WHAT IS GOND KATIRA? TRAGACANTH GUM: BENEFITS AND USES OF TRAGACANTH GUM: HOW TO MAKE GOND KATIRA DRINK

TRAGACANTH GUM, GOND KATIRA, ASTRALAGUS GUMMIFER LABILL

Tragacanth gum comes from a thorny shrub which is native to western Asia, Iraq, Iran and the Middle East. It is a tree gum like myrrh, frankincense and balm of Gilead, and can be used, along with the stems of the plant as incense. It comes from a number of Astragalus species, but the one which produces the best quality gum is Astragalus gummifer or gummifera. The gum exudes naturally from the roots of the plant and from incisions made in the stem. 

This is collected and when dried forms crystals of flakes or may be formed into blocks. The plant is a member of the pea family of plants, Fabaceae, and produces pods like other members of the Leguminoseae family such as carob trees.

  The shrub is pollinated by bees and butterflies and is a useful nitrogen-fixing plant. You may think you have never eaten gum Tragacanth, but the odds are that you have as it is a food additive known in the food industry as E 413. It is used as a thickening agent in sauces, ice cream and confectionary, and is also used in the cosmetics industry. It helps bind other ingredients together.

  It is also used in the textile industry to thicken dyes for fabric, to make glue, for water colours and to produce the gloss in ink, among other uses including the manufacture of paper.

  Externally the gum has been used in traditional medicine for dressing burns, and it is now believed that it might have anti-tumour properties, and could stimulate the immune system.

  Here in Pakistan it is sold for use in cooling drinks, in crystal form, so to me it looks like mastica, another tree product. It is also said to help if you are constipated.

  You have to soak a very small piece of the gum in a glass of water and it will swell and turn to a jelly-like substance which is transparent, so that the glass looks as though it is full of chunks of ice. Leave it to soak until it is very swollen (a couple of hours seems to do the trick) and then drink it with water, ice and lemon juice. 

This drink is as good as those which include tukh malanga (basil seeds) or sugar cane juice for cooling the body temperature in the heat of summer.

 

 

Gond Katira Drink

1 small piece of gond katira, or Tragacanth gum, soaked in water overnight

1 tbsp juice of fresh lemon, optional

1 glass water

1 tbsp sugar

ice

 

Method

When the crystals have swollen and turned gelatinous take one or two small fragments and mix in cold water with the sugar and lemon juice if using and add ice.

Drink while cool.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

CHASTE TREE - FOR CELIBACY AND A WOMEN'S HERB FOR HEALTH

CHASTE TREE, VITEX AGNUS-CASTUS

The chaste tree or chaste berry tree has its origins in western Asia and the shores of the Mediterranean. It was well-known to the ancient Greeks and Romans and used in religious festivals as well as in medicine. The chaste tree is a shrub which can grow to heights of around 25 feet, but is also one that fits well in gardens, as it looks a little like an overgrown lavender bush. It is a member of the Lamiaceae family and of the verbenas, so is a relative of lemon verbena and vervain. Its name means “chaste lamb” from the Greek, agnos, lamb and castos chaste.

 It was grown in English gardens by the 1550s and John Gerard writing in the 16^th century mentions it as being good for obstructions of the liver and spleen, as well as for women’s complaints. He thought that the seeds and leaves were good for inflammation of the uterus, and that the seeds, when used in combination with pennyroyal could bring on a woman’s periods, and thought this remedy was a good emmenagogue.

  The chaste tree has either white or blue through to violet flowers, which are replaced by berries which look a lot like peppercorns. It grows wild along river banks and the berries, or seeds have been used for a variety of medical purposes. It is cultivated now in many parts of the world, and is used in some herbal remedies and supplements.

  Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine (460-377 BC) wrote “If the blood flows from the womb, let the woman drink dark wine in which the leaves of the chaste tree have been steeped.” It has long been used for women’s menstrual disorders, including for PMT/PMS and sore breasts and nipples. It is also beneficial for menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes (flashes). It is believed that it helps to regulate hormone levels by acting on the pituitary gland, and it has a similar effect to dopamine the “happy” substance. Pliny, another of the ancient writes, wrote “it checks violent sexual desire” meaning it decreases men’s libido. Thus it became known as Monk’s Pepper (Piperum monarchorum) as they sprinkled the powdered berries liberally on their food to remain celibate, or at least not to have carnal desires. In some parts of Italy today, novice monks who enter the monastery for the first time, still follow the ancient tradition of walking along a path strewn with the flowers and twigs of the chaste tree.

