*Gooseberry:*
- The Indian Gooseberry known as Nellikkai in Tamil and Amla in Hindi is reputed to have the highest content of vitamin C.
- It contains more Vitamin C than orange, lime, guava or sweet lime. About 100 gms of the edible fruit contains about 600 mg of Vitamin C. 8.75 mg of natural vitamin C complex from Nellikkai is equivalent to 100 mg of the most commonly used synthetic vitamin C.
- It also contains many minerals and vitamins like Calcium, Phosphorus, Iron, Carotene and Vitamin B Complex. It helps in dilating the blood vessels and thereby reducing the blood pressure.
- It also helps reduce blood sugar in diabetics. It is a powerful antioxidant agent. It cures acidity, ulcer and improve appetite. It is very effective in treatment of Eye and Heart diseases, Diarrhea/dysentery and Hair loss.
- The tree is considered as a sacred tree in India.Above all, most important fact is the vitamin C content in Gooseberry does not diminish with cooking.So either go for a fresh fruit or cook it whatever way you like. Raw fruit is very sour when you bite it first but slowly you will get sweet taste when you munch it. Drinking water after munching the fruit is different sweet experience.
*Nannari:*
- ‘Sarasaparilla,’ a wonder herb, popularly known as `Nannari.’ is a natural coolant and has a lot of medicinal qualities. The strength of this herb lies in its roots.
- It has considerable effect to heal skin diseases and can decrease body
temperature, rejuvenating the body. - Apart from these, Sarasaparilla is effective for inflammations of liver and spleen, urinary disorders, wheezing, anaemia and rheumatoid arthritis.
- Nannari root is available in Sidda Medical shops. We can put the root in a pot of water and use that water for drinking purpose. Nannari concentrate or the syrup is available in all shops. We can make a herbal drink.
- In a glass of cold water, add one or two teaspoons of lemon juice and two to three tablespoon of Nannari syrup and mix well. If you want, you can add a teaspoon of sugar or palm sugar to the juice.
*Mudakathan Keerai:*
- Mudakathan Keerai in Tamil is known as Indravalli in Sanskrit. Its botanical name is Cardiospermum halicababum and belongs to the soapberry family. It is a woody perennial climbing plant with large ornamental seed pods that resemble balloons.
- Hence it is called Balloon Vine in English.Originating from Tropical Asia, Africa and America, it is named as weed i
n some countries because of its past growing nature and obstructing sunlight to other plants.
- But in India, it is not growing in large (it grows only near river beds and other wetlands) and it is used as a herb in Ayurvedic and other Indian medicines for treating Gout , Rheumatoid arthritis, Skin diseases, Cough, Nervous disorders, Piles, Muscle wasting, Dysentery, Diarrhea, etc.
- Even though it has lot of medicinal values, it is not used in regular cooking because it is rare to find and tastes slightly bitter.
- However, in Tamilnadu, you will get this keerai fresh in the morning hours in the vegetable market.To reduce the rheumatic pain, Kashayam is very effective.
- To make Kashayam, put a handful of Mudakathan Keerai along with two cups of water, a tablespoon of jeera and a pinch of turmeric powder in a vessel and bring to boil.
- Allow to boil for five to ten minutes and strain it. Adding this keerai to one’s diet at least twice a month will definitely help in curing joint pain.It tastes slightly bitter when fresh, but when cooked, you will not feel the bitterness.
- Normally, people make dosa with this keerai.
