Highly beneficial Goose Berry (or AMLA)

Hope you would’ve read my previous post about the benefits and uses of dry ginger. Now I have taken the health usage of the very good wonder natural fruit AMLA. All Indian medicines give importance for this little beautiful fruit and use it as an herb because it contains valuable medicinal properties. Amla is often used ingredient in Ayurvedha or Siddha medicines. These small sized wonder is also called Indian GooseBerry.

Amla is nature’s richest source of natural vitamin C. No doubt that most of us

Indian Gooseberries (Amla or Nellikkai)

are using this fruit often in the form of raw, dry or juice (or atleast Pickles, mainly in south India). But to give you some information of its medicinal properties and health benefits I have taken this as subject in this post so that you may try to use this more and in your daily life to prevent many diseases.

Amla contains so much of vitamin C, vitamin B complex and also contains polyphenols and minerals like iron, zinc, etc. This fruit is rich in fibre, hence helps to maintain cholesterol levels. It helps to reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol and increases HDL (good cholesterol) thereby preventing heart problems

For diabetes also it helps. How? Because it contains polyphenols, which helps to keep sugar levels under control. It is widely used in Indian medicines to treat type II diabetes

Because of its anti-oxidant properties it even helps to prevent cancer.

Amlaincreases the Haemoglobin in blood and purifies blood.

It reduces the risk of gall stone formation.

In ayurvedha medicines, Amla is used in the famous Chavanaprash. This is a very ancient medicine, mentioned in old books and is a very famous one also (about 400 Crore or 80 mil USD market). Check out this wikipedia page on Chyawanprash.

Chinese vendor
selling Gooseberry

Gooseberry is also very much used in China. It is often used to cure throat inflammation. Here is a picture of a Chinese vendor selling Gooseberry.

Amla helps to cure sore throat. To get vitamin C to our body, consume one raw Amla daily.

It will also solve the constipation problem because it is rich in fiber. Daily or often the consumption of Amla will keep the balances of acids in stomach and improve digestion.

For mouth ulcer take some water add little Amla juice and gargle.  Amla is considered one of the best rejuvenating herbs in Ayurveda. It helps to improve immune system.

This herb is also used widely in many hair tonics since it enriches hair growth and hair pigmentation. It strengthens roots of the hair. Amla hair oil is very popular in India.

Note: For some persons, eating Amla first time might cause sore throat. Try it out first with small portion and then make use of it.

Hope you will make use of this wonder fruit more after seeing the above.  

I have mentioned here only few medicinal benefits of this wonder fruit. Have you used this or heard of any other benefits or uses of this Amla or gooseberry? Please share your information or experiences.

Papaya fruit - Full of Vitamins and Minerals

In continuation of the several natural remedies discussed in previous posts for diabetes, here is another fruit PAPAYA which contains anti-diabetic properties which are very helpful for diabetic patients specially those suffering from type II diabetes.

Most Naturopathy, Homeopathic, even Allopathic doctors are recommending this fruit for diabetic patients. This beneficial fruit contains many properties and can be used to treat many problems.

Papaya Tree

Let us see Papaya’s origin. It is native to tropical regions of America and cultivated in southern Mexico. Now it is cultivated in the other parts of the world including India. 

Papaya is melon like fruit with yellow-orange flesh; it contains large part of water.  

This is a very easy tree to grow in your home backyard. Just plant a few seeds of a ripe papaya and you will get a tree and fruits very quickly.

Papaya contains many medicinal properties - Anti-oxidants, Vitamin B, vitamin C, Pantothenic acid or Vitamin B5, minerals like Potassium, Magnesium, Fibre,  Folic acid etc. These promote the health of cardio-vascular system and provide protection against cancer.

Because Papaya contains vitamin A and C, it helps body’s immune system. The vitamin A which helps to prevent constipation, helps to maintain healthy mucus membranes and helps for the eye sight and to the skin.

Papaya contains papain enzyme which helps to lower inflammation in the body thereby healing wounds and burns. This enzyme helps to digest proteins by breaking the proteins thus helping to improve digestion and also cleansing the digestive track. If proteins are not digested it may cause Arthritis, Constipation, Diabetes, High blood pressure and other related problems

This fruit plays major role in preventing colon cancer since it contains fiber. Fiber does not allow the cancer cells to grow. 

Ripe Papaya fruit and seeds

Papaya is very low in calories say just 39/100 gm and contains no cholesterol. It contains soft and easily digestive flesh with good amount of soluble dietary fiber.  

Raw papaya has higher concentration of nutritional elements than ripe one. Its seeds and leaves also have medicinal effects. The seeds are very effective remedy for stomach problems, ring worm etc.

Papaya is also rich in many essential B complex vitamins like folic acid, pyridoxine (vitamin B6), thiamine (B1).These properties play vital role in metabolism.

This sweet fruit also contains good amount of potassium (257/mg per 100 g) and calcium. These properties are helping in controlling heart and blood pressure problems by countering effects of sodium.

Papaya is very useful for motion sickness. The medicinal property called Folate with vitamin C and E helps in various ailments

How to use: Unripe raw papaya can be used in cooking like other vegetables. Remove the skin with the help of peeler knife and remove the seeds then you can use it as you like. Some tips are given below.

Ripe papaya can be taken as it is after peeling, or with few drops of lemon, it can also be taken as juice and small pieces can be added in the fruit salad.

