common flavouring in all Western countries and are used for soups, stews, sauces, pickles and sausages. In addition, several fish dishes profit greatly from bay leaves. In contrast to the majority of leaf spices, bay leaves can be cooked for prolonged time without much loss of aroma. Fresh or dried bay leaves frequently appear in bouquet garni.
Fresh bay leaves are very strongly aromatic but also bitter. The bitterness is significantly reduced and flavour improved by quick drying, after plucking and sorting without exposure to sunlight. High-quality bay leaves are recognised by their strong aroma and their bright green colour. Bay leaves can be stored for a year, after which they lose their fragrance, turn brown and taste bitter.
The laurel fruits are less known, although they appear as part of commercial spice mixtures. Because of their robust taste, they fit best to strong sauces and gravies and are excellent with venison (together with juniper). Because of the popularity of bay leaves in the West, many exotic leaf spices are commonly known as “bay leaves” although not botanically or culinarily related. In Asia, the Indian bay leaf comes from a relative of cinnamon native to the Himalayas and Indonesian bay leaves stem from a tree of the myrtle family.
There are other “bay leaves” in the West including the aromatic Californian bay leaf, which is rarely found because of potential health hazards, and Mexican bay leaf which has little commercial value. West Indian bay leaves, which stem from a close relative of allspice, yield West Indian bay oil.

Medicinal Properties
In the Middle Ages it was believed to induce abortions and to have many magical qualities. It was once used to keep moths away, owing to the leafs lauric acid content which gives it insecticidal properties. Bay leaf has many properties which make it useful for treating high blood sugar, migraine headaches, bacterial and fungal infections, and gastric ulcers. Bay leaves and berries have been used for their astringent, carminative, diaphoretic, digestive, diuretic, emetic and stomachic properties. Bay Oil, or Oil of Bays (Oleum Lauri) is used in liniments for bruising and sprains. Bay leaf has been used as an herbal remedy for headaches. It contains compounds called parthenolides, which have proven useful in the treatment of migraines. Bay leaf has also been shown to help the body process insulin more efficiently, which leads to lower blood sugar levels.It has also been used to reduce the effects of stomach ulcers. Bay Leaf contains eugenol, which has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. Bay leaf is also an anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. Bay Leaf has also been used to treat rheumatism, amenorrhea, and colic.

Bay LeafAqueous extracts of bay laurel can also be used as astringents and even as a reasonable salve for open wounds.

In massage therapy, the essential oil of bay laurel is reputed to alleviate arthritis and rheumatism, while in aromatherapy, it is used to treat earaches and high blood pressure. A traditional folk remedy for rashes caused by poison ivy, poison oak, and stinging nettle is a poultice soaked in boiled bay leaves.

The chemical compound lauroside B isolated from Laurus nobilis is an inhibitor of human melanoma (skin cancer) cell proliferation at high concentrations.

Description Of Plant :   Grown successfully in Mediterranean-like climates, the Bay is a hardy evergreen shrub that grows wild or cultivated. In warm areas it can grow as high as 18 m (60 ft). Inconspicuous white flowers arrive in clusters, in May. The fruits are small, red-blue single-seeded berries that later turn black about 12 mm (1/2 in) in size. Propagation is best accomplished with the cuttings from shoots. Leaves can be harvested at any time. click & see the pictures

Different Names
Apolloâs Bay Leaf, Bay, Bay Laurel, Grecian Laurel, Indian Bay, Laurel, Nobel Laurel, Laurel, Roman Laurel, Royal Laurel, Sweet Bay, Sweet Laurel, Wreath Laurel
French: feuille de laurier, laurier franc
German: Lorbeerblatt
Itlaian: foglia di alloro, lauro
Spanish: hoja de laurel
Greek: dhafni

In Bengal it is called Tej Pata

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider

Resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurus_nobilis

http://www.aidanbrooksspices.blogspot.com/2007/10/bay-leaf.html

Encyclopedia Of Spices

Categories
Ailmemts & Remedies

Gastritis

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Gastritis is a medical term for inflammation of the lining of the stomach. It may be a sudden attack or chronic. It means that white blood cells move into the wall of the stomach as a response to some type of injury. Gastritis does not mean that there is an ulcer or cancer. It is simply inflammation , either acute or chronic gastritis has many underlying causes, from infection with the bacterium H. pylori, bile reflux, or excessive consumption of alcohol or certain foods.

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Gastritis is not a single disease, but several different conditions that all have inflammation of the stomach lining. Gastritis can be caused by drinking too much alcohol, prolonged use of non -steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin or ibuprofen, or infection with bacteria such as Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). Sometimes gastritis develops after major surgery, traumatic injury, burns, or severe infections. Certain diseases, such as pernicious anemia, autoimmune disorders, and chronic bile reflux, can cause gastritis as well.

