Scott & Rhonda, Author at Live Clean n Prosper

About the Bael Flower

Todays post is about the Bael flower.

I was recently reading the box of 1 of my favourite teas and saw that these flowers were 1 of the ingredients. I had never heard of this flower, so decided to research it and as usual, I am sharing what I found.

What is Bael ?

The Bael tree or Aegle marmelos is a deciduous shrub or small to medium-sized tree that can grow up to 13 metres tall. The flowers are small, pale green or yellowish and sweetly scented.

The Aegle marmelos is most commonly known as Bael. However, around the world it is also known as Bengal quince, golden apple, Japanese bitter orange, stone apple or wood apple. It is a species of tree native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The plant is also considered to be sacred by Hindus and Buddhists.

It seems that it is most prized for its fruit. The fruit has a hard, woody shell that is smooth and greenish grey. When fully ripe the shell turns yellow or golden orange. Inside is a fibrous yellow pulp has been described as tasting of marmalade and smelling of roses.

Bael and health benefits

I found many references relating to the health benefits and uses for the Bael fruit. It seems that for centuries the fruit has been used for antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and laxative properties. Herbal medicinal preparations of the Bael plant have been used as a laxative and to treat chronic diarrhoea, dysentery, peptic ulcers and respiratory ailments.

Most of the preparations are made from the fruit, though the bark and leaves of the plant are also used.

The flowers are also recorded to be beneficial to health. The flower has some antiseptic, as well as, astringent properties and have been used in treating epilepsy. A preparation known as Marmala water, created from the flower, has been found helpful in curing conjunctivitis. Bael flower extract has also been successful in tests for wound healing properties.

The flowers and tea

Often the flowers are used as an aromatic addition to specialty teas. As a herbal remedy, a drink made by brewing the flowers alone, is traditionally used to relieve gastro-intestinal conditions & indigestion. It is also used for treating asthma and malaria.

So, there we have it, a flower that is added to tea to help with its smell, could also be providing some assistance (though very small) with the health of the intestinal system.

I hope you found this information interesting,

till the next post,

Live Clean n Prosper

Sources – Wikipedia – Hindawi – Science Direct – WebMD –

Vegetarian Lasagne

Today I’m going to share a great vegetarian lasagne recipe I found in an old Australian Healthy Food magazine.

We have just returned from a quick get-away in Melbourne. The food at all the little cafés and restaurants is always great.

We went to this out of the way little Italian place and had the best lasagne and tortellini. Though these were not vegetarian dishes it did remind me of this recipe and I thought I would share it.

This Vegetarian Lentil and Ricotta lasagne is full of flavour, quite filling and is a great way to get more vegetables into your diet. I halved the below recipe and it fed 2 people for 2 nights.

Vegetarian Red Lentil and Ricotta Lasagne.

Ingredients

½ cup red lentils

2 teaspoon Olive oil

3 garlic cloves – crushed

1 large onion – chopped

1 small red capsicum (**I left this out as we don’t like capsicum)

**I added sliced mushrooms instead

2 zucchinis – sliced

1 stalk celery – sliced

2 x 420g cans diced tomatoes

2 tablespoon. tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 ½ cups ricotta cheese

12 lasagne sheets (I use Gluten Free sheets)

½ cup grated cheddar cheese

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

White Sauce ingredients

1/3 cup corn flour

3 cups milk

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Method

*Preheat oven to 180 c.

*Rinse the lentils then put them in a pan with enough boiling water to cover them. Simmer for 30 minutes then drain.

*Heat oil in a large pan and add garlic & onion. Cook for approx. 2 minutes. Add the celery, capsicum and zucchini and cook for 2 -3 minutes.

*Add lentils, tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano and 1 ½ cups water. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for approx. 30 minutes.

*Meanwhile make the White Sauce.

*Mixing the corn flour with 2 tablespoons of milk until smooth. Pour into a saucepan with remaining milk and stir over low heat until the mixture thickens. Add the nutmeg and add pepper to taste.

*Put the ricotta into a bowl and mix in ½ cup of white sauce.

*Spread a layer of tomato lentil mixture over the base of your lasagna dish. Then put a layer of lasagna sheet. Add another layer of tomato lentil mixture and top with a layer of the ricotta mix.

*Keep layering the lasagna sheets and then tomato and ricotta layers till done.

*Pour over the white sauce and sprinkle with the grated cheeses.

*Bake for an hour, covering with foil if the top starts to brown too much.

Let it stand for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Enjoy.

Till the next post,

Live Clean and Prosper

A bit about Arthritis

Today’s post is about Arthritis.

Arthritis is actually an umbrella term for more than 100 conditions that effect the joints of the body. The most common forms are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid and gout. Many people will suffer from one or more types of arthritis in their lifetime.

So, in this post we will look at what it is, what causes it and what to do about it for prevention and reduction of symptoms.

What is arthritis really?

It is generally regarded as tenderness or swelling of one or more joints causing pain. It generally manifests as pain or swelling in a joint with redness and swelling as well as stiffness and reduced movement.

This is often due to the surface of the cartilage being damaged and then this causes calcium phosphate crystals to become deposited in the joint. However, as there are so many different types this is only a generalisation.

So, what causes it?

The short answer is no one really knows definitively what the cause is and this is likely due to the fact that there are so many inflammation conditions that are called arthritis. There are also so many ways for inflammation to happen. A common factor is obesity due to the increased pressure on the joints, another factor can be family history as well as repetitive actions that wear out a joint.

What can we do to prevent it?

An easy start can be a simple as diet. Avoiding saturated fats like fried foods and palm oil are prime culprits for causing inflammation. This will have the added benefit of reducing weight which will in turn benefit the reduction of symptoms.

Ensuring you are getting enough calcium in your diet is important for bone growth and regeneration but keep in mind that without vitamin D the calcium will not be metabolised from the food as well. Regular exercise will help in keeping muscles strong to support the joints.

Managing the pain.

While there are many easily accessible analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs aimed at reducing the pain there is always a better way. The most important thing to remember is to remove the obstacles to proper joint health, this means removing inflammatory foods and excess weight for a start.

Next is to support joint healing through proper nutrition and gentle physical movement or acupuncture to improve circulation. There are several herbal and mineral treatments that are very effective at reducing joint pain in many cases. For example, Boswellia serrata is a plant that is particularly good at reducing the pain of arthritis. Also Omege-3 supplements work well by reducing inflammation.

As a naturopath I also recommend the use of a “tens” machine to improve blood flow to a specific area. This helps to reduce inflammation and remove any calcium phosphate crystals that may have formed.

If you find you are suffering from sore joints, arrange an appointment with your chosen health professional. It may take several visits before they can tell what type of arthritis you have. This is because some types of arthritis can be hard to diagnose and may need further testing or examination. They may examine the affected joints and send you for some tests or x-rays. Most forms of arthritis can be diagnosed through blood tests.

We hope you have found this information helpful.

Till the next post,

Live clean n Prosper