Barley
Pearled barley has always been used by Oriental folk physicians for the healing and the rejuvenation of the digestive system. A simple, yet effective folk remedy was to make barley brew that could be sipped throughout the day while other foods were restricted or limited. This folk remedy has helped many people, even to this day. To prepare this brew, one-quarter cup of all natural pearled barley should be boiled in two litres of water. It should be strained when half the water has evaporated.
Drinking of this all-natural barley brew will relax the stomach. It helps digestive rejuvenation and benefits the digestive system in two ways. It soothes the burning digestive actions and it introduces a natural oily substance, which helps protect the eroded mucous membrane of the digestive system. These benefits also help prevent the ageing process of the digestive system. Once the digestive system is thus soothed and healed, it can promote better assimilation of foods and thereby prolong life.
Brahmi
Brahmi, known as Indian pennywort, is a very popular Indian herb, with many medicinal virtues. It is a perennial wild creeper, which is prostate, small and smooth. It is very beneficial in correcting the disordered processes of nutrition and restoring the normal function of the system. All the parts of the creeper are used both for therapeutic and culinary purposes.
According to Pandit Devadutta Sharma of Asthang Ayurvedic College Culcutta, brahmi possesses the property of lengthening the life span much more than the effect it is known to have on increasing mental faculties like power of thinking and memory. It is said that a person named ‘ Jinchigiyan’ of China attained the age of 250 years by the regular use of this Indian herb.
Many scientists abroad have been conducting researches on the ingredients and properties of brahmi for a long time. One eminent British scientist found that this small herb possesses the miraculous property of curing various diseases. He believes that for different diseases, it should be used in combination with different herbs, but if only its two leaves are taken daily, it adds to the vitality and longevity of man considerably.
The ancient medical book ‘Vagbhatt’ mentions that if a man fries little brahmi in ghee and takes it with milk regularly for a month and abstains from taking cereals, he can live for an exceptionally long period. Similarly the ancient medical treatise Charak Samhita mentions that if juice of brahmi is taken with one forth quantity of liquorice powder and milk, it cures all kinds of diseases and bestows longevity. The dosage varies according to the constitution of the user.
Chebulic Myroblan
Chebulic Myroblan is a miraculous herb and is known as long-life elixir. It has been used in Indian system of medicine for a very long time. The physicians in ancient India used it in the treatment of diarrhoea, dysentery, heartburn, flatulence, dyspepsia, liver and spleen disorders. There is an old Indian proverb, which says, ‘If one bites a piece of haritaki everyday after meals and swallows its juice, he will remain free from all diseases.’ Chebulic myroblan is a mild, safe and efficacious laxative. It helps arrest secretion or bleeding and it strengthens the stomach and promotes its action. It is useful in correcting disordered processes of nutrition and restores the normal function of the system. This herb is thus highly valuable in maintaining good health and prolonging life.
Curd or Yogurt
Curd or yogurt is a lactic fermentation of milk. It is esteemed for its smoothness, its pleasant and refreshing taste. It is a highly versatile and health-promoting food and one of the most valuable therapeutic foods. Curd is a very nourishing food. It is a valuable source of protein, essential vitamins and minerals. It is also a rich source of calcium and riboflavin.
Curd has been associated with longevity. Prof. Elie Metchnikoff, a Noble prize-winning Russian bacteriologist at the Pasteur Institute, believed that premature old age and decay could be prevented by taking sufficient curd in the daily diet. He made an intensive study of the problem of old age in the early 1900s. He came to the conclusion that the body is slowly being poisoned and its resistance weakened by man’s normal diet and that this poisoning process could be arrested and the intestinal tract kept healthy by the constant, regular use of yogurt or some variety of acidophilus milk.
Galen, one of the most famous of the Greek doctors, claimed that yoghurt was beneficial for a bilious and burning stomach and that it changed its nature by purifying it. He said that milk taken straight from the cow had heating and burning quality, but fermented milk did not. Yoghurt is far more easily digested than milk.
Dioscorides, another famous physician, commended the use of yoghurt as a medicament for the liver, stomach and blood tuberculosis as well as for infection of the nose, ears and uterus. Curd or yoghurt is thus, a food of great value in building of health and prolonging life.