The Healthiest Oil on Earth !

For me, there has been an eternal association with coconut oil. During my childhood, my mother used to oil my hair regularly, every two days or so ! And my hair used to be forever oily, which was very much fine with me during that time. In school, whenever I used to wish and greet my teachers, they would invariably pat my head and then take a look at their oily palm and exclaim: ‘How much oil do you apply to your hair ’ ? But this did not change my habit of applying coconut oil to my hair regularly. I continue to do so .....

Coconut oil is a truly remarkable food and medicine. Why ? It is composed predominately of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA), also known as medium-chain triglycerides (MCT)
Some 98 to 100% of all the fatty acids we consume are LCFA – long chain fatty acids. It is primarily due to the MCFA in coconut oil that makes it so special and beneficial.

10 General facts about Coconut oil:
• Of natural origin, edible in raw form, saturated and stable
• Pleasant flavour and aroma, light coloured, biodegradable
• High resistance to oxidative rancidity, better shelf life for fried product
• Low viscosity, Maximum glycerine content
• Skin friendly oil, superior baby oil, Good emollient on skin,skull
and hair
• Oldest and most widely used cosmetic raw material
• Gives softness and suppleness to skin on regular massaging , spreads easily
on the skin
• Excellent base for hair oil, provides gloss to hair, nourishes the hair
roots and provides coolness to the body, protects skin from heat
• Germicidal and antimicrobial property
• No harmful effects due to reheating, can be converted into diesel fuel

10 Nutritional and Medicinal properties of Coconut oil:
• Easy digestibility and absorbability, ideal energy source in baby foods
• Contains Vitamin E
• Does not contain cholesterol
• Composed mainly of short and medium chain fatty acids which have
desirable qualities and functions
• Reduced fat accumulation in body
• Easily oxidized and therefore a preferred energy source
• Requires no transport system to absorb, digest and metabolize
• Very low content of Omega 6 fatty acid
• Rich content of lauric acid, the source of disease fighting fatty acid
derivative monolaurin
• Superior antigenotoxic activity

Note: ‘Parachute’ is India’s leading brand of coconut oil, which is manufactured by Marico. Visit http://www.parachuteadvansed.com/ for more information about this hair oil.

Be more, everyday ! (The catch phrase of Marico)

The tree of life !

In Sanskrit, the coconut tree is rightly described as the kalpa vriksha - "the tree which provides all the necessities of life"
It is supposed to be one of the five legendary Devavrikshas.

The coconut provides a nutritious source of food, juice, milk and is highly nutritious and rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

It can be rightly called the ecofriendly crop – which permits coexistence of multi-species plants
In scientific terms, it is called Cocos nucifera. This nut was initially referred as ‘coco’, which means ‘monkey face’, by early Spanish explorers. And ‘nucifera means ‘nut bearing’

Coconut is grown in more than 86 countries worldwide. India is the third largest coconut producer in the world, with Indonesia and Philippines in the first and second spot. It has around 3000 years tradition of coconut cultivation.
Kerala is the largest coconut growing state in India.

The various products obtained from coconut are: Tender Coconut Water, Copra, Coconut Oil, Raw Kernel, Coconut Cake, Coconut Toddy, Coconut Shell based Products, Coconut Wood based Products, Coconut Leaves and Coir Pith.

The water of tender coconut, technically the liquid endosperm, is the most nutritious wholesome beverage that the nature has provided for the people of the tropics to fight the sultry heat. It has caloric value of 17.4 per 100gm.
The major chemical constituents of coconut water are sugars and minerals and minor ones are fat and nitrogenous substances.

