ASHOKA TREE ( SARACA INDICA) - ASSUAGES GRIEF: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF ASHOKA TREE

ASHOKA TREE, SARACA INDICA

The Ashoka tree is revered by Hindus and Buddhists alike, and is native to the Indian subcontinent. It has now spread farther afield and can be found in South-East Asia, including Thailand. It is a slow-growing evergreen tree with deep green leaves, although it is commonly mistaken for the Mast tree, which it doesn’t resemble, actually. It is also sometimes referred to as Jonesia asoka and Saraca asoka Roxb.but its proper botanical name is Saraca indica It is a member of the Fabaceae family or pea family, so is distantly related to the carob tree ( Ceratonia siliqua ), but it is in the sub family Caesalpaeniaceae as is senna. It has fragrant flowers with half white and half crimson stamens which give the flower clusters a hairy appearance, rather like the flowers on Grevillea robusta, although the Ashoka’s flowers are crimson and orange.

   Like the peepal tree it is sacred to both Buddhists and Hindus, as Hindus believe it is sacred to Kama Devi, the god of love, who used the flower on the tip of one of his five arrows to incite passion and desire. (One of its names means the tree of love.) Buddhists believe that the Buddha was born under the Ashoka tree. This is why you can see the tree in many temple and monastery gardens. The tree is mentioned in the Ramayana the Sanskrit text of Hindu mythology.

  Ashoka means without grief or sorrow in Sanskrit, (so a visit to a restaurant called this should be a pleasant experience) and its essential oil is used to help those who have suffered bereavement, or who feel isolated and alone. It is thought that drinking the water in which the flowers from the tree have been washed will protect against grief caused by trauma and suffering. The pulped flowers are also used as a remedy for dysentery.

  The tree is mainly used in medicine for female problems, but it may have anti-depressant properties in its leaves according to one research study. It is said to keep women healthy and youthful and is mainly used for gynaecological problems, with the bark employed as well as the flowers and roots in medical preparations. It contains bioflavonoids and tannins as well as amino acids and a variety of other substance and compounds which have not all be isolated.

  Research that has been done on the tree’s properties suggests that the stem bark has antifungal and anti-bacterial properties, as well as pain-killing ones. It may also have an impact on the central nervous system, but there has only been one study of this, so it is early days yet.

 It is hoped that Ashoka can help with Type II diabetes, but again, it is too early to tell. Not as much research has been done on this tree as has been done on the Kadamb tree.

KADAMB ( MITRAGYNA PARVIFOLIA): HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF KADAMB TREE

KADAMB, KAIM, MITRAGYNA PARVIFOLIA

The Kadamb tree is native to the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It is often confused with the Cadamba tree or Neolamarckia cadamba or Anthocephalus cadamba or indicus, which are both associated with Krishna, and mentioned in the Bhagavata Purana.

  This tree, Mitragyna parvifolia has been researched recently because in traditional folk medicine it is reputed to cure many diseases.  It is a deciduous tree so loses its leaves in autumn, and tends to grow in forests. It can grow to a height of 25 metres, and has yellow-green flowers which grow into oblong fruits which contain seeds. The parts used in medicine are the root bark and leaves, although sometimes the fruits are used.

  In Ayurvedic medicine the bark of the tree is used for blood-related diseases. In traditional medicine in the Indian subcontinent the bark and roots of the tree are used for fevers, colic, muscular pains, burning sensations in the stomach, poisoning, female problems, coughs, oedema and as an aphrodisiac.

  Wounds and ulcers may be dressed with bruised leaves to promote healing and to alleviate pain, while extracts of the fruit are used to kill pain and as anti-inflammatory agents. While these properties have been confirmed by scientist, they have not yet discovered which of the substances or combination of them are responsible for these actions.

  The stem and the bark of the tree contain flavonoids, glycosides and tannins as well as a number of alkaloids, and an extract has been shown in vitro, to  be effective in killing worms.  Like St. John’s wort and ginseng, extracts have been proved to relieve anxiety and seem to work as well as diazepam, without the side effects of that drug.

  One Indian scientist has finally, after 20 years of research, taken out a patent of a drug, made from two alkaloids found in Kadamb, to help those with Type II diabetes, after conducting trials on 1,300 patients with the disease. The patent has an international classification number from the World Trade Organization so this is perhaps good news for diabetes sufferers.

  In one area of India local healers treat rice (Oryza sativa) used for medicinal purposes with extracts from the tree at different stages, seeds, in the field and at different stages of growth so that the medicinal qualities from Kadamb will be imbued by the rice, making it more effective in treatments.

