Bhringraj (भृङ्गराज)- An easily available herb for hair and skincare

Bhringraj (भृङ्गराज) is a common herb with little white flowers and found near moist soils.

Bhringraj/Bhangra plant and flowers
Eclipta Alba

        Bhringraj (भृङ्गराज) is a common herb with little white flowers and found near moist soils. It is widely found in the Indian subcontinent and East Asia. Locally it is known as Bhangra or Bhamroiya in Bihar/Jharkhand. The common English name is False Daisy but it belongs to the sunflower family. The scientific name of Bhringraj is Eclipta Alba.

Bhringraj/Bhangra plant
and flowers. Eclipta Alba

 

        Its medicinal properties are known to Indians for ages. In the olden days, the use of Kaajal (Soorma) was very popular. Rural women used to make Kaajal with lighting an earthen lamp and collecting the lampblack over an earthen disc. The juice of the Bhringraj plant was used to wet the cotton lamp wick so that the Kaajal will get its medicinal properties.

Bhringraj flower and seed-cups

 

          In Ayurveda, it is recommended for skin care and hair nutrient. In Sanskrit, Bhring means beetles the insects having deep black colors. So the Bhringraj plant symbolizes a plant that gives hair deep dark color. It is also known for preventing premature greying of hairs and growing hairs on the bald to some extent. For hair care, it is mixed to a carrier oil (mostly coconut oil) and applied to the hair roots. It can be prepared at home by mixing dried Bhringraj leaves to the oil and keeping in the sunlight for two to three days. This also adds shine to hairs. Application of warm Bhringraj oil to hair roots also prevents hair-fall and removes dandruff.

A Bhringraj seed-cup
after flowers

        It is useful in skincare too. Application of its paste to wounds makes recovery faster and prevents skar marks.

Bhringraj Seeds

 

       Ayurveda recommends the extracts of Bhringraaj leaves as a liver tonic. It improves digestion and is used as medicine in jaundice. This extract is also recommended to cure intestinal parasites. This plant has revitalizing and anti-aging properties. It is also recommended for sexual health in Ayurveda. People use it for different cures in rural areas of different states of India.

Bhringraj/Bhangra plant, flowers, and seed-cups

      Other than its medicinal properties it is believed to bring good luck to a person. For this, its roots are worn like amulet or Tabeez.

       There are many Bhringraj products in the market like Bhringraj Powder and Bhringraj oil. Even you can order them online. For seeing these products online at Amazon, visit the link 

- https://amzn.to/33vfKBY

At Flipkart, visit 

- http://fkrt.it/alHdI5uuuN 

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Kareel - The Edible Bamboo Shoots

Kareel (Bamboo shoot vegetable) in market
Photo: Ravi Kumar

        Bamboo is a very useful tree. Scientifically it is not a tree but a herb though it looks like a shrub. Mature bamboos are used for making huts, furniture, and art objects. Some of the things made from bamboo are Verandah curtains, mattresses, and sticks. Sticks are made from smaller varieties of bamboo and are very useful for old persons, shepherds, and farmers (for separating grains from paddy). The most common uses of the bamboo-made objects are different sizes of baskets. These baskets are known in Hindi as Tokari or Dala. And there is bamboo Soop. Soop is a shallow basket with high rims on three sides and flat at one side. Dalas and Soops are widely used in rural India for storing grains and vegetables. Both are used as a strainer during parboiling rice. Due to its strength, bamboos are used in fencing the fields, in centering & scaffolding (while making a pucca building), in roofs & columns of huts, in temporary small bridges of Nallah (streams), and as pipes also. In some places, bamboo has also been tried as a replacement for steel in RCC for minor works.

Different stages of cutting of Kareel for Bhaja

 

     For Hindus, bamboo is an auspicious tree. It is used in making a Mandap in Hindu marriages, in Palki (palanquin), and in religious flags as a post eg. Ramnavmi flags, Dala (baskets) and Soop in the famous festival of Chhath. Even the last journey of a Hindu from house to burning ghat is essentially on a bamboo made bed. 

