• Bengali – Jafran
• Gujrati – Keshar
• Hindi – Kesar
• Marathi – Keshar

• Sanskrit Kumkuma
• Tamil – Kungumapu
• Telugu – Kunkumapuvvu

Saffron is cultivated in India in Kashmir, Himachal pradesh and in other countries like Spain, France and Greece.

Saffron is cultivated from corms and flowering takes about one year. Flowers are collected early in the morning and stigmas and styles are detached manually and drug is dried by artificial heat.

Stigmas are dark red to reddish brown and styles are yellowish brown to yellowish orange in colour. They are having characteristic aromatic odour with bitter taste.

Chemical Constituents:

Saffron contains red colouring pigment called as crocin and crocetin. The chemical which gives bitter taste to the flower is picrocrocin. Protocrocin is a carotenoid glycoside and splits into picrocrocin and crocin on drying. Crocin hydrolyses to crocetin and gentiobiose and picrocrocin yields glucose and safranal. Crocin when treated with concentrated sulphuric acid turns to blue colour.

Saffron when treated with water gives yellowish orange brown colour.

Uses:

• Colouring agent
• Food dye
• Flavouring agent
• Antispasmodic
• Emmenagogue (these are the agents which provoke menstruation)
• Stimulant

Adulterants of Saffron:

As the cost of saffron is very high it is adulterated with florets of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) of the family Compositae. These florets are orange in colour.

Sometimes to increase the weight of the drug it is adulterated by adding glycerine and ammonium nitrate to the drug.

In Swine Flu patients, the virus enters into the heart and lungs and then leads to the death of patients. In this ‘Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenerator’ treatment, the patients are provided with equipment for artificial respiration to lungs and circulation to the heart. Protective measures are given to the heart and treated. This treatment is available in India in this hospital only.

Address of Narayana Hrudayalaya : 258/A, Bommasandra Industrial Area, Hosur Main Road, Anekal , Bangalore- 560099, Karnataka

Phones : 080-27835000-18 , 080-27835555, 9945273500

American officials said that North American Leader’s summit would discuss about this and effective steps to be taken to control the spread as the virus poses a significant public health challenge.

What is the nature of the virus?
It is highly infectious virus of influenza A, type H1N1 virus with a combination of four viruses one each from pigs and birds two from humans. The virus can survive for long periods in cold climate and for about two hours in hot climates of Temp up to 400 C. The virus spreads from the infected patients discharges out of coughing, sneezing etc and spread into the surrounding atmosphere and infects fresh persons by inhalation. Once infected the incubation period is about 10 days for the disease to be detected.

What are the symptoms of the swine flu?

• Fever, Head ache, cold and running down of nose.
• Throat pain
• Cough and body pains
• Extreme weakness
• In some individuals vomiting, nausea and anorexia is seen.
• Some time diarrhea is also seen
• If the above symptoms are seen in any body they are advised to go to a physician for confirmation and treatment.

What type of care is taken and to identify the disease?

• If the above symptoms are seen in anybody he will be moved to a chest hospital with N-95 face mask for investigations and treatment.
• The patient will be quarantined in a separate room to prevent the spread of the disease to others. Only one patient will be kept in each room.
• Necessary communication aids like phone will be provided in the room to communicate with his relatives and friends.
• The doctors, nurses and others who are attending on the patient will take due care and wear face masks and gloves.
• Counseling will be given to the patient so that he will not become panicky.
• Discharges from the throat, nose, and vomited material and blood samples are collected from the patient and sent to lab for investigation and confirmation of the swine flu. The report will come in 48 hours. If it is not a case of swine flu type H1N1 the patient will be discharged after giving symptomatic treatment for cold and cough. If the patient is positive he will be kept in the hospital and the treatment is continued.

How the patient is treated in the hospital?

• The patient should wear a light and loose dress so that he will be comfortable.
• The patient will be examined both morning and evening and treated with OSELTAMIVIR tablets.
• If he is suffering with sore throat he will be given necessary antibiotics and supportive treatment.
• The patient should wear a face mask of N-95 model continuously except at the time of taking the food.
• Regular usage of medicines and drugs and proper rest if taken properly the patient will be cured in 10 days.
• After 10 days the blood samples will be sent again for testing. If the report is negative he will be discharged from the hospital. He can attend to all of his normal activities.
• If treatment is not taken properly complications like pneumonia will erupt complicating the disease. Therefore never neglect the disease.

What precautions to be taken?

• The bed sheets, apparels, used by the patient and the doctors will be immersed in a solution of hypo chloride for 30 minutes to kill the virus.
• Syringes, cotton and other material used for the patient are disposed carefully in special disposable bags and sent to special organizations for safe disposal.

Precautions to be taken by the family members:

• The family members should take all the precautions if the suspected patient comes directly from the air port.
• They should use separate towels, soaps etc to prevent contact of the virus from the patient.
• Washing hands frequently with soap and antiseptic lotions is useful to kill the virus.
• The also should wear a three layer mask if cough is present for the patient.

Clove is a medium sized plant grows up to a height of 10-12 meters with greenish foliage. It is native to north Moluccas, the Spice Islands of Indonesia. Later Chinese obtained and propagated and slowly it spread to other parts Europe and Mediterranean. Zanzibar is the leading country in the production of cloves. It is also grown in Brazil, India and Srilanka.

Cloves are used from time immemorial in culinary and medicinal purposes. It is popularly used as a spice to flavor the food.

