CASTOR BEAN OR CASTOR OIL PLANT ( ARANDI): BENEFITS AND USES OF CASTOR PLANT: INFORMATION ABOUT CASTOR OIL

CASTOR BEAN OR CASTOR OIL PLANT, ARAND, RICINUS COMMUNIS, ARANDI IN URDU

Castor oil is used all over the world for a whole variety of ailments, but very few people realize that the plant it comes from is highly toxic, containing as it does the albumin ricin. If you have a castor bean plant in your garden, grown for ornamental purposes you should treat it carefully and wear protective gloves and long sleeves when you prune it. It is cultivated for its flowers which are very pretty red ones, and its long-leaves foliage which looks a little like a hand (although not as much as the fingered citron fruit does).

  It is believed to have originated in Africa, but it is mentioned in ancient Sanskrit writings and grows extensively in the Indian subcontinent in both its wild and cultivated state. It has become naturalized in the southern states of the US and also grows and is cultivated for its oil in countries such as Morocco, Brazil, Taiwan and the US.

  Warm castor oil can be applied to the bridge of the nose to ease congestion and is useful to rub into dry, coarse skin. It is a strong purgative if taken internally, but is not one that is to be recommended. There are more effective ways of preventing constipation, such as eating bananas. They are a lot more pleasant-tasting and cure the disease and not just the symptoms.

  The seeds from the castor plant are made into oil which is used not only in medicinal preparations, but also for industrial and agricultural use. The stems from the plant can be made into paper and wallboard, and the cake or meal left over from the oil-extraction process can now be fed safely to animals as there is a way of detoxifying it.

  Because the sap from all parts of the plant is so highly toxic, it has been used as a poison just like the aak plant. It is said that 20 seeds or beans will kill a person, although it takes 80 or so to kill a rooster or a duck, but only 4 to kill a rabbit. (Please don’t try this as the experiment might well backfire.) However it acts as a counter-irritant to the stings of scorpions.

  As a member of the spurge or Euphorbiceaea family of plants it is related to the cassava or manioc as well as to Dog's Mercury and French mercury, both of which should not be used as herbal remedies..

   Apart from the oil used in medicine traditionally the leaves are applied to the forehead to relieve a headache, and hot applied to skin irritations in poultice form, and to ease pain and swellings. The hot leaves are also used to ease the pain of arthritis, gout, rheumatism and other inflammations and scientists have concurred that they do have anti-inflammatory properties, as does an ethanolic extract of the root bark which also has antihistamine properties.

  In Ayurvedic medicine the leaves or pulp from the beans are applied hot to the abdomen to stop flatulence, while the oil is used for eye problems including conjunctivitis (red eye).The oil is also used for dry skin and internally is given for headaches, tremors, arthritis, sciatica and various other ailments mixed with guggul (Indian Bdellium or false myrrh). The juice of the leaves mixed with gur or jaggery is used for hepatitis and a decoction of the roots with Indian Bdellium is used for arthritis and rheumatism.

   The plant was known to the ancient Greeks, as it was Herodotus the so-called Father of History who wrote that it was called kiki and used by the ancient Egyptians as an unguent and oil for lamps and the seeds have been found in the tombs of the pharaohs. Dioscorides writing his Materia Medica in the 1^st century AD knew about the castor bean plant, saying that it was not good as food but that the seeds were good in external medicinal preparations. Pliny agreed, writing that the seeds were extremely purgative (they are actually less so than jamalgota, however).

   Gerard writing in Britain in his Herball in the 16^th century calls it “ricinus” or “kik” and says that the oil “Oleum cicinum” was good for skin diseases. It was used throughout Europe in the Middle Ages and was used to expel internal worms when all else failed. Combined with citron it has been used as a skin ointment for leprosy. The Latin name Ricinus means tic, of the sort that feed off dogs’ blood and this was probably because of the shape of the markings on the white seeds or beans. Kiki is still cultivated in Greece under the same name as that given to the plant by the ancient Greeks.

   While the oil, bought over the counter can be very beneficial for a number of problems, but it is best not to attempt to make your own preparations from any part of the plant as it is highly toxic, with ricinoleic acid being the major compound in all parts of the plant.