       Such a useful tree is also used in the kitchen as a recipe in India and East Asian countries and it is a delicacy here. But the bamboos used as vegetables are the soft shoots of a new bamboo tree which is known as Kareel in Bihar-Bengal areas. In the rainy season during monsoons, new bamboo grows adjacent to the existing old bamboo trees. New bamboo growth is in the shape of a soft conical shoot which grows rapidly. Shoots up to ten inches long are cut and dressed for vegetables. 

Fermented bamboo shoot slices (Karil)
on sale at a vegetable market in Ranchi.

         The Kareel (or Karil) is known by different names in different regions. In Assam, it is called Khorisa, Karadi in Odissa while in South India it is known as Kanile. The radish shaped Karil has a very intense smell. Some people find the smell of raw Karil very repulsive. Like Cassava, Karil also contains natural toxins (cyanogenic glycosides). That is why it can not be consumed fresh. Before cooking Kareel vegetables, these natural toxins must be destroyed. It is done by leaving sliced/cut Kareel in water for at least 15 hours and then boiling. Fermented Karil is also used to keep away its acrid taste. Fermented Kareel is called Tama in Nepal where it has been used for centuries. They cook Tama with potatoes and beans. 

Kareel & Arabi mix vegetable
Photo: Ravi Kumar

   In Jharkhand, it is cooked by frying (Bhaja, Bhujiya) or as a mixed vegetable with Arabi (Taro roots). Since it is available in the rainy season during monsoon, people enjoy it like other seasonal vegetables like mushrooms, Kantola, and Rugda. In Orisa its curry is made which is called Ambila. In Nagaland, fermented Kareel known as Bas Tenga is cooked with pork and it is very popular here. It is cooked with fish also in Meghalaya and Chittagong area.

Kareel-fry, Photo: Ravi Kumar

 

        Not only in Indian Subcontinent, but it is also a sought after vegetable in Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Myanmar. They cook the fermented bamboo shoots with locally available items like coconut milk or rice powder. Bamboo shoots are also preserved as Murabba (like Petha).

Kareel Achaar (Bamboo shoot pickles), Photo: Ravi Kumar

   Apart from Bhaja, mixed vegetables and curries, Kareel is also used in making pickles. Pickled Kareel is preserved for a long time. Mostly salted pickles are made but in the Philippines sweet pickles are also made. For salted pickles, the fermented thinly sliced bamboo shoots are sun-dried for a few hours so that residual water is evaporated. It is then mixed with mustard oil (heated then cooled), red chilly powder, and spices. It is kept in direct sun for a few days. Salted bamboo shoot pickles are known as "Kareel Achaar". This Kareel Achaar is recommended in Ayurveda as anti-acidic, anti-cough, and blood purifying. They also say that it heals the body wounds, removes swellings, and cures leucoderma (Safed-Daag). 

        Though it is a popular vegetable during monsoon in the areas where bamboos are grown, people trying to taste it for the first time may be disappointed due to residual acrid taste and smell but after a few trials, taste-buds develop a taste for this vegetable.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CEzFEP4hxOg/?igshid=trdnk1uh5zaf 

Bamboo-shoot products are also available online at Flipkart and Amazon. Here are some links.

Murabba 

Pickles  

Bamboo-shoot plants, Lucky Bamboo 

Bamboo-seeds, Bamboo-rice

Books related to Bamboo 

Bamboo chairs

Bamboo Curtains

Canned raw Bamboo-shoots, Pickles, Murabbas

Bamboo-shoot plants, Lucky Bamboo 

Bamboo-sticks &Lathi

Bamboo Kebab/Burger/barbecue skewers

Bamboo chopsticks

Bamboo toothbrush 

Bamboo cups

Bamboo baskets

Bansuri/Bamboo flutes 

Books on Bamboo 

Bamboo chairs 

Bamboo curtains for balcony  

Cosmos Flowers Plants - Beautiful and easily grown throughout the year

Cosmos Flower; After the flower dries,
Seeds are formed like spikes (Bottom)

           It is a flowering plant of the sunflower family. There are many varieties and colors of these flowers but the most popular of them is the yellow and orange colored flowers of the cosmos. Its scientific name is 'cosmos sulphureus'. 