The various medicinal properties of tender coconut water are:
1. Good for feeding infants suffering from intestinal disturbances.
2. Oral rehydration medium
3. Contains organic compounds possessing growth promoting properties
4. Keeps the body cool, application on the body prevents prickly heat and summer boils and subsides the rashes caused by small pox, chicken pox, measles, etc.
5. Kills intestinal worms
6. Presence of saline and albumen makes it a good drink in cholera cases
7. Checks urinary infections, Urinary antiseptic and eliminates poisons in case of mineral poisoning.
8. Excellent tonic for the old and sick, cures malnourishment.
9. Diuretic, Effective in the treatment of kidney and urethral stones
10. Found as blood plasma substitute because it is sterile, does not produce heat, does not destroy red blood cells and is readily accepted by the body.
11. Aids the quick absorption of the drugs and makes their peak concentration in the blood easier by its electrolytic effect.
12. Urinary antiseptic and eliminates poisons in case of mineral poisoning.

Coconut oil too, makes a truly remarkable food and medicine. The benefits on this oil will be shared with you in my upcoming post.

"Coconut fruit is agreeable to heart", Gunapadom, a Kerala text.

Reference: http://coconutboard.nic.in/

Ganesh Chaturthi – a popular festival of India

The birthday of Lord Ganesha is celebrated as Ganesh Chaturthi, with lot of pomp and grandeur in the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Tamilnadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and many other parts of India. In Maharashtra and Goa, the preparations for this festival begin months in advance. This year, it was celebrated on September 11, 2010.Lord Ganesha is the God of Wisdom and Prosperity and the Dispeller of all obstacles. He is also worshipped as a protector and, variously, as the god of wisdom, arts and sciences, literature, poetry, and agriculture.

Hindus believe that by offering prayers to Lord Vinayaka (one of the many names of the Lord) before any new beginning or venture, helps in the successful fruition of the task.

According to Hindu mythology, Sri Ganesha is the son of Shiva and Parvati, brother of Kartikeya (the General of the Gods) His carrier or vehicle (vahan) is the rat. The mouse is depicts our EGO. Sri Ganesha, using the mouse as a vehicle, exemplifies the need to control our ego. According to our Vedanta, one who has controlled ego enjoys the transcendental bliss of Ganesha-consciousness or God-consciousness.
According to one of the legends, Goddess Parvati created Ganesha out of the sandalwood dough that she had used for her bath and breathed life into him. She then let him guard her door and went to have bath. When Lord Shiva, her husband returned, the child, Lord Ganesha who had never seen him, stopped him which infuriated Lord Shiva and he severed the head of the child and entered his house. Upon learning that her son was dead, Goddess Parvati was distraught and asked Shiva to immediately revive her son. As a consequence Lord Shiva cut off the head of an elephant and fixed it on the body of Ganesha. Thus was Lord Ganesha born and created. He is also known the Ganaadhipati or the leader.

The four most important symbols carried by Ganesha are:
1) Pasa (lasso) - an instrument used to destroy desire or craving
2) Angusa (elephant hook) - represents control, or a means to steer one in the right direction
3) Tanta (broken tusk) - a divine weapon for destroying obstacles
4) Varamudra (attitude of blessing) - represents a wish for success

Shivaji Maharaja, the great Maratha ruler, started this festival, to promote culture and nationalism in the 17th century in India and was revived by Lokmanya Tilak (Indian freedom fighter) to spread the message of freedom struggle and to defy the British who had banned public assemblies in the last decade of the 19th century.
Besides the many households which bring in Ganesh statues and offer their prayers, many Ganesh statues are also installed on street corners in the cities and towns and villages in different parts of India. At the end of the festival, which may last from one and a half day to 5 days or 10 days or 21 days, these statues are carried on decorated floats to be immersed into the sea.
This Lord is even worshipped beyond India’s frontiers, in various countries in the following names:

• Mahabini in Borneo, • Totkar in Mongolia,
• Tchoprak in Tibet,
• Brahganesh in Cambodia,
• Kwanshidiyik in China,
• Vinayaksha in Japan.

He is also worshipped in countries like Nepal and Java.

Lord Ganesha continues to be India’s symbol of cultural ambassador to the various countries of world !

UNITY IN DIVERSITY !

28 States

1618 languages

7 Union Territories

6 religions

6 Ethnic groups

29 Major festivals

1 COUNTRY - INDIA