HOT HALLOWEEN HALVA - PUMPKIN AND ORANGE

PUMPKIN HALVA

It’s almost Halloween when kids want to hollow out pumpkins to make Jack o’Lanterns, and you have a load of wonderful pumpkin flesh to do something with. This is a traditional Pakistani dessert recipe made with ingredients that are easy to find in the West. It’s an adaptation, but none the worse for that. It’s quick and comparatively easy. Don’t throw away the pumpkin seeds, these are good dried, just wash the pulp off them and dry them on absorbent paper, then roast them with a sprinkling of sea salt for a delicious healthy snack.

PUMPKIN HALVA

Ingredients

1 kilo diced pumpkin flesh

1 inch stick of cinnamon

6 green cardamom pods, seeds removed and ground

75 ml orange juice

75 ml water

4 tbsps butter or oil or pure ghee

150 gr of sugar or less according to taste

50 gr sultanas

Garnish

grated coconut,

slivered almonds, toasted

12 cashew nuts

unsalted pistachio nuts, shelled (optional)

zest of 1 orange, grated

Method

Put the pumpkin, cinnamon stick, cardamom powder, orange juice and water in a pan, cover it and boil until the pumpkin is tender.

Drain and mash the pumpkin.

Heat the butter in a large frying pan and when hot add the pumpkin mixture and the sultanas. Stir constantly, allowing the puree to thicken and get darker, for about 10 minutes.

Stir in the sugar and continue stirring, until the mixture reduces and becomes a rich, glossy amber colour.

Spoon into individual serving dishes and serve hot decorated with the coconut, orange zest and nuts.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

BUTTERFLY PEA - GOOD FOR SOIL AND HEALTH

BUTTERFLY PEA, APARAJITA, CLITORIA TERNATEA

The Butterfly Pea may look like Field Bindweed at first sight, but it is not a member of the borage family but of the Fabaceae or Leguminoseae family and so related to the carob, Indian laburnum (amaltas) and kachnar trees as well as to the green bean, peas, Astralagus and senna. The flowers can be white, mauve and range from light to dark blue, and as you can see from the photographs resemble a female’s external sexual organs, hence the Latin name Clitoria. The name ternatea relates to a place, Ternate in Indonesia, where they must be prolific. It is also called the Blue Clitoris and The Asian Butterfly Pea.

  Studies have been conducted on it as it has many uses in traditional medicines in Asia, Indonesia and the Middle East. It has also been found to be useful in enriching the soil in which it grows, helping it to become richer in minerals, fixing nitrogen and preventing some soil erosion.

  One study by Shekhawat, Neha et al, 2010 “Assessment of Free Radical Scavenging Ability of Crude Extracts of Some Medicinal Plants” Middle-Eastern Journal of Scientific Research Vol. 5 (4) 298-30 investigated plants including Clitoris ternatea and concluded that all the plants in the study had “remarkable antioxidant activities.”

  In Australia the plant is grown for animal fodder and to regenerate land that was once the site of mines. It is also grown as an ornamental, as it is in many other countries including the US.  It originated in Asia but is now naturalized in the Indian subcontinent, South and Central America and China.

  All parts of the plant are used in medicine in different countries, and the flowers or the blue variety are dipped in batter and fried in Burma. They are edible and would make good garnishes for salads, as do nasturtium flowers and lavender. In Thailand a syrupy sherbet drink is made from the blue flowers, and a tea or tisane which is a rich blue colour. You make the tisane by pouring boiling water over the petals and leaving them to infuse for 15 minutes before straining and drinking, flavoured with honey if necessary. In the Malaccan islands the flowers and seeds are used to make a blue dye. The seeds (there are between 8 and 11 per pod) contain tannins.

  In Ayurveda in the Indian subcontinent the whole plant is used to treat a number of illnesses, and the ones with white flowers are used to treat specific illnesses with the blue flowered plants being used to treat others.  The roots and seeds have purgative qualities and are used as a mild laxative. The cliotides found in the plant may have antimicrobial properties against E.coli in particular, and may also be able to kill cancer cells. However as yet there is insufficient evidence to state that these findings are true at the present time.

