HONEY

Nature’s energy booster–honey, has been used as a natural remedy for centuries to treatments of several ailments. It has been an all-time favorite of nutritionists, dietitians as well as naturopathis. Honey is a rich source of natural sugars like fructose and glucose along with essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Including honey in your daily diet is one of the simplest yet most powerful ways to prevent various diseases. This natural, delicious golden liquid is a great alternative to white sugar.

Honey is nature’s gift. It is prepared naturally; Honey consists of about 70 different nutrients which is essential for our body. It is the main source of vitamins and minerals. The nutrients present in honey are observed very easily in by our system. Honey is used as the vehicle to transport the siddha medicines to the affected part of the body by siddars.

Honey is taken by different types of flowers, which are having high medicinal properties so honey is not only important in nutrition but also for medicine. In olden days honey is used as a medicine in siddha medicine preparation and still it is used as a medicine for various health related problems.   

• The uses of honey in ayurvedic medicines since almost 3000 years. Honey when blended together in herbal preparation, enhances the medicinal value. It is believed to improve eyesight. Honey also helps in treating urinary tract disorders, diarrhea, bronchial asthma and nausea.

• In ancient times, athletes used to consume honey to enhance the endurance level, reduce muscle fatigue and instantly boost the performance. Honey is also known to help in recovery and maintaining glycogen levels.

                                   

• Honey is also said to assist in treatment of disorders such as bacterial gastroenteritis and ulcers.

• It is a rich source of flavonoids and antioxidants which help reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers.

• The fusion of fructose and glucose in honey helps the body regulate blood sugar levels.

• It possesses antibacterial and anti fungal properties because of the presence of an enzyme that makes hydrogen peroxide.

Medicinal uses:

International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, published in 2009 states that honey promotes healthy heart by improving blood circulation and preventing clogging of arteries.This is possible because honey reduces the level of bad cholesterol (LDL) and concurrently increases the level of good cholesterol (HDL) in blood. It helps in removal of cholesterol from the walls of blood vessels and prevents build-up of a plaque.

Honey mixed with cinnamon revitalises the arteries and veins of the heart, and reduces blood cholesterol by up to 10%.

Add 1-2 tablespoons of honey and 1/3 teaspoon of cinnamon to warm water and drink it daily. Taken on a regular basis, this concoction helps reduce the risk of heart attacks.

Drinking warm water with lemon juice and honey on an empty stomach everyday is the prime component of all weight loss and detox programs. It is an excellent way to cleanse liver, remove toxins and flush out fat from the body. For optimal benefits, you can replace your refined sugar and artificial sweeteners with honey. However, please remember that it should be used sparingly as one tablespoon of honey contains approx. 63 calories. 

Honey has great antibacterial and antioxidant properties which give your immune system a boost. It helps in keeping away several ailments such as flu, common cold, etc.

To improve your immune system, add 1-2 tablespoons of honey to warm water and take it daily on an empty stomach. For an extra boost, add fresh lemon juice and a dash of cinnamon.Honey is a wonderful antibacterial agent and is effective in healing burns, cuts and wounds when applied externally. Applied topically to scrapes, lacerations and even sore nipples, honey promotes rapid tissue repair and eases pain. Using pure honey on open wounds keeps them sterile and prevents further infections, gangrene and other complications. This is due to the presence of a bacteria-killing agent called inhibine, found only in raw honey. Unfortunately, inhibine is easily destroyed during pasteurization.

Honey is an effective cough suppressant and soothes sore throat. Adding it to tea or warm lemon water can sincerely relieve cough and throat infection. Honey is also good for children who suffer from night-time cough and upper respiratory tract infections. They should be given two teaspoons of honey before they go to bed..

Honey has been a popular home remedy for centuries to cure digestive problems. The antiseptic properties of honey relieve acidity in the stomach and improve digestion. Honey also neutralizes gas making it the ultimate stomach soother. It is also used for treating ulcers, constipation, nausea, etc. Drinking tea with honey provides relief from digestive disorders. Taking 1-2 tablespoons of honey before heavy meals is the best way to thwart off indigestion and if you have already overindulged, add honey and lemon to warm water to help move food through the digestive tract. Ancient Egyptians and Indians found out the benefit of honey as a remedy to cure eye diseases.

When applied daily, honey protects and improves eye-sight.

Honey is also beneficial in the treatment of eye infection such as redness and itching of the eyes, trachoma, conjunctivitis and other similar diseases.

Honey used both internally and externally prevents glaucoma in its initial stage. Honey is also said to be useful for prevention of cataract.

