SNOW LOTUS: SPECTACULAR SNOW LOTUS - AN AMAZING HERB

SNOW LOTUS, SAUSSUREA LANICEPS AND OTHERS

Saussurea laniceps is the white snow lotus pictured here. There are twelve types of Saussurea which grow in China and Tibet and they are used in traditional medicine. They have been used for centuries but now there are environmental concerns regarding the use of Saussurea laniceps and medusa (the purple one pictured here). Saussurea laniceps and S. medusa grow at heights over 13, 000 feet.

  One of the problems is that tourists are picking them and taking them home as souvenirs of their trip, and as these plants are not fully protected, they are not breaking the law. They are protected only, it would seem on a sacred mountain in Tibet. The plants are harvested for their flowers, and so these are picked before the seeds appear, which means that the plants can’t propagate. The plants only flower once in a lifetime, so this is really bad news for their chances of survival.

   They are used for menstrual problems, headaches and stomach aches as well as to treat arthritis. In Tibet the flowers are combined with green tea to make Tibetan Taiyang green tea with snow lotus. In Tibet you can see the dried plants hung up in shops, ready to be sold either for medical use or to tourists.

   The Chinese are attempting to try sustainable harvesting of the plants and flowers, and are using Saussurea involucrata rather than S. laniceps as this grows all over China whereas the white S laniceps only grows in Sichuan, Sinkiang and Qinghai provinces. The plants are used medicinally and in cosmetic preparations. However the Chinese say they are beginning a programme and hope “with careful picking of the plants to ensure maintenance of the future supply of the herb.”

   There are 12 species of this plant in China and Tibet, but clinical trials have shown that S. laniceps has the most potent anti-nociceptive effect (which means it can inhibit messages from the brain telling the nerves that they are painful) followed by S. involucrata and the most potent anti-inflammatory properties of the three plants mentioned here. It would seem that all three possess different compounds which support their different uses in traditional medicine. New sesquiterpenoids and glycosides have been isolated from these plants and medical trials are continuing. They have antioxidant activities which come from the phenolic compounds and flavonoids found in the plants.

  Botanists have studied the wild plants, the plants in the protected area and those in Botanical Gardens around the world and have compared data which show that in he last hundred years, the S. laniceps has decreased in height by four inches. This has been ascribed to the fact that the larger plants have the largest flowers, so these are harvested, while only the smaller plants (with smaller flowers) are left to propagate. This could be really bad news for their continued survival, but as modern medical science advances, so other alternatives may be found for the cures these plants are used for currently.

BUTTERCUP ( CROWFOOT) - HISTORY OF USES - BEWARE OF BUTTERCUPS

BUTTERCUP, CROWFOOT, RANUNCULUS FAMILY

Buttercups are also called Crowfoot and are a common sight in Britain and the rest of Europe as well as the other continents, with different members of the family sprouting in waste land, meadows and lawns. They are names Ranunculus in Latin as a reference to the fields and meadows in which they are so often found. The buttercup family includes the Greater and Lesser Celandines, clematis, wolfsbane and larkspur.

  They grow along with daisies and are often found on lawns in Britain. As a child I liked to pick the flowers and hold them under people’s chins to see if they liked butter. If they did the colour of the buttercup would be reflected on their skin.

  Animals tend to avoid buttercups because they have an acrid taste and contain a poisonous toxin, protoanemonin which is a potent irritant and causes mouth ulcers and inflammation. Canny beggars in Europe used to use the buttercup to raise blisters and keep the sores open in order to attract more sympathy, and of course, money.

  In 1784 a Mr. Plunkett used buttercup leaves as “cure” for cancer. They are supposed to be effective if made into a plaster and put on the forehead to relieve a headache, and were also used to cure gout. The juice from Ranunculus acris the Meadow Buttercup was used to remove warts.

Corn Buttercup

  Ranunculus arvensis, the Corn Buttercup was thought to be extinct in Britain until it was discovered growing in Shropshire in July 2010. This one has a spiky seed head which gives rise to its names of Devil’s Claws and Hellweed. All buttercups produce around thirty seeds in each seed pod, and these, too are avoided by grazing animals.

  The yellow glossy colour of the buttercup is enhanced by the orange of its pollen and the colour attracts honeybees and other insects which pollinate it.

  Ranunculus bulbous contains a juice which provokes sneezing and this has been used to clear the sinuses and to cure some types of headache. This buttercup has a swollen bulbous part at the base of the stem, hence its name, and its juice can produce blisters if rubbed into the skin, so be careful next time you are tempted to pick a glossy buttercup.

DRUMSTICK TREE - TRULY AMAZING TREE: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF DRUMSTICK TREE: DRUMSTICK CURRY RECIPE

DRUMSTICK TREE, HORSERADISH TREE, BEN OIL TREE, MORINGA OLEIFERA

The Drumstick tree has some truly amazing properties, both medicinally speaking and ones that help people in their everyday lives in hot countries. It is not to be confused with the Monkey pod tree, which has similar pods also called drumsticks. It is native to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, although it now grows in tropical areas in Africa and South America.

