Health benefits of apple

Health benefits of apple

    Delicious and crunchy apple fruit is notable for its impressive list of phtyto-nutrients, and anti-oxidants. Studies suggest that its components are essential for optimal growth, development, and overall wellness.

    Apples are low in calories; 100 g of fresh fruit slices provide only 50 calories. They, however, contain no saturated fats or cholesterol. Nonetheless, the fruit is rich in dietary fiber, which helps prevent absorption of dietary-LDL or bad cholesterol in the gut. The fiber also saves the colon mucous membrane from exposure to toxic substances by binding to cancer-causing chemicals inside the colon.

    Apples are rich in antioxidant phyto-nutrients flavonoids and polyphenolics. The total measured anti-oxidant strength (ORAC value) of 100 g apple fruit is 5900 TE. Some of the important flavonoids in apples are quercetin, epicatechin, and procyanidin B2. Additionally, they are also good in tartaric acid that gives tart flavor to them. Altogether, these compounds help the body protect from deleterious effects of free radicals.

    Apple fruit contains good quantities of vitamin-C and beta-carotene. Vitamin C is a powerful natural antioxidant. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful, pro-inflammatory free radicals from the body.

    Further, apple fruit is a good source of B-complex vitamins such as riboflavin, thiamin, and pyridoxine (vitamin B-6). Together, these vitamins help as co-factors for enzymes in metabolism as well as in various synthetic functions inside the body.

    Apples also carry a small amount of minerals like potassium, phosphorus, and calcium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure; thus, counters the bad influences of sodium.

Dr.S.Senthil Karunakaran, M.D(Siddha)

AVIZTHAM SIDDHA HOSPITAL

No 6, Mounasamy Mutt Street,

Ambattur O.T, Chennai – 53

Contact no: 9444403023

Email; drkarunakaran@gmail.com

Health benefits of coriander leaves:

Nutrition facts of Coriander leaves:

Cilantro is one of the popular Mediterranean herb, which commonly recognized as leaf-coriander in Asia. It is widely employed in savory dishes in almost all parts of the world. The herb contains many notable plant derived chemical compounds that are known to have disease preventing and health-promoting properties. Coriander is quite similar to dill in utility terms since its leaves as well as seeds can be used in cuisine.

Botanically, coriander herb belongs to the family of Apiaceae, in the genus: Coriandrum. Botanicall name: Coriandrum sativum.

Cilantro herb is native to Mediterranean, and Asia Minor (Turkey) regions. It is perennial plant but grown as an annual which requires well-draining fertile soil supplemented with warm summer climates to flourish. The plant reaches about 1 to 2 feet in height and features dark green, hairless, soft leaves that vary in shape; broad-lobed near the base, and slender and feathery higher up near its flowering stems. The leaves and stem possess slightly citrus flavor. The plant bears umbels of small white or light pink flowers in midsummer, followed by round-oval shaped aromatic seeds.

Coriander seeds, used as spice, are round-to-oval in shape, yellowish brown in color with vertical ridges and have a flavor that is aromatic, sweet and citrus, but also slightly peppery.

Health benefits of coriander  leaves:

    Cilantro herb is very low in calories and contains no cholesterol. However, its deep-green leaves possess good amounts of antioxidants, essential oils, vitamins, and dietary fiber, which help reduce LDL or "bad cholesterol" while rising HDL or "good cholesterol" levels.

    Its leaves and seeds contain many essential volatile oils such as borneol, linalool, cineole, cymene, terpineol, dipentene, phellandrene, pinene, and terpinolene.

    The leaves and stem tips are also rich in numerous anti-oxidant polyphenolic flavonoids such as quercetin, kaempferol, rhamnetin, and epigenin.

    The herb is a good source of minerals like potassium, calcium, manganese, iron, and magnesium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps control heart rate and blood pressure. Iron is essential for red blood cell production. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase.

    It is also rich in many vital vitamins, including folic-acid, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin-A, beta carotene, vitamin-C, which are essential for optimum health. Vitamin-C is a powerful natural antioxidant. 100 g of cilantro leaves provide 30% of daily recommended levels of vitamin-C.

    It provides 6748 IU of vitamin-A per 100 g, about 225% of recommended daily intake. Vitamin-A, an important fat soluble vitamin and anti-oxidant, is also required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin and is also essential for vision. Consumption of natural foods rich in vitamin-A and flavonoids (carotenes) helps body protect from lung and oral cavity cancers.

    Cilantro is one of the richest herbal sources for vitamin K; provide about 258% of DRI. Vitamin-K has a potential role in bone mass building by promoting osteotrophic activity in the bones. It also has established role in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease patients by limiting neuronal damage in their brain.

Dr.S.Senthil Karunakaran, M.D(Siddha)

AVIZTHAM SIDDHA HOSPITAL

No 6, Mounasamy Mutt Street,

Ambattur O.T, Chennai – 53

Contact no: 9444403023

drkarunakaran@gmail.com

Health benefits of lemongrass

lemongrass nutrition facts:

Refreshing, citrus-scented lemongrass imparts unique flavor to recipes. Its coarse tufted stems and leaf buds are among the most sought after herbal parts used in an array of cuisines all over South and East Asian regions.