Properties of cloves:

• It is an antiseptic in nature.
• Aromatic
• Carminative and stimulant
• It yields an essential oil called clove oil.
• It is an expectorant.
• It is anesthetic in nature hence it is used as a pain killer.

Active ingredient of cloves:

The essential oil of cloves “clove oil” contains Euginol which has got antiseptic and anesthetic properties. Combined with Zinc Oxide Euginol is used in dental operations like filling of cavities.

Medicinal uses of cloves:

• Clove oil is an antiseptic in natures and effective against and streptococcus and staphylococcus bacteria and therefore it is used in respiratory and digestive diseases.
• An infusion of cloves is used in nausea, vomiting, flatulence and dyspepsia.
• Clove oil is popularly used for tooth aches from time immemorial..
• Cloves are expectorant in nature hence they are used in controlling coughs. If one two cloves are kept in the mouth controls the cough particularly in the nights and promotes sleep.
• It controls the throat irritation.
• Because of its antiseptic nature it finds a place in the preparation of mouth washes, tooth pastes and tooth powders.
• Infusions of cloves is used for controlling of Cholera and Asthma
• Along with honey clove powder is used for controlling vomiting.
• Because of its anesthetic nature it is used in ear ache.
• Clove oil is used in head aches.
• Clove oil is a good remedy for treating styes on the eye (Inflammation of the eye lids in the form of small growths).

Culinary uses of cloves:

• Cloves are used as a spice in many preparations of foods to increase the aroma of the food.
• Along with betel leaves cloves are used to enhance its flavor.
• Along with other spices it is powdered and used as curry powder in non vegetarian foods to give taste and aroma.

• Bengali – Lavang
• Gujrati – Laving
• Hindi – Laung

• Kannada – Lavanga
• Malayalam – Grambhu
• Marathi – Lavang
• Sanskrit – Lavangaha
• Tamil – Lavangapattai
• Telugu – Dasammchakkau, Lavangam

Family : Annonaceae or Soursop Family

Synonyms :

• Hindi – Sharifa
• Sanskrit – Sitaphal
• English – Custard apple
• Bengali – Ata
• Telugu – Seetaphalamu

Annona is a tree of 20 metres height.

It is grown cultivated throughout the India and in many tropical countries.

The useful parts of the plant are leaves, bark, root, seed and fruit.

Properties:

• Astringent
• Purgative
• Tonic
• Anthelmintic
• Diuretic
• Anti-cancerous

Phytochemicals:

The phytochemicals which are present in the custard apple are alkaloids, ascorbic acid, sugars, oil and acrid principle.

Forms of use:

It is used in the form of fruit, decoction and root powder.

Medicinal uses:

In Cancer

• It has anti-cancerous properties against human epidermal carcinoma of the Nasopharynx in tissue culture.
• Ripe fruit bruised and mixed with salt and this is applied to malignant tumours to hasten pus formation (suppuration) and healing.

Other Uses:

• The leaves are made into a paste without adding the water and this paste can be applied to unhealing ulcers.
• A paste of seeds powder is applied to uterus to cause abortion.
• Crush the fresh leaves and apply to nostril, they cut short the fits of hysteria and fainting.

Doses:

Fruit – 24 to 48 g

Root Powder – 0.2 to 0.5 g

A sunstroke can occur suddenly and the body temperature raises to 106 degrees Fahrenheit because of it. Sunstroke causes restlessness and giddiness.

Sunstroke or heatstroke is more problematic than the heat exhaustion and requires immediate attention. It may be a case of emergency than the heat exhaustion. The symptom is characterized by having high body temeperature with low perspiration and increased pulse rate. Due to cessation of perspiration, the body temperature increases. If the flushed skin which is hot and dry turns ashen gray, a doctor must be consulted immediately. Sunstroke may be caused due to high physical activity during high temerature and humid weather.

The person effected by sunstroke should be moved immediately to a cool place  and his body temperature should be brought to normal by wiping the body with wet cloth or by placing him in a tub of water after removing the clothes. Oral fluids should be given which are rich in sugar and salts like fruit juices etc. Ice can be applied on the forehead,arm pits and knee joints.

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Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis and How to get relief from Backache (Lower Back Pain)

But sometimes there may be continuous backaches due to some internal disorders like kidney or pancreas diseases, spinal arthritis and peptic ulcer. These conditions require the attention of the physician.

Common causes of Backaches:

Generally backache is caused due to the unusual strain on the weak muscles, nerves or ligaments of the spine. Backache may also occur due to poor posture of the body, carelessness in lifting or carrying heavy packages. Sitting in the wrong kind of chair for a long time in similar position. It is also caused by sleeping on a soft mattress. Backache is also felt during menstruation and it is common in later stages of pregnancy. Emotional tension also leads to back pain.

Prevention of Backaches:

Backaches may be prevented by maintaining good posture during waking hours and sleeping on hard mattress at night. If carrying heavy weights, the weights must be shifted between the arms so that spine is not pulled in a single direction. The sedentary workers who work at a desk or at the factory should sit in a comfortable chair which provides firm support to the back muscles and should be at the right height for working surface. Backaches can also be prevented by exercises which strengthen the back muscles.

Treatment for Backaches:

Backaches can be treated by taking rest or applying heat or hot water pad or a heating pad. Aspirin can be taken orally. When there is acute pain or if the pain persists for a longer time then a doctor should be consulted. The doctor would confirm whether the trouble is due to malfunctioning of the internal organs or if the pain is caused by the pressure on the sciatic nerve. By taking x-rays, the slipped disk or other abnormalities in the vertebral alignment of spine can be located.