  More research needs to be done before scientists can discover in what other ways it can be beneficial to us. The research that has been conducted was published in 2009, so it is relatively recent, and a lot more needs to be done on this health-giving tree.

 

COCOA OR CACAO TREE - CHOCOLATE PRODUCER - HISTORY, HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES: EASY CHOCOLATE MOUSSE RECIPE

COCOA OR CACAO TREE, THEOBROMA CACAO

Chocolate is made from the beans of this tree, and the original chocolate was a drink – a spicy bitter one made by the Aztecs, Olmecs and Mayans. The Theobroma cacao tree was named by the Swedish scientist, Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and he rather aptly called it Theobroma which means “drink of the gods” in Greek. This was how the ancient Mayans viewed it as they believed that the tree was a gift from the gods. It is believed that it has its origins in the Amazon basin, although it is now cultivated in the zone which is 20° north or south of the Equator. Therefore it grows in Brazil, the Ivory Coast, Ghana and West Africa. The Aztecs called their spicy chocolate drink “xocatl” which is how we get the word chocolate.

  Columbus took cacao beans to Europe, but they didn’t catch on, it took Cortez and his trip to Montezuma to popularize the drink, when he sent the recipe to Carlos V of Spain.

 The recipe which became popular with wealthy Spaniards however, was a far cry from the bitter drink of the Aztecs and Mayans, as they added sugar and nuts to it so that it was much less bitter. The main ingredients of the original drink were water, cocoa and several spices including red chillies.

  In 1631 the following recipe was published in Spain by an Andalusian physician, Antonio Calmenero de Ledesma in “A Curious Treatise on the Nature and Quality of Chocolate”: -

 “100 cocoa beans, 2 chillies, a handful of anise seeds, two handfuls of vanilla,2 drams of cinnamon, 12 almonds and 12  hazelnuts, ½ pound of white sugar, and enough annatto to give it colour.”

   The tree grows to around 4-8 metres tall, although it can reach heights of up to 10 metres when it is shaded by larger forest trees. The cacao beans come from the pods which can be 15 – 25 cms long with each pod or fruit containing 30-40 cacaos beans or seeds.  The seeds which are red-brown and covered with a sweet white pulp are dried and fermented so that they can be processed further to make cocoa powder and chocolate.

  The tree belongs to the Sterculiaceae family and so is related to the Monkey Hand Tree (Chiranthodendron pentadactylon) and the Dinner Plate Tree (Pterospermum acerfolia). The trees reach their peak cacao bean production when they are 10 years old, but can still be productive for another 12-13 years, although some trees still produce pods when they are between 30 and 40 years old. The young leaves are large, red and glossy, but as they age they turn green, while the pods can be maroon or scarlet or golden yellow.

  The cocoa press was invented around 1828 which made it easier to extract cocoa butter, which is used in skin and hair preparations as well as in the manufacture of chocolate. It wasn’t until about 1879 that the Swiss developed milk chocolate and solid chocolate which most of us adore.

  It seems that we love chocolate because it makes us feel good, and this is not surprising as it increases serotonin production in the body which enhances moods and produces endorphins. Studies have shown that “Consumption of cocoa flavanols result in acute improvement in mood and cognitive performance during sustained mental effort” which was the title of a research article published in 2010 in the Journal of Psychopharmacology. No wonder our ancestors though it was an aphrodisiac. In fact the Aztecs used their chocolate drink to give their warriors strength in battle, and put the flowers in baths along with other ingredients to prevent fatigue. As in 17^th century Spain, the drink was reserved for the priestly caste and the Emperor and there was a tax on the beans.

  Research has shown that raw cacao beans are a superfood in the same way as broccoli, kiwi fruit and others. The raw beans have more antioxidant properties than either red wine or green tea. Dark chocolate has the most concentrated cacao content and studies have shown that it is better for you than white chocolate and has many of the attributes though not all or the raw bean. Research has shown that the antioxidative properties of the beans can help to prevent prostate cancer, lower the risk of strokes and cardio-vascular disease and lower blood pressure.

 Theobromine combined with caffeine contained in the bean acts as a mild stimulant and diuretic.  Anandamide is also present and this can produce a mild natural high similar to that of bhang or marijuana.

  The beans contain vitamins A, C and E along with some of the B-complex vitamins, and the minerals, copper, zinc, iron, magnesium, manganese, calcium and potassium as well as bioflavonoids.

  Scientists have unlocked the secret of the cocoa bean’s genome and are currently working on ways to make our chocolate eating experience healthier as they hope it will help combat diabetes, improve the cardio-vascular system functions as well as our cognitive ones.

