Wednesday, January 30, 2013

www.malaysianherbals.com-AlOE VERA-(54)குமரிச்செடி

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Aloevera Barbadensis



ALOE VERA-                                                                 குமரி -என்றும் இளமை

This plant has been recorded back to biblical times and is highly regarded as an all purpose herbal plant. The Aloe Vera plant does not come from the cactus but rather the lily family.

 குமரிச்செடி மிகுந்து காணப்பட்டதால் குமரிக்கண்டம் என்ற காரணப்பெயரை நம் முன்னோர்கள் சூட்டியுள்ளனர்.




Long polysaccharides in the North African aloe vera

plant could help reduce illness in HIV/AIDS and 

cancer patients. At the same time the cactus plant

 may also help reduce poverty in some of Bali's dry

 areas.
Bali is currently producing around 15,000 liters of aloe vera weekly for the European market, according to Floris Schaaper, an engineer with aloe vera producer, PT Alove Bali. That volume, harvested on 80 hectares, is expected to grow to more than 30,000 liters weekly in the coming months.
"By 2012 the plan is to have 500 hectares of aloe vera producing 20 million liters per year. That can be processed at this existing factory," said Schaaper of the PT Alove Bali factory in Blahbatuh, Gianyar. The modern factory will be formally opened April 5.
Employing more than 200 people across its aloe vera farming and processing system, Alove Bali is having a positive economic impact on the families of Blahbatuh and other areas under aloe vera cultivation.
"We are planting in areas where rice is no longer a viable farm crop due to a dropping water table. The move to aloe vera means farmers can continue to work their lands," said PT Alove Bali coordinator, Made Karang. He points out aloe vera provides farmers an income three times higher than rice grown on marginal lands.
"PT ALove Bali was started by Hank and Peter Zwanenberg from Holland some years ago. They built a villa here in 1999 and saw the local people did not have jobs. They wanted to find a way to create employment. They saw the employment situation grow even worse after the Bali bomb in 2002," explains Karang of the beginnings of aloe vera in Bali.
With rice fields in their immediate areas lying fallow due to lack of water, the Zwanenberg's turned their attention to low water farming. A worldwide shortage of aloe vera and strong European markets suggested the hardy cactus could be the ideal product that would offer sustainable farming into the future for Bali's dry land farmers.
"That was three years ago. We now have 30 hectares under lease and a further 50 hectares being farmed cooperatively," said Karang.
The cooperative farming system offers farmers the opportunity to shift from marginal rice growing in areas of low water to aloe vera farming at no cost.
"We give farmers the initial aloe vera plants and they are also paid four million rupiah per hectare every six months to maintain the plants until they are old enough to harvest. From that time on they are paid per kilo," said Karang.
Schaaper adds that once aloe vera has been planted it reproduces so new plants are always available for farmers. Only the five to nine largest leaves of aloe vera are harvested and the plant continues to produce for 10 to 15 years. Farmers can plant out young aloe vera taken from mature plants so they have a continuous crop.
With increased production, PT Alove Bali hopes to export into the lucrative Asian market, as well as other countries such as the United States. Aloe vera is used worldwide in cosmetics, shampoos, health drinks and medical products. Its use in treating burns is also well documented.
According to Schaaper, it is the very long Alverose polysaccharides in aloe vera that are doing the miracle work. Polysaccharides are complex carbohydrates made up of many monosaccharides, however, only aloe vera has the Alverose polysaccharide that is believed to stimulate the reproduction of white blood cells. White blood cells are responsible for healthy immune systems and wound healing.
Recent scientific studies on rats established a 40 percent faster wound healing rate using aloe vera. Netherlands-based aloe vera company Bioclin is currently running aloe vera trials on HIV and oral wound patients in South Africa.



