AIR POTATOES ( DIOSCOREA BULBIFERA) - INFORMATION: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF AIR POTATOES

AIR POTATO, DIOSCOREA BULBIFERA

The air potato is a member of the yam (Dioscorea batatas) family which includes Dioscorea deltoidea, much used by body-builders and men who need testosterone boosts. Along with others in the species, this plant is a source of diosgenin which is needed for birth control pills. It is native to the Indian sub-continent and possibly also to tropical Africa.

  It is called the air potato because it grows potato – like bulbs between the bases of the leaves, along its aerial roots. The plant is a vine which can grow up to 20 metres long, and on summer days can grow up to 20 cms, in a day. In southern US states where it is invasive, having been introduced some time during the slave trade years, it can choke plants in the forest canopy and prevents light reaching those on the forest floor.

  Where it is a native it is used in traditional medicine for a number of ailments, including diarrhoea, dysentery, jaundice, stomach pains, and even bone fractures. In Indian and Chinese medicine it is used for sore throats, stomach cancers, and goiters. It is also used to treat anorexia and is said to have diuretic properties. Reportedly it can lower cholesterol levels, relieve pain and lower blood pressure. It has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

  In the Cameroon Islands the plant is used for pain relief and to stop inflammation. It is used similarly in the Philippines.

  The aerial ‘potatoes’ are eaten as a vegetable, after chopping and then soaking for some hours. The tuber is also used like a yam. (It has no relationship to a sweet potato however.)

  The plant contains a number of flavonoids and isoflavonoids, which have oestrogenic, heart protective, antioxidant and anti-cancer properties. Those contained in the air potato are particularly potent free radical scavengers, at least in rats. (Javachandran K.S. et al. December 2010).

  New research to be published at the beginning of 2012 suggests that the plant has “profound therapeutic potential” –and has anti-diabetic properties, (Evidence-Based Complementary Medicine Journal Volume 2012).

  Research published in 2002 carried out on mice, showed the plant to have an anti-fungal compound, dihydrorodioscorine which had anti-tumor effects it was reported.

  Clearly there are potential health benefits that we could utilize from this plant, if more research were done into its properties.

BELLADONNA - THE POISONER'S HERB: HISTORY, USES AND SOME BENEFITS OF BELLADONNA

BELLADONNA, DEADLY NIGHTSHADE, ATROPA BELLADONNA

Belladonna, “Beautiful Lady” may have got its name from the fact that women have used it for centuries to dilate the pupils and give them more lustrous eyes. It can be used on the skin without ill effects but is deadly poisonous and should not be ingested. It belongs to the Solanaceae family of plants which include potatoes, aubergines, tomatoes (the wolf peach), Nipple fruit, red and green chilli peppers and the Physalis family of plants which includes the tomatillo and Cape gooseberry and Chinese lantern.

  It has been associated with magic for millennia and as it has psychotropic actions, may have been responsible for tales of witches flying, during the Spanish Inquisition and earlier in Europe.  It was believed that the Devil tended this herb carefully except on Walpurgis Night (30th April) which was supposed to be the night of the Witches Sabbath. It was called Devil’s Cherries and Devil’s Herb because of this belief. Walpurgisnachten or Walpurgis Night is still celebrated in Northern Europe and Scandinavia. It was once, in the Middle Ages, the end of the fiscal year, and celebrated by farmers and artisans. Now it is still a holiday and joined with 1^st May and the modern Mayday celebrations, which of course have their origins in the Celtic festival of Beltane. On Walpurgisnachten there is a lot of noise made to frighten away witches and evil spirits, and there is trick or treating, so it is like a spring Halloween. Sprigs of ash, hawthorn, elder and juniper are made into three crosses and placed on barn and stable doors to protect livestock from witches. (These trees were sacred to the European pagans.)

  There are three main constituent alkaloids that are found in Deadly Nightshade, atropine, scopolamine and hyoscamine which are used in modern medicine. Atropine is named after the Latin name Linnaeus gave to the plant, Atropha, which was the name of one of the ancient Greek Fates, who was believed to hold the shears which cut the fragile thread of a human’s life. It is used to relax the smooth muscles in the gut, urinary tract and biliary tree prior to surgery. Scopolamine is used to prevent motion sickness, while hyoscamine is used to treat stomach and bladder problems as well as some heart conditions, Parkinson’s disease symptoms and rhinitis (runny nose).

  Atropine is now used in toxicology, ophthalmology, as well as a painkiller in gastroenterology. Hyoscamine is used in kidnapping and date rape, as it is a sedative and can cause amnesia in certain cases.