One important information: After the details study which reveals that the juice from the leaves of this plants is well aiding to cure DENGUE fever, Tamil Nadu State Government is promoting this herb at all government hospitals in the state. The juice obtained from these leaves increases the platelet counts the patients affected by dengue fever. Check out the related news link here

I have given the medicinal benefits of this wonder fruit and the usages. I suggest every one of us can take this fruit in any form at least once a week to get its benefits. Do let me know your valuable feedback or comments

you can give your comments or for any questions you can write in the comments so that others also may know about it and will bebenefited thanks

Benefits and Uses of Dry Ginger (Chukku or Sukku in Tamil)

We have seen the benefits and usages of fresh ginger through my previous post. Now we'll see about "Dry Ginger". 

Dry ginger has got almost all the medicinal properties of fresh ginger. We

Dry Ginger

know ginger has high in potassium, manganese also vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E and B complex, Phosphorous, Sodium, Iron, Zinc, Calcium and so on. Dry ginger also possess all these properties. 

Dry ginger has got many therapeutic properties like fresh ginger. Mostly dry ginger is used in powder form and easily available in most of the departmental stores.

This herb is widely used in Indian kitchen and also used in traditional medicines like Ayurveda and siddha and other Indian medicines.  It is referred to as Chukku or Sukku in tamil.

Let us see the usages

Dried ginger is used in traditional medicines to relieve gastrointestinal distress. It is very effective in eliminating gas in the intestines as well as act to help in the relaxation of the tract.

Gingerols present in the dry ginger has powerful anti-inflammatory properties. By taking dry ginger regularly, studies have shown that people suffering from osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis have experienced decrease in their pain.

Stomach irritation can be cured by drinking sugarcane juice mixing with dry ginger powder. Have to take this drink daily for some days to get better result.

Check out the Wikipedia tamil page on Dry Ginger here. Although there is less information there, I am sure in coming days, there will be more information in wikipedia about this dry ginger.

Dry ginger has more benefits - It can be used to treat wheezing, chest irritation, ear ache etc.

For head ache, make ginger powder paste by mixing dry ginger powder with little hot water. Wait till it gets dry by body heat. Surely you will be relieved from head ache .Use the same treatment to get relieve from throat pain also. This is one of our grandma’s treatments.

During winter if you drink daily dry ginger water, it will keep you warm throughout the day and will prevent you from cold and flu. It is very easy to prepare. Just put two or three pinches of dry ginger powder in a tumbler of water and boil for few minutes and filter it. Now the Ginger water is ready to use. (Use only one or two pinches of dry ginger powder for a tumbler of ginger water)

While using the dry ginger it must be noted the skin of the ginger must be removed completely, even while making dry ginger powder.

Dry ginger powder is used in making spices and masalas. Ginger tea and coffee are very famous and very tasty. Along with being a warm drink they are also good for health. Ginger biscuits, and ginger breads are also common.

Precaution: Ginger powder should be kept in tightly sealed container and should be kept in a cool place. It can be kept in the refrigerator also.

Benefits of Ginger - Anti Oxidant, Helps in Digestion and anti-cancer properties

By using natural products along with our diet or in cooking we are automatically getting the medicinal benefits of those products. Hence Naturopathy principle is “Food is Medicine” and this helps us in many ways in keeping away many diseases. That is why number of nature herbs/plants is included in our diet.

The image below gives you a good idea of how your food plate should be divided for healthy lifestyle.  

In my previous posts I have shared my opinion and views about the benefits of lemon and usages of lemon. Check those out if you have not. There are some very simple good usages and recipes.

Now we will see the benefits of Ginger. This is a root vegetable of ginger plant. Ginger has been used in Asian, Arabic and other countries as an herbal medicine since ancient times.

One of the most benefits from Ginger is its helping the digestive systems. You probably know this since you would have experienced Ginger Ale or Ginger juice helping you with relief during upset stomach. Ginger can help to digest fatty foods and reducing gas thereby preventing constipation problem.

If you have common respiratory problem ginger is the remedy because it is a natural expectorant. 

Research shows that ginger can provide relief to migraine due to its ability to stop prostaglandins from causing pain and inflammation in blood vessels. Ginger is widely used as a natural herb for treating cold and flu.

A study reveals that ginger can be used to treat diabetic-nephropathy, i.e. kidney related issues caused by diabetic complications

If you take ginger in the form tea it will help as natural heart burn remedy.

Picture of Ginger Plant

It has got blood thinning properties which helps to prevent heart attacks.

Ginger has high in potassium. manganese and also contains  vitamins A, C, E, B complex phosphorus, sodium, iron, zinc, calcium and so on. Ginger inhibits 5-L0 enzymes the only food for prostate cancer cells. Prostate cancer cells die in one or two hours without these enzymes. The components of ginger stop spreading of any type of cancer cells.  Many studies/researches are being conducted on the effects of Ginger in curing or destroying various types of Cancers.  

Naturally ginger helps to boost immune system. It can be used in tea, coffee, and also in cooking of various dishes to promote energy in our body and increase the metabolic rate. Ginger with lemon tea will have more medicinal effects.

Ginger with honey has more health benefits. Here is one simple recipe. Take some pieces of peeled ginger and add sufficient amount of honey keep it stored in a bottle for three or four days, then use one or two pieces whenever you get the complaints of nausea or vomiting symptoms. It is also for travelling sickness.

I have given only few benefits and usages of this herb, if you know anything more about this valuable herb please feel free to mention in this post.