Aloe Vera - Historical Myth or a Modern Day Miracle?
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AAAloe Vera has been well documented throughout the centuries, from very early transcripts on the walls of Egyptian  temples  dating back as far as 4000 BC to the current library of information we have available today.  The Egyptians called it the 'plant of immortality' and it is rumoured that the two famous Egyptian queens Nefertiti and Cleopatra both used it in their beauty regimes.  Alexander the Great is reputed to have conquered the African island of Socotra in order to use the Aloe Vera plants that grew there to heal his wounded soldiers and Mohatma Ghandi was reputed to take Aloe Vera to help him through his frequent 'fasts' .     During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period, the medicinal use of Aloe Vera spread across  Egypt, India, Africa, China, the Americas and into Europe and it is reported that famous explorers Christopher Columbus and Marco Polo both wrote about the "miracle plant".  Indeed it is largely down to the highly educated Jesuit priests of Spain who were well versed in the Greek and Roman texts surrounding this plant who could take the credit for introducing Aloe Vera to the "New World".

There are many different types of Aloe (over 400 in fact) but it is the Aloe Barbadensis Miller ( Aloe Vera ) that is the most intriguing and the one with medicinal and healing properties.   Today Aloe Vera is widely used as both a general tonic as well as countless medicinal benefits ranging from treatment for burns, inflammation, skin disorders, immune system disorders and countless others.  Aloe is not just for humans either - it works equally well on animals and as you can see from the second picture  beside  of the Royal Veterinary College's coat of arms, a Centaur, the mythical healer is showing carrying a shield bearing the Aloe plant.

 KUMARI
 In Sanskrit,it means a young, virgin girl. As the herb imparts youthful energy and enhances femitity, hence the name. It also mitigates kumari roga i.e. menstrual disorders, so it might have been named as kumari. It has various synonyms like ghrta kumari – its juice being sticky like ghee (clarified butter), dirghapatrika has big and long leaves, bahupatra – it has many leaves etc. It is one of the herbs mentioned in all ancient Sanskrit scriptures. It has been categorized as bhedaniya – accumulation – breaking herb, pliharogaghna – ameliorating diseases of the spleen and netrarogaghna – alleviating ophthalmic diseases.
The plant grows in a semi wild state throughout the drier parts of India. It is also cultivated. The plant grows 30-60 cm in height, is a perennial, with short stem. The leaves large, 40-50 cm long, thick, fleshy, lance shaped, with sharp apex and spiny margins. The color of leaves varies from species to species – grey to bright green, chocolate brown to black.
The botanical name of kumari is Aloe indica and it belongs to family Liliaceae. It is also called as Aloe barbadensis. The pulp contains a glucoside, barbaloin, isobarbaloin and barbalion. The leaves also contain glucose, galactose, galacturonic acid, mannose, aloesin and volatile and non volatile oils, gum, resin, emodin, chrysophanic acid .

Properties


The whole plant kumari is bitter and sweet in taste, seed in the post digestive effect and cold in potency. It alleviates all the three doshas. It possesses heavy, unctuous and oily attributes.
The dried pulp of leaves or solid extract – elio, is bitter in taste, pungent in the post digestive effect and hot in potency. It possesses dry, hot and light attributes. It is a good rejuvenative and contract uterine muscles.

