The Jacaranda is a beautiful garden tree and its beauty enhances manifold when the tree is in full bloom. Though the Jacaranda species is not native to Indian soil, it was introduced in gardens for its ornamental and aesthetic value. Now the Jacaranda is part of the Indian medicinal system, with homoe-opathy embracing it in its myriad preparations.

Thirst quenching, sweet, cooling and delicious. Yes, that’s the watermelon for you. Come summer and many of us automatically crave for this fruit. The watermelon is packed with some of the most important antioxidants in nature and is an excellent source of vitamin A, notably through its concentration of beta-carotene. Pink

Anacardium occidentale or the ordinary cashew nut is not just a nutritious food. It has a number of medicinal properties, particularly the ability of the cashew shell oil to fight skin problems. The root, leaves, bark and the fruit of the Anacardium are used in herbal systems of medicine. A number of folk and tribal medicines across the globe also recognise Anacardium as an important medicinal plant that has the potential to treat sores caused by leprosy.

An increasing number of patients, more than half of all cancer patients, receive radiation therapy these days. Radiation therapy saves countless lives, and serious accidents are rare. However, as technology advances, with linear accelerators becoming common, patients are unaware of the risks involved if these powerful, complex machines don’t function properly or if all the safety precautions are not followed.

Grapes are a wonderful fruit. They are an amazingly healthy snack, easy to carry and munch on. You can add them to your mixed fruit salads as well as green salads.
Have you ever wondered what gives grapes their vibrant purple colour? They owe it to the presence of flavonoids in high concentrations, which are compounds that are extremely beneficial in reducing the risk of heart disease.

Motherhood is the most exciting stage in a woman’s life as it brings with it a myriad benefits. Some of these include the joy of holding a new life and the ability to see the world through someone else’s eyes. However, these benefits — many of which are intangible — cease to exist when one suffers a miscarriage or a stillbirth.

A distressed parent beseeched me, “Doctor, please counsel my son. He refuses to get married and says he is homosexual.” My advice to the parent was, “He is right.

Do you have white spots on your nails? If yes, have you been told that this could be a sign of vitamin or calcium deficiency?

Having a mole or as most people prefer to call it, a beauty spot, is often considered a symbol of beauty.

Chobchini or China root has been used in various tribal and folk medicine for ages. Technically called Smilax china, Chobchini is considered a wonder medicine in Ayurveda and Unani too. The root or rhizome of Smilax is used in herbal formulations in India, China, Japan, Iran, Indonesia and in many countries in Africa and South America.