Indian herbs for soup

Get a taste of the Indian garam masala - yummy...

"Masala" literally means a blend of different herbs and spices, while "Garam" means "hot," although the blend is really isn't chilli-hot. Garam masala is an essential ingredient in Indian cuisine, particularly in the northern regions of the nation. This all-purpose blend contains most of the Indian herbs used for soup. It is added to the soup or other dish just before it is served.

It is said that there are as many recipes for garam masala as there are kitchens in India. However, most recipes will combine a simple, basic blend of these commonly available herbs and spices:

• Cloves
• • Indian Names: Lavang, Laung, Lavanga, Lavangalu, Labango, Krambu, Grampu, Shriisanjnan,
  • Used for its spicy, highly aromatic flavor. It should be used ground fresh as it easily loses its potency.
• Coriander
  • Indian Names: Kothambari, Dhania, Dhaniya
  • This aromatic herb is prized for its pungent, slightly citrusy flavor, and for the texture it adds to soups.
• Cardamom pods
  • Indian Name: Eliachi, Yellakai, Ellakai, Elakkaai, Elathari, Yalukalu
  • Imparts/prized for its strong, yet pleasant flavor, which is found in its seeds. The woody pods are discarded.
• Black pepper
  • Indian Name: Kala mirchi, Krishnan, Krishnadi, Menasu, Gulki, Kuru mulagu, Marichan
  • Used whole and ground as needed. An essential component in almost all Indian cuisine as a cooking ingredient as well as a table condiment.
• Cinnamon
  • Indian Name: Dalchini, Dalochini, Erikkoloam, Durusita, Lavangamu, Illavangam, Lavanga pattai
  • A fragrant spice that is prized for its delicate, sweet flavor.
• Black cumin
  • Indian Name: kala jeera, Shah Jeera (Not to be confused with jeera, or regular cumin)
  • Sweeter and darker-colored than regular cumin, this spice is used for its exotic, flowery aroma and its nutty flavor when toasted.
• Ginger
  • Indian names: Adrak, Adraka, Sonth, Alla, Allam, Inchi, Shringaveran, Sringaaran, Ingee, Ada
  • A basic, albeit non-essential, Indian spice, Ginger is used for its sharp, pungent flavor and aroma.

In Indian cuisine, herbs and spices are always used whole rather than powdered. They are first dry roasted and then ground to release their natural oils and flavors

The struggle to protect traditional medicines

In the first step by a developing country to stop multinational companies patenting traditional remedies from local plants and animals, the Indian government has effectively licensed 200,000 local treatments as "public property" free for anyone to use but no one to sell as a "brand".The move comes after scientists in Delhi noticed an alarming trend – the "bio-prospecting" of natural remedies by companies abroad.

After trawling through the records of the global trademark offices, officials found 5,000 patents had been issued — at a cost of at least $150m (£104m) — for "medical plants and traditional systems"."More than 2,000 of these belong to the Indian systems of medicine … We began to ask why multinational companies were spending millions of dollars to patent treatments that so many lobbies in Europe deny work at all," said Dr Vinod Kumar Gupta, who heads the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library, which lists in encyclopaedic detail the 200,000 treatments.The database, which took 200 researchers eight years to compile by meticulously translating ancient Indian texts, will now be used by the European Patent Office to check against "bio-prospectors".Gupta points out that in Brussels alone there had been 285 patents for medicinal plants whose uses had long been known in the three principal Indian systems: ayurveda, India's traditional medical treatment; unani, a system believed to have come to India via ancient Greece; and siddha, one of India's oldest health therapies, from the south.

Researchers found that in Europe one company had patented an Indian creeping plant known as Brahmi — Bacopa monnieri — for a memory enhancer. Another patent was awarded for aloe vera for its use as a mouth ulcer treatment."We have shown the authorities that ayurveda, unani and siddha medicinal uses were known in India. We would like the patents therefore lifted," said Gupta.In the past India has had to go to court to get patents revoked. Officials say that to lift patents from medicines created from turmeric and neem, an Indian tree, it spent more than $5m. In the case of the neem patent, the legal battle took almost 10 years."We won because we proved these were part of traditional Indian knowledge. There was no innovation and therefore no patent should be granted," said Gupta.Yoga, too, is considered a traditional medicine and one that is already a billion-dollar industry in the US. Gupta said the Indian government had already asked the US to register yoga as a "well-known" mark and raised concerns over the 130 yoga-related patents issued."We want no one to appropriate the yoga brand for themselves.

There are 1,500 asanas [yogic poses] and exercises given in our ancient texts. We are transcribing these so they too cannot be appropriated by anyone."We have had instances where people have patented a yoga technique by describing a certain temperature. This is simply wrong."India is also unusual in that it has seven national medical systems — of which modern medicine is but one.

Almost four-fifths of India's billion people use traditional medicine and there are 430,000 ayurvedic medical practitioners registered by the government in the country. The department overseeing the traditional medical industry, known as Ayush, has a budget of 10bn rupees ($260m).India's battle to protect its traditional treatments is rooted in the belief that the developing world's rich biodiversity is a potential treasure trove of starting material for new drugs and crops. Gupta said that it costs the west $15bn and 15 years to produce a "blockbuster drug". A ­patent lasts for 20 years, so a pharmaceutical company has just five years to recover its costs — which makes conventional treatments expensive."If you can take a natural remedy and isolate the active ingredient then you just need drug trials and the marketing.

