Varieties Health Dictionary

  1. Health Encyclopedia
  2. Varieties

Varieties: From 1 Different Sources

OLD TUBERCULIN (OT) is the heat-concentrated ?ltrate from a ?uid medium on which the human or bovine type of Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been grown for six weeks or more.

TUBERCULIN PURIFIED PROTEIN DERIVATIVE (TUBERCULIN PPD) is the active principle of OT (see above), and is prepared from the ?uid medium on which the Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been grown. It is supplied as a liquid, a powder, or as sterile tablets. The liquid contains 100,000 units per millilitre, and the dry powder contains 30,000 units per milligram. It is distributed in sterile containers sealed so as to exclude micro-organisms. It is more constant in composition and potency than OT.

Uses The basis of the tuberculin reaction is that any person who has been infected with the Mycobacterium tuberculosis gives a reaction when a small amount of tuberculin is injected into the skin. A negative reaction means either that the individual has never been infected with the tubercle bacillus, or that the infection has been too recent to have allowed of sensitivity developing.

There are various methods of carrying out the test, of which the following are the most commonly used. The Mantoux test is the most satisfactory of all, and has the advantage that the size of the reaction is a guide to the severity of the tuberculous infection: it is performed by injecting the tuberculin into the skin on the forearm. The Heaf multiple puncture test is reliable: it is carried out with the multiple puncture apparatus, or Heaf gun. The Vollmer patch test, using an impregnated ?lter paper, is useful in children because of the ease with which it can be carried out.

Health Source: Medical Dictionary
Author: Health Dictionary

Liquorice

Glycyrrhiza glabra

Papilionaceae

San: Yashtimadhu Hin: Jathimadh Mal: Irattimadhuram Tam:Athimadhuram

Tel: Yashtimadhukam

Ben: Yashtomadhu Pun:Muleti

Importance: Liquorice or Muleti is a perennial herb or undershrub about 1m high. Its dried peeled or unpeeled underground stems and roots constitute the drug which is an important constituent of all cough and catarrh syrups, throat lozenges and pastilles. This has been used in medicine for more than 4000 years. Hippocrates (400 BC) mentioned its use as a remedy for ulcers and quenching of thirst. Dioscorides, the father of Greek medicine described this drug in detail and considered it useful for maintaining shape of arteries and in burning stomach, trouble of liver and kidney, scabies, healing of wounds and as a remedy for eye diseases. It has been used in Arab system of medicine for more than 600 years from where it has been adopted to modern medicine (Gibson, 1978).

The commercial name of the dried rhizome and root of the plant is liquorice which is used as flavouring agent and the taste coorigent in pharmaceutical and confectionery industries and its products are widely reported to be useful in ulcer therapy. Glycyrrhizin, a triterpene glucoside, is the principal constituent of G. glabra which is 50 times sweeter than sugar.

Distribution: Liquorice is native to Mediterranean region, South Europe and Middle East. It is widely distributed in Spain, Italy, Greece, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkey, parts of USSR and China. However its cultivation is limited to small areas in USSR, UK, and USA. In India, it grows in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. Semi arid areas of Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarath states are suitable for the cultivation of Liquorice. However, its commercial cultivation has not yet been possible and the domestic requirement is largely met through imports.

Botany: Glycyrrhiza glabra Linn. belongs to the family Papilionaceae. The word Glycyrrhiza is of Greek origin meaning ‘sweet’ and glabra means ‘smooth’ which refers to smooth fruit of the species. This is a tall perennial, self pollinated herb or undershrub about 1m high with long cylindrical burrowing rootstock and horizontal creeping stolons which reach 1.5-1.8m in length. Leaves are alternate, pinnate with 9-17 leaflets. Leaflets are yellowish-green, 2.5-5cm long, ovate and obtuse. Flowers are pale blue arranged in a raceme and 1.25cm long. Calyx is glandular and pubescent. The pods are glabrous, red to brown having 3-4 seeds. Rhizome is soft, flexible and fibrous with light yellow colour and a characteristic sweet taste.

Agrotechnology: This plant thrives well in subtropical areas with very warm summers and cool winters with a rainfall not exceeding 500mm. Semi -arid and arid areas in subtropical zones are not suitable for the cultivation of this crop. It does not tolerate high humidity and waterlogged conditions. Well drained light loam soils which are rich in calcium and magnesium with slightly alkaline pH and free from stones are ideal for this crop. There are a number of varieties of this crop among which Spanish, Russian and Persian liquorice are quite common. Commercial varieties are Typica, Regel and Herd. This is propagated by seed, but usually multiplied vegetatively either through crown cuttings or stolon pieces. In the case of crown cuttings, 10-15cm long crown pieces with 2-3 buds are planted vertically at a distance of 0.6-0.7m in rows 1-1.5m apart. However, most of the liquorice is propagated through stolon pieces of the above size planted horizontally, preferably on ridges during spring at the same distance as above. Rapid clonal propagation is also possible by tissue culture technique. Murashige and Skoog’s medium supplemented with 6-benzylaminopurine and indole-3-acetic acid favoured multiple shoot production without any intervening callus phase. These regenerated plantlets can be transferred to earthen pots in the glass house and after a brief hardening phase, these are transplanted in the field with a high rate (90-95%) of survival. This plant normally does not require much fertilizers but in deficient soils, it is better to apply 10-15 tonnes FYM per hectare before planting. The field should be immediately irrigated after planting in spring and after the crop has sprouted, it requires very little irrigation. Space between the rows should be kept free from weeds. Short term vegetables like carrot or cabbage can be planted between the rows for additional income. In order to produce good rhizome, flowering shoots are clipped. No serious disease except leaf spot caused by Cercospora cavarae has been reported in this crop. Roots are ready for harvesting after 3-4 years. The root is dug when the top has dried during autumn (November- December). A trench 60cm deep is dug along the ridges and the entire root is lifted. Broken parts of the root left in the soil, sprout again and give another crop after 2-3 years. Thus liquorice once planted properly can be harvested for 10-15 years.

Postharvest technology: Harvested roots are cut into pieces of 15-20cm long and 1-2cm in diameter. They are washed and dried upto 6-8% moisture in the sun and shade alternately which reduces the weight by 50%. The average yield of dried roots varies from 1-3 tonnes per hectare depending on the variety, soil and climatic conditions.

Properties and activity: Roots gave a number of compounds the most important bieng a glucoside, glycyrrhizin which gave glycyrrhetinic acid on enzyme hydrolysis. Root also contains flavans, flavones, iso-flavanoes and coumarins including a 4-methyl coumarin, liqcoumarin, glabridin, glabrene, 4’-0-methyl and 3’-methoxyglabridin, formononetin, salicylic acid, 0-acetyl salicylic acid which has been isolated first time from nature, hispaglabridins A and B and 4’0- methylglabridin.On hydrolysis it also gave two molecules of d-glucuronic acid, each linked with 1-2 linkage to 3-hydroxyl of the sapogenin (Elgamal et al, 1969) Glycyrrhizin is antidiuretic, antiinflammatory, expectorant, antiulcerous, antihistamine. Glycyrrhizic acid is antiviral. The roots are emetic, tonic, diuretic, demulcent, mild laxative, aphrodisiac, trichogenous, expectorant, emmenagogue, alexipharmic, alterant and intellect promoting.... liquorice

Amanita Muscaria

Linn.

Family: Agaricaceae; Amanitaceae.

English: Fly Agaric (mushroom), Aga, Soma.

Ayurvedic: Identified as Soma of Rigveda (controversial). (Sushruta described 24 varieties of Soma and 18 other drugs as its substitutes.) Intensely poisonous; used for intoxication.

The fungus has been used in Russia for preparing an intoxicating drink.

Toxic principles arecholine, mus- carine and mycetoatropine (muscari- dine). Muscarine stimulates postgan- glionic, cholinergic and neuroeffector junctions. The isoxazole constituents are psychoactive.

2-4 Fly Agaric (more than 10 g fresh) are toxic; 20 (more than 100 g fresh) are lethal. (Francis Brinker.)

A. pantherina is used in Japan for intoxication.

Aga is not a true hallucinogen. The illusions are a misinterpretation of sensory stimuli due to isoxazole, ibotenic acid, muscimol, muscazone and traces of muscarine. (Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, 2007.)... amanita muscaria

Amoeba

A minute protozoan organism consisting of a single cell, in which a nucleus is surrounded by protoplasm that changes its shape as the protozoon progresses or absorbs nourishment. Several varieties are found under di?erent conditions within the human body. One variety, Entamoeba coli, is found in the large intestine of humans without any associated disease; another, Entamoeba gingivalis, is found in the sockets of the teeth and associated with PYORRHOEA. Entamoeba histolytica is the causative organism of amoebic dysentery (see DYSENTERY); Acanthamoeba and Naegleria fowleri cause the infection of the brain known as MENINGOENCEPHALITIS. Entamoeba histolytica may also cause meningoencephalitis. Other forms are found in the genital organs.... amoeba

Antipyretics

Measures used to reduce temperature in FEVER. Varieties include cold-sponging, wet-packs, baths and diaphoretic (sweat-reducing) drugs such as QUININE, salicylates and ASPIRIN.... antipyretics

Benzodiazepines

A large family of drugs used as HYPNOTICS, ANXIOLYTICS, TRANQUILLISERS, ANTICONVULSANTS, premedicants, and for intravenous sedation. Short-acting varieties are used as hypnotics; longer-acting ones as hypnotics and tranquillisers. Those with high lipid solubility act rapidly if given intravenously.

Benzodiazepines act at a speci?c centralnervous-system receptor or by potentiating the action of inhibitory neuro-transmitters. They have advantages over other sedatives by having some selectivity for anxiety rather than general sedation. They are safer in overdose. Unfortunately they may cause aggression, amnesia, excessive sedation, or confusion in the elderly. Those with long half-lives or with metabolites having long half-lives may produce a hangover e?ect, and DEPENDENCE on these is now well recognised, so they should not be prescribed for more than a few weeks. Commonly used benzodiazepines include nitrazepam, ?unitrazepam (a controlled drug), loprazolam, temazepam (a controlled drug) and chlormethiazole, normally con?ned to the elderly. All benzodiazepines should be used sparingly because of the risk of dependence.... benzodiazepines

Brassica Napus

Linn.

Family: Cruciferae; Brassicaceae.

Habitat: Cultivated in Punjab, Bengal and Bihar.

English: Mustard, Indian Rape.

Ayurvedic: Krishna-Sarshapa, Raajakshavaka, Kattaka, Katus- neha, Tantubha, Siddhaartha, Siddhaarthaka, Siddhaartha-sita, Rakshogna. (White variety of Sarshapa is also equated with Siddhaartha. Asita and Rakta seed varieties are reddish; Gaur and Siddhaartha are whitish.)

Unani: Kaali Sarson.

Action: Emollient, diuretic, anticatarrhal.

The oil gave brassino steroid—brasi- nolide. Seeds gave a antithyroid compound, 5-vinyl-2-oxazolidinethone; thioglucosides and thioglucosinolates. The seed oil is said to dissolves gallstone.... brassica napus

Buchu

Barosma betulina. N.O. Rutaceae.

Habitat: South Africa, from where the leaves are imported.

Features ? Three varieties of Buchu leaves are used therapeutic-ally ? (1) Barosma betulina or Round Buchu are rhomboid-obovate in form with blunt, recurved apex, and are preferred to either (2) Barosma crenulata or oval Buchu. the apex of which leaf is not recurved; or (3) Barosma serratifolia or long Buchu, named from its distinctive, serrate-edged leaf and truncate apex.

Part used ? Leaves.

Action: Diuretic, diaphoretic, stimulant:

Complaints of the urinary system, especially gravel and inflammation or catarrh of the bladder. Infusion of 1 ounce leaves to 1 pint water three or four times daily in wineglass doses.... buchu

Cucurbits

Cucurbitaceae

The family Cucurbitaceae includes a large group of plants which are medicinally valuable. The important genera belonging to the family are Trichosanthes, Lagenaria, Luffa, Benincasa, Momordica, Cucumis, Citrullus, Cucurbita, Bryonopsis and Corallocarpus. The medicinally valuable species of these genera are discussed below.

1. Trichosanthes dioica Roxb.

Eng: Wild Snake-gourd; San: Meki,Pargavi, Parvara, Patola;

Hin: Palval, Parvar

Ben: Potol;

Mal: Kattupatavalam, Patolam;

Tam: Kombuppudalai;

Tel: Kommupotta

Wild snake-gourd is a slender-stemmed, extensively climbing, more or less scabrous and woolly herb found throughout the plains of N. India, extending to Assam and W. Bengal. Tendrils are 2-4 fid. Leaves are 7.5x5cm in size, ovate-oblong, cordate, acute, sinuate- dentate, not lobed, rigid, rough on both surface and with a petiole of 2cm. Flowers are unisexual. Male flowers are not racemed but woolly outside. Calyx tube is 4.5cm long, narrow, teeth linear and erect. Anthers are free. Fruit is 5.9cm long, oblong or nearly spherical, acute, smooth and orange-red when ripe. Seeds are half-ellipsoid, compressed and corrugated on the margin (Kirtikar and Basu, 1988). The unripe fruit of this is generally used as a culinary vegetable and is considered very wholesome and specially suited for the convalescent. The tender shoots are given in decoction with sugar to assist digestion. The seeds are useful for disorders of the stomach. The leaf juice is rubbed over the chest in liver congestion and over the whole body in intermittent fevers (Nadkarni, 1998). The fruit is used as a remedy for spermatorrhoea. The fresh juice of the unripe fruit is often used as a cooling and laxative adjunct to some alterative medicines. In bilious fever, a decoction of patola leaves and coriander in equal parts is given. The fruit in combination with other drugs is prescribed in snakebite and scorpion sting (Kirtikar and Basu, 1988).

Fruits contain free amino acids and 5-hydroxy tryptamine. Fatty acids from seeds comprise elaeostearic, linoelic, oleic and saturated acids. The aerial part is hypoglycaemic. Leaf and root is febrifuge. Root is hydragogue, cathartic and tonic. Unripe leaf and fruit is laxative (Husain et al, 1992). The plant is alterative and tonic. Leaves are anthelmintic. Flower is tonic and aphrodisiac. The ripe fruit is sour to sweet, tonic, aphrodisiac, expectorant and removes blood impurities.

The other important species belonging to the genus Trichosanthes are as follows.

T. palmata Roxb. T. cordata Roxb. T. nervifolia Linn.

T. cucumerina Linn.

T. anguina Linn.

T. wallichiana Wight. syn. T. multiloba Clarke

2. Lagenaria vulgaris Ser. syn. Cucurbita Lagenaria Linn. ; Roxb.

Eng: Bottle gourd San: Alabu Hin: Lauki, Jangli-khaddu

Ben: Lau, Kodu

Mal: Katuchuram, Churakka

Tam: Soriai-kay

Tel: Surakkaya

Bottle gourd is a large softly pubescent climbing or trailing herb which is said to be indigenous in India, the Molucas and in Abyssinia. It has stout 5-angled stems with bifid tendrils. Leaves are ovate or orbiculate, cordate, dentate, 5-angular or 5-lobed, hairy on both surfaces. Flowers are large, white, solitary, unisexual or bisexual, the males long and females short peduncled. Ovary is oblong, softly pubescent with short style and many ovules. Fruits are large, usually bottle or dumb-bell-shaped, indehiscent and polymorphous. Seeds are many, white, horizontal, compressed, with a marginal groove and smooth. There are sweet fruited and bitter-fruited varieties (Kirtikar and Basu, 1988). The fruit contains a thick white pulp which, in the cultivated variety (kodu) is sweet and edible, while in the smaller wild variety (tamri) it is bitter and a powerful purgative. The seeds yield clear limpid oil which is cooling and is applied to relieve headache. The pulp of the cultivated forms is employed as and adjunct to purgatives and considered cool, diuretic and antibilious, useful in cough, and as an antidote to certain poisons. Externally it is applied as a poultice. The leaves are purgative and recommended to be taken in the form of decoction for jaundice (Nadkarni, 1998). In the case of sweet-fruited variety, the stem is laxative and sweet. The fruit is sweet oleagenous, cardiotonic, general tonic, aphrodisiac, laxative and cooling. In the case of bitter-fruited variety, the leaves are diuretic, antibilious; useful in leucorrhoea, vaginal and uterine complaints and earache. The fruit is bitter, hot, pungent, emetic, cooling, cardiotonic, antibilious; cures asthma, vata, bronchitis, inflammations ulcers and pains.

3. Luffa acutangula (Linn.) Roxb.

Eng: Ridged gourd; San: Dharmargavah, Svadukosataki;

Hin: Tori, Katitori;

Ben: Ghosha

Mal: Peechil, Peechinga;

Tam: Pikangai, Prikkangai;

Tel: Birakaya;

Kan: Kadupadagila

Ridged gourd or ribbed gourd is a large monoecious climber cultivated throughout India. It is with 5-angled glabrous stems and trifid tendrils. Leaves are orbicular-cordate, palmately 5-7 lobed, scabrous on both sides with prominent veins and veinlets. Flowers are yellow, males arranged in 12-20 flowered axillary racemes. Female flowers are solitary, arranged in the axils of the males. Ovary is strongly ribbed. Fruits are oblong-clavate with 10-sharp angles 15-30cm long, tapering towards the base. Seeds are black, ovoid-oblong, much compressed and not winged (Warrier et al, 1995). The leaves are used in haemorrhoids, leprosy, granular-conjunctivitis and ringworm. The seeds are useful in dermatopathy. The juice of the fresh leaves is dropped into the eyes of children in granular conjunctivitis, also to prevent the lids from adhering at night on account of excessive meihomian secretion (Nadkarni, 1998). Fruits are demulcent, diuretic, tonic, expectorant, laxative and nutritive. The seeds are bitter, emetic, cathartic, expectorant and purgative.

The other important species of the genus Luffa are:

L. aegyptiaca Mill.

L. acutangula var. amara Clarke

L. echinata Roxb.

4. Benincasa hispida (Thumb.) Cogn. syn. B. cerifera Savi.

Eng: Ash gourd, White gourd melon; San: Kusmandah;

Hin: Petha, Raksa;

Ben: Kumra

Mal: Kumpalam;

Tam: Pusanikkai;

Kan: Bile Kumbala;

Tel: Bodigummadi

Ash gourd or White gourd melon is a large trailing gourd climbing by means of tendrils which is widely cultivated in tropical Asia. Leaves are large and hispid beneath. Flowers are yellow, unisexual with male peduncle 7.5-10cm long and female peduncle shorter. Fruits are broadly cylindric, 30-45cm long, hairy throughout and ultimately covered with a waxy bloom. The fruits are useful in asthma, cough, diabetes, haemoptysis, hemorrhages from internal organs, epilepsy, fever and vitiated conditions of pitta. The seeds are useful in dry cough, fever, urethrorrhea, syphilis, hyperdipsia and vitiated conditions of pitta (Warrier et al,1993). It is a rejuvenative drug capable of improving intellect and physical strength. In Ayurveda, the fresh juice of the fruit is administered as a specific in haemoptysis and other haemorrhages from internal organs. The fruit is useful in insanity, epilepsy and other nervous diseases, burning sensation, diabetes, piles and dyspepsia. It is a good antidote for many kinds of vegetable, mercurial and alcoholic poisoning. It is also administered in cough, asthma or respiratory diseases, heart diseases and catarrah. Seeds are useful in expelling tapeworms and curing difficult urination and bladder stones. The important formulations using the drug are Kusmandarasayana, Himasagarataila, Dhatryadighrita, Vastyamantakaghrita, Mahaukusmandakaghrita, etc. (Sivarajan et al, 1994).

Fruits contain lupeol, -sitosterol, n-triacontanol, vitamin B, mannitol and amino acids. The fruit is alterative, laxative, diuretic, tonic, aphrodisiac and antiperiodic. Seed and oil from seed is anthelmintic (Husain et al, 1992).

5. Momordica charantia Linn.

Eng: Bitter gourd, Carilla fruit San: Karavellam

Hin: Karela, Kareli

Mal: Kaypa, Paval

Tam: Pavakkai, Paval, Pakar

Tel: Kakara

Bitter gourd or Carilla fruit is a branched climbing annual which is cultivated throughout India. It is a monoecious plant with angled and grooved stems and hairy or villous young parts. Tendrils are simple, slender and elongate. Leaves are simple, orbicular, cordate and deeply divided into 5-7 lobes. Flowers are unisexual, yellow and arranged on 5-10cm long peduncles. Fruits are 5-15cm long with 3-valved capsules, pendulous, fusiform, ribbed and beaked bearing numerous triangular tubercles. Seeds are many or few with shining sculptured surface. The roots are useful in coloptosis and ophthalmopathy. The leaves are useful in vitiated conditions of pita, helminthiasis, constipation, intermittent fever, burning sensation of the sole and nyctalopia. The fruits are useful in skin diseases, leprosy, ulcers, wounds, burning sensation, constipation, anorexia, flatulence, colic, helminthiasis, rheumatalgia, gout, diabetes, asthma, cough, dysmenorrhoea, impurity of breast milk, fever and debility. Seeds are useful in the treatment of ulcers, pharyngodynia, and obstructions of the liver and spleen. The leaves and fruits are used for external application in lumbago, ulceration and bone fractures and internally in leprosy, haemorrhoids and jaundice (Warrier et al, 1995). The drug improves digestion, calms down sexual urge, quells diseases due to pitta and kapha and cures anaemia, anorexia, leprosy, ulcers, jaundice, flatulence and piles. Fruit is useful in gout, rheumatism and complaints of liver and spleen (Nadkarni, 1954; Aiyer and Kolammal, 1966; Mooss, 1976; Kurup et al, 1979). Kaccoradi taila is an important preparation using the drug (Sivarajan et al, 1994).

The seeds give triterpene glycosides, named momordicosides A, B, C, D and E, which are glycosides of cucurbit-5-en-triol, tetraol or pentaol. Leaves and vines give tetracyclic triterpenes-momordicines I, II and III (bitter principles). Immature fruits give several non-bitter and 2 bitter cucurbitacin glycosides. Four of the non-bitter glycosides, momordicosides F1, F2, G and I and the bitter momordicosides; K and L have also been characterized. Fruits, seeds and tissue culture give a polypeptide which contained 17 types of amino acids and showed hypoglycaemic activity. Fruits also give 5-hydroxy tryptamine and a neutral compound charantin (a steroidal glucoside), diosgenin, cholesterol, lanosterol and -sitosterol. Leaf is emetic, purgative and antibilious. Fruit is stomachic, tonic, carminative, febrifuge, antirheumatic and hypoglycaemic. Root is astringent. Fruit and leaf is anti-leprotic. Fruit, leaf and root are abortifacient and anti-diabetic. Leaf and seed is anthelmintic. Seed oil possesses antifeeding and insecticidal properties. Unsaponifiable matter from seed oil exhibited pronounced inhibitory activity against gram negative bacteria. Seed and fruit are hypoglycaemic, cytotoxic and anti-feedant (Husain et al, 1992).

Other important species belonging to the genus Momordica are as follows.

M. dioica Roxb.

M. cochinchinensis Spreng.

M. tuberosa Cogn.

M. balsamina Linn.

6. Cucumis melo Linn. syn. C. melo Linn. var. cultis Kurz., C. pubescens

Willd., C. callosus (Rottl.) Cogn.

Eng: Sweet melon San,

Hin: Kharbuja

Ben: Kharmul

Mal: Mulam

Tam: Chukkari-kai, Thumatti-kai, Mulampazham

Tel: Kharbuja-doshavSweet melon is a creeping annual extensively cultivated throughout India, found wild in India, Baluchistan and tropical Africa. The stem is creeping, angular and scabrous. Leaves are orbicular-reniform in outline, 5-angled or lobed, scabrous on both surfaces and often with soft hairs. Lobes of leaves are not very deep nor acute and with 5cm long petiole. Female peduncle is 5cm. Fruit is spherical, ovoid, elongate or contorted, glabrous or somewhat hairy, not spinous nor tuberculate.

Cucumis melo includes two varieties, namely,

C. melo var. momordica syn. C. momordica Roxb.

C. melo var. utilissimus Duthie & Fuller. syn. C. utilissimus Roxb.

The fruit is eaten raw and cooked. Its pulp forms a nutritive, demulcent, diuretic and cooling drink. It is beneficial as a lotion in chronic and acute eczema as well as tan and freckles and internally in cases of dyspepsia. Pulp mixed with cumin seeds and sugar candy is a cool diet in hot season. Seeds yield sweet edible oil which is nutritive and diuretic, useful in painful discharge and suppression of urine. The whole fruit is useful in chronic eczema (Kirtikar & Basu, 1988).

Seeds contain fatty acids-myristic, palmitic, oleic, linoleic; asparagine, glutamine, citrulline, lysine, histidine, arginine, phenylalanine, valine, tyrosine, leucine, iso-leucine, methionine, proline, threonine, tryptophan and crystine. Seed is tonic, lachrymatory, diuretic and urease inhibitor. Fruit pulp is eczemic. Fruit is tonic, laxative, galactagogue, diuretic and diaphoretic. The rind is vulnerary (Husain et al, 1992).

7. Cucumic sativus Linn.

Eng: Cucumber, Common cucumber; San: Trapusah;

Hin,

Ben: Khira;

Mal: Vellari

Tam: Vellarikkai, Pippinkai;

Kan: Mullusavte;

Tel: Dosekaya

Cucumber is a climbing annual which is cultivated throughout India, found wild in the Himalayas from Kumaon to Sikkim. It is a hispidly hairy trailing or climbing annual. Leaves are simple, alternate, deeply cordate, 3-5 lobed with both surfaces hairy and denticulate margins. Flowers are yellow, males clustered, bearing cohering anthers, connective crusted or elevated above the cells. Females are solitary and thickly covered with very bulbous based hairs. Fruits are cylindrical pepo of varying sizes and forms. Seeds are cream or white with hard and smooth testa. The fruits are useful in vitiated conditions of pitta, hyperdipsia, burning sensation, thermoplegia, fever, insomnia, cephalgia, bronchitis, jaundice, haemorrhages, strangury and general debility. The seeds are useful in burning sensation, pitta, constipation, intermittent fevers, strangury, renal calculus, urodynia and general debility (Warrier et al, 1994). The leaves boiled and mixed with cumin seeds, roasted, powdered and administered in throat affections. Powdered and mixed with sugar, they are powerful diuretic (Nadkarni, 1998). The fruits and seeds are sweet, refrigerant, haemostatic, diuretic and tonic. Other important species belonging to the genus are:

C. trigonus Roxb. syn. C. pseudo-colocynthis

C. prophetarum Linn.

8. Citrullus colocynthis (Linn.) Schrader. syn. Cucumis colocynthis Linn.

Eng: Colocynth, Bitter apple; San: Visala, Mahendravaruni;

Hin: Badi indrayan, Makkal

Ben: Makhal;

Mal: Kattuvellari (Valutu), Valiya pekkummatti;

Tel: Etti-puchcha

Tam: Paitummatti, Petummatti;

Colocynth or Bitter apple is found, cultivated and wild, throughout India in warmer areas. It is an extensively trailing annual herb with bifid tendrils angular branching stems and wooly tender shoots. Leaves are deeply divided, lobes narrow thick, glabrous or somewhat hairy. Flowers are unisexual, yellow, both males and females solitary and with pale-yellow corolla. Fruit is a globose or oblong fleshy indehiscent berry, 5-7.5cm in diameter and variegated with green and white. Seeds are pale brown. The fruits are useful in tumours, ascites, leucoderma, ulcers, asthma, bronchitis, urethrorrhea, jaundice, dyspepsia, constipations, elephantiasis, tubercular glands of the neck and splenomegaly (Warrier et al, 1994). It is useful in abnormal presentations of the foetus and in atrophy of the foetus. In addition to the above properties, the root has a beneficial action in inflammation of the breasts, pain in the joints; externally it is used in ophthalmia and in uterine pains. The fruit and root, with or without is rubbed into a paste with water and applied to boils and pimples. In rheumatism, equal parts of the root and long pepper are given in pill. A paste of the root is applied to the enlarged abdomen of children (Kirtikar and Basu, 1988). The fruit is useful in ascites, biliousness, jaundice, cerebral congestion, colic, constipation dropsy, fever, worms and sciatica. Root is given in cases of abdominal enlargement, cough, asthma, inflammation of the breast, ulcers, urinary diseases and rheumatism. Oil from seeds is used for poisonous bites, bowel complaints, epilepsy and also for blackening the hair (Nadkarni, 1954; Dey, 1980). The important formulations using the root and fruit are Abhayarista, Mahatiktakam kasaya, Manasamitravatakam, Cavikasava, Madhuyastyadi taila, etc. (Sivarajan et al, 1994). The powder is often used as an insecticide. The extract should never be given without some aromatic to correct its griping tendency (Nadkarni, 1998).