  The old Gaelic tribes used belladonna to stimulate them into a rage and give them courage for battle. It was known as the “herb of courage.”  In 68 AD Locusta was imprisoned and sentenced to death in ancient Rome for using her tincture of Belladonna to poison the Emperor Claudius, and it is said that it was the poison of choice of the infamous Renaissance poisoner, Lucrezia Borgia.

  Galen, the physician (129-201AD) thought belladonna was an effective cure for “terrible, unhealing ulcers” (on the skin).Now it is used to help in the treatment of asthma and hay fever, as is the Thornapple and other members of the Datura family which are also poisonous.

  In the time of Chaucer the herb was called Dwale from the French deuil meaning grief. Gerard called it ‘the sleeping nightshade’ saying that the leaves after being soaked in vinegar were laid on the forehead to stop a headache.

  Used topically it can soothe irritated skin, and relieve the pain of neuralgia, gout, and rheumatism. It was once thought to cure cancer if used externally. Hahnemann, often called the Father of Homoeopathy believed and seemed to have proved that it could protect against scarlet fever.

  It has recently undergone tests to ascertain its effectiveness against viral infections and one study in Kolkata’s School of Tropical Medicine and the Central Council for Research into Homoeopathy found that it protected chick embryos from infection by Japanese Encephalitis.

  There are many stories about the poisonous nature of Belladonna and as a child I remember being fascinated by the flowers, and my father and grandfather warning me not to touch the plant at all. This was sound advice as the whole plant can cause skin irritation. The best thing to do is admire its beauty at a safe distance.

DURIAN - KING OF FRUITS SE ASIA: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF DURIAN

DURIAN, DURIO ZIBETHINUS
There are many different Durio cultivars, but the one that is most commercially produced is the Durio zibethinus. It is a curious, fruit when you first see it as it looks a little like a small jackfruit, but that is where the resemblance ends; they are not related. The fruit inside its thorny case is unusual to say the least. The husk has to be split open by the fruit seller on roadsides in Thailand, with a machete, or something that looks very like one, and inside there are slimy looking banana-type fruits, which contain large seeds. People complain about the smell and the fruit has been banned in some hotels and on public transport in parts of south east Asia, but I don’t remember the smell, perhaps because we bought the fruit in the open air and the atmosphere was quite polluted, so one more smell was not noticeable.

I only remember that it tasted a bit like custard, so had hints of vanilla, laced with banana and perhaps almonds. The English novelist Anthony Burgess famous for the book “Clockwork Orange” said that eating this fruit was “like eating sweet raspberry blancmange in the lavatory.” I have to agree with the definition of the texture, but maybe he was talking about the red durian when he thought of raspberries.

In south-east Asia the durian is called “The King of Fruits” I have to say that the fruit pod is a pretty big one, so could agree if that’s what was meant, but I’d have to agree with the Pakistanis that the mango is the King of Fruits, I’m afraid.

People rave about the durian and say you either love it or hate it; personally I don’t care either way about it. If someone gave me one I’d eat it happily, but I wouldn’t mind if I never ate another.

In Malaysia there is a saying “to receive a falling durian” which means that the person has had some good luck. When fruits, vegetables and other foods come into a language as expressions, it shows how important they are in the culture. There is also a superstition that the fruit has eyes, which is why it only falls from the tree at night. It could do a lot of damage with its spines and weight if it hit you on the head, even more damage than the fruit of the sausage tree and the cannonball tree.

Durian are native to Brunei, Borneo, Sumatra, Malaysia and possibly also to the Philippines. They are members of the Malvaceae family of plants which includes the common mallow, hibiscus and hollyhock among others. It is pollinated by bats which feed on the nectar and pollen in the whitish to golden-brown flowers. It is extensively cultivated in Thailand, and is also cultivated in India where it is referred to as the “civet cat tree” due to its not-so-fragrant smell. It can grow to heights of 40 metres in tropical forests, and is evergreen. The trees start to bear fruit when they are 3½ to 4½ years old and one tree can produce between 40 and 50 fruit. They can have two fruiting seasons a year, depending on the climate. There have been some efforts to introduce them to other parts of the world, but in both North and South America they are confined to Botanical Gardens, and they have so far failed to thrive in Sri Lanka, although they have been introduced and then re-introduced several times.

The fruit are used in sambals (side dishes) as accompaniments to hotter, spicy main dishes, and in ice creams, other desserts, and confectionary. I have only eaten raw, and have to say that I prefer rambutan and mangosteen.