GREEN BEANS OR PHALIA - HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES: HOW TO MAKE SALADE NICOISE

GREEN BEANS, PHALIA, PHALYION, PHASEOLUS VULGARIS

There are hundreds of varieties of green bean, and each one produces a large bean or seed if they are left to reach maturity. However we eat many of them fresh. The French bean, phaliyan in Urdu, produces the haricot bean when it is mature, and I once spent an hour or so extracting the small seeds from the dried pods on a rooftop in Lahore. The pods were discarded, but the little beans were delicious when cooked.

  Green beans originated in the Andes region of South America and also, probably in the Indian subcontinent. They were taken back to Europe by Columbus in 1493 and later by other Spanish and Portuguese explorers. The bean described by Virgil is now though to be the hyacinth bean, as the Romans could not have known about the green beans that are so common today. They are not as well liked it would seem in India and Pakistan, as the dried beans such as the moong bean are more common fare. As legumes they are related to peas and chick peas, and green beans are a good source of beta-carotene despite their green colour. The raw beans contain a toxalbumin, phasin which is destroyed in the cooking process, so they should not be eaten raw.

  They have been used in traditional medicine practices around the world to treat a variety of ailments including acne, diabetes, burns, dysentery and as a diuretic and are believed to help the kidneys to function normally. Legumes are richer in proteins than all other plants and so are a good source of protein for vegetarians. They are also the legume which is most commonly eaten.

  A study of the green beans grown in the Mediterranean region, published in 1988, traced these green beans ancestor to the Andes.

  Green beans contain phytonutrients which include lutein, violaxanthin, neoxanthin and beta-carotene, which have antioxidant properties. They also contain vitamins A, C, K and some of the B-complex vitamins, along with amino acids, bioflavonoids such as quercetin and kaempferol and the minerals manganese, potassium, iron, calcium, copper, selenium, zinc and phosphorous, along with Omega-3 fatty acids including alpha-linoleic acid (ALA). The antioxidant properties of green beans give them cholesterol and heart protective actions, and they are good for our overall health.

  The recipe below requires small fresh French beans, which just need to be snipped at both ends before cooking. Put them in salted water, bring to the boil and cook for about 15 minutes until they are tender but not too soft. They should still be a little crunchy.

 

SALADE NIÇOISE

Ingredients

8 oz cooked French beans, trimmed

4 hard-boiled eggs, halved

1 or 2 tins tuna fish, drained and flaked

1 tbsp capers

4 oz black olives

1 small tin of anchovies, each one snipped in half and washed to remove the saltiness

8 oz cooked potatoes, cubed

3-4 tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 small red onion, finely sliced (optional)

1 head lettuce, leaves separated but kept whole

Dressing

2 tbsps olive oil

1½ tbsps white wine vinegar

few sprigs of fresh oregano, or ½ tsp dried

Method

Place lettuce leaves in a bowl and in another combine all the other ingredients with freshly ground black pepper. (As anchovies are salty you probably won’t need extra salt.)

This has Taste and is a Treat.

 

WHAT IS CHOLIYA? FRESH GREEN CHICKPEAS: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USUS OF CHICK PEAS: SPICY POTATOES AND GREEN CHICKPEAS RECIPE

 CHICKPEAS, GARBANZO BEANS, CICER ARIETINUM

Most people have eaten chickpeas in falafel, hummus, or in salads from salad bars, but how many people have tasted the wonderful fresh green chickpea or choliya as it is called in Urdu? They are a delight and so satisfying to shell as the pods are rather like bubble wrap, so if you enjoy popping those bubbles, then you will adore shelling fresh green chickpeas. The pods are puffed up with air and give a delightful popping sound when squeezed, which is how you shell chickpeas. 

Here is Pakistan we buy them by the kilo which consists of stems and leaves, so you come home from the bazaar carrying a small bush. The leaves and roots are used in traditional medicine but they contain oxalic and malic acids (as do the pods) so are not generally eaten. The chickpea root is boiled and produces a milky substance, which is used as milk for babies and to stop diarrhoea. The leaves and root are also used to produce indigo dye which is used for cotton, silk and wool.

