YAM ( DIOSCOREA BATATAS): MEDICINAL BENEFITS AND USES OF YAM

YAM, DIOSCOREA BATATAS

A yam is not, contrary to belief in the US and UK, a sweet potato. The two tubers are in fact unrelated species, with the yam tasting more like the common potato than the sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas. The yam is more closely related to Dioscorea deltoides. It is also known as the cinnamon vine and the Chinese yam, but there are more than 200 varieties grown. Dioscorea esculenta is the one that grows in India (a sweet yam) and the wild yam is Dioscorea villosa. They are related to the common black bryony in Britain, but the root of this plant is reputed to be poisonous.

   Yams may have flesh which is white, ivory, yellow or purple, (but not orange) and have skin which is white, pink or browny-black. It is starchy and could be either creamy or firm when cooked depending on which variety you buy. They can weigh anywhere between 4 and 10 lbs, so are hefty types of tuber.

   The name yam comes from African words such as “nyami” which is what the tuber is called by some who live in that continent. Both yams and sweet potatoes contain vitamin B6 which breaks down homocystine which damages blood vessel walls. Some people have heart attacks because they have high levels of this in their bodies, and as it is known that vitamin B6 reduces the risk of heart disease, a yam could be the preventative you have been looking for. They have white flesh (on the whole) and taste earthy, although there are some sweeter varieties. The tuber is also rich in potassium which lowers blood pressure too. Yams contain dioscorin, a storage protein which may also reduce blood pressure. They also contain steroidal saponins one group of which is disogenin which may help to reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Chinese researchers in 2001 concluded that dioscorin “may play a role as antioxidant in tubers and may be beneficial for health when people take it as a food additive or consume yam tubers.” Later research in 2009 showed that it had immunomodulatory effects and can boost the workings of the immune system.

  In traditional Chinese herbal medicine it is believed that yams can affect the body’s organs and support their functions. They are also given to promote lactation in breast-feeding mothers.

  Research is currently being carried out into the B-complex vitamins and their properties and it is thought that vitamin B6 may help with PMS/PMT as well as in the menopause. Yams could be a natural alternative to hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

  Yams contain many minerals including calcium, chloride, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium and zinc. They are rich in dietary fibre so good to prevent piles and to cleanse the bowels. Apart from the B-complex vitamins they also contain vitamins C, E and K, and 18 amino acids.

  Yams are best baked or roasted and can be used as the common potato.

BUTTERBUR ( PETASITES HYBRIDUS): BENEFITS AND USES OF BUTTERBUR

BUTTERBUR, PETASITES HYBRIDUS

Butterbur is the plant with the largest leaves in Britain as they can grow to 3 feet in diameter. They grow after the flowers have bloomed in April, which makes butterbur quite an unusual plant. Although it is huge it is related to coltsfoot, dandelions and yarrow. Its roots or rhizomes have been used for centuries to treat various ailments, but they are toxic and can damage the liver so it is not advisable to prepare the plant for any home remedies.

  Dioscorides writing in the first century AD said that the leaves when pounded were good to apply to ulcers on the skin. Much later in the 16^th century, Gerard wrote: -

  “The root dried and beaten to a powder and drunk in wine is a soveraigne medicine against the plague and pestilent fevers, because it provoketh sweat and driveth from the heart all venom and evil heat; it killeth worms. The powder of the roots cureth all naughty, filthy ulcers if it be strewed therein.”

  In the 17^th century the herbalist Nicholas Culpeper says: -

   “It is a great strengthener of the heart and cheerer of the vital spirits… the decoction of the root in wine is singularly good for those that wheeze much or are shortwinded…The powder of the root taketh away all spots and blemishes of the skin.”

This has subsequently been vindicated as modern medical researchers believe that butterbur can help those with asthma and hay fever. It has also been shown to be effective in preventing migraines and tension headaches. Research is also underway to verify other traditional uses for the plant which are to dispel kidney stones, to ease spasms of the urinary-genital tracts, the gastro-intestinal tract and the bile duct. The two most active ingredients so far identified are petasin and isopetasin, which have anti-inflammatory properties as well as anti-spasmodic ones. These may help in treating menstrual cramps and urinary problems. It is believed that petasin can lower the amounts of calcium that gather around the joints causing inflammation is diseases such as arthritis. So Gerard may have got it wrong but Culpeper was on the mark.

Butterbur leaves

  Because of the size of its leaves, they have been used to protect from the rain, and are like the hats with wide brims, worn by Greek shepherds in ancient times to keep off the sun and rain; such hats were called petasos. Butterbur is also called Lagwort in the UK perhaps because the leaves are delayed from appearing. It is also called bog rhubarb, referring to its likeness to that plant as the leaves are similar. It is also called by a variety of other names and was formerly called Petasites vulgaris. It is called butterbur because the huge leaves were used to wrap butter in to keep it cool in the summer months.

  There is an old superstition from the British Isles which says that if a young woman wants to see the man she will marry, she should get up before dawn and scatter butterbur seeds on grass slowly while reciting this verse.

    “I sow, I sow!

     Then, my own dear,

     Come here, come here

     And mow, and mow!”

Then a little way off she will see her future husband carrying a scythe but if she is frightened and asks for protection, he will vanish and she won’t marry him. If you think about this it is quite sexual and could be that as a virgin she is afraid of the sexual act, in which case, she won’t marry. Mowing and sowing were used as sexual terms in Shakespeare’s time.