In both South and South-East Asia, hot and cold properties are attributed to foodstuffs, and durian is deemed to be a hot item. As it comes into season in summer, this means that the body needs to be cooled after eating it, so people either drink water out of the hollowed pods, or eat durian with mangosteens which have cooling properties.

The young shoots and leaves of the durian tree may be boiled and eaten as a green vegetable, and most parts of the tree are used in traditional medicine. The fruit contains the minerals, calcium, iron and phosphorous and vitamin A, carotene, some of the B-complex vitamins and is rich in vitamin E.

The seeds are eaten after boiling, drying and frying them and in Java they are thinly sliced and cooked with sugar then dried and fried in coconut oil  with spices and used as a sambal.

In traditional medicine the rind of the pod is burnt and the ashes given to women to eat after child birth. A decoction of the leaves and roots is given during fevers, and the leaf juice is expressed onto the forehead to cool the body in fevers too. The leaves are infused in bath water for jaundice patients, and a decoction of the leaves and fruits is used for swellings and skin problems. The flesh which surrounds the fruit is given to get rid of intestinal worms.

It is believed that the seeds contain toxins which can cause shortness of breath, so they should not be eaten raw. People with high blood pressure and pregnant women should avoid eating durian.

If you buy durian paste in markets in Thailand, it might have been adulterated with pumpkin, which is cheaper. However this may make it more palatable to some.

Don’t worry if you’ve never tried it, personally I think it’s another over-hyped fruit like the mangosteen.

GRASSPEAS ( LATHYRUS SATIVUS) - INFORMATION: HISTORY AND USES OF GRASSPEAS

GRASSPEA, LATHYRUS SATIVUS

The grasspea closely resembles the sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) which is grown as an ornamental in many British gardens, and in others around the world, including in Pakistan. It is also known as the Chickling pea or Chickling vetch (not a chickpea!!) and Indian Vetch. It is now believed to have originated in the Balkan Peninsula, although it may have originated in South-West and Central Asia. It is a member of the Leguminosae family of plants and is related to peas, green beans, and kudzu or pueraria root, among other plants. There are around 187 species and subspecies of Lathyrus growing around the world. Grasspeas have blue, pink or red flowers, usually.

  It is believed to have been domesticated about 8,000 years ago as remains of the plant’s grains have been found in Jarmo, Iraqi Kurdistan, from the Neolithic period. Remains have been found in India dating back to 2,000-1,500 BC and from the Bronze Age in Portugal.

   This plant is an important fodder plant although it is consumed as dhal in India, Bangladesh, and in Pakistan’s Sindh province. However it is ground and used to adulterate chickpea flour (besan) and is somewhat problematic if people consume it over a three month period. In times of famine people use it in their daily diets, particularly in the not so distant past in Ethiopia, where outbreaks of lathyrism have occurred (1995-6 was the last outbreak). This is a paralysis of the lower body which is caused by a neurotoxin in the grain which has been recognized since ancient times, having been mentioned in ancient Sanskrit texts and by Hippocrates. Cultivars with low neurotoxin levels are being produced around the world in an attempt to prevent future outbreaks of the disease.

  The plant is useful in that it is a nitrogen fixer and provides natural fertilizer for farmers. It is resistant to a number of pests, and the seeds have an oil which is extracted and used in traditional medicine. However it is dangerous if you are not a skilled homoeopathist. The seeds contain the vitamins A, and C and some of the B-complex ones, as well as amino acids, minerals such as copper and phosphorous and  phenols, so are nutritious in times of food scarcity. The seeds should be soaked in water for at least 24 hours before cooking.

  Traditionally the seeds are either split and made into dhal or ground and made into bread. They can also be made into a paste and shaped into balls which are added to curries, or they can be simply boiled and eaten as a pulse. The leaves may be put into soups and stews and eaten as a green vegetable after boiling. The seeds are hulled and dried before using.

  In some parts of the Indian sub-continent, the pods are boiled, salted and sold by street vendors, as tasty snacks.

  They have been used in different parts of the world as a “vaccine” against poliomyelitis; in 1850 there was a polio epidemic in Johannesburg, South Africa, and a Doctor Taylor Smith protected 85 people with extracts of the grasspea. Of those people, twelve were known to have come into close contact with the disease, but none of the 85 caught the disease. Once again in 1975, there was a polio epidemic, this time in Buenos Aires, and 40,000 people were protected by Lathyrus sativus, and none of them, reportedly contracted the disease. This is of course anecdotal evidence and research is needed to see how this might have worked.