All posts by Sumana Rao

Don't worry about the people in your past; There's a reason they didn't make it to your future.
Tulsi Kashaya Benefits

Tulsi Kashaya

Ingredients:

  1. Tulsi leaves – 1 cup
  2. Jaggery – 2 Tbs
  3. Water – 3 cups
  4. Cardamom powder – little
  5. Salt – pinch

Method:

  1. Wash Tuli leaves and using a mortar crush the leaves.
  2. Boil the water, add jaggery. Let jaggery dissolve.
  3. Now add Tulsi leaves.
  4. After a minute or so add salt and cardamom powder.
  5. Continue boiling for 3 minutes.
  6. Strain and drink as it is or add little milk and drink when it is hot.

Benefits:

Tulsi is immune booster and this kashayam is good for cold, flu, body pain, inflammation and headache.

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: January 11, 2018
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Ginger Kashaya Benefits

Ginger Kashaya

Ingredients:

  1. Ginger – 1 inch piece
  2. Jaggery – 2 Tbsp
  3. Milk – 2 cups
  4. Water – 2 cups
  5. Honey – 1 tsp

Method:

  1. Wash ginger and grate it or crush it
  2. Boil water and add jaggery. Let jaggery dissolve.
  3. Now add grated ginger. Continue boiling for 3-4 minutes.
  4. Let the liquid content reduce a bit.
  5. Add boiled milk, honey and drink when it is hot.

Benefits:

Good during throat irritation, cough, fever and runny nose. Ginger Kashaya is good for stomach bloating too. Reduces joint pain and other types of inflammation.

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Black Pepper, Ginger, Cumin Kashaya

Black pepper, Dry ginger and Cumin kashaya

Ingredients:

  1. Black pepper – 1 tsp
  2. Dry ginger – ½ inch
  3. Cumin -1 tsp
  4. Jaggery – 2 Tbsp
  5. Water – 2 cups
  6. Milk – 1 cup

Method: 

  1. Crush black pepper and cumin seeds. Or make coarse powder.
  2. Crush ginger using a mortar (if powder is available, you can use dry ginger powder too)
  3. Boil water and jaggery. Wait until jaggery dissolves.
  4. Now add black pepper, ginger, cumin into boiling jaggery water. Continue boiling for another 4 minutes.
  5. Strain and add boiled milk. Drink when it is hot.

Benefits:

Best for winter season. All three herbs are known to reduce symptoms of flu, cough and cold. Reduces joint pain.

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Curry Leaves Kashaya

Curry Leaves Kashaya

Ingredients:

  1. Curry leaves – 3/4 cup
  2. Black pepper – ¼ tsp
  3. Jaggery – ½ cup
  4. Milk – ½ cup
  5. Water – 2 cups

Method:

  1. Wash and crush curry leaves using a mortar.
  2. Boil water and add jaggery. Let the jaggery dissolve.
  3. After couple of minutes add crushed curry leaves and black pepper.
  4. Continue boiling for another 3 minutes.
  5. Strain and add boiled milk and drink when it is hot.

Benefits:

Good for digestion, reduces weight, reduces morning sickness, good for diabetic condition, reduces diarrhea – Do not drink this every day. Drink alternate days or three times a week.

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Ajwain Kashaya Benefits

Ajwain Kashaya

Ingredients:

  1. Ajwain – 5 tsp
  2. Salt – a pinch
  3. Asafetida – a pinch
  4. Water – 2 cups

Method:

  1. Dry roast ajwain and prepare powder.
  2. Boil water and add ajwain – continue boiling water for few minutes. Let the content reduce a bit.
  3. Remove the vessel from heat source.
  4. Add salt and asafoetida and drink the liquid.

Benefits:

Reduces bloating and helps in weight loss.  Helps in sleeping and controls appetite.

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Coriander, Black Pepper and Ginger Kashaya

Coriander, Ginger and Black Pepper Kashaya

Ingredients:

  1. Coriander seeds – 1 Tbsp
  2. Ginger – 1 inch
  3. Black pepper – 1 tsp
  4. Cumin – ½ tsp
  5. Jaggery – 1 Tbsp
  6. Water – 3 cups
  7. Milk – 1 cup

 Method: 

  1. Together coarse grind coriander, ginger, black pepper and cumin seeds.
  2. Boil water and add the powder mix.
  3. Add jaggery and continue boiling for few more minutes (till you get that good aroma).
  4. Strain and add boiled milk and drink when the liquid is hot.

