From a recent article in UK’s Daily Mail:
Curcumin, a key ingredient of the spice turmeric, is good for the memory - and now scientists know why.
It has been shown to protect nerve cells, making it potentially useful in conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
…Curcumin is a powerful antioxidant and one theory is that it acts as a scavenger, attacking free radicals that damage the nerve cells involved in memory and mental functioning. Some research shows that South Asian populations, who are among the highest users of the compound, have low rates of Alzheimer’s.
A quick search on the Daily Mail site also revealed How a plate of cury can spice up your sex life…Although the title is deliberately sensational, the article lists 10 different spices and their wide-ranging health benefits. Pl. have a look at some excerpts:
Turmeric has been used for centuries in India as a curry ingredient, and as an antiseptic for cuts. Now research shows it also has potential against a wide range of diseases, from cancer to arthritis, and diabetes to dementia.
Keep Reading…
August 17th, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Indian Medicine & Ayurveda |
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Many of you mayhavecome across this information about “Ancient Indian Scientists” before. I received it in a chain email but I shall be most grateful if any reader(s) have links or references to the original source(s).
There are many assertions and statements herethat have not been verified or explained (see e.g. the entry on Acharya Bharadwaj who is credited with advances in aviation technology*). We need to source and evidencethese it to make it more credible.
Some excerpts below (statements on which I need help are marked in italics):
***
ARYABHATT (476 CE), ASTRONOMER and MATHEMATICIAN
Born in 476 CE in Kusumpur (Bihar), Aryabhatt’s intellectual brilliance remapped the boundaries of mathematics and astronomy. In 499 CE, at the age of 23, he wrote a text on astronomy and an unparallel treatise on mathematics called “Aryabhatiyam.” He formulated the process of calculating the motion of planets and the time of eclipses. Aryabhatt was the first to proclaim that the earth is round, it rotates on its axis, orbits the sun and is suspended in space - 1000 years before Copernicus published his heliocentric theory. He is also acknowledged for calculating p (Pi) to four decimal places: 3.1416 and the sine table in trigonometry. Centuries later, in 825 CE, the Arab mathematician, Mohammed Ibna Musa credited the value of Pi to the Indians… And above all, his most spectacular contribution was the concept of zero (- need help in clarifying/verifying this)
***
BHASKARACHARYA II(1114-1183 CE), ALGEBRA
Born in the obscure village of Vijjadit (Jalgaon) in Maharastra, Bhaskaracharya’s work in Algebra, Arithmetic and Geometry catapulted him to fame and immortality. His renowned mathematical works called “Lilavati” and “Bijaganita” are considered to be unparalled and a memorial to his profound intelligence. Its translation in several languages of the world bear testimony to its eminence. In his treatise “Siddhant Shiromani” he writes on planetary positions, eclipses, cosmography, mathematical techniques and astronomical equipment. In the “Surya Siddhant” he makes a note on the force of gravity: “Objects fall on earth due to a force of attraction by the earth. Therefore, the earth, planets, constellations, moon, and sun are held in orbit due to this attraction.” Bhaskaracharya was the first to discover gravity, 500 years before Sir Isaac Newton.
Keep Reading…
April 28th, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Ancient Indian History, Indian Medicine & Ayurveda, Indian Science and Mathematics, Medieval Indian History, Miscellaneous, Science & Mathematics in Ancient India, Spirituality & Philosophy, Technology in India |
4 comments
A tidbit on the health benefits of traditional Indian spices:
“Black pepper could provide a new treatment for the skin disease vitiligo..” Excerpt:
“…Vitiligo is a condition in which areas of skin lose their normal pigment and become white.
Researchers discovered that piperine - the compound that gives black pepper its spicy, pungent flavour - can stimulate pigmentation in the skin.
The study, by King’s College London, appears in the British Journal of Dermatology. These findings could potentially lead to the development of treatments…”
As many of you may know, the incidence of Vitiligo in India is much higher than in Europe (this report suggests it is 1% in Europe)…and its appearance is more prominent in people with darker skins…
Unfortunately, there is currently no known treatment or cure for it.
“…Current treatments include corticosteroids applied to the skin, and phototherapy using UV radiation (UVR) to re-pigment the skin. However, less than a quarter of patients respond successfully to corticosteroids.