Fruit contains a glycoside- colocynthin, its aglycone- -elaterin, citrulluin, citrullene and citrullic acid. Unripe fruit contains p-hydroxy benzyl methyl ester. Roots contain - elaterin and hentriacontane (Husain et al, 1992). Colocynth is, in moderate doses, drastic, hydrogogue, cathartic and diuretic. In large doses, it is emetic and gastro-intestinal irritant and in small doses, it is expectorant and alterative. Colocynthin is a cathartic and intensely bitter principle. It has a purgative action. All parts of the plant are very bitter. The fruit has been described as cathartic (Nadkarni, 1982).

9. Citrullus vulgaris Schrad. syn. C. lanatus (Thunb.) Mats. & Nakai.

Eng: Water melon; San: Tarambuja;

Hin: Tarbuj;

Ben: Tarbuz

Mal: Thannimathan;

Tam: Pitcha, Dharbusini

Watermelon is an extensively climbing annual which is largely cultivated throughout India and in all warm countries. It has thick angular branching stems. Tendrils are bifid, stout and pubescent. Leaves are long, deeply divided or moderately lobed, glabrous or somewhat hairy and hardly scabrous. Petiole is a little shorter than the limb and villous. Calyx-lobes are narrowly lanceolate, equalling the tube. Corolla is yellow within, greenish outside and villous. Lobes are ovate-oblong, obtuse and prominently 5-nerved. Fruit is sub-globose or ellipsoid, smooth, greenish or clouded, often with a glaucous waxy coating. Flesh is juicy, red or yellowish white. Seeds are usually margined. C. vulgaris var. fistulosus Duthie & Fuller. syn. C. fistulosus has its fruit about the size of small turnip, the seeds of which are used medicinally. The fruit is tasteless when unripe and sweet when ripe. The unripe fruit is used to cure jaundice. Ripe fruit cures kapha and vata and causes biliousness. It is good for sore eyes, scabies and itching. The seeds are tonic to the brain and used as a cooling medicine. An emulsion of the seeds is made into a poultice with the pounded leaves and applied hot in cases of intestinal inflammations (Kirtikar and Basu, 1988). Fruit juice is good in quenching thirst and it is used as an antiseptic in typhus fever with cumin and sugar. It is used as a cooling drink in strangury and affections of urinary organs such as gonorrhoea; in hepatic congestion and intestinal catarrh. The bitter watermelon of Sind is known as “Kirbut” and is used as a purgative.

Seeds yield a fixed oil and proteids; citrullin. Seeds are cooling, demulcent, diuretic, vermifuge and nutritive. Pulp is cooling and diuretic. Fruit-juice is cooling and refreshing (Nadkarni, 1982).

10. Curcurbita pepo Linn. syn. Pepo vulgaris et P. verrucosus Moench

Meth.

Eng: Pompion, Pumpkin, Vegetable Marrow; San: Karkaru, Kurkaru, Kushmandi

Hin,

Ben: Kadimah, Konda, Kumra, Safedkkadu;

Mal: Mathan, Matha

Tel: Budadegummadi, Pottigummadi

Pompion or Pumpkin is a climbing herb which is considered to be a native of America and cultivated in many parts of India. The stem and leaves are with a harsh prickly armature. Foliage is stiff, more or less rigid and erect. Leaves are with a broad triangular pointed outline and often with deep lobes. Corolla is mostly with erect or spreading (not drooping) pointed lobes, the tube narrowing towards the base. Peduncle is strongly 5-angled and little or much expanding near the fruit. The fruit is cooling and astringent to the bowels, increases appetite, cures leprosy, ‘kapha and vata’, thirst, fatigue and purifies the blood. The leaves are used to remove biliousness. Fruit is good for teeth, throat and eyes and allays thirst. Seeds cure sore chests, haemoptysis, bronchitis and fever. It is good for the kidney and brain. The leaves are used as an external application for burns. The seeds are considered anthelmintic. The seeds are largely used for flavouring certain preparations of Indian hemp, and the root for a nefarious purpose, viz., to make the preparation more potent. The seeds are taeniacide, diuretic and demulcent. The fruit is cooling, laxative and astringent. The leaves are digestible, haematinic and analgesic.

The other important species belonging to the genus Cucurbita is C. maxima Duchena, the seeds of which are a popular remedy for tape-worm and oil as a nervine tonic (Kirtikar & Basu, 1988).

11. Corallocarpus epigaeus Benth. ex Hook. f. syn. Bryonia epigaea Wight.

San: Katunahi;

Hin: Akasgaddah;

Mal: Kadamba, Kollankova

Tam: Akashagarudan, Gollankovai;

Tel: Murudonda, Nagadonda

Corallocarpus is a prostrate or climbing herb distributed in Punjab, Sind, Gujarat, Deccan, Karnataka and Sri Lanka. It is monoecious with large root which is turnip-shaped and slender stem which is grooved, zigzag and glabrous. Tendrils are simple, slender and glabrous. Leaves are sub-orbicular in outline, light green above and pale beneath, deeply cordate at the base, angled or more or less deeply 3-5 lobed. Petiole is long and glabrous. Male flowers are small and arranged at the tip of a straight stiff glabrous peduncle. Calyx is slightly hairy, long and rounded at the base. Corolla is long and greenish yellow. Female flowers are usually solitary with short, stout and glabrous peduncles. Fruit is stalked, long, ellipsoid or ovoid. Seeds are pyriform, turgid, brown and with a whitish corded margin. It is prescribed in later stages of dysentery and old veneral complaints. For external use in chronic rheumatism, it is made into a liniment with cumin seed, onion and castor oil. It is used in case of snakebite where it is administered internally and applied to the bitten part. The root is given in syphilitic rheumatism and later stages of dysentery. The plant is bitter, sweet, alexipharmic and emetic. The root is said to possess alterative and laxative properties (Kirtikar and Basu, 1988). Root contains a bitter principle like Breyonin (Chopra et al, 1980).

Agrotechnology: Cucurbits can be successfully grown during January-March and September- December. For the rainfed crop, sowing can also be started after the receipt of the first few showers.

Pits of 60cm diameter and 30-45cm depth are to be taken at the desired spacing. Well rotten FYM or vegetable mixture is to be mixed with topsoil in the pit and seeds are to be sown at 4-5/pit. Unhealthy plants are to be removed after 2 weeks and retained 2-3 plants/pit. FYM is to be applied at 20-25t/ha as basal dose along with half dose of N (35kg/ha) and full dose of P (25kg) and K (25kg). The remaining dose of N (35kg) can be applied in 2 equal split doses at fortnightly intervals. During the initial stages of growth, irrigation is to be given at an interval of 3-4 days and at alternate days during flowering and fruiting periods. For trailing cucumber, pumpkin and melon, dried twigs are to be spread on the ground. Bitter gourd, bottle gourd, snake gourd and ash gourd are to be trailed on Pandals. Weeding and raking of the soil are to be conducted at the time of fertilizer application. Earthing up may be done during rainy season. The most dreaded pest of cucurbits is fruit flies which can be controlled by using fruit traps, covering the fruits with polythene, cloth or paper bags, removal and destruction of affected fruits and lastly spraying with Carbaryl or Malathion 0. 2% suspension containing sugar or jaggery at 10g/l at fortnightly intervals after fruit set initiation. During rainy season, downy mildew and mosaic diseases are severe in cucurbits. The former can be checked by spraying Mancozeb 0.2%. The spread of mosaic can be checked by controlling the vectors using Dimethoate or Phosphamidon 0.05% and destruction of affected plants and collateral hosts. Harvesting to be done at least 10 days after insecticide or fungicide application (KAU,1996).... cucurbits

Datura

Datura metel

Solanaceae

San: Dhustura Hin.: Kaladhatura

Ben: Dhatura Mal: Ummam Kan; Dattura

Tam: Vellummattai

Tel: Tellavummetta

Importance: Downy datura or thorn apple is an erect branched under shrub whose intoxicating and narcotic properties have been made use of by man from ancient time. The plant and fruit are spasmolytic, anticancerous and anthelmintic. Leaves and seeds are inhaled in whooping cough, asthma and other respiratory diseases. Root, leaf and seed are febrifuge, antidiarrhoeal, anticatarrhal and are used in insanity, cerebral complications and skin diseases. Leaf is antitumour, antirheumatic and vermicide. Flower is antiasthamatic, anaesthetic and is employed in swellings and eruptions on face. Fruit juice is used in earache and seed decoction in ophthalmia. For the rheumatic swellings of joints, lumbago, sciatica and neuralgia, warm leaf smeared with an oil is used as a bandage or sometimes the leaf is made into a poultice and applied. The root boiled with milk is used in insanity. It is also an ingredient in the ayurvedic preparation Kanakasva used in bronchial troubles, and the Unani formulations “Roghan dhatura” used as a massage oil for the paralysed part. The alkaloids of pharmaceutical interest present in the plant are hyoscyamine, hyoscine and meteloidine. Datura is the chief commercial source of hyoscine available from natural source. Hyoscine, in the form of hyoscine hydrobromide, is used as a pre-anaesthetic in surgery, child birth, ophthalmology and prevention of motion sickness. It is also employed in the relief of withdrawal symptoms in morphine and alcoholic addiction, paralysis agitans, post- encephaletic parkinsonianism and to allay sexual excitement. Hyoscyamine and its salt hyoscyamine sulphate and hyoscyamine hydrobromide are used in delerium, tremour, menia and parkinsonianism (Kaul and Singh, (1995).

Distribution: Datura is distributed throughout the world, particularly the warmer regions. Datura stramonium is indigenous to India. Out of 15 species reported from different parts of the world, only 10 are known to occur in India. They are found commonly in wastelands, gardens and roadsides. They are distributed in rich localities under semi -arid and arid regions of Punjab, Haryana, Rajastan, and Gujarat; the Central Plateau of Andhra Pradesh and Maharastra and the southern peninsular region of Tamil Nadu. Datura innoxia is indigenous to Mexico and is distributed in Latin American countries. A wealth of genetic stock on genotypes and varieties are maintained in several research institutes in Germany, Bulgaria, USSR and Poland.

Botany: The genus Datura, belonging to the family solanaceae, consists of annual and perennial herbs, shrubs and trees. Three species,viz, Datura metel Linn., D. stramonium Linn. and D. innoxia Mill. are medicinally important. D. innoxia mill. and D. metel Linn. (var. alba, and var, fastuosa) are the choice drug plants, rich in hyoscine. D. metel Linn. is the most common in India. The names, D. metel Linn., D. fastuosa Linn., D. alba Nees., D. fastuosa Linn. var. alba (Nees) C.B. Clarke and D. metel Linn. var. fastuosa (Linn.) Safford are synonymously used by many workers. Two varieties are often noted in D. metel Linn., namely the white flowered var. alba and purple flowered var. fastuosa. D. metel Linn. is an erect succulent branched undershrub divaricate often purplish branches and ovate pubescent leaves which are oblique at the base of lamina. Flowers are large, solitary, short pedicelled, purplish outside and white inside. Fruits are sub-globose capsules covered all over with numerous, fleshy prickles, irregularly breaking when mature. Seeds are numerous, smooth, yellowish brown. (warrier et al, 1994).

Agrotechnology: Datura grows well in a wide range of climate from tropical to temperate conditions.

The plant thrives best in areas of low rainfall where winter and monsoon rains are followed by long dry periods. Areas with annual rainfall below 1000mm with mean temperature of 10-15oC in winter and 27 - 28oC in May-June are ideal. The crop cannot stand frost, high rainfall or high temperature in the plains in May-June. It grows on majority of soils, however, alkaline or neutral clay loam soil or those tending to saline-alkaline reaction rich in organic matter are ideal for vigorous growth. The clayey, acidic, water-logged or moisture deficient soils do not suit this crop.

The plant is propagated by seeds but it is characterised by poor and often erratic seed germination which can be improved either by leaching out the inhibitor from the seeds or by alternate freezing and thawing of seeds. The optimum season for raising the crop is Rabi in tropical and subtropical areas while Kharif in temperate areas. The seeds can be broadcast - sown or seedlings can be raised in nursery and then transplanted. Seed rate is 7-8 kg/ha for broadcasting and 2-3 kg/ha. for transplanting. The field is ploughed and disced adequately to produce fine seed bed. In the case of direct seeding, seeds are drilled in rows taken 45-60 cm apart. The plants are thinned to keep a spacing of 30-45 cm at the time of first weeding. In the case of transplanting 4-6 weeks old seedlings are planted at 45-60 x 30-45 cm spacing. The field should be irrigated immediately after sowing or planting if soil moisture is inadequate. Thereafter 3-4 irrigations may be given if sufficient rainfall is not received. Application of organic manure at 10-15 t/ha and fertilisers at 60:40:40 kg N, P2O5 and K2O/ha is recommended for the crop for better growth and yield N may be applied in 3-4 equal split doses at planting and after each weeding which is required 2-3 times during the growing season. Application of micronutrients is reported to improve the alkaloid contents. No major insect pest is known to attack this crop. However, leaf spot, wilt and mosaic diseases cause damage to this crop. Leaf spot is caused by Alternaria tennuissima (Nees) Wiltshire and characterised by brown round to oval spots, becoming necrotic at later stage which leads to withering and dropping of leaves. Wilt is caused by Sclerotium rolfsii Sace; it starts with dropping of leaves and finally wilting of the entire plant. Root and foot wilt, caused by Corticium solani, appears as damping off of seedlings and mature plants. Datura distortion mosaic is characterised by yellowing of the veins followed by inward rolling and distortion of leaves with a reduction in plant size. For reducing the impact of these diseases, field sanitation, use of resistant varieties, crop rotation for 3-4 years and fungicide application should be resorted to. For the purpose of leaf and top, harvesting is done as soon as flowering starts. Entire top containing leaves and twigs is cut, dried in shade and stored in gunny bags. For seed and fruit, fully grown fruits, still green are picked 2-3 times before final harvest when the entire plant is cut from the base and dried in the open. The dried fruits are then thrashed with a stick to separate the seeds. The seed yield is 1-1.5 t/ha. (Husain, 1993; Kaul and Singh, 1995)

Properties and activity: The alkaloids hyoscyamine and hyoscine (scopolamine) and meteloidine are found in all parts of the plant. The total alkaloid content is 0.26 - 0.42 % Fruits contain daturaolone and daturadiol while roots contain additionally ditigloyloxy tropane derivatives, tigloidine, apohyoscine, norhyoscine, norhyocyamine, cusiohygrine and tropine. Other alkaloids isolated from the plant are apohyoscyamine, DL-scopolamine, normeteloidine, tigloylputrescine, scopine, nortigloidine, tropine, psuedo valeroidine, fastudine, fastunine, fastusinine, 7-hydroxy-3, 6-ditigloyloxytropane (2) datura nolone and fastusic acid. The physiological effects of hyoscyamine are qualitatively the same as those of its recemic derivative atropine. This is relatively more active in its paralysing affect on nerve endings and less active in its stimulant action on the central nervous system. The sedative and hypnotic action of hyoscyamine is weaker than that of hyoscine. Atropine has a stimulant action on the central nervous system and depresses the nerve endings to the secretary glands and plain muscles. The plant or the different alkaloids have narcotic, anthelmintic, spasmolytic anaesthetic, sedative, ophthalmic, anticancerous, antitumour, antirheumatic, antiasthmatic, antidiarrhoeal and anticatarrhal activities. (Thakur et al, 1989).... datura

Deodorants

Substances which remove or lessen objectionable odours. Some, which have a powerful odour, simply cover other smells, but the most e?ective act by giving o? oxygen, so as to convert the objectionable substances into simple and harmless ones.

Varieties Volatile oils of plants, such as eucalyptus and turpentine, chlorine water and chlorinated lime, peroxide of hydrogen and charcoal have been used as deodorants. There are now many commercial products available.... deodorants

Escherichia

The generic name for the group of gram-negative, usually motile, rod-shaped BACTERIA that can ferment CARBOHYDRATE. They occur naturally in the intestines of humans and some animals. E. coli, which ferments lactose, is not normally harmful but some varieties, particularly E. coli O157, cause gastrointestinal infections which may be severe in old people. E. coli is also used in laboratory experiments for genetic and bacteriological research.... escherichia

Evaluation

A process that attempts to determine, as systematically and objectively as possible, the relevance, effectiveness and impact of activities in the light of their objectives. Several varieties of evaluation can be distinguished, e.g. evaluation of structure, process and outcome.... evaluation

Apples

Nutritional Profile Energy value (calories per serving): Low Protein: Low Fat: Low Saturated fat: Low Cholesterol: None Carbohydrates: High Fiber: High Sodium: Low (fresh or dried fruit) High (dried fruit treated with sodium sulfur compounds) Major vitamin contribution: Vitamin C Major mineral contribution: Potassium

About the Nutrients in This Food Apples are a high-fiber fruit with insoluble cellulose and lignin in the peel and soluble pectins in the flesh. Their most important vitamin is vitamin C. One fresh apple, 2.5 inches in diameter, has 2.4 g dietary fiber and 4.6 mg vitamin C (6 percent of the R DA for a woman, 5 percent of the R DA for a man). The sour taste of all immature apples (and some varieties, even when ripe) comes from malic acid. As an apple ripens, the amount of malic acid declines and the apple becomes sweeter. Apple seeds contain amygdalin, a naturally occurring cyanide/sugar compound that degrades into hydrogen cyanide. While accidentally swal- lowing an apple seed once in a while is not a serious hazard for an adult, cases of human poisoning after eating apple seeds have been reported, and swallowing only a few seeds may be lethal for a child.

The Most Nutritious Way to Serve This Food Fresh and unpared, to take advantage of the fiber in the peel and preserve the vitamin C, which is destroyed by the heat of cooking.

Diets That May Restrict or Exclude This Food Antiflatulence diet (raw apples) Low-fiber diet

Buying This Food Look for: Apples that are firm and brightly colored: shiny red Macintosh, Rome, and red Delicious; clear green Granny Smith; golden yellow Delicious. Avoid: Bruised apples. When an apple is damaged the injured cells release polyphenoloxi- dase, an enzyme that hastens the oxidation of phenols in the apple, producing brownish pigments that darken the fruit. It’s easy to check loose apples; if you buy them packed in a plastic bag, turn the bag upside down and examine the fruit.

Storing This Food Store apples in the refrigerator. Cool storage keeps them from losing the natural moisture that makes them crisp. It also keeps them from turning brown inside, near the core, a phe- nomenon that occurs when apples are stored at warm temperatures. Apples can be stored in a cool, dark cabinet with plenty of circulating air. Check the apples from time to time. They store well, but the longer the storage, the greater the natural loss of moisture and the more likely the chance that even the crispest apple will begin to taste mealy.

Preparing This Food Don’t peel or slice an apple until you are ready to use it. When you cut into the apple, you tear its cells, releasing polyphenoloxidase, an enzyme that darkens the fruit. Acid inactivates polyphenoloxidase, so you can slow the browning (but not stop it completely) by dipping raw sliced and/or peeled apples into a solution of lemon juice and water or vinegar and water or by mixing them with citrus fruits in a fruit salad. Polyphenoloxidase also works more slowly in the cold, but storing peeled apples in the refrigerator is much less effective than immersing them in an acid bath.

What Happens When You Cook This Food When you cook an unpeeled apple, insoluble cellulose and lignin will hold the peel intact through all normal cooking. The flesh of the apple, though, will fall apart as the pectin in its cell walls dissolves and the water inside its cells swells, rupturing the cell walls and turning the apples into applesauce. Commercial bakers keep the apples in their apple pies firm by treating them with calcium; home bakers have to rely on careful timing. To prevent baked apples from melting into mush, core the apple and fill the center with sugar or raisins to absorb the moisture released as the apple cooks. Cutting away a circle of peel at the top will allow the fruit to swell without splitting the skin. Red apple skins are colored with red anthocyanin pigments. When an apple is cooked, the anthocyanins combine with sugars to form irreversible brownish compounds.

How Other Kinds of Processing Affect This Food Juice. Apple juice comes in two versions: “cloudy” (unfiltered) and “clear” (filtered). Cloudy apple juice is made simply by chopping or shredding apples and then pressing out and straining the juice. Clear apple juice is cloudy juice filtered to remove solid particles and then treated with enzymes to eliminate starches and the soluble fiber pectin. Since 2000, follow- ing several deaths attributed to unpasteurized apple juice contaminated with E. coli O157: H7, the FDA has required that all juices sold in the United States be pasteurized to inactivate harmful organisms such as bacteria and mold. Note: “Hard cider” is a mildly alcoholic bever- age created when natural enzyme action converts the sugars in apple juice to alcohol; “non- alcohol cider” is another name for plain apple juice. Drying. To keep apple slices from turning brown as they dry, apples may be treated with sulfur compounds that may cause serious allergic reactions in people allergic to sulfites.

Medical Uses and/or Benefits As an antidiarrheal. The pectin in apple is a natural antidiarrheal that helps solidif y stool. Shaved raw apple is sometimes used as a folk remedy for diarrhea, and purified pectin is an ingredient in many over-the-counter antidiarrheals. Lower cholesterol levels. Soluble fiber (pectin) may interfere with the absorption of dietary fats, including cholesterol. The exact mechanism by which this occurs is still unknown, but one theory is that the pectins in the apple may form a gel in your stomach that sops up fats and cholesterol, carrying them out of your body as waste. Potential anticarcinogenic effects. A report in the April 2008 issue of the journal Nutrition from a team of researchers at the Universit y of Kaiserslautern, in Germany, suggests that several natural chemicals in apples, including but yrate (produced naturally when the pectin in apples and apple juice is metabolized) reduce the risk of cancer of the colon by nourishing and protecting the mucosa (lining) of the colon.

Adverse Effects Associated with This Food Intestinal gas. For some children, drinking excess amounts of apple juice produces intestinal discomfort (gas or diarrhea) when bacteria living naturally in the stomach ferment the sugars in the juice. To reduce this problem, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children ages one to six consume no more than four to six ounces of fruit juice a day; for children ages seven to 18, the recommended serving is eight to 12 ounces a day. Cyanide poisoning. See About the nutrients in this food. Sulfite allergies (dried apples). See How other kinds of processing affect this food.

Food/Drug Interactions Digoxin (Lanoxicaps, Lanoxin). Pectins may bind to the heart medication digoxin, so eating apples at the same time you take the drug may reduce the drug’s effectiveness.... apples

Bael

Aegle marmelos

Rutaceae

San: Bilva, Sriphal Hin, Ben, Ass: Bael Mal: Koovalam

Tam: Vilvam Mar,

Ben: Baela

Tel: Marendu, Bilvapondu

Guj: Bilviphal

Kan: Bilvapatra

Importance: Bael or Bengal quince is a deciduous sacred tree, associated with Gods having useful medicinal properties, especially as a cooling agent. This tree is popular in ‘Shiva’ and ‘Vishnu’ temples and it can be grown in every house. Its leaves are trifoliate symbolizing the ‘Thrimurthies’-Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, with spear shaped leaflets resembling “Thrisoolam” the weapon of Lord Shiva. Many legends, stories and myths are associated with this tree. The leaflets are given to devotees as ‘prasadam’ in Shiva temples and as ‘Tulasi’ in Vishnu temples.

Every part of the tree is medicinal and useful. The roots are used in many Ayurvedic medicines for curing diabetes and leprosy. It is an ingredient of the ‘dasamoola’. The Bark is used to cure intestinal disorders. Leaves contain an alkaloid rutacin which is hypoglycaemic.

‘Two leaves before breakfast’ is said to keep diabetes under control. Leaves and fruits are useful in controlling diarrhoea and dysentery. Fruit pulp is used as ‘shampoo’ and cooling agent. It is also a rich source of carbohydrate, protein, fat, fibre, minerals and vitamin B and C. Fruit pulp is used to cure mouth ulcers as it is the richest natural source of riboflavin (1191 units/ 100 g). ‘Bael sharbat’ is prepared by mixing the fruit pulp with sugar, water and tamarind juice, which is very useful for stomach and intestinal disorders. The rind of the fruit is used for dyeing and tanning. The aromatic wood is used to make pestles in oil and sugar mills and also to make agricultural implements (Rajarajan, 1997).

Distribution: Bael tree is native to India and is found growing wild in Sub-Himalayan tracts from Jhelum eastwards to West Bengal, in central and south India. It is grown all over the country, especially in the premises of temples and houses.

Botany: Aegle marmelos (Linn.) Corr.ex Roxb. belongs to the citrus family Rutaceae. The golden coloured bael fruit resembles a golden apple and hence the generic name Aegle. The specific name marmelos is derived from marmelosin contained in the fruit (Nair, 1997). Aegle marmelos is a medium sized armed deciduous tree growing upto 8m in height with straight sharp axillary thorns and yellowish brown shallowly furrowed corky bark. Leaves are alternate, trifoliate and aromatic; leaflets ovate or ovate-lanceolate, crenate, pellucid- punctate, the laterals subsessile and the terminal long petioled. Flowers are greenish-white, sweet scented, borne on axillary panicles. Fruit is globose, woody berry with golden yellow rind when ripe. Seeds are numerous oblong, compressed and embedded in the orange brown sweet gummy pulp.

