SLC S21 Week 3 - Herbal Medicine in the Kitchen

Assalamualaikum my fellows I hope you will be fine by the grace of Allah. Today I am going to participate in the steemit learning challenge season 21 week 3 by @afzalqamar under the umbrella of steemit team. It is about herbs in the kitchen. Let us start exploring this week's teaching course.

Create a meal or recipe using at least 3 herbs which are commonly found in your area and explain the health benefits of each herb in the recipe.

I will create a recipe with the help of the herbs. It will be a great recipe for the cure of the dry cough. It is commonly used at my home. In winters we use it and it is very beneficial for the health with it's natural benefits. The ingredients of this recipe are given below:

• Poppy Seeds

• Cardamom

• Fennel

• Almonds

• Milk

Let us start making this wonderful and delicious recipe:

First of all wash the poppy seeds because they can contain sand in them. So wash them and separate the seeds from the sand. You can see the colour of the water has changed.

After washing the seeds completely fill the co trainer with the water and keep them in the water for some time. It will make them soft and easy to grind.

Then start grinding it. You can grind it in an electronic machine as well but I am grinding it in the clay pot which is traditionally used. I have put poppy seeds, almonds and cardamom in the pot for grinding it manually.

Grind all the things until they become fine powder. Because the fine grinding will make them dissolve in the milk easily and it will be easy to drink and it will not disturb the throat.

Cardamom and fennel seeds are used to add a unique taste and fragrance in this drink. I have added some fennels in the recipe and then I have started grinding it again untill they becomes mix with the recipe.

Take milk to boil the recipe in it. I have taken 750 ml milk.

Collect all the grounded recipe and out it in the milk and start boiling it. You can see the booking has already started in the pot.

Then put something sweet in the milk to make its taste sweet. You can use sugar or honey. I had sugar so I am using it in the milk.

Keep it boiling until it becomes thick. You can see everything has dissolved in the milk now and it has become a little bit thick. The colour of the milk has also changed. Now the fragrance of the recipe also started spreading all around.

I consistently boiled the milk with the grounded recipe and sugar. And finally after around 20 minutes it was complete ready. And now it was the time to drink this amazing recipe It is wonderful in its taste. I shared it with all my family members. They all praised it's taste.

• Poppy seeds are very useful for the cough, asthma, digestion and headaches.

• Fennel is also a great herb which helps in the digestion and in the respiratory problems.

• Cardamom is used for the common colds and to add fragrance in the recipe.

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Pick any two seasonings and research their health benefits. Write a short paragraph on each, covering how they can benefit your health when included in meals.

1. Cloves

There are several amazing healthful benefits of this spice called Clove. It contains a compound called eugenol that is a well-known anti-inflammatory and antioxidant that combats oxidative stress thus prevents damage of cells. When it comes to digestive health, however, cloves are the most effective as they support the secretion of acids and enzymes easing stomach distension, bloating, and acidity. Moreover, they have an added advantage because of their antibacterial and analgesic properties that can treat a lot of oral problems including periodontal disease or tooth pain and mouth odour. For digestion purposes, immunity and comfort, it would seem appropriate to prepare clove surfaces in teas, curries, cakes and other baked items.

2. Cardamom

Cardamom is spice that is said to have originated in India, its antagonistic, sweet fresh almost minty taste being the main reason. Cardamom also known for its therapeutic properties, it can help in conditions to do with the gastrointestinal system due to its active content. Fennel seeds given their large fiber content and rich in fatty oils to the essential oil and also helps balance of the body is known to help people who experience other chronic conditions like abdominal bloating, gas and discomfort. It is also widely believed to work wonders and help in speedily digesting food after a meal comparative to those where a meal is not consumed. On some courage, fennel seeds also are known to be an excellent expectorant for bronchial congestion useful for coughs and fevers. Besides improving taste, eating food seasoned with fennel seeds or steeped in fennels seed infused tea may in fact have benefits in regard to promoting digestion, minimizing inflammation and also protecting the body against respiratory tendencies.

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Identify five herbs at a local grocery store or farmer's market, taking photos and writing down their uses, along with how they could be incorporated into cooking.

I belong to a village and there is no any specific grocery store but there are stalls of the vegetables and fruits from where we buy things for our daily usage. In the vegetables there are different herbs.

I reached this stall to identify the different her s available there.

• Coriander:

Here you can see that I have identified the most common herb at this stall. It is widely used in the whole world for the dishes as a spice and for its fragrance.

Uses of Coriander:

• It is widely used in different areas of life.
• It is used as a medicine.
• It is used in the cooking.
• It is used to make oils.
• People use it to get rid from the constipation and indigestion.
• It is used to remove anxiety and diabetes.