And UVR causes a re-pigmentation that is spotted and patchy and in the long-term could lead to a higher risk of skin cancer. “
As Nina Goad, of the British Association of Dermatologists says in the report:
“Vitiligo is a highly visible disease that can greatly affect patients psychologically and emotionally. Any breakthrough in treatments of this disease is most welcome.”
Indeed it is.
Incidentally, I was not aware that the word pepper is derived from the Latin word piper, which in turn is taken from the Sanskrit word pippali and its therapeutic properties include acting as an analgesic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antitoxic, aphrodisiac, diaphoretic, digestive, diuretic, febrifuge, laxative, rubefacient and tonic (especially of the spleen) !!
(Source: http://www.essentialoils.co.za/essential-oils/black-pepper.htm)
See also: Pepper ‘kills prostate cancer‘
Related Posts:
Turmeric and CancerTreatment
Haldis medicinalproperties
UPDATE: Vitiligo sufferers may find this site of interest: http://www.vitiligosupport.org/
February 20th, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Indian Medicine & Ayurveda |
10 comments
Extracts from a news report dt Dec 28 ‘07 “Studies show yoga has multiple benefits” (if proof was needed)
***
…Yoga induces a feeling of well-being in healthy people, and can reverse the clinical and biochemical changes associated with metabolic syndrome, according to results of studies from Sweden and India.
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of heart disease risk factors such as high blood pressure, obesity and high blood sugar.
…
Dr. R.P. Agrawal, of the SP Medical College, Bikaner, India, and colleagues evaluated the beneficial effects of yoga and meditation in 101 adults with features of metabolic syndrome.
…Waist circumference, blood pressure, blood sugar, and triglycerides were significantly lower, and “good” HDL cholesterol levels were higher in the yoga group as compared to controls, Agrawal’s team reports in the journal Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice.
In the second study (from Sweden)…Fifty-five adults were advised to practice “Sudarshan Kriya,” which involves cycles of slow normal and rapid breathing exercises.
…At the end of the study period, feelings of anxiety, stress and depression were significantly lower and levels of optimism significantly higher in the yoga group compared to the control group, Kjellgren and colleagues report.
Yoga induces a “relaxation response” associated with reduced nervous system activity and a feeling of well-being probably due to an increase in antioxidants and lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, they suggest.
Not that most readers of myblog needed this reconfirmation…but it is nice to know that practitioners of Yogaare not just dumb, superstitious Hindu fundamentalists 
Related Posts:
High-TechPranayama
Does Yogahurt?
***
Adjacent Post: Expropriation of Hindu Concepts andTraditions
January 18th, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Indian Medicine & Ayurveda, Spirituality & Philosophy |
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…once again suggestingthat there is more than a grain of truth in ancient dharmic traditions.
A recent report in Daily Mail reveals that skipping meals once a month could help stave off a heart attack.
In a study conducted by Dr Benjamin Horne, professor of biomedical informatics at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, researchers found that:
“fasting for at least 24 hours cuts the risk of coronary artery disease by up to 40 per cent, compared with those who eat every day…Experts believe the break from food could help ‘re-set’ the body’s metabolism, enabling it to work more efficiently as a result.”
See also:
Some stories about the various “vrat”(s) in Hindi.
Unexpected Find of the Day: “Consecration and ascetical regimen: A history of Hindu vrata, diksa, upanayana, and brahmacarya” (Disclaimer: I have not read the full paper yet).
On Fasting and Vrata(s) (Wikipedia).
Related Posts:
Haldis medicinalproperties
Turmeric and CancerTreatment
November 12th, 2007
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Indian Medicine & Ayurveda, Spirituality & Philosophy |
2 comments
A few weeks ago, TIME Magazine had published an article titled “When Yoga Hurts” which had some alarming statistics about how yoga-related injuries were on the rise in the US.
Itmentioned how people were getting hurt by either pushing themselves too hard or by taking lessons from Yoga instructors who didnt know enough about it.
Yesterday, I was alerted to two letters inthe latest issue of the magazine that referred to the original article. They make some good points which deserve wider publicity.I am reproducing them in full below (emphasis mine).
The first one (”When it doesn’t hurt”) noted:
As a yoga teacher, I was taken aback by the article When Yoga Hurts [Oct. 15]. I fear its lack of balance might scare people away from a practice that offers far more benefits than drawbacks.
Yes, yoga-like Spinning and running-can be harmful if practiced incorrectly, but its more than 5,000 year history and its millions of practitioners worldwide attest to its benefits.