  The leaves are used in medicinal preparations to help bronchitis sufferers and the seeds (the little chickpeas) are used as tonics, stimulants and aphrodisiacs. They are also used in liver and spleen disorders. Eaten raw the little green chick peas quench thirst and stop burning sensations in the stomach and are used to get rid of internal parasites, although I think they are cooked to do this. The leaves are said to have abortifacient properties and are used to promote the menstrual flow, and for colds, coughs and pains.

  The leaves, roots and pods are also used to get rid of warts, to stop constipation, diarrhoea, sunstroke and cholera, so have a lot of traditional uses.

  The fresh chick peas are usually allowed to dry in the pod, giving us the dried chickpea we are accustomed to, the pale yellow ‘bean’ that looks like a hazelnut. Last year we were given some of these, along with the fresh ones (which are in the bazaar right now), and we left them to soak overnight in a metal pot. We were awakened during the night by a noise that sounded like popcorn spattering in a pan. On investigation we discovered it was the chickpeas popping as they expanded. We had to put them on the roof in a plastic pot (covered) so that we could get back to sleep.

Chickpeas were probably one of the first crops to be cultivated and we can trace their consumption back to more than 7,000 years ago. It is believed that they were being cultivated in Turkey well before that, but their origins are thought to be in the Middle East. From there they spread westward into the Mediterranean region (where they were cultivated by the ancient Greeks and Romans) and east into the Indian subcontinent and into Ethiopia. They are related to the garden pea and other legumes including clover, beans, lupin and peanuts and are in the Fabaceae family of plants. The Romans ground the dried chickpeas into flour and used them to make a kind of polenta (usually these days made with corn/maize flour in Italy). Roasted chick peas were combined with lupin seeds and sold on the streets in ancient Rome as snacks. Today Greeks and Pakistanis also eat them roasted with pumpkin seeds and other seeds as a healthy snack. Today they are still found on the streets and in packets in supermarkets.

  Culpeper called them “chick pease or cicers” in the 17^th century and said that they were good to stop flatulence and for semen production as well as to bring on the menstrual flow. (Cicero, the Roman orator, is believed to have got his name because one of his ancestors had a cicer mark on his face, possibly a mole that looked like a chick pea. Cicer was the Latin word for this legume and arietum means little ram)

  Fresh green chickpeas or choliya contain vitamins C, E, K and B-complex vitamins, folate, and the minerals magnesium, zinc, calcium, iron and pantothenic acid; they are rich in molybdenum The dried ones that we make falafel with also contain beta-carotene which the body converts to vitamin A, and phosphorous, potassium selenium and sodium as well as those listed above in fresh ones. They also contain amino acids including arginine (see watermelon) and the flavonoids including quercetin, kaempferol and myrcetin in their outer skins (especially in the black-skinned variety). The interior of the bean contains phenolic acids which include ferulic, chlorogenic, caffeic and vanillic acids and anthocyanins which help to reduce the risk of heart disease. 

Chickpeas have a unique combination of substances which give them powerful antioxidant qualities and they protest the blood vessel walls and keep the blood healthy as well as being good for the digestive system.

  Chick peas are high in dietary fibre and so help reduce the risk of colon cancer, and studies have suggested that they help control blood sugar levels, cholesterol levels and insulin secretion. The fibre in chickpeas remains undigested until it gets to the lower intestine and the colon and so helps those with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, (IBS) and spastic colons.

  There are two types of dried chick peas, the ‘desi’ variety which has a light brown to black outer skin, which is quite thick, and has potent antioxidant properties, and the ‘kabuli’ type (from Kabul, Afghanistan) which we most commonly find in supermarkets.

  The recipe below is for green chickpeas although you can find others on this site for dried chickpeas.

SPICY POTATOES AND GREEN CHICKPEAS

Ingredients

2 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cubed

150 gr shelled green chick peas, choliya

3 tomatoes, chopped

1 onion, chopped,

1 inch ginger root, peeled and sliced

4 garlic cloves

2 green chillies, chopped

pinch asafoetida (heng)

1 tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp turmeric

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp garam masala

½ tsp ground coriander seeds

1 tbsp oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

Grind the onion, tomatoes, ginger, garlic and chillies to a smooth paste.

