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Honey lowers blood pressure, acts as a sedative, and if taken with hot milk, cures constipation and prevents coughs and colds. Since it has almost all the necessary minerals in correct proportions, as well as vitamins, honey is an extremely nutritious food. It also kills bacteria more effectively than any antibiotics. For greater effectiveness, Chandigarh-based Indian company, Honey Bee has brought out honey products combined with herbs and flowers such as amla (gooseberry), neem and rose. These aid in digestion, purify the blood, increase immunity and improve stamina.
"If you take honey with lemon water early in the morning on an empty stomach, it cleans your digestive system," informs Madhavi Vivek, proprietor of Delhi-based Himflora Gold which markets five varieties of honey. "We have Kashmir honey, litchi honey, eucalyptus honey, orange honey and sunflower honey. These are gathered by bees in specific orchards," she adds. Honey mixed with water is also the best drink for relieving fatigue and has a calming effect.
Also known as gotu kola, brahmi is mainly known for its memory enhancing properties. However, it is also the most important rejuvenating herb in ayurvedic medicine. It increases intelligence and promotes longevity, wards off senility, fortifies the immune system and is also a powerful blood purifier. Brahmi is beneficial in chronic skin diseases, including leprosy and syphilis, as well as eczema and psoriasis.
Brahmi grows commonly in the Himalayan region and can be taken with honey before meditation. As a milk decoction, brahmi makes a good nerve tonic. For rejuvenation properties, it is best prepared in tea. Some brahmi based medicines that enhance memory are also available in the Indian market under the brand names Memory Plus and Mega Mind, and can be found in most chemist shops.
It is said that only a healthy body can be the abode of a healthy mind. No wonder rishis (sages) of yore laid so much stress on physical fitness and formulated both ayurveda and hatha yoga.
A compact food package, muesli is made from various combinations of oats, barley, corn or wheat with nuts, fresh berries, honey and milk along with some other edibles for taste. Since it contains both oats and wheat, it is a rich source of soluble as well as insoluble fibers where oats lowers blood cholesterol level, benefits diabetics, controls weight and prevents constipation and gastro-intestinal disorders, and wheat helps in digestion, reduces risks of colon cancer, prevents heart problems and varicose veins.
Hindi film actress Waheeda Rehman created her own recipe of muesli when she found that her children were skipping breakfast, sick of the utter lack of imagination that went into it. Soon, her neighbors and friends began to ask for the recipe and the lady ultimately launched her own brand of muesli in the market.
However, the most popular brand in India is marketed by New Delhi-based Bagrrys India Ltd. which also sells oat flour, germinated wheat bran and oat bran. "Since we are the only producers of oat bran in India, our muesli has a better fiber content," says Vijai Kapoor, marketing manager of Bagrrys. "Muesli can be consumed by people of all age-groups and has no harmful side effects," he adds. Apart from Bagrrys, another Indian company that sells muesli is the Mumbai-based Express Foods. These products can be found in almost all department stores.
Originally from Manchuria, these super energizing mushrooms are not commercially available and hence cannot be bought. The only way you can get hold of one is to locate somebody who has it and get him to gift part of it to you.
"Basically it is yeast therapy," says Rohini Singh, a food writer who has been using it for some time. "It is good for the eyes, hair, skin. It raises your energy level and helps those suffering from diabetes." It also helps you attain immunity from common ailments, claims General R.P. Singh, who has been reaping the benefits of Manchurian mushrooms for over a year now. "I had to undergo a series of surgeries. These mushrooms helped me recuperate faster. I have also grown immune to attacks of common colds and virus," says he.
This mushroom is fermented by pouring tea over it, and then the potion—called kombucha—is consumed. A half cup in the morning can cure you of muscular aches, constipation, acidity, bronchial asthma, allergies, kidney problems, catarrh, ulcers and obesity. The mushroom continues to grow layers while it is in the tea solution. So you can go on distributing this gift of health to all who come your way.
