Herbs and Their Uses

**Mugili** · January 26th, 2009, 11:06 AM

Thank you so much.
It is very hard to find books or information in german. Its not so popular here.
So I am very lucky to find you here, using this herbs too.

**Diamondbell** · February 2nd, 2009, 07:57 PM

Hi Mugili - you're welcome. Hope you were successful in making a "Shikakai Shampoo" with the nuts you had

**Diamondbell** · February 2nd, 2009, 07:59 PM

Mysore dal

Hair wash powder: Dry the following in the sun: Mysore Dal, poolankizhangu, and green gram and grind. Add some Bengal gram dal flour (besan) to this mixture and wash hair and scalp with this powder mixture. Keeps the hair thick..

(Taken from the Book "Foods that Heal" by H.K. Bhakru)

**Diamondbell** · February 18th, 2009, 08:33 PM

Vilvam (Tamil), Bael (Hindi), Bilva, Aegle marmelos( Botanical name)/ Golden Apple, Bengal Quince (English)

The fruit is eaten fresh or dried. If fresh, the juice is strained and sweetened to make a drink similar to lemonade.

Against Dandruff:

The fruit of 'Bilwa' or Bael fruit (Aegle marmeolus) is burnt in the fire. After it is burnt, the pulp of the fruit is extracted, made into paste in water and applied to the scalp for 1 hour and washed with lukewarm water.

**ratgirldjh** · February 23rd, 2009, 03:17 PM

i tried using chick pea flour to clean my hair in the past. it even took out heavy oilings - but i didn't like the 'beany' odor it left on my hair - but it was very clean and soft and smelled clean

i used other beans ground up too in the same way
green and red split peas worked better and didn't have the same smell after washing

**Diamondbell** · February 23rd, 2009, 07:01 PM

Originally Posted by ratgirldjh

i tried using chick pea flour to clean my hair in the past. it even took out heavy oilings - but i didn't like the 'beany' odor it left on my hair - but it was very clean and soft and smelled clean

i used other beans ground up too in the same way
green and red split peas worked better and didn't have the same smell after washing

This is nice to know ratgirldjh. Yes, the green (mung) bean and the red split bean (did you use Mysor dal?) are really good and cleansing. I need to do this too a bit more often!

Good luck with your experiments! This is a good alternative to Shikakai, especially when Shikakai has run out and you don't have time to buy it!

**ratgirldjh** · February 28th, 2009, 07:19 PM

Originally Posted by ljkforu

Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking (Hardcover)

by Julie Sahni (Author)

My specialty is Saudi Arabian food and without this book I never would have been able to add variety to our diet. It is a whole lot easier to through meat on a barbeque than to come up with endless yummy side dishes and that is what this book does so well. It also, seems

This is my favorite book, it covers all the dals and clarifies Indian terms vs. British vs. American and of course the actual Latin Name.

It doesn't matter whether you are a vegetarian or not this is a great resource book (covers all the spices too). And, the food is great. I tried to make Idlee and succeeded on the first try --

OMG i used to have this book and LOVED it! my husband and i used to make sag paneer and there is a recipe in there for dumplings made with chickpea flour and with a yogurt sauce (can't remember the name) that is wonderful! i wish i knew what happened to my book

**ratgirldjh** · February 28th, 2009, 07:22 PM

diamondbell - that is when i tried besan - i was out of shikakai! it did work really well and left my hair so soft and smooth - but i didn't like the smell of the flour - i have a very sensitive nose - LOL but everyone else who smelled my hair said it smelled 'nice' and clean - LOL

i think it wouldn't bother most people and it really works great for removing oil
but i really liked it for face masks mixed with yogurt - it makes your skin so smooth and tight

does anyone know how much fenugreek i should use if i am using 4 tablespoons of herbs - 2 tablespoons shikakai and 2 tablespoons of chandan - do you think 1 tablespoon of fenugreek would be too much?

i know i am using a lot of herbs - but i never seem to have enough to cover my whole head and then some parts are still oily - LOL

help!!! i want to make the mix in the morning

**ratgirldjh** · February 28th, 2009, 07:24 PM

Originally Posted by Diamondbell

This is nice to know ratgirldjh. Yes, the green (mung) bean and the red split bean (did you use Mysor dal?) are really good and cleansing. I need to do this too a bit more often!

Good luck with your experiments! This is a good alternative to Shikakai, especially when Shikakai has run out and you don't have time to buy it!

actually i first tried the orange lentils - because i had them! i just ground them up and they worked great for taking out oil - and really didn't leave much beany smell. i also tried american split peas with a similar result. then i bought besan specifically for hair wash and face masks. i was suprised at how much more 'beany' it smelled - LOL

i've even used dried black beans for the same purpose. it seems any beans will work! i didn't realize at the time it was because they contain saponifications (sp?) but actually now that i think of it that must be why beans get that foamy scum on top when cooking

i thought before it was just because beans absorb so much liquid

**Diamondbell** · March 1st, 2009, 12:09 AM

ratgirldjh - you are right about besan - it really removes oil effectively from scalp - I think it is a favorite in South India!

And as for using it on face, that is very popular as well - yogurt with besan, as facepack. I personally like the smell of besan. I didn't know about the black beans, that's interesting.

You can use 1 tablespoon of fenugreek with your shikakai mix. I think that is more than enough. That's a good idea! Try and see if that is enough for you and next time you can increase or reduce the quantity. Would you be soaking the fenugreek seeds overnight? Or are you using fenugreek-powder?
Let's know the results!

Originally Posted by ratgirldjh

diamondbell - that is when i tried besan - i was out of shikakai! it did work really well and left my hair so soft and smooth - but i didn't like the smell of the flour - i have a very sensitive nose - LOL but everyone else who smelled my hair said it smelled 'nice' and clean - LOL

i think it wouldn't bother most people and it really works great for removing oil
but i really liked it for face masks mixed with yogurt - it makes your skin so smooth and tight

does anyone know how much fenugreek i should use if i am using 4 tablespoons of herbs - 2 tablespoons shikakai and 2 tablespoons of chandan - do you think 1 tablespoon of fenugreek would be too much?

i know i am using a lot of herbs - but i never seem to have enough to cover my whole head and then some parts are still oily - LOL

help!!! i want to make the mix in the morning