WHAT IS CARALLUMA FIMBRIATA? CHONG - OUR UNIDENTIFIED 'VEGETABLE': HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF CARALLUMA FIMBRIATA: CHONG WITH MINCED BEEF RECIPE

CHONG, CARALLUMA FIMBRIATA

Chong or perhaps chonga is used as a vegetable where we are in Pakistan, although it is not well known in other places it would appear. It is a strange-looking thing when you first see it sitting in a greengrocers, or at leas, we thought so. Neither of us had any idea what it was, so the vegetable seller kindly informed us that this was chong (in Urdu). Apparently it is called danda thor in Punjabi. I wanted to taste it, whatever it was, so my husband spoke with the greengrocer, who called his wife to ask her how to cook it. Her recipe is given below.

  We have been trying to find out what it is called in English for about a year, and finally discovered that it is a succulent cactus, having found photographs online. We know what it is used for here in this part of Pakistan, but were surprised when we discovered that it is used for weight loss in the West. A friend told us that when he was younger he would pick this plant and eat it raw as he was walking as it stopped his hunger and quenched his thirst too. I later found that tribal people have used it for centuries to quell hunger on a day’s hunt.

  Our greengrocer says that it is good to purify the blood when it is eaten as a green vegetable (although it is bitter like karella or bitter melon, so the juice needs to be removed prior to cooking) and it is also good for skin problems and diabetes. It can be made into a pickle or chutney, but we have only eaten it cooked, as the juice is very bitter.

  It is a member of the Asclepiadaceae family, so is a relative of Indian sarsaparilla, and has star-shaped flowers which are unpleasantly pungent, but which are very attractive as they can be purple, black, yellow, tan maroon, red or black. Here they grow on the mountains although in India they grow more freely it would seem, on any patch of waste land. We didn’t see them in other parts of the Punjab, but that may be because the people of Lahore think they are too sophisticated to eat what other websites say is “famine” food. Here it is sold at the greengrocer’s when it is in season and it is expensive as, like kachnar buds and falsa it is picked by hand and those that pick it might have to spend a long time looking for spots in which it grows.

  Studies have been done which seem to prove that little chong is a great aid to weight loss diets, as it contains HCA10 (hydroxyaltrate) which has been proved to contribute to weight loss without stimulating the central nervous system as some weight loss drugs do.

It contains pregnane glycosides which appear to block the activity of citratelyase which is an enzyme that builds fat in the body and also it may block the activity of Melonyl Coenzyme A which means that fat formulation and build up is also blocked, so the body is compelled to burn off the fat reserves it has accumulated so speeding up the body’s fat loss. Furthermore these glycosides may inhibit the hunger sensory mechanism which is found in the hypothalamus, a “primitive” part of the brain.

  Chong also combats fatigue, so you can use it without feeling a loss of energy and you get lean muscle mass by eating it regularly. Trials reported weight loss after 1 month of taking capsules containing Caralluma fimbriata. Hopefully, when this is proved, people will start growing their own chong as I wouldn’t want to be deprived of this vegetable because it is a weight loss product for obese Westerners.

CHONG WITH MINCED BEEF

Ingredients

½ kilo chong

1 tbsp salt

½ kilo minced beef

2 onions, finely chopped

4 tomatoes, finely chopped

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 inch fresh ginger, finely chopped

2 tbsps lemon juice

1 handful of fresh coriander leaves, finely shredded

6 green chillies, finely chopped

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp ajwain or thyme

1 tbsp coriander seeds, crushed

1 tbsp garam masala

1 tsp turmeric (haldi)

8 whole black peppercorns

1 tbsp chilli powder

salt to taste

1 cup oil

Method

To prepare the chong: -

Wash the chong very well and separate the pieces, discarding the root. Pound it a little but not too much, then put one tablespoon of salt over it and rub it into the pieces of chong with you hands, so that it is well mixed into it. Leave this for half an hour to remove the bitter juices.

After half an hour, squeeze the chong to remove the excess juices. Then wash it in cold water two or three times so that all the bitter juices are removed. Put it in a strainer or sieve and leave to drip.

Cooking

Heat the oil in a pan and add the garlic, ginger, black peppercorns and cumin seeds, and fry them for 30 seconds then stir in the onion and fry this for 1 minute. Add the minced beef and green chillies, stir and fry for 5 minutes.

Pour in 1 cup of water the turmeric, ajwain or thyme, chilli powder, coriander seeds and salt to taste. (Remember that some salt will have remained on the chong, however well you washed it.)

Cook this until the water is gone, then add the chong and tomatoes, stirring well to mix. Cook this still stirring for 5 – 7 minutes.

Add 2 glasses of water the lemon juice and the garam masala, stirring to mix.

