The Hindu Business Line : Healing spices

I do not know what I ate or what health problems I may have had before my fifth birthday, but since the age of five, I've not even suffered from common cold, thanks to the herbs and spices I live amidst," reveals Krishnamurthy Reddiar, practitioner of herbal medicine in Dompitiya, Hingula, Sri Lanka. "You want good digestion and freedom from any abdominal problems, go for garlic roasted over hot coals, preferably dipped in wild bee honey, and have it first thing in the morning."

Reddiar says such age-old remedies are fast gaining ground, particularly among the teeming Western tourists who visit Sri Lanka the year round. And as proof he shows us a sheaf of letters written by patients from all over the world who had found relief for various ailments with his concoctions. Laminated for posterity was a letter from an English doctor profusely thanking Reddiar for the miracle cure and requesting him to courier a bottle of `red oil'. He broke a bone in a motorbike accident and suffered from rheumatism for seven years. Conventional medicine did not seem to help. On a visit to Sri Lanka, he chanced upon Reddiar's herbal garden and clinic (Luckyland Spice Garden) on Kandy Road and carried back some `red oil'. He apparently found relief within 65 days.

"It's one of the best remedies for rheumatism, arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lumbago, back pain and all other joint and muscular pains. You'd be surprised to know the ingredients that go into it! Cannabis (ganja), cocaine and ixora — their roots, bark, fruits and flowers — are used in extracting the oil," says Reddiar. For headache, he recommends a balm made from ixora, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, ginger and garlic. Besides relieving pain, it does not irritate the skin or eyes. "In fact, 95 per cent of Sri Lankan villagers do not need spectacles because they use this balm which ensures good vision."

The `red oil' and the balm when applied together twice a month on the ankles, knees, elbows, shoulders, back and neck, one hour before bath, help prevent all joint ailments, he says.

"The best thing about these herbal preparations is that they are user-friendly and easy to store. A well-prepared remedy can be stored at room temperature for 14 years and one can take a cocktail of preparations for different ailments simultaneously, without any adverse effects or contra-indications. But they should not be refrigerated," he adds.

Reddiar speak

Shoo a cold or fever away with a simple brew from coriander. Add ginger and garlic to restore energy levels. And for head cold try an inhalation made from coriander, lime leaves, ginger and cinnamon, preferably boiled in a clay pot.

The wild lemon is harvested only once a year and about 300-400 fruits ripen at a time. Crush the leaves and breathe deeply for relief from lung and liver problems.

Mix lemon juice, wild pineapple juice and three-year-old wild bee honey. A teaspoon on an empty stomach in the morning helps burn calories. Each wild pineapple plant yields nine fruits in a year. Unlike the common pineapple, the wild variety has rich healing properties and is free of acidity.

The humble curry leaf used in cooking also has medicinal properties. Its roots, bark and flowers along with other ingredients are used to prepare a herbal cholesterol solvent that dissolves LDL (low-density lipoprotein) deposits in blood vessels.

How about a cup of hot chocolate to refresh you at the end of a hard working day? But this is not the red cocoa used in chocolates. "It's the green cocoa, harvested only once a year," says Reddiar. "Once the green cocoa ripens, we wash the seeds and sun-dry them before grinding to a fine powder. Mix a teaspoon of the powder with a few drops of red banana juice, which acts as sweetener instead of sugar. A drop of pure vanilla essence lends a sweet aroma. And lo, you're bouncing back with redoubled energy! It's an excellent remedy for insomnia also."

Green tea, which is indigenous to Sri Lanka, lowers cholesterol, rejuvenates skin, fights acne and destroys harmful intestinal bacteria, he claims.

Tender pepper combined with ginger, garlic and asparagus helps cure haemorrhoids and constipation.

Cinnamon oil is effective against shivering cold, tooth and ear aches, and bad breath. "For shivering cold, apply a little cinnamon oil on the palms, soles, temples and back of the ears. For tooth pain, put a drop into the tooth cavity. Take care not to swallow the pungent oil. Four drops of cinnamon oil added to a glass of water and gargled, will clear bad breath."

Margosa or neem's antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties make it effective against eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis. The roots, bark, fruit and flowers are used in making a herbal skin ointment.

Cardamom, when combined with ginger and garlic helps relieve whooping cough, dry cough, bronchitis and tonsillitis.

Nutmeg is useful in tackling stomach ailments. "We use the mace and seed to make herbal preparations to relieve stomach pains and disorders including diarrhoea."

Pathygas is another plant used in an effective remedy for migraine, sinusitis and other pounding headaches.

An alcohol-free herbal wine prepared using ginseng root and 52 other herbs and spices, helps curb snoring. "Besides the fact that snoring is not good for the heart, it is also one of the reasons for greying of hair! One teaspoon of the wine taken with a little warm water before sleep revitalises the nervous system and other bodily functions. It is also useful in treating asthma, gall stones and kidney problems."

King Coconut hair tonic and cream, sandalwood and aloe vera creams promote hair growth, prevent dandruff and hair fall and tones the face muscles and skin.

All government authorised spice gardens in Sri Lanka are organically cultivated and the preparations are completely natural with no preservatives or additives, says Reddiar.

Write to life@thehindu.co.in

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