அகத்தி கீரை,agathi keerai

1st APRIL 09:AGATHI LEAVES

In Malaysia, there are only a few trees and plants that can be used as food, i.e. drumstick leaves are taken from drumstick tree. Agathi leaves are taken from agathi tree. Agathi leaves are rich in Vitamin E, have the properties to kill germs, bacteria, and clears poison.

If someone has cast eye on any of your siblings, they experience loss of appetite, indigestion, face looking tired and dull:

a) Boil a handful of agathi leaves in plain water or washed rice water.

b) Do not add salt

Drink once a week. The poison in the body will be removed and will lose it��s effect.

You can even give the boiled water to your children to drink.

Agathi leaves have the properties to balance excessive pitta in the body and is a cooling food. That is why our fore fathers consume agathi keerai when they break their fast during ��amavasya�� day. Agathi leaves are a must and should be eaten during amavasya day.

This is because the body gets heated up during fasting period and by taking the leaves, it will cool down the body. You can cook the leaves by frying it with grated coconut.

The leaves are rich in Vitamin A and are very good for the eyes. Therefore try to eat agathi leaves once a month or during amavasya fasting day or any other fasting days.

Besides the leaves, the flowers are also good to consume as it has many medicinal values. Agathi flowers are rich in iron.

setawar,ரணக்கள்ளி

31st MARCH 09:DAUN SETAWAR(Ranakali)

Siddha of yester years have given a name to each and every herbal plant available according to its medicinal capability. Rana Kali comes under the cactus family. This plant does not produce milk and grows very well in dry and hot environment. It needs very little water to grow.

Every family should cultivate this plant in their home as it has many medicinal values. and can be used to treat many types of sickness and diseases. This plant can be seen in many Chinese homes as they are fully aware of the plant��s medicinal capabilities.

How to grow this plant?

Pluck one leave and soak in water for a couple of days. Transfer the leave to the soil.

women and menstrul cycle,

30th MARCH 09:WOMEN AND MENSTRUAL CYCLE

Every teenage girls and woman should have their menstrual cycle once in every 28 to 30 days. If you do not get your period on time, the lower layer of your throat will swell up. The swelling of the throat indicates that there is a problem in your womb and the relevant hormone, estrogen is not in balance. This problem should be fixed by taking the right medicines or remedy.

You can either eat boiled Horse gram (Kollu) or boiled sesame seeds (Ella). If the problem still persists, it is best to consult a physician or a siddha practitioner to get the right and proper prescription. If ignored, it can lead to major health problems.

By having your menstrual on time, internal dirt will be removed which causes the body will to be healthy and fertile. Failure to get your period can cause growth of tissues in the womb and pelvic area. If the growth is not removed, the dirt will turn toxic and will spread through the body. Once it starts to spread, it will damage other internal organs. At the same time the blood will become dirty and you will have boils on your skin. There are many medicines to clean the blood. Also try to take bedhi (purging medicine) to clean your stomach. Eat sufficient fruits to gain the necessary nutritional value. Make sure you find out why your period is delayed. The cause of delay could be due to:

a) Excess air/gas in the body ( vata)

b) Excess pitta

c) Or lack of blood

If you are anaemic, you need to consume proper medicines to increase blood production.

The beauty of women lies on the size of their waist and flatness of stomach. If you have growth or boils in your stomach, your stomach will bloat up. Therefore exercising alone is not enough. You need to consume proper herbs and medicines to avoid menstrual problems

நுணா,Mengudu

27th MARCH: NONI (Mengkudu)

Siddha of yesteryears have prescribed many types of herbs for newly delivered women to consume to prevent them from having side effects, sickness or diseases which can be caused by improper care after delivery.

NEWLY DELIVERED WOMEN who suffers from stomach pain or whose dirt are not completely removed during delivery can use below remedy to cure their related problems:
a) Boil noni leaves and drink the boiled water. The water is very effective in removing trapped dirt from the body.
b) Boil noni leaves and wash joint areas.

