Jamun (Black Plum) Controls Blood Sugar levels

Jamun, Black plum , java plum, malabar plum, jambolan or jambul can help a lot in controlling blood sugar level because it contains anthocyanins, ellagic acid, hydrolysable tannins etc. Each part of the Jambul plant such as the leaves, berry and seeds can be used by those suffering from diabetes. In fact, research has shown that the fruits and seeds of this plant have hypoglycemic effects as they help reduce blood and urine sugar levels rapidly.

Jamun Controls Blood Sugar levels

The seeds, in particular, are very effective as it contains glycoside jamboline and alkaloid jambosine that regulate and control blood sugar levels. Whenever this seasonal fruit is available in the market, try to include it in your diet as it can be very effective for the pancreas. Else you can make a powder of dried seeds of Jambul fruit and eat this powder with water twice a day.

Indian Black berry or Jamun is native to India and its neighboring countries but you can find it at Asian markets and herbal shops. Ayurvedic and Unani systems of medicine use the fruit, seeds, bark, leaves etc to treat a variety of health problems. Ayurveda texts indicate that Jambolan is one of the greatest fruits.

The seeds contain the glucoside jambolin which prevents the conversion of starch into sugar and this benefits by controlling blood sugar levels. They also contain many flavonoids, phenols and are rich in protein and calcium. It is a very good source of carotene, iron, folic acid, calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus.

The tree flowers with the onset of summer in March/April and bears fruit in May/June when it is hotter. The fruits’ skin is in various shades of purple, some almost black colored. It is an oblong shaped berry and the ripe berry has a deep purple flesh that colors the mouth and tongue for a few hours after it is eaten. The fruit tastes sweet and tasty with an astringent action.

Our next lane which takes pride of a jamun tree has the complete road blue with vehicles plying to and fro on the ripe fruits keep dropping . The last shower saw colorful water flowing adjacent to the road with pools of water collected and the sand also had a blue coloration.

Caution for pregnant women:

Few people advise pregnant women to avoid eating jamun as it will result in baby’s skin getting stained with small dark patches in the womb. However there is no clinical versions to support this claim.There is no harm absolutely for pregnant women to eat 8 to 10 black plums a day, why miss all the health benefits when the fruit is in season.

Top health benefits of Jamun:

• Dried seeds powder two times a day at one gram each dose could help support blood sugar.
• Fruits reduce excessive salivation
• Seeds decoction with honey prevents thirst and fatigue due to physical strain.
• Seeds decoction has anti septic activity
• For boils and other skin disorders apply some jamun seeds mixed with a little oil on the affected area.
• For Acidity, eat jamuns with black salt and roasted cumin seed powder.
• To remove body weakness, treat anemia, increase memory and remove sexual weakness, take 1 tsp each of jamun juice, honey and amla juice everyday in the morning.

Precautions while consuming Jamuns:

• Avoid eating jamuns on an empty stomach
• Never drink milk after consuming jamun.
• Do not eat them in excess as it may cause body aches and fevers.

Jamun is nature’s gift to mankind. Make best use of the natural resource– Jamun to control and regulate blood sugar levels. During off season the fruit can be consumed with the by-products like jamun seeds powder, vinegar, juices, jellies etc.

WHEATGRASS – HEALTH BENEFITS

Wheatgrass is one of the best of all grasses. Wheat grass has the ability to absorb more than 100 elements from the soil and is a rich source of vitamins A , Vitamin C and the B-complex, as addition to calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, sulfur, cobalt and zinc. Wheat grass has 90 different mineral and 19 amino acids. Very few know that wheatgrass is abundant in vitamin B-17 (more commonly known as laetrile), a substance that’s said to selectively destroy cancer cells in the body.

Over time most of us develop an acidic body chemistry, we need alkalizing foods to restore pH balance.  Wheatgrass juice is a powerful alkalizer.  It is also a preferred food because it seems to possess the ability to single-handedly change people’s body chemistry when used in sufficient amounts.  As a result, it is exactly the kind of food needed to help jump start the processes of the body.  It is also the perfect food to consume when life’s challenges (like travelling for work) get in the way of the lifestyle choices you prefer.  For many, consuming wheatgrass juice is like have a license to exist in the world around us. Available in powder form also.

