WHEN SHOULD HERBS BE PLUCKED

When should the herbs be uprooted - Just as a human being being passes through three stages, namely child-age, young-age, & old age, animals, birds & even Herbs have also to pass through these stages. Pre-blooming, blooming, & post-blooming are the three stages in the case of Herbs. The appropriate time for uprooting Herbs is during their second stage when they abound in their properties.FLOWERLESS HERBS - There are few Herbs which do not bear flowers. They should be uprooted only when they are fully developed. MILKY HERBS - Milky Herbs should be uprooted only when their branches are full of milk & milk is over flowing. TIME FOR UPROOTING HERBS - Morning is the best time for uprooting Herbs. In the noon Herbs fade owing to the hotness of the sun & Herbs uprooted at this time prove deficient in their properties. This rule of uprooting Herbs in the morning can not be applied rigidly.There are few herbs which blossom in the morning after sunshine. The proper time for uprooting such Herbs shall also vary accordingly. LEAVES should be plucked only when they are full of juice. Ordinarily leaves should be plucked when trees bear unripe fruits. When fruits begin to ripen, the major part of the juice of leaves is consumed by them. Hence the leaves should be plucked at the aforesaid time. FLOWERS - The flower should be plucked when it is in full bloom. Faded flower is not of much use. SEEDS - Seed is the aggregate of the properties & effects of the whole plant & should be obtained only when it is fully ripe after absorbing the juice of the plant. ROOTS - Opinions differ as to when the roots are most effective. Some say that during the winter season all the juice of the plant passes into the root, hence it should be uprooted then. But others hold contradictory views. They assert that during the winter season, the juice in the leaves & branches of the plant is frozen. Hence the roots should be uprooted during the summer season. But in my opinion, the root should be uprooted when the plant is in full bloom & has developed to the maximum. There is no restriction regarding the time of uprooting. However, it should be seen that the roots are not rotten or moth-eaten.

MORE ABOUT HERBS

NAGDAMAN-This is a Herb resembling a snake in shape. It is said that the snake becomes blind on seeing it. SHIVLINGI- Its shape resembles a penis & it is considered to be the best medicine for conception. THE COLOUR OF HERBS- Colours of many Herbs reveal their properties,for example the red root of "ANJBAR" hints that it acts as a nectarine for all diseases pertaining to blood. No Vaidya is unaware that the root of "ANJBAR"is a sure cure for Haemetemesis,blood diarrhoea & metrorrhagia or menorrhagia & bleeding piles.ESSENTIALS TO BE BORN IN MIND- There are some essential things about Herbs, with out knowing which any person even on recognising the Herbs can not derive full benefit out of them.Although there is a particular time for uprooting the Herbs, yet ignorant persons uproot them immediately on recognising them. Therefore if untimely uprooting of Herbs fail to produce the desired results, the Herb is not to be blamed.The fault lies with the uprooter who forays into the domain of Ayurveda without knowing its intricacies.

SWALLOW-WART THE HERB THAT BECKONS

If you look carefully at the fruit of Swallow-Wart (Aak), you will conceive the picture of a person with deformed back & reclined neck which testifies that Swallow-Wart is a special medicine for such patients. Read further about the details of the diseases with which such patients suffer.When the patient is in a critical stage having having deformed back like a log & unable to turn sides while sleeping, Swallow-Wart proves to be the best medicine for him.It's fomentation,lotion,oil etc. produce miraculous results.When the patient of cough & asthama coughs,his posture resembles with the fruit of Swallow-Wart. In this way, the fruit hints towards its being an efficacious medicine for such patients.It is known that special recipes for cough & asthama which are prepared with Swallow-wart can not be prepared with any other thing.Expert physicians unanimously declare leaves,flowers,bark,milk,alkali of Swallow-Wart to be the most effective cure for asthama.Whenever a patient visits a physician he faces him & describes the history of his ailment or disease with out any fear or shame.But the person who has wasted his semen unnaturally & is now suffering the consequences feels ashamed in facing & disclosing the history of his problem or disease to the physician.The fruit of Swallow-Wart hints to the improvident & foolish young man to get rid of his disease through its use.Besides the flowers, colour, pollen & peculiar shape of Swallow-Wart all points towards something or the other which we will discuss later on.