Many have found relief from Dry Eye Syndrome using honey. Dry eye syndrome is the result of drying out of liquid in the white or conjunctiva part of the eyes. Here below is explained how to use honey for eye care:Honey is beneficial in the treatment of diabetes. It is a great source of natural sugars like glucose, fructose and minerals along with essential vitamins and minerals like copper, iodine and zinc in small quantities. Honey gives you an energy boost and it’s a much healthier option than refined sugar or sweeteners. It is considered a safe alternative to white sugar for diabetics as long as their blood sugar is closely monitored and they eat it in moderation. Since the level/type of diabetes varies from one person to another, it is advisable to seek your doctor’s advice prior to consumption of honey to safely use it as an alternative.

We can add this natural raw honey in our daily food intake such as banana slices with honey, bread slices with honey,  honey with lemon, orange, pomegranate juice, with idli dosai, or with any other food or drinks. 

For most consumers, good quality honey is expected to be visually free of defect -- clean and clear. Honey which has a very high pollen content appears cloudy, and the presence of many other contaminations such as particles of wax, bees, splinters of wood, and dust certainly does make it look unappetizing and unappealing for anyone to buy and consume, and hence it appears as if it's of very low value. Unfortunately, no matter how much food value or health benefits some of these particles of pollen can offer, this kind of honey is hard to be associated with good quality honey and is immediately rejected by most consumers at the super-mart. And this explains why it's almost impossible to find unfiltered, raw honey on the shelf. Its cloudy appearance makes them commercially unattractive.

Honey is color graded into light, amber, and dark categories which do not really have any bearing on quality. Some of the most distinctively and strongly flavoured honey varieties such as basswood, are very light, while very mild and pleasant honeys such as tulip poplar can be quite dark. While it is not an indicator of honey quality and there are exceptions to the rule, generally speaking, the darker color the honey, the higher its mineral contents, the pH readings, and the aroma/flavor levels. Minerals such as potassium, chlorine, sulfur, iron, manganese, magnesium, and sodium have been found to be much higher in darker honeys. .

How to identify the pure natural honey?

There is one pretty simple method to test the purity of honey. 

Introduce a teaspoon in a honey jar and rise it, leaving the honey to flow. If it flows continuously, honey is a trustworthy and natural. But if it flows in the form of drops honey is counterfeit.

Crystallization is  not a definite sign of adulteration in honey. acacia honey never gets crystallized. But at different temperatures, honey becomes crystallized. So Do not store honey in hot places. Crystallized honey can be as rich in nutrients and can be used with confidence.

So always prefer Bio honey or go for raw honey...! 

CUMIN SEEDS (BOTANICAL NAME:CUMINUM CYMINUM)

The cumin seeds are very popular in India for its culinary uses. They are used in lot of indian cuisins unknowingly and knowingly.

The cumin plant is growing 30 to 50 cm in height. It is an annual herb with tender, glabrous, branched stem. Each branch has two to three sub branches which are equal in length so that it is called as uniform canopy. The leaves are bipinnate or long and pinnate with thread like leaflets. The flowers are pink or white and they are borne in umbels. Each umbel has five to seven umbelits. The fruit is a lateral fusiform or ovoid achene, containing two mericarps with a single seed. Cumin seeds are having eight ridges with oil canals. 

Cumin plants are tropical and semitropical and resistant to drought condition. Its growth period is normally 100 to 120 days. even though it has the origin of Egypt, this cumin is grown all over the world for its wonderful and medicinal and flavor in various dishes. 

The main consumer and producer of cumin seeds is our India. It produces 70% of cumin seeds of the world production and consumes 90% of its own production.

Seeragam means it regulates body function. So it is reasonable to name the cumin seeds as Seeragam. In Sanskrit it s called as Jira which means the seed which helps to digestion. The cumin seeds are possessing the anti diabetic,immunologic, anti-epileptic, anti-tumour and antimicrobial activities.

Cumin seeds possess nutrients like potassium, iron, calcium, copper including vitamins  B, B6, E,C and A. There are also containing antioxidents and mineral oils to a certain extent. This spice is almost available all over the year in Supermarkets and grocery stores. 

To identify the good quality of cumin seeds , squeeze the seeds and smell them. You will observe the peppery smell. If so, it is a good quality and original seeds.

Generally, the seeds come in three colors – white, amber, and black. The most widely available type is amber. Black cumin has a complex flavor and it cannot be substituted with any other type. This black cumin is of high medicinal value. They are widely used in Siddha and Ayurvedic world due to its powerful healing quality.