  Dioscorides in his Materia Medica, written in 1 AD wrote that it was good for inflammation of the womb and to encourage lactation, although modern medical researchers suggest that lactating mothers should avoid its use. Ancient physicians believed that its seeds were useful to relieve flatulence, and these were used both in the fresh and dried state.

  In ancient Greece the chaste tree was used in decorating the temple of Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, fertility and marriage during her festival, the Thesmophoria. (Demeter was the mother of Persephone, who was abducted by Orpheus and who had to remain in Dis or the Underworld for 6 months of every year because she had eaten six pomegranate seeds, and so we have the seasons.)

  In Rome the vestal virgins carried its twigs and wore the flowers, as a sign of their chastity. According to Greek mythology, Zeus’ wife and sister, Hera, the goddess of marriage was born under a chaste tree.

  The plant contains bioflavonoids such as kaempferol which are at the highest levels in the leaves, and the volatile oils from the plant have a spicy aroma, although they contain similar constituents to citrus fruits such as lemons and citrons, having in them limonene, linalool, citronellol and other ingredients including pinene.

  It should not be taken during pregnancy or lactation as not enough scientific research has been done on it. However, the German Commission E has approved it for some menstrual problems, and research into its properties is ongoing. It would seem that it could have anti-tumour effects, as well as having anti-inflammatory properties. It also seems to have antioxidant qualities.

  It is combined in homeopathic remedies with many other plants. For example, it is used with dandelion to promote lactation, and has been used in this way for centuries, although scientists have not yet researched its safety. In combination with lavender it is said to raise the spirits, and with Saint John’s Wort it is believed to have the ability to lift a mild to moderate depression. It has been prescribed with valerian root for stomach cramps, and the best tisane is made with the berries, crushed, or the flowers, mixed with a little ginger root, chamomile flowers and a little liquorice root, which all improve the flavour, and help with digestion, stomach pains and cramps.

  Some scientific trials have shown that the chaste tree’s extracts can reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures in animals, and improve their bone mineral density, although research has yet to be carried out on human subjects.

  The chaste tree is mentioned in John Dryden’s (1631-1700) poem, “The Flower and the Leaf or The Lady in the Arbour: a Vision.”

   “Each lady wore a radiant coronet.

     Beneath the circles, all the quire was graced

     With chaplets green on their fair foreheads placed;

     Of laurel some, of woodbine many more;

     And wreaths of Agnus castus others bore;

     These last, who with their virgin crowns were dress’d

     Appear’d in higher honour than the rest.”

 The chaste tree has been associated not only with chaste women but of chaste men, and it was said that the male head of household would not have excessive carnal desires, if this plant was in his garden. Women however have no reason to fear it as it helps with their menstruation, may improve their fertility and also lifts depression.

 

MONKEY HAND TREE - ONCE UNIQUE - STILL A RARITY: MEDICINAL USES OF MONKEY HAND TREE

THE MONKEY HAND TREE, CHIRANTHODENDRON PENTADACTYLON

The Monkey Hand Tree is also called the Mexican Hand Tree and Devil’s Hand Tree, because the five stamens of the flower protrude from the petals, which form a cup shape, or a cuff shape, and look like a hand with five fingers. Its botanical name Chiranthodendron means “hand flower tree” in Greek and pentadactylon, also Greek, means five-fingered. Its botanical synonym is Cheirostemon platnoides.

  It has an interesting history as it was believed by the Mexican Aztecs that the single tree growing in the Toluca Valley was the only one, and that this unique tree had been a present from the gods. To prevent it reproducing they would pick every flower from the tree, and these would have been dried for use by the shamans, and for medicine. It was highly revered as a spiritual and medicinal tree. It was not found by “outsiders” until the 18^th century, and in the 19^th a forest of such trees was discovered along the Mexico-Guatemala border. It is now known that these trees grow in mixed oak and pine forests.

