Ayurveda Initiative For Global Health

Indian mustard  Did you know that the Indian Mustard (Brassica juncea), one of the oldest spices in the world, also known for the popular saying: “can’t cut the mustard” meaning ‘can’t live up to a challenge’, has a myth in India that spreading its seeds around the external sides of the homes keeps away the evil spirits? The Indian mustard with the scientific name Brassica juncea, ‘sarso’ in Hindi, spread over swathes of acres and acres of land creating with its blooms gorgeous yellow fields with its own distinctive properties and uses, marks its harvest with the Basant Panchami festival ushering the arrival of spring in India. The Indian mustard identified by its brown colour, distinct from the Black mustard (Brassica nigra) or White mustard (Sinapis alba), but all in the family Brassicaceae (cabbage family), is one of the world’s oldest spices and condiments known to mankind, originated in the foothills of the Himalayas, constitutes one of the various speci...

Ayurveda is India’s natural science of healing. It was established at the same time as the original systems of yoga and meditation and has been in practice since before 5000 BC. It is based on a holistic approach to natural health using effective herbs and therapies to correct any imbalance within the body. This ancient practice has spread worldwide as an innovative and comprehensive system on how one can gain balance of body and mind. Ayurveda promotes natural remedies by applying a correct diet, herbal supplements and lifestyle. It deals with every aspect of human life including daily and seasonal routine, prevention of diseases and natural treatments. It focuses on correcting the root cause of the disease rather than correcting symptoms.

Nagalinga Pushpa or Canon Ball Tree Flower Did you know that Nagalinga Pushpa or Canon Ball Tree Flower, though of Amazon Valley origin, is widely grown in India and offered in Hindu worship of Shiva as its five leafed petals resemble Naga, sacred snake, protecting a Shiva Lingam?  Nagalinga Pushpa or Canon Ball Tree Flower with the botanical name Couroupita guianensis (credited to the French botanist Jean Baptiste Christophore Fusée Aublet in 1775) in the flowering plant family of Lecythidaceae, known as harbinger of wealth and prosperity in Hindu beliefs, is native to the Amazon Valley in South America and to the west Indies. The migration of this species to South Asia, particularly to India, where it has attained spiritual significance as a special offering to the Hindu God Lord Shiva, is not clear but historians opine that there is clear evidence of the transfer of this species from Latin America to South Asia as far back as the pre-Columbian period (before 15th ...

Magaliberu (Decalepis hamiltonii) Did you know that Makali Beru (Decalepis hamiltonii), a root vegetable with its commanding flavour and aroma is in great demand in the pickle making, and is a powerhouse of medicinal properties? Magaliberu (ಮಾಗಳಿಬೇರು) species with botanical name Decalepis hamiltonii and with English name of swallow root, belongs to Asclepiadaceae family, a root vegetable with its commanding flavour and aroma. It is a monogeneric climbing shrub native to the Indian Deccan peninsula and forest areas of Western Ghats of India, and particularly in the forests of the parent old Mysore State (Karnataka now). It is known as Sariba and Svetasariva in Sanskrit, Magali beru and Makali beru in Kannada, Mahali kizhangu or Perum-nannari in Tamil, Nannari in Malayalam, Maredu kommulu in Telugu, it grows as a shrub or undershrub, the aromatic rhizome (root) of which is used in Ayurvedic medicines and for use in pickles and to make sharbat.  Its high va...

In  Ayurveda, a lot of importance is given to Agni (fire). ⁠ ⁠ The Agni is responsible for all #digestive and metabolic processes in the human body. Our Agni determines which substances enter our cells and tissues and which substances get removed as waste. ⁠ ⁠ When our Agni's are impaired, imbalance and disease will likely follow over time. Agni is so important that, without it, death soon follows. ⁠ ⁠ Ayurveda #cooking teaches us how to use turmeric, cumin, black pepper, ginger, and other spices to not only aid in digestion but add taste and aroma to our food. it can also help in the elimination of toxins in our body.