Cover the pan and let it cook for ½ hour over a low heat or until all the water has gone and the oil floats to the top.

Remove from the heat, and then add the fresh coriander, cover for a few minutes so that the flavours mingle and settle and serve with naan or chapattis.

To get the best out of this dish, serve with natural yoghurt.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

LEMONS - COOLING DRINKS, REMEDIES AND BEAUTY TREATMENTS

Handy Tips for Using Lemons

Lemons are exceedingly nutritious, and we can use them for things other than cooking. Here are some of the traditional uses for lemons and the leaves from the tree in Pakistan.

  Don’t throw away the peel, as for one thing you can get rid of any discoloured or rough skin on your elbows or heels by rubbing the lemon halves that you have squeezed into them.hhhjjj

   Mix the same quantities of lemon juice and salt, shake the mixture and use it to remove stains from cloth, including white clothes and tablecloths.

   Mix ¼ tsp of salt with 1 tsp lemon juice and rub it onto your teeth to whiten them. If you also rub this mixture onto bleeding gums, it will stop this problem.

   If you want your hair to shine, after washing and rinsing your hair, add some lemon juice to a little water, rub this onto your hands and run them through your hair, leaving it to dry naturally.

   If you have eaten burning hot food and have mouth blisters, put 1 tbsp lemon juice in 1 glass of water and rinse this around your mouth.

   If you have bad breath or a wound in the gums, mix1 tbsp lemon juice with 2 tbsps rose water and rinse your mouth with it - spitting it out and not swallowing when you have run it around your mouth for a while.

   If you have a sore throat, or hoarseness, mix 3 tbsps lemon juice which you have heated first, with a tbsp honey, and take some on a spoon and suck it over the course of a day.

  For this remedy you need four types of salt and dried lemon peel. You dry the peel in the shade, and when it has dried you grind it to a powder, and mix it with table salt, black salt, sea salt and lake salt (sambar in Urdu). Store this in an airtight jar and take a pinch after you have eaten so that you don’t suffer from indigestion or other stomach problems. This is very good for those who suffer with stomach pains in the lower abdomen region which lead to either constipation or diarrhoea.

Pakistani Lemons

  If you have a stomach pain, take the same weight of black peppercorns and fresh lemon leaves, grind them together and mix in water, and the pain will be relieved very quickly.

  When you get bitten by an insect such as a mosquito, rub lemon juice into the affected area to stop the itching and prevent lumps forming. You can also cover yourself in lemon juice to prevent being bitten.hhhhhhjj

  To prevent wrinkles and signs of aging of the skin, maze equal quantities or lemon juice, rose water and glycerine and put this on your face at night before you go to sleep. Wash it off as normal in the morning.

   If you have had a particularly hard day and need to get rid of the sweat and dirt, put 2 tbsps lemon juice in the bath and it will help remove the grime and body odour.

   Peel some lemons and break them into natural segments, then thread yarn through each piece and hang them to dry in the sun. When they are completely dry grind them to a powder then mix this with 4 times the weight of sugar or sugar and salt, and store the mixture in an airtight jar. Take a pinch after each meal to aid the digestion and make the stomach strong and healthy. It will stop nausea too.

   If you want a glowing complexion, mix 3 tbsp of milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice, and put it on your skin with cotton wool. Wash it off after half an hour and feel your skin glow.

  Of course if you cut a fruit such as an apple which discolours quickly on contact with oxygen, you can coat it with lemon juice so that it keeps its colour.

   Benefits of Skanjveen

Skanjveen is not just a refreshing drink but it has health benefits too as it can help those with jaundice and stop sickness and diarrhoea. If you want to prevent yourself getting these problems, drink one glass in the morning and one in the afternoon, and to make this drink more effective use misri rather than normal sugar.    

How to Store Lemon Juice

In a sterilized glass jar or bottle with a tight fitting lid, pour in lemon juice to almost the top, then add 1 or 2 tbsps of almond oil to cover the surface of the lemon juice. 

When you want to use the lemon juice, the oil will separate and should be poured into something clean. Use as much juice as you need to then put the almond oil back on top of it and make sure the top of the jar or bottle is securely fastened once again.

How to Make Lemon Sharbet

This will help you if you are on a weight loss diet, and is very refreshing on sweltering hot days, as well as cooling the body internally.

Ingredients

1 kilo sugar

½ litre fresh lemon juice

Method

Put sugar in a pan and add one glass of water to make a syrup. Stir well over a low heat until when you take a spoonful of the syrup and let it fall from the spoon it falls in one line. Then add the lemon juice, stir well and when the liquid boils remove it from the heat.(Don’t over heat or it will become sour.)