      The flower color is very variable among the different species. There are many ornamental plants in this genus that are popular in gardens.

       For the flower-loving people - 1. Its seeds are cheap 2. Easy to grow 3. Beautiful and lovely to look. Once you plant it, it grows fast and after the flowers show their colorful radiating beauty they mature and their single-layered petals fall. What stays at the place of flowers are the brown oats like things which are actually the seeds of cosmos. They fall and scatter on the ground and start growing new plants as soon as they get moisture or water. Thus the next generation of cosmos flower's plants starts growing. Their maximum height is six to seven feet.

The second generation of
cosmos flower plant, Self-growing

        This flower is native to Mexico. From there it spread to different parts of the world - at some places, deliberately while at others by mistake. For example, in the eastern plains of South Africa, it was introduced by contaminated horse feed imported from Argentina during the Anglo-Boer war. In fact, it is like an invasive species. 

     For the first time growers of flowers, its seeds are easily available at the local stores. If you want to buy online - Go to the below link↓.

Amazon

Flipkart.

To install the Flipkart app on mobile, Click here

How to create "new post" in the new format of Blogger

      The new format of the "Blogger" has been activated in which the arrangements and views have been changed a little. Even if you revert to the old style you will have to use the newer one after about a month. One important change I noticed in it that the "create new post" button has been removed from the top left corner. In fact, it has been moved to the right bottom corner with a '+' button on an orange disc.

Orange disc with '+' sign

      It is similar to the compose button of Gmail. Please see the picture here. 

   To create a new post, hover the arrow over this button (On laptop). You will see the popo-up information of the button as "create new post".

Create New Post

Now you have got it. Click this button and a new blank post will be opened with editing tools.

How to type superscript and subscript in Blogger?

         Blogger is an excellent platform to express your views and explain something. For simple writing, it has many tools like Microsoft word document but not all of it. One of such lacking feature is superscript and subscript. While in the Microsoft word you can switch to these two styles with a simple click of a button in the upper toolbar, here in the Blogger you have limited choice. What do you do here? ----

1. you click a button resembling an emoji - smiley.

Click this button to open a small window for special characters

2. It opens a small window where you find a lot of special characters. You search them either by typing or by drawing a shape.

A limited number of characters in the superscript/subscript

3. For superscript - type "superscript" in the search box of this small window and you will see a list of superscript characters. You will see digits and some alphabets. If the desired character is here, click it and it will appear on the "edit blog post" at the place where the cursor is.

4. The same is the process for subscript.

         So far so good but there are many characters that you want to write as superscript or subscript but can not find them here. It will be a problem if you want to explain something in mathematics or physics. Not only characters but sometimes we need to write a word or a short sentence as superscript or subscript. For this, you have to know some hacks that I will explain to you here.

     See below the title of your blog on the desktop. There are two buttons "compose" and "HTML" side by side. (Edit: in the new format of the blogger, you will see these two buttons on a dropdown list when clicked on a pencil icon on leftmost side of the editing toolbar) By default, the edit page in the blog opens in Compose mode where we compose our blog. It is easier to type here and see how our blog should be. But it is the simplified version for the users because the real language that computer understands is something else that appears in the HTML button mode. Whatever we type is converted by some software in a language that the computer understands. It looks like junk to us. You can easily see this by clicking the HTML button. But this button showing the HTML version is very useful to do things that are very difficult in Compose mode.

         As we need to write some letters, words, or sentences as superscript or subscript, first type it as usual in Compose mode. Now go to the HTML mode and search for those typed words. This searching is the most difficult part of our job because you will notice more special characters and parentheses than your literature. But with some labor, you can search for it as the literature will be arranged at the same place. You mentally mark the portion that you want as superscript or subscript. For the superscript type ^{just before that portion and type} just after that portion. These are called tags. Similarly for the subscript type _{just before that portion and type} just after that portion. These should be done exactly as said because these words say to the computer from where to start superscript/subscript and where to end. Any deviation or difference in typing these words will result in an error. Once you do it click the Compose button. You will find the desired result appearing here in the post.
      For example, I type Pexternal. I want "external" as superscript. Under the HTML button, I search for Pexternal.↓

Search the desired words

      Now type ^{just before external in it and} just after it.↓

Typing should be exact

Now click the Compose button and your typing will get changed as desired, see below.

