Monday, September 10, 2018

Raw banana Powder: A pro in the field of Prebiotics - Analogous to VazhaiKacchal


In recent years, there is an enormous upsurge in awareness about use of Prebiotics and probiotics in the daily diet. This has resulted in enormous marketing of related dietary supplements. This ushers in for the use of natural, home based, cost effective prebiotics that can be given across all ages. This post is to guide physicians in counselling patients about the right use of pre and probiotics. Regular intake of pre and probiotics will help to optimize intestinal microflora. Infants at birth have sterile gastro intestinal tract (gut), but bacterial colonization occurs rapidly. The regulation of the intestinal defence system is essential for the prevention of immunological diseases such as asthma, eczema, allergic rhinitis, type 1 diabetes mellitus and list goes on.
            Tamilian cuisine includes foods like idly, aapam, koozh, kali which basically involves fermentation in their preparation. Such processes not only improve the flavour but increases the probiotic content and the bioavailability of essential micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) to larger extent.
            These form the array of traditional pre and probiotics. These are non-digestible fibre foods with minimal digestion in the small intestine and the much undigested part will be fermented in the large intestine. To explain in abstract, in a garden the seeds (probiotic bacteria) is added while the water and fertilizer (prebiotic fibre) is essential for the seeds to grow and flourish. In the same way, the fermentation feeds the beneficial bacterial colonies (probiotic bacteria) resulting in better gut outcome and reduced health risk.
Scientific literature indicates that increased prebiotic fibre intake supports immunity, digestive health, bone density, weight management, and brain health. Siddha list of prebiotics include green banana, onion, garlic, barley, beans, apple with skin, potato with skin.
Unripe banana powder:
            Low in sugar and high in resistant starch (degraded on heating) can help diabetics better control of glucose. Vazhai Kacchal as proposed by the Pathartha Guna Sinthamani is capable of relieving irritable diarrhea, bleeding in ano, polyuria and stomach ulcers.
Slow digesting, low glycemic starch, metabolised in the small intestine, resistant starch, insoluble dietary fibre, which resists digestion in the small intestine and reaches the large intestine where it is fermented.
            The uses of green banana flour are that it addresses issues of digestibility, insulin, glycemic response, colonic health and fermentation, satiety and other metabolic problems. Apart from being potassium rich, it’s fermentation promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria (R.bromii, Akkermansia, Bifidobacteria) which help in tacking growth of potentially harmful bacteria and diarrhoea. Hence it can be termed to be a Prebiotic. The colonic fermentation produces butyrate which apart from being a primary nutrient for colonocytes, is also a facilitator in gut tissue development, immune modulation, oxidative stress reduction and diarrhoea control through sodium reabsorption.
            Banana powder when mixed with curd, fermented staple Tamilian foods will render the probiotic effect as well.


Dr.G.Kiruthiga, Research Associate, Siddha Central Research Institute, Chennai.

Saturday, September 8, 2018

பழைய சோறும் பாண்ட புதையலும்

பாண்ட புதையல் அறிவு ராவணனிடம் இருந்து வந்ததாக சித்த மருத்துவ இலக்கியங்கள் கூறுகிறது .பின்னாளில் அரிஷ்ட தயாரிப்பிலும் Extraction phytochemistry யும் இதை தத்து எடுத்து வணிகம் நடக்கிறது .நொதித்தல் என்ற ஒன்றை பிரதானமாக கொண்டு பாக்டீரியாக்கள் செய்யும் செயலை வயிற்றுக்கு குளுமையாக மாற்றியது தமிழர் உணவு.அமெரிக்கர்கள் நிரூபணம் செய்வதற்கு முன்னரே காலையில் பழைய சோற்றிற்காக பிரளயம் வந்த குடும்பங்கள் உண்டு. வித விதமான ஊறுகாய்கள் ,வதக்கிய வெங்காயம், மிக்ச்சர் , மசாலா கடலை ,இடையன் புளி ,பச்சைமிளகா மிளகாய்வற்றல் ,வெங்காய வடை என்று சைடு டிஷ் பட்டியல் மிக நீளம்.


12 மணி நேர நொதித்தலுக்கு பின் இரும்பு சத்து 2000 மடங்கு (3.4 -73.91மில்லிகிராம் ) அதிகரிப்பதாக அமெரிக்க உணவு நிபுணர்கள் கூறுகின்றனர் .கிழக்கு ஆசியாவின் உழைக்கும் மக்களுக்கு தேவையான ஊட்ட சத்தை அளிப்பதாக கூறுகிறது .மேலும் பி 6 பி 12 வைட்டமின்கள் மிகுந்த அளவில் உள்ளதாக கூறுகிறார்கள் .அமெரிக்க வலை தளங்களில் இந்த செய்தி நமக்கு தேனாக இனிக்கிறது .