  For centuries in the subcontinent the plant has been used as a memory enhancer, to lessen stress and anxiety, as an antidepressant, anticonvulsant and as a sedative as it has tranquillizing effects. The whole of the top of the plant is smoked to relieve respiratory diseases such as asthma.

  The flowers and seeds contain oil which is heated and used to massage inflammation from arthritis and rheumatism, and to treat piles. A decoction of the whole plant is also used to wash piles and the leaf juice is given in the form of nasal drops for headaches. The oil is also used to clean wounds and to stop infection.

  Internally the infusion of the whole plant is used for its tranquillizing effects, and the decoction is a diuretic and used as a gargle for sore throats. The infusion or tisane may be administered to cure constipation, indigestion, coughs and colds, and as a blood purifier. The juice from the petals mixed with an equal amount of honey is given for liver and skin problems, while when the juice is mixed with expressed juice from the ginger root, it controls excess sweating and acts as a coolant, but has to be taken morning and night for a week to be really effective. Fresh petals boiled in water and made into sherbets and syrups are said to improve the quality of sperm and to banish fatigue and give the whole body vigour and vitality.

  The powdered root and seeds are used for fevers, so it is a useful plant, not just for the soil in which it grows, but also for our health.

  

VIPER'S BUGLOSS - MOOD ENHANCER: BENEFITS AND USES OF VIPER'S BUGLOSS

VIPER’S BUGLOSS, ECHIUM VULGARE

Viper’s bugloss is closely related to the common bugloss and the alkanets, and to borage as it is a member of the Boraginaceae family of plants. It has similar properties to borage and is used as a mood enhancer in some countries such as Iran. It can grow to heights or between 2 and 3 feet and like wallflowers, often grows on old walls. It is native to Europe including the British Isles. Scandinavia and western Asia. The name bugloss comes from the ancient Greek and means ‘ox’s tongue’ and it is so named, we think, because of the roughness and shape of its leaves. Its stems and leaves sometimes have red spots on their stems and leaves, and although the flowers are normally violet-blue, white ones are possible, but rare. Nicholas Culpeper says that they grew in Sussex in Lewes around a castle but that was in the 17^th century. The roots of the plant go deep into the soil and these are believed to be diuretic and to promote sweating in fevers, so reducing the body temperature. There are seeds, which are said to resemble vipers’ heads, and so they were used to treat bites of serpents, and as the only indigenous British snake is the viper or adder, this is how the plant got its name. The old herbalists believed that a decoction of the seeds, preferably in wine, banished melancholy and lifted the mood.

  This is what John Gerard, writing in his Herball in the 16^th century has to say about the plant:-

  “The physitions use the leaves, floures and rootes and put them into all kindes of medecines indifferently, which are of force and vertue to drive away sorrow and pensiveness of the minde, and to comfort and strengthen the heart.”

  It was Culpeper, writing a century later who mentions this property of the seeds, as well as waxing lyrical about the plant’s other properties.

   “It is a most gallant herb of the Sun; it is a pity it is no more in use than it is. It is an especial remedy against the biting of the Viper, and all other venomous beasts, or serpents; as also against poison, or poisonous herbs. Dioscorides and others say, That whosoever shall take of the herb or root before they be bitten, shall not be hurt by the poison of any serpent. The root or seed is thought to be most effectual to comfort the heart, and expel sadness, or causeless melancholy; it tempers the blood, and allays hot fits of agues. The seed drank in wine, procures abundance of milk in women's breasts. The same also being taken, eases the pains in the loins, back, and kidneys. The distilled water of the herb when it is in flower, or its chief strength, is excellent to be applied either inwardly or outwardly, for all the griefs aforesaid. There is a syrup made hereof very effectual for the comforting the heart, and expelling sadness and melancholy.”

  The leaves from low on the ground near the roots are he ones to be harvested, and can be dried for later use. They can be made into a tisane and this is diuretic and diaphoretic (promoting sweat). It is said that this will relieve a headache, and the pain caused by inflammation as well as soothing the nerves. You use 1 ounce of the dried leaves to 1 pint of boiling water and leave to infuse for 15 to 20 minutes. Strain and drink in small cupfuls when needed. However there are a few reports of the leaves being toxic, and if you collect them, wear gloves just in case of an allergic reaction.

