Lemon Water

8 Benefits to; 

Drinking  Lemon Water First Thing Every Morning

Lemon Water

1. Hydration  - 

This is I feel the most important benefit – Our body is literally on a fast while we sleep and is in a mild state of dehydration when we wake, lemon water can re-hydrate your body within minutes of drinking it which is why it is so good first thing.

Lemon water – warm water and lemon juice helps to replace fluids that are continually lost by our body, being dehydrated causes rapid aging and deterioration of the body, we feel exhausted, stressed, cant think straight, constipated – the list goes on.

We are 70-75% water, it is essential to keep those body fluids up. when we are properly hydrated we are full of energy and feel vibrant.

 2. Digestive Aid – 

Lemon juice doesn’t actually flush the body as you may read, but it helps the liver and kidneys to do their cleaning job, it helps produce the acids we need for good digestion. The acids in lemons are of a similar composition to our saliva and the hydrochloric acid of digestive juices – the body’s natural digestive acids.  Lemons are also high in minerals and vitamins which help shift toxins in the digestive tract. Lemons turn alkaline when digested by the body and so help to relieve symptoms of indigestion, such as heartburn, acid reflux and bloating. The citric acid in lemons helps to produce enzymes, which aids healthy digestion and stimulates the liver.

3. Lemon is a Natural Diuretic – 

A natural diuretic, therefore helping the body to release toxins –  helps detoxification and keeps the bloating away.

4. Clears Skin – 

With all that flushing and hydrating we are obviously going to improve the look of our skin and we all know vitamin C is fab for our skin right? Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is key to the production of collagen, a protein which aids in the growth of new cells and blood vessels to give skin its firmness and strength. Vitamin C also helps create scar tissue and ligaments,  it helps our skin repair itself . The vitamin C contained in the lemon rejuvenates the skin from within our body and gives us a vibrant glow!

5. Immune Builder – 

One of the easiest, cheapest and most effective ways to boost the immune system –  high in antioxidants and vitamin C, drinking lemon juice or lemon tea regularly helps to fight of disease and illness. Lemons are also high in potassium, which stimulates brain and nerve function and control blood pressure. Lemons are anti -inflammatory – inflammation can cause many health problems. People with Asthma and other respiratory symptoms would all benefit hugely from drinking lemon tea/water.

6. Freshens Breath – 

Lemons can help clear bacteria in the mouth assisting with the health of our teeth as well as keeping our breath nice and fresh. The acid in the lemons can erode the enamel on the teeth though,  so be sure to rinse with fresh after after your lemon drink.

7. Lifts our Mood –

Just the smell of a lemon can clear our mind and so lift our mood, back in my aromatherapy days, we were encouraged to use lemon essential oil and have it near us while studying to help us stay clear and focused as well as happy!

8. Weight Loss – 

Last but definitely not least, lemons help us hugely with keeping our blood more alkaline and people with healthy alkaline levels tend to lose weight more easily and faster than those who are high acid, the body is very sluggish and slow when in acid state and so it would be very difficult to lose weight,  for us to lose weight we need our system to work well and eliminate properly, lemon is helpful in this way too. So get that lemon tea going and lose those extra pounds!

Of course just lemon water alone will not bring all these benefits, but an overall healthy diet, lots of water and lemon tea in the mornings will bring huge health benefits.

Turmeric Powder

 

Description: 

Turmeric powder is a bright yellow spice powder made from dried turmeric rhizomes. While its slightly peppery and warm flavour; vibrant colour; and preservative roperties make it a great culinary ingredient, the presence of ‘curcumin’ makes is suitable for cosmetic and medicinal purposes too. Records show that turmeric has been used for such purposes as early as 3000 years ago, during the ancient Vedic times. Turmeric is also used in Hindi spiritual ceremonies and prayers.

How to Select

• Although turmeric powder is readily available at almost all grocery stores and supermarkets, it is advisable to buy only good brands and from only reliable sources as it is prone to contamination and artificial colouring to make it attractive.
• Always verify the freshness, by checking the date of packaging and expiry, and buy only a fresh lot for maximum flavour and aroma.
• When time permits, it is better to buy the dried rhizomes and grind them yourself to avoid additives and contamination.

Culinary Uses
• Turmeric is an indispensable spice, which imparts a musky flavour and yellow colour to curries.
• Almost all Indian vegetable dishes use turmeric either separately or as part of the masala (spice mixture).
• It is also used in recipes comprising rice, lentils and dry beans.
• A small pinch of turmeric powder would is enough to add a pleasant orange-yellow hue to salad dressings.
• As awareness about the ill effects of pesticides and fertilisers rises, people have started soaking and rinsing their vegetables and greens in water mixed with turmeric and salt, as it helps remove a lot of chemicals from the surface.

How to Store
• Turmeric powder should be stored in a cool and dry place away from sunlight.
• Too much heat will volatilise and dissipate its aromatic essential oils, while high humidity will cause it to cake. Sunlight will cause it to fade.
• Older stock should always be used first.
• Tightly close the container after each use to retain its aroma and flavour.