Agrotechnology: Bael comes up well in humid tropical and subtropical climate. It grows on a wide range of soils from sandy loam to clay loam. North Indian varieties are preferred to South Indian types for large scale cultivation. Twelve varieties are cultivated in North India for their fruits. Kacha, Ettawa, Seven Large, Mirsapuri and Deo Reo Large are varieties meant specially for ‘Sharbat’. The plant is propagated mainly by seeds and rarely by root cuttings. Seeds are freshly extracted from ripe fruits after removing the pulp and then dried in sun. Seeds are soaked in water for 6 hours and sown on seed beds which are covered with rotten straw and irrigated regularly. Seeds germinate within 15-20 days. One month old seedlings can be transplanted into polybags which can be planted in the field after 2 months. Budded or grafted plants as well as new saplings arising from injured roots can also be used for planting. Grafted plants start yielding from the 4th year while the trees raised from seeds bear fruits after 7-10 years. Planting is done in the main field with onset of monsoon in June-July at a spacing of 6-8m. Pits of size 50cm3 are dug. Pits are filled with a mixture of top soil and 10kg of well decomposed FYM and formed into a heap. Seedlings are transplanted in the middle of the heap and mulched. Chemical fertilisers are not usually applied. The dose of organic manure is increased every year till 50kg/tree of 5 years or more. Regular irrigation and weeding are required during early stages of growth. No serious pests and diseases are noted in the crop. Bael tree flowers during April. The flowers are aromatic with pleasant and heavenly odour. The fruits are set and slowly develop into mature fruits. Fruits are seen from October-March. A single tree bears 200-400 fruits each weighing 1-2 kg. Roots can be collected from mature trees of age 10 years or more. Tree is cut down about 1m from the ground. The underground roots are carefully dug out. Roots with the attached wood is then marketed (Rajarajan,1997).

Properties and activity: Bael is reported to contain a number of coumarins, alkaloids, sterols and essential oils. Roots and fruits contain coumarins such as scoparone, scopoletin, umbelliferone, marmesin and skimmin. Fruits, in addition, contain xanthotoxol, imperatorin and alloimperatorin and alkaloids like aegeline and marmeline identified as N-2-hydroxy-2- 4 - (3’,3’-dimethyl allyloxy) phenyl ethyl cinnamide. - sitosterol and its glycoside are also present in the fruits. Roots and stem barks contain a coumarin - aegelinol. Roots also contain psoralen, xanthotoxin, 6,7-dimethoxy coumarin, tembamide, mermin and skimmianine. Leaves contain the alkaloids - O-(3,3-dimethyl allyl)-halfordinol, N-2-ethoxy-2 (4-methoxy phenyl) ethyl cinnamide, N-2-methoxy-2-(4-3’,3’-dimethyl allyloxy) phenyl ethyl cinnamide, N- 2-4-(3’,3’-dimethyl allyloxy) phenyl ethyl cinnamide, N-2-hydroxy-2- 4-(3’,3’-dimethyl allyloxy) phenyl ethyl cinnamide, N-4-methoxy steryl cinnamide and N-2-hydroxy-2-(4- hydroxy phenyl) ethyl cinnamide. Mermesinin, rutin and -sitosterol - -D-glucoside are also present in the leaves (Husain et al, 1992).

Root, bark, leaves and fruits are hypoglycaemic, astringent and febrifuge. Root, stem and bark are antidiarrhoeal and antivenin. Leaf is antiinflammatory, expectorant, anticatarrhal, antiasthamatic, antiulcerous and ophthalmic. Flower is emetic. Unripe fruit is stomachic and demulcent. Ripe fruit is antigonorrhoeal, cardiotonic, restorative, laxative, antitubercular, antidysenteric and antiscorbutic. Seed is anthelmintic and antimicrobial (Warrier et al, 1993).... bael

Broccoli

Nutritional Profile Energy value (calories per serving): Low Protein: High Fat: Low Saturated fat: Low Cholesterol: None Carbohydrates: Moderate Fiber: Very high Sodium: Low Major vitamin contribution: Vitamin A, folate, vitamin C Major mineral contribution: Calcium

About the Nutrients in This Food Broccoli is very high-fiber food, an excellent source of vitamin A, the B vitamin folate, and vitamin C. It also has some vitamin E and vitamin K, the blood-clotting vitamin manufactured primarily by bacteria living in our intestinal tract. One cooked, fresh broccoli spear has five grams of dietary fiber, 2,500 IU vitamin A (108 percent of the R DA for a woman, 85 percent of the R DA for a man), 90 mcg folate (23 percent of the R DA), and 130 mg vitamin C (178 percent of the R DA for a woman, 149 percent of the R DA for a man).

The Most Nutritious Way to Serve This Food Raw. Studies at the USDA Agricultural Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland, show that raw broccoli has up to 40 percent more vitamin C than broccoli that has been cooked or frozen.

Diets That May Restrict or Exclude This Food Antiflatulence diet Low-fiber diet

Buying This Food Look for: Broccoli with tightly closed buds. The stalk, leaves, and florets should be fresh, firm, and brightly colored. Broccoli is usually green; some varieties are tinged with purple. Avoid: Broccoli with woody stalk or florets that are open or turning yellow. When the green chlorophyll pigments fade enough to let the yellow carotenoids underneath show through, the buds are about to bloom and the broccoli is past its prime.

Storing This Food Pack broccoli in a plastic bag and store it in the refrigerator or in the vegetable crisper to protect its vitamin C. At 32°F, fresh broccoli can hold onto its vitamin C for as long as two weeks. Keep broccoli out of the light; like heat, light destroys vitamin C.

Preparing This Food First, rinse the broccoli under cool running water to wash off any dirt and debris clinging to the florets. Then put the broccoli, florets down, into a pan of salt water (1 tsp. salt to 1 qt. water) and soak for 15 to 30 minutes to drive out insects hiding in the florets. Then cut off the leaves and trim away woody section of stalks. For fast cooking, divide the broccoli up into small florets and cut the stalk into thin slices.

What Happens When You Cook This Food The broccoli stem contains a lot of cellulose and will stay firm for a long time even through the most vigorous cooking, but the cell walls of the florets are not so strongly fortified and will soften, eventually turning to mush if you cook the broccoli long enough. Like other cruciferous vegetables, broccoli contains mustard oils (isothiocyanates), natural chemicals that break down into a variety of smelly sulfur compounds (including hydrogen sulfide and ammonia) when the broccoli is heated. The reaction is more intense in aluminum pots. The longer you cook broccoli, the more smelly compounds there will be, although broccoli will never be as odorous as cabbage or cauliflower. Keeping a lid on the pot will stop the smelly molecules from floating off into the air but will also accelerate the chemical reaction that turns green broccoli olive-drab. Chlorophyll, the pigment that makes green vegetables green, is sensitive to acids. When you heat broccoli, the chlorophyll in its florets and stalk reacts chemically with acids in the broccoli or in the cooking water to form pheophytin, which is brown. The pheophytin turns cooked broccoli olive-drab or (since broccoli contains some yellow carotenes) bronze. To keep broccoli green, you must reduce the interaction between the chlorophyll and the acids. One way to do this is to cook the broccoli in a large quantity of water, so the acids will be diluted, but this increases the loss of vitamin C.* Another alternative is to leave the lid off the pot so that the hydrogen atoms can float off into the air, but this allows the smelly sulfur compounds to escape, too. The best way is probably to steam the broccoli quickly with very little water, so it holds onto its vitamin C and cooks before there is time for reac- tion between chlorophyll and hydrogen atoms to occur.

How Other Kinds of Processing Affect This Food Freezing. Frozen broccoli usually contains less vitamin C than fresh broccoli. The vitamin is lost when the broccoli is blanched to inactivate catalase and peroxidase, enzymes that would otherwise continue to ripen the broccoli in the freezer. On the other hand, according to researchers at Cornell University, blanching broccoli in a microwave oven—two cups of broccoli in three tablespoons of water for three minutes at 600 –700 watts—nearly doubles the amount of vitamin C retained. In experiments at Cornell, frozen broccoli blanched in a microwave kept 90 percent of its vitamin C, compared to 56 percent for broccoli blanched in a pot of boiling water on top of a stove.

Medical Uses and/or Benefits Protection against some cancers. Naturally occurring chemicals (indoles, isothiocyanates, glucosinolates, dithiolethiones, and phenols) in Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, cauli- flower, and other cruciferous vegetables appear to reduce the risk of some forms of cancer, perhaps by preventing the formation of carcinogens in your body or by blocking cancer- causing substances from reaching or reacting with sensitive body tissues or by inhibiting the transformation of healthy cells to malignant ones. All cruciferous vegetables contain sulforaphane, a member of a family of chemicals known as isothiocyanates. In experiments with laboratory rats, sulforaphane appears to increase the body’s production of phase-2 enzymes, naturally occurring substances that inacti- vate and help eliminate carcinogens. At the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, 69 percent of the rats injected with a chemical known to cause mammary cancer developed tumors vs. only 26 percent of the rats given the carcinogenic chemical plus sulforaphane. To get a protective amount of sulforaphane from broccoli you would have to eat about two pounds a week. But in 1997, Johns Hopkins researchers discovered that broccoli seeds and three-day-old broccoli sprouts contain a compound converted to sulforaphane when the seed and sprout cells are crushed. Five grams of three-day-old sprouts contain as much sulphoraphane as 150 grams of mature broccoli. * Broccoli will lose large amounts of vitamin C if you cook it in water t hat is cold when you start. As it boils, water releases ox ygen t hat would ot her wise dest roy vitamin C, so you can cut t he vitamin loss dramat ically simply by lett ing t he water boil for 60 seconds before adding t he broccoli. Vision protection. In 2004, the Johns Hopkins researchers updated their findings on sulfora- phane to suggest that it may also protect cells in the eyes from damage due to ultraviolet light, thus reducing the risk of macular degeneration, the most common cause of age-related vision loss. Lower risk of some birth defects. Up to two or every 1,000 babies born in the United States each year may have cleft palate or a neural tube (spinal cord) defect due to their mothers’ not having gotten adequate amounts of folate during pregnancy. The current R DA for folate is 180 mcg for a woman, 200 mcg for a man, but the FDA now recommends 400 mcg for a woman who is or may become pregnant. Taking a folate supplement before becoming pregnant and continuing through the first two months of pregnancy reduces the risk of cleft palate; taking folate through the entire pregnancy reduces the risk of neural tube defects. Broccoli is a good source of folate. One raw broccoli spear has 107 mcg folate, more than 50 percent of the R DA for an adult. Possible lower risk of heart attack. In the spring of 1998, an analysis of data from the records for more than 80,000 women enrolled in the long-running Nurses’ Health Study at Harvard School of Public Health/Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in Boston, demonstrated that a diet providing more than 400 mcg folate and 3 mg vitamin B6 daily, either from food or supple- ments, might reduce a woman’s risk of heart attack by almost 50 percent. Although men were not included in the study, the results were assumed to apply to them as well. However, data from a meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in December 2006 called this theory into question. Researchers at Tulane Univer- sity examined the results of 12 controlled studies in which 16,958 patients with preexisting cardiovascular disease were given either folic acid supplements or placebos (“look-alike” pills with no folic acid) for at least six months. The scientists, who found no reduction in the risk of further heart disease or overall death rates among those taking folic acid, concluded that further studies will be required to ascertain whether taking folic acid supplements reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. Possible inhibition of the herpes virus. Indoles, another group of chemicals in broccoli, may inhibit the growth of some herpes viruses. In 2003, at the 43rd annual Interscience Confer- ence on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, in Chicago, researchers from Stockholm’s Huddinge University Hospital, the University of Virginia, and Northeastern Ohio University reported that indole-3-carbinol (I3C) in broccoli stops cells, including those of the herpes sim- plex virus, from reproducing. In tests on monkey and human cells, I3C was nearly 100 percent effective in blocking reproduction of the HSV-1 (oral and genital herpes) and HSV-2 (genital herpes), including one strain known to be resistant to the antiviral drug acyclovir (Zovirax).

Adverse Effects Associated with This Food Enlarged thyroid gland. Cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli, contain goitrin, thio- cyanate, and isothiocyanate, chemical compounds that inhibit the formation of thyroid hormones and cause the thyroid to enlarge in an attempt to produce more. These chemicals, known collectively as goitrogens, are not hazardous for healthy people who eat moderate amounts of cruciferous vegetables, but they may pose problems for people who have thyroid problems or are taking thyroid medication. False-positive test for occult blood in the stool. The guaiac slide test for hidden blood in feces relies on alphaguaiaconic acid, a chemical that turns blue in the presence of blood. Broccoli contains peroxidase, a natural chemical that also turns alphaguaiaconic acid blue and may produce a positive test in people who do not actually have blood in the stool.

Food/Drug Interactions Anticoagulants Broccoli is rich in vitamin K, the blood-clotting vitamin produced natu- rally by bacteria in the intestines. Consuming large quantities of this food may reduce the effectiveness of anticoagulants (blood thinners) such as warfarin (Coumadin). One cup of drained, boiled broccoli contains 220 mcg vitamin K, nearly four times the R DA for a healthy adult.... broccoli

Germ Layer

Any one of the three discrete varieties of body tissue that develop in the early stages of growth of the EMBRYO. Development of the layers can be followed throughout the embryo’s stages of growth and specialisation into the body’s full range of tissues and organs (see ECTODERM; ENDODERM; MESODERM).... germ layer

Goitre

Goitre is a term applied to a swelling in the front of the neck caused by an enlargement of the THYROID GLAND. The thyroid lies between the skin and the front of the windpipe and in health is not large enough to be seen. The four main varieties of goitre are the simple goitre, the nodular, the lymphadenoid goitre and the toxic goitre. (See THYROID GLAND, DISEASES OF.)... goitre

Beta-adrenoceptor-blocking Drugs

Also called beta blockers, these drugs interrupt the transmission of neuronal messages via the body’s adrenergic receptor sites. In the HEART these are called beta1 (cardioselective) receptors. Another type – beta2 (non-cardioselective) receptors – is sited in the airways, blood vessels, and organs such as the eye, liver and pancreas. Cardioselective beta blockers act primarily on beta1 receptors, whereas non-cardioselective drugs act on both varieties, beta1 and beta2. (The neurotransmissions interrupted at the beta-receptor sites through the body by the beta blockers are initiated in the ADRENAL GLANDS: this is why these drugs are sometimes described as beta-adrenergic-blocking agents.)

They work by blocking the stimulation of beta adrenergic receptors by the neurotransmitters adrenaline and noradrenaline, which are produced at the nerve endings of that part of the SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM – the autonomous (involuntary) network

– which facilitates the body’s reaction to anxiety, stress and exercise – the ‘fear and ?ight’ response.

Beta1 blockers reduce the frequency and force of the heartbeat; beta2 blockers prevent vasodilation (increase in the diameter of blood vessels), thus in?uencing the patient’s blood pressure. Beta1 blockers also affect blood pressure, but the mechanism of their action is unclear. They can reduce to normal an abnormally fast heart rate so the power of the heart can be concomitantly controlled: this reduces the oxygen requirements of the heart with an advantageous knock-on e?ect on the respiratory system. These are valuable therapeutic effects in patients with ANGINA or who have had a myocardial infarction (heart attack – see HEART, DISEASES OF), or who suffer from HYPERTENSION. Beta2 blockers reduce tremors in muscles elsewhere in the body which are a feature of anxiety or the result of thyrotoxicosis (an overactive thyroid gland – see under THYROID GLAND, DISEASES OF). Noncardioselective blockers also reduce the abnormal pressure caused by the increase in the ?uid in the eyeball that characterises GLAUCOMA.

Many beta-blocking drugs are now available; minor therapeutic di?erences between them may in?uence the choice of a drug for a particular patient. Among the common drugs are:

Primarily cardioselective Non-cardioselective
Acebutolol Labetalol
Atenolol Nadolol
Betaxolol Oxprenolol
Celiprolol Propanolol
Metoprolol Timolol

These powerful drugs have various side-effects and should be prescribed and monitored with care. In particular, people who suffer from asthma, bronchitis or other respiratory problems may develop breathing diffculties. Long-term treatment with beta blockers should not be suddenly stopped, as this may precipitate a severe recurrence of the patient’s symptoms – including, possibly, a sharp rise in blood pressure. Gradual withdrawal of medication should mitigate untoward effects.... beta-adrenoceptor-blocking drugs

Caesalpinia Bonduc

(L.) Roxb. Dandy & Exell.

Synonym: C. bonducella Flem. C. crista Linn.

Family: Caesalpiniaceae.

Habitat: Throughout the hotter parts of India. Common in West Bengal and South India. Often grown as hedge plant.

English: Fever Nut, Bonduc Nut, Nikkar Nut.

Ayurvedic: Puutikaranja, Lataa- karanja, Kantaki Karanja, Karanjin, Kuberaakshi (seed).

Unani: Karanjwaa.

Siddha/Tamil: Kazharchikkaai.

Action: Seed—antiperiodic, antirheumatic. Roasted and used as an antidiabetic preparation. Leaf, bark and seed—febrifuge. Leaf and bark—emmenagogue, anthelmintic. Root—diuretic, anticalculous.

The seeds contain an alkaloid cae- salpinine; bitter principles such as bon- ducin; saponins; fixed oil.

The seed powder, dissolved in water, showed hypoglycaemic activity in alloxanized hyperglycaemic rabbits. Aqueous extract of the seeds produced similar effects in rats. The powder forms a household remedy for treatment of diabetes in Nicobar Islands. In Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, roots are used in intermittent fevers and diabetes.

In homoeopathy, the plant is considered an excellent remedy for chronic fever.

(Three plant species—Pongamia pinnata Pierre, Holoptelea integrifo- lia (Roxb.) Planch. and Caesalpinia bonduc (L.) Roxb. are being used as varieties of Karanja (because flowers impart colour to water). P. pinnata is a tree and is equated with Karanja, Naktamaala and Udakirya; H. integri- folia, also a tree, with Chirabilva, Puti- ka (bad smell) and Prakiryaa; and C. bonduc, a shrub, with Kantaki Karanja or Lataa Karanja.)

Dosage: Seed kernel—1-3 g powder. (CCRAS.)... caesalpinia bonduc

Kidneys, Diseases Of

Diseases affecting the kidneys can be broadly classi?ed into congenital and genetic disorders; autoimmune disorders; malfunctions caused by impaired blood supply; infections; metabolic disorders; and tumours of the kidney. Outside factors may cause functional disturbances – for example, obstruction in the urinary tract preventing normal urinary ?ow may result in hydronephrosis (see below), and the CRUSH SYNDROME, which releases proteins into the blood as a result of seriously damaged muscles (rhabdomyolosis), can result in impaired kidney function. Another outside factor, medicinal drugs, can also be hazardous to the kidney. Large quantities of ANALGESICS taken over a long time damage the kidneys and acute tubular NECROSIS can result from certain antibiotics.

K

Diagram of glomerulus (Malpighian corpuscle).

Fortunately the body has two kidneys and, as most people can survive on one, there is a good ‘functional reserve’ of kidney tissue.

Symptoms Many patients with kidney disorders do not have any symptoms, even when the condition is quite advanced. However,

others experience loin pain associated with obstruction (renal colic) or due to infection; fevers; swelling (oedema), usually of the legs but occasionally including the face and arms; blood in the urine (haematuria); and excess quantities of urine (polyuria), including at night (nocturia), due to failure of normal mechanisms in the kidney for concentrating urine. Patients with chronic renal failure often have very di?use symptoms including nausea and vomiting, tiredness due to ANAEMIA, shortness of breath, skin irritation, pins and needles (paraesthesia) due to damage of the peripheral nerves (peripheral neuropathy), and eventually (rarely seen nowadays) clouding of consciousness and death.

Signs of kidney disease include loin tenderness, enlarged kidneys, signs of ?uid retention, high blood pressure and, in patients with end-stage renal failure, pallor, pigmentation and a variety of neurological signs including absent re?exes, reduced sensation, and a coarse ?apping tremor (asterixis) due to severe disturbance of the body’s normal metabolism.

Renal failure Serious kidney disease may lead to impairment or failure of the kidney’s ability to ?lter waste products from the blood and excrete them in the urine – a process that controls the body’s water and salt balance and helps to maintain a stable blood pressure. Failure of this process causes URAEMIA – an increase in urea and other metabolic waste products – as well as other metabolic upsets in the blood and tissues, all of which produce varying symptoms. Failure can be sudden or develop more slowly (chronic). In the former, function usually returns to normal once the underlying cause has been treated. Chronic failure, however, usually irreparably reduces or stops normal function.

Acute failure commonly results from physiological shock following a bad injury or major illness. Serious bleeding or burns can reduce blood volume and pressure to the point where blood-supply to the kidney is greatly reduced. Acute myocardial infarction (see HEART, DISEASES OF) or pancreatitis (see PANCREAS, DISORDERS OF) may produce a similar result. A mismatched blood transfusion can produce acute failure. Obstruction to the urine-?ow by a stone (calculus) in the urinary tract, a bladder tumour or an enlarged prostate can also cause acute renal failure, as can glomerulonephritis (see below) and the haemolytic-uraemia syndrome.

HYPERTENSION, DIABETES MELLITUS, polycystic kidney disease (see below) or AMYLOIDOSIS are among conditions that cause chronic renal failure. Others include stone, tumour, prostatic enlargement and overuse of analgesic drugs. Chronic failure may eventually lead to end-stage renal failure, a life-threatening situation that will need DIALYSIS or a renal transplant (see TRANSPLANTATION).

Familial renal disorders include autosomal dominant inherited polycystic kidney disease and sex-linked familial nephropathy. Polycystic kidney disease is an important cause of renal failure in the UK. Patients, usually aged 30–50, present with HAEMATURIA, loin or abdominal discomfort or, rarely, urinary-tract infection, hypertension and enlarged kidneys. Diagnosis is based on ultrasound examination of the abdomen. Complications include renal failure, hepatic cysts and, rarely, SUBARACHNOID HAEMORRHAGE. No speci?c treatment is available. Familial nephropathy occurs more often in boys than in girls and commonly presents as Alport’s syndrome (familial nephritis with nerve DEAFNESS) with PROTEINURIA, haematuria, progressing to renal failure and deafness. The cause of the disease lies in an absence of a speci?c ANTIGEN in a part of the glomerulus. The treatment is conservative, with most patients eventually requiring dialysis or transplantation.

Acute glomerulonephritis is an immune-complex disorder due to entrapment within glomerular capillaries of ANTIGEN (usually derived from B haemolytic streptococci – see STREPTOCOCCUS) antibody complexes initiating an acute in?ammatory response (see IMMUNITY). The disease affects children and young adults, and classically presents with a sore throat followed two weeks later by a fall in urine output (oliguria), haematuria, hypertension and mildly abnormal renal function. The disease is self-limiting with 90 per cent of patients spontaneously recovering. Treatment consists of control of blood pressure, reduced ?uid and salt intake, and occasional DIURETICS and ANTIBIOTICS.

Chronic glomerulonephritis is also due to immunological renal problems and is also classi?ed by taking a renal biopsy. It may be subdivided into various histological varieties as determined by renal biospy. Proteinuria of various degrees is present in all these conditions but the clinical presentations vary, as do their treatments. Some resolve spontaneously; others are treated with steroids or even the cytotoxic drug CYCLOPHOSPHAMIDE or the immunosuppressant cyclosporin. Prognoses are generally satisfactory but some patients may require renal dialysis or kidney transplantation – an operation with a good success rate.

Hydronephrosis A chronic disease in which the kidney becomes greatly distended with ?uid. It is caused by obstruction to the ?ow of urine at the pelvi-ureteric junction (see KIDNEYS – Structure). If the ureter is obstructed, the ureter proximal to the obstruction will dilate and pressure will be transmitted back to the kidney to cause hydronephrosis. Obstruction may occur at the bladder neck or in the urethra itself. Enlargement of the prostate is a common cause of bladder-neck obstruction; this would give rise to hypertrophy of the bladder muscle and both dilatation of the ureter and hydronephrosis. If the obstruction is not relieved, progressive destruction of renal tissue will occur. As a result of the stagnation of the urine, infection is probable and CYSTITIS and PYELONEPHRITIS may occur.

Impaired blood supply may be the outcome of diabetes mellitus and physiological shock, which lowers the blood pressure, also affecting the blood supply. The result can be acute tubular necrosis. POLYARTERITIS NODOSA and SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE) may damage the large blood vessels in the kidney. Treatment is of the underlying condition.

Infection of the kidney is called pyelonephritis, a key predisposing factor being obstruction of urine ?ow through the urinary tract. This causes stagnation and provides a fertile ground for bacterial growth. Acute pyelonephritis is more common in women, especially during pregnancy when bladder infection (CYSTITIS) spreads up the ureters to the kidney. Symptoms are fever, malaise and backache. Antibiotics and high ?uid intake are the most e?ective treatment. Chronic pyelonephritis may start in childhood as a result of congenital deformities that permit urine to ?ow up from the bladder to the kidney (re?ux). Persistent re?ux leads to recurrent infections causing permanent damage to the kidney. Specialist investigations are usually required as possible complications include hypertension and kidney failure.

Tumours of the kidney are fortunately rare. Non-malignant ones commonly do not cause symptoms, and even malignant tumours (renal cell carcinoma) may be asymptomatic for many years. As soon as symptoms appear – haematuria, back pain, nausea, malaise, sometimes secondary growths in the lungs, bones or liver, and weight loss – urgent treatment including surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy is necessary. This cancer occurs mostly in adults over 40 and has a hereditary element. The prognosis is not good unless diagnosed early. In young children a rare cancer called nephroblastoma (Wilm’s tumour) can occur; treatment is with surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. It may grow to a substantial size before being diagnosed.

Cystinuria is an inherited metabolic defect in the renal tubular reabsorption of cystine, ornithine, lysine and arginine. Cystine precipitates in an alkaline urine to form cystine stones. Triple phosphate stones are associated with infection and may develop into a very large branching calculi (staghorn calculi). Stones present as renal or ureteric pain, or as an infection. Treatment has undergone considerable change with the introduction of MINIMALLY INVASIVE SURGERY (MIS) and the destruction of stone by sound waves (LITHOTRIPSY).... kidneys, diseases of

Klebsiella

Gram-negative (see GRAM’S STAIN) bacteria found in the intestinal, respiratory, and urogenital tracts of people and animals. Varieties of the bacteria, which are rod-shaped and nonmotile, can cause PNEUMONIA and urinary infections (see URINARY BLADDER, DISEASES OF).... klebsiella

Medicinal Yams

Dioscorea spp.

Dioscoreaceae

The growing need for steroidal drugs and the high cost of obtaining them from animal sources led to a widespread search for plant sources of steroidal sapogenins, which ultimately led to the most promising one. It is the largest genus of the family constituted by 600 species of predominantly twining herbs. Among the twining species, some species twine clockwise while others anti-clockwise (Miege, 1958). All the species are dioceous and rhizomatous. According to Coursey (1967), this genus is named in honour of the Greek physician Pedenios Dioscorides, the author of the classical Materia Medica Libri Quinque. Some of the species like D. alata and D. esculenta have been under cultivation for a long time for their edible tubers. There are about 15 species of this genus containing diosgenin. Some of them are the following (Chopra et al, 1980).

D. floribunda Mart. & Gal.

D. composita Hemsl; syn. D. macrostachya Benth.

D. deltoidea Wall. ex Griseb; syn. D. nepalensis Sweet ex Bernardi.

D. aculeata Linn. syn. D. esculenta

D. alata Linn. syn. D. atropurpurea Roxb.

D. Globosa Roxb; D. purpurea Roxb; D. rubella Roxb.

D. bulbifera Linn. syn. D. crispata Roxb.

D. pulchella Roxb.; D. sativa Thunb. Non Linn.

D. versicolor Buch. Ham. Ex Wall.

D. daemona Roxb. syn. D. hispida Dennst.

D. oppositifolia Linn.

D. pentaphylla Linn. syn. D. jacquemontii Hook. f.

D. triphylla Linn.

D. prazeri Prain & Burkil syn. D. clarkei Prain & Burkill

D. deltoidea Wall. var. sikkimensis Prain

D. sikkimensis Prain & Burkill

Among the above said species, D. floribunda, D. composita and D. deltoidea are widely grown for diosgenin production.

