Diwali is nearing and soon we will be busy in preparing sweets and browsing recipes to celebrate the festival of lights. Now why not have a healthy festive season with Mudakathaan keerai? In this post let us see some of the uses of including mudakathan in our diet.
Mudakathan or Indhravali is a normal weed that grows in backyard of most of south Indian homes. Mudakathan comes from two tamil word (Mudaku + aruthaan) which literally translates to cut out arthiritis. By now you must have have an idea of what it does. Yes, it is very famous for treating joint pains. It’s botanical name is Cardiospermum Halicacabum. It is called Kanphata in Hindi, Budda Kakara in Telugu, Agniballi in Kannada and Jyotishmati in Malayalam.
Identifying Mudkathan:
Mudakathana keerai is a perennial climber with balloon like fruits and is best identified with the leaves and the beautiful green balloon like fruits. Here in Tamil Nadu, mudakathan keerai can be found easily along road sides and in waste lands. The tender young shoots of the plant is used in cooking and also in remedies.
Mudakathan Keerai Medicinal Uses:
1. Anti Ulcer Properties:
Another important property of is it’s anti ulcer properties. Mudakathan keerai extract got by boiling the leaves in water has a mild anti ulcer properties and people who suffer from acidity will greatly benefit by including mudakathan keerai in their diet. Try to consume it in the form of soup.
2. Anti Diarrheal Properties:
The water extract of mudakathan keerai has antidiarrhoeal activity and has been traditionally used for it in certain places in India. This has been proven through research and this is because of the presence of tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids, sterols, triterpenes and saponins present in Mudakathan keerai.
3. Increases Fertility:
Another interesting property of mudakathan keerai is it’s ability to increase sperm motility and sperm count. Just having mudakathan keerai regularly for 30 days increases sperm count significantly and it also increases in serum testosterone level.
4. Anti Arthritic Activity:
Mudakathan keerai has been used for treating arthritis in our place and this traditional use has been backed by research. Mudakathan keerai is given in the form of dosai or rasam to patients suffering from arthritis regularly and it greatly helps in reducing the inflammation and pain.
5. Anti Inflammatory & Antioxidant Properties:
Mudakathan keerai has amazing antioxidant and anti inflammatory properties. The flavonols, glycosides and phenols present in mudakathan keerai is responsible for it’s anti inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It also has analgesic properties (pain relieving properties) which makes it very effective for reducing all kinds of inflammations.
6. Anti Bacterial Properties:
Mudakathan keerai has powerful anti bacterial properties and all parts of the plant has anti bacterial properties and they are effective against five strains of bacteria (Salmonella, Staphylococcus Aureus, Aeromonas, E.coli and Pseudomonas). What surprised us is that the seed coat has the maximum anti bacterial properties out of the three.
7. Mosquito Repellent Properties:
Another interesting use of mudakathan is it’s ability to repel mosquitoes when applied externally on the skin. For the study, the ethanol leaf extract was used and it repelled mosquito bites of three types of mosquitoes (Culex Quinquefasciatus, Aedes Aegypti and Anopheles Stephensi) very effectively!
8. Anti Fungal Properties:
Mudakathan keerai also have powerful anti fungal properties. The two chemical compounds that were responsible for the most anti fungal activity of mudakathan keerai are luteolin and rutin. For the study, the whole plant extract was used and you can read the study here.
9. Anti Convulasant Properties:
Mudakathan keerai has anti convulasant properties too. Mudakathan keerai alcohol extract when given to rats that were given electric shock reduced the convulsions greatly. For the extract the whole plant extract was used and the dosage used was 350 mg of extract for a kg of body weight.
10. Anti Pyretic Properties:
Mudakathan keerai has fever reducing properties too. It is also one of the best remedies for reducing malaria fever. If you are suffering from fever, and cold, try having a cup of warm mudakathan keerai soup , it will greatly help reduce the fever and pain.
Other than this they are also used in treatment of
- Cough
- Piles
- Ear discharge
- Headache
- Tumors
- Gonorrhea
Even after knowing innumerable benefits we still don’t use them for remedies. The main reason many don’t follow herbal remedies is because they have to get fresh herbs everyday. Unless or otherwise you are living in a village, given our hectic schedules, we know it will be next to impossible to go and collect fresh herbs from the market everyday. The best way to solve this problem is grow your own.
Especially for herbs like mudakathan, which has to be used for longer periods of time, it is very important that you grow your own. Herbs are much easier to grow than ornamental plants and most of them need little to no maintenance at all. So let us see how to grow them.
How To Grow Mudakathan Keerai At Home?
To grow your own mudakathan keerai from seeds, bury the seeds in soil and make sure to sprinkle water everyday to prevent the soil drying up. Within 2 weeks, the plant will sprout up and since it is a climber, we would suggest planting it near a fence. It will spread fast on the fence and you will have plenty of mudakathan keerai to cook. Interesting enough these can also be grown in containers.
That is it! We have given you a awesome herb to experiment with. Hope this post is useful to you. Comment us the next herb you want to hear from us. Until then Happy Farming!
இதனை தமிழில் படிக்க இங்கே கிளிக் செய்யவும்.
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