P^external

Was the lockdown announced by PM necessary for checking COVID-19? क्या लॉकडाउन जरुरी था?

#PM #MODI

       Many people have doubts about the lockdown because it was imposed in the beginning when the cases were few but now the cases have grown manyfold but the lock-down is being withdrawn slowly. So they ask a question - "Was the lock-down necessary?" Let us discuss this. 

      The first thing is that the COVID-19 virus started in Wuhan, China. It was growing as a pandemic and not much was known about it. China tried to hide it initially and did not share much about it. When it came to the knowledge of the world we knew that it spreads through proximity to the affected person and China controlled it through social distancing, masks and lockdown. So it was the best measure to check the spread of disease geometrically. It also gave time to understand its nature through scientific research and happenings in other affected countries. 

         The second thing is that after a month-long lockdown the daily earning people and laborers lost the source of income. A huge number of these people began to return their homes on foot from the cities. Due to the transport ban, factories shut down and general lockdown the economy was getting affected badly. So the lockdown was not to stay endless.  

           Third, the government had to keep the balance between lockdown and economy. So after keeping an eye on the occurrence of the cases and wide surveys it was decided to loosen the unaffected areas and close the local containment zones. Thus the economy could revive and at the same time, COVID-19 cases could be contained.

          With time it was found that the virus was getting weak slowly in India or we had a bit better immunity as the recovery rates increase. Also, with boosting immunity the virus could be kept away. To emphasize it PM himself talked to the nation and told the steps to be taken to boost immunity. After WHO said that this virus was to stay for a few years and we will have to learn live with it, there was no option but to "Unlock" that is lifting the bans of lockdown slowly. Major bans remaining the places of mass gathering like movie halls, festivals, processions, public transport, schools, colleges, etc.

        The government has done a lot to make people aware of the dangers and preventions of the virus. As to date, no vaccine is available or no medicine is 100% cure for it the best way is prevention. The government has done its duty now people have to play their part.

       So what the lockdown announced by PM did? The answer is clear. The best thing it did is that it made people aware of the dangers of the COVID-19 virus and its prevention by social distancing, masks, handwashing and sanitizers. PM himself addressing the nation about the virus and giving instructions is such a big thing that no amount of advertisement or awareness program could have achieved it. 

       So let us take the responsibility to check this disease as a citizen and serve humanity.

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Giloy is said to improve immunity in a traditional ayurvedic way. 

Giloy, Guduchi, Gurich, Amrita - Traditional Ayurvedic Medicine

Giloy leaves are heart-shaped, resembling a betel leaf
Photo: Ravi Kumar

      This is a desi Indian climber with heart-shaped leaves like a betel leaf. Traditionally it has been used as a home remedy for gout and boosting immunity. In Ayurveda, it is used for treating so many diseases that it is called "Amrita". This Sanskrit name has many reasons:-
      1. In Sanskrit "Amrit" means elixir which gives immortality. Though literally, it does not give immortality its use gives a healthy and long life. So it is regarded as "Amrit".
       2. It is also said that during the transportation of "Amrit" after "Samudra-Manthan" (churning of the sea) drops of it fell at some places. It resulted in different manifestations. At one of the places, this vine with magnificent medicinal properties grew up. So it was given a name as "Amrita".
       3.  It can be easily grown by planting a finger thick cutting in the moist soil. This is a hardy climber and does not easily die. If some of the parts of a well-grown vine above the ground are cut, the remaining part on the tree drops new roots to the ground just like a banyan tree. 

This thickness of the
Giloy-stems is suitable
for use. Pic: Ravi Kumar

         It is said that this climber acquires some of the properties of the tree on which it climbs. That "Giloy" has the best medicinal property which climbs on a "Neem" tree because the "Neem" is itself a medicinal tree.
       Giloy has the scientific name Tinospora Cordifolia. It is also known by the name of Gureech, Guduchi and Amrita. There are other different names in different regions. It is indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. It can be easily recognized by the heart-shaped leaves. Not only the trees it may climb the electric poles and grow on the wires. Due to its medicinal properties, some people use it as "Datun" or "Datwan" to clean the mouth in the morning just like neem or sal sticks.