Besides building strength and flexibility, yoga has been shown to have a positive effect on depression, anxiety, insomnia and core physiology.
-Dave Emerson, Cambridge, Mass. US.
The second one (”Gain with No Pain?”)mentioned:
Yoga in its original form is a multi-faceted, millenniums-old discipline that spans physical, ethical, psychological and spiritual dimensions.
In our mass-market Western world, those aspects of yoga have largely been jettisoned, and the physical is marketed as a hot new form of callisthenics.
Used skilfully, the physical element offer benefits such as enhanced flexibility, agility and body awareness.
Used unskilfully they can, not surprisingly-damage muscles and ligaments.
Wise practitioners will proceed gently and carefully under a good teacher and eventually look beyond physical to yogas deeper potentials.
-Roger Walsh, M.D., Ph.D., Professor, Psychiatry Department
University of California College of Medicine, Irvine, Calif. US.
Well said.
November 5th, 2007
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Indian Medicine & Ayurveda, Spirituality & Philosophy |
4 comments
Came across an ad for this device in a recent edition of Newsweek.
Excerpts from the ad (emphasis mine):
“…Now you can enjoy the pleasures of stress-free living and feel younger in just 15 minutes a day. It’s suprisingly easy with the remarkable new medical device called the StressEraser.
This medical breakthrough actually reverses ergotropic tuning. The harmful process that causes your nerves to respond faster and more strongly to stress….
Medical researchers now know that the harmful effects of ergotropic training are intricately connected to the biological mechanisms of breathing.
More importantly, they learned you can actually regulate the stress-producing activity of this system by regulating this basic bodily function“
I thought I was reading about “Pranayama” ! (Also hereand here).
Quick, someone patent the technique beforeit goes the way of Neem and”Haldi” !
Related Posts:
Haldis medicinalproperties
Turmeric and CancerTreatment
CopperCure-all?
October 6th, 2007
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Indian Medicine & Ayurveda, Science & Mathematics in Ancient India, Spirituality & Philosophy |
one comment
…just kidding.
On a more serious note, in Hindu Voice UK, Anish Shah recently wrote about the trend to ignore (or de-link) Hindu traditions from their origins and pretend that these were really secular practices.
This trend may be entirely harmless on the other hand, I am also slightly worried that there is no mention at all about Yoga�s origins and how it is intimately connected to the Hindu spiritual and philosophical tradition�
So we now have Christian Yoga (see here and here) and I will not be surprised if Islamic Yoga is next…
I have nothing against Yoga…in fact, I am a firm believer in its benefits…but at the same time, I am strongly against crass commercial exploitation of this tradition without a hint or a nod towards its spiritual and philosophical aspects.
In fact, the ChristianYoga.com website mentions that, “If a secular yoga class is not completely separated from its eastern religion and philosophy, then you may be exposed unintentionally to a non-Christian environment“(sic)… and its FAQ section has this nugget: “(our approach)...allows you to enjoy the physical benefits of yoga without the spiritual dangers presented by other forms of yoga.“!
Susan Bordenkircher, ChristianYoga.us’ instructor (the other ChristianYoga organisation) was “recognized in 2003 by the United Methodist Conference as a Denman award winner for her efforts at evangelism.”
***
I am very interested to hear Yoga teachers and practitioners views on this.
On Yahoo! Groups, Shri Sampath wrote a nice letter to the head of one of the fore-mentioned Christian Yoga organisations (Susan Bordenkircher). I would encourage readers to add their voice to this:
Dear Ms. Susan,
I have seen your web site and glad to note that you have benefited from the practice of yoga and are keen to propagate it to others interested in improving their physical and spiritual health.
You must have learnt that Yoga is of Hindu origin and has spiritual sanction as one of the methods (though not high in the hierarchy) for God realization. I am sure you will appraise your students the background and history of yoga, and the book in Sanskrit by yogi Patanjali.
Christian yoga has as much truth and validity as Hindu Christ.
Hinduism is a religion which respects all religions and does not appropriate the teachings of other saints and preachers.