1. D. floribunda Mart. & Gal D. floribunda Mart. & Gal. is an introduction from central America and had wide adaptation as it is successfully grown in Karnataka, Assam, Meghalaya, Andaman and Goa. The vines are glabrous and left twining. The alternate leaves are borne on slender stems and have broadly ovate or triangular ovate, shallowly cordate, coriaceous lamina with 9 nerves. The petioles are 5-7cm long, thick and firm. Variegation in leaves occurs in varying degrees. The male flowers are solitary and rarely in pairs. Female flowers have divericate stigma which is bifid at apex. The capsule is obovate and seed is winged all round. The tubers are thick with yellow coloured flesh, branched and growing upto a depth of 30cm (Chadha et al, 1995).

2. D. composita Hemsl.

D. composita Hemsl. according to Knuth (1965) has the valid botanical name as D. macrostachya Benth. However, D. composita is widely used in published literature. It is a Central American introduction into Goa, Jammu, Bangalore, Anaimalai Hills of Tami Nadu and Darjeeling in W. Bengal. The vines are right twinning and nearly glabrous. The alternate leaves have long petioles, membraneous or coriaceous lamina measuring upto 20x18cm, abruptly acute or cuspidate-acuminate, shallowly or deeply cordate, 7-9 nerved. The fasciculate-glomerate inflorescence is single or branched with 2 or 3 sessile male flowers having fertile stamens. Male fascicle is 15-30cm long. The female flowers have bifid stigma. Tubers are large, white and deep-rooted (upto 45cm) (Chadha et al, 1995).

3. D. deltoidea Wall. ex. Griseb.

D. deltoidea Wall. ex. Griseb. is distributed throughout the Himalayas at altitudes of 1000-3000m extending over the states of Jammu-Kashmir, H. P, U. P, Sikkim and further into parts of W. Bengal. The glabrous and left twining stem bears alternate petiolate leaves. The petioles are 5-12 cm long. The lamina is 5-15cm long and 4-12cm wide widely cordate. The flowers are borne on axillary spikes, male spikes 8-40cm long and stamens 6. Female spikes are 15cm long, 3. 5cm broad and 4-6 seeded. Seeds are winged all round. Rhizomes are lodged in soil, superficial, horizontal, tuberous, digitate and chestnut brown in colour (Chadha et al, 1995). D. deltoidea tuber grows parallel to ground covered by small scale leaves and is described as rhizome. The tubers are morphologically cauline in structure with a ring of vascular bundles in young tubers which appear scattered in mature tubers (Purnima and Srivastava, 1988). Visible buds are present unlike in D. floribunda and D. composita where the buds are confined to the crown position (Selvaraj et al, 1972).

Importance of Diosgenin: Diosgenin is the most important sapogenin used as a starting material for synthesis of a number of steroidal drugs. For commercial purposes, its -isomer, yamogenin is also taken as diosgenin while analysing the sample for processing. Various steroidal drugs derived from diosgenin by artificial synthesis include corticosteroids, sex hormones, anabolic steroids and oral contraceptives. Corticosteroids are the most important group of steroidal drugs synthesized from diosgenin. First group of corticosteroids regulates carbohydrate and protein metabolism. The second group consists of aldosterone, which controls balance of potassium, sodium and water in the human body. The glucocorticoids in the form of cortisone and hydrocortisone are used orally, intramuscularly or topically for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatic fever, other collegen diseases, ulcerative colitis, certain cases of asthma and a number of allergic diseases affecting skin, eye and the ear. These are also used for treatment of gout and a variety of inflammations of skin, eye and ear and as replacement therapy in Addison’s diseases. The minerato corticoides, desoxycorticosterone or desoxycortone are used in restoring kidney functions in cases of cortical deficiency and Addison’s disease.

Both male and female sex hormones are also synthesized from disosgenin. The main male sex hormone (androgen) which is produced from disogenin is testosterone. The main female sex hormones produced are oestrogen and progesterone. Recently oestrogen has also been used in cosmetic lotions and creams to improve the tone and colour of skin. One of the main uses of progesterone during recent years has been as antifertility agent for oral contraceptives. These artificial steroids have increased oral activity and fewer side effects, as they can be used in reduced doses. Oral contraceptives are also used for animals like pigs, cows and sheep to control fertility and to give birth at a prescribed period in a group of animals at the same time. These compounds are also used to reduce the interval between the lactation periods to have more milk and meat production. Anti-fertility compounds are also used as a pest-control measure for decreasing the multiplication of pests like rodents, pigeons and sea gulls (Husain et al, 1979).

Although yam tubers contain a variety of chemical substances including carbohydrates, proteins, alkaloids and tannins, the most important constituents of these yams are a group of saponins which yield sapogenins on hydrolysis. The most imp ortant sapogenin found in Dioscorea are diosgenin, yamogenin and pannogenin. Diosgenin is a steroid drug precursor. The diogenin content varies from 2-7% depending on the age of the tubers. Saponins including 5 spirastanol glucoside and 2 furostanol glucoside, 4 new steroid saponins, floribunda saponins C, D, E and F. Strain of A and B are obtained from D. floribunda (Husain et al, 1979). Rhizomes of D. deltoidea are a rich source of diosgenin and its glycoside. Epismilagenin and smilagenone have been isolated from D. deltoidea and D. prazeri (Chakravarti et al, 1960; 1962). An alkaloid dioscorine has been known to occur in D. hispida (Bhide et al,1978). Saponin of D. prazeri produced a fall of blood pressure when given intravenously and saponin of D. deltoidea has no effect on blood pressure (Chakravarti et al,1963). Deltonin, a steroidal glycoside, isolated from rhizomes of D. deltoidea showed contraceptive activity (Biokova et al, 1990).

Agrotechnology: Dioscorea species prefer a tropical climate without extremity in temperature. It is adapted to moderate to heavy rainfall area. Dioscorea plants can be grown in a variety of soils, but light soil is good, as harvesting of tubers is easier in such soils. The ideal soil pH is 5.5-6.5 but tolerates fairly wide variation in soil pH. Dioscorea can be propagated by tuber pieces, single node stem cuttings or seed. Commercial planting is normally established by tuber pieces only. Propagation through seed progeny is variable and it may take longer time to obtain tuber yields. IIHR, Bangalore has released two improved varieties, FB(c) -1, a vigorously growing strain relatively free from diseases and Arka Upkar, a high yielding clone. Three types of tuber pieces can be distinguished for propagation purpose, viz. (1) crown (2) median and (3) tip, of which crowns produce new shoots within 30 days and are therefore preferred. Dipping of tuber pieces for 5 minutes in 0.3% solution of Benlate followed by dusting the cut ends with 0.3% Benlate in talcum powder in mo ist sand beds effectively checks the tuber rot. The treatment is very essential for obtaining uniform stand of the crop. The best time of planting is the end of April so that new sprouts will grow vigorously during the rainy season commencing in June in India. Land is to be prepared thoroughly until a fine tilth is obtained. Deep furrows are made at 60cm distance with the help of a plough. The stored tuber pieces which are ready for planting is to be planted in furrows with 30cm between the plants for one year crop and 45cm between the plants for 2 year crop at about 0.5 cm below soil level. The new sprouts are to be staked immediately. After sprouting is complete, the plants are to be earthed up. Soil from the ridges may be used for earthing up so that the original furrows will become ridges and vice versa. Dioscorea requires high organic matter for good tuber formation. Besides a basal doze of 18-20t of FYM/ha, a complete fertilizer dose of 300kg N, 150kg P2O5 and K2O each are to be applied per hectare. P and K are to be applied in two equal doses one after the establishment of the crop during May-June and the other during vigorous growth period of the crop (August- September). Irrigation may be given at weekly intervals in the initial stage and afterwards at about 10 days interval. Dioscorea vines need support for their optimum growth and hence the vines are to be trailed over pandal system or trellis. Periodic hand weeding is essential for the first few months. Intercropping with legumes has been found to smother weeds and provide extra income. The major pests of Dioscorea are the aphids and red spider mites. Aphids occur more commonly on young seedlings and vines. Young leaves and vine tips eventually die if aphids are not controlled. Red spider mites attack the underside of the leaves at the base near the petiole. Severe infestations result in necrotic areas, which are often attacked by fungi. Both aphids and spider mites can be very easily controlled by Kelthane. No serious disease is reported to infect this crop. The tubers grow to about 25-30 cm depth and hence harvesting is to be done by manual labour. The best season for harvesting is Feb-March, coinciding with the dry period. On an average 50-60t/ha of fresh tubers can be obtained in 2 years duration. Diosgenin content tends to increase with age, 2.5% in first year and 3-3.5% in the second year. Hence, 2 year crop is economical (Kumar et al, 1997).... medicinal yams

Blackberries

(Boysenberries, dewberries, youngberries)

Nutritional Profile Energy value (calories per serving): Low Protein: Low Fat: Low Saturated fat: Low Cholesterol: None Carbohydrates: High Fiber: Moderate Sodium: Low Major vitamin contribution: Vitamin A, vitamin C Major mineral contribution: Calcium

About the Nutrients in This Food Blackberries have no starch but do contain sugars and dietary fiber, pri- marily pectin, which dissolves as the fruit matures. Unripe blackberries contain more pectin than ripe ones. One-half cup fresh blackberries has 3.8 g dietary fiber, 15 mg vitamin C (20 percent of the R DA for a woman, 17 percent of the R DA for a man), and 18 mcg folate (5 percent of the R DA).

The Most Nutritious Way to Serve This Food Fresh or lightly cooked.

Buying This Food Look for: Plump, firm dark berries with no hulls. A firm, well-rounded berry is still moist and fresh; older berries lose moisture, which is why their skin wrinkles. Avoid: Baskets of berries with juice stains or liquid leaking out of the berries. The stains and leaks are signs that there are crushed—and possibly moldy—berries inside.

Storing This Food Cover berries and refrigerate them. Then use them in a day or two. Do not wash berries before storing. The moisture collects in spaces on the surface of the berries that may mold in the refrigerator. Also, handling the berries may damage their cells, releasing enzymes that can destroy vitamins.

Preparing This Food R inse the berries under cool running water, then drain them and pick them over carefully to remove all stems and leaves.

What Happens When You Cook This Food Cooking destroys some of the vitamin C in fresh blackberries and lets water-soluble B vitamins leach out. Cooked berries are likely to be mushy because the heat and water dis- solve their pectin and the skin of the berry collapses. Cooking may also change the color of blackberries, which contain soluble red anthocyanin pigments that stain cooking water and turn blue in basic (alkaline) solutions. Adding lemon juice to a blackberry pie stabilizes these pigments; it is a practical way to keep the berries a deep, dark reddish blue.

How Other Kinds of Processing Affect This Food Canning. The intense heat used in canning fruits reduces the vitamin C content of black- berries. Berries packed in juice have more nutrients, ounce for ounce, than berries packed in either water or syrup.

Medical Uses and/or Benefits Anticancer activity. Blackberries are rich in anthocyanins, bright-red plant pigments that act as antioxidants—natural chemicals that prevent free radicals (molecular fragments) from joining to form carcinogenic (cancer-causing) compounds. Some varieties of blackberries also contain ellagic acid, another anticarcinogen with antiviral and antibacterial properties.

Adverse Effects Associated with This Food Allergic reaction. Hives and angioedema (swelling of the face, lips, and eyes) are common allergic responses to berries, virtually all of which have been known to trigger allergic reactions. According to the Merck Manual, berries are one of the 12 foods most likely to trigger classic food allergy symptoms. The others are chocolate, corn, eggs, fish, legumes (peas, lima beans, peanuts, soybeans), milk, nuts, peaches, pork, shellfish, and wheat (see w h eat cer ea ls).... blackberries

Cayenne

Capsicum minimum. N.O. Solanaceae.

Synonym: African Pepper, Bird Pepper, Guinea Pepper and Chillies.

Habitat: There are many varieties of the shrub, which is indigenous to India, Africa and South America.

Features ? The oblong-conical shaped pods are fiery to the taste, and the numerous seeds contain a large amount of oil, which has a similar effect on the palate. The fruit itself, however, differs widely in size, colour and strength. The yellowish-red product of Sierra Leone is the most pungent, the long, bright red type from Japan being much milder.

(Capsicum annum is cultivated in Hungary, and fed to canaries in order to improve the appearance of the plumage. Known as "tasteless Cayenne," this is quite free from pungency.)

Part used ? Dried, ripe fruit. Used for medicinal and culinary purposes.

Action: Cayenne is acknowledged as the finest stimulant in the herbal materia medica, and is, in addition, carminative, tonic, diaphoretic and rubifacient.

As a pure stimulant, the administration of Cayenne produces a natural warmth and uniform circulation, and in dyspepsia and flatulence the carminative effect is especially noticeable. As a diaphoretic it may be used whenever it is desired to open the pores and bring about increased perspiration.

Capsicum is a constituent of many of the herbal compounds, including the well-known composition powders, Thomson's formula for which will be found in the appropriate section of this book. The dose of the powdered fruit is 5-20 grains.

Coffin is a champion of the virtues of Capsicum, one of his reasons being that, unlike most of the stimulants of allopathy, it is not a narcotic.... cayenne

Neisseriaceae

A family of bacteria of which three varieties cause disease. Neisseria meningitidis causes meningococcal MENINGITIS and SEPTICAEMIA. It is divided into three groups: A, B and C; group B accounts for most meningitis cases in the UK, mostly affecting children. Neisseria gonorrhoeae causes GONORRHOEA. The bacteria are gram-negative (see GRAM’S STAIN) cocci usually occurring in pairs. A third variety is Moraxella catarrhalis: this occurs in the nose and throat and sometimes causes ear infection and low-grade infection of the respiratory tract.... neisseriaceae

Permethrin

Along with phenothrin, this is a largely nontoxic pyrethroid insecticide, e?ective in SCABIES and lice infestations. Resistance may develop to these insecticides and also to MALATHION and CARBARYL, in which case topical treatment should be alternated among the di?erent varieties.... permethrin

Pet Scanning

Positron-emission tomography is a NUCLEAR MEDICINE diagnostic technique that works by identifying positrons – positively charged electrons – given o? by substances labelled with radioactive varieties of elements. The result is three-dimensional images that identify metabolic and chemical activities of tissues, especially brain tissues. The images provide information about tissue and organ functions, and can be collated with structural images using COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The equipment is very expensive and available only in selected hospitals in the United Kingdom. The technique is especially valuable in the assessment of neurological disorders.... pet scanning

Bone

The framework upon which the rest of the body is built up. The bones are generally called the skeleton, though this term also includes the cartilages which join the ribs to the breastbone, protect the larynx, etc.

Structure of bone Bone is composed partly of ?brous tissue, partly of bone matrix comprising phosphate and carbonate of lime, intimately mixed together. The bones of a child are about two-thirds ?brous tissue, whilst those of the aged contain one-third; the toughness of the former and the brittleness of the latter are therefore evident.

The shafts of the limb bones are composed of dense bone, the bone being a hard tube surrounded by a membrane (the periosteum) and enclosing a fatty substance (the BONE MARROW); and of cancellous bone, which forms the short bones and the ends of long bones, in which a ?ne lace-work of bone ?lls up the whole interior, enclosing marrow in its meshes. The marrow of the smaller bones is of great importance. It is red in colour, and in it red blood corpuscles are formed. Even the densest bone is tunnelled by ?ne canals (Haversian canals) in which run small blood vessels, nerves and lymphatics, for the maintenance and repair of the bone. Around these Haversian canals the bone is arranged in circular plates called lamellae, the lamellae being separated from one another by clefts, known as lacunae, in which single bone-cells are contained. Even the lamellae are pierced by ?ne tubes known as canaliculi lodging processes of these cells. Each lamella is composed of very ?ne interlacing ?bres.

GROWTH OF BONES Bones grow in thickness from the ?brous tissue and lime salts laid down by cells in their substance. The long bones grow in length from a plate of cartilage (epiphyseal cartilage) which runs across the bone about 1·5 cm or more from its ends, and which on one surface is also constantly forming bone until the bone ceases to lengthen at about the age of 16 or 18. Epiphyseal injury in children may lead to diminished growth of the limb.

REPAIR OF BONE is e?ected by cells of microscopic size, some called osteoblasts, elaborating the materials brought by the blood and laying down strands of ?brous tissue, between which bone earth is later deposited; while other cells, known as osteoclasts, dissolve and break up dead or damaged bone. When a fracture has occurred, and the broken ends have been brought into contact, these are surrounded by a mass of blood at ?rst; this is partly absorbed and partly organised by these cells, ?rst into ?brous tissue and later into bone. The mass surrounding the fractured ends is called the callus, and for some months it forms a distinct thickening which is gradually smoothed away, leaving the bone as before the fracture. If the ends have not been brought accurately into contact, a permanent thickening results.

VARIETIES OF BONES Apart from the structural varieties, bones fall into four classes: (a) long bones like those of the limbs; (b) short bones composed of cancellous tissue, like those of the wrist and the ankle; (c) ?at bones like those of the skull; (d) irregular bones like those of the face or the vertebrae of the spinal column (backbone).

The skeleton consists of more than 200 bones. It is divided into an axial part, comprising the skull, the vertebral column, the ribs with their cartilages, and the breastbone; and an appendicular portion comprising the four limbs. The hyoid bone in the neck, together with the cartilages protecting the larynx and windpipe, may be described as the visceral skeleton.

AXIAL SKELETON The skull consists of the cranium, which has eight bones, viz. occipital, two parietal, two temporal, one frontal, ethmoid, and sphenoid; and of the face, which has 14 bones, viz. two maxillae or upper jaw-bones, one mandible or lower jaw-bone, two malar or cheek bones, two nasal, two lacrimal, two turbinal, two palate bones, and one vomer bone. (For further details, see SKULL.) The vertebral column consists of seven vertebrae in the cervical or neck region, 12 dorsal vertebrae, ?ve vertebrae in the lumbar or loin region, the sacrum or sacral bone (a mass formed of ?ve vertebrae fused together and forming the back part of the pelvis, which is closed at the sides by the haunch-bones), and ?nally the coccyx (four small vertebrae representing the tail of lower animals). The vertebral column has four curves: the ?rst forwards in the neck, the second backwards in the dorsal region, the third forwards in the loins, and the lowest, involving the sacrum and coccyx, backwards. These are associated with the erect attitude, develop after a child learns to walk, and have the e?ect of diminishing jars and shocks before these reach internal organs. This is aided still further by discs of cartilage placed between each pair of vertebrae. Each vertebra has a solid part, the body in front, and behind this a ring of bone, the series of rings one above another forming a bony canal up which runs the spinal cord to pass through an opening in the skull at the upper end of the canal and there join the brain. (For further details, see SPINAL COLUMN.) The ribs – 12 in number, on each side – are attached behind to the 12 dorsal vertebrae, while in front they end a few inches away from the breastbone, but are continued forwards by cartilages. Of these the upper seven reach the breastbone, these ribs being called true ribs; the next three are joined each to the cartilage above it, while the last two have their ends free and are called ?oating ribs. The breastbone, or sternum, is shaped something like a short sword, about 15 cm (6 inches) long, and rather over 2·5 cm (1 inch) wide.

APPENDICULAR SKELETON The upper limb consists of the shoulder region and three segments – the upper arm, the forearm, and the wrist with the hand, separated from each other by joints. In the shoulder lie the clavicle or collar-bone (which is immediately beneath the skin, and forms a prominent object on the front of the neck), and the scapula or shoulder-blade behind the chest. In the upper arm is a single bone, the humerus. In the forearm are two bones, the radius and ulna; the radius, in the movements of alternately turning the hand palm up and back up (called supination and pronation respectively), rotating around the ulna, which remains ?xed. In the carpus or wrist are eight small bones: the scaphoid, lunate, triquetral, pisiform, trapezium, trapezoid, capitate and hamate. In the hand proper are ?ve bones called metacarpals, upon which are set the four ?ngers, each containing the three bones known as phalanges, and the thumb with two phalanges.

The lower limb consists similarly of the region of the hip-bone and three segments – the thigh, the leg and the foot. The hip-bone is a large ?at bone made up of three – the ilium, the ischium and the pubis – fused together, and forms the side of the pelvis or basin which encloses some of the abdominal organs. The thigh contains the femur, and the leg contains two bones – the tibia and ?bula. In the tarsus are seven bones: the talus (which forms part of the ankle joint); the calcaneus or heel-bone; the navicular; the lateral, intermediate and medial cuneiforms; and the cuboid. These bones are so shaped as to form a distinct arch in the foot both from before back and from side to side. Finally, as in the hand, there are ?ve metatarsals and 14 phalanges, of which the great toe has two, the other toes three each.

Besides these named bones there are others sometimes found in sinews, called sesamoid bones, while the numbers of the regular bones may be increased by extra ribs or diminished by the fusion together of two or more bones.... bone

Castor

Ricinus communis

Euphorbiaceae

San: Erandah, Pancangulah;

Hin: Erandi, Erand;

Ben: Bherenda;

Mal: Avanakku;

Tam: Amanakku, Kootaimuttu, Amanakkam Ceti;

Kan: Haralu, Manda, Oudla;

Tel: Erandamu, Amudamu

Importance: Castor is a perennial evergreen shrub. The Sanskrit name erandah describes the property of the drug to dispel diseases. It is considered as a reputed remedy for all kinds of rheumatic affections. They are useful in gastropathy such as gulma, amadosa, constipation, inflammations, fever, ascitis, strangury, bronchitis, cough, leprosy, skin diseases, vitiated conditions of vata, colic, coxalgia and lumbago. The leaves are useful in burns, nyctalopia, strangury and for bathing and fermentation and vitiated conditions of vata, especially in rheumatoid arthritis, urodynia and arthralgia. Flowers are useful in urodynia and arthralgia and glandular tumours. Seeds are useful in dyspepsia and for preparing a poultice to treat arthralgia. The oil from seeds is a very effective purgative for all ailments caused by vata and kapha. It is also recommended for scrotocele, ascites, intermittent fever, gulma, colonitis, lumbago, coxalgia and coxitis (Warrier et al, 1996). Oil is also used for soap making. Fresh leaves are used by nursing mothers in the Canary Island as an external application to increase the flow of milk. Castor oil is an excellent solvent of pure alkaloids and as such solutions of atropine, cocaine, etc. is used in ophthalmic surgery. It is also dropped into the eye to remove the after-irritation caused by the removal of foreign bodies.

Distribution: It is a native of N. E. tropical Africa. It is found throughout India, cultivated and found wild upto 2400m.

Botany: Ricinus communis Linn. belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae. It is a monoecious evergreen shrub growing upto 4m. Leaves are alternate, palmatifid, 6-10 lobed, each 1- nerved with many lateral nerves and peltate. Lobes are lanceolate, thinly pubescent below, margin serrate and apex acuminate. Paniculate racemes are terminal with male flowers below, female ones above. Perianth is cupular, splitting into 3-5 lobes, laceolate, valvate, margin inrolled and acuminate. Filaments of stamen are connate and repeatedly branched with divergent anther cells. Sepals are 5, sub-equal, lanceolate, valvate and acute. Ovary is globose, echinate, 3-locular with 3 ovules and pendulous. Styles are 3, stout, papillose, stigmatiferous. Capsules are 3-lobed and prickly with oblong seeds having smooth testa and marbled, shiny and carunculate. R. bronze King and R. africanus are two good garden varieties which are known as Italian and East Indian Castors, respectively (Mathew, 1983, Grieve and Leyel, 1992).

Agrotechnology: Castor is cultivated both in the plains and the hills. As it has deep root system it is hardy and capable of resisting drought. It does not withstand waterlogging and frost. It requires hard dry climate for proper development of fruits and seeds. It requires a well- drained soil, preferably sandy loam or loamy sand. High soil fertility is of less importance as compared to the good physical condition of the soil. It cannot tolerate alkalinity. It is generally grown in red loamy soils, black soils and alluvial soils. The plant is seed propagated. The seed rate required is 5-12 kg/ha (pure crop) and 3 kg/ha (mixed crop). Seeds are to be sown on a hot bed early in March. When the plants come up individual plant is to be planted in a separate pot filled with light soil and plunged into a fresh hot bed. The young plants are to be kept in glass houses till early June where they are hardened and kept out. The suitable season of growing is kharif season. The crop is usually sown in April and planting is done in early July. The land is to be ploughed 2-3 times with the onset of rains and is repeated after rain. The spacing recommended is 60X90cm in case of pure crop but it is seldom cultivated pure. It is usually grown mixed with crops such as jowar, arhar, chilly, groundnut, cowpea, cotton, etc. 10-15t FYM/ha and 50kg N, 50kg P2O5 and 20kg K2O/ha will be sufficient. Addition of neem cake is beneficial as it increases oil content. There should be sufficient moisture in the field at the time of sowing. A month after planting, weeding and earthing up is to be done. The plant is attacked by hairy caterpillar, castor semi - looper, castor seed caterpillar, etc. which can be managed by integrated pest management measures. The leaf blight disease occurring in castor can be controlled by spraying with Bordeaux mixture 2-3 times at 15 days interval. Harvesting of ripe fruits can be done from the end of November till the end of February. The fruit branches are picked when they are still green to avoid splitting and scattering of the seeds. The pods are to be heaped up in the sun to dry. Then the seeds are to be beaten with stick and winnowed. Roots, leaves, flowers, seeds and oil constitute the economic parts. The average yield is 500-600kg/ha (Thakur, 1990).

Properties and activity: The beancoat yielded lupeol and 30-norlupan-3 -ol-20-one. Roots, stems and leaves contain several amino acids. Flowers gave apigenin, chlorogenin, rutin, coumarin and hyperoside. Castor oil is constituted by several fatty acids (Husain et al, 1992). Seed coat contained 1. 50-1. 62% lipids and higher amounts of phosphatides and non-saponifiable matter than seed kernel. Fresh leaves protected against liver injury induced by carbon tetra chloride in rats while cold aqueous extract provided partial protection (Rastogi et al, 1991). Root and stem is antiprotozoal and anticancerous. Root, stem and seed are diuretic. The roots are sweet, acrid, astringent, thermogenic, carminative, purgative, galactagogue, sudorific, expectorant and depurative. Leaves are diuretic, anthelmintic and galactagogue. Seeds are acrid, thermogenic, digestive, cathartic and aphrodisiac. Oil is bitter, acrid, sweet, antipyretic, thermogenic and viscous (Warrier et al, 1996). Castor oil forms a clean, light- coloured soap, which dries and hardens well and is free from smell. The oil varies much in activity. The East Indian is the more active, but the Italian has the least taste. Castor oil is an excellent solvent of pure alkaloids. The oil furnishes sebacic acid and caprylic acid. It is the most valuable laxative in medicines. It acts in about 5 hours, affecting the entire length of the bowel, but not increasing the flow of bile, except in very large doses. The mode of its action is unknown. The oil will purge when rubbed into the skin (Grieve and Leyel, 1992).... castor

Polymorphism

Wide varieties of form of a species.... polymorphism

Salvia Haematodes

Linn.

Family: Labiatae; Lamiaceae.

Habitat: Cultivated in Indian gardens.

English: Blood-veined Sage.

