Ways of eating idlis

-
Image
 During my trip down South, I had the opportunity to watch common people enjoy traditional southern foods. Idlis are one such popular food items that can be consumed anytime of the day. They can be had during breakfast, lunch, or dinner or anytime in between.  Idlis are traditionally South Indian delicacies. They are rice and lentil cakes that are steamed. They are usually salty but in Mauritius, you will find sweet varities as well in small shops and restaurants there.  Idlis are healthy food items and are a good source of carbohydrates, proteins, and healthy fats. They have minerals and vitamins and have the goodness of fermented foods too. They are served with sambhar (curry made of dal) and chutney (coconut, tomato or the like). Some also savour them with yoghurt, ghee (clarified butter) or spice mix (podi).  Idli pizza A modern twist to idli dish has been as idli masala (idlis usually small-sized covered with spices), idli fry (idlis usually small-sized that are...
Post a Comment

Henna hair dye: safety, usefulness, and limitations.

-

 Henna is a natural temporary coloring agent obtained from leaves and tender stems of the plant,  Lawsonia imtermis. Used on skin and hair, it gives a typical brownish orange hue to the part. 

Henna and hair color

Henna gives a typical color to the hair. It hides whites but does not blacken it unfortunately. Hence it is not a versatile hair dye. It also takes many hours to produce effect. The color though natural is not permanent. But how safe is it?


Henna for hair and its safety

Since henna is natural, it is a natural tendency to think that it is a safe option to the chemical dyes for hair. But is it so really?

Henna does not penetrate into hair shaft and only remains on the hair surface. Hence it sits there preventing any hair conditioner to reach the hair cuticle. Hence hair could become lifeless and brittle with repeated use. Henna per se does not condition the hair. 

Though predominantly non-allergic, henna does have a low allergic tendency. But some cases of allergy could be due to the other components mixed in the henna-based hair dye mixture including contaminants such as nickel and cobalt. 

Henna does have some action against Malassezia furfur, the fungus causing dandruff. 

Remember 'black henna' has PPD in it in high concentrations. Hence for people allergic to it or looking for PPD free hair dyes, it is best avoided. 

Coronavirus vaccines and people's and expert opinion on it


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Loneliness is a growing epidemic especially during this coronavirus pandemic in the USA!

-
Image
  The coronavirus pandemic has increased social segregation and this has proven to be bad particularly for the elderly population. They are unable to catch up with their children and grandchildren and are finding themselves extremely lonely. They are the worst affected by the pandemic in terms of physical as well as emotional health. THE OLD AGE AND LONELINESS Old age is a time of loneliness for many people. Usually, people have lost their partners at that ripe age and depend on their children and grandchildren for support and to beat the loneliness. Though their younger family members used to occasionally visit the parents, now with the coronavirus pandemic this has become difficult due to the risk of the children carrying the infection to their aged parents and grandparents. So the visits have come down drastically and the contact remains only on phone or via digital technology. This though good does not suffice and cannot substitute the physical visits and the warmth that th...
Read more

Color therapy-the ancient art of healing! Know the science behind it and its current status!

-
Image
  Color as a form of therapy is not a new concept. In it, electromagnetic waves in the form of the visible spectrum (that we interpret as colors) are used to cure various body illnesses. It is an ancient mode of therapy that is being reinvented. There are attempts to elucidate its scientific basis and explanation. This would help to explore and discover newer dimensions of this old remedy. Color therapy (Chromotherapy) Newton talked about solid matter and moving objects while Einstein found out that mass and energy are dual expressions of the same universal substance. It is the vibration rate of its molecules that determines its form. When slow, it is physical matter and when the vibrations are intense it is energy. Thus, light is an energy and when it interacts with matter, color is formed. Each color has its own wavelength, frequency, and energy level. And human eye is adapted to see only this energy that has a wavelength between 380-780 nm. This is therefore, the visible spe...
Read more

Wuhan Institute of Virology scientists and bite from Covid infected bat!

-
Image
 Covid-19 pandemic started in Wuhan in China. This was in December 2019. But China continues to state that though the first cases of Covid-19 were detected in Wuhan, it never originated there. But the world wants to know the true answer of origin of the virus and hence the pandemic that brought the world to a standstill. WHO is investigating this matter.  China and its denial of origin of coronavirus   China has been persistent in its denial of Covid-19 in Wuhan. It stresses that though the first cases were detected there, they never originated there. They claim that it came into Wuhan from somewhere else.  But the world feels that the wet markets are the source of the pandemic. Also, the other powerful countries of the world such as the USA blame the Wuhan Virology lab for the start of the virus and its spread to the outside world. WHO is investigating this matter. Initially, WHO was denied access of the lab but now they have been able to get inside and try to probe...
Read more