Uses

The fresh gel or its solid extract is used for medicinal purpose. The plant is equally salutary both, internally as well as externally. In inflammatory conditions, associated with pain and swelling, the external application of its leaf extract, bola-elio, is very beneficial. It is also an effective remedy for chronic wounds, as it possesses vranasodhana wound cleansing and vranaropana wound healing properties. To alleviate the swelling and pain due to enlarged spleen, the pulp with turmeric powder, applied externally is said to be helpful. The pulp when applied on forehead relieves the headache. It is also useful in conjunctivitis, for which the strained juice of the pulp is instilled in the eyes. In inflamed piles, when the pulp is applied externally, it alleviates the pain and imparts a cooling effect. Kumari pulp gives excellent results in burns and scalds. The bola effectively reduces haematoma, the accumulation of blood, due to traumatic injuries. Now days, it is one of the popular cosmetic aids as it moisturizes, heals and regenerates the skin.
Internally, kumari is useful in number of diseases. In small doses, it is an effective appetizer, digestant, liver stimulant and in large doses, it works as an anthelmintic and purgative. It is very useful a blood purifier, hence valuable in skin diseases and jaundice due to viral hepatitis. It is one of the common most used ingredients in the liver preparations, available in the market. As it increases the urine output, it works well in urinary problems. The nasya nasal drops, of its leaf juice with ghee are a traditional panacea for jaundice. The combination of its leaf juice, vasa juice, pippali and clove powder when given with honey, relieves the cough very effectively. In splenic diseases, the leaf juice is beneficial when given with turmeric powder. Abdominal pain due to flatulence is instantly relieved with kumari ghrta – medicated ghee of kumari, and marica powder.
In ascites and anasarca, the leaf juice works well with Arogyavardhini. The enlarged spleen due to anemia, chronic fever of catabolic disorders like meda ksaya, rakta ksaya is effectively treated with leaf juice and turmeric powder. To correct anemia, the leaf juice is better given with iron preparations like loha or mandura bhasmas. The leaf extract – bola is one of the popular medicines for menstrual disorders, as it contracts the uterine musculature and improves the endometrial circulation. It is contraindicated in pregnancy for the risk of abortion.

Kumari is a valuable herb in the treatment of tumors also. It is an effective medicament in the skin disease like scabies, erysipelas, multiple abscesses etc. For such, the leaf juice with turmeric powder is a very effective combination to combat infection and pus formation. The pulp can be used as an aphrodisiac, to augment seminal fluids. As a domestic remedy, the leaf juice is used in various ailments. It is used to increase the appetite and cleanse the bowels, with honey. It alleviates pitta when taken with rock candy. With a pinchful of salt, the juice of roasted leaf is effective in cough and bronchial asthma. It is used as a general tonic, with sugar. Kumari combines well with manjistha and haridra (turmeric) in treating raktapitta, in epistaxis and bleeding per rectum.

Caution


  Aloesin and aloesone isolated,malic, citric and tartaric acids from leaves The jelly from leaves composed of four partially acetylated glucomannans which differ in their glucose to mannose ratio and acetyl content.

The leaf extract – bola should be used in small dosage for short duration. In large doses, it causes pain and bleeding per rectum. It is strictly contra-indicated in pregnancy.

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Tuesday, January 22, 2013

www.malaysianherbals.com-Mimosa Pudica --(53)தொட்டால் சிணுங்கி


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Sensitive Plant (Mimosa pudica)
                                                                   தொட்டால் சிணுங்கி

தொட்டால் சிணுங்கியின் மகிமையை அறிவீர்களா நீங்கள்?
  Mimosa pudica is native to South America and Central America. It has been introduced to many other regions and is regarded as an invasive species in TanzaniaSouth Asia and South East Asia and many Pacific Islands. It is regarded as invasive in parts of Australia and is a declared weed in the Northern Territory, and Western Australia although not naturalized there. Control is recommended in Queensland. It has also been introduced to NigeriaSeychellesMauritius and East Asia but is not regarded as invasive in those places. In the United States of America, it grows in FloridaHawaiiVirginiaMarylandPuerto RicoTexas, and the Virgin Islands.

Non-English common names in other European language/culture areas include não-me-toque (touch-me-not), sensitiva (sensitive) or dormideira(roughly "sleeper") in the Portuguese language (with the former being more common in PortugalAfrica and Rio de Janeiro, the middle in São Paulo city and the Southern capitals and the latter elsewhere in Brazil), while in Spanish it varies in names such as morí-viví or moriviví (Dominican Republic and other Spanish-speaking Caribbean islands, roughly translating to "I died, I lived") and dormilona (Costa Rica and elsewhere inCentral America, roughly translating to "sleepyhead", as in Brazil).
In Austronesia names vary more: in the Philippines it is called makahiya, with maka- meaning "quite" or "tendency to be", and -hiya meaning "shy", or "shyness"),[citation needed] while in Tonga for example it is known as mateloi (false death),being putri malu (shy princess) in Indonesiaand pokok semalu (shy plant) in Malaysia.
In South Asia many unrelated names are also common. In Urdu it is known as chhui-mui ("that which dies upon touch"). In Bengali, the shrub is known as lojjaboti ("the bashful girl"). In Malayalam it is called thottavaadi ("wilts by touch"). In Marathi it is called lazalu ("shy"). In Tamil, it is called thotta-siningi ("acts when touched") and in Kannada, it is known as muttidare muni (ಮುಟ್ಟಿದರೆ ಮುನಿ ಗಿಡ; "angered by touch"). In Burmese(Myanmar) it is called hti ka yoan, which means "crumbles when touched"
http://youtu.be/vNItcjXiT30



