Examine what is said, not her who speaks

During my trip last weekend, I got this book on Ayurveda and I'd like to share some things from it with you. These remedies are based on the timeless wisdom of India's 5000 year old medical system. It is written by Vasant Lad and might be available in your book stores too.

First step: WHAT IS AYURVEDA?

Ayurveda comes from a Sanskrit word which means "the science of life and longevity." It is the art of daily living in harmony with the laws of nature. It is an ancient natural wisdom of health and healing; a science of life. According to Ayurveda, health is a perfect state of balance among the body's three fundamental energies or DOSHAS( Vata, Pitta, Kapha) and an equally vital balance among body,mind and the soul or consciousness. It is a holistic system of healing in the truest sense. Body, mind and consciousness are in constant interaction and relationship with other people and the environment.

As a science of self-healing, Ayurveda encompasses diet and nutrition, lifestyle, exercise, rest and relaxation, meditation, breathing exercises and medicinal herbs, along with cleansing and rejuvenation programs for healing body, mind and spirit.

According to Ayurvedic science, every individual is both a creation of cosmic energies and a unique phenomenon, a unique personality. It teaches that we all have a constitution, which is individual pshychobiological makeup. From the moment of conception, this individual constitution is created by the universal energies of Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth.

These five elements combine into the three fundamental energies or doshas.
Ether and Air constitute Vata, which is the energy of movement; fire and water constitute Pitta, the principle of digestion and metabolism, the transformation of matter into energy and water and earth make up Kapha, the energy of structure and lubrication. When the male sperm and the female egg join at the time of fertilisation, the vata-pitta-kapha factors from the parents' bodies that are most active and predominant at the moment, due to the season, the time, the emotional state and the quality of their relationship, form a new individual with a particular constellation of qualities. This individualism is called PRAKRUTI, a constant factor that does not change throughout our lifetime. It is our own unique pattern of energy, our combination of physical, mental and emotional characteristics and predispositions. In modern terms, we speak of this blue print of the individual as our inherited GENETIC CODE.

Ok.

The seven facts about me:
1) I'm moody sometimes but most of the times, my optimism rises to meet challenges in life.
2) I hurt my family's feelings when I was young so now I try to be a good girl - am almost there.
3) I was known to be impulsive once but now have learnt to plan and work on things. It brings better results at times.
4) I love people with a zest for life and lovely sense of humour to go with it.
5) Firm believer that everything happens for the best and that God has a plan for each one of us.
6) I would love to be in fantasy land one day and meet my favourite characters.
7) I am alone but not lonely. I like solitude as it gives me time to reflect on my actions, read and write; no matter how bad I write.

I hereby tag antlady69, loveslifeloveschoclate, lightwitch, RobertRaw,Skip, Vicstravels and The Walrus. (I dont care if you've been tagged before.)

Here are the rules:

“Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write in their blogs the 7 facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog.”

I can't believe how it works every time, with every single human being on earth!!

They say music has the power to heal or make you kneel. I most certainly, for one, can believe it one hundred percent!

Just a few minutes back, I was going through an odd mood of churing feelings; absolute roller coaster. Hearing a song I had gone nuts about in High School has given me the high I needed. (Maybe I miss ciggies while I work) Now I'm completely fine.
How in the effing hell does anything like this happen to your mind and your feelings in the span of a few minutes??!! Can someone explain this please???

I had heard this song first when I was in High School (1993) and kept on looking for it for a long time. Problem was, I didnt know who was the singer, the title of the song- nothing. Just the music. And finally, I dont know how, today, I just hummed the song and got a verse back from my old memory!

So found this one on Youtube and thought I'd make you hear it. *giggle* Dont expect anything else other than teen song.

Something I felt like listening to tonight.

I keep on trying to write here but in just over two minutes, it bloody hell disappears and puts me on "page is being reset". Feel like stamping my feet.

Yup, you read it right. I've been attacked by laziness big time- when it comes to writing anything, these days.

I was at my pa's place all these days and darned if I did anything sensible out there. I've been sitting about the garden, groaning about the heat, drinking all the coolers Ma makes and reading my old collections.
Not even working these days. My papers for Germany have arrived so all I have to do now is fix a date and fly off.
Forgive me friends for I've been lazy. I shall try to be regular from now on.
Until later! Cheers!

Hi all!
Sorry M, I'd forgotten in these past few days, about your kidney stone what with the marriage and all but now I do have the English name botanical name of the Indian herb I was talking of, which can help you remove the stones naturally from your bladder.
As I was looking for "Phattar phuti" (it's what we call the plant in India) I found this article on one of the websites. The exact translation- Stone Breaker. It grows very commonly in India and is there in my garden but you'd probably need to look for it. My mother says, if you find it- just chew the leaves and spit them out after they are empty of the juice. In some weeks, the stones will be gone while you do your nature's course.
However, I do hope it helps you and to all those who have similar problems.

Chanca piedra is a plant that grows wild in the Amazon Rainforest and other tropical areas of the world. Also known as quebra pedra, the name translates to “stone breaker” or “shatter stone,” which comes from its ability to eliminate kidney stones and gallstones from the body. The plant contains stone-like berries underneath its leaves. This makes it a good example of morphism, where a plant’s shape signals its effective bodily use.