  John Parkinson (1567-1650), apothecary to James I of England and James VI of Scotland, writes,

   “…the water distilled in glasses of the roots or the root itself taken is good against the passions and tremblings of the heart as also against swoonings, sadness and melancholy.”

  One study published in the Iranian Journal of Basic Medicine Vol 10 (3); autumn 2007 pp 189-196. “Evaluation of the Antidepressant Effects of the Aerial Parts of Echium vulgare in Mice,” Seyed Adel Moallem, H.Hosseinzodleh and Fatemah Ghancheh.

concludes that the extracts of the Viper’s Bugloss have “significant antidepressant effects” and end by saying “this herb might be considered a useful drug in the management of depression.”

  Interestingly it has been thought that viper’s bugloss is an aphrodisiac and perhaps it does actually lower inhibitions while enhancing the mood. In Iran it has been used for centuries to stimulate the mood and as an aphrodisiac.

  The leaves and flowering tops are used in infusions and decoctions for coughs and other respiratory problems and are also used to soften the skin and relieve inflammation and redness. In poultices the fresh leaves and flowers are apparently useful for getting rid of boils and hard skin. The tisane can be used on wounds to speed healing and it has been found that the roots contain allantoin which is known to be a wound healer, so a poultice of decoction of the roots may be good for wounds.

  Like borage this cheerful-looking plant has many benefits for our health, both physical and mental.

FIELD BINDWEED - ONE OF THE WORST WEEDS, BUT WITH MEDICINAL BENEFITS

FIELD BINDWEED, CONVOLVULUS ARVENSIS

Field bindweed was a common plant where I grew up in South Wales, but we simply called it “convolvulus.” It has pretty white trumpet-shaped flowers  which are rather like those of Coccinia indica or Khochoper , the ivy gourd, and the orange ones of the Trumpet Vine), but my grandfather told me they were called snake flowers and I wasn’t to pick them because snakes might live in the canopies they created with their twining vines. My daughter was fascinated by these flowers too, but could never remember the name for them. We always thought they were a British native plant, but it seems that they originated in the warmer Mediterranean climes.

  These members of the Convolvulaceae also grow in the Indian subcontinent, and in the Khyber-Pakhtoonkwa province of Pakistan they roots of Field bindweed are used as a rinse after washing hair in order to get rid of dandruff.

  The name convolvulus comes from the Latin “convolvere” meaning to twine and arvensis means of the field or cultivated land. The stems of this plant can grow to around two metres long and they can twine in a total revolution in less than 2 hours, making them a very rapid-growing plant. The roots burrow deep into the soil too, making it a difficult plant to eradicate. In the US it is classed as an invasive species in all states except Alaska, where it is probably too cold for it to proliferate. It was actually introduced in to North America in the early 18^th century as an ornamental and probably for its medicinal properties too. Some theorize that it got to North America as an adulterant in seeds, but whatever the case, the Native Americans soon realized its medicinal potential and used it to reduce excessive menstrual flow and for spider bites. For these problems they used a tisane of the leaves, which are apparently edible and used like spinach in parts of Turkey, where they are also used as a flavouring for some dishes. The flowers are made into a tisane which is used internally as a laxative and for fevers, to promote sweating and so reduce the temperature, and externally to put on wounds. The juice of the root is also used for fevers, and the Arabs used the roots and leaves to stop haemorrhages.

  In Europe there are various superstitions about this plant, one is my grandfather’s that vipers make their nests under it, and in other parts of Britain it is said that if a young woman picks the flowers of the Field bindweed, the object of her affections will die. Another superstition is that if you pick the flowers there will be a thunder storm, and it is called the “thunder flower” for this reason.

  Dioscorides in the 1^st century AD believed that this plant could stop internal bleeding and help in the healing of wounds.