  It really does improve the mood and is comfort food, especially in winter; perhaps that is why we Brits eat so much of the stuff and consume so many chocolate drinks. The book (and film) “Chocolat” make it quite clear how magical chocolate is.

MY FAVOURITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Ingredients

6 oz dark chocolate broken into very small pieces

40 gr butter

4 eggs

75 ml hot espresso coffee

30 ml very hot water

20 ml cointreau or other orange flavoured liqueuer

4 green  cardamom pods seeds removed and crushed to a fine powder (optional)

Method

Put the tiny chocolate pieces into a heat proof bowl with the butter, coffee and very hot water

Balance the bowl over a pan of boiling water but don’t let the bowl touch the water.

Leave and stir only once or twice until the chocolate has completely melted, then add the powdered cardamom if using and the cointreau. Stir to mix.

Set aside to cool while you separate the eggs. Whisk the whites to a frothy foam and mix the yolks with a fork in a separate bowl.

When the mousse mixture is warm but not hot, add the egg yolks and stir in, then fold in the whites with a metal spoon.

Pour into small cups and cover with cling film, then put in the fridge and leave for a couple of hours until the mixture is glossy and thick.

Serve with whipped double cream for a real treat.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

ANCIENT ALDER TREE - HISTORY, LEGENDS AND HEALTH BENEFITS

COMMON OR EUROPEAN BLACK ALDER TREE, ALNUS GLUTINOSA

The alder likes to grow near water, rivers, streams and lakes and is found in company with willows and birch trees. It is a member of the birch family, Betulaceae. The root system of the alder may be exposed in water and make safe havens for fish wishing to escape predators, or in stormy weather they shelter under the roots of the alder. Like the hazel tree, the male flowers of the alder are catkins, while the female flowers resemble small fir cones. These begin by being green, but by October they have become brown and woody, ready to eject the two winged seeds that are found inside them. The twigs can be sticky to touch, which is how it got its Latin name glutinosa.

  This tree is native to most of Europe and Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria in North Africa, and can also be found in the Caucasus region, and Iran, and Turkey. It was introduced into North America where it has become naturalized in north-eastern USA and eastern Canada. It can reach height of up to 25 metres and lives on average for 150 years. However when a trunk dies, young shoots often spring up from the base.

  Green dye can be obtained from the flowers and this colour has been associated with faeries and those, like Robin Hood who used the green dye to camouflage themselves. In Irish legend, Deidre of the Sorrows eloped with Naoise the son of Usna and the couple fled from Ulster to Scotland where they hid from King Conchobhar mac Nessa, to whom Deidre was betrothed, in an alder wood. Alder woods are synonymous with hiding places as they tend to grow in marshy ground where few would venture. The Irish used to consider it unlucky to see or pass an alder tree when they were on a journey.

  Alder wood is good for charcoal and was used by the ancient Celts to forge their weapons. The Irish and Norse peoples also considered the Rowan tree or Mountain Ash to be the female counterpart of the Alder, as Alder was the tree from which the first man was made and the first woman came from the rowan tree. However it is the willow that was considered the Alder King’s queen by the Celts. It was a tree much favoured by the Druids and was meant to give courage to warriors in battle and to symbolize royalty.

  The Alder is the fourth month of the Celtic Tree Calendar which extends from 18^th March – 14^th April, and it was believed to be the doorway to faerie land. It is sacred to Bran who carried a branch of it into the Battle of Trees (Cad Goddeau) according to an ancient poem, said to have been written by Taliesin.

  Because the wood from this tree is durable in water it has traditionally been made into pumps, troughs and sluices. Later, Alder wood was made into clogs, and it has been used to make spinning wheels, carts and various implements and furniture.

  It is said that if you are hiking or walking a long way, alder leaves in your shoes will prevent your feet from getting tired. If you have rheumatism and sleep on a bed of alder leaves it will help. Alternatively a hot poultice can be made from the leaves and applied to relieve inflammation. A decoction made from the bark will reduce swelling and bruising although mallow will do this very well.

   The inner bark of alder can be boiled with vinegar and used to clean teeth, remove head lice and get rid of scabies. A tisane can be made from 1 heaped tablespoon of leaves to a pint of boiling water and this can be used for skin problems and irritations, and to cure herpes. Decoctions from the leaves or bark (boil leaves or bark in water until the water has reduced by half) can be used as a gargle for sore throats, and can be applied to wounds to prevent infection and promote healing. This can also be used on burns.

  The bark contains lignans, and tannins as well as phenolic glycosides, while the leaves have flavonoid glycosides among other constituents. As yet very little research has been done into the medical properties of the Alder, but it is thought to have anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, antiviral and astringent properties.