Botanically, the herb belongs to grass family of Poaceae. Botanicall name: Cymbopogon citratus. It is native to Southern part of India and Sri Lanka. The herb is one of the popular ingredients employed in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Indonesia and as far as African and American continents for its culinary and medicinal uses.

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon) grows in dense clumps, erupting from tough bulbous base with a spread of about 1 meter wide and about 3 feet in height. Its leaves are bright green with sharp edges with appearance similar to that of grass. It flourishes well in fertile sandy soils with tropical climates receiving heavy rain.

Several cultivars of cymbopogon, based upon their origin, culinary, and oil properties, are grown around the world at a commercial level. West-Indian lemongrass (C. citratus) is an important culinary herb, and spice used extensively in cooking in many East Asian countries. Indian lemon grass (C. flexuosus) is dominantly used in the perfume industry since it contains fewer myrcene and, therefore, has a longer shelf-life.

Health benefits of lemongrass

    Lemongrass herb has numerous health benefiting essential oils, chemicals, minerals and vitamins that are known to have anti-oxidant and disease preventing properties.

    The herb contains 99 calories per 100 g but contains no cholesterol.

    The primary chemical component in lemongrass herb is citral or lemonal, an aldehyde responsible for its unique lemon odor. Citral also has strong anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties.

    In addition, its herb parts contain other constituents of the essential oils such as myrcene, citronellol, methyl heptenone, dipentene, geraniol, limonene, geranyl acetate, nerol, etc. These compounds are known to have counter-irritant, rubefacient, insecticidal, anti-fungal and anti-septic properties.

    Its leaves and stems are very good in folic acid content (100 g leaves and stem provide about 75 µg or 19% of RDA). Folates are important in cell division and DNA synthesis. When given during the peri-conception period can help prevent neural tube defects in the baby.

    Its herb parts are also rich in many invaluable essential vitamins such as pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), pyridoxine (vitamin B-6) and thiamin (vitamin B-1). These vitamins are essential in the sense that body requires them from external sources to replenish.

    Furthermore, fresh herb contains small amounts of anti-oxidant vitamins such as vitamin-C, and vitamin-A.

    Lemon grass herb parts, whether fresh or dried, are rich sources of minerals like potassium, zinc, calcium, iron, manganese, copper, and magnesium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids, which helps control heart rate and blood pressure. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase.

Dr.S.Senthil Karunakaran, M.D(Siddha)

AVIZTHAM SIDDHA HOSPITAL

No 6, Mounasamy Mutt Street,

Ambattur O.T, Chennai – 53

Contact no: 9444403023

Health benefits of peppermint:

Nutrition facts of Peppermint.

Peppermint has been one of the popular herbs known since antiquity for its distinctive aroma and medicinal value. The herb has a characteristic refreshing cool breeze sensation on taste buds, palate and throat when eaten; and on nasal olfaction glands when inhaled. This unique quality of mint is due to the presence of menthol, an essential oil in its fresh leaves, and stem.

Botanically, the herb belongs to the Lamiaceae family, in the genus; Mentha, and botanically named as Mentha piperita.

  

Mint herb is originally native to Europe, and now-a-days cultivated in almost all the regions of the world. It grows well under shady conditions and feature lance-shaped purple-veined, dark-green leaves with serrated margins and purple color whirly-flowers.

In general, the mint plant is sterile, producing no seeds. However, its growth happens through vegetative reproduction, spreading laterally all along its underground rhizomes. There exist more than 20 varieties of mint herbs with a wide range of color, fragrance, and flavor.

Health benefits of peppermint:

    Mint composes numerous plant derived chemical compounds that are known to have been anti-oxidant, disease-preventing and health promoting properties. Total antioxidant strength (ORAC) of fresh peppermint herb is 13,978 µmol TE/100 g.

    The mint herb contains no cholesterol; however, it is rich in essential oils, vitamins and dietary fiber, which helps to control blood cholesterol and blood pressure inside the human body.

    The herb parts contain many essential volatile oils like menthol, menthone, menthol acetate. These compounds effect on cold-sensitive receptors in the skin, mouth and throat, the property which is responsible for the natural cooling-sensation that it initiates when inhaled, eaten, or applied on the skin.

    The essential oil, menthol also has been analgesic (painkiller), local anesthetic and counter-irritant properties.

    Research studies have also been suggested that the compounds in the peppermint relax intestinal wall and sphincter smooth muscles through blocking calcium channels at cell receptor levels. This property of mint has been applied as an anti-spasmodic agent in the treatment of "irritable bowel syndrome" (IBS) and other colic pain disorders.

    Peppermint-herb is an excellent source of minerals like potassium, calcium, iron, manganese and magnesium. 100 g fresh herb provides 569 mg of potassium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps control heart rate and blood pressure. Manganese and copper works as co-factors for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide-dismutase.

    Further, it is rich in many antioxidant vitamins, including vitamin A, beta carotene, vitamin-C and vitamin E. The leaves of mint also contain many important B-complex vitamins like folates, riboflavin and pyridoxine (vitamin B-6); and the herb is an excellent source of vitamin-K.

Dr.S.Senthil Karunakaran, M.D(Siddha)

AVIZTHAM SIDDHA HOSPITAL

No 6, Mounasamy Mutt Street,

Ambattur O.T, Chennai – 53

Contact no: 9444403023