Health Benefits
• Turmeric powder is an effective remedy for chronic cough, cold and throat irritations. Milk boiled with a pinch of turmeric powder and ajwain had with a little honey gives immediate relief.
• Turmeric powder mixed with lime and salt helps in treating sprains and swellings.
• Turmeric powder is often used to stop the blood run resulting from a knife cut or other small wounds.
• Curcumin, a potent antioxidant, is believed to be the most bioactive and soothing portion of turmeric.

Natural Vegetables Carrots

By Mohiuddin hosen

10 Things You Didn't Know About Carrots

The orange veggie is more complex than you thought

Carrots

The 88-percent water, seeded, healthful root vegetable has a colorful history.

Whether you are talking about wild or domestic carrots, chances are this is one of your favorite vegetables. Belonging to the species daucus carota, you can find carrots all around the world, as they remain a star vegetable in many cuisines. But what do you really know about this biannual plant? We delved into its history and biology and found 10 interesting facts that will make you want to eat this vegetable even more.

1. Carrots were first grown in Afghanistan

While carrots are a common vegetable throughout the world, the first cultivated carrot in recorded history is thought to have come from the area around Afghanistan around 900 AD. Soon, this tasty veg spread to the surrounding areas and by the 1000s, it was in the Middle East and North Africa. From there it traveled to Spain, and by the 1300s it was popping up in Northern European gardens and in various dishes in China.

2. Crème de Lite, Long Orange and Scarlet Nantes are all types of carrots

Even though they are split into two categories, domestic and wild, there are more types of carrots than you have ever imagined. Long Oranges, tiny and stout Early Short Horns or their cousins the thin Half-Long Horns, the giant Jaune Obtuse du Doubs, fat Danvers, long and skinny Imperators, round Paris Markets and perfectly even Berlicums — just to name a few of the root shapes you can find. Then, you go into strains of carrots where you have the Crème de Lite, Sirkana, Top Cut, Red Core Chantenay, Scarlet Nantes and — in the spirit of Game of Thrones — Little Finger, a small orange specimen developed in France.

3. Baby carrots aren't a type of carrot

With all that talk about carrot varietals, we had to address the phenomenon of baby carrots. Turns out they are either immature carrots, hence their small size, or pieces of larger, thin carrots that are cut into pieces. The latter idea came from Mike Yurosek, a California farmer who got tired of chucking blemished carrots away and started cutting and peeling the vegetables into tiny perfection. In 2010, carrot farmers got together and started promoting baby carrots as an alternative snack food — a successful campaign that has plenty of people snacking on carrots instead of chips.

4. You can leave them in the ground all winter

While so many wimpy vegetables need to be plucked and dug up, the mighty carrot can freeze itself happily in the ground. "After the carrots have had a light frost you cover them with about a foot of leaf mulch, which acts like insulation to prevent the ground and the carrots from freezing solid," says farmer Toby Fischer of Ro-Jo Farms in Bethany, Connecticut. "You can either over-winter carrots and harvest them in the spring, or continuously harvest them throughout the winter months." And when you do this, the carrot's sugars get more concentrated and the result is a super tasty, sweet vegetable that anybody who loves dessert will be excited to eat.

5. Carrots are made up of 88 percent water

That's right. While you try and alleviate hunger in a healthy way by chowing on carrots, most of what you are getting is water. Not that that's a bad thing. In comparison, on average we humans are made of a measly 60 percent water.

6. Carrots come in many colors

Forget orange. You can get carrots in other natural hues of white, yellow and a deep shade of purple, if you look for them. Funnily enough, the first documented carrots were actually purple or white in color. The orange vegetables we know today were developed after a genetic mutation caused purple carrots, which have a yellow-orange core, to lose their color and turn a solid orange. Given that carrots have approximately 20 species worldwide, it's not surprising they come in various shades.

7. Cooking carrots is better for you than eating raw carrots

As the most popular and widely grown member of the apiaceae family, you want to respect the vegetable. This is why you should get the most out of each bite by cooking them. This releases the hidden pockets of good-for-you beta-carotene. In fact, eating carrots raw only gives you three percent of this substance, but when you heat them up they release closer to 40 percent. So try these sweet vegetables puréed into soup, sliced thin onto a salad, braised in butter, baked, cooked until they are soft in a stew and stuffed into poultry.  Or, you can get funky with the root like chef Amanda Cohen does in her Manhattan restaurant Dirt Candy, though, she says, working with them isn't always easy. "Carrots are a blessing and a curse because they’re super-versatile, but their sweet taste can easily overwhelm a dish," she says. "Because they’re sweet, but also a little bitter, kind of like the way lemon is sweet but also sour, at Dirt Candy we’ve found that they’re perfect for desserts, like our Carrot Meringue Pie." She adds that their indestructible texture also makes them a lot of fun, and that even if you grill a carrot for a long time, it will never turn mushy or lose shape. "That means we can grill them for ages," Cohen says. "Then, we shave them with a peeler, and get a deep, complex flavor, with a hint of sweetness and a chewy texture.”