  One study exists: Meng, X. L. et al. December 2002, “Effects of a high molecular mass Convolvulus arvensis on tumour growth and angiosperm” P.R. Health Science Journal, Vol. 21 (4) pp 323-328. However the results are inconclusive as the extracts of the plant did not kill cancer cells in an in vitro culture, but, according to the researchers, “inhibited tumour growth in mice” by approximately 70 %.

  The whole plant produces a green dye, and the stems can be used to tie up other plants, such as tomatoes, but they are not durable.

  This plant was once used for medicine, but these uses seem to have been forgotten as it is now viewed as a menace, especially in field with crops.

WALLFLOWERS - NATIVE OF MED: HISTORY AND USES OF WALLFLOWERS

WALLFLOWERS ERYSIMUM CHEIRI

Wallflowers are native to southern Europe and Greece, and are sometimes called Aegean wallflowers and gillyflowers, although the latter name also refers to pinks which are closely related to carnations and not at all related to wallflowers which are in the Brassicaceae or Cruciferae family. Wallflowers are related to cabbage, kale, brussel sprouts, broccoli, mustard, horseradish and turnips. It usually flowers between April and June when it attracts a lot of insects and bees. As the name suggests it grows well on walls and cliffs and can grow to 2½ feet high.

  The original wallflower was named Cheiranthus cheiri by Linnaeus (cheiros meaning hand and anthos flower in Greek). However it has undergone a botanical name change and is now Erysimum cheiri. It was held in people’s hands during festivals in the ancient world and this may be why it got its original name.

  The wallflower is poisonous in large amounts but has been used as a wound herb for Roman soldiers in battles, and a tincture of the whole plant was once used to dull the pain of cutting wisdom teeth. Formerly it was used as a diuretic, and to bring on a woman’s period if it were late. It has also been used to treat impotence and paralysis, and this might be because it contains cheiranthin which has a stronger action on a weak heart then digitalis which comes from the foxglove (Digitalis purpurea); because of its effects on the heart it is not wise to use wallflowers for any medicinal purpose at home.

Wallflowers wild

  In the past wallflowers have been used to treat rheumatism, spasms, nervous problems and as a purgative, while its distilled oil has been used in perfumes. The oil can smell unpleasant if not distilled.

  In the Middle Ages, these plants were grown in monastery gardens, having been introduced into the British Isles at sometime during the Norman Conquest (after 1066). Their leaves were crushed and applied to wounds to heal them, used as an antiseptic dressing. The seeds apparently have expectorant properties as well as an oil which seems not to have been used very much in medicine in the past.

  Nicholas Culpeper the 17^th century English herbalist says that Galen (c.130-200 AD) believed that the yellow wallflowers had the best medicinal value, and continued by saying that a wallflower: -

  “..cleanses blood and fretteth the liver and reins (kidneys) from obstruction, provokes  women’s courses, expels…the dead child; helps the hardness and pain of the mother, and of spleen also; stays inflammation and …comforts and strengthens any weak part, or out of joint, helps to cleanse the eyes from mistiness and films upon them and to cleanse the filthy ulcers in the mouth or any other part, and is a singular remedy for the gout and all aches and pains in the joints and sinews. A conserve made of the flowers is used for a remedy both for the apoplexy and the palsy.”

  Young women who were not asked to dance at balls in the past were known as wallflowers, perhaps because they stayed close to the walls so as to be less noticeable. The wallflower is a symbol of misfortune in love, perhaps due to this 14^th century Scottish legend made famous in the poetry of the Robert Herrick (1591-1674). The legend has it that Elizabeth, the daughter of the Earl of March promised to marry a man from a clan which were enemies of hers. She was confined to a castle but the young man entered dressed as a wandering minstrel or troubadour. They organized an escape plan and she was to climb out of a castle window using a rope made of silk. This is a part of the poem: -

   “Up she got upon a wall

     Attempted down to slide withal;

     But the silken twist untied,

     She fell, and bruised, she died.

     Love in pity to the deed

     And her loving, luckless speed,

     Twined her to this plant we call

     Now the Flower of the Wall.”

  I have always liked wallflowers, especially the brown-orange ones which grew in my grandmothers’ gardens. My paternal grandmother probably used them in some medicinal concoction or made the flowers into a conserve. However I only remember playing in them and loving their fragrance. 