Some of the superior qualities of wheatgrass and the juice that can be extracted from its blades include the following:

• Increases red blood-cell count and lowers blood pressure. It cleanses the blood, organs and gastrointestinal tract of debris. Wheatgrass also stimulates metabolism and the body’s enzyme systems by enriching the blood. It also aids in reducing blood pressure by dilating the blood pathways throughout the body.
• Fights tumors and neutralizes toxins. The many active compounds found in grass juice cleanse the blood and neutralize and digest toxins in our cells.

• Stimulates the thyroid gland, correcting obesity and indigestion.

• Restores alkalinity to the blood. The juice’s abundance of alkaline minerals helps reduce over-acidity in the blood. It can be used to relieve many internal pains, and has been used successfully to treat peptic ulcers, ulcerative colitis, constipation, diarrhea, and other complaints of the gastrointestinal tract.

• Is a powerful detoxifier, and liver and blood protector. The enzymes and amino acids found in wheatgrass can protect us from carcinogens like no other food or medicine. It strengthens our cells, detoxifies the liver and bloodstream, and chemically neutralizes environmental pollutants.

• Contains beneficial enzymes. The life and abilities of the enzymes found naturally in our bodies can be extended if we help them from the outside by adding exogenous enzymes, like the ones found in wheatgrass juice. We can only get the benefits of the many enzymes found in grass by eating it uncooked. Cooking destroys 100 percent of the enzymes in food.

• Has remarkable similarity to our own blood. The second important nutritional aspect of chlorophyll is its remarkable similarity to hemoglobin, the compound that carries oxygen in the blood.

• Externally applied to the skin can help eliminate itching almost immediately. The poultice after filtering the blended wheat grass can be used for this.

• Will soothe sunburned skin and act as a disinfectant. Rubbed into the scalp before a shampoo, it will help mend damaged hair and alleviate itchy, scaly, scalp conditions.

• Is soothing and healing for cuts, burns, scrapes, rashes, poison ivy, athlete’s foot, insect bites, boils, sores, open ulcers, tumors, and so on. Use as a poultice and replace every two to four hours.

• Works as a sleep aide. Merely place a tray of living wheatgrass near the head of your bed. It will enhance the oxygen in the air and generate healthful negative ions to help you sleep more soundly.

• Enhances your bath. Add some to your bath water and settle in for a nice, long soak.

• Sweetens the breath and firms up and tightens gums. Just gargle with the juice.

• Offers the benefits of a liquid oxygen transfusion since the juice contains liquid oxygen. Oxygen is vital to many body processes: it stimulates digestion (the oxidation of food), promotes clearer thinking (the brain utilizes 25% of the body’s oxygen supply), and protects the blood against anaerobic bacteria. Cancer cells cannot exist in the presence of oxygen.

• Turns gray hair to its natural color again and greatly increases energy levels when consumed daily.

• Wheatgrass is a beauty treatment that slows down the aging process when the juice is consumed. Wheatgrass will cleanse your blood and help rejuvenate aging cells, slowing the aging process way down, making you feel more alive right away. It will help tighten loose and sagging skin.

• Lessens the effects of radiation. One enzyme found in wheatgrass, SOD, lessens the effects of radiation and acts as an anti-inflammatory compound that may prevent cellular damage following heart attacks or exposure to irritants.

• Restores fertility and promotes youthfulness.

• Can double your red blood cell count just by soaking in it. Blood building results occur even more rapidly when patients drink green juices and wheatgrass regularly.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF CURRY LEAVES

Curry leaves is an essential ingredient of Indian cooking. Curry leaves adds flavour and aroma to the cooking and the recipe is incomplete if curry leaves are not added. The Curry leaf tree (Murraya Koenigii) is native to India. Also known as sweet neem leaves.

Children often wonder why curry leaves are added in the dishes . They find this annoying and remove curry leaves prior to consuming the dishes. Children do this in ignorance. By reading this article you will remind the significance and healing properties of curry leaves.

Curry leaves have vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin B2, vitamin C, calcium and iron in plenty. Curry leaf has many medicinal properties. It stimulates digestive enzymes and helps break down food more easily and therefore find a prominent place in Indian cooking. Gradually other countries have started to use Curry leaves . Oil of curry leaves can be used in the absence of fresh curry leaves. However fresh curry leaves are in demand .

Studies reveal that curry leaves consist 66.3% of Moisture, 16.0% of Carbohydrates, 6.4% of Fibre etc. The rest is made of a mixture of carbohydrates, fiber, minerals, and vitamins. Many of these are directly responsible for the health benefits you experience.