Unani: Behman Surkh. (Behman Safed is equated with Centaurea behen Linn.)

Action: Both the varieties of Behman are used in Unani medicine as a cardiac and sex tonic, also as a liver tonic in jaundice.... salvia haematodes

Chestnut

Castanea sativa

Description: The European chestnut is usually a large tree, up to 18 meters in height.

Habitat and Distribution: In temperate regions, the chestnut is found in both hardwood and coniferous forests. In the tropics, it is found in semievergreen seasonal forests. They are found over all of middle and south Europe and across middle Asia to China and Japan. They are relatively abundant along the edge of meadows and as a forest tree. The European chestnut is one of the most common varieties. Wild chestnuts in Asia belong to the related chestnut species.

Edible Parts: Chestnuts are highly useful as survival food. Ripe nuts are usually picked in autumn, although unripe nuts picked while green may also be used for food. Perhaps the easiest way to prepare them is to roast the ripe nuts in embers. Cooked this way, they are quite tasty, and you can eat large quantities. Another way is to boil the kernels after removing the outer shell. After being boiled until fairly soft, you can mash the nuts like potatoes.... chestnut

Chun Hao Tea

Chun Hao tea is a jasmine fragrancedtype of green tea. It proved to be a good afternoon treat or can simply be a dinner follow-up. Chun Hao tea description Chun Hao tea is the finest type of Chinese green tea mixed with jasmine, once being reserved only for the Imperial Court. One of the most known characteristics of the tea regards its distinctive sweet and delicate taste. Scented only with fresh jasmine blossoms, carefully hand-sorted, and harvest by day time, Chun Hao tea is an incredible treat. Brewing Chun Hao tea Chinese people have always had a tea culture, enjoying scented teas and being fond of Chun Hao tea. This type of tea distinguishes itself among the other green tea varieties through its light and delicate sweetness, but also through its fresh fragrance due to its jasmine content. To prepare Chun Hao tea, use 1 to 2 teaspoonfuls dry leaf per cup and brew them between 2 to 3 minutes at 175°F (80°C). Consumers do not throw away the brewed leaves, because they stand up to multiple infusions, keeping though their therapeutical qualities. Chun Hao tea benefits Chun Hao tea, like any type of green tea, lowers the risk of cancer. The antioxidants have proven their efficiency in fighting the free radicals responsible for the growth of tumors. Chun Hao tea has been intensively used in:
  • reducing cholesterol
  • stabilizing blood glucose levels
  • reducing weight
  • decreasing excess deposits of fat
  • aiding digestion processes
  • promoting skin health
  • promoting good oral hygiene
  • aiding in the relief of anxiety due to emotional and physical stress
Chun Hao tea side effects Chun Hao teahas low caffeine content, but studies conducted so far claim that pregnant women, children and patients suffering from heart diseases should not intake it in large quantities. Agitation and anxiety were rarely noticed. Chun Hao tea is another pleasant green tea combined with jasmine leaves, which aim to render a state of well-being and relaxation to the consumer.... chun hao tea

Creutzfeldt-jakob Disease (cjd)

A rapidly progressive, fatal, degenerative disease in humans caused by an abnormal PRION protein. There are three aetiological forms of CJD: sporadic, IATROGENIC, and inherited. Sporadic CJD occurs randomly in all countries and has an annual incidence of one per million. Iatrogenic CJD is caused by accidental exposure to human prions through medical and surgical procedures (and cannibalism in the case of the human prion disease known as kuru that occurs in a tribe in New Guinea, where it is called the trembling disease). Inherited or familial CJD accounts for 15 per cent of human prion disease and is caused by a MUTATION in the prion protein gene. In recent years a new variant of CJD has been identi?ed that is caused by BOVINE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY (BSE), called variant CJD. The incubation period for the acquired varieties ranges from four years to 40 years, with an average of 10–15 years. The symptoms of CJD are dementia, seizures, focal signs in the central nervous system, MYOCLONUS, and visual disturbances.

Abnormal prion proteins accumulate in the brain and the spinal cord, damaging neurones (see NEURON(E)) and producing small cavities. Diagnosis can be made by tonsil (see TONSILS) biopsy, although work is under way to develop a diagnostic blood test. Abnormal prion proteins are unusually resistant to inactivation by chemicals, heat, X-RAYS or ULTRAVIOLET RAYS (UVR). They are resistant to cellular degradation and can convert normal prion proteins into abnormal forms. Human prion diseases, along with scrapie in sheep and BSE in cattle, belong to a group of disorders known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Abnormal prion proteins can transfer from one animal species to another, and variant CJD has occurred as a result of consumption of meat from cattle infected with BSE.

From 1995 to 1999, a scienti?c study of tonsils and appendixes removed at operation suggested that the prevalence of prion carriage may be as high as 120 per million. It is not known what percentage of these might go on to develop disease.

One precaution is that, since 2003, all surgical instruments used in brain biopsies have had to be quarantined and disposable instruments are now used in tonsillectomy.

Measures have also been introduced to reduce the risk of transmission of CJD from transfusion of blood products.

In the past, CJD has also been acquired from intramuscular injections of human cadaveric pituitary-derived growth hormone and corneal transplantation.

The most common form of CJD remains the sporadic variety, although the eventual incidence of variant CJD may not be known for many years.... creutzfeldt-jakob disease (cjd)

Species

A fairly well-defined, interbreeding group of plants or animals. The lowest taxonomic grouping of closelyrelated varieties - below a Genus. See Taxonomy .... species

Zanamivir

An antiviral drug (trade name Relenza©) which ameliorates the symptoms of INFLUENZA. It is licensed in the United Kingdom for treating the A or B varieties, 48 hours after the onset of symptoms. In otherwise healthy people it reduces the duration of symptoms by around 24 hours. It is not yet known to what extent zanamivir can prevent complications in high-risk patients such as the elderly.... zanamivir

Coagulase

n. an enzyme, formed by disease-producing varieties of certain bacteria of the genus Staphylococcus, that causes blood plasma to coagulate. Staphylococci that are positive when tested for coagulase production are classified as belonging to the species Staphylococcus aureus.... coagulase

Contraception

A means of avoiding pregnancy despite sexual activity. There is no ideal contraceptive, and the choice of method depends on balancing considerations of safety, e?ectiveness and acceptability. The best choice for any couple will depend on their ages and personal circumstances and may well vary with time. Contraceptive techniques can be classi?ed in various ways, but one of the most useful is into ‘barrier’ and ‘non-barrier’ methods.

Barrier methods These involve a physical barrier which prevents sperm (see SPERMATOZOON) from reaching the cervix (see CERVIX UTERI). Barrier methods reduce the risk of spreading sexually transmitted diseases, and the sheath is the best protection against HIV infection (see AIDS/HIV) for sexually active people. The e?ciency of barrier methods is improved if they are used in conjunction with a spermicidal foam or jelly, but care is needed to ensure that the preparation chosen does not damage the rubber barrier or cause an allergic reaction in the users. CONDOM OR SHEATH This is the most commonly used barrier contraceptive. It consists of a rubber sheath which is placed over the erect penis before intromission and removed after ejaculation. The failure rate, if properly used, is about 4 per cent. DIAPHRAGM OR CAP A rubber dome that is inserted into the vagina before intercourse and ?ts snugly over the cervix. It should be used with an appropriate spermicide and is removed six hours after intercourse. A woman must be measured to ensure that she is supplied with the correct size of diaphragm, and the ?t should be checked annually or after more than about 7 lbs. change in weight. The failure rate, if properly used, is about 2 per cent.

Non-barrier methods These do not provide a physical barrier between sperm and cervix and so do not protect against sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. COITUS INTERRUPTUS This involves the man’s withdrawing his penis from the vagina before ejaculation. Because some sperm may leak before full ejaculation, the method is not very reliable. SAFE PERIOD This involves avoiding intercourse around the time when the woman ovulates and is at risk of pregnancy. The safe times can be predicted using temperature charts to identify the rise in temperature before ovulation, or by careful assessment of the quality of the cervical mucus. This method works best if the woman has regular menstrual cycles. If used carefully it can be very e?ective but requires a highly disciplined couple to succeed. It is approved by the Catholic church.

SPERMICIDAL GELS, CREAMS, PESSARIES, ETC.

These are supposed to prevent pregnancy by killing sperm before they reach the cervix, but they are unreliable and should be used only in conjunction with a barrier method.

INTRAUTERINE CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICE (COIL) This is a small metal or plastic shape, placed inside the uterus, which prevents pregnancy by disrupting implantation. Some people regard it as a form of abortion, so it is not acceptable to all religious groups. There is a risk of pelvic infection and eventual infertility in women who have used coils, and in many countries their use has declined substantially. Coils must be inserted by a specially trained health worker, but once in place they permit intercourse at any time with no prior planning. Increased pain and bleeding may be caused during menstruation. If severe, such symptoms may indicate that the coil is incorrectly sited, and that its position should be checked. HORMONAL METHODS Steroid hormones have dominated contraceptive developments during the past 40 years, with more than 200 million women worldwide taking or having taken ‘the pill’. In the past 20 years, new developments have included modifying existing methods and devising more e?ective ways of delivering the drugs, such as implants and hormone-releasing devices in the uterus. Established hormonal contraception includes the combined oestrogen and progesterone and progesterone-only contraceptive pills, as well as longer-acting depot preparations. They modify the woman’s hormonal environment and prevent pregnancy by disrupting various stages of the menstrual cycle, especially ovulation. The combined oestrogen and progesterone pills are very e?ective and are the most popular form of contraception. Biphasic and triphasic pills contain di?erent quantities of oestrogen and progesterone taken in two or three phases of the menstrual cycle. A wide range of preparations is available and the British National Formulary contains details of the commonly used varieties.

The main side-e?ect is an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The lowest possible dose of oestrogen should be used, and many preparations are phasic, with the dose of oestrogen varying with the time of the cycle. The progesterone-only, or ‘mini’, pill does not contain any oestrogen and must be taken at the same time every day. It is not as e?ective as the combined pill, but failure rates of less than 1-per-100 woman years can be achieved. It has few serious side-effects, but may cause menstrual irregularities. It is suitable for use by mothers who are breast feeding.

Depot preparations include intramuscular injections, subcutaneous implants, and intravaginal rings. They are useful in cases where the woman cannot be relied on to take a pill regularly but needs e?ective contraception. Their main side-e?ect is their prolonged action, which means that users cannot suddenly decide that they would like to become pregnant. Skin patches containing a contraceptive that is absorbed through the skin have recently been launched.

HORMONAL CONTRACEPTION FOR MEN There is a growing demand by men worldwide for hormonal contraception. Development of a ‘male pill’, however, has been slow because of the potentially dangerous side-effects of using high doses of TESTOSTERONE (the male hormone) to suppress spermatogenesis. Progress in research to develop a suitable ANDROGEN-based combination product is promising, including the possibility of long-term STEROID implants. STERILISATION See also STERILISATION – Reproductive sterilisation. The operation is easier and safer to perform on men than on women. Although sterilisation can sometimes be reversed, this cannot be guaranteed and couples should be counselled in advance that the method is irreversible. There is a small but definite failure rate with sterilisation, and this should also be made clear before the operation is performed. POSTCOITAL CONTRACEPTION Also known as emergency contraception or the ‘morning after pill’, postcoital contraception can be e?ected by two di?erent hormonal methods. Levonorgesterol (a synthetic hormone similar to the natural female sex hormone PROGESTERONE) can be used alone, with one pill being taken within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse, but preferably as soon as possible, and a second one 12 hours after the ?rst. Alternatively, a combined preparation comprising ETHINYLESTRADIOL and levonorgesterol can be taken, also within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse. The single constituent pill has fewer side-effects than the combined version. Neither version should be taken by women with severe liver disease or acute PORPHYRIAS, but the ethinylestradiol/levonorgesterol combination is unsuitable for women with a history of THROMBOSIS.

In the UK the law allows women over the age of 16 to buy the morning-after pill ‘over the counter’ from a registered pharmacist.... contraception

Costus

Costus speciosus

Zingiberaceae

San: Pushkara, Kashmeera, Kemuka;

Hin: Kebu, Keyu, Kust;

Ben: Keu, Kura

Mal: Channakkizhangu, Channakoova;

Tam: Kostam; Mar: Penva;

Tel: Kashmeeramu

Importance: Costus is one of the plants which contains diosgenin in its rhizome. It is widely used as starting material in the commercial production of steroidal hormones. The rhizomes are useful in vitiated conditions of kapha and pitta, burning sensation, flatulence, constipation, helminthiases, leprosy, skin diseases, fever, hiccough, asthma, bronchitis, inflammation and aneamia. It is used to make sexual hormones and contraceptives (Warrier et al,1994).

Distribution: The plant is widely distributed in Asia and other tropical countries like India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and China. In India, it occurs mostly in Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Tripura and Kerala.

Botany: Costus speciosus (Koenig.) Sm. belonging to the family Zingiberaceae consists of two varieties viz., var. nepalensis Rose., found only in Nepal and Arunachal Pradesh and var. argycophyllus Wall., having a wide distribution in India.

The plant is a succulent herb with long leafy spirally twisted stems, 2-3m in height and horizontal rhizomes. Leaves are simple, spirally arranged, oblanceolate or oblong, glabrous above, silky pubescent beneath with broad leaf sheaths. Flowers are white, large, fragrant, arranged in dense terminal spikes. Bracts are bright red. The single stamen present is perfect, lip large with incurved margins. Fruits are globose or ovoid capsules with obovoid or sub- globose seeds (Warrier et al,1994).

Agrotechnology: Costus can be raised under a wide range of agroclimatic conditions. It prefers sandy loam soil for good growth. Propagation is by rhizomes. The best season for planting is April- May. The seed rate recommended is 2-2.4t/ha. The spacing adopted is 50x50cm. After an initial ploughing FYM or poultry manure should be applied at the rate of 30t/ha and the field is to be ploughed again irrigated and prepared to obtain a fine seed bed. Furrows are opened and the rhizome pieces are placed horizontally at a depth of 8-10cm and covered with soil. Care is taken to place the eye buds facing upwards. After 70-75 days about 90-95% sprouting is obtained. Desiccation of the young sprouts have been observed in the hot summer months, necessitating liberal water supply during the period. As September-November is the period of maximum tuberization at least two irrigations should be given at that time. One during the sprouting period of the crop followed by two more keeps the crop fairly free of weeds. Application of 37t/ha of poultry manure and fertilizers, 60kg P2O5 and 40kg K2O /ha as a basal doze, along with 80kg N/ha applied in 3 equal split dozes will take care. Crop is harvested at the end of seven months. Harvesting includes 2 operations, cutting the aerial shoots and digging out the rhizomes. Cost of production of diosgenin ranges from Rs. 271-300/kg (Atal, et al,1982).

Properties and activity: Tubers and roots contain diosgenin, 5 -stigmast-9(11)-en-3 ol, sitosterol- -D- glucoside, dioscin, prosapogenins A and B of dioscin, gracillin and quinones. Various saponins, many new aliphatic esters and acids are reported from its rhizomes, seeds and roots. Seeds, in addition, contain - tocopherol. Saponins from seeds are hypotensive and spasmolytic. Rhizomes possess antifertility, anticholinestrase, antiinflammatory, stimulant, depurative and anthelmintic activities (Hussain et al, 1992).... costus

Dichlorodiphenyl Trichloroethane

DDT is the generally used abbreviation for the compound which has been given the o?cial name of dicophane. It was ?rst synthesised in 1874, but it was not until 1940 that, as a result of research work in Switzerland, its remarkable toxic action on insects was discovered. This work was taken up and rapidly expanded in Great Britain and the USA, and one of its ?rst practical applications was in controlling the spread of TYPHUS FEVER. This disease is transmitted by the louse, one of the insects for which DDT is most toxic. Its toxic action against the mosquito has also been amply proved, and it thus rapidly became one of the most e?ective measures in controlling MALARIA. DDT is toxic to a large range of insects in addition to the louse and the mosquito; these include house?ies, bed-bugs, clothes-moths, ?eas, cockroaches, and ants. It is also active against many agricultural and horticultural pests, including weevils, ?our beetles, pine saw?y, and most varieties of scale insect.

DDT has thus had a wide use in medicine, public health, veterinary medicine, horticulture, and agriculture. Unfortunately, the indiscriminate use of DDT is potentially hazardous, and its use is now restricted or banned in several countries, including the United Kingdom.

The danger of DDT is that it enters the biological food chain with the result that animals at the end of the food chain such as birds or predators may build up lethal concentrations of the substance in their tissues.

In any case, an increasing number of species of insects were becoming resistant to DDT. Fortunately, newer insecticides have been introduced which are toxic to DDT-resistant insects, but there are doubts whether this supply of new insecticides can be maintained as insects develop resistance to them.... dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane

Forceps

n. a pincer-like instrument designed to grasp an object so that it can be held firm or pulled. Specially designed forceps – of which there are many varieties – are used by surgeons and dentists in operations (see illustration). The forceps used in childbirth are so designed as to fit firmly round the baby’s head without damaging it. Dental extraction forceps are specially designed to fit the various shapes of teeth. By having long handles and short beaks they provide considerable leverage.... forceps

Gastric Glands

tubular glands that lie in the mucous membrane of the stomach wall. There are three varieties: the cardiac, parietal (oxyntic), and pyloric glands, and they secrete *gastric juice.... gastric glands

Histrionic Personality Disorder

a type of *personality disorder characterized by excessive emotionality and attention-seeking, self-dramatization, inappropriately seductive behaviour, and an excessive need for approval. It affects more women than men. Classified as a specific personality disorder in DSM-IV-TR, in DSM-5 it is treated as a subtype of *narcissistic personality disorder.

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) a *retrovirus responsible for *AIDS. There are two varieties, HIV-1 and HIV-2; the latter is most common in Africa. See also HTLV.... histrionic personality disorder

Curry Leaf

Murraya Koenigii

Rutaceae

San: Kalasakh, Kaidaryah

Hin: Mithinim, Katnim

Ben: Barsunga

Mal: Kariveppu, Karuveppu

Tam: Kariveppilai, Karuveppu

Kan: Kari Baeva

Tel: Karivepaku

Ass: Narasingha, Bishahari

Importance: Curry leaf, a plant of homestead gardens has gained importance as a commercial crop and is cultivated for its culinary and medicinal value. The plant is highly esteemed for its leaves which promote appetite and digestion and destroy pathogenic organisms. It is reported to be useful in emaciation, skin diseases, hemopathy, worm troubles, neurosis and poisons. They are useful in vitiated conditions of kapha and pitta, hyperdipna, colic, flatulence, diarrhoea, dysentery, vomiting, inflammations and foul ulcers. “Kaidaryah” drug is prepared using this plant which improves voice, stimulates digestion and destroys concocted poisons in the system. The important preparations using the drug are Kalasadi kasayam, Pamantaka tailam, Jatyadi tailam, Jatyadi ghrtam, etc (Sivarajan et al,1994).

Distribution: Curry leaf is seen in the foot of the Himalaya and Bashahi eastwards to Sikkim and Peninsular India, upto 1700m. It is also found in Sri Lanka, Burma, Indo-China, South China and Hainan. Commercial cultivation in India is limited to Tamil Nadu and Karnataka states.

Botany: The genus Murraya of the family Rutaceae includes the following species:

M. Koenigii (Linn.) Spreng. syn. Bergera koenigii Linn.

M. Exotica Linn. syn. M. paniculata (Linn.) Jack.

Murraya koenigii is a small aromatic tree with dark grey bark and closely crowded spreading dark green foliage. Leaves are imparipinnate and alternate. Leaflets are alternate, obliquely ovate or somewhat rhomboid, gland dotted and strongly aromatic. Flowers are white, arranged in much branched terminal corymbose cymes and fragrant. Fruits are subglobose or ellipsoid berries, purplish black when ripe and 2-seeded (Warrier et al, 1995).

Agrotechnology: Curry leaf tree does not choose a specific climate and can come up even in dry climate too. In places where minimum temperature goes below 13 C, the growth of the shoot will be slightly affected. It comes up well in light textured red soils. DWD-1 and DWD-2 are two improved varieties released from UAS, Dharwad. Curry leaf is propagated by seed. Main field is to be ploughed repeatedly. A spacing of 90-120cm is followed on either side. Pits of size 30cm3 are dug out one month before planting and filled with top soil mixed with well decomposed FYM at the time of planting. Healthy seedlings are planted in the centre of the pits. Then long furrows are formed connecting all the pits to facilitate easy irrigation. The seedlings are irrigated once in 5-7 days upto 3 years and once in 15 days afterwards. The field should be kept free from weeds. Plants may be trained and pruned to maintain a bush of 1m in height. For better growth and yield, each plant is fertilised with 20kg of FYM besides 150:25:50g of N, P2O5, K2O/ year. Attack of aphids in the vegetative stage can be controlled by spraying of dimethoate at 2ml/l of water. Leaves from such sprayed plants should be harvested only after 10 days. Spraying carbendazim at 1g/l can take care of leaf spot diseases. The crop comes to first harvest at the end of first year. The yield of leaves account to 400kg/ha at the end of first year, 2000 to 2200kg/ha in the second and third year harvested at an interval of four months and 2500kg/ha in the fourth year harvested at three months interval. From fifth year onwards it is harvested at 2.5-3 months interval giving an yield of 3500-5000kg/ha (Kumar et al, 1997).

Properties and activity: All parts of the plant, especially the leaves are rich in carbazole alkaloids. These include members with (i) C13 - skeleton -murrayanin, mukoeic acid, mukonine and mukonidine; (ii) C18 - skeleton including gerinimbine, koenimbine, murrayacine, koenigine and koenigicine (koenidine); and (iii) C23- skeleton containing mahanimbine, mahanimbicine, iso- mahanimbicine, mahanine, mahanimbinine, murrayayazoline, murrayazolinine, murrayazolidine, cyclomahanimbine and bicyclomahanimbicine. Other carbazole bases include mukoline, mukolidine (C13 group, from roots), mukonicine (C18 from leaves), the biogenetically significant mukonal (C13, stem-bark), mahanimboline (C23, root-bark), iso- murrayazoline (C23, stem-bark). The leaves gave a coumarin glucoside, scopolin also. Essential oil from leaves contained -caryophylline, -gurjunene, -elemene, - phellandrene, -thujene as major constituents.

The roots, bark and leaves are bitter, acrid, astringent, cooling, aromatic, demulcent, depurative, anthelmintic, febrifuge, stomachic, appetising, carminative, antiinflammatory and antiseptic. Aerial part is spasmolytic and antiprotozoal. Root is antiprotozoal, CVS active and has effect on nictitating membrane. Leaf is hypoglycaemic (Hussain et al,1992).... curry leaf

Hybrid

n. the offspring of a cross between two genetically unlike individuals. A hybrid, whose parents are usually of different species or varieties, is often sterile.... hybrid

Hypospadias

n. a congenital abnormality in which the opening of the *urethra is on the underside of the penis: either on the glans penis (glandular hypospadias), at the junction of the glans with the shaft (coronal hypospadias), on the shaft itself (penile hypospadias), or in the perineum (perineal hypospadias). All varieties can be treated surgically, and neither micturition nor sexual function need be impaired. See MAGPI operation.... hypospadias

Immunodeficiency

n. deficiency in the *immune response. This can be acquired, as in *AIDS, but there are many varieties of primary immunodeficiency occurring as inherited disorders characterized by *hypogammaglobulinaemia or defects in T-cell function, or both.... immunodeficiency

Lysin

n. a specific *complement-fixing antibody that is capable of bringing about the destruction (lysis) of whole cells. Names are given to varieties of lysin with different targets; for example, haemolysin attacks red blood cells; leucolysin attacks white cells; and a bacteriolysin targets bacterial cells.... lysin

Pediculus

n. a widely distributed genus of lice. There are two varieties of the species affecting humans: P. humanus capitis, the head louse; and P. humanus corporis, the body louse. The presence of these parasites can irritate the skin (see pediculosis), and in some parts of the world body lice are involved in transmitting *relapsing fever and *typhus.... pediculus

Discover More About Earl Grey Tea

If you’re a fan of black tea, you must have heard of the Earl Grey tea. If not, this is your chance to find out all you need to know about this richly-flavored black tea. Read about its health benefits and side effects, as well. About Earl Grey tea Earl Grey tea is one of the most popular types of black tea, drunk by people all around the world. It has a refreshing, citrusy flavor thanks to the bergamot orange oil added in its composition. The bergamot orange is the fruit of a citrus tree which blooms during winter; it is commercially cultivated in Italy. The bergamot oil, which is responsible for the tea’s citrusy flavor, is extracted from the skin of the fruit. In America, it is sometimes misspelled as “Earl Gray”. However, this is not the generally accepted spelling of the tea’s name. The Earl Grey tea is often drank during breakfast or brunch. It makes a good team with different sweets and pastries.  It is also used to add flavor to various types of cakes. History of Earl Grey tea The Earl Grey tea is named after Charles Grey, 2nd Earl of Britain, who was Prime Minister during the 1830s. As to why it was named after him, one legend says that a Chinese merchant gave this tea to Lord Grey to show his gratefulness, as one of the lord’s men had saved his son from drowning. However, there are doubts related to the authenticity of this story, as Lord Grey had never been to China, and the Chinese hadn’t yet discovered about the use of bergamot oil as a tea ingredient. It is possible that, seeing as Earl Grey tea was discovered at the beginning of the 19th century, it was simply named after a politician who was quite well-known at that time. According to the Grey family, Lady Grey served Earl Grey tea to various guests. As it became more and more popular, she was asked if the Earl Grey tea could be sold. This is how it became a brand of the Twinings tea company. Varieties of Earl Grey tea Considering how popular the Earl Grey tea is, it isn’t surprising that there are currently quite a few varieties of this tea. One of the well-known varieties of Earl Grey tea is Lady Grey, named after Mary Elizabeth Grey, the wife of Lord Grey. Other flavors are added to the usual Earl Grey tea. Some varieties of Lady Grey include adding blue cornflower blossoms, lavender or Seville oranges. Another type of the Earl Grey tea is the Russian Earl Grey. To the usual ingredients, it adds citrus peels, vodka, and lemon grass. Other types of Earl Grey tea include flowers among its ingredients. One of them is the French Earl Grey, which uses rose petals. There are some types of Earl Grey tea where the usual black tea leaves are replaced with something else. One example is Earl Grey Green, where the bergamot oil is combined with green leaves instead of the black ones. Another example is Rooibos Earl Grey, possibly originating from Malaysia. In this case, the black leaves are replaced with Rooibos, a South-African herbal plant. Also, in various coffee shops and tea shops, you can find a drink called London Fog. It is a “tea latte” and its ingredients are Earl Grey tea, steamed milk and vanilla syrup. How to prepare Earl Grey Tea For a cup of Earl Grey tea, use one teaspoon of tea leaves, or one regular-sized teabag. Boil the water before pouring it into the cup, and then let it steep for about 5 minutes. Then, remove the tea leaves or teabag. Based on your preferences, you can add sugar, lemon or milk to your cup of Earl Grey tea. Benefits of Earl Grey Tea The Earl Grey tea comes with many health benefits, both thanks to the black tea leaves and the bergamot oil. First, the antioxidants in its composition strengthen your immune system. They help keep your body young and healthy, protecting it from various viruses. This is why people who have caught a cold or the flu, or simply have a fever, drink Earl Grey tea. The Earl Grey tea has a calming effect thanks to the bergamot oil in its composition. It helps improve your mood by fighting against anxiety, depression, stress, and mood swings. The bergamot oil in the Earl Grey tea also helps you with digestion. It’s useful when suffering from indigestion, nausea and colic. It is also recommended in the case of urinary tract infections and intestinal problems. Earl Grey tea also helps you maintain a good oral hygiene. It fights against tooth decay and oral infections, and keeps the cavities away. Side effects of Earl Grey tea Despite its many health benefits, consumption of Earl Grey tea can have a few side effects, as well. The caffeine found in the composition of Earl Grey tea can affect you negatively, especially if caffeine isn’t good for your body.  To some people it may induce anxiety and heart palpitations. It can also increase blood pressure, making it bad for people who already have a high blood pressure. Also, if you drink a large amount of Earl Grey tea for a long time and suddenly, you stop, you might experience caffeine withdrawal symptoms. They include headaches that can last for up to a week, difficulty in concentrating, nausea, depression and anxiety. Drinking a large amount of Earl Grey tea can lead to side effects, as well. You might end up suffering from headaches, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, insomnia, dizziness, and irregular heartbeats. Therefore, make sure you don’t drink more than six cups of any tea, including Earl Grey tea.   Stay healthy by drinking this rich and citrusy-flavored black tea, the Earl Grey tea. Keep an eye on the side effects, but don’t let them scare you, as there are many more health benefits. So relax and enjoy your cup of Earl Grey tea with some cookies!... discover more about earl grey tea

Discover Yunnan Tea

If you want to quit drinking coffee or simply try a new variety of black tea, you can chose Yunnan tea for a change. Its strong sweet flavor will surely delight your senses. There are several types for this black tea, so before you buy it take a look at its description and benefits.