Yours sincerely,
Sampath”
Well said…
And now there is Egyptian Yoga too
* UPDATE: Apparently that may not happen anytime soon:
Read: Egypt: ‘Yoga is a sin’ in which the Grand mufti of Egypt Ali Gomaa is reported to have ruled (in Oct ‘04) that Yoga (is) a sin for Moslems because it “is considered one of the ways of practising Hinduism and therefore should not be used for worship….(and) Even if Moslems do not know the link with Hinduism, it is a sin”.
and another report on the same edict: “Yoga violates Islamic Law: Cleric“
March 31st, 2007
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Distortions, Misrepresentation about Hinduism, Indian Medicine & Ayurveda, Spirituality & Philosophy |
6 comments
Came across this amazing storyin a recent issue of the technology magazine Red Herring: “Copper Cure-all?”.
It lists some amazing medicinal properties of Copper (”Taamba” in Hindi or “Tamra” in Sanskrit) which should not surprise most people of my generation who were taught as children that drinking water from copper vessels (and wearing it next to your skin) has beneficial effects.
Another example of ancient “wisdom” being proven right by modern “science”?
No doubt some of youwill notice that there is no mention of use of copper in India in the opening paragraph.
Excerpts:
“Could copper be the next miracle material? Its been used for centuries for its metallurgic and antibacterial properties the ancient Egyptians used copper medical instruments in surgeries, and water was stored in copper pots to curb the growth of pathogens.
Today to the delight of the cosmetics industry, copper has been found to stimulate collagen production, and companies like Neutrogena and Neova have since integrated copper into skin creams for treating wrinkles.
But now, North Carolina and Israel-based Cupron has taken the concept a big step further and integrated the metal into fabric. Cupron incorporates copper ions into fibers that are then woven into cotton or synthetic fabrics which are then made into pillow cases to smooth wrinkles, into socks to cure athlete’s foot, and into dressings for diabetics ores.
But there’s more, potentially much more. According to Dr. Gadi Borkow, the company’s chief medical officer, copper oxide has the ability to kill viruses like HIV; used as a filter for blood transfusions or in breast feeding, the spread of the virus could, in theory be prevented”. Copper is a wide-spectrum antiviral,” Dr. Borkow says. “It doesn’t only kill HIV-it kills all the viruses that we’ve been testing so far.”
Dr. Borkow first became involved with the company after Cupron CEO Jeff Gabbay came to him with copper-impregnated socks, which were supposed to help athlete’s foot. “[They] gave me the socks, and after two days, they got rid of my athlete’s foot!” he says still amazed, Mr. Gabbay had read about copper oxide’s antiviral properties and tapped Dr. Borkow, then an HIV research scientist at the Ruth Ben-Ari Institute of Clinical Immunology & AIDS Center at Hebrew University to develop HIV treatments with the metal.
…”
The article is written by Marisa Taylor and appears onPg 21 ofRed Herring issue dated 12.18.06 (18th Dec 06)
January 3rd, 2007
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Indian Medicine & Ayurveda, Science & Mathematics in Ancient India |
3 comments
A couple of recent news items on Haldi’s medicinal properties and how moderate quantities may help prevent Alzheimer and various forms of cancer.
Last week British newspaper Daily Mail reported that, The occasional curry ‘could prevent Alzheimer’s’although this is not really NEW news.
See for example this report from BBC (from 2001!) Curry ‘may slow Alzheimer’s’
Thats not all - “…curries could help prevent or manage colon cancer.., according to research being carried out in Leicester…the news comes just days after cold and flu experts recommended a spicy dish as the perfect antidote to winter sniffles.”
Related Post: Turmeric and CancerTreatment
August 11th, 2006
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Indian Medicine & Ayurveda |
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Here is another example of how new scientific research is providing evidence of the medicinal properties of spices. This time, haldi and its beneficial impact on cancer treatment. Read the full article here: How curry can help keep cancer at bay (15th Oct 05)
As the article mentions, It is not the first time scientists have found that curries can be good for health. Curcumin, a member of the ginger family, is already widely used in Indian and Chinese medicine for a range of ailments from rheumatism to abdominal pain.
Studies have suggested that turmeric - of which curcumin is the active ingredient - can help to slow prostate cancer. And last year, researchers said curcumin, which gives curries a mustard-yellow colour, could help protect the brain against the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease. This could explain why rates of Alzheimer’s are far lower in India than in the West. Other curry spices linked to health benefits include coriander, which aids digestion, and fenugreek, which can help prevent mouth ulcers and sore throats.
November 14th, 2005
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Indian Medicine & Ayurveda |
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