While indigenous inhabitants of the Amazon have been using chanca piedra for generations to eliminate kidney stones and gallstones, scientific researchers have been validating the herb’s effectiveness in eliminating kidney stones since the 1980’s. Chanca piedra helps to relax urinary muscles, thus, making it easier to expel kidney stones. Studies in 1999, 2002, and 2003 showed that chanca piedra prevented the formation of the building blocks of kidney stones. These results hinted at chanca piedra’s ability to inhibit the re-occurrence of kidney stones in people with a history of the problem.

In 1990, a German Doctor used Peruvian chanca piedra on 100 kidney stone patients and reported it to be 94% successful in eliminating kidney stones in one to two weeks. Also, in 1990, the Paulista School of Medicine in São Paulo, Brazil conducted chanca piedra studies on humans and rats with kidney stones. The humans and rats were given chanca piedra tea for one to three months. The results showed that the tea not only helped to eliminate the kidney stones, but also increased urination and sodium and creatine excretion. This study convinced medical practitioners of chanca piedra’s effectiveness in eliminating kidney stones and is a main reason why chanca piedra is available today (as quebra pedra) in pharmacies throughout Brazil.

While chanca piedra is most notable for its effect on kidney stones and gallstones, it has been traditionally used in South America, India, Malaysia and the Caribbean to treat colic, diabetes, malaria, dysentery, fever, flu, tumors, jaundice, vaginitis, gonorrhea, and dyspepsia. Natives use the herb to relieve pain, expel intestinal gas, stimulate and promote digestion, and expel worms. Clinical studies have validated these and other uses of the herb. Most notable is the research done on chanca piedra’s effect on fighting hepatitis B, hypertension, diabetes, lowering cholesterol, and detoxifying and normalizing the liver.

For instance, in 1995, Indian researchers reported reduction in systolic blood pressure in hypertensive subjects and a reduction in blood sugar levels in hyperglycemic subjects given chanca piedra leaf powder in capsules. In 2002, Indian researchers reported that chanca piedra lowered blood cholesterol levels in rats as well. In the above 1995 study, human subjects given chanca piedra also experienced increased urination and sodium excretion. This diuretic effect in humans was recorded in India as far back as 1929, where chanca piedra tablets are sold as diuretics under the name Punarnava.

Another area of research has focused on chanca piedra’s pain-relieving properties. In 1996, Brazilian researchers found a plant chemical in chanca piedra to be seven times more potent than aspirin or acetaminophen in mice. This pain-relieving effect is thought to be a reason why humans taking chanca piedra for kidney stones report such quick relief long before the stones are expelled.
Chanca piedra’s liver-protective properties have also been validated repeatedly. Indian researchers reported that chanca piedra was effective in treating children with jaundice, and British researchers reported that children afflicted with acute hepatitis had normal liver function within five days after being given chanca piedra extract. Chinese researchers also reported similar success with subjects with chronic hepatitis who were given chanca piedra.

A much heralded effect of chanca piedra, validated by over 20 different clinical studies, has stemmed from its Hepatitis B-fighting and other anti-viral properties. In 1988, Dr. Baruch Blumberg, winner of the 1963 Nobel Prize for discovering the Hepatitis B (HBV) antigen, reported that chanca piedra could “clear up the chronic carrier state of Hepatitis B.” In 2001, Chinese researchers reported equal effectiveness of 83% between the leading drug, interferon, used for HBV and chanca piedra. The three-month long study was conducted on HBV patients, but the chanca piedra group rated significantly higher in the normalization of liver enzymes and recovery of liver function than the interferon-treated group.

A 1988 Blumberg patent had to do with its ability to inhibit the growth of viruses. It was believed that this property would make it possible for chanca piedra to be effective in treating HIV, sarcoma, and leukemia viruses. Consequently, as a result of a 1992 test tube study, Japanese researchers reported a chanca piedra plant chemical to be toxic to HIV-1 at very small dosages. Likewise, in 1996, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Institute isolated another plant chemical in chanca piedra that was found to have anti-HIV properties, and in 2003, a German research organization reported a 70-75% inhibition of the HIV virus in trials that it conducted.

Empirical data validates many traditional and modern uses of chanca piedra. Overall, the herb is good for assisting the liver in detoxifying the body and in promoting the healthy function of the kidneys and gallbladder. These organs are often compromised by modern stressors of life, such as poor diet, polluted air, chlorinated water, antibiotics, prescription drugs and synthetic hormones. Thus, chanca piedra may be of great assistance in mitigating the effects of modern life stressors through the support it gives to the liver, kidneys, and gallbladder.

Deirdre DeVane is the founder of Perpetual Chi, a company now building an online repository of studies and peer-reviewed research articles on the benefits of plant-based diets and the efficacy of plant-based and other natural healing modalities. For more information on herbs from the Amazon call 678-642-8615 or 888-300-3507 ext. 801. Or visit online at perpetual-chi.amazon-herb.net.