SWEET ORANGES - EVEN THE FLOWERS ARE GOOD FOR YOU: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF SWEET ORANGES: ORANGE SAUCE RECIPE

SWEET ORANGES, MALTA IN URDU, CITRUS AURANTIUM var. DULCIS

Sweet oranges are the ones we eat raw, such as Jaffa oranges, rather than Seville or bitter oranges which are used for marmalades. They are members of the Rutaceae family of plants and so related to the grapefruit, lemon, pomelo, kinnow or mandarin, Persian lime, etc. They originated in Asia and spread through to the Indian subcontinent and from there into the Middle East. Arab traders or the Moors took them to Spain where they have been cultivated for centuries.

  Christopher Columbus is believed to have taken seeds from the orange to the Caribbean islands, in the 15^th century, and Spanish explorers took them to Florida in the 16^th century.

 Oranges were expensive in Europe prior to the 20^th century and were eaten on special holidays such as Christmas. Traditionally children got an orange tucked into the toe part of the stocking they hung up for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. They have been used as pomanders, and stuck with cloves and were used in this way during the Renaissance. Leonardo da Vinci painted the “Last Supper” and featured an orange or two, but at the time of Christ oranges were unknown in the Middle East, so this is an anachronism.

   The peel from a sweet orange can be used fresh when grated and is especially good in carrot cakes, or it may be dried and added to pot pourris along with some cinnamon and cloves, and orange in red wine along with spices makes a good mulled winter wine.

   The word orange comes from the Sanskrit nagarang by way of Arabic naranj; in Portuguese it is laranjas, and naranga in Spanish, while in Greek it is portokali (from Portugal), demonstrating how oranges spread through to Greece from the Portuguese explorers and traders.

  The orange has more than the daily recommended amount of vitamin C in it, and the fresh orange is a good source of dietary fibre, eaten with the pith and skin of the segments. In fact the flavanone herperidin, which is believed to help lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels and have anti-inflammatory properties, is present in this white pith and the peel of the orange. If you juice an orange you lose some of its health benefits.

  Oranges and other citrus fruit can reduce the severity of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, asthma and other inflammatory ailments. Eating an orange is actually better than taking a vitamin C supplement. The folate present in all citrus fruit lowers the risk of cardio-vascular diseases according to the WHO’s report “Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases.” The carotenoids in oranges offer protection for the heart, and of course oranges contain beta-carotene, hence their colour. The vitamins and minerals in oranges have potent antioxidant properties and are it is thought that oranges and other citrus fruits can help protect against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases, cognitive impairment associated with the aging process, macular degeneration, diabetes, gallstones, and a number of other serious diseases. They potentially have anti-cancer properties as well as anti-tumour ones. Oranges’ phytonutrients, flavonoids and polyphenols are still being investigated by researchers.

  Apart from large amounts of vitamin C, oranges have vitamin A, E and K along with the minerals calcium, iron, copper, potassium, phosphorous, magnesium, manganese, selenium and zinc. They also contain some of the B-complex vitamins and 17 amino acids. Oranges also contain a little Omega-3 and -6 fatty acids.

  The leaves and flowers dried or fresh, can be made into a decoction and used for flatulence, stomach disorders, and this is used as an anti-spasmodic an a cardiac sedative. Orange Flower water also has antispasmodic properties.  The limonene content in oranges means that house flies and fleas can be eliminated, and its insecticide properties are being investigated. Orange Flower water is the liquid left after the oil of the flowers has undergone a distillation process. The oil is used in the perfume industry as “Neroli petulae” which is not as expensive as the essential oil “Neroli”, which used to be the main ingredient of Eau de Cologne, which is not really popular any more. Orange oil is used in soaps and in candle-making too.

  In traditional medicine systems, the leaves from the sweet orange tree have been used in infusions and decoctions for skin problems such as acne, and a tisane is given as an expectorant.

 However if you have an orange every day you will be able to combat colds and flu as the vitamins and minerals will boost your immune system so that it can ward off these winter ailments. You will feel better for this healthy addition to your diet.

