Chapter 11 Plant Kingdom And The Environment Around Us SAQs
Question 1. Why plants are important?
Answer:
Plants Are Important Because :
Plants are the backbone of all life on Earth and an essential resource for human well-being. Plants are essential to the balance of nature and people’s lives.
Green plants, i.e., those possessing chlorophyll, manufacture their own food and give off oxygen in the process called photosynthesis, in which water and carbon dioxide are combined by the energy of light.
Plants are the ultimate source of food and metabolic energy for nearly all animals, which cannot manufacture their own food, Besides foodies.g., grains, fruits, and vegetables), plant products vital to humans include wood and wood products, fibers, drugs, oils, latex, pigments, and resins. Coal and petroleum are fossil substances of plant origin.
Question 2. Write a short note on bamboo.
Answer:
Bamboo:
Bamboo is a tribe of flowering perennial evergreen plants in the grass family. In bamboo, the internodal regions of the stem are hollow and the vascular bundles in the cross section are scattered throughout the stem instead of in a cylindrical arrangement.
Bamboos are some of the fastest-growing plants in the world, due to a unique rhizome-dependent system. Bamboo are of notable economic and cultural significance in South Asia,
Southeast Asia and East Asia, are used for building materials, as a food source, and as versatile raw products. Bamboo has a higher compressive strength than wood, brick, or concrete and a tensile strength that rivals steel.
Read And Learn More WBBSE Solutions For Class 8 School Science Short Answer Type Questions
Question 3. Write the economic and ecological consequences of mass flowering and fruiting of bamboo.
Answer:
Economic And Ecological Consequences Of Mass Flowering And Fruiting Of Bamboo:
Flowering is very irregular in bamboo. In general, plants utilize all their energy for flowering when bamboo trees face environmental constraints.
Death ensues as soon as flowering stops. Mass fruiting also has direct economic and ecological consequences. The huge increase in available fruit in the forests often causes a boom in rodent populations, leading to increases in disease and famine in nearby human populations.
The death of the bamboo plants following their fruiting means the local people lose their building material, and the large increase in bamboo fruit leads to a rapid increase in rodent populations.
As the number of rodents increases, they consume all available food, including grain fields and stored food, sometimes leading to famine. These rats can also carry dangerous diseases, such as typhus, typhoid, and bubonic plague, which can reach epidemic proportions as the rodents increase in number.
Question 4. Mention the utilities of bamboo as a food item.
Answer:
Bamboo
Bamboo is a tribe of flowering perennial evergreen plants in the grass family with solid nodes and hollow internodes. In bamboo, the vascular bundles in the cross section are scattered throughout the stem instead of in a cylindrical arrangement.
Bamboos are some of the fastest-growing plants in the world, due to a unique rhizome-dependent system. Bamboos are of notable economic and cultural significance in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia, being used for building materials, as a food source, and as a versatile raw product.
Bamboo has a higher compressive strength than wood, brick, or concrete and a tensile strength that rivals steel. The word bamboo comes from the Kannada term bambu, which was introduced to English.
Ecology: Bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants on Earth, with reported growth rates of 250 cm (98 in) in 24 hours.
However, the growth rate is dependent on local soil and climatic conditions, as well as species and a more typical growth rate for many commonly cultivated bamboos in temperate climates is in the range of 3—10 centimeters (1.2—3.9 in) per day during the growing period.
Primarily growing in regions of warmer climates during the late Cretaceous period, vast fields existed in what is now Asia.
Some of the largest timber bamboos can grow over 30 m (98 ft) tall and be as large as 1520 cm (5.9-7.9 in) in diameter.
However, the size range for mature bamboo is species-dependent, with the smallest bamboo reaching only several inches high at maturity.
Unlike all trees, individual bamboo stems, or culms, emerge from the ground at their full diameter and grow to their full height in a single growing season of three to four months.
Over the next 2-5 years (depending on species), the fungus begins to form on the outside of the culm, which eventually penetrates and overcomes the culm.
Around 5-8 years later (species and climate dependent), the fungal growths cause the culm to collapse and decay.
Mass flowering: Most bamboo species flower infrequently. In fact, many bamboos only flower at intervals as long as 65 or 120 years.
These taxa exhibit mass flowering (or gregarious flowering), with all plants in a particular cohort flowering over a several-year period.
The lack of environmental impact on the time of flowering indicates the presence of some sort of “alarm clock” in each cell of the plant which signals the diversion of all energy to flower production and the cessation of vegetative growth.
This mechanism, as well as the evolutionary cause behind it, is still largely a mystery.