HERBS DESIGNED TO CURE

The season for blooming of Herbs, their posture, their colour of leaves, fruits & roots & shape are not for pleasing the eyes but carry a distinct purpose behind them.If you consider the redness of Rose,yellowness of Marigold & whiteness of Jasmine just a means of pleasure, I disagree with you. To me not only nature has conferred upon them outward beauty but inner properties. Their shape & colour reflect upon their properties & act as sign boards. In order to order to understand the code language of these sign boards, a penetrating insight is essential. I have got several solid instances which are so fascinating that whenever I ponder over them, I find myself completely at a loss of words.While visiting a city, although the dispensaries, chemists are full of various kinds of medicines,you often come across boards claiming to sell pure items e.g.Honey, Ginseng, Shilajeet, Kesar etc. Similarly in Hospitals where various diseases are being cured, such signs as Heart specialist, Kidney specialist, Diabetes specialist ,etc. are common. The underlying idea behind these signs is to attract public attention towards the special property or skill of a product or service. In the same way, various kinds of Trees, Rootlets, Natural vegetation, Herbs & Shrubs, Fruits & dry fruits are the various hospitals so generously established by the mother Nature which carry with them sign-boards to reveal their special properties. A penetrating eye is required to understand their precise code language.

MIRACLES OF HERBS

In Charak Samhita there is mention of some miraculous Herbs like Brahm Suvarchali, Suryakanta, Serpa, Soma etc.,the use of which can rejuvinate human beings. Our Rishis of yore knew about them filly well. Even now some wandering Mahatamas in forests & villages recognize them by the knowledge handed over to them by their teachers & elders & derive benefits out of them for the good of people. But with the passage of time we have forgotten many miraculous Herbs & have lost them. The constant turmoil & deforestation of centuries has destroyed our ancient traditions & culture.Secondly our vision towards life has changed completely & become too fast & hectic.We forced the nature to the background & embraced artificial sources of happiness.Previously where Herbs predominated in treatment all over, miscellaneous medicines pertaining to several Pathy's carry the day.The result is that what to say of searching new unknown Herbs, we are unable to recognize even the known ones. Hence this ancient science has either remained a hereditary property of few families or disappeared, some big & small buisiness houses claim to be manufacturing Herbal medicines, but how can they follow the written rituals of making effective medicines in this age of mass production on daily basis.

MIRACULOUS HERBS

The famous botanist Shra Jai Inder Ji learnt from a jain muni that "Ashwagandha root"is an efficacious medicine for Plague.By rubbing Ashwagandha root on stone & plastering it over inflamed glands of plague,it cures them.He experimented it on several patients of plague & found it to be very effective.Doctors & surgeons were astonished to see this & highly praised it.Dr. Cauis & Dr. Mhaskar after scientifically analysing 400 medicines pronounced them to be useless,but with the help of the same Herbal medicines,experts living in these forests & villages cure even dead like patients suffering from snake bites.Inhabitants of Santhal invariably succeed in curing patients suffering from snake bites by using "Bakko"a Herb similar to "Patalgaruri".It is said that on the strength of this Herb Santhali children play with Cobras as pets.