This is because newly delivered women usually suffer from joint pains. The boiled herbal liquid can either be consumed or used as a body wash.
If your spleen or liver is swollen, take a few large noni leaves and wrap around your waist with a thread before you go to sleep. Remove the leaves in the morning. The leaves have the power to reduce swelling.

Cut noni fruit into small pieces and extract the juice. Add brown sugar and water into the juice and consume the herbal liquid. The juice of the fruit helps remove dirt and has the tendency to kill bacterial infection in the intestines. Drink this herbal juice once a month. Both noni leaves and fruit are rich in antioxidant and each has the properties to kill bacteria and germs.

Mash the fruit with water and use it as a genital wash to wash wounds caused after delivery. All dirt and bacteria infection will be removed. Since noni leaves and its fruit have many medicinal values, try to grow this plant in your home and obtain the medicinal values from it.

mengkudu,நுணா

26th MARCH: NONI (Mengkudu)

This plant is originated from Queensland, Australia and grows very well in our country's soil. This plant is currently being cultivated largely in rural areas.Noni leaves and its fruit were used by Hawaiian natives over 2,000 years ago. Noni fruit is known as "Hawaiian Magical Fruit" and the herbal plant has been an integral part of ancient Hawaiian folk medicine.

In Siddha medicine, noni leaves are boiled and the boiled water is used for bathing mainly by newly delivered women. The boiled water can also be used to heal wound and skin rashes. Its roots are also grinded to treat arthritis and gout patients.Arthritis is caused by gas trapped in the joints. To remove the gas, noni leaves and its root are very effective in removing the trapped gas from the joints which can cause extreme pain and suffering.

Javanese use over - ripe noni fruit to make shampoo as they believe it is good for the hair and helps remove dirt from the hair. Mash the ripe fruit with water. Instead of wetting a cloth in ice water, wet the cloth in the fruit mixture and place it on your child's forehead when they are suffering from a high fever. The fruit liquid is effective in curing headaches, heaviness of head and reduce fever. Noni fruit is rich in vitamin C and beneficial in increasing blood flow and helps regulate menstrual flow.

Pudina,புதினா

25th MARCH 09: MINT (Pudina)

Extract from mint leaves are used as a fragrance and gives an appealing taste in sweets and cigarettes. Mint are best to consume raw. Take 10 mint leaves and garnish on salads. By serving mint this way, you will be able to get your family members to eat raw mint and obtain the nutritional values from the mint leaves. Mint leaves are very effective in killing germs and bacteria. If you have an insect bite which has turned into a wound, take a few leaves, pound into a paste and apply on the affected area. Mint leaves are normally used to make chutney.

HOW TO MAKE MINT CHUTNEY?
Grind mint, grated coconut, one small piece of ginger, 1 to 2 cloves of garlic, 1 onion, salt and tamarind juice into a thick paste.

Eat this chutney with rice. By eating mint chutney,
a) Help reduces pitta
b) Helps cure loss of appetite or poor appetite
c) Helps pregnant women cure indigestion and vomiting

Instead of juicing the mint and consuming it in liquid form, it is best to consume mint in chutney form. Grind mint into a thick paste and apply as a facial mask. The mint has the properties to make the skin looking fresh and bright. Mint leaves and any leaves which can be eaten raw are rich in vitamin A, E, C and phosphorus.

rose flower,ரோசா,ரோஜா

24th MARCH 09: ROSE FLOWER

Roses which are grown at home ground are best to consume and it has more medicinal values compared to roses which are specially cultivated in the farms. This is because specially cultivated flowers are grown with the help of chemicals.

Soak rose petals in honey and add palm sugar, blend it into a thick paste or leyham. By eating 1 tablespoon of rose leyham (legiyam) everyday, will help make the heart stronger.
You have to teach your children to eat rose petals as it rich with nutrients and minerals. Rose petals can be used as garnish when preparing fruit or vegetable salad. In aromatherapy, rose petals are soaked in water and used for bathing.

