Ayurveda Initiative For Global Health

Bitterweed ( Andrographis paniculata) is a herbaceous plant from the family Acanthaceae, native to Indo-China and South East Asia. The plant's oppositely placed, glossy, dark green, lanceolate leaves are extremely bitter. Flowers are produced in terminal panicles , the petals are white and splotched with purple spots. These mature to small, upright, hairy capsules that dehisce explosively to release numerous small seeds. Well known for centuries as “wonder drug” in folk medicine. Whole plant extremely bitter to the taste. Leaves can be eaten raw, harvested for medicinal purposes, contain maximum concentration of active constituents when harvested 2 months before plants start flowering. A direct translation of the Malay name, ‘hempedu bumi’ is ‘bile of the earth’. It is traditionally used as a tonic throughout South East Asia, China and India. Scientific testing shows that it can functio...

Medicinal_Plants Acalypha indica (Indian acalypha, Kuppu Khokali) - Euphorbiaceae, a traditional medicinal plant, well-known in many countries, particularly in Africa and Asia as it contain a high iron content, followed by zinc, copper, nickel and chromium which are useful for patients with mineral deficiencies problems.  The leaves are said to be used externally in scabies and other skin diseases. It is also useful in bronchitis, pneumonia and asthma. The roots are cathartic.  Reference  Surendra Parihar Ex.Professor and Head. Deptt. of Seed , Science and Technology. Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa,  New Delhi,  India 110012

 🥔 UNEARTHING THE POTATO 🥔 Good morning 🌞 friends, today let's meet an underground gem turned culinary star , the humble and versatile, Mr. Potato. 🥔🌿The potato 🥔, often misunderstood as a root tuber, is actually an underground storage stem of the plant Solanum tuberosum. 🌱✨ You can spot its "eyes," that are actually stem nodes, from which new leaves emerge, revealing its true stem nature. 🗓️ Around 7,000–10,000 years ago, Native Americans in the region south of present-day Peru domesticated potatoes. 🌄🥔  🥔🌿Introduced to Europe by the Spanish in the 16th century, potatoes have since become a staple food worldwide, ranking as the 4th largest food crop after corn 🌽, wheat 🌾, and rice 🍚. 🥔🌿While the potato tuber itself, rich in starch, is safe for consumption, the plant's stems, leaves, and fruits contain the toxin solanine, which is harmful to humans.💀❌ 🥔🌿The word "potato" comes from the Spani...

 🌱🌸DEADLY DATURA 🌸🌱  🌸🌱 Commonly known as Devil's Trumpet, Indian thornapple or Hindu Datura, Datura metel, is a somewhat woody perennial shrub from the family Solanaceae. It is well known for its deadly toxicity. 🌸🌱The stems are hollow, green or purple-black, somewhat woody, and have a strong odour. It is slightly pubescent. 🌸🌱The large, ovate, simple leaves are, alternate, petiolate, and exhibit entire or deeply lobed margins.The leaves emit unpleasant odor when bruised. 🌸🌱Flowers are single, trumpet-shaped and held vertically (20 - 25 cm long). Short projections occur between adjacent lobes and heart-shaped notches occur in the middle of each lobe apex. Those growing in the wild are typically whitish, but there are purple cultivars.Flowers are most fragrant at night to attract pollinating sphinx moths. Cool nights promote flowering.  🌸🌱Round to egg-shaped fruit is covered in tubercles (small, rou...

Ayurveda is a science that provides us with the knowledge of how to prevent disease and how to eliminate its root cause if it does occur.