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

Manchurian thorn: health uses and safety

-

 Manchurian thorn is a medicinal tree. Its bark and roots have therapeutic uses. What are the indications of its use? What are its safety concerns?

Manchurian thorn

Manchurian thorn is actually a tree. It has medicinal use. Its bark and roots possess therapeutic properties. Its scientific name is Aralia mandshurica or Aralia elata. And it belongs to the family Araliaceae. It is a small shrub growing in eastern parts of Russia, Northern China, Japan, and Korea. Its other names include Angélique du Japon, Aralie Japonaise, Espino de Manchuria, Manchurian Angelica Tree, and Mandschurische Aralie.


Its orally consumed for weight loss, weakness, tiredness, stress, depression, headaches, and as a stimulant, immunostimulant, and an adaptogen. 

Its mechanism of a tion is unclear since there are very few studies on this product. A limited studies have shown that Manchurian thorn combined with Engelhardia chrysolepsis causes weight loss by elevating the levels of a body enzyme that helps to burn fat.

Health benefits

Science backing is limited but it is said to assist weight loss. Early research has shown that a specific product called Aralox containing Manchurian thorn 150 mg and Engelhardia chrysolepsis 150 mg three times in a day for 15 weeks helps to reduce body weight and fat weight in obese women. 

Also read: What is coffeeless coffee?

It reduces fatigue symptoms and feelings of weakness. Moreover, it relieves headache and overcomes symptoms of stress and depression.  It can also boost immunity. 

Safety concerns

There is no clearcut clinical data on its safety. In high doses, it can cause liver damage. 

It is not safe during pregnancy and lactation in mothers. 

In diabetic patients, it can lower blood sugar. It might get too low if patient is on other drugs for diabetes. If you want to use Manchurian thorn, do it under medical supervision. It might worsen liver diseases. 

It has other drug interactions. It can accentuate the actions of anti-diabetic drugs. Similarly, avoid taking it with other herbal or allopathic drugs that are known to harm the liver. 

The accurate dose of this medicine is unclear. Be extremely careful of its use. 

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