Description of Yunnan Tea

Commonly known as Dianhong, Yunnan tea is a type of Chinese black tea used in various blends and other tea assortments. Its name comes from the Chinese province of Yunnan where it is grown and harvested. This type of tea has three major properties : big leaves, a brownish color and a strong flavor. The first sip can be slight sour at the beginning but after that it gets sweeter. Quality Yunnan tea has a sweet strong flavour. Low quality Yunnan tea can have a darker color and a bitter taste, so be careful what to buy. It is also known as Yunnan Red tea. There are several varieties of Yunnan black tea.

Broken Yunnan

A cheap tea used in various mixtures which contains very few golden buds and is generally bitter on its own. It can be easily identified because the dried leaves have a darker almost black color with only a few bursts of golden tips. The drink is dark with a reddish-brown color. The taste can sometimes be as strong as cooked pu-erh tea.

Yunnan Gold

Another Dianhong type which has less golden buds and more dark tea leaves. It resembles with Yunnan Pure Gold type and is priced similarly. However, the tea resulting from it has slightly different characteristics. The drink has a bold red color different from other black teas and a vivid sweetness not quite as intense as Yunnan Pure Gold.

Yunnan Pure Gold

Seen as the best type of Dianhong tea, it holds only golden ends, which are generally covered in fine hairs. If we look it from a distance, the dried tea has a bright orange color. The tea liquor is bright red in color and it has a gentle aroma and a sweet taste. The leaves turn into a reddish brown color after preparation. If we compare it to other small-leaf varieties, Yunnan tea contains a higher concentration of polyphenol, catechin and water-soluble substances that the average values for a black tea.

Preparation of Yunnan tea

Like most of black teas that are usually infused with hot water, Yunnan tea is no exception. It is recommended to use porcelain containers or cups. Put a teaspoon of Yunnan tea and poor hot water of approximately 100 degrees Celsius. Let is infuse for about 5 minutes, then it’s ready to drink. Some people may add milk to the tea.

Yunnan tea benefits

According to the different methods used in tea processing, Yunnan tea can be classified into over 100 kinds of products. Yunnan tea is famous for its health benefits. Studies have shown that it is indeed an effective beverage for eliminating fat, reducing weight, strengthening the body, enhancing longevity, stimulating metabolism, balancing and regulating cholesterol level. Yunnan tea is also highly reputed as “slimming tea”, “beauty tea” and “healthy tea” in more than twenty countries and regions including France, Spain, Japan, Hong Kong and so on. Studies confirm what the Chinese have known for centuries - that Yunnan tea provides a natural alternative to medicines for those expecting to lose weight, reduce tension and generally have a more healthy and relaxed lifestyle. It was clearly proven that drinking Yunnan tea regularly lowers blood lipid levels without having side effects as medical drugs have.

Yunnan tea side effects

The side effects of Yunnan teaare similar to those caused by other black teas and they are related to intense consumption. They are mostly associated with higher caffeine content which may cause restlessness, palpitations, difficulty in sleeping, anxiety, irritability, increased heart rate, and elevated blood pressure. Caffeine is also diuretic. Like most black teas, Yunnan tea is suitable for regular consumption in spite of few side effects. Drink it wisely and enjoy its benefits.... discover yunnan tea

Drink Tea For Detox

There are various medications which can help with the detoxifying process, though many varieties of tea promote this process, as well. Find out more about teas for detox! About the detoxification process Many people relate detoxification with consumption of drugs and alcohol. While this is true, detoxification isn’t strictly related to this. Detoxification is a process which our body undergoes when it gets rid of various toxic substances. One of the organs responsible for the detoxification process is the liver. While in some cases it might be necessary, you need to be careful when taking the decision to undergo a detoxifying process. Doctors recommend that people with various health conditions - anemia, diabetes, or kidney disease, for example, should not undergo a detoxification process. The same applies to pregnant and nursing women. Tea can prove to be useful during the detoxifying process. As it is a natural beverage, it is also good for your health, bringing along many health benefits, too. This applies with teas for detox, as well. Types of tea for detox Ginger tea and chamomile tea are often recommended when undergoing a detoxifying process. Also, they both have calming effects, which will help you go through with this process. Milk thistle tea is also good when you’re going through a detoxifying process. It is good for the liver, which helps promote detoxification. Other teas for detox include burdock tea, dandelion tea, nettle tea, rosehip tea, lemongrass tea and lemon balm tea. Many of these also promote a proper digestion, help you treat colds or the flu, and can help with various health problems. Side effects of tea for detox While these teas help with the detoxifying process, you have to be careful with their side effects. Milk thistle tea and nettle tea, for example, can act as a laxative if they are drunk for long periods of time. Meanwhile, dandelion tea should not be consumed by persons suffering from diabetes, or those who have low blood sugar levels. Side effects vary from one tea to another. Make sure you discuss with your doctor about the tea for detox you decide on. When undergoing a detoxification process, choose to drink tea that can help you. As a natural beverage, it will promote detoxification, as well as help you stay healthy. Make sure you try some teas for detox!... drink tea for detox

Drinking Tea For Pregnancy

Women need to be careful both with what they eat and drink during pregnancy. Even if tea is generally recommended as an everyday beverage, most teas shouldn’t be drunk during pregnancy. Find out which teas you should and shouldn’t drink when you’re pregnant. Careful with teas for pregnancy There are various reasons why pregnant women should be careful with the type of tea they drink. Many are related to the caffeine content some tea varieties might have. Drinking tea with caffeine content might lead to birth defects or even unwanted miscarriages. Also, other tea varieties can lead to uterine contractions, or have properties that involve regulating menstruation. These can also lead to miscarriages. That doesn’t mean that, during pregnancy, women should completely stay away from teas. They just have to know what type of tea they can drink. Teas you can drink for pregnancy Rooibos tea is often recommended to pregnant women, as it doesn’t contain caffeine at all. It contains antioxidants, as well as a low level of tannins. Thanks to this, they are less likely to interfere with iron absorption and, therefore, cause anemia during and after pregnancy. It also helps with indigestion and may relieve nausea. Pregnant women can drink ginger tea or mint tea, which help with morning sickness, or chamomile tea to prevent insomnia. Also, nettle tea can be drunk during the second and third trimester of the pregnancy (not the first) only if it’s made from nettle leaves and not from the root. Raspberry leaf tea has many benefits related to pregnancy. First of all, if a woman wants to get pregnant, this tea will increase fertility, as well as strengthen the uterine wall and relax the muscle in the uterus. During pregnancy, it helps with leg cramps, morning sickness and diarrhea. Also, drinking this tea may lead to less artificial ruptures in the membranes, which lowers the chances of needing a caesarean delivery, as well as needing forceps or vacuum birth. Teas you shouldn’t drink for pregnancy Even if teas are usually considered to be good for our health, this isn’t the case. Women should be careful not to drink various types of tea for pregnancy. It is considered best for pregnant women not to drink teas that contain caffeine. Teas made from the Camellia sinensis plant (green tea, black tea, white tea, oolong tea) contain caffeine, so it is best to avoid them. Small amounts may be acceptable, however it can still be risky, as they might still lead to birth defects or miscarriages. Pregnant women should also be careful with herbal teas. The varieties they shouldn’t drink include devil’s claw, ephedra, fenugreek, gentian, ginseng, hawthorne, motherwort, red raspberry leaf, senna, shepherd’s purse, St. John’s wort, or yarrow. Teas for labor Partridge tea is recommended for pregnant women who are due to give birth. It is recommended to be drunk during the last 2-3 weeks of pregnancy. Partridge tea helps with relieving congestions of the uterus and ovaries. It can also be used as an antiseptic to treat vaginal infections. Plus, when it is combined with raspberry leaves, it can help even more during the last two weeks of pregnancy. Pregnant women should be careful even when it comes to the type of tea they drink. Some might be harmful, while others may help them a lot both during and after pregnancy. If you want to get pregnant, make sure you remember the accepted teas for pregnancy.... drinking tea for pregnancy

Enzyme

A protein that acts as a catalyst for the body’s metabolic processes. The body contains thousands of enzymes, with each cell producing several varieties. The ?rst enzyme was obtained in a reasonably pure state in 1926. Since then, several hundred enzymes have been obtained in pure crystalline form. They are present in the digestive ?uids and in many of the tissues, and are capable of producing in small amounts the transformation on a large scale of various compounds. Examples of enzymes are found in the PTYALIN of saliva and DIASTASE of pancreatic juice which split up starch into sugar; the PEPSIN of the gastric juice and the trypsin of pancreatic juice which break proteins into simpler molecules and eventually into the constituent amino acids; and the thrombin of the blood which causes coagulation.

The diagnosis of certain disorders can be helped by measuring the concentrations of various enzymes in the blood. After a heart attack (myocardial infarction – see HEART, DISEASES OF), raised levels of heart enzymes occur as a result of damage to the cells of the heart muscle. Some inherited diseases such as GALACTOSAEMIA and PHENYLKETONURIA are the result of de?ciencies of certain enzymes.

Enzymes can be a useful part of treatment for some disorders. STREPTOKINASE, for example, is used to treat THROMBOSIS; wound-dressings containing papain from the pawpaw fruit – this contains protein-digesting enzymes – assist in the healing process; and pancreatic enzymes can be of value to patients with malabsorption caused by disorders of the PANCREAS.... enzyme

Evolution

An uninterrupted process of change from one condition, form or state to another. In biological evolution, all varieties of living things are seen as having developed by inheritable, incremental changes from unicellular structures to complex organisms such as humankind. Although the likelihood of some form of evolution had been postulated by scientists in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the prime contribution to the development of biological evolutionary doctrine came from the British scientist, Charles Darwin, who argued in his book The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection (1859) that natural selection resulted in the survival of the ?ttest organisms. The precise biological mechanism of evolution was not unravelled until the 20th century, with the discovery of CHROMOSOMES and GENES and the development of the science of genetics. Charles Darwin’s theory was based on his studies of the varied and unique animal life in the Galapagos Islands in the 19th century. He believed that the diversity of life on the planet could be ascribed to the combined effects of random variation in living things, inherited by succeeding generations.... evolution

Fremitus

Tremors or vibrations in an area of the body, detected by palpating (feeling) with the ?ngers or the hand or by auscultation (listening). The procedure is most commonly used when examining the chest and assessing what happens when the patient breathes, coughs or speaks. This helps the doctor to diagnose whether disorders such as ?uid in the pleural cavity or solidi?cation of a section of the lung have occurred.

Friction fremitus is a grating feeling communicated to the hand by the movements of lungs or heart when the membrane covering them is roughened, as in PLEURISY or PERICARDITIS. Vocal fremitus means the sensation felt by the hand when a person speaks; it is increased when the lung is more solid than usual. The ‘thrills’ felt over a heart affected by valvular disease are also varieties of fremitus.... fremitus

Functions The Chief Uses Of The Tongue Are:

to push the food between the teeth for mastication, and then mould it into a bolus preparatory to swallowing;

as the organ of the sense of taste, and as an organ provided with a delicate sense of touch; and

to play a part in the production of speech. (See VOICE AND SPEECH.) It is usual to classify any taste as: sweet, bitter,

salt and acid, since ?ner distinctions are largely dependent upon the sense of smell. The loss of keenness in taste brought about by a cold in the head, or even by holding the nose while swallowing, is well known. Sweet tastes seem to be best appreciated by the tip of the tongue, acids on its edges, and bitters at the back. There are probably di?erent nerve-?bres and end-organs for the di?erent varieties of taste. Many tastes depend upon the ordinary sensations of the tongue.

Like other sensations, taste can be very highly educated for a time, as in tea-tasters and wine-tasters, but this special adaptation is lost after some years.... functions the chief uses of the tongue are:

Haemorrhoids

Haemorrhoids, or piles, are varicose (swollen) veins in the lining of the ANUS. They are very common, affecting nearly half of the UK population at some time in their lives, with men having them more often and for a longer time.

Varieties Haemorrhoids are classi?ed into ?rst-, second- and third-degree, depending on how far they prolapse through the anal canal. First-degree ones do not protrude; second-degree piles protrude during defaecation; third-degree ones are trapped outside the anal margin, although they can be pushed back. Most haemorrhoids can be described as internal, since they are covered with glandular mucosa, but some large, long-term ones develop a covering of skin. Piles are usually found at the three, seven and eleven o’clock sites when viewed with the patient on his or her back.

Causes The veins in the anus tend to become distended because they have no valves; because they form the lowest part of the PORTAL SYSTEM and are apt to become over?lled when there is the least interference with the circulation through the portal vein; and partly because the muscular arrangements for keeping the rectum closed interfere with the circulation through the haemorrhoidal veins. An absence of ?bre from western diets is probably the most important cause. The result is that people often strain to defaecate hard stools, thus raising intra-abdominal pressure which slows the rate of venous return and engorges the network of veins in the anal mucosa. Pregnancy is an important contributory factor in women developing haemorrhoids. In some people, haemorrhoids are a symptom of disease higher up in the portal system, causing interference with the circulation. They are common in heart disease, liver complaints such as cirrhosis or congestion, and any disease affecting the bowels.

Symptoms Piles cause itching, pain and often bleeding, which may occur whenever the patient defaecates or only sometimes. The piles may prolapse permanently or intermittently. The patient may complain of aching discomfort which, with the pain, may be worsened.

Treatment Prevention is important; a high-?bre diet will help in this, and is also necessary after piles have developed. Patients should not spend a long time straining on the lavatory. Itching can be lessened if the PERINEUM is properly washed, dried and powdered. Prolapsed piles can be replaced with the ?nger. Local anaesthetic and steroid ointments can help to relieve symptoms when they are relatively mild, but do not remedy the underlying disorder. If conservative measures fail, then surgery may be required. Piles may be injected, stretched or excised according to the patient’s particular circumstances.

Where haemorrhoids are secondary to another disorder, such as cancer of the rectum or colon, the underlying condition must be treated – hence the importance of medical advice if piles persist.... haemorrhoids

Glycyrrhiza Glabra

Linn.

Family: Papilionaceae; Fabaceae.

Habitat: Native to the Mediterranean regions. Now grown in Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and South India.

English: Licorice, Liquorice.

Ayurvedic: Yashtimadhu, Mad- huyashtyaahvaa, Madhuli, Mad- huyashtikaa, Atirasaa, Madhurasaa, Madhuka, Yastikaahva, Yashtyaah- va, Yashti, Yashtika, Yashtimadhuka. Klitaka (also equated with Indigofera tinctoria). (Klitaka and Klitanakam were considered as aquatic varieties of Yashtimadhu.)

Unani: Asl-us-soos, Mulethi. Rubb-us-soos (extract).

Siddha/Tamil: Athimathuram.

Action: Demulcent, expectorant, antiallergic, anti-inflammatory, spasmolytic, mild laxative, antistress, antidepressive, antiulcer, liver protective, estrogenic, em- menagogue, antidiabetic. Used in bronchitis, dry cough, respiratory infections, catarrh, tuberculosis; genitourinary diseases, urinary tract infections; abdominal pain, gastric and duodenal ulcers, inflamed stomach, mouth ulcer. Also used for adrenocorticoid insufficiency.

Key application: In catarrh of the upper respiratory tract and gastric, duodenal ulcers. (German Commission E, ESCOP, WHO.)

The British Herbal Compendium indicates the use of liquorice for bronchitis, chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer, rheumatism and arthritis, adrenocor- ticoid insufficiency, and to prevent liver toxicity. Indian Herbal Pharmacopoeia recognizes its use as an anti- inflammatory and antiulcer agent.

The main chemical constituent of liquorice is glycyrrhizin (about 29%), a triterpene saponin with low haemolytic index. Glycyrrhetinic (gly- cyrrhetic) acid (0.5-0.9%), the agly- cone of glycyrrhizin is also present in the root. Other active constituents of liquorice include isoflavonoids, chal- cones, coumarins, triterpenoids and sterols, lignans, amino acids, amines, gums and volatile oils.

Hypokalemia is the greatest threat when liquorice preparations high in glycyrrhizin are prescribed for prolonged periods. Liquorice causes fluid retention. Patients should be placed on a high potassium and low sodium diet. Special precautions should be taken with elderly patients and patients with hypertension or cardiac, renal or hepatic disease.

A special liquorice extract known as DGL (deglycyrrhizinated liquorice) is used in the treatment of peptic ulcer. Oral liquorice preparations, containing glycyrrheti- nic acid, are used for the treatment of viral infections—viral hepatitis, common cold. Topical preparations, containing glycyrrhetinic acid, are used for herpes, eczema, psoriasis.

In Japan, a preparation of glycyrrhi- zin, cysteine and glycine is used by injection for the treatment of acute and chronic hepatitis.

Dosage: Root—2-4 g powder. (API Vol. I.)... glycyrrhiza glabra

Interleukins

Interleukins are lymphokines – that is, polypeptides produced by activated lymphocytes. They are involved in signalling between cells of the immune system (see IMMUNITY) and are released by several cell types, including lymphocytes. They interact to control the immune response of cells and also participate in HAEMOPOIESIS. There are seven varieties, interleukins 1 to 7. For example, interleukin 1 is produced as a result of in?ammation and stimulates the proliferation of T and B lymphocytes, enhancing the immune response by stimulating other lymphocytes and activating dormant T cells. Interleukin 2 has anti-cancer effects as it is able to activate T lymphocytes to become killer cells which destroy foreign antigens (see ANTIGEN) such as cancer cells, and this anti-cancer e?ect is being developed for clinical use. The remaining interleukins have a range of properties in cell growth and di?erentiation.... interleukins

Joints

A joint is the articulation point between di?erent parts of the skeleton, whether bone or cartilage. Joints are divided into those which are ?xed or relatively ?xed (?brous and cartilaginous joints), and those which allow free movement (synovial joints). In the former, exempli?ed by the sutures between the bones of the skull, a layer of cartilage or ?brous tissue lies between the bones, binding them ?rmly together. Amphiarthrodial joints, exempli?ed by the joints between the vertebral bodies (see SPINAL COLUMN), have a thick disc of ?brocartilage between the bones. Although the individual joint is capable of very little movement, a series of these gives to the spinal column, as a whole, a ?exible character.

All movable joints involve four structures: the bones whose junction forms the joint; a layer of cartilage covering the ends of these, making them smooth; a ?brous sheath, the capsule, thickened at various points into bands or ligaments, which hold the bones together; and, ?nally, the synovial membrane, which lines the capsule and produces a synovial ?uid, lubricating the movements of the joint. In addition, the bones are kept in position at the joints by the various muscles passing over them and by atmospheric pressure. Where the ends of the bones do not quite correspond, a subsidiary disc of ?bro-cartilage may help to adapt the ends of the bones more perfectly to each other. Larger cavities may be ?lled by movable pads of fat under the synovial membrane, giving additional protection to the joint.

Varieties After this main division of joints into those which are ?xed and those movable, the movable joints may be further subdivided. In gliding joints, such as the wrist and ankle, the bones have ?at surfaces capable of only a limited amount of movement. In hinge joints, such as the elbow and knee, movement takes place around one axis. Ball-and-socket joints, exempli?ed by the shoulder and hip, allow free movement in any direction. Subsidiary varieties are named according to the shape of the bones which enter the joint.... joints

Grapes

See also Raisins, Wine.

Nutritional Profile Energy value (calories per serving): Moderate Protein: Low Fat: Low Saturated fat: Low Cholesterol: None Carbohydrates: High Fiber: Low Sodium: Low Major vitamin contribution: Vitamin A, vitamin C Major mineral contribution: Phosphorus

About the Nutrients in This Food Grapes are high in natural sugars, but even with the skin on they have less than one gram dietary fiber per serving. The most important nutrient in grapes is vitamin C. A serving of 10 green or red Thompson seedless grapes has 5.3 mg vitamin C (7 percent of the R DA for a woman, 6 percent of the R DA for a man). The tart, almost sour flavor of unripened grapes comes from natu- rally occurring malic acid. As grapes ripen, their malic acid content declines while their sugar content rises. R ipe eating grapes are always sweet, but they have no stored starches to convert to sugars so they won’t get sweeter after they are picked.

The Most Nutritious Way to Serve This Food Fresh and ripe.

Buying This Food Look for: Plump, well-colored grapes that are firmly attached to green stems that bend easily and snap back when you let them go. Green grapes should have a slightly yellow tint or a pink blush; red grapes should be deep, dark red or purple. Avoid: Mushy grapes, grapes with wrinkled skin, and grapes that feel sticky. They are all past their prime. So are grapes whose stems are dry and brittle. Characteristics of Different Varieties of Grapes Red grapes Cardinal  Large, dark red, available March–August Emperor  Large red with seeds. September–March Flame  Seedless, medium to large, red. June–August R ibier  Large, blue-black, with seeds. July–February Tokay  Large, bright red, seeds. August–November Queen  Large, bright to dark red, seeds. June–August White grapes Almeria  Large, golden. August–October Calmeria Longish, light green. October–February Perlette  Green, seedless, compact clusters. May–July Thompson Seedless, green to light gold. June–November Source: The Fresh Approach to Grapes (United Fruit & Vegetable Associat ion, n.d.).

Storing This Food Wrap grapes in a plastic bag and store them in the refrigerator. Do not wash grapes until you are ready to use them.

Preparing This Food To serve fresh grapes, rinse them under running water to remove debris, then drain the grapes and pick off stems and leaves. To peel grapes (for salads), choose Catawba, Concord, Delaware, Niagara, or Scup- pernong, the American varieties known as “slipskin” because the skin comes off easily. The European varieties (emperor, flame, Tokay, Muscat, Thompson) are more of a challenge. To peel them, put the grapes into a colander and submerge it in boiling water for a few seconds, then rinse or plunge them into cold water. The hot water makes cells in the grape’s flesh swell, stretching the skin; the cold bath makes the cells shrink back from the skin which should now come off easily.

What Happens When You Cook This Food See above.

How Other Kinds of Processing Affect This Food Juice. Red grapes are colored with anthocyanin pigments that turn deeper red in acids and blue, purple, or yellowish in basic (alkaline) solutions. As a result, red grape juice will turn brighter red if you mix it with lemon or orange juice. Since metals (which are basic) would also change the color of the juice, the inside of grape juice cans is coated with plastic or enamel to keep the juice from touching the metal. Since 2000, following several deaths attributed to unpasteurized apple juice contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the FDA has required that all juices sold in the United States be pasteurized to inactivate harmful organ- isms such as bacteria and mold. Wine-making. Grapes are an ideal fruit for wine-making. They have enough sugar to pro- duce a product that is 10 percent alcohol and are acidic enough to keep unwanted micro- organisms from growing during fermentation. Some wines retain some of the nutrients originally present in the grapes from which they are made. (See wine.) Drying. See r aisins.

Medical Uses and/or Benefits Lower risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and some forms of cancer. Grape skin, pulp, and seed contain resveratrol, one of a group of plant chemicals credited with lowering cholesterol and thus reducing the risk of heart attack by preventing molecular fragments called free radicals from linking together to form compounds that damage body cells, leading to blocked arteries (heart disease), glucose-damaged blood vessels (diabetes), and unregulated cell growth (cancer). The juice from purple grapes has more resveratrol than the juice from red grapes, which has more resveratrol than the juice from white grapes. More specifically, in 1998, a team of food scientists from the USDA Agricultural Research Service identified a native American grape, the muscadine, commonly used to make grape juice in the United States, as an unusually potent source of resveratrol.... grapes

Indian Sarasaparilla

Hemidesmus indicus

Asclepiadaceae

San: Anantamulah, Sariba;

Hin: Anantamul, Magrabu;

Ben: Anantamul;

Mal: Nannari, Naruninti, Narunanti;

Tam: Nannari, Saribam;

Tel: Sugandipala;

Kan: Namadaballi

Importance: Indian Sarasaparilla or Country Sarasaparilla is a climbing slender plant with twining woody stems and a rust-coloured bark. The roots are useful in vitiated conditions of pitta, burning sensation, leucoderma, leprosy, skin diseases, pruritus, asthma, bronchitis, hyperdipsia, opthalmopathy, hemicrania, epileptic fits, dyspepsia, helminthiasis, diarrhoea, dysentery, haemorrhoids, strangury, leucorrhoea, syphilis, abcess, arthralgia, fever and general debility. The leaves are useful in vomiting, wounds and leucoderma. The stems are bitter, diaphoretic and laxative and are useful in inflammations, cerebropathy, hepatopathy, nephropathy, syphilis, metropathy, leucoderma, odontalgia, cough and asthma. The latex is good for conjunctivitis (Warrier et al, 1995). The important formulations using the drug are Saribadyasava, Pindataila, Vidaryadi lehya, Draksadi kasaya, Jatyadi ghrita, etc. (Sivarajan et al, 1994). The Hemidesmus root powdered and mixed with cow’s milk is given with much benefit in the case of strangury. In the form of syrup, it has demulcent and diuretic proportions. The root, roasted in plantain leaves, then beaten into a mass with cumin and sugar and mixed with ghee is a household remedy in genito-urinary diseases. The hot infusion of the root-bark with milk and sugar is a good alterative tonic especially for children in cases of chronic cough and diarrhoea (Nadkarni, 1998). It has been successfully used in the cure of venereal diseases where American Sarasaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis Linn.) has failed. Native doctors utilize it in nephritic complaints and for sore mouths of children (Grieve and Leyel, 1992).

Distribution: Hemidesmus is distributed throughout India, the Moluccas and Sri Lanka.

