Brahmi, the Brain Food

Brahmi, or Centella asiatica is a common herb growing near rice fields in India. Yogis have used this herb since ancient times to increase their powers of concentration necessary for meditation. It strengthens capillaries, and so is helpful for varicose veins and hemorrhoids.
Brahmi is called the fountain of youth in China as it has anti wrinkle properties.
A few leaves of Brahmi , eaten daily as a salad , enhances memory. Brahmi is also known as Gotu Kola in some parts of the world.It darkens grey hair naturally too.
A few leaves should be steeped in coconut oil for a week and the oil should be applied to hair every day..

The grass that flavours

This is lemon grass, which is used extensively in Thai and Cambodian cooking. A small piece of lemon grass added to your tea refreshes you greatly. It is also a mosquito repellent, and so it is planted near bedroom windows. But beware! The blades of lemon grass are razor sharp. I have cut my hands many times trying to pull out a blade.

The Beauty of the Konkan

The Ixora is seen everywhere in the west coast of India. The flowers range in colour from red to orange to pink to white and yellow. It is used by the people of the region for decoration and for worship. An interesting story about the origin of its name goes like this: An early Portuguese botanist saw a woman taking these flowers to the temple and asked her whose temple it was. The woman replied "Ishwara", which is another name of Shiva, one of the Hindu Trinity. The Portuguese recorded it faithfully in his language,"Ixora".

How to fight cholesterol the herbal way

Everybody knows about the 'good' and the 'bad' cholesterols- HDL and LDL cholesterols.High blood cholesterol is thought to be a major risk factor for heart disease. According to South Indian cuisine, the curry leaves, which are used in most of the South Indian cooking, is supposed to keep the cholesterol level at the optimum.
Curry leaves can be dried and powdered and sprinked on salads, or they can be added to the dal, or ground with tamarind and green chillies and made into a chutney.Eating 10 raw curry leaves a day is supposed to bring down your weight to the correct weight.