   It is one of Nature’s marvellous medicine trees with every part good for something. The leaves are amazingly nutritious and it is hoped that they could be the answer to malnutrition, as they possess, gram for gram, three times as much potassium as bananas, seven times the vitamin C content of oranges, 4 times the amount of calcium in milk and twice the amount of protein in milk and eggs, and four times the amount of vitamin A found in carrots. The leaf powder which is given to children suffering from malnutrition and breast-feeding mothers to promote lactation contains all 8 essential amino acids. The fruit contains the minerals magnesium, calcium, iron, vitamins A and C as well as some B-complex ones. The bioflavonoids found in parts of the tree include kaempferol and quercetin.

  Apparently it was known and used by peoples of the ancient world, including the Romans, Greeks and Egyptians. The seeds are brown and triangular in shape, and are used to purify water in Sudan and Malawi, and their oil is also used in perfumes and hair care products. The oil can also be used as a salad dressing, or as lubricating oil. They may be eaten raw, and are said to taste like peanuts, or roasted or powdered and made into a tisane. They are also used in curry dishes.

  The trees can be used to make living fences, and the crushed leaves are used in households for cleaning purposes. The wood produces a blue dye; while the gum that exudes from the trunk when it is cut is has the same uses as tragacanth (gond katira) and the powdered seeds are used to clarify honey and sugar cane juice. The leaves are a good source of biofuel, and the flowers can be made into a tisane or eaten as a vegetable and added to sauces (in the same way as kachnar buds). They are also processed and made into effective pesticides. The young fruit are used as green vegetables and can be pickled while the older fruit are used in sauces. Paper can be produced from the wood pulp of the tree and the tree is also used for fuel, making good charcoal.

  Apart from having highly nutritious leaves, the fruit is also a healthy nutritious addition to a dish, but it also has some remarkable medicinal uses, some of which have been supported by medical research. For example the fruit has a hypolipidemic affect on the fats in the organs which are excreted. The tree has potent antioxidant qualities and seems to have anti-cancer potential, as well as being able to detoxify the body. It has antibiotic qualities as well as pain killing ones, can lower high blood pressure and has antibacterial properties.

  In the Ayurvedic system of medicine it is said to cure or prevent around 300 diseases and in India the seeds are used to cure impotency and erectile dysfunctions, and to prolong a woman’s sexual activity. Parts of the tree are used to maintain regular menstruation and it is thought of as a “Mother’s herb”. It is used to reduce inflammation caused by rheumatism and arthritis, and a paste is applied to the forehead to stop headaches and joint pains.

  It is used to cure obesity, for all types of skin problems, diabetes, fever, eye problems, digestive disorders, respiratory tract problems, including to clear mucus and to stop coughs. It is said to stimulate the blood circulation and the nervous system, and to prevent infections of various sorts.

  Medical research is still being done on this tree and all its parts, but given that the leaves are so nutritious, it seems clear that they should be used in powder form for those in developing countries suffering from malnutrition.

DRUMSTICK CURRY

Ingredients

12 drumsticks, peeled and cut into 5 cm pieces

4 onions, thinly sliced

6 green chillies, slit lengthways

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

oil or ghee for frying

tamarind (imli) pulp for 4-5 seeds

1 tbsp dry fried and ground cumin seeds

2 green cardamom pods, seeds removed and crushed

1 tbsp coriander seeds, dry-fried and ground

1 stick cinnamon or pieces of cassia bark

1 tbsp turmeric (haldi), powdered

1½ inch piece of ginger root, peeled and finely chopped

a few curry leaves

1 tbsp lemon juice

½ pint coconut milk

 Method

Heat the oil in a pan and add the onions, garlic, ginger and chillies and fry for 5 mins.

Add the spices and cook for a further 3 mins.

Now add all the other ingredients apart from the imli pulp and half the coconut milk.

Cook over a low heat until the drumsticks are tender.

Add the tamarind pulp and simmer for a further 5 mins.

Add the rest of the coconut milk, bring to the boil and then remove from the heat and serve with roti, naan or plain boiled rice.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

WHAT IS SATTU - HOW TO MAKE SATTU AND SATTU DRINK

SATTU; A REALLY REFRESHING DRINK WITH A DIFFERENCE

Along with skanjveen, tukh malanga and gond katira, sattu is a deliciously different drink which is a great thirst-quencher for sweltering summer days. It’s lemon barley water Pakistani-style. 

You can also add ground yellow dhal (channa dhal) or use wheat instead of barley if you prefer. The recipe below is for fresh barley.

SATTU

Ingredients

100 gr barley seeds

To prepare the barley: -

Soak the barley overnight in water, then the next day, drain them and leave them to dry in the shade.

Heat a heavy-based pan over a low heat and add the dry barley seeds and dry fry them until they turn brown. Be careful not to let them burn.

Remove them from the heat and allow them to cool before grinding them to a fine powder.

You can store the powder in an airtight container until you are ready to use it.

Sattu Drink for 1 glass

1 tbsp sattu (prepared as above)

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

sugar to taste

water

ice

Method

Mix the sugar into the water well, add the lemon and sattu and mix together, add ice and serve.

This has Taste and is a Treat.