Botany: Hemidesmus indicus (Linn.) R. Br. syn. Periploca indica Linn. belongs to the family Asclepiadaceae. It is a perennial, slender, laticiferous, twining or prostrate, wiry shrub with woody rootstock and numerous slender, terete stems having thickened nodes. Leaves are simple, opposite, very variable from elliptic-oblong to linear-lanceolate, variegated with white above and silvery white and pubescent beneath. Flowers are greenish purple crowded in sub-sessile cymes in the opposite leaf-axils. Fruits are slender follicles, cylindrical, 10cm long, tapering to a point at the apex. Seeds are flattened, black, ovate-oblong and coma silvery white. The tuberous root is dark-brown, coma silvery white, tortuous with transversely cracked and longitudinally fissured bark. It has a strong central vasculature and a pleasant smell and taste (Warrier et al, 1995).

The Ayurvedic texts mention two varieties, viz. a krsna or black variety and a sveta or white variety (Aiyer, 1951) which together constitute the pair, Saribadvayam. The drug is known as Sariba. Svetasariba is H. indicus. Two plants, namely, Ichnocarpus fructescens (Apocynaceae) known as pal-valli in vernacular and Cryptolepis buchanani (Asclepidaceae) known as Katupalvalli (Rheeds, 1689) are equated with black variety or Krsnasariba (Chunekar, 1982; Sharma, 1983).

Agrotechnology: Hemidesmus is propagated through root cuttings. The root cuttings of length 3-5cm can be planted in polybags or in the field. They can be planted in flat beds or on ridges. Planting is done usually at a spacing of 50x20cm. Heavy application of organic manure is essential for good growth and root yield. Inorganic fertilizers are not usually applied. Frequent weeding and earthing up are required, as the plant is only slow growing. Provision of standards for twining will further improve the growth and yield of the plant.

Properties and activity: The twigs of the plant give a pregnane ester diglycoside named desinine. Roots give -sitosterol, 2-hydroxy-4-methoxy benzaldehyde, -amyrin, -amyrin and its acetate, hexatriacontane, lupeol octacosonate, lupeol and its acetate. Leaves, stem and root cultures give cholesterol, campesterol, -sitosterol and 16-dehydro-pregnenolone. Leaves and flowers also give flavonoid glycosides rutin, hyperoside and iso-quercitin (Husain et al,1992). “Hemidesmine”- a crystallizible principle is found in the volatile oil extracted from roots. Some suggest that it is only a stearoptene. It also contains some starch, saponin and in the suberous layer, tannic acid (Grieve and Leyel, 1992). The root is alterative, febrifuge, antileucorrhoeic, antisyphilitic, demulcent, diaphoretic, diuretic, tonic, galactogenic, antidote for scorpion-sting and snake-bite, antidiarrhoeal, blood purifier, antirheumatic and aperitive. Essential oil from root is anti-bacterial and the plant is antiviral (Husain et al, 1992).... indian sarasaparilla

Keemun Tea - The Black Tea With An Orchid Fragrance

Keemun tea is a popular Chinese black tea produced in Qimen County in the Anhui Province of China. It is classified as being a top quality black tea around the globe, especially in the British market whereKeemun tea is considered a delicacy. The tea gained popularity very quickly in England where it has become an important ingredient in English Breakfast tea blends. Keemun tea comes from a sub-variety of the Chinese tea plant Camellia Sinensis, named Zhu-ye-zhing which grows in a mountainous area covered by forest in Anhui Province. In that area, the lack of sun, high humidity and low temperature allow the growth of perfect thin black tea leaves which are withered, rubbed, twirled and then baked dry. There are many Keemun tea varieties such as:
  • Keemun Gongfu or Congou which has thin, dark and tight shaped leaves.
  • Keemun Mao Feng which has slightly twisted leaf buds and a smoother flavor. For a proper taste, it is recommended to brew a smaller quantity of this type of tea and let it steep for 7 minutes.
  • Keemun Xin Ya - a type of tea with a less bitter taste.
  • Keemun Hao Ya
Keemun Tea brewing If it is properly brewed, you will obtain a clear red color cup of Keemun tea with a fruity, exotic and floral (but not as floral as Darjeeling tea ) aroma. To get a perfect cup of tea, add 1-2 teaspoons of tea leaves per 8 oz cup into the teapot. Boil the water, pour it over the tea leaves and let it steep between 2 - 3 minutes. In China, people drink Keemun tea without any kind of sweetener or milk. Keemun tea benefits Keemun tea has many benefits even though it does not contain as many antioxidants as green or white tea. The caffeine in the Keemun tea helps enhancing your memory and gives you energy during the day. Since this tea is a type of black tea, it has many benefits for the human body:
  • Accelerates your metabolism and allows you to burn fat much easier and faster. With a balanced diet and regular exercise,Keemun tea is a strong allied in the process of weight loss.
  • Keemun tea can be a good alternative for coffee. The caffeine in the black tea will give you the energy that you need in the morning and will make you feel full of energy all day long.
  • Improves your digestion by dissolving the excess acidity.
  • Inhibits the growth of cancer cells and the development of rheumatoid arthritis.
Keemun tea side effects Being a black tea, Keemun tea has a significant amount of caffeine which can cause anxiety, insomnia or irritability if you drink it before bed. Pregnant women are not advised to drink black tea during the pregnancy since it has been related to spontaneous abortions and birth defects. Also, if you are breastfeeding you should consider reducing the amount of black tea. People who suffer from anemia are strongly recommended not to drink Keemun tea since it can cause dizziness, blurred vision or headaches. It is often said that Keemun tea has an orchid fragrance that leaves a lasting impression in people`s memory.  It has a reputation for being a truly exquisite tea with its fruity and wine-like flavor that, combined with the wonderful health benefits, make the tea drinking a delightful experience.... keemun tea - the black tea with an orchid fragrance

Lymphocyte

A variety of white blood cell produced in the LYMPHOID TISSUE and lymphatic glands (see LYMPHATICS; GLAND) of the body. It contains a simple, rounded nucleus surrounded by protoplasm generally described as non-granular. Two varieties of lymphocyte are described, small and large, and together they form over 20 per cent of the white cells of the blood. They play an important part in the production of ANTIBODIES, and in the rejection of transplanted organs such as the heart (see TRANSPLANTATION). This they do in two di?erent ways: what are known as B-lymphocytes produce antibodies, while T-lymphocytes attack and destroy antigens (see ANTIGEN) directly. The latter are known as T-lymphocytes because they are produced by the THYMUS GLAND. Their numbers are increased in TUBERCULOSIS and certain other diseases. Such an increase is known as LYMPHOCYTOSIS.... lymphocyte

Mango

Mangifera indica

Description: This tree may reach 30 meters in height. It has alternate, simple, shiny, dark green leaves. Its flowers are small and inconspicuous. Its fruits have a large single seed. There are many cultivated varieties of mango. Some have red flesh, others yellow or orange, often with many fibers and a kerosene taste.

Habitat and Distribution: This tree grows in warm, moist regions. It is native to northern India, Burma, and western Malaysia. It is now grown throughout the tropics.

Edible Parts: The fruits area nutritious food source. The unripe fruit can be peeled and its flesh eaten by shredding it and eating it like a salad. The ripe fruit can be peeled and eaten raw. Roasted seed kernels are edible.

CAUTION

If you are sensitive to poison ivy, avoid eating mangoes, as they cause a severe reaction in sensitive individuals.... mango

Metabolic Disorders

A collection of disorders in which some part of the body’s internal chemistry (see METABOLISM; CATABOLISM) is disrupted. Some of these disorders arise from inherited de?ciencies in which a speci?c ENZYME is absent or abnormal, or does not function properly. Other metabolic disorders occur because of malfunctions in the endocrine system (see ENDOCRINE GLANDS). There may be over- or underproduction of a hormone involved in the control of metabolic activities: a prime example is DIABETES MELLITUS – a disorder of sugar metabolism; others include CUSHING’S SYNDROME; hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism (see THYROID GLAND, DISEASES OF); and insulinoma (an insulin-producing tumour of the pancreas). The bones can be affected by metabolic disorders such as osteoporosis, osteomalacia (rickets) and Paget’s disease (see under BONE, DISORDERS OF). PORPHYRIAS, HYPERLIPIDAEMIA, HYPERCALCAEMIA and gout are other examples of disordered metabolism.

There are also more than 200 identi?ed disorders described as inborn errors of metabolism. Some cause few problems; others are serious threats to an individual’s life. Individual disorders are, fortunately, rare – probably one child in 10,000 or 100,000; overall these inborn errors affect around one child in 1,000. Examples include GALACTOSAEMIA, PHENYLKETONURIA, porphyrias, TAY SACHS DISEASE and varieties of mucopolysaccharidosis, HOMOCYSTINURIA and hereditary fructose (a type of sugar) intolerance.... metabolic disorders

Nerium Oleander

Linn.

Family: Apocynaceae.

Habitat: Native to Mediterranean region; grown in Indian gardens.

English: Red Oleander, Rose Bay.

Unani: Surkh Kaner.

Action: See N. indicum. (The white- and red-flowered varieties are equated with Nerium oleander; both possess similar properties. The yellow-flowered variety is equated with Thevetia peruviana.)

Key application: Leaf—included among unapproved herbs by German Commission E. Positively inotropic and negatively chronotropic actions have been mentioned; the use of leaf for diseases and functional disorders of the heart, as well as for skin diseases has been indicated.

The leaves and roots gave a number of active principles including gly- cosides, terpenoids, sterols and other compounds. Cardiac steroids, isolated from the leaf, include oleandrin, gen- tiobiosyl oleandrin, odoroside. The stem contained alanine arginine, as- partic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glycine, histidine, leucine, isoleucine, lysine, phenylalanine, proline, serine, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine and valine. A polysaccharide (2.3%), containing galacturonic acid, rhamnose, arabinose and galactose has been isolated from leaves.

Neutral fraction from leaves at low doses caused marked suppression of locomotor activity.

Aqueous extract of leaves showed significant antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The leaves also showed insecticidal activity.... nerium oleander

Olea Europaea

Linn.

Family: Olaeaceae.

Habitat: Native of Mediterranean region; cultivated in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

English: Olive.

Unani: Zaitoon.

Action: Leaves and bark— febrifugal, astringent, diuretic, antihypertensive.

Oil—preparations are used for cho- langiitis, cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, icterus, flatulence, meteorism, lack of bacteria in the intestines. Demulcent and mild laxative. Externally used for wound dressing and for minor burns, psoriasis and pruritus. (Included among unapproved herbs by German Commission E.)

Chemical investigations of two varieties—Ascotrinia and Ascolina— grown in Jammu region have shown that the characteristics of fruits and their oils are similar to those of European varieties.

Leaves of Olea europaea gave iri- doid monoterpenes including oleu- ropein and oleuroside; triterpenes including oleanolic and maslinic acids; flavonoids including luteolin and api- genine derivatives. The oil contains glycerides of oleic acid about 70-80%, with smaller amounts of linoleic, palmitic and stearic acid glycerides.

The leaves exhibited hypotensive, antiarrhythmic and spasmolytic activities in animal studies. The oil exhibited contraction of gallbladder due to raising of the cholecystokinin level in the plasma.

India's requirements of olive oil are met by imports.... olea europaea

Orris

Iris florentina. N.O. Iridaceae.

Synonym: Florentine Orris.

Habitat: Cultivated in Northern Italy and Morocco.

Features ? The white Florentine root, which is preferred to other varieties, is irregular in shape and shows marks where the rootlets branched before preparation for export. Verona Orris root tapers more gradually than that from Florence, and appears more compressed. The Moroccan root is noticeable for the dirty white cortex which remains on the root. Orris gives off a violet-like scent.

Part used ? Root.

Large quantities of the finely pulverised root are used in the preparation of toilet and dusting powders, dentifrices and cachous, for which purposes the acceptable fragrancy and other appropriate qualities make Orris root eminently suitable. Toilet recipes are given in another section of this book.

Orris is not used for purely medicinal purposes.... orris

Panax Pseudoginseng

Wall.

Family: Araliaceae.

Habitat: Western Himalayas, Pithoragarh district of Uttaranchal.

English: Indian Ginseng, Indian Pseudoginseng.

Ayurvedic: In Indian medicine, Panax quinquefolium Linn. and Panax schinseng Knees have been equated with Lakshmanaa.

Action: Adaptogen, digestive relaxant, old-age revitalizer. Sustains nerves and immune system in physical exhaustion and during convalescence. Antiarrhythmic (used for angina). Activities comparable with Korean ginseng.

Indian pseudoginseng, including subspecies himalaicus and its varieties, variety angustifolius and variety bipinnatifidus, has been found to be a rich source ofoleanolic acid saponins, while dammarane saponins (panaxa- diol and panaxatriol) are present in minor quantities. Panax burkillianus Bennet & Viswan and P. sikkimensis Banerjee are also related to the commercial ginseng.

Panax quinquefolium (American Ginseng) has been introduced into India in the Kashmir valley during 1983. It is rich in dammarane saponins. The air-dried roots of the plant, introduced in India, contain total saponin content of 11.5%. The saponins isolated include ginsenosides Rb1, Rb2, Rb3, Rc, Rd, Re, Rg1, pseudoginsenoside F11 and chikusetsu saponin V; the major saponin being ginsenoside Rb1. The saponin fraction of the root yielded panaxadiol, panaxatriol and oleanolic acid.

Ginsenosides Rb and Rc are 'diols', while Rg is a 'triol'. ('triol' group is arousing, 'diol' is sedative.) In American ginseng 'diols' predominate.

Panax pseudoginseng, equated with Himalayan ginseng (Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, 2007), is believed to dilate the coronary vessels, re duce vascular resistance and improve the coronary collateral circulation. It increased blood flow while reducing blood pressure.

Panax schiseng, synonym P. ginseng Mey. (Asiatic or Chinese Ginseng) is cultivated in northern China, Korea and Japan.... panax pseudoginseng

Pastinaca Sativa

Linn.

Synonym: Peucedanum sativum Benth. & Hook. f.

Family: Umbelliferae; Apiaceae.

Habitat: Native to Europe; grows in cool climate in India. (Hollow Crown, Student and Large Guernsey are Indian horticultural varieties.)

English: Parsnip.

Action: Above ground parts— diuretic, carminative (eaten as a vegetable and salad), used for kidney disorders. Root—used for kidney disorders, fever and as a diuretic and analgesic.

The parsnip is a rich source of coumarins (1.7% dry weight). The coumarin fraction of the fruit extract inhibits growth of cancer cells (HeLa- S3)cultured in the dark. The fruit contains small amounts of photoactive furocoumarins which are phototoxic. (Severe dermatitis results after contact with the furocoumarin in the presence of light.) The fruit contains xantho- toxin (0.1%), imperatorin (0.17%) and bergapten (0.38%). Coumarin, pasti- nacin, isolated from the fruit, showed spasmolytic action.... pastinaca sativa

Phoenix Dactylifera

Linn.

Family: Palmae; Arecaceae.

Habitat: Cultivated in Punjab and Rajasthan.

English: Date Palm.

Ayurvedic: Kharjuura, Kharjuuraka, Kharjuurikaa. Pindakharjuurikaa. Chhuhaaraa (dry date). Pindakhar- juura is the fruit of Phoenix acaulis Roxb.

Unani: Khurmaa, Khajuur, Chhuharaa.

Siddha/Tamil: Perichchankay, Ita.

Action: Fruit pulp—antitussive, expectorant, demulcent, laxative, diuretic, restorative. Sap—cooling, laxative. Gum—used in diarrhoea and genitourinary diseases.

The fruit contains ascorbic acid (vitamin C), carotene (as vitamin A), nicotinic acid, riboflavin, thiamine, sugars (60-80%). Besides sucrose and invert sugars, rhamnose, xylose, ara- binose, ribose, galactose and galac- turonic acid have been identified in the fruit. Invert sugar predominates in the soft dates; sucrose in dry varieties. The dried date, used in Ayurvedic and Unani compositions, contains protein 2.5-3, fat 0.5, carbohydrates 75.882.9% and calcium 35.9, phosphorus 129.3 and iron 3.4 mg/100 g. Presence of sterols of ergosterol group, and esterone has been reported from dried date seeds.

Charged C-glycosylflavones and caf- feylshikimic acid, leucocyanidin are characteristically present in the plant. Flavonol glycosides are also common. Several uncharged C-glycosylflavones were also detected.

Dosage: Fresh fruit—10-50 g, dried fruit—10-15 g. (API, Vol. IV.)... phoenix dactylifera

Physalia

A siphonophore or hydrozoan colony that is usually regarded as a jellyfish by non-biological people. It has a float, rather than a bell, and the tentacle(s) hang beneath. There are two main varieties: 1. Physalia utriculus. A single-tentacled species common in the warmer waters of the world, and especially common on the eastern seaboard of Australia where it causes some 10,000-odd stings each summer. No deaths have ever been reported, and usually it causes mild-to moderate skin pain and possibly some aching pains in the draining lymph glands in the leg or armpit. 2. Physalia physalis. The multi-tentacled species found world-wide, but commonly on both side of the North Atlantic. Stings are common on the eastern coast of the United States and have now caused 3 deaths as well as manysevere systemic symptoms. Specimens may have a float length of up to 25cm with tentacles up to 30m in length. Some severe systemic symptoms resemble a modified Irukandji syndrome with painful breathing, muscle cramps, anxietyand sweating.... physalia

Pityriasis

A skin disorder typi?ed by a bran-like desquamation (?aking). There are several varieties including P. alba, rosea, versicolor (fungal caused) and rubra (exfoliative dermatitis).

Pityriasis alba is a mild form of chronic eczema (see DERMATITIS) occurring mainly in children on the face and in young adults on the upper arms. It is characterised by round or oval ?aky patches which are paler than the surrounding skin due to partial loss of MELANIN pigment. The appearance is more dramatic in dark-skinned or suntanned subjects. Moisturising cream often su?ces, but 1 per cent HYDROCORTISONE cream is more e?ective.

Pityriasis rosea is a common self-limiting eruption seen mainly in young adults. It usually begins as a solitary red ?aky patch (often misdiagnosed as ringworm). Within a week this ‘herald patch’ is followed by a profuse symmetrical eruption of smaller rose-pink, ?aky, oval lesions on the trunk and neck but largely sparing the limbs and face. Itching is variable. The eruption usually peaks within 3 weeks and fades away leaving collarettes of scale, disappearing within 6–7 weeks. It rarely recurs and a viral cause is suspected but not proved. It is not contagious and there is no speci?c treatment, but crotamiton cream (Eurax) may relieve discomfort.... pityriasis

Schrebera Swientenioides

Roxb.

Family: Oleaceae.

Habitat: Tropical and subtropical Himalayas from Kumaon eastwards; also Bihar, West Bengal and Peninsular India, up to 1,200 m.

English: Weaver's Beam tree.

Ayurvedic: Muskakaa. (Mokshaka, Ghantaa-Paatali, Kaashthapaatalaa are varieties of Paatalaa.)

Siddha/Tamil: Mogalingum.

Action: Leaves—used in enlargement of spleen and in urinary discharges. Root—used for leprosy. Bark—used for boils and burns. Fruits—beneficial in hydrocele.

The Fruits gave betulinic and olea- nolic acids.... schrebera swientenioides

Speedwell

Veronica officinalis. N.O. Scrophulariaceae.

Synonym: Bird's Eye, Cat's Eye, Common Speedwell, Fluellin (in Wales).

Habitat: Dry banks and sandy commons.

Features ? Stem slender, creeping, covered with short hairs. Leaves opposite, oval, hairy, serrate, short-stalked, about half an inch long by a quarter of an inch broad. Flowers small, pink turning blue, in axillary spikes. Astringent to the taste, odour when dry rather tea-like.

Part used ? Herb.

Action: Mildly alterative, expectorant, diuretic.

Helpful in minor skin blemishes, coughs and catarrhs. Made as tea, it resembles certain varieties of China tea, both in taste and aroma.

Tilke recommends the substitution of Speedwell and Wood Betony for tea as, in addition to their positive virtues, they produce none of the bad effects of the last-named beverage.... speedwell

St. John's Wort

Hypericum perforatum. N.O. Hypericaceae.

Some thirteen different varieties of St. John's Wort flourish in England, but Hypericum perforatum is the only one included in the herbal materia medica, and may be distinguished from the others by the small hole-like dots on the leaf.

Habitat: Hedges and woods.

Features ? The upright, woody but slender stem, branching from the upper part only, attains a height of between one and two feet. The leaves are stalkless and elliptical in shape, about half an inch long, grow in pairs on opposite sides of the stem and branches and, in addition to the transparent dots noticed above, are sometimes marked with black spots on the under side. Numerous bright yellow flowers, dotted and streaked with dark purple, cluster, in June and July, at the ends of side branches and stem. A bitter, astringent taste is remarked.

Action: Expectorant, diuretic and astringent.

Indicated in coughs, colds, and disorders of the urinary system. It was prescribed more often by the English herbal school of a hundred years ago than it is to-day, and was noticed as far back as Culpeper for "wounds, hurts and bruises." Indeed, an infusion of the fresh flowers in Olive oil, to make the "Oil of St. John's Wort," is still used as an application to wounds, swellings, and ulcers. Internally, the infusion of 1 ounce of the herb to 1 pint of boiling water is taken in wineglass doses.

In America St. John's Wort grows freely in the cornfields, which proximity was held by Tilke to operate beneficially upon both herb and grain. Discussing American wheat which has grown among quantities of St. John's Wort he tells us ? "It is well known, by almost every baker who works in his business, that this flour improves the quality of the bread, by

having a small quantity of it in every batch, particularly in seasons when the English flour is of inferior quality. A clever author informs us that it contains one-fourth more gluten than our famous wheats grown in Gloucestershire, known by the name of 'rivets.' " Tilke was himself a baker in his early days.... st. john's wort

Snow Bud Tea

White tea is one of the most subtle and delicate of all varieties of tea. Discover the unique features of a well known type of white tea - Snow bud tea and learn more about its benefits. About Snow bud tea Snow bud tea belongs to the family of white teas which is one of the softest types of tea. Coming from Fujian province of China, this tea is delicious and fascinating, most appreciated by tea lovers. From each bush, only the finest tea leaves are used, with a minimal amount of processing. Tea buds and leaves are harvested in early spring before opening, when they are still covered with white hair. After that they are left in natural sunlight for whitening and drying. Also called Xue Ya, Snow bud tea is an airy, light tea with a subtle, gentle taste. It has a very delicate body, with an effervescent texture. Its transparent infusion has a flavor similar to toasted grains or baked sweet potatoes. The color of this tea can be similar to both green or white tea, but mostly it is light yellow. How to brew Snow bud tea When preparing the Snow bud tea, spring water would be most suitable, in order to avoid impurities. Remember to never boil the water, as it will ruin the taste of infusion. The ideal temperature for this tea ranges from 70ºC to 80ºC (approx. 160ºF to 175ºF). Infuse it for approximately 5 minutes and enjoy the rich taste. Because it is a quite expensive tea assortment, you can brew it more than once using the same leaves. This will also lower the caffeine content and will result in a mellow, gentle taste. Benefits of Snow bud tea Chinese people believe that Snow bud tea is refreshing and it has even cooling and detoxifying properties. Recent studies have demonstrated that, compared to other types of tea, this one has one of the highest concentration of catechins, almost three times bigger than green tea. Lack of fermentation process, Snow bud tea has also more polyphenols, believed to be a possible anti-cancer agent. This tea is low on caffeine, so, due to this, the possible side effects are quite rare. Studies have shown that this tea has a strong effect in halting cell mutation in an early stage of cancer, thus it successfully fights many types of cancer. The Snow bud tea is also excellent for hydrating the body and skin, having a natural anti-aging effect. It also boosts the metabolism, making you burn fat faster. So it is ideal for diets. Snow bud tea may help in fighting viruses and bacterial growth, reduce infections, pneumonia and even dental plaque, thus strengthening the whole immune system of your body. Let’s not forget about its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect. It also improves cardiovascular function. Side effects of Sun bud tea As far as the side effects, there are no identified ones when drinking Snow bud tea, except few related to low caffeine content. People with intolerance to caffeine, should, however, avoid drinking it at night. Snow bud tea is best for those who prefer green tea but want to experience the benefits of white tea. The long list of health benefits and the lack of side effects makes it ideal for daily consumption. So enjoy a relaxing cup of tea.... snow bud tea

Terminalia Chebula

Retz.

Family: Combretaceae.

Habitat: Abundant in Northern India. Also occurs in the forests of Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, especially in Konkan.

English: Chebulic Myrobalan, Black Myrobalan.

Ayurvedic: Haritaki, Kaayasthaa, Pathyaa, Shreyasi, Shivaa. (Jivanti, Puutanaa, Vijayaa, Abhayaa, Rohini, Chetaki, Amritaa—according to some scholars, these represent seven varieties of Haritaki; now used as synonyms.)

Unani: Harad, Halelaa siyaah, Halelaa zard, Halelaa Kaabuli (varieties).

Siddha/Tamil: Kadukkai.

Action: Gentle purgative, astringent (unripe fruits are more purgative, ripe ones are more astringent; sennoside A and anthraquinone glycoside is laxative, tannins are astringent), stomachic, antibilious, alterative. Used in prescriptions for treating flatulence, constipation, diarrhoea, dysentery, cyst, digestive disorders, vomiting, enlarged liver and spleen, cough and bronchial asthma, and for metabolic harmony. Bark—diuretic.

The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, along with other therapeutic applications, indicated the use of powder of mature fruits in intermittent fevers, chronic fevers, anaemia and polyuria.

The fruits of T. chebula are used in combination with Emblica officinalis and T. bellirica (under the name Triphalaa) in the treatment of liver and kidney dysfunctions. The main purgative ingredient of Triphalaa is T. chebula (the purgative principle is in the pericarp of the fruit).

Shikimic, gallic, triacontanoic and palmitic acids, beta-sitosterol, daucos- terol, triethyl ester of chebulic acid and ethyl ester of gallic acid; a new ellag- itannin, terchebulin, along with puni- calagin and teaflavin A have been isolated from the fruits. A new triterpene, chebupentol, and arjungenin, termi- noic acid and arjunolic acid were also isolated from the fruit.

Antioxidant constituents of the plant, phloroglucinol and pyrogallol have been isolated along with ferulic, vanillic, p-coumaric and caffeic acids. Ether extract showed higher antioxidant activity than BHA and BHT, Acid esters present in phenolic fraction of extract, were found most effective.