  Despite the fact that the Indians picked all the blossoms from the tree, some were cultivated in gardens, and some given as regal gifts. This tree is the only one in the Chiroanthodendron genus, although it is closely related to Fremontodendron, a hybrid with yellow flowers with a smaller claw. It is a member of the Sterculiaceae family (cacao family) of plants.

  The Mexican Hand Tree was documented botanically by José Dionisia Larreátegui in his “Description Botanique du Chiroanthodendron” published in 1805 in French and Spanish. In Spanish the tree is called árbol de las manitas, or tree of the little hands. It was first seen by Professor Cervantes in 1795 and it was he who first described it to fellow botanists, and a student of his who found the forest of Monkey Hand Trees on the Mexican –Guatemalan border in 1801.

  The natives used this tree to sure a variety of ailments, including epilepsy, for eye problems, and as a cardiac tonic. The flowers are said to cure heart disease and are sold in Mexican markets and some in south west USA. The Aztecs usually used the flowers for medicines, and these bloom from late spring to early summer. They used the bark and leaves for swelling and pain in the genitals, and believed the tree and its parts were beneficial not only to the heart but also to the nervous system.

  The parts of the tree were believed to have sedative, analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. Modern medical research has shown that the use of this tree in gastrointestinal disorders is sound as the flavonoid epicatechin found in it is most effective against such amoebae that cause dysentery and diarrhoea. The catechin and isoquercetin it contains are also effective for the same problems, but to a lesser degree. Victor R Preedy in “Botanical medicine in clinical procedures” states that the Monkey Hand Tree is the “most effective herb against amoebic infections” that he tested.

  These trees can grow to heights of 40 feet and are quite fast-growing, with large leaves which are covered with brown wooly hairs on their undersides. When the flowers die back they are followed by woody pods containing several seeds, and these pods can stay on the trees for several months. Like the Cannonball tree and the citron fruit, this tree is something of a curiosity.

NIPPLE FRUIT - ONE OF NATURE'S JOKES? MEDICINAL BENEFITS AND USES OF NIPPLE FRUIT

NIPPLE FRUIT OR TITTY FRUIT, SOLANUM MAMMOSUM

The Nipple fruit is so-called because the waxy yellow fruit this member of the nightshade produces looks like a human breast. It is also called “Titty fruit” for the same reason, and Cow’s Udder, also understandable and The Apple of Sodom. It is a member of the Solanaceae (nightshade) family so it’s a close relative of the aubergine, as well as the tomato and potato. Like other members of the Solanaceae family it is poisonous, although the unripe fruit is cooked and eaten as a vegetable. It has a waxy yellow skin and large velvety leaves with purple veins, and fuzzy hairs. Its flowers are white through to pink-purple, and the seeds inside the fruit are red-brown. The fruit is actually a berry. It’s a native of South America, but has become naturalized in the Caribbean and Central America. The juice of the fruit has detergent properties and is used instead of washing powder to wash clothes, so it is a little like reetha, the soap nut in this respect. You have to beware of the thorns on this plant, which run along the branches and stems.

  The green leaves which are poisonous apparently contain vitamin C, and the fruit has the minerals calcium phosphorous and iron, as well as some of the B-complex vitamins, bioflavonoids and amino acids.

However, it is the glycoalkaloid solamargine and a furoshanol glycoside, indioside D as well as solasonine which have all been shown to have inhibitory effects on human cancer cell lines, especially as regards lung, breast and liver cancer cells. It contains two glycoalkaloids which can kill molluscs, and the snails which serve as an intermediate host for schistosome, which are responsible for schistosomiosis (bilharzia) which affects more than 200 million people throughout the Far East, Africa, South America, and the Caribbean. According to a WHO 2004 report, as many as 200,000 die annually from the disease, so a compound which can kill the hosts, can help reduce the spread of the disease.