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The most common symptoms are abdominal upset or pain. Other symptoms are belching, abdominal bloating, nausea, and vomiting or a feeling of fullness or of burning in the upper abdomen. Blood in your vomit or black stools may be a sign of bleeding in the stomach, which may indicate a serious problem requiring immediate medical attention.

Gastritis may be caused by:

  • Bacterial or viral infection (infection by a virus is contagious)
  • Excess stomach acid caused by heavy smoking, alcohol use, caffeine, improper diet such as spicy, greasy foods
  • Use of drugs such as Aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, cortisone
  • Stress

Preventing gastritis

  • Eat regularly and moderately
  • Stop smoking
  • Limit or avoid alcohol and caffeine
  • If possible avoid drugs that are irritating to your stomach
  • Avoid foods that you don’t digest easily

Before starting any type of treatment the patient must try to locate the cause of this Gastritis and his first and foremost duty is to stop the cause. Those who drink alcohol or smoke or eat too much fast-food or spicy food , should stop as soon as he detects Gastritis.
Several very good Ayurvedic medicines are available in the market which may cure the disease.This web site may be a help.One can try Extra virgin Siberian pine oil to stop gastric pain and heal gastritis.

In several cases it is due to Constipation or IBS and for all these,one may visit this site
I would also recommend him this site to get rid of all this type of diseases permanently by doing regularly Shudhikriyas yoga.

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Categories
Fruits & Vegetables Herbs & Plants

Wood apple or Bael Fruit

Botanical Name :Aegle marmelos .
Family: Rutaceae
Subfamily: Aurantioideae
Tribe: Clauseneae
Genus: Aegle
Species: A. marmelos
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Sapindales

Common Name :Bael, Belgiri, Bel, Bilva, Bilpatri, sriphal

Local Common Names in    South-East Asia:

* Burmese: Oushi
Indonesian: Maja
Khmer: Pniv
Lao: Maktum
Malay: pokok maja batu (tree)
Thai: Matuum

Indian Subcontinent
Assamese: Bael
Hindi: Sriphal

Urdu: Bael or sriphal
Oriya:Baela
Bengali: Bael

Kannada: bilva (sacred variety)
Konkani: gorakamli
Malayalam: koo-valam
Marathi: Kaveeth
Punjabi: Beel
Sanskrit : Billa

Sinhalese: Beli
Tamil: Vilvam
Telugu: Maredu
Sir Phal (old Hindi)

Habitat :Native to India and Pakistan. It has since spread to throughout South-east Asia. It is a gum-bearing tree.

It is is indigenous to dry forests on hills and plains of northern, central and southern India, southern Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand. It is cultivated throughout India, as well as in Sri Lanka, northern Malay Peninsula, Java in the Philippines and Fiji Islands

Very useful fruit for all kinds of stomach disorder

Flesh is eaten raw or processed into drinks.Fruit pulp is sometimes used as detergent and adhesive.Ripe pulp is used as a digestive aid and a very good laxative.Unripe pulp is used to treat diarrhea and dysentery.Fibre content of the pulp, whether ripen or green is very high. All other parts of the plant are used for a wide variety of medicinal purpose.Beal leafs are used by Hindus in their worship.Several Ayurvedic medicines are made from most of the parts of the plant.

..Click to see the pictures…>…..…(1)..…….(2).…….(3).……..(4)..

Plant Cultivation:

Medium sized tree to 40ft. The bael fruit is slow growing but very tough for a subtropical tree, surviving a wide temperature range from 20-120F. It easily withstands long periods of drought, which are needed for better fruit yields. It grows in most soil and climate types, and requires little care when established. Fruits take 10-12 months to ripen from flowering.
Propagation: Usually by seed. Seedling trees bear within 6+ years

Origin and Distribution:

Native to central and southern and northern India,Pakistan,Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Burma.But only in very few places perhaps it is commercially grown.

Several variety of wood apples grow in India, but two types are very popular, one is Yellow beal(Feronia limonia), sweet when ripen and the other is Kod beal(Banglapedia) sweet and sower when ripen. But both of them have tremendous medicinal value

Many pharmaceutical companies are now a days doing extensive research on this fruit and its plant.

USES :

Medicinal Uses: The fruit is much used in India as a liver and cardiac tonic, and, when unripe, as an astringent means of halting diarrhea and dysentery and effective treatment for hiccough, sore throat and diseases of the gums. The pulp is poulticed onto bites and stings of venomous insects, as is the powdered rind.

Juice of young leaves is mixed with milk and sugar candy and given as a remedy for biliousness and intestinal troubles of children. The powdered gum, mixed with honey, is given to overcome dysentery and diarrhea in children.