Heat the oil and throw in the cumin seeds, and fry until they release their aroma.

Add the paste, all the spices and salt and pepper stir well and fry until the oil begins to separate.

Now add the fresh chickpeas, the cubed potatoes and 2 cups of water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 45 mins or until the potatoes and chick peas are tender.

If you need to, add a little more water to prevent the mixture burning and sticking to the pan.

Serve with plain rice or roti (chapattis) or naan.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

WHAT IS BAINGAN? AUBERGINE OR EGGPLANT - HISTORY, USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS: MELITZANA SALATA RECIPE

AUBERGINE, EGG PLANT, BRINJAL, BAINGAN, SOLANUM MELONGENA

The aubergines originated in the Indian subcontinent, Laos, Viet Nam, south west China, Northern Thailand and Myanmar. Wild aubergines plants can still be found in these areas. It began to be used in cookery as a vegetable in Asia by the year 3 AD. It is in fact a fruit, a berry to be exact in botanical terms, like the banana, tomato, chilli pepper and avocado. It is a member of the nightshade family like the potato and tomato, and was once viewed with suspicion because of this family connection as were the potato and the tomato. In the 16^th century it was known as the malus insana or apple of madness. The Italian word melanzana and the Greek melitzana are corruptions of this. In India it is called the king of vegetables, and used in all kinds of dishes including in pickles. It was documented in Sanskrit writings as early as 300 BC and the hypnotic and narcotic properties of the plant were described. In Ayurvedic medicine the white varieties of aubergines are and have been used for diabetes and the roots for asthma.

  Their English and French name, aubergines is believed to have come from a corruption of the Arabic word, al-badhinan or the Persian, badanjan or baadangan. The Urdu word for aubergines, baingan would also seem to have the same origins. They were mentioned in the “Atlas of Plants in Southern China” written during the Jin Dynasty in China (265-316 AD) which was a practical handbook of agriculture. They reached Japan around the 8^th century AD and Abu Ibn Sina (known in the West as Avicenna 980-1037) wrote about them. He advocated salting them and only using them when ripe and cooked for ear problems and treatment of excessive bile production. Otherwise they had a bad reputation and were thought to be the cause of many ailments.

Aubergine Flower

  By the 7th and 8^th centuries AD they had spread to Europe so were unknown to the ancient Greeks and Romans. In the Middle Ages they were thought to have aphrodisiac properties. They had been introduced into Africa sometime before their arrival in Europe and scarlet varieties are now grown there. In fact aubergines can be a variety of colours, ranging from white through to jade green and dark purple, and range in size and shape to mini aubergines smaller than okra through to large ones that we usually buy and they may be egg shaped or round or pear-shaped.

  In Southern India they are used to protect against chicken pox, so if a member of the family has the virus, others eat aubergines (cooked over a flame) with onions, chillies, salt and rice to prevent the disease. In Ayurvedic medicine they are cooked and mashed with garlic and asafoetida (heng) or devil’s dung, for flatulence and to get rid of congestion and phlegm.

White Aubergine

   Aubergines are rich in minerals and the purple skin contains many phenolic flavonoids such as anthocyanins which help fight against cancer, aging, inflammation and neurological diseases it is believed. They contain vitamins A, C, E and K, amino acids including arginine (tipped as the natural Viagra) and the minerals potassium, sodium, phosphorous, selenium, iron, copper, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and zinc. They also contain beta-carotene. Thus they have potent antioxidant properties. Omega-3 and -6 fatty acids are also present in them. They also contain a phytonutrients in their skin – nasunin an antioxidant which in lab animals has protected the lipids (fats) in brain cell membranes. Aubergines also contain the phenolic compound chlorogenic acid which scientists think may have anti-cancer, anti-microbial, anti-cholesterol and anti-viral properties. Juice from aubergines has been found in tests to reduce cholesterol in the arteries and the aorta and so may be able to reduce the risk of heart disease. However more tests are needed before this is proved.