Giloy/Gudich vine on the wall. Photo: Ravi Kumar

         The best method to use the Giloy is by making a hard tea (Kaadha/Kwath) from a crushed finger thick stick. But some people crush the stick and put it in a glass of water for the whole night and drink it in the morning with an empty stomach.      
   Though modern medicinal science does not recognize its curative properties Ayurveda and Siddha recommend its use for the following,

Closer view of Giloy stem
and leaves
Photo: Ravi Kumar

    1. To boost immunity.
    2. To manage blood glucose levels.
    3. To improve metabolism and weight control.
    4. To remove skin problems.
    5. The leaf paste heals the wound.
    6. To normalize the fever as it is thought to act as antipyretic.
     7. To cure arthritis and gout due to uric acid.
     8. To increase blood platelets which helps fight dengue/chikungunya. 
      9. To cure liver injury due to excessive alcohol uses. 
      10. To manage breast cancer.  
      11. To control cholesterol levels.
      12. To reduce indigestion and hyperacidity.    

Giloy climbing upon all branches of a tree
Photo: Ravi Kumar

     Baba Ramdev claims that it can cure more than a hundred diseases. In fact, you can find it as a constituent of many Ayurvedic "Vati". People are getting aware of the beneficial uses of Giloy. It is truly called "Amrita". 

Harvesting Giloy Sticks
Photo: Ravi Kumar

         Giloy is so popular now that people want to have its juice from hotels and juice shops. On popular demand, some hotels have started selling fresh Giloy juice. This was seen by people in Ramgarh, Jharkhand while ordering food online and scrolling down the menu of a hotel. It was priced Rs 114/- a glass after all discounts.

Giloy-lata on electric wires. In the rainy season, it drops down new roots to touch the ground. Hanging roots can be seen in this picture.

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People living in metro cities or urban areas where they can not find this climber naturally its products are available online. 
At Amazon
Giloy Juice
Giloy Powder
Giloy Tablets
Giloy Ghanvati Tablets
Giloy Ghanvati
Giloy Tulsi Juice
Giloy Ashwagandha Tulsi Juice
Giloy Quath
Giloy Tea

FLIPKART
Giloy Juice 
Giloy Amla Juice
Giloy Ghanvati
Giloy Vitamin Suppliment
Giloy Satva Powder 
Giloy Extract  

Monkey fruit -- Barhar, badahal

Monkey fruit/Badahal

 Barhar/Badahal/Badahar is a peculiar fruit in a way that no two fruits have the same shape. There are irregular bulges on the outside. It is edible when riped. Common English name is Monkey Jack or Monkey fruit and the scientific name is Artocarpus Lacucha. 

 

Monkey jack fruit tree
बड़हर का पेड़

     It's tree is big and gives deep shade which is very comforting in the months of April, May and June when the heat-wave or "loo" is common in the northern parts of India. The leaves are similar to the Sal tree leaves and dark green in color. Riped fruits fall down to the ground and eaten by animals. Some people eat the fruits. It is believed to have medicinal properties. So you may find it in some rural markets in the season. Barhar and Mango both have the same season, Summer.

Badahal fruit on a branch

      The Barhar wood is also valued. The trunk looks like Jackfruit tree but is more straight. It is found throughout the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. So it may be called a "Desi" tree.
         Live Barhar plant with pot is available at Amazon at this link,
https://amzn.to/3g6vHUx
              

Badahar fruits

Instagram link - https://www.instagram.com/p/CAe3O8lB-oN/?igshid=yle1pzbgvoi4

Mahuwa

The Mahuwa tree and
flowers on the ground
Photo: Ravi Kumar

          It is the Hindu month of Vaishakh and the rural India has again got that special sweet smell of Mahua/Mahuwa flowers. In the morning, the ground under a Mahua tree is spread with white (with a greenish tint) flowers. The flowers continue dropping at a few seconds interval. If you see above in the branches to guess from where the next flower is going to drop, most likely you will fail. There you can hardly see a flower like on the ground. Before dawn, standing beneath a Mahua tree is an awesome experience with the sweet smell around and the dropping sound of the flowers. 

