SWEET FLAG ( ACORUS CALAMUS) - USED FOR FOOD AND MEDICINE

SWEET FLAG, BACH IN URDU, ACORUS CALAMUS

The Sweet Flag under discussion here is the one native to the Indian subcontinent. It is different to the Sweet Flag grown in North America, which is Acorus americanus. The two plants are in the same genus so are closely related, but have different properties and constituents. Sweet Flag is in the Araceae or lily family so is related to taro (Colocasia esculenta), the Arum or Calla lily and the Cuckoo pint.

  The Sweet Flag which grows in the Indian subcontinent has been an important medicinal plant since early times, and is also a source of food, particularly in Bangladesh, where it is cultivated as well as growing wild. The volatile essential oil extracted from he rhizome of this plant is used in the perfume industry and the root and other parts of this plant are also employed in traditional medicine.

  This plant grows in marshy ground or on the banks of ponds, lakes and in water. Its leaves have been found to have anti-fungal properties and it has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for numerous ailments including bronchitis, for heart, lung, liver, kidney and gall bladder complaints. The roots are used as a remedy for diarrhoea and dysentery, to get rid of intestinal worms and as an anti-spasmodic for epilepsy and stomach cramps and catarrh. The flowers, or inflorescences as they are correctly called, are used for eczema, kidney and liver disorders and rheumatism.

  There are many other uses for the Sweet Flag in traditional systems of medicine, including to start menstruation, if a period is late, and it is said that it can relieve flatulence and aid digestion, as well as help in cases of fever by reducing the temperature by promoting sweating. The root is chewed to relieve toothache, and a potion is made with the plant to aid digestion and to ease anxiety as it is reputed to have sedative actions. It is also reputed to have aphrodisiac qualities.

  Sweet Flag also has other uses and is sometimes burnt as incense; the leaves can be woven to make mats and baskets, for thatch and were used as a strewing herb for floors. They smell a little like cinnamon as do the roots. The essential oil from the leaves is used in perfumery and can be used to flavour vinegar and other food. The leaves are also used as insecticide and insect repellants.

   The β-asarone found in the plant may be carcinogenic and toxic, but in small amounts has tranquillizing and antibiotic actions.

   The rhizome is starchy, but can be used like taro and is also candied and often washed, peeled and eaten uncooked. It is rich in starch like other edible roots such as the yam and taro. The powdered rhizome can be used as a substitute for cinnamon, ginger or nutmeg. Children eat the flowers for their sweetness. Sometimes the leaves are used like vanilla pods are for flavouring custards and milk puddings.

   

SLIPPERY ELM - NATIVE NORTH AMERICAN TREE, NATURALLY SOOTHING: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF SLIPPERY ELM

SLIPPERY ELM, ULMA RUBRUS

Slippery Elm is so-called because of the sticky red mucilage which is found in its inner bark of the trunk and larger branches that smells a little like fenugreek. It is said that the most effective is that which comes from a ten-year old tree or an older one. The Slippery Elm is native to North America and was much-used by Native Americans. It is sometimes confused with the American Elm tree.

  Slippery elm is among the ingredients of a folk remedy for cancer, a medicine called “essiac” which contains other herbs among them burdock and red clover. Slippery elm mucilage contains oleic and palmitic fatty acids, and although research has not been carried out specifically on the ones from the Slippery Elm, fatty acids and monoglycosides have been shown in some studies to inhibit the growth of cancerous tumour cells. Research on the activities of Slippery Elm is in its early stages.

   The sticky substance used in medicine contains the vitamins, E, K and P (P are bioflavonoids) as well as the minerals zinc, copper, iron, calcium, selenium, sodium and iodine (found in laver bread).It also contains some tannins, traces of the phytosterols, beta-sisterol and campesterol along with traces of beta-carotene.

  Native Americans used the bark and mucilage in poultices for gout, rheumatism, and swollen glands and also to stop the spread of gangrene. On a more mundane level it was and is used for sore throats as it soothes the mucous membranes of the lungs, stomach, intestines and anything it touches. Of course, if you live in a country other that one in North America, you may want other remedies for a sore throat, so try blackcurrant juice with lemon juice, honey and a little ginger root. Alternatively if you live on the Indian subcontinent a decoction of hareer works as does a concoction made from the Yellow Himalayan raspberry and if it’s the right season, don’t forget little Prunella vulgaris or Self-Heal.

