Mediicinal Benefits of Banana Flower

All parts of the banana plant have medicinal value including the banana flower.  The banana flower or vaazhai poo in Tamil, is well known in the rural parts of South India for its healing action on stomach ulcers.  The banana flower or banana blossom is available throughout the year.  It is used in preparing some tasty and healthy dishes in South India.

Banana Flower for Stomach

The flower is found to help scanty and painful urination.  Soup made of banana flower is an excellent natural laxative. People suffering from pain and burning sensation in hands and soles of the feet can benefit from taking vaazhai poo on a regular basis.  Bad breath and sweat odor can become a thing of past with regular consumption of banana flower.

Stomach bloating and bilious vomiting can be arrested with consumption of vaazhai poo.  Male infertility can be overcome with regular consumption of vaazhai poo.  Kidney stones can be cleared with vaazhai poo.  Burning sensation in anal area can be cured with consumption of vaazhai poo thrice or four times a week.

Banana Flower for Women

Banana flower juice mixed with honey or palm candy benefits white discharge in women.  This should be taken on empty stomach first thing in the morning.  Similarly women with excessive menstrual flow can benefit from taking banana flower regularly.  This helps with painful menstruation too.

Juice of vaazhai poo 100 ml taken in the mornings thrice or four times a week reduces cholesterol levels in blood.  this also purifies it.

Banana Flower for Obesity

Obese people can take a soup made of banana flower.  Finely cut banana flower, ginger, garlic, coriander leaves are boiled together and reduced to half.  A pinch of salt can be added to taste.  This is taken four to five times a week.  This is found to be helpful in weight management.

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

Siddha Home Remedies: Medicinal benefits of Greens

Greens (keerai in Tamil) had been part and parcel of South Indian diet from time immemorial. It is considered an easily digestible food than flowers, vegetables, and tubers. Though taking greens everyday is a healthy habit, it should not be taken at night. Taking greens at night can lead to formation of gas in the stomach and other gastric inconveniences.

Care should be taken in selection of greens. Greens with dark black patches should be avoided as they may be contaminated with heavy metals. Also avoid worm infested greens.

Pasalai keerai (Spinach)

This is said to have blood cleansing properties. It strengthens the liver and pacifies pitta. It is a well known remedy for diseases related to the urinary system. People with painful or difficult urination can benefit from taking spinach on a regular basis.

Sirukeerai (Amaranthus Polygonoides)

This greens belong to the amaranthus family. Singers can benefit from taking cooked Amaranthus polygonoides regularly. This is found to preserve and improve their voice. It also works wonders in the case of mouth ulcers and stomach ulcers. Regular consumption of this greens also benefits those with hemorrhoids. Skin conditions like scabies and eczema respond well to consumption of this herb.

Mulai keerai (Amaranth)

This is a tasty green consumed extensively in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Recipes made of this green are very tasty as well as healthy. It cools and energizes the body. The more mature greens of this family is the ‘thandu keerai’. A very good blood cleanser, this green is also strengthens the heart. It loosens stools and helps treat painful and difficult urination due to increase in body ‘heat’.

Pulicha keerai

Known as gongura in Andhra Pradesh, there are numerous tasty recipes made using this green. Consuming this green helps constipation, stomach ulcers and digestive disorders.

Pannai keerai (Celosia argentea)

Pannai keerai has immense medicinal value. Regular consumption of this greens helps ward off ulcerative colitis, stomatitis, sore throat and similar conditions. This has a sweetish-sour taste and is found to be useful in treating eczema and venereal diseases. It loosens the stool and helps in easy bowel movement.

Ponnanganni keerai

Ponnanganni (Alternanthera Sessilis) is an excellent coolant. It neutralizes excessive acidity in the body. It helps keep away bad breath. It is useful in treating skin conditions like scabies, eczema etc and improves the skin tone and texture. It is an excellent herb for hair growth. Application of coconut oil boiled with ponnanganni leaves, shoeflower (hibiscus), arugampul helps in luscious hair growth.

Manathakkali keerai

This greens action on ulcers is well known. It has been very effective in treating all types of internal ulcers, stomach and mouth ulcers. Taking this greens twice or thrice a week keeps the body alkaline and takes care of acidosis, which is considered to be the root cause of all modern diseases.

Thoodhuvalai keerai

This green is an excellent remedy for people suffering from sinus related conditions. Thoothuvalai leaves can be ground to a fine paste adding a bit of tamarind and salt for taste. This paste is taken with hot rice twice or thrice a week. This green has a tendency to increase ‘heat’ in the body and hence should be taken in moderation.