  Below is a recipe for a Greek appetizer, an aubergines dip that is good served with crusty fresh bread. You can add grated carrots or tomatoes to this dish if you like.

MELITZANA SALATA

Ingredients

2 medium sized aubergines

4 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste

juice of 2 lemons

a few sprigs of parsley, chopped

a handful of coriander leaves, snipped

1 tbsp natural yoghurt

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 350˚F and prick each aubergines 4 or 5 times with a fork to prevent them exploding, and place them on a greased baking sheet. Place in the oven and cook for 45 minutes.

Allow them to cool slightly so that you can easily handle them. You can scoop out the flesh and put it in a blender with all the other ingredients. A little skin won’t matter.

When thoroughly blended chill for a few hours.

This dip will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

PEAS OR MATAR - HISTORY, USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS: TUNA SALAD AND PEAS RECIPE

PEAS, MATAR IN URDU, PISUM SATIVUM

The garden pea is one of the oldest species of food plant that has been cultivated, and is thought to have originated in western Asia and North Africa. The Latin word pisum derives from the Greek, pisos or pison which translated as pise in Anglo-Saxon and then became pease. By the 1600s this had become pea as pease was believed erroneously to have been a plural form. It is believed that there were three main centres of pea development; Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Near East and Ethiopia. Wild peas thought to be descendants of the original pea plants still grow in Iran, Afghanistan and Ethiopia. From these regions they moved to the Mediterranean and the Far East.

  The first evidence we have so far is that wild peas were used around 9759BC, as traces of them have been found in the so-called “Spirit Cave” on the borders of Myanmar and Thailand. Excavations in Jarmo, in north-western Iraq have also found traces of wild peas dating from between 7000 and 6000 BC. Swiss Bronze Age villages show that peas were being consumed there around 3000 BC and we know that in 500 BC the Greeks and Romans were cultivating them. These may have come from Switzerland or via the trade routes in Asia. In Athens street vendors were selling soup made from dried peas.

  In 25 BC Apicius included nine recipes for peas in his cookery book, but at the time peas were dried and then eaten; they were not eaten fresh. Apicius gives recipes for dried peas with vegetables and with meats, so they must have been used in much the same ways as we use them today.

  By the 7^th century AD peas were being cultivated in China, and were called “hu tou” or “foreign legumes”, but there is a legend dating from earlier times which says that the Emperor Shu Nung, known as the Father of Agriculture in China, who lived 5000 years ago discovered peas. A Norse legend tells how Thor was angry with mortals and sent dragons to foul up the water supplies. The clumsy beasts dropped peas on fertile land and they grew which of course further angered Thor, so people dedicated the pea to him and only ate them on Thor’s Day or Thursday.

  Peas were dried and stored for use in winter months and were not eaten fresh for centuries. The marrowfat pea is the starchy one that is still usually dried and eaten in soups, and served as mushy peas along with mashed potatoes and sausages in some parts of London. (This dish is known as Liquor and Mash.) It wasn’t until late in the 17^th century that eating fresh peas became fashionable, but as with all fashionable things served as delicacies, fresh peas were food for the rich as they were expensive. The poorer classes continued to eat dried peas. In the 1800s and later, dried peas were an important staple for European peasants.

  Although we think of peas as vegetables they are a legume, as they grow in pods, some of which are edible, such as the mange tout or snow pea and the snap pea. These frequently appear in stir-fried dishes. Some snap peas need to have the vein removed from their pods before cooking.

  By the 14^th century the Italians had bred tiny peas they called piselli novelli (new peas) and when Catherine De Medici married Henri II of France she took these new mini-peas with her. The French adored them and called the petit pois (little peas), the name by which they are still known. By the 1560s peas were a traditional dish eaten at Lent throughout most of Europe. And in the time of King James I (1566-1625) London street sellers were selling “Hot grey peas and a suck of bacon.” (Marrowfat peas are still traditionally cooked with a ham bone.)

