Ayurveda Initiative For Global Health

Mucuna pruriens  Common name:  Velvet bean,  Cowitch,  Cowhage,  Kapikachu,  Nescafe,  Sea bean,   Kiwach  Fabaceae,  an important medicinal plant of Ayurveda.  Across different languages, many names for this plant refer to the velvet coating of hairs that cover its seedpods and that, if touched, can cause severe itching and irritation of the skin. Seeds are used as tonic, aphrodisiac and the in treatment of Parkinson's disease.  The decoction of the seeds is used in rheumatic ailments.  Surendra Parihar 

Asparagus racemosus commonly known as  Satawar,  Satamuli,  Satavari  Liliaceae,  found throughout India and a quite common spiny climber of lower Himalayan region also.  An important medicinal plant and the dried roots of the plant are used extensively as drug for various treatments.  It flowers during monsoon and fruits / seeds mature during winter.  The spiny climber is seen here leafless with green fruits. Surendra Parihar 

Calotropis procera  common names:  apple of sodom,  calotrope,  giant milkweed,  Indian milkweed,  wild cotton,  rubber tree,  ushar, etc.  Apocynaceae,  is a soft-wooded,  perennial shrub,  generally found in arid and semi-arid habitats.  It has been widely used in traditional medicinal systems in North Africa, Middle East Asia, South Asia, and South-East Asia. It has also been reported as an invasive weed of wastelands, overgrazed pastures, and poorly managed agricultural fields in several regions.  Surendra Parihar 

Oldenlandia corymbosa Syn Hedyotis corymbosa  Common name:  Diamond Flower,  corymbose hedyotis,  flat-top mille graines,  old world diamond-flower,  wild chayroot  Rubiaceae,  a widespread polymorphic weed with a pantropical distribution.  A common medicinal herb across tropical Asia.  Surendra Parihar 

Ipomoea carnea  Common name:  Bush Morning Glory,  Morning Glory Tree ,  Besharam ,  Behaya  Convolvulaceae,  a shrub native to tropical America, naturalized widely.  The hindi/marathi names besharam/behaya, meaning shameless, referes to its rampant spreading.  As the name suggests, the blooms fade as the sun warms them, just like morning glories - but they are impressive while they last, blooming in large clusters at the ends of the tall branches.  Attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds.  A very common plant along highways of S. India.  Surendra Parihar 

Butea monosperma Syn.:  Butea frondosa  common names:  Flame of the Forest,  bastard teak,  battle of Plassey tree,  Bengal kino,  palas tree,  parrot tree etc. Fabaceae ,  an MPTS (multipurpose tree species) native to India.  The leaves are pinnate, with three leaflets.  The hindi phrase ढाक के तीन पात ("Dhaak ke teen paat") comes from the prominent three leaflets of this tree.  In olden days, the flowers of Tesu were used to make color for the festival of Holi.  A traditional medicinal plant also yield gum.  Leaves are ideal fodder.  A postal stamp was issued by the Indian Postal Department to commemorate this flower.  Surendra Parihar 

Nelumbo nucifera common Names:  lotus  Padam ;  Komol,  Padma ;  Suriyakamal ;  Kamal  Nelumbonaceae.  National Flower of India.  An aquatic perennial herb found in a range of shallow wetland habitats, including fresh water ponds, lakes, marshes, swamps and the backwaters of reservoirs.  Leaves are used for wrapping food and as plate.  Flower is used as the source of lotus perfume.  Dried flowers are used in preparation of fragrant herbal tea.  Young leaves, petioles and flowers are eaten as vegetables. Tender seeds are edible.  The plant has numerous medicinal properties.  Surendra Parihar 

Ravenala madagascariensis  traveler’s tree or  traveler’s palm  - Strelitziaceae,  a native to Madagascar and cultivated around the world.  It’s so named (traveler’s tree) because it accumulates water in its leaf bases which has been used in emergencies for drinking.  The fan of leaves also tends to grow roughly on an east-west line,  providing a crude compass for travelers. Surendra Parihar 

Potentilla indica Syn  Duchesnea indica,  Fragaria indica  common names:  Indian Strawberry,  Mock strawberry,  Bhu Hisalu,  Ghunkafal etc. Rosaceae ,  a perennial herb and a very common wildflower found throughout the Himalayas, characterized by a strawberry like fruit, and yellow flowers. Fruit is like a small round strawberry, fleshy, red, up to 2.0 cm in diameter.  Fruits are sweet and edible as children collect it from field bunds and share it.  Surendra Parihar 

Portulaca oleracea  commonly known as  Purslane,  pigweed,  little hogweed,  Kulfa etc.  Portulacaceae,  a common weed distributed in many countries, especially in tropical and subtropical areas. An edible plant used as green leafy vegetable, in salad and soups and also as a potherb in different countries.  The herb is also in ancient medicine as diuretic, febrifuge, antiseptic, antispasmodic, and antihelminthic. Surendra Parihar 

Katcheri Did you know that the modern format for the Katcheri, conceived by Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar in the 1930s, incorporated traditional Carnatic music rendered by the Trinity of Carnatic music? A kacheri is an assembly of musicians and audience in the context of Carnatic music or Karnatak music. It is presented in the concert format. The music fraternity of connoisseurs and common people assemble at the katcheri venues to listen to classical music concerts of vidwans. Vocalist Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar (1890–1967) established the modern kacheri (concert) traditions in Carnatic music. Among the women artists, M. S. Subbulakshmi, M. L. Vasanthakumari, and D.K. Pattammal who pioneered the promotion of kutcheri culture are popularly referred to as the female trinity of Carnatic Music.  Etymologically the word "katcheri", derived from Urdu language and in Hindi to mean a court of law, was used in the context of Karnatik music concert during the Ma...

Vishishtadvaita - Part 1, History Did you know that Vishishtadvaita is a primary qualified non-dualism philosophy which defines 3 entities - God, living and non-living things; the goal of the jivas (living) is to merge with the Creator (Parabrahman), primarily through the path of Bhakti (devotion)? Did you know that Ramanujacharya developed the philosophy of Visishtadvaita, and he is described as "the founding interpreter of Sri Vaisnavite scriptures? The history of Viśiṣṭadvaita started initially as a Bhakthi movement of the Srivaishnavas, the dedicated worshippers of Lord Vishnu, the Hindu preserver deity, by the renowned 12 Alvar poet- saints of South India who lived between the 6th and 9th centuries (orthodoxy posits the Alvars to a much older period between 4200 BCE and 2700 BCE).  The Alvar saints composed a large body of hymns in Tamil Language and sang them as songs of Bhakthi movement of longing, ecstasy, and service and their follow...

Vishishtadvaita - Part 2, Srivaishnavite Schisms Did you know that nearly two centuries after Ramanujacharya popularised the Vishishtadvaita philosophy, in early 14 th Century there was a serious brake up among the followers of Srivaishnava Siddhnatha - the Iyengars - in two bitterly opposing groups called the Vadakalai and Thenkalai sects, with Astadasa-Bhedas, or the Eighteen Points of Doctrinal Differences? Doctrinal principle of Srivaishnavism developed under the Vishishtadvaita ("qualified non-dualism") Vedanta sub-school of Hindu philosophy, and the followers of this doctrinal principle are popualrly known as Iyengars. This tradition was founded by Nathamuni in the 10th century, furthered by Yamunacharya, and finally evolved and propogated as 'non-dual philospohy', widely attributed to Ramanujacharya in the 11-12th century. However, this tradition split into two denominations in the 14th century - The Vadakalai sect and the Thenkalai sect - tho...