The polisihing process removes valuable nutrients. In developed countries some white rice is enriched with nutrients that were stripped during the processing of the rice. Nutrients added include vitamin B1, B3 and Iron.

Brown rice and wild rice are far healthier alternatives and contain siginificant dietary fibre. minerals and vitamins.

As with all natural foods , precise nutritional composition of rice varies depending on climatic and soil conditions.

nutritional content of rice (milled-white) per 120g medium grain cooked

Nutrient                                         Amount present                                 %RDA

Calories                                          433                                                        18

Protein                                             7.8g                                                       10.8%

Fat                                                    1.2g                                                       1.6%

Vitamin B1                                     0.096mg                                                8.0%

vitamin B2                                      0.024mg                                               1.6%

Niacin                                             1.8mg                                                     10.6%

Folic Acid                                        12mg                                                     5.3%

Iron                                                  0.6mg                                                    4.3%

Calcium                                          4.8mg                                                    0.6%

Souce: Sustainable agriculture and resistance:transforming food production in Cuba

If anyone knows why its so difficult to purchase brown or wild rice in India please let me know. Is the reasoning behind this historical ? I know during the 19th century brown rice was associated with famine and poverty, so perhaps white rice being purchased is trying to avoid this association with poverty in India?

The fruit has a sweet taste and the jucie is delicious

The guava fruit belongs to the Myrtaceae family and its botanical name is Psidium guajava. In Tamil the fruit is called Guaya.The tree is easily identifiable by its distinctive thin, smooth copper coloured bark that flakes off easily. Cultivated types average up to 10 m in height.

The tree has many medicinal uses: the leaves are chewed to reduce tooth pain, an extract from the leaves is taken internally to help control vomiting and diarrhea.

PLANT CHEMICALS

Guava is rich in tannins, phenols, triterpenes, flavonoids, essential oils, saponins, carotenoids, lectins, vitamins, fiber and fatty acids. Guava fruit is higher in vitamin C than citrus (80 mg of vitamin C in 100 g of fruit) and contains appreciable amounts of vitamin A as well. Guava fruits are also a good source of pectin - a dietary fiber. The leaves of guava are rich in flavonoids, in particular, quercetin. Much of guava's therapeutic activity is attributed to these flavonoids. The flavonoids have demonstrated antibacterial activity. Quercetin is thought to contribute to the anti-diarrhea effect of guava; it is able to relax intestinal smooth muscle and inhibit bowel contractions. In addition, other flavonoids and triterpenes in guava leaves show antispasmodic activity. Guava also has antioxidant properties which is attributed to the polyphenols found in the leaves.

Source Tropical Plant database

Currently medicinal plants on th herbal global market are worth $60 million with a growth of 12% per annum. India presently only provides 2% of the global herbal market  but with development it has the capacity to be the leading supplier.

India has over 45,000 species of plants and yet only 6000 are known to be used in  Indian systems of medicine, in addition out of the 265,000 species of flowering plants found globally only 0.5% have been studied in detail for chemical composition and medicinal value.

Presently 25% of drugs used today are derived from natural products. Sixty one percent of 877 NCE drugs introduced between 1981-2002 can be traced to a natural product origin, however in the past few years their has been a decline of NCE's from an average of 30 per year to about 17 per year, this correlating with the decreased interest in natural product chemistry.

To conclude the conference has highlighted that it is paramount to work alongside traditional healers to share knowledge and to allow ethnoveterinary to be taught alongside medical ethnoveterinay, a cohesion of practices and research is what is needed and India is making that giant step to achieve this goal.

The chai seller is busy with thirsty passengers in transit; they shade under the bamboo canopy, escaping the scorching sun.
Market holders with fresh produce from near and far, ply their trade along the road. Shoe repairers and tailors working tirelessly, despite the heat.
In the distance the highway traffic noise sings sinisterly in my ear.
The shops are busy, rickshaws travel up and down the mud road, overloaded with goods and passengers.
I feel tired, I must retreat. I board the bus, it’s crowded but I manage to find a window seat.
The bus departs, we slowly leave. The driver’s horn constantly sounding, resonating around me.
Suddenly we enter a different place, green paddy fields, coconut groves, flooded plains. Oxen pulling heavy loads, labourers in the field.
The road is uneven; each hole a reminder of what has been lost.
We enter Kalpoondi, the children are coming out of school, in their fresh bright uniforms, a sharp contrast to the dirt that envelopes them.
I continue until I reach our destination, I walk slowly through the village, the temple music plays. I reach the river that divides the chaotic from the serene.
I wade through the water, cleansing myself entirely and finally reach the far side.
I’ve entered a new realm, filled with hope for the future; my mind and heart are at peace.

Then whilst in Auroville I met an experienced homeopath doctor from Catalonia in Spain. He asked me many questions and came up with the remedy of Rhus Tox 200 which I took for 4 days and noticed an amazing difference. I completed the course of 15 days and the pain has now completely gone.

Long live homeopathy

Hopefully will have the chance to visit  the organic cashew nut farm  and discover more about their cultivation methods and organic certification. Surprisingly cahew nuts in India are also the same price as they are in the UK infact inidan cashews are slightly more expensive so obviously they are classed as a luxury food.

From the farm to the village with internet entails a hot walk over desolate land, paddling through the small amount of water now in the river, taking the absolutely jam packed bus to Tholudur hanging on to the overhead rails for 30 minutes, then waiting for a computer that works and hoping there is not a power cut.

OUr own computer has had yet another visitation of experts, this time from 2 studnts at a computer college who have taken it back to the college to see what can be done. Even Justin now believes that the trouble is genuine and not just because Xavier does not know about these things.

Apart from all the above stuff the work of SHATI is always moving forward. The labels for the donated trees had already been made so we went round and put them by the appropriate trees and Justin took photos. The next step is to get the photos to the donors.

Since I was there 2 years ago some of the trees have grown enormously and more are planted as and when the saplings or seeds become available.

Justin and I have been round with Xavier on identification tours of the land, naming all the many herbacious and tree varieties and their uses in medicine and food.

The present paddi crop is about 2 feet high and looks very green and healthy. The cotton plants, amongst the still small coconut palms, look sparse because of the earlier very dry, hot spell, but are yielding clean healthy bolls on picking every 3rd day or so. We are eating our own okra, pumpkin, onions,leafy `greens`and the occasional egg at pesent, and a good supply of milk from the cow. Other food we need to buy in at this time.

Janet and Justin. (Xavier is on his monthly visit to his native area.)
 

Positives of using Traditional medicine (TM). TM provides employment, income generation, government cohesion, indigenous structure, commercialisation of TM and plants. TM also provides self help groups, tested methodologies of local knowledge and respect for coded and uncoded Tradional medical practices,Through knowledge and understanding plants can be protected under stature safeguarding overharvesting and exploitation

A regulated system

Traditionally China and India have had regulation for TM treatment. Now in hte 21st century doctors and scientists all over the world are looking to traditional medicine. Women in any country are the major force in practical medicine. In the UK twice asmany women use tradional medicine parctices over men. In Africa 90% of the population use traditional medicine as a first choice. TM combines science, theory, taxonomy andempiricism.

In India 6,200 plant species are used by local practitioners and the majority of births take place using traditional practices. Culturally TM relies on natural and spiritual resources. Oral tradition of knowledge and itstransfer revitalises that transition.

Justin