Oil derived from the crushed leaves is applied on itch and the leaf decoction is given to children as an aid to digestion. Leaves, bark, roots and fruit pulp are all used against snakebite. The spines are crushed with those of other trees and an infusion taken as a remedy for menorrhagia. The bark is chewed with that of Barringtonia and applied on venomous wounds.

The unripe fruits contain 0.015% stigmasterol. Leaves contain stigmasterol (0.012%) and bergapten (0.01%). The bark contains 0.016% marmesin. Root bark contains aurapten, bergapten, isopimpinellin and other coumarins.

Dirrhoea & Dysentery:– The half-ripe beal fruit is perhaps the most effective remedy for these diseases .

Respiratory Disorders:– A medicated oil prepared from beal leaves gives relief from recurrent cold and respiratory affections.A tea spoonful of this oil should be massaged into the scalp before a head bath.It’s regular use builds the resistance of cold and coughs.

Peptic Ulcer:- An infusion of beal leaves is an effective remedy for this disease.Beal leaves are reach in tannin which reduces inflammation and help in the healing of ulcers.

Earache:- The root of the beal tree is used as a domestic remedy to check several kinds of ear problem.A stiff piece of beal fruit is dipped in neam oil and lighted.The oil and the drips of the burning end is a highly effective medicine for problems related to ears.

PRECAUTIONS:The ripped beal fruit should not be taken regularly. It’s regular use produces atomy of the intensives and consequent flautence in the abdomen. The excessive use of beal fruit may produce sensation of heaviness in the stomach. The sherbet (Juice with water) made of beal fruit can produce heavyness in the stomach if it is taken hurriedly.

Food Uses:

The rind must be cracked with a hammer. The scooped-out pulp, though sticky, is eaten raw with or without sugar, or is blended with coconut milk and palm-sugar sirup and drunk as a beverage, or frozen as an ice cream. It is also used in chutneys and for making jelly and jam. The jelly is purple and much like that made from black currants.

A bottled nectar is made by diluting the pulp with water, passing through a pulper to remove seeds and fiber, further diluting, straining, and pasteurizing. A clear juice for blending with other fruit juices, has been obtained by clarifying the nectar with Pectinol R-10. Pulp sweetened with sirup of cane or palm sugar, has been canned and sterilized. The pulp can be freeze-dried for future use but it has not been satisfactorily dried by other methods.

Food Value Per 100 g of Edible Pulp*

Pulp………………… (ripe)…….. …Seeds
Moisture…………… 74.0%…….. 4.0%
Protein……………….. 8.00%…… 26.18%
Fat…………………….. 1.45%…… 27%
Carbohydrates…… 7.45%…… 35.49%
Ash…………………….. 5.0%…….. 5.03%
Calcium…………….. 0.17%……. 1.58%
Phosphorus………….. 0.08%……. 1.43%
Iron…………………….. 0.07%……. 0.03%
Tannins………………. 1.03%……. 0.08%
*According to analyses made in India.

The pulp represents 36% of the whole fruit. The pectin content of the pulp is 3 to 5% (16% yield on dry-weight basis). The seeds contain a bland, non-bitter, oil high in unsaturated fatty acids.

Other Uses:

Pectin: The pectin has potential for multiple uses in pectin-short India, but it is reddish and requires purification.

Rind:
The fruit shell is fashioned into snuffboxes and other small containers.

Gum: The trunk and branches exude a white, transparent gum especially following the rainy season. It is utilized as a substitute for, or adulterant of, gum arabic, and is also used in making artists’ watercolors, ink, dyes and varnish. It consists of 35.5% arabinose and xylose, 42.7% d-galactose, and traces of rhamnose and glucuronic acid.

Wood: The wood is yellow-gray or whitish, hard, heavy, durable, and valued for construction, pattern-making, agricultural implements, rollers for mills, carving, rulers, and other products. It also serves as fuel.

The heartwood contains ursolic acid and a flavanone glycoside, 7-methylporiol-b-D-xylopyranosyl-D-glucopyranoside.

Click to learn more about-> Wood apple tree[Aegle marmelos Corr. (Rutaceae)]

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Research:
Research has found the essential oil of the Bael tree to be effective against 21 types of bacteria. It is prescribed for smooth bowel movement to patients suffering from constipation and other gastrointestinal problems.

Research also indicates that unripe Bael fruit is effective in combating giardia and rotavirus. While unripe Bael fruit did not show antimicrobial properties, it did inhibit bacteria adherence to and invasion of the gut (i.e. the ability to infect the gut).

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider

Resources:

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/wood-apple.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bael

http://www.payer.de/manu/manu02036.htm

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