Let this cool and when cold bottle it and store for later use.

To drink: - 1 glass of water to 1 tbsp lemon sharbet over ice.

If you are on a weight loss diet, drink one glass every morning instead of breakfast.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

DAISY - EYE OF THE DAY - A BENEFICIAL LITTLE FLOWER

COMMON DAISY, BELLIS PERENNIS

This daisy is common on lawns in Britain as well as in fields, woods and at the sides of motorways. It is a low growing plant with white petals that are often tipped pink, hence another of its names, “strawberries and cream.” In Welsh it is called Llygadd y Dydd or Eye of the Day, which is what Chaucer, writing in the 14^th century, calls it,

   “Well by reason men call me

     The Daisie, or else Eye of the Day.”

In the Dark Ages, when there were no citrus fruits such as there had been in Britain in Roman times, oranges and lemons for example, daisy roots and leaves in a strong decoction were used to prevent scurvy and conditions which resulted from lack of vitamin C. However the strong decoction made from daisies for this purpose needs to be taken over a long period of time to be effective. It is not necessary today when grapefruit, pommelo and other citrus fruits are in plentiful supply.

  Gerard writing in the 16^th century called it Bruisewort as it was used for bruises and sprains, as mallow is more commonly these days. He recommended it for “alle kinds of aches and paines,” for curing fevers and for inflammation of the liver as well as “alle the inward parts.” In 1771 Dr. Hill wrote that an infusion of the leaves was good against “Hectic Fevers” and we know that in the 14^th century daisy was used in ointments for gout, wounds and fevers. The leaves have an acrid taste and cows and other animals avoid them as do insects, so the infusion was also used as an insect spray.

  An infusion of the flowers and leaves was given to alleviate rheumatoid arthritis and liver and kidney problems. The distilled water made from the plant was used for inflammation of the liver and kidneys.

  This European daisy is invasive in North America where the indigenous daisy is the Ox-Eye Daisy. In the US the common daisy is regarded by the USFDA as generally regarded as safe and there is a possibility that it might help in the treatment of HIV. When used with Arnica montana or wolf’s bane it can help bruising and trauma, and also, when the 2 are combined it can stop excessive bleeding after a woman has given birth. However, not much research has been carried out on this common little plant.

   The daisy symbolizes gentleness and is a favourite flower of children who love to make daisy chains with them. In the past these chains were hung around young children’s necks to stop faeries taking them and leaving changelings in their places. The chain itself symbolizes the sun, earth and circle of life, so they must be joined when the chain is long enough to be worn around the child’s neck.

   People used to like to have daisies in the garden to keep malevolent faeries away from their homes. Daisies are often used by young people who imagine themselves to be in love, as they pluck the petals from the daisy one by one while saying “He loves me, he loves me not” until the last petal has been plucked, so showing whether or not the object of their affections returns their love or not. There are other superstitions with rhymes in different countries in Europe, but all have a sense of the prophetic power of the daisy.

  The great Romantic poet, William Wordsworth wrote several versions of “To a Daisy” and here is the first stanza of one: -

 

“In youth from rock to rock I went
 From hill to hill, in discontent
 Of pleasure high and turbulent,
 Most pleas'd when most uneasy;
 But now my own delights I make,
 My thirst at every rill can slake,
 And gladly Nature's love partake
 Of thee, sweet Daisy!”

 

 

HART'S TONGUE FERN - INFORMATION: BENEFITS AND USES OF HART'S TONGUE FERN HERB

HART”S TONGUE FERN, SCOLOPENDRIUM VULGARIS, OR ASPLENIUM SCOLOPENDRIUM (LINN) OR PHYLLITIS SCOLOPENDRIUM

The Hart’s Tongue Fern is native to Europe and there is a variety of it in North America, Phyllitis scolopendrium var.americana which is smaller than the European variety. It’s a member of the spleenwort family, Aspleniaceae and grows in Asia too and parts of North Africa, and prefers moist, shady places. It can grow in woods and along river banks, as well as in walls. I have a vague memory of the leaves not having a pleasant smell when bruised, and I avoided the fern as a child because I didn’t like the waxy feel of its leaves which are shaped like the tongue of the red deer, or so it was thought, hence its name. Perhaps I didn’t appreciate it because it grew on damp walls on buildings I didn’t particularly like, such as public toilets.

   It was known to the ancient Greek physician Galen (c 130-210 AD) who is deemed to be second only of the ancient Greek physicians to Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine. He used it in remedies for dysentery and diarrhoea because of its astringent qualities, in an infusion, made from 2 ounces of the leaves to 1 pint of water. This was later used by medieval physicians to remove obstructions of the spleen and liver.