Mahua flowers on the ground
Photo: Ravi Kumar

        Villagers come near the trees with baskets and collect the flowers. The flowers are dried and sold to grocery stores. The dried flowers are used for making some recipes but generally it is used to make alcoholic drink. This home-made drink is also known as Mahua which is a country liquor. This drink is more popular in the forest dwelling tribal people as this tree is more in numbers in their areas. Mahua drinking is accepted as a part of their cultural heritage.
 

Mahua oil, (कोढ़ी का तेल)
In Winters

        The seeds of Mahua are used to extract oil which is known as Kodhi-oil (कोढ़ी का तेल). This oil is very good for skin. It is also used to make soap and detergents. It is edible and may be used as vegetable butter. The seed cakes after the extraction of oil is used as manure. 
           The bark of the Mahua tree is used for medicinal purposes. The leaves and flowers are fed to goats and sheeps. The leaves are also fed to a type of silk insect (moth) and Tassar silk is obtained from them. Tassar silk is a type of wild silk.

Picking Mahua flowers
Photo: Ravi Kumar

         The Mahua wood is very hard and used as timber. But seasoned Mahua wood is brittle and very difficult to work upon. So in villages, it is mostly used as Chowkhats (door frames) and carpenters work on it before it is seasoned or dry, immediately it is fixed in the walls so that no warping takes place on drying.
           We see that the Mahuwa tree plays an important role in rural economy. Due to its usefulness, the tribal people consider it as a boon and revere this tree.

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Instagram Link
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_ZvL9ljS8S/?igshid=t4ncy1m5rvb1

___________
Mahua dried flowers and it's oil is also available online at - Amazon

Never bargain with a farmer

Farmers in the field, plucking vegetables
Photo: Ravi Kumar

      When we buy vegetables from the local market, we try to buy them cheap. So the bargaining is inevitable. We bargain for small amounts of money which matters for them not for us. But we do not bargain in the malls and hotels though the bill may be in thousands. We even give tips to the waiter just for serving us. But it is the farmer who needs our support. Just imagine how the vegetables are produced and taken to the market or local haat. The farmer tills the field mixes Gobar compost (decomposed cow dung) in the soil, sows the seeds, waters the field form time to time, then weeding, pesticides, fertilizers and caring-guarding till the vegetables are ready to be plucked. It all needs money and a lot of hard work in the field. You can realise their hard work if you see them working in the field. 

They are plucking 'Bhindi or Okra'
with hand wrapped in polythene
sheets. Photo: Ravi Kumar

          Now it comes to the plucking of the vegetables and sending them to the local market. It is also not an easy task. Since we reach vegetable market at about 6:30 in the morning, farmers have to reach there before this time. Generally they go to the field before dawn about 4:30 AM. Both men and women work there. Plucking of vegetables is not easy. There is always a danger of snake and insect bite due to low visibility. Some vegetables have thorns for example eggplant. Some have itching effect on the bare skin, for example ladyfinger (Bhindi, Okra or Ramtorai). Farmers have to cover their hand to pluck them. Since the can not afford buying hand gloves, the cover their hands with polythene sheets. They collect the vegetables in baskets and carry them to the local market on their heads. They sell these vegetables there for three to four hours and if some vegetable remains they sell them all to local vegetable sellers at a cheap rate and then return. Some farmers can not carry the baskets to the market or can not spare so much time there, so they call a middleman (Bicholiya) and sell all the vegetables to them at cheap rates at the field itself. In this case the farmer's profit reduces considerably.

             So this is how the vegetables are produced and brought to the market. We see how much labour a farmer and his family do in this process. Can we do only a part of this labour? No. So next, if you hard bargain a farmer (Kisan) think again how he has brought the vegetables in the market.

           Most of the times a middleman or a permanent vegetable seller in the market earns more than the farmer without going through the hard work of the farmer. It is the point where cooperative institutions have a role to play for making available a good matket to the farmers and picking the vegetables directly from the field.

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Instagram Link

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_U4gjLBt06/?igshid=qwazv2yw2zea