8. Carrots contain the richest sources of beta-carotene

You may wonder why you care about beta-carotene. Well, here's the deal: This chemical is what gives fruits and vegetables a yellow-orange pigment that turns into vitamin A in our systems. While it won't make you see in the dark, beta-carotene does help with eyesight, as well as boost the immune system and promote healthy skin.

9. Carrots have seeds

Bet you never thought about that one as you chomp on a smooth stalk of this sweet-orange vegetable. But it's true. How else did you think they grew? You harvest the seeds from the tiny white flowers that grow out of the ground. Funnily enough, the carrot doesn’t produce a traditional seed, but instead it's classified as a schizocarp, a dry fruit composed of multiple carpels that separate to release the seed inside. Researchers have even found that wild carrot seeds dating back about 5,000 years were discovered in Europe. Also, due to their aromatic qualities, the seeds have been used as a spice and in herbal medicine.

10. Carrots have sugar in them

Ha, and here you thought you were eating something healthy. Okay, well yes, you are, but carrots do contain four types of sugars  — sucrose, glucose, xylose and fructose. Luckily for you carb-a-phobes, despite the sugar they contain very little starch, so you can have your sweet vegetable without the carbs. Plus, even though they are on the saccharin side, you also get a whopping bunch of good-for-you nutrients including vitamins A, C, K and B6, manganese, calcium, lots of dietary fiber and potassium.

Ayurvedic Remedies Helps You to resolve Your General Health Problems

 

10 Healing Foods That Fight Pain Naturally

 

Ayurvedic remedy are the time-tested procedures that were devised after observing their effect on the body. Ayurveda is an age-old health science that has a history of 5000 yeas in developing. Various learned men in ancient India made certain remedies and process that were very much applicable in providing cure to a multiplicity of diseases.

All these procedures were made as per the ease of use of things in the surroundings particularly vegetations. They after observe all the actions of a particular herb or a plant applied it to various diseases. Hence a full references and data was generated and then documented in various ancient texts. Some of these texts are Charka Samhita, Susruta Samhita and Ashtaang samgraha.

These three books possess the complete ayurvedic remedies along with the complete reference of diseases and their various sign and symptoms. In these texts there is a complete clarification of diseases along with their diagnostic methods. After this there is a complete treatment with single herbs and certain herbal combination.

Below are certain ayurvedic remedies that are very helpful in treating a number of diseases with the remedies available roughly us:

Constipation –

for getting relieved from constipation one can use triphala powder three to five grams daily with warm water or hot milk. One more remedy is also very effective in treating constipation. Take castor oil one to two table spoons at night with warm water or milk. This will not only helps in relieving the constipation but will also improve your digestion. You can also take three to five grams of Haritaki powder that is also a good laxative agent.

Dyspepsia –

ayurveda has lots of remedies that deal in treating indigestion. Mint or pudina paste is very effective in treating all kinds of heartburn. One table spoon of pudina paste helps in relieving from all kind of digestive disorders and a condition of hyperacidity. Cumin seeds are another herbal drug that is very effective in treating indigestion. 8 to 10 seeds with plane water increasing the peristaltic movement and is also very supportive in avoiding the feeling of nausea.

Arthritis –

 ayurveda has great herbals remedies in treating arthritis. Ashwagandha  is careful as the greatest herb that is very helpful in treating pains and tenderness in any part of the body. 3 to 5 grams of powder of Ashwagandha is taken twice daily with warm water. Guggul is another ayurvedic herb that's immensely used in treating the arthritis. A dose of 3 grams of Guggul is enough to get relived from pains. Various Guggul preparations are available in the market. Some of the Guggul preparations that are used are yoga raja Guggul, mahayograja Guggul, kaishore Guggul, triyodashang Guggul etc. Shallaki is another herb which is very similar to Guggul is also widely used to suppress pain and relive from inflammation.

Skin problems –

whenever there is a talk of skin related problems there is only a single herb that is most extensively used. It is neem or azadirachita indica. This is also known as margosa in common language. 3 to 5 grams of neem powder with cold water or milk is to be taken twice daily. Neem has an antibacterial property that helps in curbing any kind of infections that occurs in the body. Turmeric is another herb that is usually used in skin related problems. It is known as curcuma longa in technical terms is very effective in curing all skin problems. It is antimicrobial agent and helps in purifying blood. Khadir is another herb that is also very good in treating skin problems and irritation. It also relives from allergies and infection. It can be applied locally on the skin as well as can be used orally.

 Ear problem –

ayurveda has certain oils and juices that are very effective in curbing ear aches and their various other troubles. Bakuchi tail is a wonderful remedy for treating ear aches and its problems. Even sarso oil is also useful in treating ear problems.

So everyday choosing pudina  in our home remedy.