HOW TO PREPARE ROSE WATER (Paneer)
4.5 liters of water
1.5 kilo's of rose petals
Boil for at least ½ to 1 hour and the boiled liquid should be obtained through distillation process.
You can include Rose Water while cooking ��Kesari��or ��Beriyani��. Rose water can also be used as body perfume.

தக்காளி,tomato

23rd MARCH 09: TOMATOES

Both unripe green tomatoes and ripe red plum tomatoes can be consumed either by cooking it or eating it raw. Lycopene is a nutrient, responsible in transforming tomatoes to turn red and is regarded as a potential agent for cancer prevention. Siddha's of yester years have advised us to eat tomatoes raw including the skin. Tomato skin has many nutritional values, therefore do not remove the skin, and try to eat the skins when eating raw tomatoes.

Chinese medicine prescribes tomatoes to be the best medicine to cure eye redness. Eye redness could be caused from lack of sleep or an increase in eye pressure. Blend 2 tomatoes and drink the juice in the morning on an empty stomach. Drink the juice continuously for 3 days and eye redness will disappear.

In Siddha medicine, tomatoes are used as a body scrub while bathing. The enzymes in the tomatoes help transform dry, rough and wrinkled skin to soft, smooth, silky and glowing skin. Blend the tomatoes and apply as a facial mask. The enzymes helps remove dry and dead skin cells and help build new skin cells.

Tomatoes can be eaten every day and teach your children from the age of two to eat raw tomatoes and other vegetables raw. This practise will benefit them in future as they will not have the difficulty to eat raw vegetables when they grow up. Make sure you wash the tomatoes before you consume as cultivated tomatoes are usually sprayed with pesticides.

Eat tomatoes with its skin intact, RAW!

oil bath,எண்ணெய் குளியல்.

20th MARCH 09: OIL BATH

We should and must take oil bath once a week and not have oil bath once a year, i.e. during Deepavali! Gingly oil is obtained from sesame seeds (Ella) and coconut oil is extracted from coconut milk. These two oils are the common oils which are used to apply on the head and body and have been practiced from years of yore.

OIL BATH FOR CHILDREN
Tear two betel leaves, pound 1 thumb- sized turmeric and 2 cloves of garlic and add all the ingredients into the oil.

You can apply this oil mixture on your children when they are having a cold. By having oil bath once a week, it will prevent your children from getting frequent colds. When your child is suffering from a cold and has developed lots of phlegm, heat the oil and massage your child��s head, forehead and the whole face. You can also pour a drop of oil into their ears and eyes. Applying oil into the eyes can be done once a week or once a month. By applying oil into the eyes, it will help loosen the hardened phlegm trapped in the nose and throat and the oil will help push the phlegm out either through the nose or throat. By applying oil into the ears, it will provide lubrication and help soften the veins around the ear-neck area.

In aromatherapy, cinnamon and cloves are added into the oil for fragrance and is used for massaging the body. You can also add these herbs or any other fragrant herbs and use it for your children.

Coconut oil cannot be used for sinus patients. Those who have a heaty body should use gingerly oil. It is best if you could add betel leaves, turmeric and garlic into the gingerly oil as it produces good results to sinus patients. Therefore practice oil bath every week and if possible make oil bathing a family ritual.

spinach,pasalai keerai

19th MARCH 09: INDIAN SPINACH (Pasalai Keerai)

There are two types of Indian Spinach, Red Indian Spinach and White Indian Spinach. Red indian spinach has more nutritional value compared to white Indian spinach. This vegetable is rich in vitamin A, C and D and good for cooling the eyes. Any vegetable which gives a cooling effect to the eyes are categorized under the types of cooling foods. Those who suffer from frequent constipation are advised to eat Indian spinach as it will make tools soft and ease motion.