Mass fruiting also has direct economic and ecological consequences, however. The huge increase in available fruit in the forests often causes a boom in rodent populations, leading to increases in disease and famine in nearby human populations.
For example, devastating consequences occur when the Melocanna bambusoides population flowers and fruits once every 30-35 years around the Bay of Bengal.
The death of the bamboo plants following their fruiting means the local people lose their building material, and the large increase in bamboo fruit leads to a rapid increase in rodent populations.
As the number of rodents increases, they consume all available food, including grain fields and stored food, sometimes leading to famine.
These rats can also carry dangerous diseases, such as typhus, typhoid, and bubonic plague, which can reach epidemic proportions as the rodents increase in number.
In any case, flowering produces masses of seeds, typically suspended from the ends of the branches. These seeds will give rise to a new generation of plants that may be identical in appearance to those that preceded the flowering,
or they may produce new cultivars with different characteristics, such as the presence or absence of striping or other changes in the coloration of the culms.
General Uses for Bamboo: Bamboo has been used for many applications, from a food source to a building material.
1. Decorations: From picture frames to room dividing screens, bamboo can make some elegant and exotic decorations for the home,
2. Building materials: More and more furniture, flooring, and even homes are being built with bamboo. Bamboo is a popular building material in South and East Asia and in South Pacific Islands.
Bamboo stems have also been extensively used to construct numerous footbridges over canals and streams.
3. Fabrics and clothing: a fabulous trend right now is bamboo fibers being used in fabrics and clothing since the diameter of bamboo fibers measures less than 3 mm.
Bedding made of bamboo fibers is as soft as or softer than most cotton beddings and drapes with the look of silk without the expense.
Food items and Cooking:
The young stem, basal part of the stem, and leaves of bamboo are chief food items of the Giant panda of China, the Red panda of Nepal and India, and the Lemur of Madagascar. Gorillas primarily eat bamboo. It is also the food of elephants and chimpanzees.
After extracting toxic substances, various delicious dishes have been prepared in different Asian countries by using the soft young stems of bamboo.
Certain beverages are also prepared from these young stems. A type of insect grows at the base of bamboo plants growing in the Yunan provinces of China and in countries like Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand. They feed on the young stems of bamboo. The local people use the larva of these insects as their food.
Cooking with bamboo is nothing new in Asian culture. Hollow stems of bamboo have been used in different places in South Africa for warming soups and as pots for cooking rice.
Bamboo-made utensils are also used extensively for cooking purposes. Bamboo cutting boards are notoriously good for not dulling blades or knives as quickly, while bamboo utensils like wooden spoons are excellent for not scratching the bottoms of expensive nonstick cookware.
Medicine: Tabashir, a medicine for asthma, colds and cough, and other infectious diseases, is made from silicon dioxide and silicic acid derived from the internodes of a bamboo species called Bambusa arundinacea.
Agriculture: Bamboo started out as a natural plant in most places, but has become a large part of agriculture. From being the main crop of a farm to be harvested for other uses, or as the channel linings for irrigation systems, bamboo fits naturally into agriculture.
Weapons: While this is rarely seen anymore, bamboo was once used to make many different types of weapons. From blow guns to archery bows and arrows, bamboo was used to make light but strong weapons for many centuries.
Instruments: Hollow tubes make excellent instruments, whether it is a flute or a drum, and bamboo is one of the best bases for instruments.
Question 5. Write about the need and strategies for the conservation of bamboo:
Answer:
Need and strategies for conservation:
With the increasing population pressure, natural stands of bamboo are being indiscriminately cut for fuel wood, and furniture.
The common practice of ‘jhum’ (a form of shifting cultivation) cultivation in the northeastern states has resulted in the genetic erosion of several bamboo species; overexploitation of some species for fuel wood and for the cottage industry has endangered others.
Large areas where bamboo occurs have been declared as National Bamboo Reserve areas and provenances in the natural habitats are being maintained.
Considering the limitation in seed supply, vegetative methods for ex-situ conservation and tissue culture work have been started in Asian countries.
Question 6. Why is water hyacinth considered an invasive species?
Answer:
Water Hyacinth:
Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), is an aquatic plant native to the Amazon basin and is often considered a highly problematic invasive species outside its native range.
Description: Water hyacinth is a free-floating perennial aquatic plant (or hydrophyte) native to tropical and sub-tropical South America.
With broad, thick, glossy, ovate leaves, water hyacinth may rise above the surface of the water as much as 1 meter in height.
The leaves are 10-20 cm across and float above the water’s surface. They have long, spongy, and bulbous stalks. The feathery, freely hanging roots are purple-black.
