Keshara

Saffron has always held a very special place in our Indian rituals,ceremonies and food. It is applied as tilak on the forehead. It has also been documented to have been used as a versatile medicine since ancient times. In 2004 researchers studying 3,500 year old frescoes at Thera, a Greek island in the Aegean, found depictions of a goddess presiding over the collection of saffron. Perhaps even more amazing is the fact that 50,000 year-old depictions of prehistoric places in northwest Iran contained saffron-based pigments, indicating the human relationship with saffron is as old as time itself. It is called Keshara in Sanskrit. 

Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. One gram of pure saffron can cost between Rs 350 to Rs 550 ! So what makes it so expensive ?

Well, saffron is derived from a flower called Crocus Sativas. It has been estimated that when approximately one acek of purple crocuse are harvested, it will yield approximately one kilogram of saffron. This is because each crocus flower only produces 3 threads of saffron. About 14,000 threads (actually the dried stigmas of the crocus flower) equals to about 28 grams of saffron.So you can imagine the labor intensive process that goes into harvesting saffron threads. In India,saffron is mainly grown in Kashmir. Though saffron is produced in many countries of the world like Iran,Greece,Spain etc but the saffron grown in Kashmir, India is the most superior and expensive.

The skin benefits of saffron are well known for ages. But it has several other health benefits as well :

Improves Memory: Crocin and crocetin are powerful antioxidants found in saffron which help in improving memory of a person. Diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s can be kept away by its intake. 

Saffron acts as an Antidepressant: Saffron contains 5-hydroxytryptophan which helps in the production of serotonin which helps in elevating the mood. It helps in receiving blood into the brain and helps in reducing depression and apprehension.

Saffron Prevents Cancer: Crocin and Safranal in saffron inhibit the growth of tumor in the body. The Carotenoids in saffron possess chemo preventive properties. It has been found to help protect against colon, liver and ovarian cancer. 

Skin Benefits: Saffron has anti-bacterial properties and can is very beneficial in reducing acne. it can be directly applied on the affected area. It acts as a natural scrub and aids in removing dead cells. Saffron can also be applied along with milk to lighten the skin and remove pigments.

Optimum health: The overall mineral content including calcium, vitamins, folic acid, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin-C, proteins etc present in Saffron ensure the maintenance of optimum health.

Cold remedy: Saffron has been found to be beneficial against flu and cold. Glass of warm milk along with saffron is recommended

while sick.

Healthy Kidneys: It helps in protecting kidney related diseases and reduces kidney stress. 

New studies are being conducted worldwide to understand the true potencial of saffron in medicine.It is found to be helpful in preventing and fighting cancer.

So lets add a little bit of saffron spice to our life !

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110822091617.htm
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/saffron-takes-cancer

Poonam Patil Kalra

Shriphal - God's Fruit

We Maharashtrians love coconut. We put khobra ( dry grated coconut ) in our curries and chutneys.The coconut barfis and ladoos are just awesome !! In many parts of south India esp Kerala, entire cooking in done in coconut oil. As a child, for any cuts, burns, rashes etc my grandmother only applied coconut oil. And it worked like magic.

Coconut has a special significance in Indian culture and traditions.The coconut tree is called a ' Kalpavrush'. Which means, the wishing tree in Sanskrit. Every inch of the coconut tree is useful to us and hence the name. Coconut has a significant place in all the Indian festivals & rituals. It is considered as a complete fruit (all parts of coconut as a fruit are very useful).Anything offered to god should be complete (Purna) & the best, that’s why we use coconut in almost every ritual. Coconut is so beneficial that it is called SHRIPHAL, which means god's fruit. It is considered as a symbol of prosperity and happiness. In fact ,we honor elderly people by giving coconut and there is a reason behind it – Coconut tree gives “Niswarth-seva” which means selfless service, helping/providing everything to others without expecting anything in return.

Coconut has always been used in traditional Indian medicine to treat a wide variety of health problems including the following: abscesses, asthma, baldness, bronchitis,bruises, burns, colds, constipation, cough, dropsy, dysentery, earache, fever, flu, gingivitis, gonorrhea, irregular or painful menstruation, jaundice, kidney stones, lice, malnutrition, nausea, rash, scabies, scurvy, skin infections, sore throat, swelling, syphilis, toothache, tuberculosis, tumors, typhoid, ulcers, upset stomach, weakness, and wounds. However, modern medical science is now confirming the use of coconut in treating many of the above conditions. Published studies in medical

journals show that coconut, in one form or another, may provide a wide range of health benefits.

http://www.bioriginal.com/page-articles/the-science-behind-coconut-oil/

http://wakeup-world.com/2012/03/02/160-uses-for-coconut-oil/

http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/

'

So if coconut oil is all that great, why are more people not using it ? Well, most of the coconut of the world is grown in 'poor third world' countries like India, Indonesia and Philippines, who do not really have the resources to promote it worldwide. The western world has been largely undermining coconut oil and its health benefits.India’s overall edible oil import is likely to stand at 11.8 million tonnes (mt) this year, against 10.7 mt in the previous year. The edible oil import bill may exceed the benchmark Rs 60,000-crore mark; last year, it stood at Rs 57,500 crore. These figures should be enough for us to understand how big a market India is and why olive/soy/canola oils are promoted so aggressively in India by the western countries.

http://www.business-standard.com/article/markets/indias-dependence-on-imported-edible-oil-to-hit-new-record-114041900395_1.html

So what is really good for us, is something we all should think about.