AYURVEDA SHORT HISTORY

In the history of Ayurveda,there is mention of two brothers,Ashwani Kumars who were experts on the science of Herbs & who rejuvenated Chyavan Rishi,joined the cut-pieces of Daksha Prajapati's head,cured King Chandra of phthisis & rendered medical aid to wounded persons of war with the help only Herbs.In the world's oldest known books Rigveda,Atharvaveda & Samhitas of Ayurveda,there is mention of the miracles of Herbs.There are innumerable examples of curing the diseases only through seeing & touching Herbs.Even now in the distant remote villages few slightly educated Vaidyas ,Sadhus & Mahatamas living in forests & mountainous districts & Aborigines cure many serious & incurable diseases only through Herbs.A journalist Mr. Anil Kumar once visited mountainous provinces of Santhal Pargana in India.He described that Santhalis & mountaineers know several such indigenous medicines which win through the incurable disease of phthisis.They use a Herb called ' Nagbala ' in their language with root of ' Durwa '& Banslochan,which is very efficacious.Similarly in America an Indian Herb called "Serpentina Rauwolfia " is used for curing patients suffering from blood pressure.There are innumerable known & unknown indiginous medicines for which neither there is any scientific basis nor there is any description of them in the history or Shastras ,but nevertheless where scientific medicines of proved worth faith,these unscientific medicines & indigenous Herbs succeed in saving human lives admirably well.

AYURVEDA ANCIENT ART

Herbs occupy an important place as a safe cure for human ailments in the world.Persons brought up in the natural environments,who carried physical,mental & spiritual development to its climax & astonished the world with their power,wisdom & knowledge used to depend on fruits & natural vegetation.Even when the scripts or the means of publication were not invented for writing personal experiences & knowledge,fundamentals of the science of Herbs existed among the human beings & they benefited from it.It is not possible for the modern scientists to view the miracles of Herbs with same penetrability with which the Indian Rishis(saints,scholars) of yore viewed them.In the light of knowledge those Acharyas not only recognised the physical properties of natural vegetation but also propounded detailed principles regarding their medicinal properties ,which are proving irrefutable in this advanced age of science.To unravel these secrets.not only big physical & research laboratories but a deep insight is also required which can be acquired only through spiritual upliftment & power.scientists having material out look lack insight .This is the reason why with their investigations & inventions they have done more harm than good to human beings.This is the reason why the modern science,based physical principles,through its latest inventions has not been able to cure human beings in the same proportion in which it has multiplied new ailments.

HERBS DIVINE- MIRACULOUS-SAVIOUR

The history of Herbal medicine is very old,as old as the history of mankind,through the ages Herbal treatment prospered with the addition of the knowledge of hundreds of famous practitioners who enriched the art of healing with their experiences.Many cures were the result of chances taken & refined by trial & omitting,many cures were found by intuition.Famous & successful practitioners when they came upon a disease or ailment that they had not encountered before kept thinking about it,as their reputation was at stake & they also wanted to find a new breakthrough,they went to bed with the problem & most of the time by divine wish a remedy would flash in their dreams which would be the cure for the unknown disease.In India these practitioners were looked upon as saints & respected by one & all ,even the kings bowed before them & seeked their blessings,these saints often lived in the jungles away from the earthly distractions & passed on their knowledge to their disciples.These saints very meticulously wrote down all their knowledge of Herbal treatment, the books they wrote were to form the crux of treatment to this day,those books are the base knowledge recognised by the whole world of modern day treatment.Researches have proved that the treatment,method of preparing the medicines,doses & medium of taking the medicine were the best.Herbs are a gift of nature to the mankind taking care & preserving this treasure is the only hope we have of surviving the threat of pollution that is going to annihilate everything living in earth.