An erect stalk supports a single spike of 8-15 conspicuously attractive flowers, mostly lavender to pink in color with six petals.
One of the fastest growing plants known, water hyacinth reproduces primarily by way of runners or stolons, which eventually form daughter plants.
Each plant can produce thousands of seeds each year, and these seeds can remain viable for more than 28 years. Some water hyacinths were found to grow up to 2 to 5 meters a day in some sites in South-East Asia.
The common water hyacinth [Eichhornia crassipes) are vigorous growers known to double their population in two weeks.
Invasive species: Water hyacinth has been widely introduced in North America, Asia, Australia, Africa, and New Zealand. In many areas, it has become an important and pernicious invasive species.
In New Zealand, it is listed on the National Pest Plant Accord which prevents it from being propagated, distributed, or sold. In large water areas such as Louisiana, the Kerala Backwaters in India, Tonle Sap in Cambodia, and Lake Victoria it has become a serious pest.
When not controlled, water hyacinth will cover lakes and ponds entirely; this dramatically impacts water flow, blocks sunlight from reaching native aquatic plants, and starves the water of oxygen, often killing fish (or turtles).
The plants also create a prime habitat for mosquitos, the classic vectors of disease, and a species of snail known to host a parasitic flatworm that causes schistosomiasis (snail fever).
Question 7. Write about the uses of water hyacinth in water purification.
Answer:
Phytoremediation, wastewater treatment:
The roots of Eichhornia crassipes naturally absorb pollutants, including lead, mercury, and strontium-90, as well as some organic compounds believed to be carcinogenic, in concentrations 10,000 times that in the surrounding water Water hyacinths can be cultivated for wastewater treatment.
Water hyacinth is reported for its efficiency to remove about 60-80 % nitrogen and about 69% of potassium from water. The roots of water hyacinth were found to remove particulate matter and nitrogen in a natural shallow eutrophicated wetland.
Polluted water from gold mine areas can be treated by vegetables in Taiwan. Javanese sometimes cook and eat the green parts and inflorescence.
Medicinal use: In Kedah (Java), the flowers are used for medicating the skin of horses. The species is a “tonic.”
In the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam stems of water hyacinth are used for the purpose of embroidery and as fiber for the garment industry.
- The dry stem is used to manufacture baskets and furniture. Fibers of the plant are also used to make paper.
- Water hyacinth is a good source of biogas as it contains appreciable amounts of nitrogen.
- Since water hyacinth contains a high amount of protein and nitrogen, it is also used as fodder. But excess use can lead to toxicity.
Control: Water hyacinth control is difficult. The most effective method of control depends on prevention. Make sure to control the nutrient levels in your pond or lake to prevent rapid and explosive growth.
Do not introduce water hyacinths to new ponds unless you are willing to monitor them and take action if their growth gets out of control.
It is advised that you only introduce water hyacinth to your own personal ornamental water gardens. Introducing it into natural water bodies invites trouble.
When harvesting or otherwise removing water hyacinth, do not discard it in the natural waterway, instead put it into a compost pile.
Question 8. Write about the uses of three different parts of a Sal tree.
Answer:
Sal:
Sal (Shorea robusta) is a large sub-deciduous tree. It is up to 30 meters high. Sal tree is seldom completely leafless. It has large leathery leaves and yellowish flowers.
They have a tough texture. Young trees have a linear crown, which becomes rounder and flatter with aging. The sapwood is whitish in color, thick, and less durable.
The heartwood becomes dark brown to black in color on exposure. The wood pores are filled with resin.
Distribution and description: This tree is native to the Indian subcontinent, ranging south of the Himalayas, from Myanmar in the east to Nepal, India, and Bangladesh.
In India, it extends from Assam, Bengal, Odisha, and Jharkhand west to the Shivalik Hills in Haryana, east of the Yamuna. The range also extends through the Eastern Ghats and to the eastern Vindhya and Satpura ranges of central India.
Sal is moderate to slow growing and can attain heights of 30 to 35 m and a trunk diameter of up to 2-2.5 m. The leaves are 10-25 cm long and 515 cm broad.
In wetter areas, it is evergreen; in drier areas, it is dry-season deciduous, shedding most of the leaves between February to April, and leafing out again in April and May.
Uses:
Wood: Sal is one of the most important sources of hardwood timber in India, with hard, coarse-grained wood that is light in color when freshly cut, but becomes dark brown with exposure.
The wood is resinous and durable, and is sought-after for construction, although not well suited to planning and polishing.
The wood is especially suitable for constructing frames for doors and windows, floors of boats, jetties of ships,s, and footbridges over streams.