This plant will bring hours of entertainment to kids of any age. The Sensitive Plant actually moves when you touch its leaves. The fine leaflets open in the daylight, yet when touched will collapse downward. Give them an hour or so and up they’ll come again. As plants mature, they form small pink puffs of bloom adding an extra benefit to this unique species. What a perfect way to introduce children to the world of plants.

This plant is a member of the family Leguminosae (Fabaceae). The leaves are "compound," composed of leaflets surrounding a central spine. When touched, the leaflets close in around the central spine. What if any is the evolutionary advantage to this characteristic?


Mimosa pudica was first formally described by Carl Linnaeusin Species Plantarum in 1753.[5] The species epithet,pudica, is Latin for "bashful" or "shrinking", alluding to its shrinking reaction to contact.
hemical constituents

Mimosa pudica contains the toxic alkaloid mimosine, which has been found to also have antiproliferative and apoptotic effects.The extracts of Mimosa pudica immobilize the filariform larvae of Strongyloides stercoralis in less than one hour. Aqueous extracts of the roots of the plant have shown significant neutralizing effects in the lethality of the venom of the monocled cobra (Naja Kaouthia). It appears to inhibit the myotoxicity and enzyme activity of cobra venom. Thanks Vikipedia    

 தொட்டால் சிணுங்கி தமிழ் நாட்டில் எல்லா இடங்களிலும் ஈரப்பதமான இடங்களில் தானே வளரக் கூடியது. இது தரையில் படர்ந்து 5 அடி வரை படரும் அதே சமயம் இது 60 செ.மீ. உயரமும் இருக்கும். சிறு செடி வகையைச் சார்ந்தது. ஆற்று ஓரங்களில் அதிகமாகக் காணப்படும். சிறு முட்கள் இருக்கும். இலைகள் ஜோடியாக எதிர் அடுக்கில் கூட்டாக இருக்கும். ஒவ்வொரு கிளைக்கும் சுமார் 10-25 எதிர் அடுக்கு இலைகள் உள் நோக்கி இருக்கும். இலைகள் இடையில் ஊதா நிறப் பூக்கள் மேலே சிவப்பாகவும் அடியில் ஊதா நிறத்திலும் இருக்கும் பூவில் குச்சிகள் ஒரு செ.மீ. நீளத்தில் சிலிர்த்துள்ளது போல் இருக்கும். காய்கள் 2.5 மி.மி. நீளத்தில் இருக்கும். பூக்கள் காற்று மூலமும் பூச்சிகள் மூலமும் மகரந்தச் சேர்க்கை ஏற்படும். இதன் இலைகள் மாலைக்கு மேல் உட்பக்கமாக மூடிக்கொள்ளும். சூரிய உதையத்தின் போது மறுபடியும் தெளிந்து கொள்ளும். மனிதர்கள் தொட்டாலும், அதிர்வு ஏற்பட்டாலும் தொடர்ச்சியாக இலைகள் மூடிக்கொள்ளும். இதனை ஆங்கிலத்தில் ‘Touch-me-not’ என்றும் சொல்வார்கள். மூடிய இலைகள் பகலில் அரை மணி நேரம் கடந்து விரிந்து கொள்ளும். இதன் பூர்வீகம் வட அமரிக்கா
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