Do You Remember Jaggery

In India, since time immemorial  jaggery has been consumed as the  purest form of natural sweetener. When it comes to offer sweets to gods, jaggery wins hands down over sugar. There is a good deal of health benefits too associated with jaggery. With jaggery one thing can be acclaimed well that all good things do not come in nice, good looking packages. Counting on the health benefits and the medicinal properties of jaggery this statement truly said. Priya Singh in consultation with expert dietician Geetu Amarnani tells you few interesting facts about jaggery. Also know best kept secrets to use this medicinal food to treat illnesses at home. All you need to do is to read and use the tips.

12 interesting health facts about jaggery

1. Jaggery is made in the natural way and no chemicals are used for its processing. So it doesn’t lose original properties. Hence, it’s rich in important minerals like iron.
2. It effectively cleans the respiratory tracts, lungs, food pipe, stomach and intestines as it pulls out dust and unwanted particles from the body.
3. It also helps in giving relief from constipation, perhaps due to presence of fiber in it.
4. Magnesium present in jaggery strengthens our nervous system & helps to relax our muscles.
5. The potassium and low amount of sodium present in it maintain the acid balance in the body cells and also combats acids and acetone and control our blood pressure.
6. It along with selenium acts as an antioxidant.
7. Jaggery is rich in iron, and helps to prevent anaemia.
8. It also helps to relieve tension, soothes asthma as it has anti-allergy properties.
9. It is good for migraine and is good for girls those who do not get free flow at the time of their period.
10. It has moderate amount of calcium, phosphorous and zinc.
11. Those who are exposed to higher levels of pollution jaggery helps them to breathe easier and counter pollution problems naturally.
12. It purifies the blood and prevents rheumatic afflictions and bile disorders thus help to cure jaundice.

Use Jaggery for treating illnesses:

Dry Cough- Make a juice of washed tulsi leaves and mix jaggery with it. Take this mixture three times a day for relieved throat.

Common Cold- Mix dried ginger powder, ghee (Clarified Butter) and jaggery together in equal quantity. Have this mixture in small quantities 3-4 times a day.

Headaches - For some types of severe headaches, jaggery has been used in Ayurveda since ancient times. Mix ghee (Clarified Butter) and jaggery in same proportion and eat daily for 5-6 days. Mix old jaggery with same proportion of sesame seeds and grind both with a little milk. Now heat the mixture in a small quantity of ghee and apply this on forehead for instant headache relief.

Acidity and Indigestion - A small jaggery piece taken after the meals helps in eliminating acidity, improves digestion and also helps in the expulsion of worms in small children. This reduces fatulence as well.

Menstrual Cramps -Grind together bitter gourd leaves, 1 garlic, 3 peppercorns with 1 tsp of jaggery. This paste will relieve Menstrual Cramps. Ayurveda also suggests taking jaggery with milk twice a day during menstruation.

Treat swollen feet during pregnancy- Mix 1 tsp jaggery with 2 tsp fennel seeds and 250ml water. Boil and reduce the liquid to half. This drink is effective in reducing swelling during preganncy.

Palpitation is a condition wherein there is an irregular interval of heartbeats. Mix equal quantity of aniseed, dry coriander, and jaggery powder. Take 6 gm of mixed powder after each meal.

Hiccups – Jaggery and dry ginger powder combination with warm water is effective for stoping hiccups.

Anaemia – Have jaggery with roasted gram to ward off anaemia.

So, now what are you thinking? No! It is not late yet. You can still switch on to jaggery from today. Just add it to your meal and feel the difference.

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