When preparing porridge for children, it is good to add 2 to 3 leaves of Indian spinach into the porridge. The leaves are soft and tender and require minimum time to cook. Wash the leaves and cut the leaves into small pieces. Dry fry the leaves with grated coconut. This way of cooking will produce a very tasty dish. I

ndian Spinach can be treated as a very good medicine to provide sufficient vitamins and minerals to men and ladies reproductive organs. Lack of sufficient vitamins and minerals in women's egg and men's sperm is very common today as many of us tend to eat foods which contain lots of chemicals.

Indian spinach is very easy to grow and can be grown in any type of soil without the help of any chemicals. You can grow Indian spinach in a pot and have it grown in your kitchen or any suitable places. Since it is very cooling, do not eat it everyday. It is best to eat this vegetable 2 to 3 times a week.

Asthma patients are strictly forbidden to eat Indian spinach .This is because the cooling effect will increase kapa, i.e. more phlegm in the chest area. For those who are not suffering from asthma should include Indian spinach at least once a week as it is rich in nutritional value and has lots of health benefits.

நெல்லிக்காய் indian goosberry

18th MARCH 09: INDIAN GOOSEBERRIES (Nellikai)

There are two types of gooseberries. The first type of fruit is very sour and the size of the fruit is small. The fruit is light green and has few medicinal values. This type of fruit is normally included while preparing fish curry or ��puli�� curry. The second type of fruit is the actual Indian Gooseberry.

The leaves are similar to agathi leaves (agathi keerai) and should have white vertical lines on it. This type of fruit is very hard to obtain. If you can find fresh Indian Gooseberry, pound it and extract the juice. Add honey as the Indian Gooseberry juice is very sour and should be consumed by diabetic patients.According to Siddha medicine, diabetic patients will see vast improvements if they were to consume Indian Gooseberry juice, 1 tablespoon a day. Dried Indian Gooseberry is easier to be obtained.

To cure constipation,
a) Soak dried gooseberries in water and boil it.
b) remove the dried fruit and drink the water only.
Constipation is very common problem and is the cause of many types of diseases. If waste is not removed from the body, it will turn toxic and will cause bacteria infection. This will then lead to various types of skin and internal body diseases.

celery செலரி கீரை

17th MARCH 09: CELERY

Celeries are rich in nutrients and it has soluble salt properties which includes sodium, needed by our body. You can either stir fry or eat it raw as a salad.

Blend 2 celery sticks and consume the juice. This will help reduce high blood pressure. If you feel your pressure is going up, feeling dizzy or heavy headed, blend star fruit and celery together and consume half glass of the juice. You will notice a big difference after 1 week or 10 days. Consuming celery regularly can help control your blood pressure. Make sure you also apply oil on your head to reduce heatiness which can be one of the causes of hypertension. Celeries are good in controlling body weight, removing excess water and ease bowel movement.

When you are eating meat, chicken or any types of seafood, make sure you add celery in your meal as it provides a good combination and balances the body's yin and yang. When consuming celery, try not to cook it as it will lead to nutrition loss.

Celery has great nutritional values, therefore try to add this vegetable in your diet. Celery is best to be consumed once in every fortnight and should be consumed raw. To live a healthy live and maintain a healthy body, eat more vegetables in raw form.

banana வாழப்பழம்

16th MARCH 09: BANANA

Banana root, its core trunk, flower and fruit can be treated as medicine.Bananas have loads of nutritional value and it is rich in potassium, vitamin A and D. Banana also helps to restore normal bowel actions and cures constipation.

You can feed bananas to toddlers who are 8 months and above.
Cut the bananas into small size pieces, boil the bananas with water and serve. Bananas have to be boiled before giving to toddlers as it can cause side effects if bananas are given as it is.

Another healthy way of serving bananas to your children is by cutting "rastali" bananas into small round pieces and place it in a wide bottle. Pour castor oil until it covers the bananas, add palm sugar and mix the banana with the oil and palm sugar. Soak it for at least 2 days and serve your child 1 piece of cut banana and 1 teaspoon of castor oil. Children will be able to eat this as it is sweet and very effective method of curing constipation. Banana can also be used as a garnish while preparing sweet rice (Ponggal).