Curry leaves treats tasteless tongue

Curry leaves can be used to treat a tasteless tongue. It also contains good amounts of amino acids. Excessive use of antibiotics, indigestion etc can result in loss of taste. The leaves tend to excite the taste buds.

• A handful of curry leaves along with ginger, salt, garlic, tamarind and chillies is ground to a fine paste. This is then mixed with hot rice. A few helpings of this mixture help arouse the taste buds. This is repeated two to three times a day till the condition improves.
• When dealing with issues like loss of appetite and tastelessness, have a remedial drink prepared by adding curry leaf paste, cumin seed powder, and black salt in a cup of buttermilk.

Curry leaves treats excessive Pitta condition

Curry leaves can relieve nausea and vomiting in the mornings  which is a symptom of excessive pitta conditions . There may be even vomiting of bile.

• Make a paste of curry leaves with ginger, fried black gram, and salt. This paste is taken with food for a couple of days. This is very effective in treating nausea and vomiting due to excessive pitta.

• Extract juice of curry leaves, squeeze a lime and add a pinch of sugar.

Curry leaves treats morning sickness during Pregnancy

During Pregnancy women experience morning sickness due to hormonal changes which makes them vomit or they have the repeated urge to vomit.

• To relieve morning sickness, take juice of 15-20 curry leaves, mixed with one teaspoon of sugar and two teaspoons of lemon juice in the morning.
• Having buttermilk mixed with a paste prepared from freshly chopped curry leaves provides relief from nausea and vomiting. This mixture relieves fatigue too.
• Soak some curry leaves in four cups of water for two hours, filter the solution and drink half a cup of the mixture three times in a day.

Curry leaves Improves eye sight…minimizes cataract

Curry leaves are also known to improve eyesight, so make sure you do not throw away the leaves while eating. Its richness in vitamin A and antioxidants may help explain its use in preventing early development of cataract. Being a good source of folic acid, the leaves can also help in absorption of iron.

• The fresh juice of curry leaves are also used as an eye treatment for certain eye disorders, especially in arresting the development of cataract.
• Traditional practitioners suffuse the fresh extract of curry leaves in the eyes of patients who suffer from bad eyesight thus helping them to prevent early development of eye disorders.

Curry leaves helps in digestion

They also help in quick digestion. Curry leaves take care of indigestion, stomach ulcers due to excessive acid secretion in stomach, diarrhea and other similar problems. It also prevents deposition of fat in various parts of the body.

• Take a handful of curry leaves, a dry red chilli and sauté them in ghee. Add a pinch of salt and pinch of tamarind to this and grind all of these to a fine paste adding water as necessary. This paste is mixed in hot rice and taken as a remedy for nausea, vomiting, digestive problems, diarrhea, bloated stomach etc.
• Have a glass of buttermilk mixed with a little hing (asafoetida)  and a few chopped curry leaves , after meal for good digestion.

Curry leaves has Anti-Diabetic property

This is an ideal herb for people suffering from the ill effects of diabetes. Common observation in Diabetes patients are having aches and pains in the upper and lower limbs coupled with impaired vision , they often suffer from frequent vertigo ( giddy feeling due to unsteadiness). These patients should take curry leaves at frequent intervals to overcome these problems.

• Diabetes due to heredity factors can be cured by eating ten fresh fully grown Curry leaves every morning for three months. It also helps in curing Diabetes due to Obesity due to the weight reducing properties of the leaves.
• Kashayam made of curry leaves dried in shade and powdered is a very potent remedy that helps stabilize glucose levels in a diabetic patient.
• You can control blood sugar levels in a diabetic patient by chewing and eating a couple of curry leaves along with a few pepper corns first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.

Curry leaves Reduce Cholesterol

Increase in cholesterol can lead to obesity, increase in blood pressure, lethargy and other ill effects. Cholesterol levels in edible oils can be reduced to a large extent by making use of a handful of curry leaves. Helps reduce blood cholesterol.

• Boil 1 kg of the cooking oil with 15-20 curry leaves and then filter. This oil can then be used in preparing food stuff. This is said to bring down cholesterol level in oils.

Curry leaves effective for Diarrhea

An excellent remedy made using curry leaves is found to be very effective in treating diarrhea.

• Finely powder 40 gm of curry leaves and 10 gm of cumin seeds and take orally. Drink a glass of warm water. A teaspoon of honey is taken after 10 minutes. This routine is continued three to four times a day.