  Dioscorides, writing his Materia Medica in 1 AD remarked that the leaves tasted bitter, and recommended it being drunk with wine as an antidote to snake bites and for diarrhoea and dysentery.

   The fronds can be harvested in summer and dried for later use. If dried, it can be made into an ointment for scalds, burns and piles. It was one of the five great capillary herbs along with the maidenhair fern which is a common house plant in often growing in pots in British bathrooms.

  The mediaeval herbalists called it lingua cervina or deer’s tongue in their old herbals. Culpeper writing later, in the 17^th century says “It is a good remedy for the liver” and goes on to include its benefits to the spleen and “the heat of the stomach.” He continues: -

  “The distilled water is very good against the passion of the heart, to stay hiccough, to help the falling of the palate and to stay bleeding of the gums by gargling with it.”

  It has been used to ease gout, clear the eyes, heal fresh wounds (juice from the leaves) reduce fevers and to get rid of warts and pistules in early European traditional medicinal systems. It is mentioned in Michael Drayton’s (1563-1631) poem, Poly-Olbion, Song XIII, referring to its use for removing stones and gravel from internal organs, “hart’s tongue for the stone.”

  It has been the subject of some clinical trials which suggest that it may be effective for digestive disorders as Culpeper thought, and that it may increase production of urine as well as soften stools (as senna does) and it may stimulate the bowel to contract and empty (in which case it would be good for constipation and piles perhaps).

  The physicians of Myddfai had this recipe for remaining chaste, (not involving the chaste berry), presumably for a woman rather than a man.

  “If you would always be chaste, eat daily some of the herb called hart's tongue, and you will never assent to the suggestions of impurity.”

   Apart from having remedies for ailments, these old physicians also gave dietary advice and here is what they had to say for the

“Month of May. Do not eat sheep's head or trotters, use warm drink. Eat twice daily of hart's tongue, fasting. Take a gentle emetic. Use cold whey. Drink of the juice of fennel and wormwood.” It isn’t clear whether this refers to the herb or the deer’s tongue, but whichever, it wouldn’t have made much of a meal; an austere diet, to be sure, but one that was perhaps followed by the adherents of the physicians of Myddfai in Wales.

WATER SMARTWEED ( AMPHIBIOUS PERSICARIA) - USEFUL HERB: MEDICINAL BENEFITS AND USES OF WATER SMARTWEED HERB

AMPHIBIOUS PERSICARIA, WATER SMARTWEED, POLYGONUM AMPHIBIUM OR PERSICARIA AMPHIBIA

Amphibia persicaria is also known as Water Smartweed, Amphibious knotweed, and Amphibious bistort. It is a flowering plant in the knotweed family of Polygonaceae, and can grow in water as much as 8 feet deep, although it is found in much shallower water normally. The thick stems grow from the plant’s rhizomes and it has a cluster of pink flowers at the top of the stem (sometimes these grow to 3 metres long), which are 5 lobed and pointed. It flowers in the months of July and August, and then produces small, shiny, brown seeds.

  Native Americans used to eat the young shoots as a relish, and used it in medicine and as hunting medicine. They would use the flower heads as bait when trout fishing and the smoke from the leaves of the plant was thought to attract deer to hunters. A poultice of freshly gathered roots was used on mouth ulcers, and an infusion of the dried roots was given as a remedy for chest colds. Interestingly, Dioscorides, in 1 AD thought that the roots were useless. He attributed cooling and astringent properties to the plant and said that they were used in much the same ways as the persicaria that grows in fields. He used the plants as a diuretic, for excessive menstruation, to get rid of sores and their pus in ears, and boiled in wine for ulcers on the genitals. He put the leaves on fresh wounds, used them internally for burning sensations in the stomach and for herpes and other inflammations.

  Amphibious persicaria is native to both Europe and Asia as well as to North America. In other countries it has been introduced and has, in some of these, become a noxious, invasive species, taking over ponds and lakes.

  It is related to the Water pepper, and should not be confused with it. (Polygonum hydropiper)

   The Welsh physicians of Myddfai used it in remedies for fever, such as these two; -

   “The mugwort, madder, meadow sweet, milfoil, hemp, red cabbage, and the tutsan, all these seven herbs enter into the composition of the medicine required. Whosoever obtains them all, will not languish long from a wounded lung, or need fear for his life. Any of the following herbs may be added thereto, butcher's broom, agrimony, tutsan, dwarf elder, amphibious persicaria, centaury, round birth wort, field scabious, pepper mint, daisy, knap weed, roots of the red nettle, crake berry, St. John's wort, privet, wood betony, the roots of the yellow goat's beard, heath, water avens, woodruff, leaves of the earth nut, agrimony, wormwood, the bastard balm, small burdock, and the orpine.”

