Spice to Chew Away Your Ailments Uncle Wen had one peculiar habit. He never travelled anywhere without a tiny box of dried ‘Jaiur’ – Winged Prickly Ash a.k.a. Szechuan pepper. It was his lifeline, he declared. You see, Uncle Wen suffered from low blood pressure and diabetes. He had frequent toothaches (he ate too much …
Amazing Black Pepper, Black Gold and King of Spice
Early Days of Black Pepper In medieval Europe black pepper, like other spices, was a commodity of the nobility and the rich, coveted not only for the flavours it imparts on cuisines but also for its purported medicinal properties. Europeans of those days had so dismal geographical knowledge that they thought spices had mystical origins. …
King of Oranges – the Khasi Mandarin
Scent of the Orange November is around the corner. That means all you orange lovers will once again get to see and savour, those orbs that will colour the markets golden. Just holding one in your hand you get that endearing whiff of sweet, orangey scent. Dig your thumb into the depression atop its skin …
Lemongrass a Grass for Food, Mood and Healing
Lemongrass – Aromatic and Magical Do you know that almost every plant in the planet has health benefits in some way or the other? By plants, we don’t mean cabbages and kale alone. Nor do we mean the ones you are so used to every day such as potatoes, tomatoes, beans, carrots, green and leafy vegetables, …
Can Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Improve Livelihood of Farmers?
In a recent post of ours on the top 5 essential oils of India you may have noticed a mention that Zizira explorers ‘discovered’ the world of essential oils after a visit to CIMAP, Bangalore. That was in March 2016. Once back home we seem to be discovering more and more about the Medicinal and …
Can Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Improve Livelihood of Farmers?Read More
Top 5 Essential Oils of India
Essential oils of India, is an area of interest for Zizira. What we learnt while exploring this area is what we are presenting here, which includes information on top 5 essential oils produced in India. You may wonder why essential oils? Curiosity, they say, kills a cat, but it seems to give Zizira a boost …