Simple ailments can be taken care at home. A normal cough, running nose or sore throat in the initial days, a mild stomach upset, headache, vomiting due to intake of unsuited food and some others can be dealt with herbs in the spice rack. 

The word can be split into two – Seer+Agam.  Seer means good state or condition and agam here is the inner body. The spice that sets the inner body in good condition is called Seeragam. Siddha and Ayurveda systems mention that seeragam reduces stomach aches and indigestion and heaviness of stomach. It also sets appetite right and purifies blood. It has vitamins B, C and E and iron.

Whenever there is a stomach upset, indigestion which might lead to loose motion or vomiting – try this. Even on normal days, not only to avoid the above problems but also to maintain a healthy system, Seeraga Thanneer can be had instead of water.

Ingredients

• water – 1 litre
• seeragam/cumin seeds – 4 tsp

Method of Preparation

• Boil 1 litre of water
• Turn off the stove
• Wash cumin seeds if muddy
• Add cumin seeds to the vessel of boiling water
• Close with lid
• Let it cool
• Each time you drink cumin water, keep draining the seeds
• Let the cumin seeds remain in the left over water
• If one litre seems too much, you can make half the quantity initially
• One tsp cumin seeds to one cup water would also make warm cumin tea

This seeraga water is very common in hotels and messes of Kerala and in some particular hotels of and houses of Tamil Nadu .

It also provides immediate relief to acidity. A pinch of cumin seeds can be chewed to get an immediate relief.

 .

Cumin seeds are considered to be an important source in traditional Indian medicine, and have the effect of drying up mucus. Hence, cumin does not allow mucus to form and be stored in the respiratory system. You can prepare cumin seeds tea with the addition of piece ginger mashed.

Seeragam stimulates the body energy and helps in recovering from low spirits and fatigue. It also relieves skin diseases such as eczema, psoriasis, acne, allergies, and boils. It acts as an anti-parasitic and helps in treating hemorrhoids, dysentery, and constipation.

It is a wonderful coolant too.

Since it is a good sleep inducer, you can consume the cumin seeds daily one spoon in night before going to bed in a regular basis for a sound sleep.

Since it is a mouth freshener, you can consume the cumin seeds with ginger and cardamom cooked well in the boiling water and cooled and gargle the mouth with this water. it is antibiotic and antioxident properties will cure the mouth ulcer, foul smell.

It de-worms the intestines when the regular consumption of the cumin seeds in any form.

It is a health drink for pregnant women and old age people and even young generation to prevent nausea and refreshing drink when it consumed with lemon juice.

It stops the excessive bleeding during menstrual period.

It helps to cure asthma and bronchitis if you use the cumin seeds whether in the powder form or in drinks hot or cool.

Cumin seeds contain thymol and iron and calcium, it administers the lactating mothers to increase the milk production and neutralize the nursing mothers health. It should be added with honey in milk and consume this milk. It acts smartly.

If you suffer with severe head ache, the cumin seeds in our kitchen is coming forward to help you. Add the cumin seeds 100 gm in one litre of gingelly oil and allow it to boil and store in the airtight container and apply over the forehead if you suffer with headache. It administers and treats very well.

Powder the cumin seeds and mix with the rock salt and apply the mixture over the bleeding gums. It prevents bleeding and also strengthens the gums.

It reduces the chances of piles disease if it is regularly consumed in our diet.

It contains excellent fiber content, it treats constipation.

In order to get relief from any irritable bowel syndrome, you can consume the cumin seeds powdered and hot water with palm candy. It reduces frequency of stools and digestion and stomach upset.

Since it contains rich iron, regular consumption of cumin seeds will cure anemia.

It has an anti-ageing property. so it triggers the anti-ageing process in our body and cause the youthfulness retaining in the body cells.

Moreover it is a powerful herb that fights Cancer.

The black ones have a complex flavor and cannot be substituted for the other two. Black cumin seeds or nigella are different from cumin seeds though both are similar in appearance. Known as “kalonji” in northern India and ‘kaalo jeere’ in Bengal, they have a pungent, powerful, sharp and slightly bitter flavor and a spicy-sweet aroma. They have a thin crescent shape. It is known as " the black cumin seeds cures everything except death."

So far we learnt the great uses of cumin seeds and came to know how far it is used in Indian siddha medical world and in our daily intake as in rasam, bread, jeera rice, jeera powder with lemon juice, and in all of our south Indian and north Indian dishes.