   The mucilage from Slippery Elm has antioxidant properties, and has been used for its nutrients to feed the young, elderly and those recovering from an illness. When the sticky substance is dried and then re-hydrated in water it swells and then if you add boiling water to it you can make a bowl of it as a cereal rather as you would oatmeal porridge.

  The tree has a small edible fruit which can be made into a tisane with the chopped leaves from the tree. You can also make a tisane out of the slippery, sticky inner bark. Some people dry the inner bark material and grind it to a powder to use for thickening soups, or to add to flour to make bread or cakes with. The inner bark material and leaves may be eaten raw or cooked as a vegetable. The Native American used the bark of the tree to abort foetuses, and because of this use it has been banned in several countries

  The tree grows at a medium rate and can reach heights of 65 feet and can have a diameter of 49 feet. There seems to be little doubt that it has many health benefits, although scientists have been slow to test these it would appear.

TAMARILLO - PERSIMMON LOOK-ALIKE: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF TAMARILLO FRUIT

TAMARILLO, TREE TOMATO, CYPHOMANDRA BETACEA

The tamarillo or tree tomato originates in South America, probably in the Peruvian Andes, although this is not certain, as it is a cultivated plant and not found in the wild. It is called the tree tomato because of its fruit which do look like plum tomatoes. The tamarillo got this name when it was taken to New Zealand in 1891. The name is from the Spanish for yellow, amarillo and the‘t’ is for tomato. It is a member of the Solanaceae family so is a relative of the tomato, aubergine, tomatillo, nipple fruit, Cape gooseberry and Belladonna or deadly nightshade. It is also sometimes called the ‘tomarillo’ and has other Latin synonyms too, including Solanum betaceum-Cav. Cyphomandra hartwegi-Sendt and is one of thirty Cyphomandra species.

  Before the beginning of the twentieth century it was being cultivated in the Indian subcontinent, East Africa, Malaya and Sri Lanka, as well as parts of Indonesia. Now it is cultivated in China, Australia, the Philippines, South Africa and the US among other countries.

  Its flowers are pinky white through to lavender, and the fruits may be purple-red, orange, yellow and some have stripes running down their skins. The sweetest are the yellow and orange ones, and when you slice them open they have black seeds inside, so they resemble passion fruit and have been mistaken for an egg-shaped persimmon. The tree is fast growing and reaches peak production of fruit at four years old. The fruits hang from the branches and 1-6 of them come from a cluster of flowers that may be comprised of between 10 and 50. Leaves have a faintly musky smell and are evergreen.

  The red fruit contain the most lycopene, which is found in watermelons and tomatoes, and gives them their red colour, while the yellow and orange ones typically contain the most beta-carotene. Lycopene is associated with prostate health, so the red, tarter tamarillos are good to help prevent prostate problems.

  Tamarillos can be eaten raw, scooped out of their skins, or cooked and used in stews and sauces; you can substitute them for tomatoes in hot chilli sauces. They can also be baked or grilled and can be sprinkled with sugar to make them taste sweeter. They are high in pectin, so are ideal for making jam and can also be pickled or used to make chutneys- the red ones are generally best for this. They can be eaten with ice cream, or made into a compote and grilled, go well with meat, chicken or fish as a side vegetable. You can make a refreshing drink by peeling them (put them in boiling water for a few minutes, then dip them in cold, as you would a tomato), then adding sugar and water.

  Tamarillos contain vitamins A, C, and some of the B-complex vitamins, as well as the minerals phosphorous (a lot of phosphorous is in the seeds), calcium, iron, magnesium, and sodium.

  The anthocyanins contained in the darker tamarillos especially, are also found in cranberries, red cabbage, black grapes, blackberries, bilberries and blueberries and have potent antioxidant properties (as do the vitamins tamarillos contain), which help combat scavenging free-radicals which can cause cancer and cardio-vascular disease. They also have anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties and can help stave off diabetes, neurological diseases, the aging process and cancer as already mentioned.

  In other words, the tamarillo is packed full of nutrients and is beneficial for our health.

  

BLACKTHORN TREE AND SLOES - HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES: HOW TO MAKE SLOE GIN AND SLOE CHOCOLATE LIQUEURS

BLACKTHORN TREE, PRUNUS SPINOSA

The blackthorn tree is native to Europe and the British Isles, Scandinavia and parts of western Asia and extends its range into Iran and Siberia. It is a pioneer tree and can spread into fields and help woodlands regenerate. It has a special place in Celtic mythology and is, according to Irish legends, the home of the “little people” or faeries, the Lunantishees who live in its branches and protect it especially between November 11^th and May 11^th from being cut for its branches.