MIRACLES OF INDIAN HERBS

Once a rich man was building a house next to a forest,a group of monkeys sensing that something new was happening that would not be to their liking & some benefit could be gained, started creating a nuisance & demolished the walls built during the day in the night,all measures taken by the builder failed.He then out of desperation decided to do away with them,he had a pot of Kheer(a sweet dish made of rice,milk & sugar) cooked & mixed Arsenic in it.The pot of kheer was placed on the boundary,the rich man hid & watched,the monkeys came to the pot smelt it & went away without eating the kheer,then an old monkey came to the pot with a green stick he had brought from the jungle,he stirred the kheer with the stick for a while & began eating the kheer,the other monkeys soon joined in & the pot was empty soon,the monkeys went about their daily destructive business.The rich man had the green stick brought over & found it to be of the Castor oil plant.Later on this was experimented upon persons who had been poisoned & they benefited immensely by taking the juice of the leaves of Castor oil plant.Besides these instances cats,dogs,horses,bears & snakes have been found to recover by using herbs.When a bear is wounded he fills his wound with leaves of a plant to fill up the wound.when a snake bites a monkey another monkey chews a herb & pours it's saliva in to the mouth of the bitten monkey.The miracles of herbs has endless never ending anecdotes of healing by herbs Some simple formulae for treatment of common ailments will be published hereby for the benefit of those who believe.

MIRACLES OF INDIAN HERBS

There are many instances of animals knowing remedies for certain ailments,man learned from observation & benefited.The tail of the Mongoose is very famous,during a dual between a Snake & a Mongoose,whenever the Mongoose was bitten by the Snake he ran off ate some leaves of a plant & continued the dual,after a few of these excursions the Mongoose won the fight & killed the Snake ate some more of the leaves & ran away.The Herb the Mongoose ate is often used as an antidote for the venom of snake bites by villagers in India.There are Holistic Healers of Snake bites in India who claim to bring back persons killed by snake bites,even after a week of their burials.In many regions of India people who die from snake bites are not burnt but buried in the belief that they can be healed & brought back by some Bygeer(faith healers).There are hundreds of true stories of people still enjoying a normal life after they were dead & buried.

MIRACLES OF INDIAN HERBS

It is natural that the question "How did the divine properties & miraculous effects of Herbs came to be known?" arise in the mind of every sensible person.Although the knowledge of our acient Rishis(saints & teachers) is said to be mostly divine & spiritual .Never the less there some are sources of gaining practical knowledge the most prominent are as follows.By chance many times a patient was forced to take or eat some local edibles or medicine & his ailment miraculously disappeared.when some expert physician came to know of this incident he experimented the same on his patients & fixed it's dosage as a regular medicine.Perhaps hundreds of such experiments with various Herbs,plants & other edibles increased the volume of tried & trusted medicines,the learned practitioners then mixed different Herbs to cure diseases of every kind,as per their symptoms.Once a Hakim(medicine practitioner in India) who specialised in the treatment of piles,himself suffered from "Gonorrhoea"he suffered cruciating pain when ever he urinated.When Hakim saheb was on his way to treat a patient in a far off village he reached a place where there were no wells of sweet water,the inhabitants drank water from ponds.Hakim saheb was thirsty & asked for water the poor villagers out of respect offered water purified with Alum,after some time Hakim saheb fearful of the pain sat down to urinate to his surprise he did not feel the same amount of pain he expected.He thought that it was a miracle but after some time it dawned upon him that it was the alum water that had cured him,Hakim saheb continued taking alum water for some time & was cured completely.Hakim saheb thus had a miracle medicine to cure "Gonorrohea" for good.Sometimes cures for certain dieses just flash in the minds of practitioners when they keep thinking about it,many formulae have thus been derived & used to the benefit of people.

KITCHEN REMEDIES

Herbs are a integral part of every ones lives,every household has a huge treasure of Herbs capable of healing many ailments that occur from time to time & going to a Doctor means spending a lot of time & money,we are not advising against visiting the physician,but small things do not need desperate measures.Minor headaches,colds,coughs,fevers,constipation,loose motions,sprains & burns etc.can easily be dealt with,by taking a remedy made of Herbs that are a part of your kitchen,these remedies are completely safe & have no adverse or side effects,the remedies are however only for minor ailments & act as a first aid treatment,a physician must be consulted if the problem persists.We will publish some such formulae which are time tested & widely used all over,they can be kept in the house for use in emergency.