August 2009

14th AUGUST 09: WHITE TURMERIC (poolan kilangu)Different culture use white turmeric in different ways.Chinese tradition boils white turmeric to gargle their mouth. The boiled turmeric water helps remove bacteria, infection and cures teeth related problems.Malays use white turmeric leaves (cekur in BM) to treat women who are in confinement period.a) Ashes from the dried burnt […]

13th AUGUST 09: SKIN PROBLEMNot many of us have smooth and clear skin. Some individuals especially teenagers will either have pimples on their face or pimple like/boils all over their upper back.To help remove any type of skin problems, it is effective if you were to apply turmeric paste over the affected areas. This is

12th AUGUST 09: WHITE PUMPKINIndian Tradition believes in the concept of evil eye and there are many remedies and rituals to cure and help remove evil eye.Some of the many methods are:a) by having “black pottu” on baby’s cheekb) hanging a white pumpkin outside a new house to ward off evil and bad negative energy

10th AUGUST 09: LEMON GRASSLemon grass leave is fragrant. Dried lemon grass leave are effective to be burnt together with incense as the smoke acts as an insect repellent.Smoke produced from lemon grass and holy basil leave have the properties to ward off mosquitoes. Therefore instead of throwing the leaves, dry and store as it

7th AUGUST 09: CUSTARD APPLETo have a healthy body, we need to eat lots of fruits. Custard apple is one fruit that has been forgotten and has many medicinal values.The black seeds are not to be eaten. However keep the seeds as it is effective in treating boils and rashes. Powder the seeds and apply

6th AUGUST 09: CAPSICUMCapsicum comes in 4 colors, red, green, yellow and orange and is widely used as a vegetable in western countries. In Malaysia, capsicums are used as a garnish or used in salads. Instead of using chilies in your cooking, you can omit them with capsicum.Capsicums are good to be consumed regularly by

5th AUGUST 09: WHITE CRYSANTHEMUMTake 5 dried white chrysanthemum flowers and soak in hot boiling water. You can add sugar to give good taste and aroma to the drink.Medicinal values obtained by consuming chrysanthemum tea:a) helps reduce excess weightBesides using white chrysanthemum flowers, you can omit the flower with dried jasmine flower, dried hibiscus flower

3rd AUGUST 09: BRINJALBrinjal or eggplant comes in many varieties. Brinjals are low in calorie and rich in potassium, sodium and folic acid. Obese or overweight individuals are advised to eat brinjals to help them lose weight.However those who suffer from rashes or any type of skin disease are strictly forbidden to eat brinjals. Brinjals

31st JULY: BITTER GOURDWe have 72,000 nerves and for each nerve to function effectively, we need to consume food which is bitter in taste. This is because the properties in bitter food aids in strengthening the nerves.Bitter gourd and its leaves have many medicinal values. To kill stomach worms and help clean your stomach, consume

30th JULY 09:TURMERICTo cultivate a turmeric plant, break either a dried turmeric or raw turmeric into half and plant in a pot filled with soil.Pound and extract the juice of a small piece of raw turmeric.Pound and extract the juice of one clove of garlic.Pound and extract the juice of one small onion or one

29th JULY 09:BURDOCK ROOTPeel the skin off and cut the root into small pieces. You can either make soup or stir fry the root. The root is available in supermarkets and is treated as a vegetable among the Chinese community to treat sickness and diseases.Benefits of consuming the root:a) effective in melting kidney stonesb) good

28th JULY 09: RHEUMATOID ARTHRITISRheumatoid Arthritis attacks when vata or gas gets trapped in between the joint areas. When this happens, it will effect the nerves and bones and causes extreme pain and swelling.Those who suffer from arthritis area) strictly forbidden to bathe in cold water. If you are suffering from extreme pain, add salt

JULY 09: RAW TURMERICAccording to Hinduism, taking a human birth is a great privilege. This is because by taking the human body alone can one attain the goal of life. It is also stated in the scriptures that humans can live to more than 100 years. But how many of us are able to live