  James Campbell of the Campbell Soup Company canned peas first in the 1870s and they were one of the first vegetables to be frozen also in the 1920s and 30s.Clarence Birdseye was the first to freeze peas. Freezing peas actually locks in the nutrients and frozen ones are packed full of goodness, only comparable to freshly picked and shelled peas straight from the garden or allotment. Bags of frozen peas are good to put on black eyes and swellings too.

  To cook fresh peas you should barely cover them in water, then bring them to the boil, cover with a lid and simmer for 3 minutes. Don’t discard the water as it will contain vitamin C so use it as a base for gravy or stock.

  Apart from vitamin C peas contain proteins, sugar and starch, phytonutrients, one a polyphenol, coumestrol, which is thought to protect against stomach cancer. One study has also found that this might reduce the risks of prostate cancer. Coumestrol is believed to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Peas also contain some unique (or so it is currently thought) saponins, pisumsaponins 1 and II and pisomosides A and B along with other phytonutrients such as caffeic and ferulic acids. These may be beneficial to people who suffer from Type-2 diabetes. Peas also contain the flavonoids catechin and epicatechin. Although they are low in fat they contain the Omega-3 fatty acid in the form of alpha-linoleic acid (ALA) as well as beta-carotene, Vitamin E which supports the immune system and bone-building vitamin C and manganese. They also contain other minerals such as potassium, copper, magnesium, zinc and B- complex vitamins. They are good for the bones and protect the heart too. Peas help the body to reduce its blood cholesterol levels and may protect against appendicitis.

  Research is being undertaken currently and will hopefully reach its conclusions in 2013 in the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, to discover whether a diet of legumes (including peas) and aerobics exercise can help women suffering from Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. In 2009, another Canadian study found that the proteins extracted from garden peas may reduce blood pressure and benefit those suffering from Chronic Kidney Disorder.

  You may have wondered about the etiquette of pea eating; you should spear peas on the prongs of your fork and then load more onto the back of it as they will then be kept in place by the peas on the prongs. Here is an Ode to Peas, the author is not known:

   “I eat my peas with honey.

    I’ve done it all my life.

    It makes the peas taste funny,

    But it keeps them on my knife.”

 Peas feature in the 16^th century sex manual, “The Perfumed Garden” written by Sheikh Nefzaoui who recommended them to be boiled with onion and cinnamon and used as an effective aphrodisiac. However peas contain oestrogenic chemicals which may decrease male fertility.

  In the 19^th and early 20^th century, London fogs were called “pea-soupers” because of their density and the green tinge they had. However the grey soup of those early street vendors was quite like fog, I imagine.

  Peas have come into the English language in similes, “as alike as two peas in a pod” meaning things or people are identical; “just like shelling peas” meaning that something is extremely easy to do. (Easy-peasy reflects the same concept too.) There is also the Hans Christian Andersen tale of “The Princess and The Pea” which featured the dried variety of pea, and Edward Lear’s poem, “The Owl and The Pussycat” who “went to sea in a beautiful pea-green boat.”

  In Pakistan, peas are traditionally eaten with keema (minced or ground meat) and potatoes, but here is a recipe for peas in a salad. Cook the peas as explained above.

TUNA SALAD AND PEAS

Ingredients

1 tin tuna drained and flaked

2 spring onions

50 gr shelled peas, cooked

2 tomatoes, roughly chopped

mayonnaise

Method

 Mix all the ingredients together and serve on a bed of whole Cos lettuce leaves garnished with slices of cucumber, unpeeled, and sliced radishes or mooli.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

LETTUCE OR SALAD PATA - HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES: HOT LETTUCE SIDE DISH RECIPE

LETTUCE, LACTUCA SATIVA, SALAD PATA IN URDU

Lettuce is a common salad ingredient, and the most popular seems to be the iceberg lettuce, which has least nutrients of the lettuces. To get the most health benefits from a lettuce you should choose dark green ones such as the Cos or Romaine lettuce or the oak leaf lettuces. There is the wild lettuce too, Lactuca virosa which has a bitter taste, but which has the most sap which can be used in medicine. The sap has opium-like qualities and is a sedative. It has been used in children’s cough medicines and is traditionally used to calm people who are irascible and of nervous dispositions.

