Posts Tagged ‘Leaves’

Wild Raspberry – What are the characteristics and different Health Benefits?

Rubus rosifolius, also known as bush roseleaf, West Indian raspberry and ola’a Thimbleberry is a spiny shrub native to the sub forest and open forest high in the Himalayas, East Asia and Eastern Australia. It is also found in abundance in the Brazilian states of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and south to the Rio Grande do Sul.
Rose Petal leaves are compound, brambles, margins dentate with glandular hairs on both sides of brochures. The flowers are white in panicles or solitary. Edible fruits are 2 cm long. Leaves stay green and fruits ripen in winter in Eastern Australia.
Wild Raspberry is a tall shrub or climber confusion. The stems are covered with short hairs rusty or white wool, and armed with numerous spines recurred. The alternate leaves are broadly ovate-heart shaped, usually 3 – or 5-lobed, 20.3 cm long, 2.5-18 cm wide. They are densely white or rusty hairy beneath. The flowers are white, in clusters in the axils of the leaves at the top. Sepals are large, velvety, and persist into fruition. The fruit is a red berry, about 1.2 cm in diameter.

There are two varieties of rosifolius that differ only in the number of petals Rubus rosifolius var. commersonii has 9-13 petals, while Rubus rosifolius var. rosifolius has five.

Habitat:-
The native habitat is rainforest, forest margins, clearings, gullies.

Reproduction of plant:-
Seed – requires stratification and is best sown in autumn in a cold frame. Stored seed requires stratification month at 3 degree C and is best sown as early as possible in the year. Plant out into their permanent jobs in the late spring the following year.

Benefits:-
- Wild Raspberries contain significant amount of polyphenol antioxidants such as anthocyanin pigments related to potential health protection against several human diseases.
- The aggregate fruit contributes to its nutritional value, as it increases the proportion of dietary fiber, placing it among plant foods with the highest fiber content of up to 20% fiber per total weight.
- They are a rich source of vitamin C, with 30 mg per serving of 1 cup (about 50% daily value), manganese (about 60% daily value) and dietary fiber (30% daily value). Contents of B vitamins 1-3, folic acid, magnesium, copper and iron.
- Rubus rosifolius has great antioxidant strength, particularly due to their dense contents of ellagic acid .Yellow raspberries and others with pale-colored fruits are lower in anthocyanin.
- Due to their rich contents of antioxidant vitamin C and the polyphenols, raspberries have an ORAC value of about 4900 per 100 grams. Although there are no clinical studies to date proving these effects in humans, antioxidant and antiproliferative effects against cancer have been linked to the amount of phenolics and flavonoids in various foods including raspberries.
- Raspberries are a low-glycemic index food.
- Fruit is edible and sweet-tasting. It can be made into jams, pies and preserves.
- Leaves can be made into tea which can be helpful during painful menstruation, childbirth, flu, and morning sickness.
- Aboriginal people in Australia used a decoction of the leaves as a traditional treatment for diarrhea.
- It is also used as an ornamental plant.

Precautions:-
It should not be used in case of pregnancy.

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What are some important things to know about Shepherd’s-Purse?

Shepherd’s purse commonly known as capsella bursa-pastoris, is a triangular, purse like pods. It is a small annual and ruderal species belonging to the family of mustard. The plant has slender, flexible, slightly hairy and white taproot arising from basal rosette similar to dandelion. The first leaves are usually stalked and rounded while; the later are deeply toothed or may be variable. Slightly toothed, alternate leaves clasp the flower stalk reaching the height of 6″ to 18”. It also has 4 petals forming a cross and 6 stamens. These flowers are self fertilizing and heart shaped having length of 5mm with tiny seeds. Shepherd’s purse is found only from early spring to early winter. People usually cultivate this plant in eastern countries for eating purposes. It is one of the earliest wild greens in the spring season. The seedpods of the plant are used for peppery seasoning.

Origin:
The plant of shepherd’s purse is native to Asia Minor and Eastern Europe and considered a common weed in many parts of the world. It is also regarded as an archaeophyte in China and North America but, in the regions of North America and Mediterranean it is used as a model organism. It flowers in all the seasons through out the year. Bursa pastoris reproduce itself entirely from the seed and has a soil seed bank with a short generation time. The plant grows best in moist to dry, sunny and disturbed soils. This plant generally grows in lawns, edges of sidewalk and paths and sometimes through sidewalk cracks.

Constituents:
The leaves of the plant are quite rich in choline, inosital, fumaric and thiamin acid. They are a good source of ascorbic acid, calcium, potassium, phosphorous, riboflavin. The leaves contain beta carotene, niacin, vitamin K, rutin and iron.
The action of these constituents is given under –
- antiscorbutic
- anti-hemorrhagic
- astringent
- diuretic
- coagulant
- stimulant etc.