Use in cooking:

This is a fragrant herb and it is used in many dishes such as soups, salads, curries and spices. In order to use it in cooking first there is the need to wash it with water and then the leaves of this are cut into small pieces. And these are added into the dishes.

• Ginger:

This is another herb which I have identified on the stall. This is ginger.

Uses of Ginger:

• Ginger is used as an anti inflammatory.
• It is also an antioxidant.
• Ginger is used to control the blood sugar.
• It is used for the cure of the chronic diseases.
• It is used to cure heart diseases.
• It is used to cure lungs diseases.

Use in cooking:

It is used in the cooking as an essential in most of the dishes and some specifically in my area. We can use it by washing and then cutting it into small pieces and then we can put them in the recipe of cooking. We can also grind it to make its paste to use in the cooking.

• Green Chilli:
  

Uses of Green Chilli:

• It is used for the digestion.
• It is used for the weight loss.
• It is used for the cancer prevention.
• It is used for the cold and flu.
• It is used for the eye health.

Use in cooking:

It is used as an essential part of the dishes. It makes the dishes spicy. It is used in soups. It can be used by frying it separately. It is used in the fast foods cooking as well. It is used in pasta, noodles, macaronis and other things.

• Tomato:

Uses of Tomato:

• Tomato is a great source of lycopene.
• It is used as an anti oxidant.
• It is used to treat high blood pressure.
• It is used to cure cancer.
• It is useful for the heart diseases.
• It is used to cure osteoarthritis.
• It is used to treat diabetes.

Use in cooking:

It is widely used in cooking for its quality taste and fragrance. It is used in the sauces. It is cut into small pieces and then it is put in the recipe of cooking. We can also peel off it to use it in the dishes. Moreover it can be used in the form of the little slices in fast foods.

• Onions:

Uses of Onion:

• These are used for the bone health.
• They make the immune system strong.
• They are useful for the hair health.
• They are useful for the heart health.
• They can used for the digestion.
• They control blood sugar.

Use in cooking:

I think cooking is incomplete without this widely used herb. It is very simple to use in the cooking. First of all it is fried in the oil and when it becomes brown the other things are added. Moreover it is used in the form of the salads and for the cooking of the fast foods.

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Prepare a herbal detox medicine and tell step by step process and how it helps to detoxify the body?

I will prepare a herbal detox medicine by using a commonly found herb in my area. It parsley which is available in my area and it works as the best detox for the body.

First of all take some flowers of parsley. You can take fresh flowers. If they are not available then you can buy some dried flowers from the herbal medicines store. I have taken fresh flowers.

Then take some water. I want to make a cup of this herbal detox so I have taken a full cup of water.

I have scrambled the flowers and the leaves of parsley in the water. By scrambling it is easy to extract their health benefits.

Boil it in the water. Keep continue extreme boiling until the colour of the water has changed. You can see the extreme boiling is going on.

I have stopped the flame. The colour has changed. It means it is now ready to take. The leaves and the flowers has been mixed completely in the water.

Finally the herbal detox is ready to use.

An important advantage of consuming parsley is detoxification. Some of those advantages from the intake of parsley include the following:

Diuretic properties

The diuretic compounds contained in the parsley enhance the ability of the kidnneys to expel any undesirable materials from the body.

Chlorophyll

Chlorophyll found in Parsley helps block harmful substances one might ingest such as dioxins and aflatoxins which are food and food spoilage derived contaminants respectively.

Apigenin

Apigenin which is found in Parsley helps in fighting inflammation as well as detoxifying the body.

Kidney stones prevention

With regards to kidney stones, parsley assists by making the urine more acidic and increasing the amount of urine produced.

Nevertheless, there are additional health advantages brought about by the use of parsley but the most important of all include support for the immune system.

As already established, parsley juice contains a lot of Vitamin ‘C’ which is very necessary for improving the bone marrow’s ability to manufacture immune cells.

Benefits of parsley for the gastrointestinal system

Parsley herb drink or juice of contains a lot of fiber which serves to encourage healthy movement of the bowels and to overcome headaches due to constipation.

Maintain sugar levels in the blood

Parsley can assist in stabilizing blood sugar levels and may be beneficial in cases where patients do not respond to insulin.

To improve eyesight

At the same time, parsley has Vitamin A content which is helpful in combating night blindness and caring for the eyes in general.

Heart health

Parsley increases chances of heart diseases free lifespan because of its several components such as carotenes and vitamin C.

So parsley detox is helpful for the body in many ways. We can use it for the detoxification of the body.

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I am going to @tammana, @max-pro and @josepha to join herbal learning challenge.