HERBISAURUS

Unlock the secrets of herbs

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I'm Sudha Vaswani. I believe herbs are nature's little miracles that can help us stay healthy and fit. And my goal through this blog is to unlock their secrets. Happy and healthy reading!

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Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that causes pain, inflammation and deformities in the joints. It affects all joints including hands, feet, wrists, knees, ankles and elbows. Unfortunately, the symptoms are lifelong and eventually cause systemic problems that affect the skin, eyes, heart, lungs and nervous system etc. It can occur at any age, although it more commonly affects middle aged women. Causes: Causes of rheumatoid arthritis are unknown. However, there ar

Chinese Fever Vine

Chinese Fever Vine

Chinese fever vine (Gandhaprasarini in Hindi) is a perennial climber that grows wild in open places, between trees and bushes of wetlands, forests and hills. It is a native of Himalayan regions (up to the height of 1800 meters). The vine can grow up to a length of 10 meters. It bears lance shaped leaves with long petioles. Rooting is seen at nodes. It also bears white or pale yellow flowers with purple centre followed by round and brown fruits containing white dotted black se

Patala

Patala

Patala (Pader and Padiri in Hindi) is one of most important trees in Ayurvedic medicine. The roots of this tree form a key ingredient of Ayurvedic health tonics such as Chywanprasha and Dasamoolarishta. This large tree grows up to a height of 20, meters, has a greyish brown bark, bears large elliptic leaves with up to 10 leaflets, fragrant purple flowers and a grey fruit with white dots. It is native to tropical Africa and Asia, and grows in various states of India. Part use

Sinusitis

Sinusitis

Sinusitis is a discomfort in the upper respiratory tract. Sinus refers to the air-filled cavity within the passage of nose, and sinusitis is the inflammation of sinus. It results in nasal congestion, inner ear problem, pain and pressure on the face, sore throat, excessive mucous production, and fever. Acute sinusitis is caused by bacterial or viral infection. If the condition persists for more than three months, it is termed as chronic. Causes: Sinusitis is caused by allergie

Cucumber

Cucumber

Cucumber (Kheera and Kakri in Hindi) is a member of the gourd family. It is cultivated for its fruit which is either used raw (in salads) and in pickles. There are many varieties of cucumber that differ in size. The variety used in salads is called slicing cucumber, and the one used for pickles is called gherkin cucumber. The creeping vine of cucumber is 1-2 meters tall, bears large leaves, thin tendrils, yellow flowers and a cylindrical fruit. The fruit is green when unripe

White turmeric

White turmeric

White turmeric or zedoary (Kachur in Hindi) is a member of the ginger family. It is used as a medicine in China and Japan. It is an important ingredient of Ayurvedic tonics such as Chyawanprash and Dasamoolarishta. It is a native of India and Pakistan, cultivated in China, south east Asia and Japan. This perennial herb bears ovate leaves with purple spots, yellow shiny flowers and underground part, rhizome. The rhizome is bitter, hard and orange in colour covered with brown s

Autumn Crocus

Autumn Crocus

Autumn crocus (aka meadow saffron or naked ladies) is a plant used in homeopathic medicines. It is a perennial herb that grows in meadows. It has roots with a bulb called corm. The plant also has slender leaves and purple flowers arising from long tubes flowering in autumn, followed by fruits containing seeds. Chemical composition: The corm contains a highly toxic alkaloid called colchicine. Medical benefits: All parts of the plant are toxic. The bulb in highly diluted form (

Mango

Mango

Mango (aam in Hindi) is the national fruit of India. Also known as the king of fruits, Mango is one of the most popular fruits around the world. The fruit comes in many sizes, flavours and colours e.g. yellow, orange, red and green. It is a summer fruit and is consumed both raw and ripe. The ripe fruit is used as dessert, for preparing mango jelly, mango shake, and mango lassi. Unripe mangoes are green in colour. They are used in chutneys, pickles, salad and in making a drink

Indian Rosewood

Indian Rosewood

Indian rosewood (Shisham in Hindi) is a tree of Indian origin mainly cultivated for high quality timber. This deciduous tree grows up to a height of 25 meters. It has long tap roots, a thick trunk with branches bearing alternate leathery leaves and pinkish flowers followed by oblong flat thin pods which contain bean shaped seeds. Part used: Leaves, roots and bark Medical benefits: Leaves of Indian rosewood are used in a powdered form, as a juice and decoction. A little juice

Malaria

Malaria

Malaria (mala - bad, aria - air) is an infectious and parasitic disease caused by the parasite Plasmodium sp. transmitted by the bite of a female mosquito. Although treatable, malaria causes many deaths worldwide each year. About 40% of the world population is at risk of getting infected by malaria. Children under the age of 5 years are especially prone to the infection. Causes: Malaria is caused by mosquito bites which transmit Plasmodium in the blood. There are at least 4 d