Usage:
-Cardiovascular Conditions
- High or low blood pressure.
- Regulates heart action
- Normalizes circulation in the body.
- Female Conditions
- excessive menstrual flow
- menopause
- facilitates childbirth
- painful menstruation, combined with Rue and Rosemary
- promotes uterine contraction during childbirth
- regulates menstruation during puberty
- uterine cramp
- stops post natal bleeding
- blood Conditions
- bleeding from the kidneys, combined with Horsetail
- bleeding hemorrhoids
- bleeding from the lungs
- hematuria
- intestinal bleeding
- passive hemorrhages from mucous membranes
- nosebleeds
- stomach hemorrhage
- wounds which will not stop bleeding
- Genitourinary Tract Conditions
- abscesses of the bladder
- catarrhal conditions of the bladder and ureters
- bed-wetting in children
- increases the flow of urine
- irritation of the urinary tract caused by uric acid or insoluble phosphates or carbonates
- kidney complaints
- ulcerated conditions of the bladder
- urine with white mucous discharge

Precautions:
Shepherd’s purse has not been well studied, and its action is not well understood.
Limit the use to one or two months, and then take a one-week break, resuming if necessary. If used for excessive menstrual bleeding, use for a few days to a week before your period and during the menstrual period – not during the entire month. Shepherd’s purse constricts blood vessels, and is not recommended for people with high blood pressure. Pregnant and lactating women should avoid shepherd’s purse.

What are different characteristics, uses and benefits of Plantain?

Plantains are generally called as herbaceous plants of genus Musa. The fruits produced by plantains are soft and sweet banana which is also used for cooking. Basically, there is no as such difference between the plantains and bananas; the use of the term is based on the way how these fruits are consumed. They are firmer and have lower sugar content than the desert bananas. Bananas are always eaten raw, while the plantains are cooked or processed, and are used green or unripe or overripe. They are staple food of the tropical regions of the world and used in the same way as potatoes like boiling, cooking and frying. Plantain crops are grown in almost all the regions like United States, Sri Lanka, Hawaii, Mexico, Columbia, central America, Peru, Puerto Rica, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Egypt, Ghana, Uganda, Nigeria.

Origin:-
Plantain are also called as cooking plantain, banana plantain, beer banana, bocadillo plantain but, formally classified as musa acuminate, musa balbisiana. Most of the plantains come from AAB cultivator and hybrid AAB groups. The genus musa members are all native to the regions of the Southeast Asia and oceania.

Uses of Plantain Food:-
- Steamed, boiled, grilled, fried or baked
In the countries like Honduras, Jamaica and Trinidad, Tobago, the plantains are simply boiled, fried or added to the soup. In Nigeria, the plant is eaten boiled, roasted and fried; the roasted plantain called as booli is usually eaten with groundnut or palm oil. In Ghana, the boiled plantain is eaten up with cabbage stew or kontomire stew. Ripe plantains are also eaten fried with black eyed beans. The dish called as Rellenitos de Plátano made from the plantains is also served as a dessert after the food.
- Rootstock
The root of plantain contains a lot of fiber and starch and is used as a food in many parts. It is also used for making dry curry and used as food in Ethiopia. The young shoots of the plant can also be cooked and eaten.
- Fruit
In the state of Kerala, the yellow fruits called Nendran are deep fried after dipping in a thin batter of gram flour which can be very difficult to remove.
- Drink
Plantain fruit can be mixed into alcoholic drink. They can also be boiled and blended with sugar and water to make chapo juice.
- Chips
Plantains can also be used to make banana chips after removing the skin and deep frying the sliced sections in hot oil. Chips are also named as bannan fris, chicharritas or mariquitas etc. Plantain chips are a popular treat in Ghana, Nigeria and Jamaica etc.

Other uses:-
- Plantain flowers
The flowers of the plantain are also used in variety of ways, for example, the young male flower at the end of bunch is used in salads. It can be used in vermicelli soups. Flower of the plant can also be used to make dry curry and thoran dish. The plantain flower can also be used to make sweet and sour gojju.
- Plantain leaves
The leaves of this plant can exceed two meters in length. The leaves of the plant when smoked in open fire help to improve the storage properties, flavor and aroma. They can also be used to wrap seasoned meat while cooking to keep the flavor. The plantain leaves are also used as plates while serving the food in South India. They also have religious importance in Hindu rituals. The leaves are also used as cooking foil for steaming idlis. It can also be used as a packaging material for packaging food and flowers.
- Plantain shoots
The plantain tree after harvesting is cut and peeled into layers to get cylinder shaped soft shoot, which can be used in salad or dry curry. It can also be used as a very good remedy to avoid constipation. Regular dosage of the juice of shoots can also help to procure kidney stones and stomach ulcers.