  There are many superstitions surrounding the Blackthorn tree, with some saying that it formed Christ’s crown of thorns, as if pricked by these, the wound is likely to become septic. When it grows together with the hawthorn, or May tree, the place where they grow is magical. It was believed that if someone pointed a blackthorn staff at a pregnant woman or animal they would miscarry. In Wales we believe that bringing a branch of blackthorn into the house is unlucky and foretells the death not just of a household member, but of a relative. (It is called Draenon ddu in Welsh and in Scots Gaelic it is Draighiann, while in Irish Gaelic it is Draighean.) However, it brings good fortune if entwined with mistletoe in December. Crowns and garlands were made from it and thrown into the May Day fires at Beltane, and the ashes were scattered over the fields to ensure that crops were good.

   It was thought to be one of the trees which crossed the barriers between this world and the spirit world, and if you meditate under it you can communicate with spirits, but you should have an amulet of it so that you can return.

  The Irish use it to make shillelaghs, walking sticks or cudgels and it is valued because of its knotty wood. There are many other legends associated with this tree, but too numerous to mention here.

   The fruit of this tree are called sloes, and these are picked after the first autumn frosts in October to make sloe gin, jellies and jams. They can be made into conserves and are good with apples. They can also be pickled and preserved, like olives. These berries contain stones, which should not be eaten as they contain amygdalin and prunasin which, when broken down in water form hydrocyanic acid (prussic and cyanide). If taken in small doses however, they can stimulate the digestive system, promote a feeling of well-being and the respiratory system.

  Prunus spinosa is a member of the Rosaceae or rose family of plants and is a very close relative of the plum, as well as the apricot, damson, greengage and almond. The fruit, a sloe, is rich in vitamin C and anthocyanins, like the bilberry (whinberry or wimberry), blueberry, blackcurrant, blackberry and black grapes. It can help prevent prostate enlargement, as can the other black fruits, and it has potent antioxidant properties, so can help fight the free-radicals that cause damage to healthy cells and are cancer-causing. The skin is astringent and can be used on irritated skin and skin problems.

  Sloes were eaten by our Neolithic ancestors as archaeologists have found pits that used to be lined with straw to put sloes in for a few months, so that they would ripen and become sweeter.

  The white flowers appear before the leaves and it is their stark contrast with the black bark of the tree that led people to believe that the tree was a symbol of both life and death. These flowers are edible and are the most used part of the tree in herbal medicine.

Sloe syrup is used to relieve the pain of rheumatism, and to help when people have flu. The fruit is used for dysentery and diarrhoea, sometimes in combination with the dried flowers, as the fruit has astringent properties. The bark of the tree contains tannin and so can also be useful in a decoction for these problems. The berries have been used for stomach disorders and to purify the blood, and the dried juice has been made into gum acacia. The sloes can also be made into a paste to whiten teeth and the juice is used for mouth irritations and ulcers as well as gum problems, In the Middle Ages it was used to make teeth firm in the gums.

  You can dry the flowers and leaves and make a tisane with them for stomach cramps, while a tisane of the flowers is made to break up stones in the kidneys and gall bladder. It is purgative and can stimulate a jaded appetite. This is also used as a blood purifier and for catarrh. A decoction of the bark is used in fevers as it is said to promote sweating. The skin of the sloe has antibacterial properties so can be applied to the skin if there is an infection.

  A friend of mine went up a tree to harvest sloes one autumn and disturbed a squirrel which clearly didn’t want to share the harvest. It sat close to my feet and chattered angrily up at the person in the tree, not noticing, or caring about my presence. We used the fruit to make sloe gin, and then sloe gin-soaked chocolates for Christmas.

  To make sloe gin you have to have a bottle of gin, an empty bottle and a couple of pounds of sloes. Pour half the gin into the empty bottle and after washing the fruit, pile it into the bottles, cover tightly and leave for 6-8 weeks, turning it twice a day at first, then once a day. Leave the bottles in a cool dark place. Strain, pour the gin into one bottle and use the sloes in the recipe below.

SLOE CHOCOLATE LIQUEURS

Ingredients

Sloes that have been macerated in gin

  (as described above)

dark chocolate

Method

Melt the chocolate in a pan and throw in the sloes.

Remove from the heat and stir well to mix.

Take a dessert spoon and put a circle of chocolate and sloes on greased paper on a tray.

Take care to keep the chocolate separate.

Refrigerate until the chocolate is set, store in a tin and eat them whenever you fell like it.

These have Taste and are a Treat.