TIP: Do not overeat. All types of food have to be eaten moderately. Instead of living to eat, we should eat to live and stay healthy. Therefore practice eating healthy food in moderation.

13th MARCH 09: CAT'S WHISKERS PLANT (MISAI KUCHING)

Cat's Whiskers are widely found throughout South East Asia region, especially in Malaysia and Indonesia. It is called "Misai Kucing" in Malay as the flower resembles the shape of a cat's whiskers. Cat's Whiskers leaves are very effective in cleaning urine and helps cure kidney problems. The leaves have the function in increasing the excretion of creatinine in the urine. This plant has great medicinal values and everyone should grow this plant in their home.

In siddha medicine, cat's whiskers leaves are added with other herbal ingredients to treat high fever. The mixture of herbs are boiled and consumed as tea. You can even eat the flowers raw. When boiling the dried cat whiskers leaves, add dried avaram senna flowers (avaram poo) and other dried flowers. Consume the boiled water as tea.
By prescribing this tea, it will not only help reduce kidney malfunction but also prevents kidney patients from dialysis treatment.

Puncture vines (Nirenjal) and cat's whiskers leaves are effective in removing excess water from the body through urination. The leaves also helps avoid body swelling which is caused by excessive water held in the body. If the excess water is not removed, it will lead to various kinds of diseases. Therefore to avoid sickness and promote good health, consume cat whiskers leaves as tea.

lotus flower தாமரை பூ

12th MARCH 09: LOTUS FLOWER (Tamarai Poo)

Lotus flower is good in treating patients and elderly persons who have a weak heart. Boil the petals and consume one glass of the boiled juice everyday. The lotus flower has its root deep in the soil and grows under water. This root is edible and should be treated as a vegetable. It can either be stir fried or added in "Sambar".

The seeds obtained from the flower pods can also be consumed. The seeds are good and effective in increasing male virility. The seeds are very tasty if it is stir fried. If you have the seeds in dried form, powder the seeds and prescribe one tablespoon of the lotus seed powder to your husband or male counterparts. It not only provides virility to men but also gives good strength to the body.

chebulic myroblen கடுக்காய்

11th MARCH 09: CHEBULIC MYROBLAN (Kadukkai)

Slightly knock the dried fruit with a pestle and remove the seeds. Use the outer skin only. Like the skin of dried ginger, the seeds of chebulic myroblan are considered toxic.
Chebulic Myroblan skin helps to heal stomach wounds and open wounds.
a) Boil the skin with water
b) Strain the herbal concoction
c) Wash the open wounds with the boiled herbal liquid.

The concoction works effectively in removing bacteria's from the veins. If you have gastric and unable to eat hot and spicy food, you can cure the severity of your gastric by mixing one teaspoon of the powdered chebulic myroblan with honey. Consume regularly. This remedy also prevents constipation. You can also eat the skin raw by itself. Siddhas treat chebulic myroblan as Kaya Kalpam (long life elixir).

Chebulic Myroblan's skin is rich in astringent properties and any food which is rich in astringent helps ease bowel motion. Hence Chebulic Myroblan is effective in curing and relieving constipation.

ivy gourd leaves கோவை கீரை

10th MARCH 09: IVY GOURD LEAVES (Kovai Keerai)

Ivy gourd leaves cannot be obtained from the market and are very effective in treating excessive heat in the anus are. If your have the plant growing around your house area, try to add the leaves in your diet. Cook it like you are cooking Indian spinach (pasalai keerai) or add the leaves when preparing any types of soup.

The leaves are effective in healing boils in the anal canal.
a) Apply a few drops of castor oil and gently heat the oiled leaves.
b) Place the leaves below the anus.