Benefits: 

All three ingredients known to reduce cold symptoms. Good for reducing stomach ache and bloating. Helps to reduce arthritis pain.

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Indian Sarsaparilla Root

Indian Sarsaparilla Kashaya

It is a must try Kashaya.

Indian Sarsaparilla is also known as Maahali, Haaluballi (Kannada), Nannari (Telugu), Kshrini (Hindi). Roots are very fragrant and has medicinal properties.

It is used for making Ayurvedic medicines. Pickles prepared using root is very tasty and sold in the market.

Ingredients:

  1. Sarsaparilla root – few pieces
  2. Black pepper – ½ tsp
  3. Water – 2 cups
  4. Milk – 1 cup (optional)
  5. Jaggery – 1 Tbsp
  6. Lemon juice – Optional

 Method:

  1. Wash and crush sarsaparilla root.
  2. Boil water and add jaggery, followed by crushed sarsaparilla root.
  3. After a minute add black pepper (crushed)
  4. Continue boiling for few more minutes. Liquid releases good aroma.
  5. Turn off heat and strain the liquid. Add boiled milk OR little lemon juice and drink.

Benefits:

It is a blood cleanser. Helps to reduce swelling in joints, stomach ache and diarrhea. Increases appetite and helps digestive system. Induces perspiration and helps to reduce fever.

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Tips to clean silverware

Tips to clean and store silverware

Silverware when meet sulfur or hydrogen in the air turns to black or tarnishes. Tarnishing is nothing but the black film that develops on silverware or silver items. Tarnishing also happens when silverware meets certain types of food that contains sulfur. Prolonged exposure to moisture also causes tarnishing. There are many chemicals available to clean and polish silverware. Instead of using chemicals all the time, try some natural tips to clean silverware.

 Use banana peel and lemon juice:

What you need? Banana peel, lemon juice and water.

How? In a blender add water, a Tbsp lemon juice and couple of banana peel. Blend it to a paste. Using an old cloth apply the banana peel paste on the silver. Leave it for half an hour or so. Wash silver using dish washing soap.

Tomato ketchup:

Using a soft cloth apply ketchup on silver. Leave it for half an hour. Use a scrubber and clean the silver. Wash using dish soap.

Toothpaste:

Apply toothpaste on silver. Let the toothpaste completely cover the silver item. Don’t leave any place. Leave it for 15 minutes. Simply rinse off the toothpaste and wash using dish soap. Wipe off water and store in dry place. This method also polishes the silver item to give a new look.

Aluminum foil and baking soda: This is the most popular method to clean the silver.

What you need: Water, baking soda, vinegar, aluminum foil.

To boiling water add baking soda, and several pieces of aluminum foil. Slowly add white vinegar. Vinegar helps to speed up the cleaning process. Now place silver items in the boiling water. Silver items should come in contact with aluminum foil. Continue boiling for few more minutes. You will notice color change in aluminum foil to black. See how the silver item looks. It should look new. Using tongs remove silverware from the water and buff off water using old cloths. If you would like to, then using dish soap  wash once and rinse with water. Don’t forget to buff off the water from silver piece and store in dry place.

White vinegar and baking soda:

Mix ½ cup of vinegar and 2 Tbsp of baking soda. Apply this paste on silverware and leave it for an hour or so. Rinse using cold water and dry silverware and store in dry place.

Tamarind, wood ash:

Apply tamarind paste on silver vessel. Leave for half an hour or so. Later use wood ash (or burnt rice husk) and clean the silver vessel. Wash using water.

** Never wash silverware in dish washer. Chemicals will spoil the silverware.

Storing silverware:

Do not store silverware in carry bags, plastic or bind using rubber bands. Instead, use anti-tarnish bag and keep all silver items in these bags and place couple of chalks. Wrap pieces of chalks in cheese cloths and place inside the bags.  Chalks will absorb the moisture and keeps silver items shining for a longer time.

Store silverware in an area with no humidity. Do not wrap silver items in newspapers as newspaper ink can be acidic to silver.

Grandma’s tips; www.healthylife.werindia.com

Image credit: Image by congerdesign from Pixabay

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: January 6, 2018
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