Dosage: Pericarp of mature fruit— 3-6 g powder. (API, Vol. I.)... terminalia chebula

Tea For Breakfast

Tea is the perfect choice for a breakfast beverage. Even if coffee might help you sober up, tea is healthier and much more natural. Find out more about teas for breakfast! Why drink tea for breakfast During winter, starting your day with a hot beverage is the best solution. Tea is a better choice than coffee; even teas that are made from the Camellia sinensis plant (which contains caffeine) have smaller caffeine content than a normal cup of coffee. With so many flavors, you are bound to find something that will suit your taste. You can choose the tea you want to drink based on possible health problems, as well. Also, during summer, you can start the day with a cool, refreshing glass of iced tea. Proper teas for breakfast Considering the many varieties of tea that exist all around the world, it’s hard to choose just one and say it is the best for breakfast. Tea choice differs from one person to another, based on each of our preferences. There are various blends which are often recommended during breakfast. Two of them are English Breakfast tea and Irish Breakfast tea. They are both black tea blends with quite high caffeine content. Generally, teas made from the Camellia Sinensis plant (black tea, green tea, oolong tea, and white tea) are often drunk during breakfast. They count as a natural replacement for coffee, thanks to their caffeine content. These teas for breakfast include Rooibos tea, Bai Hao oolong tea, Earl Grey tea, Assam tea, Ceylon tea, or Japanese green teas (sencha tea or matcha tea). It is recommended that children should not drink teas with caffeine content. In their case, fruit-flavored teas are the best choice for a hot, morning beverage. Benefits of teas for breakfast Each type of tea comes with its own health benefits, which should encourage you to enjoy a cup of warm tea every morning. Health benefits of teas for breakfast which have caffeine content include mental alertness. The caffeine found in tea helps us wake up and focus even during the early hours of the morning. Other health benefits of teas with caffeine content (made from the Camellia sinensis plant) are: reducing the risk of getting cancer, lowering high blood pressure, helping us lose weight. Side effects of teas for breakfast Just like health benefits, side effects also vary from one type of tea to another. However, the main ones are related to the caffeine content found in teas for breakfast made from the Camellia sinensis plant. Caffeine content can lead to headaches, nervousness, sleep problems, vomiting, diarrhea, irritability, irregular heartbeats, tremors, dizziness, ringing in the ears, or convulsions. Don’t drink any of these teas (black tea, green tea, white tea, oolong tea) if you know caffeine is not good for you. Also, it is recommended not to give any of these teas to children, pregnant women or those who are breastfeeding. In this case, choose an herbal or fruit-flavored tea. Though even in this case, make sure you talk to a doctor first, as they can have their own side effects, as well. Tea is definitely a must when taking breakfast. Whether cold during summer or hot during winter, it is the ideal beverage. No matter the flavor, enjoy your tea for breakfast!... tea for breakfast

Trapa Bispinosa

Roxb.

Synonym: T. natans Linn. var. bispinosa (Roxb.) Makino. T. quadrispinosa Wall.

Family: Trapaceae.

Habitat: Throughout India.

English: Water Chestnut.

Ayurvedic: Shrngaataka, Shrngaata, Shrngamuula, Trikota, Jalapha- la, Trikonaphala, Paaniyaphala, Jalkanda, Trikona, Trika.

Unani: Singhaaraa.

Siddha: Singara

Action: The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India recommends the use of dried kernels in bleeding disorders, threatened abortion, dysuria, polyuria and oedema.

Flour of dried kernels is used in preparations for breaking fast in India. The flour is rich in proteins and minerals. The flour, prepared from dried kernels, ofred and white varieties contain: phosphorus 45, 48; sulphur 122.81, 130.16; calcium 60, 20; magnesium 200, 160; sodium 100, 80; and potassium 1800, 1760 mg/100 g; iron 145.16, 129.02 and manganese 18.93, 11.36 ppm, respectively. The starch, isolated from flour, consists of 15% amylose and 85% amylopectin.

Dosage: Dried seed—5-10 g powder. (API, Vol. IV.)... trapa bispinosa

Tea For Sleep

Whether you are dealing with sleepless nights or you feel too tired during the day, you can try to solve this problem with tea. As it is a natural beverage, it brings along various other health benefits. Find out more about teas for sleep! Sleep problems tea can solve Sleep can become a problem when we either can’t sleep during the night or we feel like we don’t  get enough sleep. Sleepless nights can have various causes. We can get them because we feel stressed, anxious or depressed. They can also be caused by the medication we might be taking. Various diseases can lead to sleep problems, as well. These include asthma, various allergies, Parkinson’s disease, hyperthyroidism, acid reflux, kidney disease, cancer or chronic pain, or even sleep-related diseases such as sleep apnea, narcolepsy, or restless legs syndrome. Lastly, beverages that contain caffeine can lead to sleepless nights. As for feeling tired despite having slept during the night, this happens mostly because stress and anxiousness, or because of various diseases (celiac disease, anemia, underactive thyroid, diabetes). Tea can help reduce both sleeping problems and fatigue. Though not as strong as medication, it counts as an important, natural element of the treatment. Varieties of tea for sleep There are a few types of tea that can help you when you’re dealing with sleepless nights. Valerian tea is often recommended when you’ve got trouble sleeping. This tea allows endomorphins in your body to be released easier and therefore reduces sleep problems. Chamomile tea is another tea for sleep; it reduces stress and anxiety levels and can therefore help you relax and get a good night’s sleep. Lavender is also known for helping people relax, so drinking a cup of lavender tea before bed can help a lot, too. Other herbal teas with similar properties include basil tea, catnip tea, fennel tea, honeybush tea, kava tea, lemon balm tea, motherwort tea, passion flower tea, peppermint tea, reishi tea, schizandra tea, and skullcap tea. Side effects of tea for sleep While these types of tea help when it comes to sleeping problems, consumption of each tea can lead to a few side effects. This is why it is recommended that you talk with your doctor first, before deciding to drink tea daily, as part of your treatment. Make sure you won’t get allergic reactions caused by the tea’s main ingredient. Also, avoid teas for sleep (and most types of tea) during pregnancy and nursing periods. Chamomile tea should not be drunk by people with bleeding disorders. Valerian tea should not be consumed in large quantities, as it might lead to headaches and stomach problems. Tea to get rid of fatigue The types of tea that can help you get rid of fatigue are the ones you should not drink when you’ve got sleeping problems. A cup in the morning can be safe, though you definitely shouldn’t drink it at night, before bed. Tea that contains caffeine helps fight off feelings of tiredness. These include the types of tea made from the Camellia Sinensis plant: green tea, black tea, white tea, and oolong tea. Drinking a cup of one of these teas, in the morning, can increase your mental alertness and scare off fatigue. However, make sure you can drink types of tea that contain caffeine. If caffeine is not good for you, it might lead to unpleasant side effects: headaches, nervousness, sleep problems, vomiting, diarrhea, irritability, irregular heartbeats, tremors, dizziness, or ringing in the ears. No matter the problem, whether you have trouble sleeping or you feel tired during the day, choose a type of tea that can help you. This hot beverage can count as a natural treatment which will also bring other health benefits. Enjoy your cup of tea for sleep!... tea for sleep

Tribulus Terrestris

Linn.

Family: Zygophyllaceae.

Habitat: Throughout India, up to 5,400 m.

English: Land-Caltrops, Puncture Vine.

Ayurvedic: Gokshura, Gokshu- raka, Kshudra (Laghu) Gokharu, Shvadamshtraa, Swaadu-kantaka, Trikanta, Trikantaka. (Larger var. is equated with Pedalium murex Linn. The fruits of both the varieties are conical and have four spines, not three as the synonyms denote. Hence, Acanthospermum hispidum DC. and Martynia annua Linn. have been suggested as the source of Trikantaka.)

Unani: Khaar-e-Khasak Khurd.

Siddha: Sirunenunji, Nerinjil, Nerunjil.

Action: Fruits—diuretic, demulcent, anti-inflammatory, anabolic, spasmolytic, muscle relaxant, hypotensive, hypoglycaemic. Used in strangury, calculus affections, urolithiasis, crystalluria, urinary discharges, pruritus-ani, as a tonic in sexual inadequacy; also as a supporting medicine in cough and asthma. Leaf—diuretic, haemostatic. Root—stomachic, diuretic.

In addition to all these applications, The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India attributes cardiotonic properties to the root and fruit.

The plant contains saponins, which on hydrolysis yield sapogenins—dios- genin, gitogenin, chlorogenin, rusco- genin, 25D-spirosta-3, 5-diene, among others. Flavonoids—rutin, quercetin, kaempferol, kaempferol-3-glucoside and-rutinoside, and tribuloside have been isolated from the leaves and fruits. The seeds contain carboline alkaloids— harmane and harmine. Harmol is also reported from the herb.

A saponin (unidentified) is reported effective for treating angina pec- toris in people with coronary heart disease (406 cases were treated). (Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, 2007.)

Diuretic (more than furosemide), proerectile aphrodisiac, hypotensive, hypolipidaemic, hypoglycaemic (40- 67% in diabetic mice) activities have been confirmed in several experimental studies. (Pub Med, Medline abstracts, 2003.)

Dosage: Fruit—3-6 g powder. (CCRAS.)... tribulus terrestris

Tumour

This literally means any swelling, but the term does not usually include temporary swellings caused by acute in?ammation. The consequences locally, however, of chronic in?ammation – for example, TUBERCULOSIS, SYPHILIS and LEPROSY – are sometimes classed as tumours, according to their size and appearance.

Varieties Some are of an infective nature, as already stated; some arise as the result of injury, and several contributing factors are mentioned under the heading of CANCER.

Traditionally tumours have been divided into benign (simple) and malignant. Even benign tumours can be harmful, because their size or position may distort or damage nerves, blood vessels or organs. Usually, however, they are easily removed by surgery. Malignant tumours or cancers are harmful and potentially lethal, not just because they erode tissues locally but because many of them spread, either by direct growth or by ‘seeding’ to other parts – ‘metastasising’. Malignant tumours arise because of an uncontrolled growth of previously normal cells. Heredity, environmental factors and lifestyle all play a part in malignancy (see also ONCOGENES). Symptoms are caused by local spread and as a result of metastases. These cause serious local damage, for example, in the brain or lungs, as well as disturbing the body’s metabolism. Unless treated with CHEMOTHERAPY, RADIOTHERAPY or surgery or a combination of these, malignant tumours are ultimately fatal. Many, however, can now be cured. The original site and type of a malignant tumour usually determine the rate and extent of spread.

The type of cell and organ site determine the characteristics of a malignant tumour. The prognosis (outlook) for a patient with a malignant tumour depends largely upon how soon it is diagnosed. Staging criteria have been developed to assess the local and metastatic spread of a tumour, its size and also likely sensitivity to the types of available treatment. The ability to locate a tumour and its metastases accurately has vastly improved with the introduction of radionuclide and ULTRASOUND scanning, CT scanning and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Screening for cancers such as those in the breast, cervix, colorectal region and prostate help early diagnosis and usually improve treatment outcomes.

Tumours are now classed according to the tissues of which they are built, somewhat as follows:

simple tumours of normal tissue. hollow tumours or cysts, generally of simple nature.

malignant tumours: (a) of cellular structure, resembling the cells of skin, mucous membrane, or secreting glands; (b) of connective tissue.... tumour

Urginea Indica

(Roxb.) Kunth.

Synonym: Drimia indica Roxb. non-(Wt.) Baker.

Family: Liliaceae.

Habitat: Western Himalayas, Bihar, Konkan and along the Coromandel Coast. U. maritima (L.) Baker is native to Mediterranean region.

English: Indian Squill, Sea Onion (red and white varieties).

Ayurvedic: Vana-palaandu, Kolakanda, Vajrakanda.

Unani: Unsul-e-Hindi, Isqueel- e-Hindi, Piyaaz-Dasti, Piyaaz- Sahraayi, Jangali Piyaaz.

Siddha/Tamil: Narivengayam.

Action: Used as a substitute for European Squill, Urginea maritima. Expectorant (in dry respiratory conditions, whooping cough and bronchial asthma), antispasmodic, emetic (in large doses), diuretic (promotes fluid elimination in heart disease), cardiac tonic (effect, non-cumulative). Used topically as a hair tonic for dandruff and seborrhoea (active constituent is thought to be scilliroside of the Red Squill.)

Key application: Urginea maritima—in milder cases of heart insufficiency, also for diminished kidney capacity. (German Commission E.)

Bulbs contain cardiac glycosides, scillarens A and B. Bulb, leaves and root contain stigmasterol, sitosterol and campesterol. Bulbs also contain hentriacontanol, octacosanoic acid. Defatted air-dried bulbs afforded 6- desacetoxyscillirosidin.

The plant exhibits cyanogenetic activity.

Urginea maritima (White Squill) is contraindicated in potassium deficiency or when digitalis glycosides are being used (Francis Brinker), in hyper- calcaemia and hyperkalaemia (Sharon M. Herr).

Urginea coromandeliana Hook. f. non-Wight, synonym U. wightiana Hook f. (Coromandel coast and in dry regions of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu up to 3,000 m) is used as a substitute for Indian Squill (U. indica).

Dosage: Bulb—120-200 mg powder. (CCRAS.)... urginea indica

Usnea Tea Infection Treatment

Usnea Tea has been known for centuries as a great remedy in case of infection, bacteria and microbes. Usnea is a plant also known as old man’s beard that grows in many varieties in regions from America and Europe. You can recognize it by its fuzzy strings that actually resemble to a grey beard. These strings are the leaves and they tend to extend to the entire territory that’s to their disposal, being able to invade forests thanks to its parasitic nature. However, Usnea tree is very useful in alternative medicine and not only to treat infection and bacteria. Usnea Tea has also a couple of aces up his sleeves. Usnea Tea Properties The main property of Usnea Tea is that thanks to its active ingredients it allows your health system to recover very fast and fight all kinds of invaders, such as parasites and bacteria. Its action involves bringing strength to your immune system and fighting diseases. The most important substances of this tea are: acid, essential fatty acids, mucilage and sterol. These ingredients turn Usnea Tea into an organic anti-bacterial treatment. Usnea Tea Benefits Aside from its ability to fight bacteria and microbes, Usnea Tea’s benefits also involve bringing relief in case you’re suffering from one of the following problems: - Infections of your digestive track (fungal infections in the mouth, stomach or intestines). - Disorders of your lungs, such as pneumonia, pleurisy, colds or flu. - Bacterial infections, irritated stomach or skin rash. - You can use Usnea smashed leaves to make a antibacterial dressing for the affected areas (in case you want to treat external infections. How to make Usnea Tea Infusion Preparing Usnea Tea infusion is very easy. All you need to do is infuse the usnea lichen in hot water and wait for 8 or 10 minutes. After that, take out the herb and drink the decoction hot or cold. You can take ¼ cups of Usnea Tea every hour, just remember to take some time off from the treatment every now and then. Usnea Tea Side Effects Don’t forget that Usnea Tea is a treatment and should only be taken as long as you are sick and by paying attention to the amount of liquid ingested. Although it has many benefits, this tea cannot replace coffee, so don’t turn it into a daily habit. If you’re unsure concerning this tea, it’s best to ask a specialist in order to find out more about the ups and downs that could interfere with your general well-being. If taken properly, Usnea Tea has no side effects at all. However, high dosages may lead to internal bleedings, nausea and vomiting. If you notice anything unusual when taking this treatment, talk to a doctor as soon as possible! Usnea Tea Contraindications If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, it’s best to avoid taking Usnea Tea. The same advice if you suffer from a serious condition and you’re on blood thinners. This way, you’ll prevent your coronary walls from erupting. If you’ve got the green light from the specialist, ask more about Usnea Tea next time you’re in a teashop and give it a try!... usnea tea infection treatment

Wild Crab Apple Or Wild Apple

Malus species

Description: Most wild apples look enough like domestic apples that the survivor can easily recognize them. Wild apple varieties are much smaller than cultivated kinds; the largest kinds usually do not exceed 5 to 7.5 centimeters in diameter, and most often less. They have small, alternate, simple leaves and often have thorns. Their flowers are white or pink and their fruits reddish or yellowish.

Habitat and Distribution: They are found in the savanna regions of the tropics. In temperate areas, wild apple varieties are found mainly in forested areas. Most frequently, they are found on the edge of woods or in fields. They are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere.

Edible Parts: Prepare wild apples for eating in the same manner as cultivated kinds. Eat them fresh, when ripe, or cooked. Should you need to store food, cut the apples into thin slices and dry them. They are a good source of vitamins.

CAUTION

Apple seeds contain cyanide compounds. Do not eat.... wild crab apple or wild apple

Wild Onion And Garlic

Allium species

Description: Allium cernuum is an example of the many species of wild onions and garlics, all easily recognized by their distinctive odor.

Habitat and Distribution: Wild onions and garlics are found in open, sunny areas throughout the temperate regions. Cultivated varieties are found anywhere in the world.

Edible Parts: The bulbs and young leaves are edible raw or cooked. Use in soup or to flavor meat.

CAUTION

There are several plants with onionlike bulbs that are extremely poisonous. Be certain that the plant you are using is a true onion or garlic. Do not eat bulbs with no onion smell.

Other Uses: Eating large quantities of onions will give your body an odor that will help to repel insects. Garlic juice works as an antibiotic on wounds... wild onion and garlic

Wounds

A wound is any breach suddenly produced in the tissues of the body by direct violence. An extensive injury of the deeper parts without corresponding injury of the surface is known as a bruise or contusion.

Varieties These are classi?ed according to the immediate e?ect produced: INCISED WOUNDS are usually in?icted with some sharp instrument, and are clean cuts, in which the tissues are simply divided without any damage to surrounding parts. The bleeding from such a wound is apt to be very free, but can be readily controlled. PUNCTURE WOUNDS, or stabs, are in?icted with a pointed instrument. These wounds are dangerous, partly because their depth involves the danger of wounding vital organs; partly because bleeding from a stab is hard to control; and partly because they are di?cult to sterilise. The wound produced by the nickel-nosed bullet is a puncture, much less severe than the ugly lacerated wound caused by an expanding bullet, or by a ricochet, and, if no clothing has been carried in by the bullet, the wound is clean and usually heals at once. LACERATED WOUNDS are those in which tissues are torn, such as injuries caused by machinery.

Little bleeding may occur and a limb can be torn completely away without great loss of blood. Such wounds are, however, especially liable to infection. CONTUSED WOUNDS are those accompanied by much bruising of surrounding parts, as in the case of a blow from a cudgel or poker. There is little bleeding, but healing is slow on account of damage to the edges of the wound. Any of these varieties may become infected.

First-aid treatment The ?rst aim is to check any bleeding. This may be done by pressure upon the edges of the wound with a clean handkerchief, or, if the bleeding is serious, by putting the ?nger in the wound and pressing it upon the spot from which the blood is coming.

If medical attention is available within a few hours, a wound should not be interfered with further than is necessary to stop the bleeding and to cover it with a clean dry handkerchief or bandage. When expert assistance is not soon obtainable, the wound should be cleaned with an antiseptic such as CHLORHEXIDINE or boiled water and the injured part ?xed so that movement is prevented or minimised. A wounded hand or arm is ?xed with a SLING, a wounded leg with a splint (see SPLINTS). If the victim is in SHOCK, he or she must be treated for that. (See also APPENDIX 1: BASIC FIRST AID.)... wounds

Wrightia Tomentosa

Roem. & Schult.

Family: Apocynaceae.

Habitat: A tree, found in Rajasthan,

Synonym: W arborea (Dennst.) Mabberley.

Habitat: Punjab, Rajasthan, Bihar, Assam and Western Peninsula.

Ayurvedic: Kutaja (red-flowered). Indrayava (seeds).

Siddha/Tamil: Pala.

Action: Two varieties—male and female—are mentioned in Ayurvedic texts. Mostly, Holarrhena is supposed to be the male and Wrightia the female. In Unani medicine, Inderjao Talkh (bitter) is equated with Holarrhena antidysenterica (Conesse Bark) and Inderjao Shireen (sweet) with Wrightia tinctoria (known as Dyer's Oleander, Blue Dyeing Roseberry).

Dried bark is used as a substitute for Holarrhena antidysenterica bark. Alkaloid conessine is the active principle of both the barks.

Besides conessine, other alkaloids present in the bark are conessine di- hydrate, holarrhine, kurchicine and a very minute quantity of conkurchine. The bark contains beta-sitosterol, lupe- ol, alpha-amyrin and reducing sugars besides alkaloids.

The isoflavone, wrightiadione, isolated from the stem bark, displayed cytotoxic activity. Two aliphatic compounds, n-tritriacont-16-one and hexa- consan-3, 6-diol-12-oic acid, have also been isolated from the bark.

See Wrightia tinctoria and Holar- rhena antidysenterica.... wrightia tomentosa

Leishmaniasis

Any of a variety of diseases caused by single-celled parasites called leishmania. These parasites are harboured by dogs and rodents and are transmitted by the bites of sandflies. The most serious form of leishmaniasis is called kala-azar or visceral leishmaniasis. This disease is prevalent in some parts of Asia, Africa, and South America, and also occurs in some Mediterranean countries. In addition, there are several types of cutaneous leishmaniasis, some of which are prevalent in the Middle East, North Africa, and in the Mediterranean. Kala-azar causes persistent fever, enlargement of the spleen, anaemia, and, later, darkening of the skin. The illness may develop any time up to 2 years after infection, and, if untreated, may be fatal. The cutaneous forms have the appearance of a persistent ulcer at the site of the sandfly bite.

All varieties of leishmaniasis can be treated with drugs, such as sodium stibogluconate, given by intramuscular or intravenous injection.... leishmaniasis

Lupus Erythematosus

An autoimmune disorder that causes inflammation of connective tissue. The most common type, discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE), only affects exposed areas of the skin. The more serious form, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), affects many body systems, including the skin.

In both varieties of lupus erythematosus, the symptoms periodically subside and recur with varying severity. In DLE, the rash starts as one or more red, circular, thickened areas of skin that later scar. These patches may occur on the face, behind the ears, and on the scalp. Treatment is usually with topical corticosteroid drugs. SLE causes a variety of symptoms. A characteristic red, blotchy, butterfly-shaped rash may appear over the cheeks and the bridge of the nose; other symptoms include fatigue, fever, loss of appetite, nausea, joint pain, and weight loss. There may also be anaemia, neurological or psychiatric problems, kidney failure, pleurisy, arthritis, and pericarditis. Diagnosis is made by blood tests and sometimes a skin biopsy.

Sufferers of mild forms of SLE may have near normal health for many years; treatment with corticosteroid drugs and immunosuppressant drugs can improve life expectancy. Other treatments are available to treat specific features of the disease. However, SLE is still a potentially fatal disorder. ... lupus erythematosus

Club-foot

(talipes) n. a congenital deformity of one or both feet in which the patient cannot stand with the sole of the foot flat on the ground. In the most common variety (congenital talipes equinovarus) the foot points downwards, the heel is inverted, and the forefoot twisted. It is diagnosed at birth and may be associated with other congenital abnormalities. Treatment is initially by physiotherapy and strapping or a plaster cast, but if this fails to correct the deformity surgical correction is performed. Other varieties are talipes varus, inward deviation of the hind foot; and talipes valgus, an outward deviation of the hind foot, which is much less common.... club-foot

Cyst

n. 1. an abnormal sac or closed cavity lined with *epithelium and filled with liquid or semisolid matter. There are many varieties of cysts occurring in different parts of the body. Retention cysts arise when the outlet of a glandular duct is blocked, as in *sebaceous cysts. Some cysts are congenital, due to abnormal embryonic development; for example, *dermoid cysts. Others are tumours containing cells that secrete mucus or other substances, and another type of cyst is formed by parasites in the body (see hydatid). Cysts may occur in the jaws: a periapical cyst occurs at the apex of a tooth, a dentigerous cyst occurs around the crown of an unerupted tooth, and an eruption cyst forms over an erupting tooth. See also fimbrial cyst; ovarian cyst; pseudocyst. 2. a dormant stage produced during the life cycle of certain protozoan parasites of the alimentary canal, including *Giardia and *Entamoeba. Cysts, passed out in the faeces, have tough outer coats that protect the parasites from unfavourable conditions. The parasites emerge from their cysts when they are eaten by a new host. 3. a structure formed by and surrounding the larvae of certain parasitic worms.... cyst

Glucose-6-phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency

a hereditary disorder – an X-linked condition (see sex-linked) – in which the absence of the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), which functions in carbohydrate metabolism, results in the breakdown of the red blood cells (*haemolysis), usually after exposure to *oxidants, such as drugs, or infections. The breakdown causes acute attacks that are characterized by pallor, loin pain, and rigors. There are several varieties of G6PD deficiency, which is most common in people of African, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean descent. Treatment involves identifying and avoiding agents that trigger the haemolysis and treating acute attacks symptomatically. See also favism.... glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency

Leukaemia

n. any of a group of malignant diseases in which the bone marrow and other blood-forming organs produce increased numbers of certain types of white blood cells (*leucocytes). Overproduction of these white cells, which are immature or abnormal forms, suppresses the production of normal white cells, red cells, and platelets. This leads to increased susceptibility to infection (due to *neutropenia), *anaemia, and bleeding (due to *thrombocytopenia). Other symptoms include enlargement of the spleen, liver, and lymph nodes.

Leukaemias are classified into acute or chronic varieties depending on the rate of progression of the disease. They are also classified according to the type of white cell that is proliferating abnormally; for example acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (see lymphoblast), chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (see lymphocyte), acute myeloblastic leukaemia (see myeloblast), hairy-cell leukaemia (see hairy cell), and monocytic leukaemia (see monocyte). (See also myeloid leukaemia.) Leukaemias can be treated with *cytotoxic drugs or *monoclonal antibodies, which suppress the production of the abnormal cells, or occasionally with radiotherapy.... leukaemia

Malaria

(ague, marsh fever, periodic fever, paludism) n. an infectious disease due to the presence of parasitic protozoa of the genus *Plasmodium (P. falciparum, P. malariae, P. ovale, or P. vivax) within the red blood cells. The disease is transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito and is confined mainly to tropical and subtropical areas.

Parasites in the blood of an infected person are taken into the stomach of the mosquito as it feeds. Here they multiply and then invade the salivary glands. When the mosquito bites an individual, parasites are injected into the bloodstream and migrate to the liver and other organs, where they multiply. After an incubation period varying from 12 days (P. falciparum) to 10 months (some varieties of P. vivax), parasites return to the bloodstream and invade the red blood cells. Rapid multiplication of the parasites results in destruction of the red cells and the release of more parasites capable of infecting other red cells. This causes a short bout of shivering, fever, and sweating, and the loss of healthy red cells results in anaemia. When the next batch of parasites is released symptoms reappear. The interval between fever attacks varies in different types of malaria: in quartan malaria (or fever), caused by P. malariae, it is three days; in tertian malaria (P. ovale or P. vivax) it is two days (these two types are known as benign malarias). In malignant (or falciparum) malaria (caused by P. falciparum) – the most severe kind – the interval between attacks varies from a few hours to two days (see also blackwater fever). Preventive and curative treatment includes such drugs as *chloroquine, *proguanil, *mefloquine, and *pyrimethamine.... malaria

Ovarian Cyst

a benign tumour of the ovary, of which there are many varieties. The most common is a follicular cyst, resulting from growth of a *Graafian follicle that fails to ovulate or from involution of a mature follicle. It may rupture, causing pain. A luteal cyst occurs after an egg has been released from a follicle, which then becomes a *corpus luteum; instead of breaking down if a pregnancy does not occur, it fills with blood or fluid. Two-thirds of luteal cysts involve the right ovary and rupture occurs most commonly between days 20 and 28. The symptoms are not severe and settle spontaneously. Although most ovarian cysts are not malignant, they may reach a very large size, causing gross swelling of the abdomen and pressure on surrounding organs. The cyst may rotate on its stalk, thus cutting off its blood supply and causing severe abdominal pain and vomiting (ovarian torsion). In this case the cyst requires urgent surgical removal. Ovarian cysts that do become malignant may not be recognized until the tumour has advanced to a stage where treatment may be unsuccessful in eradicating the cancer. Screening programmes, based on ultrasound techniques, and *CA125 estimation, have been introduced in some areas to assist with the early detection of ovarian cysts and tumours.... ovarian cyst

Health encyclopedia icon Health Encyclopedia

Recent Searches