Mint

Mint is well known for its action on gas. It adds strength to the body and improves digestion. Kashayam made of dried mint leaves is found to help with jaundice, stomach aches, headaches, hiccups, nausea and vomiting. Dried and powdered mint leaves can be used to treat mouth ulcers. It is also a well known breath freshener.

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

Siddha Home Remedies: Medicinal Uses of Flowers

Sapota Flower

Sapodilla or sapota (chikoo in Hindi) fruit grows in plenty in India. Both young and old love this exceptionally tasty fruit. It is rich in minerals, vitamins and anti-oxidant tannins. This fiber rich fruit is a good laxative and helps in relieving constipation. Ripe sapota is a storehouse of potassium, copper, iron, folate, niacin etc. Because of the carbohydrate content, people with diabetes should take this fruit in moderation.

The sapota flowers are rich in medicinal value. The flowers are small and have a bell-like appearance. You can find these flowers on the tree throughout the year. These flowers can be taken raw. A couple of these flowers when cleaned and taken raw can induce appetite.

Taking water steeped with well-dried sapota flowers helps in strengthening the gut and intestines. Similarly fresh flowers are soaked in honey for a few days and taken in the mornings and evenings. This is said to provide a nice glowing, sheen to the skin.

The sapota flower is ground to a fine paste using a few drops of water. This finely ground paste is then mixed in buttermilk. Taking this buttermilk is found to heal throat ulcers. This should be taken once everyday, till the symptoms disappear.

Guava Flower

Guava is yet another fruit that young and old love to eat. A very common fruit found in the Asian countries, this is available almost throughout the year. Guava is rich in folic acid, potassium, copper and manganese. It has a high concentration of Vitamin C. Due to its high fiber content, it relieves constipation and helps in easy bowel movement. The guava flower has numerous medicinal properties.

The flowers can be made to a thick chutney (thuvaiyal) with boiled split peas and taken with rice. This is said to have high nutritive value. Similarly fresh guava flowers are dried and then crushed and steeped in warm water. Drinking this water helps in relieving itchy skin, eczema, rashes etc.

Custard Apple Flower

Custard Apple is a tasty fruit rich in nutritional value. Custard apple is rich in Vitamin C. It also contains magnesium and potassium. The dietary fiber of the fruit helps in easy digestion. It also helps in curing vomiting, diarrhea, vertigo etc. The flowers of custard apple can be used in treating various health conditions.

Well dried custard apple flowers help in getting rid of lice and dandruff. For this the dried flowers are ground to a fine powder. While bathing the powder is applied onto the scalp and left for 5-10 minutes. The flower is also an excellent laxative. Taking custard apple flower steeped warm water in the mornings and evenings will help in easy bowel movement and prevent constipation.

Drinking custard apple flowers soaked milk is said to be helpful in treating diseases of the lungs. 5-10 flowers are to be soaked in a glass of milk for 2-3 hours.

Rectal prolapse in children is a very painful condition. To treat this, custard apple flowers are boiled in water and then allowed to cool to a bearable level. This water is used in cleaning the rectum after evacuation.

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

Siddha Home Remedies: Medicinal Use of Plantain flower

Plantain is the third of the ‘mukkanis’ of Tamil Nadu, the other two fruits being mango and jackfruit. Plantain fruit or banana flower is the main ingredient of some of the tastiest dishes of Tamil Nadu. The whole plantain tree has medicinal properties. The plantain pith is an excellent detoxifier. People with burns are made to lie on big plantain leaves. Food served in banana leaves has a distinct flavor. Bananas taste good as well help in preventing constipation. People in South India take couple of plantains after food to aid easy digestion as well as elimination.

Some of the medicinal preparations as well as benefits of plantain flower are given below.

Plantain flower is generally cool in nature. Cooked pulse and plantain flower are ground to a coarse paste and taken with rice. This helps to cure stomach ulcers.

Drinking plantain flower soup mixed with cumin seed powder can cure inflammation of eyes.

Regular intake of dishes made of plantain flowers help in treating eye afflictions.

Plantain flowers cut to small pieces and sauté in sesame oil can be taken for treating throat ulcers, phlegm in chest etc.

Plantain flowers dried and powdered and taken with honey can help in treating vata diseases. When taken with buttermilk it cures nervous debilities.

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