The leaves will kill the bacteria and transforms it to pus. The boils will heal once the pus matures and oozes out voluntarily. Since the vegetable is a cooling food, try to eat this vegetable once a week. You will be free of piles problems. The vegetable will ease bowel motion and helps cool the body.

Mangoosteen

th MARCH 09: MANGOSTEEN

Mangosteen 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 season.Do not throw the skins away. Cut the skin in small pieces and dry the skin until it hardens. Store the dried mangosteen skins in a bottle/jar as it will be useful for home remedies. Eating too much seafood, chicken or red meat will cause excessive heat in the body. Even vegetarians' will experience excessive heat in the body. Excessive body heat mainly depends on their body type, i.e. tridosha. When there is excessive heat in the body, it will lead to dehydration which causes stool to be hardened and dry and require great pressure for bowel movement. When this happens, the tissues in the anus area will swell up.

The symptoms of having this condition are:
a) Short temper and
b) Constipation.

Home remedies to solve the swelling:
a) Pound dried mangosteen skin into powder form
b) Consume one teaspoon of the powder.
The astringent properties in the skin will cool the interior and reduces the size of the swelling. Pound raw mangosteen skin and extract the juice. The juice is best to be consumed by anaemic patients as the juice helps produce blood. The juice also helps reduce excessive blood overflow during menstrual period.

In previous episode, 21st Jan 09, it has been mentioned that coconut flower also helps to cure excessive blood flow. Try to combine ingredients, coconut flower and mangosteen skin when you are treating menstrual problems. If you can't find coconut flowers, consume mangosteen skin extract alone as it produces the same effect. Western medicines are currently using mangosteen skin to produce expensive facial creams.

For home treatment,
a) Blend the mangosteen skin
b) Add turmeric
c) And apply as a facial mask.
Leave to dry and wash with fresh water.The properties in the mangosteen skin and turmeric will bring glow to your skin. Try it as it really works!

6th MARCH 09: PUNCTURE VINE (Nerinjal)

Men are more prone to diseases than women. One of the many frequent diseases than men suffer is formation of urinary bladder stone.When men consume modern or traditional medicines, it will cause excess body heat. Once there is an increase heat in body fluid and the heat penetrates to the interior, the urine will be dark yellow.

If this condition is ignored, it can lead to formation of bladder stone/stones.
Symptoms of having bladder stone/stones are:
a) burning/irritation during urination
b) swelling of prostrate glands and
c) lower abdominal pain

Chronic stage of bladder stone will lead to:
a) Spermatorrhoea (involuntary release of semen during urination) and
b) Impotence.

Puncture vine plants are rarely found in Malaysia . However it can be easily obtained in Indian medicinal and grocery shops. The vines are sold in dried form and are very effective in reducing body heat.When you have abdominal pain or burning sensation during urination, boil dried puncture vines and consume the boiled water. Treat this ingredient as barley and drink the boiled water whenever your body is heaty or feeling pain when urinating.

In Siddha Medicine shops, puncture vines are added with other ingredients and prescribed as tea. However you can use puncture vine only and consume the boiled water as it produces the same effect.

5th MARCH 09: KARIAPALAM

Kariapalam is produced from the gum extracted for the aloe's flesh. The gum, when dried will form a black hard rock and is an effective ingredient to heal wounds and swellings.

How to prepare Kariapalam Solution?
a) Pound a small piece of kariapalam.
b) Add a little water or lime juice or rinsed rice water and boil the mixture.
c) When the mixture is boiling, it will bubble up. Use a thin stick and stir the solution. Do not use a spoon as the solution will be sticky. Therefore it is cleaner to use a stick.
d) Once the solution becomes thick and sticky, remove from fire and keep aside to cool.
e) Once cool, apply on areas where there is wound or swelling and leave it to dry for a night. There is no need to bandage the wounded area.
f) The swelling and pain will reduce significantly within a day. Wash the applied area with fresh water.

Kariapalam can be easily obtained from Indian shops and is an effective medicine to cure swelling, pain and wounds if we have a sudden fall or injury.