Butterbur seeds

    In the UK butterbur has been traditionally used as a heart tonic and stimulant and as a diuretic and was used against the bubonic plague and other types of fever in the Middle Ages. While it is unlikely that these particular uses will be vindicated by modern medical science, the other more modern traditional uses might be.

ORIENTAL CASHEW NUT TREE- BALADUR IN URDU: MEDICINAL BENEFITS AND USES OF ORIENTAL CASHEW NUT TREE

ORIENTAL CASHEW NUT TREE, BHALLATAKA, BALADUR, SEMECARPUS ANACARDIUM

In Hindi this Oriental Cashew Nut Tree is called Bhallataka while in Urdu it is known as Baladur, Bhilavan or Billar. Interestingly, “baladur” in Urdu means “evil go away.” On the Indian subcontinent it has been a staple household remedy for centuries, said to cure cancer, leprosy and other diseases as well as used to dye the hair black and to promote hair growth. It has also been used to increase male sexual potency and to cure erectile dysfunction which is why it has a reputation of being an aphrodisiac.

   It is a relative of the Australian cashew nut tree and has the same properties, although perhaps it is not as potent in causing skin rashes. The juice from the fruit (which is yellow as opposed to the orange of the Australian variety) is highly valued and the fruit is heated over a flame and the oil which comes out of it is collected and stored for use. The tree doesn’t look like its Australian relative having broader leaves. It has greeny-white flowers which are closely followed by the fruit; its leaves are broad, and the oil and seeds contain bioflavonoidsand an alkaloid called Bhilawanol has been identified in them. The nut shell has a black resinous substance in it which can blister the skin but which is used to dye cotton cloth, the tree is also called the Indian Marking Tree because of this substance.

  The nuts or seeds are not eaten like cashew nuts are but only useful for their medicinal properties and in comparison to the Australian variety quite a lot of research has been done to ascertain how the tree can help us. The oil from the fruit and seeds is used together with sesame or coconut oil and applied to wounds or sores to heal them. This mixture is also applied to feet with cracked skin. It may also be mixed with onion and garlic paste with ajwain and sesame oil for wound healing in the Indian subcontinent. The oil from the fruit and seeds of the Oriental Cashew Nut Tree is also rubbed into swollen joints to relieve pain. Some people are allergic to the oil and this may show in a rash or itching or swelling, in which case the antidotes are ghee, coconut oil and pulped coriander leaves.

   Internally the oil is used for piles, colitis, diarrhoea, indigestion, flatulence and to get rid of intestinal worms. The fruit oil can be collected on a betel leaf and 10 drops with a little sugar is the dosage given to children for any of these complaints. For an adult the dosage is 15-20 drops of oil. The drops may also be given in hot milk. This is believed to improve the appetite as well as for use against worms and flatulence etc. The milk mixture can be applied onto the skin to treat any skin problems and can also help as a tonic for the nerves in cases of palsy, facial paralysis etc. It is also used for menstrual problems including cramps, and for urinary tract problems. It is an immune system booster and taken in winter to prevent the usual maladies of coughs, colds and flu.

It contains bioflavonoids, minerals, vitamins, amino acids and phenolic compounds and is used for its anti-artherogenic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti microbial and contraceptive properties. It stimulates the central nervous system and reduces blood sugar levels. It has also been found to have anti-cancer properties it has been described as “readily accessible, promising and novel cancer chemo-preventive agent” although more research is needed into it.

  It can reduce the male sperm count and that is why it is used in the Indian subcontinent for its contraceptive properties. The roots of the tree are cooked in sour rice water to cure female sterility and the roots taken internally are used to treat eczema in some parts of India. It has been a stalwart of traditional medicine in the Indian subcontinent for many centuries and hopefully many of the traditional uses of this plant can be vindicated by further medical research.

 

AUSTRALIAN CASHEW NUT TREE OR TAR TREE- FACTS

TAR TREE, AUSTRALIAN CASHEW NUT TREE, SEMECARPUS AUSTRALIENSIS

The Tar Tree or Australian Cashew Nut Tree is so named because of its ‘fruits’ and seeds or nuts. And the fact that the bark when cut exudes a black tar-like substance. Tourists are warned to stay clear of this tree as touching any part of it can cause severe allergic reactions on the skin and if you rub your eyes after handling the fruit, seeds or black sticky sap then you could go blind. The aboriginal people of Australia protect their hands with clay before touching the fruit and nuts.

   The Australian Cashew Nut tree is native to Australia, Papua New Guinea and the Torres Strait Islands. It grows in open forest or rainforests and looks rather like a mango tree. In this it is very different from Semecarpus anarcadium a close relative which grows in India, Pakistan and Nepal mainly in the Himalayan regions of those countries. It is also different in that the Indian subcontinent’s tree has been the subject of many medical tests, whereas few have been done of the Australian cashew nut tree. However the enterprising Australians have been looking at ways to remove the toxins in the nuts so that they can be sold commercially.

  The nuts if eaten can prove fatal although the fleshy orange stem which is the “fruit” to which the nuts are attached may be eaten by some individuals it seems, without any ill effects. However, the aboriginal peoples of Australia bake the bright orange fruits before eating them, and it is reported that they are sweet.

   The nuts can be eaten if they are leached of their toxins, so these are traditionally soaked in several changes of water for between 2 and 7 days before being heated in bark and eaten like a cashew nut, which they allegedly taste like. If you eat the nut raw then be prepared to have mouth ulcers.

   The toxins are believed to be urushiols which are similar components to those found in poison ivy (Toxiodendron radicana), which is why the tree is best avoided.