24th JULY 09: CORNCorn has many medicinal values. Some babies will not have any teeth even after they are 1 to 1 � years old. To cure this problem, boil the kernels of young corn or blend the kernels and feed your baby continuously for 2 – 3 days. You will see amazing results! Teeth

23rd JULY 09:DRIED PEA AUBERGINES ( sundakai vathal)Pea aubergine is rich in vitamin C and calcium. Slightly dry the pea aubergines and soak in buttermilk “mooru” and salt. Dry the soaked pea aubergines again under the sun for a few days until it is completely dried. InTamil the dried pea aubergines are called sundakai vathal.The

22nd JULY 09:EPILEPSYToddlers when they start to walk, they tend to fall and have bruises. If they fall on their head, it can cause internal damage to the head. The fall or internal injury can lead to epilepsy.Epilepsy can also be caused by a) Severe constipation b) Excess phlegm c) High feverd) Lack of ironEpilepsy

21st JULY: DRIED AVARAM FLOWERSDried Avaram Senna flowers are best to be prescribed as tea. When boiling the tea, add dried ginger, coriander leaves and cardamom pods. This beverage is a good substitute for tea and coffee.Dried Avaram Senna flowers are good in producing blood and increases blood flow.Avaram flowers, leaves, root, bark and gum

20th JULY 09:NOCHI LEAVESThere are three types of nochi leaves, one leaf nochi, three leaved nochi and five leaved nochi. Nochi leaves are effective in curing ‘vata’ related problems, i.e. body pain, muscle pull and back pain.To remove excess vata or gas from the body, either a) boil the leaves and inhale the steam b)

17th JULY 09: LEMONThere are different varieties of lime. All types of lime are rich in vitamin C.Lime juice is effective in curing morning sickness among pregnant women.Morning sickness among pregnant women happens when pitta predominates in the body. To normalize the level, lime juice is normally consumed.Lemons are good to be made pickles. Cut

16th JULY 09: SWEET TURNIP (sengkuang)In Siddha Medicine, sweet turnip juice is used to prepare medicines for post natal women. Sweet turnip is good to be consumed by women who are breast feeding as it helps to secrete more milk.Sweet turnip juice is also a good combination to be added with carrot juice as it

15th JULY 09: SWEET BEVERAGESChildren love to drink sweet beverages. Instead of buying cordials from supermarkets which has high sugar content and chemicals, try making your own sweet beverages at home.a) Boil Pandan leaves with sugar until it turns into thick syrup. Bottle it This beverage cools the body and helps burn fat.b) Extract one

14th JULY 09: ELEPHANT YAM (senai kilangu)Elephant Yam is good in treating piles patients. Patients who are suffering from asthma, sinus, cold or running nose are strictly forbidden to eat elephant yam. This is because elephant yam is a cooling food and it will aggravate the condition even more.This vegetable is only suitable for heaty

13th JULY 09: ROOT VEGETABLEIn previous episodes, many types of leaf and root vegetables have been discussed. Potatoes are considered a root vegetable and are regarded as a gassy food. It has high carbohydrate content and should not be eaten regularly.Elephant Foot Yam is the total opposite. It is regarded as a cooling food and

9th JUNE 09:SENSITIVE PLANT (thottal sinugi)This plant has many medicinal properties and is highly spoken by siddhas of yester years. This plant is very sensitive whereby the leaves closes by itself when it is touched.The roots have the capability of melting kidney stones. Stones are naturally formed when there is excess accumulation of toxins in

8th JUNE 09: SUNFLOWER SEEDSSunflower oil is extracted from the seeds and is rich in vitamin E. There are many types of oil. Tamils regards gingerly oil and coconut oil as good oil while other cultures and traditions regards sunflower oil and date seed oil as good oil. In general any oil which is extracted

3rd JULY 09:NONA (Mengkudu)Nona trees grow in tropical countries. Nona leaves and fruit have many medicinal values and is used widely by Australian aborigines from years of yore.Grind or pound Nona leaves and apply on small or big wounds. The leaves have the properties to heal and dry the wounds.Grind or pound unripe nona fruit

1st JULY 09:DRIED SENNA LEAVESSome Tamil families still practices giving their young children a tablespoon of castor oil once a month to help clear and flush dirt out from their body system.By drinking the oil, worms will be killed and toxins will be flushed out.The flushing of waste and toxins from the body will help

30th JUNE 09:DAUN SETAWAR PADANG (Rana kali)Children to adults of all ages are prone to suffer from boils which can develop in any part of the external body. Boils are normally formed when one’s glands or enzyme are not functioning properly. When this happens, toxins will start to accumulate and leads to formation of boils.

