This post is written by Gaurav Yadav as part of the 6th anniversary celebration of my blog.
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Poha is one of my favorite breakfast. Last Sunday, when mom was busy with house cleaning, my younger sister was given the duty of breakfast preparation. I got my plate on time, but something was absent in my plate. Definitely it was not the taste of mom’s hand, but it was the secret ingredient “The Curry Leaf.”
Yes! you read this right. Curry leaf is that secret ingredient which can cure most of your problems and you are avoiding it unknowingly. (If you are doing so)
Many people think Curry leaf is useful only for flavor and Garnishing, but they don’t know that not only the picture of your dish, they can also change the nutritional value of your plate. The leaves contain Amino acids, fibers, Vitamins (A,B,C &E), Calcium, Carbohydtare, Phosphorous, Iron, Copper, Magnesium and Minerals.
Commonly it is known as Meethi Neem, Curry Patta, Curry Plant or Sweet Neem. The scientific name for Curry Plant is ‘Murraya koenigii’. In Marathi it is known as, ‘Karhi Patta’. ‘Mitho Limdo’ in Gujrati, ‘Bansago’ in Oriya, ‘Karepaku’ in Telugu, and ‘Kareapela’ in Malyalam.
Internationally it is known as ‘Fogli de Cari’ in Italian, ‘Hoja de Curry’ in Spanish, and ‘Bai Karee’ in Thai.
What a simple, green, tiny leaf can do?
Giving you a list of properties and the benefits one can get with the regular use of Curry Leaves.
Anti-Diarrheal Activity
Studies conducted by several scientists concluded that aqueous and alcoholic extract of Curry leaves can cure the caster oil induced diarrhea. Consumption of leaf juice or the freshly prepared paste can be useful to cure diarrhea. It is believed that the carbazole alkaloid present in the leaves of Curry plant has anti-diarrheal activity.
Anti-Oxidant Properties
Oxidative stress refers to the serious imbalance between the generation of free radicals (Free radicals are the byproduct of various metabolic activities inside the body which can harm DNA, Protein and other biomolecules) and its elimination from the body.
Antioxidants eliminate the free radicals from the body by converting them into a less harmful product. The Curry leaves show a higher degree of antioxidant activity and they can prevent the cell and tissue damage with their antioxidant properties.
Protection from Heavy Metal Toxicity
We conducted this experiment in our lab. For heavy metals we used Lead and Cadmium. Heavy metals are environmental contaminants since they cannot be destroyed. They enter to the body system through food, air and water. Human exposure to Lead occurs through Lead based paints, Lead containing pipes or the Lead soldier in water supply system, battery recycling and many more. Cigarette smoking is one of the major source of Cadmium exposure.
We tested Hepatoprotective and Cardioprotective activities of Curry leaves against the toxicity of Lead and Cadmium. And based on the findings we observed that the extract of Curry leaf provides complete protection against the toxicity of Lead and Cadmium.
Effect on Dental Caries
Curry leaf contains some active ingredients which were found to be useful as an oral disinfectant to protect against dental caries and periodontal diseases. This study was conducted by feeding the Curry leaves to golden hamsters and they showed lower dental caries against the control group animal who didn’t feed Curry leaf.
Anti-Diabetic Properties
The best use of Curry leaves can be of diabetes control. Research conducted by scientists proved that the level of blood glucose can be reduced with the extract of Curry leaves. Results suggested that Curry leaf treatment excerts the protective effect in diabetes by decreasing oxidative stress and damage of pancreatic β-cells.
Good for Memory
Diet rich in Curry leaves produced significant dose dependent improvement in the memory scores of the young and aged mice and significantly reduced the amnesia, artificially induced by Scopolamine and Diazepam.
The other properties which Curry leaves show are, Antimicrobial activity, Anticancer activity, Anti-Obesity, Anti-Pyretic activity, Kidney protective, and several other activities.
Hair Care
Curry leaves are very popular for hair care. The antioxidants and amino acids present in the leaves can help to rejuvenate hair follicles and can prevent hair loss.
How to Use
You can use fresh raw leaves with your dishes. You can also make the paste of the leaves to apply on the skin. For long term use, you can make the Curry leaf powder. And for hair growth and to prevent premature hair graying you can make Curry Leaf hair oil.
Preparation of Curry leaf powder
Steps
• Collect the Leaves.
• Wash with normal tap water.
• Dry the leaves under shade.
• After drying, grind in a mechanical grinder to make the powder. (You can also store the dried leaves in your fridge and can use a whole leaf instead of the leaf powder)
• Use as per your choice.
Preparation of Curry leaf oil
Steps-
• Heat up the coconut oil in a pan.
• Add Curry leaves in the heated oil.
• Simmer it for 15-20 minutes.
• Allow the oil to cool down.
• After cooling, you can use this oil to massage your scalp.
Disclaimer: All the views and results shown here are based on the experiments done by different Scientists and Research Scholars. Use at your own discretion. I shall not be held responsible for any consequences.All pics by Gaurav Yadav.
About Gaurav –
Gaurav Yadav, works as Ph.D Research Scholar in a reputed university of Madhya Pradesh. He works on albino rats to detect Heavy metals induced Liver and Heart injuries. He is an avid reader and loves to write Hindi poetry.
He can be contacted on
Twitter @_gauravyadav
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Read all posts from the 6th anniversary celebration of the blog – #6YrsOfHappiness
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