  The leaves are reputed to have pain-killing properties and slightly narcotic ones. The fruit is a purgative and phlegmatic, and a decoction of the roots is given for asthma and as a general tonic. The leaves are made into poultices for piles. The juice from the leaves is used in some traditional medicine systems for skin problems and a decoction of the leaves is given for gastrointestinal problems. It is said that the roots, boiled with sour milk and grain porridge is used for syphilis.

  Solanum mammosum has much the same properties as other plants in the Solanaceae family, and more research is being carried out to see how they can benefit us.

CHEESE TREE ( BUTTONWOOD ) - INFORMATION - POSSIBLE ANTI-CANCER TREATMENT

CHEESE TREE, BUTTONWOOD, GLOCHIDION FERDINANDI VAR. FERDINANDI

 The Cheese tree gets its name from its seed capsules which look like small cheeses-of the miniature kind, with a manufactured red rind. Actually they look more like little pumpkins or squashes. The Cheese tree is native to Australia and New South Wales in particular. It is an evergreen rainforest tree with a spreading crown. It usually grows to around 10 metres tall, although it can reach 30 metres, and live for more than 60 years. It can resprout after bush fires, and flowers at any time of year, with the seed pods ripening between November and February.

  The name Glochidion comes from the Greek glochis meaning protruding point or the barb of an arrow. It got the name Ferdinandi as it was named in honour of Ferdinand Jakob Heinrich von Mueller (1825-96) who was the first government botanist of Victoria. There are around 200 species of Glochidion and these were classed as Euphorbiceae, although they have now been moved to the Phyllanthaceae family, the plants of which typically have seed capsules which explode, ejecting the two flattened seeds in each of the capsules segments. This species is spread through the tropical regions of the world and occur in tropical Asia, the Pacific Islands and Malaysia with a few in tropical Africa and America. They typically have triterpenoid saponins, sesquiterpenoids, glycosides and alkaloids which vary from one plant to another.

  The Cheese Tree had a surprise for scientists though as they found two new xanthones in it and in the outer bark there is a “new” fungal metabolite Trichodermamide C which seems to have cytotoxicity actions on colorectal carcinomas and human lung carcinoma. The bark is flaky and grey-brown, and the tree is fast-growing, with the cheeses starting off green then turning white-pink, changing to deep red when fully ripe. These are a favourite of birds, including the Australian King Parrot, which cracks open the seeds capsule to get at the seeds inside. Some other birds eat the whole pod. The tree attracts butterflies and other insects including ladybirds which feed on the aphids it hosts.

CALLA LILY ( ARUM LILY ) - SYMBOL OF MAGNIFICENT BEAUTY: USES AND BENEFITS OF CALLA LILY

CALLA LILY, ARUM LILY, EASTER LILY, ZANTEDESCHIA AETHIOPICA

The name lily still stays with this beautiful flower, despite the fact that it is not, in fact a true lily. It was first classified botanically by Linnaeus the Swedish botanist in 1753, as Calla aethiopica in the lily family, but the error was corrected in 1826 by Sprengel who renamed it Zantedeschia and placed it in a genus of its own. It is believed that he named it in honour of the Italian botanist of that name, Giovanni Zantedeschia, who lived during the early 19^th century. It was named aethiopica because it was native to southern Africa. It is in the Araceae family of plants. They come in a wide range of colours and include the yellow Calla or Arum lily, a purple-black variety and even the one named the Green Goddess. It is a relative of the Flame Lily, gloriosa superba.

Green Goddess

  As a child I was fascinated by this plant which grew in a neighbour’s garden, but I thought then that it was simply a garden variety of the wild cuckoo pint.

   Its parts are toxic and will cause burning to the mouth, tongue and lips if ingested as it contains calcium oxalic crystals. It can also cause vomiting and can make it difficult to swallow.Young children should be kept away from it, although they are fascinated, as I was, by the flowers. Cats also like to play with it and it is toxic to them too. The only edible part is the rhizome.
  Despite this, the old Physicians of Myddfai found a use for it; to treat burns and scalds; here is their remedy: -
"Put the leaves of the lily, in boiling milk, and apply to the part till it is well."  

  In southern Africa, where it is indigenous and grows wild, the leaves and rhizomes are used in traditional medicine in dressing for sores and wounds, and in oral preparations for a variety of ailments.