29th JUNE 09: HENNA LEAVESWhen pitta predominates in the body, palms will be itchy and soles will have a burning sensation. To cure the itchiness and burning sensation, pound henna leaves with either slaked lime (sunambu) or lime juice. Apply on your finger tips, palms and soles.The root of henna tree are said to have

22nd JUNE 09: SNAKE PLANTSnake plants grow in dry areas and do not need much water to grow. This plant only requires sun light and moisture from the wind to live. The leaves are generally used for medicinal purposes.In Indian Traditional Medicine,the juice is normally squeezed out by heating the leaves under a flame. The

16th JUNE 09: COMMON RUE (Aravatham Pacchai)The leaves have strong fragrance and in Tamil tradition, the leaves are used to tie around infant’s wrist. The strong fragrance, when inhaled by the infant, will increase and helps build good digestion system. Boil two leaves with water and consume the herbal drink. The herbal drink will cure

15th JUNE 09: SUNFLOWERSunflower plant is native to Mexico and during the 14th century, the sunflower production was brought out of Mexico and became famous in many countries due to its usage.The roots of the plants to its flower are used for various purposes. The head of the sunflower tend to follow the predominate direction

11th JUNE: BANANA FLOWER ( Jantung Pisang)Banana Flower has many medicinal values and rich in astringent properties. Foods which are rich in astringent properties are good in producing blood and works as a blood thickening agent.The astringent taste can be reduced significantly by adding the flower in “sambar”.The over powering taste can also be reduced

10th JUNE: RED SORREL ( Pulicha Keerai)Red Sorrel leaves are very sour. We should eat this vegetable as sourness is one of the six types of nutrients we need to consume to maintain a healthy body.Some cook the vegetable by boiling the leaves and throwing the excess water away. This is a wrong way of

5th JUNE 09: RAJA ULAMUlam Raja leaves are eaten raw and are used in Malay cuisine. The leaves are used for ulam, a type of Malay salad. The leaves have properties ina) increasing digestionb) removing excess gas from the body andc) help increase body strength The leaves cannot be cooked or juiced up. It has

4th JUNE 09: BEETROOTBlood is very important for our body. Individuals who have less blood count will tend to put on weight. To prevent this problem and to produce more blood, we normally opt to taking pills. Instead of consuming pills, it is better to consume fresh food which can act as a medicine. This

19th MAY 09: CURRY LEAVESCurry leave is a vegetable and is used in our daily cooking for taste and fragrance. In indian cooking, curry leaves are used for tempering and while eating, the whole leaves are taken out and thrown away. We should not throw away the leaves as it has many medicinal values. You

18th MAY 09: MANGOSTEENMangosteen is a seasonal fruit and its fruit bearing coincides with durian. Both fruits are god’s gift to mankind as mangosteen is created to balance the heat from the durian. Mangosteen is a cooling food and it has many medicinal values. Therefore try to eat the fruit whenever the fruit is in

15th MAY 09:AMARANTH LEAVES(Mulai Keerai)Mulai keerai’s root, stem, leaves, fruit and flowers has its own nutritional value.If the vegetable’s stem is big, throw away the root and utilize the stems to prepare soups. If the stem is thin and small, utilize the roots, stems and leaves when preparing a dish for your family. How to

14th MAY: CREPE JASMIN (Nandiavatta Poo)Our forefathers used to have this plant grown in temples as the fresh flowers are used as an offering to the Lords. The flowers are also used to treat eye problems or eye heatiness. The juice of the flower is used to treat 99 types of eye problems.When your eyes