 “Another treatment for an intermittent fever: Take the mugwort, dwarf elder, tutsan, amphibious persicaria, pimpernel, butcher's broom, elder bark, and the mallow, and boiling them together as well as possible in a pot, or cauldron. Then take the water and herbs, and add them to the bath.”

The following was used as a cure for stones or gravel in the kidneys: -

“If the disease be gravel, make a medicine of the following herbs, macerated in strong clear wheat ale, viz. water pimpernel, tutsan, meadow sweet, St. John's wort, ground ivy, agrimony, milfoil, birch, common burnet, columbine, motherwort, laurel, gromwel, betony, borage, dandelion, little field madder, amphibious persicaria, liverwort.”

HAZEL NUTS - SEEDS OF WISDOM: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF HAZEL NUTS: COURGETTES WITH HAZEL NUT STUFFING RECIPE

HAZEL NUTS

Hazel nuts come from the hazel tree Corylus avellana and are also known as filberts and cobnuts. They are a common sight in Britain’s woods, making a feast for the grey squirrels, wood mice and dormice. They are good to eat straight from the tree, and come with a little frilly green “cape” on their tops. You peel this off, and eat the green-white kernel, which doesn’t have a nutty taste at this stage, but more of a vegetable one. If you pick them fresh you can keep them for a few months and they will dry in a warm place-not hot- to be eaten at the winter festivals such as Christmas and New Year.

  The name Filbert comes from Saint Philibert, whose day is when the cultivated nuts are harvested, in August. The hazel nut has been used for food since prehistoric times, and our hunter-gatherer ancestors must have looked forward to the hazel nut season, as I used to. My grandfather would take me for walks up the mountains near our home and feed me fresh hazel nuts which I found delicious.

  For Celts hazelnuts symbolized concentrated wisdom and poetic inspiration and these were known in Gaelic as cnocach, cno meaning wisdom. The salmon revered by the Druids ate the nuts and they got the bright spots on their skin according to how many nuts they had consumed.

  Hazel nuts are probably the best nuts to consume as they are tasty and very versatile. Among the class of Superfoods, they are one of the highest, as they contain Proanthocyanidin (PAC) and are the nuts which have the second highest antioxidant activity. They contain folic acid, B-complex vitamins, are a rich source of vitamin E and have, along with pine nuts and almonds, the lowest percentage of saturated fats of all nuts. They are high in dietary fibre and contain the minerals phosphorous, potassium, magnesium, calcium and iron, bioflavonoids including quercetin, amino acids, and Omega-3 fatty acid.

  Removing the skin decreases the benefits that can be obtained from the nuts, so you can crush them with their skins on and use them in cooking. The phenolic compounds they possess appear to be found in the skin and not the flesh of the nut. You can roast them whole with their skin on but if you can’t take the skin, you can easily peel it off after roasting by using a tea-towel or other thin cloth so that you don’t burn your fingers.

   Hazel nuts have valuable antioxidant properties, as well as being good for our mental health, as they are regarded as good for the brain. Because of the B-complex vitamins they contain. They help to prevent the formation of cataracts in the eye (vitamin E) and help to regulate blood pressure. The oil which is contained in the nuts is used for cooking and is particularly good for salad dressing. It can also be applied to the skin and used on acne. It is, in some countries, massaged into babies’ chests to prevent respiratory problems occurring. The oil can be found in some sunscreen products as it protects the skin from ultraviolet radiation.

  Hazel nut coffee is good too, and you can make your own by powdering the nuts and adding to your coffee. In America, June 1^st is National Hazelnut Cake Day, and it has to be said that these nuts combine very well with chocolate as stated in the 1960s jingle for hazelnut chocolate, “Nuts-whole hazelnuts, Cadbury’s take them and cover them in chocolate.” (You have to imagine this sung to a kind of Calypso beat.)

  The recipe below is for a healthy meal with hazel nuts, which should have their skins left on.

 

COURGETTES WITH HAZEL NUT STUFFING

Ingredients

4 courgettes, trimmed and cut into four equal parts

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Stuffing

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion very finely chopped

3 red peppers, roasted and skins removed

3½ - 4 ozs cream cheese

1 tbsp fresh tarragon or oregano, finely shredded

1 tbsp hazel nuts, crushed

Dressing

balsamic vinegar

olive oil

Method

Preheat the oven to Gas mark 4 or 180 ° C.

Scoop out the middle of the courgettes and drizzle a little olive oil in each cavity, then season and roast on a greased baking tray for 10-12 minutes or until the courgette quarters are soft.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onion for a few minutes until it is soft.

Blend the onion and peppers to a puree then mix in the cream cheese and tarragon or oregano.