   In Afrikaans this plant is called Varkoor which means pig’s ear. It thrives in the humidity of Madagascar, and can bloom all year if it has enough nutrients and water. It likes to live in shallow water or in moist soil, but failing that, needs rich soil and shade. The British Royal Horticultural Society has given it their Award of Garden Merit, which means that they recommend it to gardeners. It has become naturalized in all parts of the world and is considered invasive in Western Australia.

  The Romans believed that this plant was a symbol of lust and sexuality, no doubt due to its phallic stalks and the yellow spadix in the centre of the flower. They used it in the winter solstice and forced its growth indoors so that it would bloom at this time. In contrast, for early Christians the flower was a symbol of purity and chastity, and although it used to be associated with funerals (so in Wales it was considered bad luck to grow it in gardens, which was why I had only seen the one plant) it is now associated with weddings and can frequently be seen in bridal bouquets and in churches etc. It is also associated with the sixth wedding anniversary for some reason (the one before the seven-year-itch) perhaps because the husband may still think of his spouse as a magnificent beauty, which is what it symbolizes in the language of flowers.

  It is also a symbol of rebirth and resurrection, perhaps because in the Northern hemisphere at least it usually blooms around Easter time, and this is also why it is known as the Easter Lily. It was also planted on the graves of young people and children who had died an untimely death.

  This elegant flower is usually put into a single tall stem vase as its simplicity is its beauty. It needs no foliage to set it off. It has been painted by artists throughout history because it really is a magnificent beauty.

SNAKE FRUIT TREE ( SALAK) - INFORMATION AND BENEFITS

THE SNAKE FRUIT TREE, SALAK, SALACCA ZALACCA

The Snake Fruit tree is native to the Indonesian island of Java and Sumatra where it grows wild. It is given this name because its fruit has skin which looks scaly like a snake’s skin. It is a palm tree in the Arecaceae family and is related to the date palm. However it has a shallow root system and although it loves humidity and rain, it is not tolerant of floods. Salak means tree bark, and the dark brown scaly skin of the snake fruit or salak is similar to the colour of bark.

  Snake Fruit is cultivated in Thailand, Malaysia and has been introduced to Queensland, Australia, New Guinea, the Philippines, and Ponope Island in the Caroline Archipelago. It is reported as growing in the pacific Island of Fiji. Now it is grown throughout Indonesia and two of the most famous cultivars are those of Bali (Salak Bali) and Salak Pondah from Java. Salak Pondah is dry and crumbly in texture, while that of Salak Bali is moist and crunchy. They are said to taste like a combination of apple, pineapple and banana. Most of the fruit is consumed in the countries where it grows, as it needs to be eaten within a week of picking to be at its best. A very small fraction of the fruit is exported to Singapore, from whence it may go further afield. It can be found in pickles “asinan salak” as these are called in Indonesia, and candied, known as “manisan salak.” The fruit is also canned and juice is also sold.

   Even where it is cultivated this fruit is not common, and in November 2010 the production of the Salak Pondah was hit when Mount Merapi erupted and volcanic ash destroyed the fruit trees in Yogyakarta province where there are around thirty cultivars of Snake Fruit trees. There is an area of 20 kilometres in diameter around Mount Merapi where crops have bee decimated by the ash from the volcano, and as these trees take three or four years to bear fruit, the farmers are in the region have been hard hit.

   The Snake Fruit trees need to be grown under shade trees and are often interspersed with banana and mango trees. The fruit grows in clusters at the base of the tree and they weigh on average about 90 grams each. The fruit is pointed at each end, and has seeds in it. The seeds of the unripe Salak Pondah fruit are edible, but those of other cultivars are not. The fruit is rich in vitamin C in the form of ascorbic acid, and contains flavonoids and phenolic compounds.  Little research has been done on this tree and its fruit, although what has been done suggests that it has potent antioxidant properties. This is perhaps that the palm is a relatively recent discovery to the world, as it was only found in the 1980s. Unlike tropical fruits like the mangosteen, rambutan and lychee, the snake fruit is not soft and succulent, but on the contrary is generally firm and crisp. Unripe snake fruit is pickled and also used in a salad called rujak.