Traditional medicine could herald a new age of cheap drugs."Medicines ancient and modernGinger: Patented to treat obesity. However, officials have found that in a Siddha preparation, extracts of ginger root are used in a treatment for obesityCitrus peel extract: Patented to treat skin disorders and injuries. Recorded in Ayurvedic texts as a key ingredient to treat skin diseasesPhyllanthus amarus (Himalayan stem herb): Patented "for the inhibition of the replication of a nucleosidic inhibitor resistant retrovirus and/or a non-nucleosidic inhibitor-resistant retrovirus, wherein said retrovirus is an HIV."

Indian traditional texts show the drug is used for immuno-suppressive emaciating diseasesBrassica rapa (mustard): Patented to normalise bowel function or for the prevention of colonic cancer. Unani has for years prescribed it for stomach ailments.

Is kissing a vedic habit?

To Devika Rani, the first lady of Indian cinema, goes the credit of the big smooch on the Indian screen in her 1933 hit, Karma. According to a Wikipedia entry, it was four minutes long and the longest kissing scene in the movie world. There was nothing low about it-or her.

For those of you who do not know who this diva is, some background information.

Devika Rani was the great grandniece of Rabindranath Tagore, had won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and later founded the Bombay Talkies film studio which produced stars of the caliber of Ashok Kumar and Prithviraj Kapoor.

Behaviour analysts are also divided on where the habit [of kissing] originated. Some believe that kissing, in fact, is a Vedic habit. Vaughn Bryant, an anthropologist from Texas quoted in the International Herald Tribune, believes that the first recorded kiss, around 1500 BC, is in scriptures which mention people sniffing with their mouths; later Vedic texts describe lovers “setting mouth to mouth”.

Far from being a European import, he says, kissing went west from India, after Alexander’s conquest of Punjab in 326 BC. If such is the case then the Romans and Latins, whose kisses range from the overtly sexual to the deeply spiritual, are truly the kissing cousins of the Aryans.

But why go so far asks Sunil Setty in his article. No one has counted but there could well be 1,140 pillars in Konarak and Khajuraho with couples kissing -- and utterly oblivious of who's looking.

Yoga for balance, Harmony and Purification

Hatha Yoga - An Ancient Program of Balance, Harmony and Purification

Hatha Yoga originated in the 15th century in India as part of a program of purification of the body incorporated along with meditation. Hatha is the Hindu word for "sun and , while "Yoga" is the word for "yoke" or uniting of body, mind and environment. Hatha Yoga places great significance on achieving balance between physical, mental, spiritual and emotional states in harmony with earth, water, sun and moon.

Basic Tenets of Hatha Yoga Program

The basic tenets of the Hatha Yoga Program is comprised of several aspects:

Asana which focuses on posture similar to the postures of T'ai Chi and Chi Gong
Prayanamas where subtle energy control is the focus, a very important aspect of Hatha Yoga
Chakras which are the centers of energy
Kundalini which encompasses muscle force
Kryas which promotes the mastering of kundalini techniques
Shakti, the sacred force
Nadis which are channels
Mudras, which are symbolic gestures similar to those in T'ai Chi.

Shatkarma, purification, begins with freeing up the mind by freeing up the body through holistic lifestyle, yoga practice daily and metaphysical re-adaptation.

Self-Improvement Through Hatha Yoga

Within asanas, also known as "sun signs", movements are performed and practiced that rely on focused mental concentration in order to achieve maximum benefits. Practitioners of Hatha Yoga find a new sense of physical balance and strength as a result of consistent use of asanas. Thus, Hatha Yoga retards the aging process by infusing mind and body with continual renewal of strength and balance. Most people who practice Hatha Yoga find that it's necessary to also take inventory of their dietary and lifestyle predilections. This is a very natural emanation of alterations to a less healthy lifestyle.

Benefits of Hatha Yoga

The benefits of Hatha Yoga are a sense of wholeness and overall good health. Through the balance of mind and body effected by Hatha Yoga, a new harmony evolves from within and allows the individual to experience less stress and tension as a result. Yet, the adaptability to Hatha Yoga lifestyle is relatively easy because of the simplicity of its core fundamentals.

Meditation and Hatha Yoga

Meditation is an element of nearly all religions, holistic programs and cultural lifestyles. Meditation is also one of the oldest forms of self-recognition. Discovering the wealth of knowledge, ideas and inspirations within the unconscious mind is often obliterated by details stored in the conscious mind. This creates a conflict in the body when conscious messages block out unconscious messages intended as metaphysical protection from conscious deliberate negative actions. Quieting the mind sufficiently in meditation also requires the body to be receptively postured for best results. This is the basis of Hatha Yoga.

Lessons of Hatha Yoga for All Ages

Teaching children from young ages to adapt to the holistic program of Hatha Yoga creates a permanent direction for mental stability and good physical health. It is also the very best time for the practice of Hatha Yoga to begin. Those who choose Hatha Yoga in their senior years may find several of the asanas, i.e., the candle, the Lotus Position, physically challenging. For this age group, modified asanas are taught.

Aishwarya Rai may contest elections

Former Miss World Aishwarya Rai Bachchan could contest in the forthcoming parliamentary elections that are due in a couple of months.

Efforts are on to woo the actress to enter politics. Jaya Bachchan, wife of Amitabh Bachchan and Ash’s mother-in-law, is currently a Member of the Parliament on the Samajwadi Party ticket. The Bachchans share a close relationship with SP General Secretary Amar Singh.

The party is also trying to rope in several actors to be fielded against top politicians. Actor Sanjay Dutt is already confirmed as the party's choice for the Lucknow constituency.

Let’s see what’s in store for the former beauty queen!