Put the mixture into the courgette cavities, sprinkle with the crushed nuts.

To serve, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

HAZEL TREE - DIVINING RODS FOR WATER AND THIEVES: HISTORY, LEGENDS, USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF HAZEL TREE

HAZEL TREE, CORYLUS AVELLANA

The hazel is a common sight in British woodlands and in old hedgerows as its young shoots are pliable and lend themselves to coppicing. It is a member of the Betulaceae family of the order Fagalis and related to the birch tree, native to Europe and western Asia. It was a source of food for prehistoric people and was utilized for making small hunting spears for rabbits and hares and for making thatch; it could be bent into U shapes and was useful to hold down thatch on roofs. It has been used to make barrel hoops and to make shepherds crooks and walking sticks. Hazel rods were the wands of the Druids and it is said that Saint Patrick used a hazel rod to banish the snakes from Ireland. The rods were used as symbols of authority by the ancient Celts, and there are many legends surrounding the hazel tree which was one of the sacred trees of the Druids, along with the Mountain Ash and the Oak. Hazel trees are often found in woods of oak and beech.

  Shepherds’ crooks were also made from hazel but they were shaped while still growing on the tree. Fishing poles and spits for roasting over a fire were also made from hazel branches.

  There are many old legends about the hazel tree which was the Tree of Knowledge for Celts. One is about the Irish hero Finn mac Cumhaill who is said to have gained his prophetic abilities and wisdom after his encounter with a Salmon of Wisdom. The Celts believed that there was a well in the Otherworld, or perhaps at the source of one of several rivers in Ireland. This was the Well of Wisdom in which swam the sacred salmon (sacred to the Druids). Around the well were the Nine Hazel Trees of Wisdom and these sprouted nuts, flowers and leaves at the same time. The nuts dropped into the well and produced bubbles which spread out into the worlds and the waters and bubbles from the well were drunk by poets, artists and other creative people. The nuts were eaten by the salmon, which had brown spots on its skin, which recorded how many nuts it had eaten. The salmon with the most spots was the wisest, and Finn’s tutor had caught the wisest salmon. He put Finn to watch it while it cooked, and some of the hot stock fell on his thumb, so of course he put it into his mouth to ease the pain, and thus acquired his wisdom and powers of prophecy.

male and female flowers

   The hazel nut symbolized the path of wisdom for the Druids, as they believed that knowledge came from within, and the nut has to be cracked in order to get at the sweet meat inside it.

  The hazel has also provided water divining rods and at one time in Ireland these rods were used (up until the 16^th century) to detect thieves. The young branches can be woven into baskets, and were made into collars for horses to protect them from malignant faeries. The wattles (young stems) were used to make huts and houses and were the wattles of wattle and daub structures. There is evidence of this use as early as 6,000 BC.

  In ancient Irish laws, a half shell of a hazel nut was the smallest measure of liquid, used to measure blood paid to victims in compensation for the crimes they had suffered. The half shell was said to be a measure of five drops of blood.

male flowers, catkins

  In traditional medicine, the leaves of the hazel tree can be made into an infusion to purify the blood, and pollen from the flowers was used to treat epilepsy. Decoctions of the bark were used for skin problems, either internally or externally, applied directly onto the skin. Sap from the branches was used directly on the skin to treat eczema, ringworm and other skin problems.

  W.B. Yeats, (1865-1939) the Irish poet and playwright, wrote these lines at the beginning of his poem, “Mongam Thinks of His Past Greatness When a Part of the Constellations of Heaven”: -

   “I have drunk ale from the Country of the Young

    And weep because I know all things now:

    I have been a hazel tree and they hung

    The Pilot Star and the Crooked Plough

female flowers

    Among my leaves in times out of mind.”

  The nuts are food for squirrels, wood mice and dormice and the tree produces both male and female flowers. The male ones are the catkins or “lamb’s tails” that hang from the branches, while the female ones look like small red buds, and it is these which develop into nuts. The male flowers sprout in late October / early November but don’t release their pollen until February – April. The flowers appear before the leaves, but these are the first to appear in spring and the last to fall in autumn. They have been used as cattle fodder in the past.

 

HAZEL LEAF TISANE

Ingredients

2 oz fresh hazel leaves, shredded

250 ml boiling water

Method

Put the shredded leaves into a cup and pour the boiling water over them.

Leave them to steep for 10-15 minutes, then strain and drink.

You may want to add a little honey to sweeten the tisane.

This has Taste and is a Treat(ment).