Cos/Romaine

  If you are a fan of Beatrix Potter, you may remember her book, “The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies” published in 1909 in which Peter Rabbit’s children stuff themselves with lettuce and fall asleep in Mr. McGregor’s garden and end up in a sack. Of course, all is well in the end, but Peter and his offspring got a nasty shock. Beatrix wrote “It is said that eating too much lettuce is soporific.” Certainly the ancient Greeks and Romans thought so, and the Greeks fulminated as to whether it should be served at the beginning of a meal, because it aided digestion, or at the end, because it would induce sleep. The Romans served lettuce at the end of their meals in the form of lettuce soup. Galen believed that it cured insomnia.

   In Rome lettuce was regarded as a wonder cure and Augustus Caesar set up an altar for it and set up a statue in honour of it and the physician who prescribed it, as he believed it cured him of a dangerous illness.

  Cos lettuce appears to have got its name from the Greek island of Kos which is close to Turkey, and it is generally believed that this type of lettuce was first grown on Kos.

  Egyptians featured lettuce in the wall paintings of pharaohs’ tombs and believed that it was a symbol of male virility, perhaps because when it bolts as it produces seeds; it can reach heights of over 6 feet and looks like a phallus. Egyptians cultivated lettuce for the seeds from which they produced oil, rather than for culinary purposes. On the contrary in Ayurvedic medicine lettuce is used to dampen the libido.

   The Latin name Lactuca means containing milk and is a reference to the milky sap which lettuce produce when cut. This is where the cancer fighting flavonoids are, so you should not cut or tear lettuce leaves to serve them but put them whole in salads.

  The sap is a soothing lotion for skin irritation and sunburn and is a herbal remedy for depression. It contains magnesium, chrome and folic acids and lettuces on the whole are rich in vitamins A, C, K and some B-complex vitamins as well as minerals which include calcium, iron, potassium and manganese. Amino acids and Omega-3 and -6 fatty acids are also present as is the carotenoid zeaxanthin which helps prevent age-related macular degeneration. Like carrots and whinberries lettuces are good for the eyesight. They are members of the Asteraceae or daisy family which includes chamomile, yarrow and sunflowers. Wild lettuce turns its leaves in the direction of the sun as sunflowers turn their heads.

red oak leaf lettuce

  Lettuce has been cultivated for more than 2,500 years, and the Romans had around 80 varieties, and they helped to spread the lettuce around the world. It is thought that the wild lettuce, a precursor of the one we have today, Lactuca serriola probably originated in the Mediterranean region, from where it spread throughout Europe and temperate Asia. It is further believed that the first people to use it as food were the ancient Persians.

  Lettuce has diuretic properties and has been traditionally used to cool the temperature in fevers. It has also been used as a blood purifier and to aid digestion. In Ayurvedic medicine it is prescribed for peptic ulcers as are asparagus, broccoli and alfalfa sprouts.

  Gerard the 16^th century English herbalist wrote about the sap; “it procures sleep, assuages pain, moves the courses in women and is drunk against the stingings of scorpions and biting spiders.”

   Whatever type of lettuce you buy has nutrients in it, but so try the darker ones, as they will do you the most good.

Cos/Romaine

HOT LETTUCE SIDE DISH

Ingredients

½ head dark green lettuce

225 gr fresh peas

4-6 spring onions, finely chopped

½ handful snipped mint leaves

½ tsp sugar

¼ pint chicken or vegetable stock

1 oz butter

1 tbsp olive oil

Method

Melt the butter with the olive oil then lightly fry the spring onions for 3-4 minutes.

Add the lettuce and swish around the pan until it is wilted.

Add the shelled peas, mint and chicken stock and bring to a boil then simmer until the peas are tender.

Adjust seasoning and serve.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

SAUSAGE TREE - TRADITIONAL MEDICAL USES AND ROLE IN MODERN MEDICINE

THE SAUSAGE TREE, KIGELIA AFRICANA, KIGELIA PINNATA

Kigelia Africana or Kigelia pinnata is one of a kind and the only Kigelia plant. It gets its name from the Mozambican name for the tree, Kigeli-keia, and the English name is because of the shape and size of its fruit. 

