Jackfruit Flowers: Home Remedy for Hydrocele & Boils

Photo courtesy flickr, peregrin@

Jackfruit is the national fruit of Bangladesh. It is the second of the top three tastiest and nutritious foods, according to the Tamil literature, the first being mango. Experts are of the opinion that the name jackfruit originated from the Malayalam word chakka. It is also the largest tree borne fruit. Jackfruit flower has a wonderful smell and has excellent medicinal qualities.

Jackfruit grows well in tropical lowlands. It has been cultivated in India some 5000 to 6000 years ago. It is grown in Brazil, Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines too.

Jackfruit is rich in vitamin A and anti-oxidants. It also has B-complex group of vitamins. It has potassium, manganese, magnesium and iron. The flesh of ripe jackfruit bulb is very delicious and nutritious.

Now for the benefits of jackfruit flowers.

Women suffering from irregular menstrual cycles can prepare a kashayam of jackfruit flowers and take it regularly. To prepare the kashayam, a handful of the flowers are boiled in 8 glasses of water and reduced to four glasses. The water is then cooled down and taken early in the morning on empty stomach. This helps in regulating irregular menstrual cycles.

The flowers can be ground to a fine paste and then mixed with honey and taken orally. This is found to benefit digestive disorders.

Jackfruit flower is useful in treating hydrocele. Handful of the flowers is collected and ground to a paste and this paste is applied over the affected area. Regular application is found to have brought down the swelling.

Steam boiled jackfruit flowers are helpful in treating boils. For this the steam boiled flowers are kept on the affected areas and then dressed over. The boils subside after a few applications.

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Mango Flower for Mouth Ulcers and Throat Problems

Tamil culture regards mango, jackfruit and banana as ‘mukkani’ or ‘the three best fruits’ in terms of their taste and nutritional value. The flowers of mango, jackfruit and banana are also valuable medicinally and nutritionally. Siddha texts as well as local folklore recommend preparations made using these flowers to treat various ailments that afflict us. I will share with you tips on various flowers and their medicinal uses in my subsequent posts. To start with I will dwell upon the medicinal uses of mango flower.

Mango is indigenous to India and grows well in tropical and sub tropical areas. It is the national fruit of India. People in villages use the tender mango leaves to clean their teeth. Unripe mango has a sour taste and is used for making pickles. The kernel of mango seed has immense medicinal value.

In India, mango trees flower during the January - April period. Raw mangoes start arriving in the market in February, March followed by ripe mangoes from April to June, July etc.

Mango Flower for Throat Problems

Collect mango flowers and clean them thoroughly in pure water. Boil them in pure water for a few minutes. Collect the water after filtering out the flowers. Mix lemon juice to this water. This can be used as mouth gargle. This cures most of the throat ailments.

Remedy for Diarrhea

Collect handful of dried mango flowers. Add 1-2 teaspoons of cumin seeds to it and powder them. Mix a teaspoon of this powder in a glass of warm water. This is an ideal remedy for loose stools. Another alternative is to mix a teaspoon of dried mango flower powder in yogurt and taken as needed.

Mango Flower for Mouth Ulcers

Mix a spoonful of dried mango flower powder in buttermilk and take this thrice a day for a week. This is an effective remedy for treating mouth ulcers and stomach ulcers. Another method is to fry the flowers in sesame oil and taken as needed.

Strong Gums

Chew fresh mango flowers for strong teeth and gums.

My next post will elaborate on jackfruit flower remedies.




Technorati Tags:home remedies, siddha, ayurvedha, natural remedies, medicinal plants