WHAT IS ISHQ PECHAAN BAIL? TRUMPET VINE - INFORMATION: BENEFITS AND USES OF TRUMPET VINE

TRUMPET VINES, CAMPSIS GRANDIFLORA AND ISHQ PECHAAN IN URDU

Trumpet vines are quite spectacular when in flower, from May to September in Pakistan. At the moment walls are ablaze with orange flower screens, and at first sight the trumpet-shaped flowers look a little like hibiscus, without the long stamen. These flowers attract honeybees and hummingbirds which feast on their nectar, stored deep inside the flowers, and so help pollinate the plants as the birds and bees get pollen on their heads and backs as they dive into the flower to reach the nectar. Trumpet vines are members of the Bignoniaceae family of plants and these are between 650 and 750 species around the worlds, with about 120 different genera.

  The Chinese Trumpet Vine (Campsis grandiflora) has bigger flowers than other trumpet vines, as its Latin name suggests, and has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for a number of ailments for more than 2000 years. Extracts from the flowers and leaves have been subject to clinical trials and has been found to have antioxidative effects and this may not have come as a surprise to researchers as in traditional medicine it has been used to stimulate blood circulation and to cure diseases caused by sluggish circulation. The flower extract also has an anti-inflammatory action on the skin. Triterpenoids from the flowers may be beneficial in treating diabetes and they may also have cholesterol–lowering effects.

  There is a blue trumpet vine in the Indian subcontinent, although the flowers are not so obviously trumpet-shaped. This one is Thunbergia laurifolia, which, as a non-native species is considered an invasive pest in north and south-east Queensland, Australia, where it is invading the rainforest.

  Trumpet vines grow naturally in sub-tropical zones around the world, and the Campsis radicans is native to the Americas; it has yellow, orange or red flowers, and can grow to a height of 30 feet if it has a tall enough host to climb on. Normally trumpet vines are pruned so that they cover a wide area rather than growing tall. If they don’t have a wall or trellis or tree to climb, they will look like low shrubs. It has aerial rootlets which cling to the plant or structure it is climbing on, rather like Common or English ivy. It is sometimes called “Cow Itch” as both animals and humans can get dermatitis from it if the skin comes into contact with the leaves, in the same way as with Poison ivy, or Yellow Sage (Lantana camara).

  Cape honeysuckle is an African indigenous species and has orange blossoms. This is used in traditional medicine as a pain-killer and to cure insomnia.

  Trumpet vines are pretty to look at, but they can cause irritation to the skin, and modern medical science has yet to prove them effective against any disease. However, it is possible that new drugs can be developed from them.

WHAT IS AMAR BAEL? DODDER: MEDICINAL BENEFITS AND HISTORICAL USES OF DODDER

DODDER, SOME OF THE CUSCUTA SPECIES

Dodder grows just about everywhere and was formerly placed in the Convolvulaceae family of plants, although now it is more often than not grouped in a species of its own, Cuscuta with a sub-group of grammica. You will probably have seen it as it tends to smother other vegetation, as it is a parasite. It has no leaves as such, just vine-like tendrils and stems which take nourishment from the host plant, which is whatever is nearest for it to climb on and cling to when its seeds germinate. It begins life with roots, but when it is firmly clinging to a host plant these die and it is solely nourished by the host. There are more than 150 species of dodder worldwide, and they come in a range of colours from white through to rust-orange, some tinged with red and purple. In Urdu it is called amar bael meaning the vine that lives forever, or everlasting vine.

In the UK alone there are several species among them the Lesser Dodder, Cuscuta epithymium, which was once used as a herbal remedy, and is the most common of the British dodders, preferring to live on gorse. It hides its host more or less completely with its red thread-like stems. The waxy flowers are pink-white and after it flowers, it dies back in winter having released its seeds which will germinate in the following spring.

  The 17^th century herbalist, Nicholas Culpeper favoured the dodder that grew on thyme, because, he thought it took on the properties of the plant on which it grows. He says “…We confess Thyme is of the hottest herb it usually grows upon and therefore that which grows on thyme is hotter than that which grows upon a colder herb, for it draws nourishment from what it grows upon…”

He believed that it helped diseases of the “head and brain” such as “trembling of the heart, faintings and swoonings.” Along with herbalists from other countries including the Chinese herbalists and those from the Indian subcontinent (Cuscuta reflexa Roxb. synonym Cassytha filiforma Linn) he believed that it was also good for the spleen, kidneys and liver. It is a diuretic which is quite potent and an infusion was made of the stems of dodder. These are used in Western medicine, whereas the seeds are more commonly used in Eastern medicine, especially as an aphrodisiac with Cnidium seeds which were believed to cure impotency and other erectile dysfunctions such as premature ejaculation. It is used especially to cure jaundice in these traditional systems of medicine.