These are not your breakfast type of sausage, but more of a German wurst, or Italian Mortadella or salami. In fact the German name Leberwurst (liver sausage) for this tree reflects this. It is a member of the Bignoniaceae family of trumpet-creeper plants as is the jacaranda, another species which is unique.

  It is native to Sub-Saharan Africa and particularly likes woodland areas along streams and river banks and savannah. Its flowers have an unpleasant smell which may be why it attracts fruit bats, as they are normally drawn towards white flowers, but the Sausage tree flowers are maroon or dark red. Hawk moths along with the bats help to pollinate the flowers which also attract birds as they are full of nectar. Hungry antelope and deer species eat the fallen flowers, and it is said that baboons and porcupines among other animals feast on the fruit which is toxic for humans. Despite this it is used in traditional medicine, especially the dried seeds and leaves and the pulp when removed from the seeds is said to help give women firm breasts.

  The powdered leaves are used for their wound healing and cleansing properties and it is used for STDs, malaria and a whole range of diseases including gynaecological ones. In fact it may be the African equivalent of the Neem tree that grows in the Indian subcontinent.

  The fruit hangs down, suspended on twig-like ‘strings’ and it looks rather as though someone has played an elaborate April Fool’s joke, tying German sausages to the branches. However it is a real tree and does have these amazing fruit. They can probably give you concussion if you unwittingly take shelter from the sun under its shade. On average they weigh around 3 kilos but a large one could weigh as much as 9 kilos. They can be 30-60 centimetres long and have a diameter of around10 centimetres. If you try to eat one you will get blisters on your skin and in your mouth and will be violently ill.

  The roasted fruit is used to flavour beer and to assist in the fermentation process, and in times of scarcity, apparently the seeds are roasted and eaten.

  They have many traditional uses as the fruit has anti-microbial properties so the powdered fruit is used for skin problems such as acne, and for dressing wounds, and in water it is used as disinfectant. On a dressing the powder is applied to eczema and slices of the fruit are used to make breasts firm. Beauty products are now available which utilize extracts from Kigelia Africana, and these have been advertised as halting the aging process of the skin, although this has not been confirmed in clinical trials by those who do not have a vested interest in the beauty industry.

  What seems to have been proved is that the extracts have anti-inflammatory properties and so are useful in after-sun lotions, and for soothing irritated skin. It is also believed, according to researchers at the University of Karachi’s Research Institute of Chemistry, that the extracts from the seeds have potent antioxidant effects. Currently research in on-going into the properties of the Sausage Tree, and researchers who have undertaken a review of the research so far (conducted in 2009) concluded “there is an enormous scope for the future research of Kigelia Africana considering the many medicinal properties it carries” and the fact that it is used for so many purposes traditionally. The researchers end with this call to action “more research work should focus on anti-cancer properties” as it seems that the extracts from this tree may inhibit melanoma.

Olatunji and Olubunmi who carries out the review were also concerned about sustainability and doubtless had in mind what tends to happen to plant species when Westerners decide they are useful either as cosmetics, food supplements or in pharmaceuticals. The Himalayan Yew is one species which is under threat because it is valuable to the pharmaceutical industry and Devil’s Claw is similarly endangered.

  It is said that the roots yield a yellow dye, while the boiled fruits give a red one.  It is used in Botswana and Zimbabwe to make dugout canoes, and the strong wood is used for shelving and to make fruit boxes.

  One of the folk remedies is to wrap a leaf from the Sausage tree around a wart, then bury it so that as the leaf decays so will the wart disappear. This is similar to the belief that you can cut a potato and rub it on a wart then bury the potato. Legend has it that Dr Livingstone saw a Kigelia africana and camped beneath it just before he got to Victoria Falls and carved his name on the trunk. It must not have been the fruit season (December to June) I guess.

  The tree is sacred to some tribes’ people in Kenya and if a person is missing, presumed dead, they will bury one of the fruit of the sausage tree in place of the body of the lost person.
 To see more photos of this tree go to hear.org and see Kim and Forrest Star's  site.
This is a real tree and not an April Fool's joke- it's just an accident that it was posted on 1st April.