தேசிய ஊட்ட சத்து மாதமான இந்த நேரத்தில் இதை உலகின் மற்ற பகுதிகளில் வாழும் மக்களுக்கும் நம் அடுத்த சந்ததிக்கும் இதை சேர்ப்பது நம் கடமை.
https://www.quora.com/How-good-is-Pazhaya-soru-Fermented-Rice-for-breakfast

American Nutrition Association says that the previous day's soaked rice is the best for breakfast, used to be the staple diet in Kerala and Tamilnadu, not so long ago...
Rice (Tanjana Facts)
Traditionally rice is cooked in the afternoon and excess water is drained. After the rice cools down to room temperature, it is soaked fully in water and stored in an earthen clay pot. This covered pot with soaked rice is left overnight at regular room temperature. The rice would ferment by the next morning and is eaten for breakfast. Traditionally, it is eaten with a side dish, raw onion or green chili. Some prefer to drain excess water and eat it with yogurt and a slight sprinkle of salt.
The lactic acid bacteria break down the anti-nutritional factors in rice resulting in an improved bioavailability of micro-nutrients and minerals such as iron, potassium and calcium by several thousand percentage points. For example, after 12 hours of fermentation of 100 grams of rice, the availability of iron changed from 3.4 mg to 73.91mg (an increase of 2073%).
In the agrarian communities of South East Asia, fermented rice played a big role in the lives of people. It gave the energy, the nutrition and the cooling effect that they needed for a full day of manual labor. Unfortunately, people moving up the food chain (or wealth chain, rather) looked down on fermented rice as the pauper’s food and ignored the great nutritional value it provides.Food scientists who researched on the food practices among various regions in the world and concluded that the South Asia’s tradition of consuming the previous day's cooked rice soaked in plain water overnight, in the morning next day, as break-fast, is the best. It has the rare B6 B12 vitamins which are not otherwise easily available in other food supplements. This rice generates and harbors trillions of beneficial bacteria that help digestion and has many disease fighting and immunity developing agents. The bacteria that grow in the intestines due to this rice safeguard the internal organs and keep them fit and ready. Consuming this rice helps quicker digestion and wards off ageing, bone related ailments and muscular pains. Brown rice is the best for this as its nutrients are retained intact.
American Nutrition Association has listed the following benefits if you stick to the practice of consuming such soaked rice • Consuming this rice as breakfast keeps the body light and also energetic.
• Beneficial bacteria get produced in abundance for the body.
• Stomach ailments disappear when this is consumed in the morning as excessive and harmful heat retained in the body is neutralized.
• As this food is very fibrous, it removes constipation and also dullness in the body.
• Blood pressure is normalized and hypertension subsides appreciably.
• Body feels less tired due to this food as a result of which one feels fresh throughout the day.
• This removes allergy induced problems and also skin-related ailments.
• It removes all types of ulcers in the body. Fresh infections are kept at bay due to consuming this rice.
• It helps in maintaining youthful and radiant look.
Consuming this takes away your body’s craving for tea or coffee. This is the richest source of vitamin B12 for vegans. So, do not throw away that extra rice you had cooked. It could be the healthiest breakfast you will ever have.






Friday, August 31, 2018

Folates from Herbal sources


INTRODUCTION
Siddhars upon their intuition   quoted about water or marine products as Therapeutic agents. Oyster shells,Pearls, Corals, Amber,  Ossepiae and Conch shells are even now used much in ISM drug industry.25% of medicines mentioned by siddhars are from marine and aquatic sources Aquatic and water bed plants play major role in health care maintenance.
Nutrition from Herbal sources
Quality health care concentrated more in usage of natural resources in nutritional supplements. Synthetic and chemical nutrients have been replaced by herbal and marine resources. ”Spirulina” emerged as a competent alternative for vitamin supplements; Oyster shell calcines yielded more therapeutic calcium than synthetic. When a reference made in the prescriptions of medicines by siddhars for antenatal care ,it gave a gateway opening for identification of Nelumbium speciosum as the commonest  drug prescribed in all months. This led to a deeper research in the area of Nutraceutical usage of Nelumbium speciosum.
Nelumbium speciosum
Synonyms
                    Sanskrit              - Kamala ,Padma
                    Hindi                             - Kamal
                   Tamil                             - Ambal ,Thamarai
Research scan (previous studies)
                        water: 83.80
                   protein      : 2.7
                   fat              : 0.11
                   Reducing sugar     : 1.56
                    sucrose      :0.41 
                   starch            :9.25
                   fiber            :0.80
                   calcium            :0.06
Vitamins
                   Thiamin      :0.22
                   Riboflavin   :0.06
                   Niacin                   :2.1   
                   Amino acid :15    
Dried carpels      
                   Water                   :10.0
                   Protein                 :17.2
                   Fat              :2.4
                    Carbohydrate       :6.6
                   Fiber           :2.6
                   ash              :3.8
                   Calcium                :138
                         phosphorus    :294
                   iron                      :2.3
                   Ascorbicacid        :15
Microbial Studies
Flowers reported to posses bacterioastatic action against gram positve and gram negative bacteria
ALKALOIDS
Nuciferine,Romerine ,Nor Nuciferine,Nelumbine are the alkaloids present
Analysis of Folic acid in Lotus flowers and carpels- Methods
Folic acid the essential nutrient to run a safe antenatal period has been studied over for its presence in flower and carpels of lotus.Folic acid deficiency lead to Neural tube defects and people with bifid spine will be born.Folic acid is also useful in treating anemia and one of the best nutrient.
The sample powder of carpels and flowers are sent to CFTRI for analysis and results were discussed.One gram of the powder showed the presence of 0.20 milligram of folicacid (Joaca – 1992 Methodology )
Discussions
With the obtained results it is clear that a lotus may be a better source in an antenatal care due to the presence of folic acid (.20 mg/gm ) , iron 2.3 mgs/gm , calcium 136 mg.Being a cheaper, natural , efficacious it can be substituted for synthetic vitamins and micro nutrients after a complete pharmacological  assay.