  Culpeper states that the dodder which grew on nettles took on their properties and was an excellent diuretic and cured any complaint of the urinary tract. An infusion is made from the whole plant in the usual way for a tisane, with 1 -2 ounces of fresh dodder to one pint of boiling water, which you should allow to steep for 10-15 minutes, to use as a purgative like senna and jamalgota. As it tastes bitter it is best used as a decoction, and boiled with ginger root and allspice to disguise the taste of the dodder.

  The Greater or Common Dodder (Cuscuta europaea) prefers to grow on nettles and thistles, and this one has red or yellow curling stems and has pale orange flowers. There is also Flax Dodder (Cuscuta epilinum), Cuscuta trifolii, which is clover dodder, and Cuscuta Hassiaca which prefers Lucerne to be its host. The plant seems to contain a little chlorophyll in its flower buds, fruits and stems, but doesn’t need it to survive as plants generally do. The dodder fruit has papery walls with 1 – 4 brown or black seeds inside it.

  Japanese dodder is used for a number of different ailments such as for vaginal discharge, diarrhoea, constipation and impotence, for the liver and a general health tonic. For these ailments a decoction is made from the seeds.

   In the Indian subcontinent Cuscuta reflexa Roxb. is used for jaundice as a mild laxative, to boost the immune system, for muscle pains and coughs. It also has useful antioxidant properties. In Chinese medicine Cuscuta chiniensis is used for all kinds of ailments including fever, headaches, oedema, skin problems and paralysis. The seeds are the parts used but they should not be taken over a prolonged period and it is thought that you can overdose on them, so best avoided!

  Very little research has been done into dodder’s possible medicinal properties, although what has been carried out suggests that it can help the liver.

  Dodder has been popular in Arabian medicine for centuries and here is one old remedy (for interest’s sake only).

 "It is for elephantiasis, mange, dandruff, and exfoliation of the skin. It disperses phlegmatic and atrabilious humors, purifies the body, clarifies the complexion, is useful for a red face, pimples, and leprosy.

"One takes ten dirhams each of Indian and Kabul myrobalan* without the stones, five dirhams each of common polypody, Cretan cuscutus, Meccan senna, lavender, and Syrian borage, twelve dirhams each of dry, red raisins without the pips, three dirhams each of seed of endive (meaning chicory the herb rather than the endive vegetable), pulverized seed of fumitory, and stripped licorice root, a dirham of cuscuta seed, a mithqâl of roses without stems and a dirham of fennel seeds. It is all cooked in 400 dirhams of pure water until it is reduced to a quarter. It is sieved. Then there is macerated in it seven dirhams each of cassia and manna. It is filtered again and on it is thrown a dirham of sieved agaric, a quarter of a dirham of salt, and a spoonful of almond oil, and ten dirhams of sugar. It may be used.”

* myrobalan is a cherry plum and can also refer to hareer or Terminalia chebula.

CHINESE LANTERN PLANT - NOT JUST FOR DECORATION: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF CHINESE LANTERN PLANT

CHINESE LANTERN PLANT, PHYSALIS ALKEKENGI

This plant is aptly named as the calyx which surrounds the small cherry-like fruit looks like a decorative Chinese lantern. It is closely related to the Cape gooseberry and Tomatillo and in the same Solanaceae (nightshade) family as the potato, aubergine, and the Nipple fruit. You usually see it in November as it makes its presence felt in early November, and is used in floral decorations. Most people think that this is all it is useful for, but of course they are wrong. It is also called the winter cherry, but should not be confused with Ashwagandha, and the bladder cherry.

  The plant was first found in Japan, and was adopted into the Chinese medicine system as it has some amazing medical properties. If you want to grow one, it seems that they are relatively easy to grow and prefer to have lily-of-the-valley as companions. Historically they have been used to reduce fevers, help stop coughs, as an expectorant, as a diuretic for gout sufferers and to disperse stones and gravel in the kidneys. They also have anti-inflammatory properties and in Iran they were used to induce labour. The juice from the berries or fruit has diuretic properties, but the whole plant above ground can be used. In traditional medicine in Iran they have been used for centuries to stop constipation, to ease the pain of arthritis and rheumatism, and to inhibit female fertility.

   Modern research has shown that extracts from the plant have antioxidant activities as well as anti-microbial and antifungal ones. In rats they proved to have anti-fertility effects probably because they inhibit the egg from attaching itself to the womb, although this is not conclusive. The husks are a source of zeoxanthin (sadly lacking in Western diets generally) as does cayenne pepper, sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) paprika and dried wolfberries. This helps to prevent the onset of age-related loss of vision, as does lutein. The fruit contains twice as much vitamin C as lemons do.

  So next time you see one of these decorative plants, you will be aware of the medicinal value they have – they are not just easy on the eye.