  The orange sauce recipe will go well with roast duck, kebabs and rice and other savoury dishes. You do not need to add sugar. To zest an orange use a sharp knife and avoid the white pith. Use a zester if you have one - a small knife-like kitchen tool with holes at the end that works a little like a grater.

ORANGE SAUCE

Duck with orange sauce

Ingredients

Juice of 2 oranges,

Zest of 1 orange

¼ pint (100ml) chicken stock

10 black peppercorns, lightly crushed

Method

Put all the ingredients together in a pan and bring to the boil. Simmer until the liquid has reduced by half.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

SANICLE OR WOOD SANICLE, A WOUND HEALING HERB:HISTORY AND MEDICINAL USES OF SANICLE

SANICLE OR WOOD SANICLE, SANICULA EUROPAEA

Sanicle or Wood Sanicle is also known as Wood March, Self-Heal Sanicle and by other names. It is a member of the Umbelliferae or Apiceae family of plants so is related to carrots, lovage, fennel and dill (among others). It is not related to Self-Heal (Prunella vulgaris), although it is a herb that is reputed to heal wounds just as that is.

  Sanicle is native to Europe including the British Isles and to Asia. In Britain it grows in moist places in woods or copses on hills, along with wood anemones,bluebells, wood sorrel and primroses. It flowers in June and July and can grow to heights of 20 inches. Traditionally it has been used to treat bronchitis, to check internal bleeding and to heal external wounds. It has been used in the Indian subcontinent to treat high blood pressure, and is believed to have similar effects in this regard to gotu kola or Indian Pennywort, (Centella asiatica), broom (Cytisus scoparius) and black cohosh.

  In the Middle Ages there was a rhyme: -

     Celui qui sanicle a

     De mire affaire il n’a.”

Which loosely translated means that if a person has sanicle, there is no need for a doctor.

  Certainly Nicholas Culpeper the 17^th century English herbalist believed this as he wrote:-

     “It heals green wounds speedily, or any ulcers, imposthumes, or bleedings inward, also tumours in any part of the body; for the decoction or powder in drink taken, and the juice used outwardly, dissipates the humours: and there is not found any herb that can give such present help either to man or beast, when the disease falleth upon the lungs or throat, and to heal up putrid malignant ulcers in the mouth, throat, and privities, by gargling or washing with the decoction of the leaves and roots made in water, and a little honey put thereto. It helps to stay women's courses, and all other fluxes of blood, either by the mouth, urine, or stool, and lasks of the belly; the ulcerations of the kidneys also, and the pains in the bowels, and gonorrhea, being boiled in wine or water, and drank. The same also is no less powerful to help any ruptures or burstings, used both inwardly and outwardly. And briefly, it is as effectual in binding, restraining, consolidating, heating, drying and healing, as comfrey, bugle, self-heal, or any other of the vulnerary herbs whatsoever.”

  This herb has not been subjected to much research, but at the World Congress on Engineering in London in 2010, June 30^th – July 2^nd, a paper was presented by C.B.Beggs et al which concluded: -

   “… the sanicle extract …seemed to promote cell death along the wound margin. These results indicate that sanicle may be used in the care of wounds, but not as a growth promoter, but because it acts as an antibiotic agent, possibly because it aids wound debridement.”

  Sanicle is indeed a wound healer according to this research, but does not act in the way that other wound-healing herbs do.

  A tisane may be made from 1 ounce of the dried leaves, best gathered in early summer, to purify the blood and to promote internal healing and if taken internally it is said to help clear skin problems. The leaves and tender shoots are edible if cooked, but should be eaten in small amounts as the leaves contain saponins which are toxic. It is believed that the herb taken over a period of time can improve one’s health and help the blood. However pregnant women and breast-feeding mothers should avoid it and it should not be taken if you have stomach problems such as ulcerative colitis or IBS. Large doses can result in vomiting, nausea and stomach upsets. Traditionally it was given for bronchitis and it seems to act as an expectorant.

  The decoction of both the roots (harvested in mid-summer and dried) can be applied externally for wounds and skin problems.

  More research is needed on this herb if we are to know how it works.