Leaves: The dry leaves of sal are a major source for the production of leaf plates called paravail and leaf bowls in northern and eastern India.
The leaves are also used fresh to serve ready-made paan (betelnut preparations) and small snacks such as boiled black grams, golgappa, etc.
The used leaves/plates are readily eaten by goats and cattle that roam the streets freely. The tree has therefore protected northern India from a flood of styrofoam and plastic plates that would have caused tremendous pollution. The leaves are also used in rural areas as fuel.
Resin: Sal tree resin is used as an astringent in Ayurvedic medicine, and to make spirit and varnish.
Seeds: Sal seeds and fruit are a source of lamp oil and vegetable fat. Shorea robusta seed oil is extracted from the seeds and used as cooking oil after refining.
Tannin: Tannin derived from sal bark finds application in the leather industry.
Sal tree is worshipped among the Buddhists and Hindus in India. It is mentioned in many scriptures that the Buddha was born and died under the Sal tree.
The Sal tree has special significance in the festivals and marriages of Adivasi. A pole of the Sal tree is considered very important and unless the bridegroom sits on the altar made of the tree of Sal, the marriage has no meaning.
It also holds great value in the lives of the indigenous populace of the Chotanagpur plateau. It is the main attraction of the festival of Sarhul, which means the Sal Blossoms Festival. The whole festival revolves around the Sal tree.
Question 9. Briefly describe the Sundri tree.
Answer:
Sundri tree:
Sundri is small to a medium-sized evergreen tree, which grows occasionally to a height of about 25 meters, typically with a twisted, stunted stem, and thin, wavy buttresses.
The bark of this tree is grey in color and it is longitudinally furrowed. The leaves of Sundri are simple, ovate, oblong, or elliptic, and are 12.5 to 20 centimeters long and 5 to 10 centimeters wide, coriaceous, glabrous, shining above, silvery, and scaly beneath. The petioles are stout and are 0.5 to 2 centimeters long.
The flowers of Sundri are small, orange-colored, unisexual, and up to 18 centimeters long. The fruit is ellipsoid, 2.5 centimeters long, with a rudder-like ridge, glabrous and glossy.
Question 10. Differentiate between herbs and spices.
Answer:
Differentiate between herbs and spices:
Herbs and spices are both obtained from plants. Herbs and spices are used primarily for adding flavor and aroma to food. And both are best used fresh but can be saved by drying.
While there are similarities, there also are subtle differences between herbs and spices. Herbs are obtained from the leaves of herbaceous (non-woody) plants.
They are used for savory purposes in cooking and some have medicinal value. Herbs often are used in larger amounts than spices.
Spices are obtained from roots, flowers, fruits, seeds, or bark.
Spices are native to warm tropical climates and can be woody or herbaceous plants. Spices often are more potent and stronger flavored than herbs; as a result, they typically are used in smaller amounts. Some spices are used not only to add taste but also as a preservative.
Question 11. Write the health benefits of black pepper.
Answer:
Black pepper:
Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is a flowering vine cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning.
The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately 5 millimeters (0.20 in) in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed.
Peppercorns, and the ground pepper derived from them, may be described simply as pepper, or more precisely as black pepper (cooked and dried unripe fruit), green pepper (dried unripe fruit), and white pepper (ripe fruit seeds).
Black pepper is native to south India and is extensively cultivated there and elsewhere in tropical regions. Currently, Vietnam is the world’s largest producer and exporter of pepper.
Uses:
Dried ground pepper has been used since antiquity for both its flavor and as a traditional medicine. Black pepper is the world’s most traded spice.
It is one of the most common spices added to European cuisine and its descendants. The spiciness of black pepper is due to the chemical piperine. It is ubiquitous in the modern world as a seasoning and is often paired with salt.
Apart from spicy value, black pepper is also used as a preservative for meat and other perishable food items.
The health benefits of black pepper include relief from respiratory disorders, coughs, the common cold, constipation, indigestion, anemia, impotency, muscular strains, dental disease, pyorrhea, diarrhea, and heart disease.
Black pepper (Piper nigrum)stimulates the taste buds in such a way that an alert is sent to the stomach to increase hydrochloric acid secretion, thereby improving digestion.
Hydrochloric acid is necessary for the digestion of proteins and other food components in the stomach. Black pepper has long been recognized as a carminative,
(a substance that helps prevent the formation of intestinal gas), a property likely due to its beneficial effect of stimulating hydrochloric acid production.
In addition, black pepper has diaphoretic (promotes sweating), and diuretic (promotes urination) properties.
Question 12. What are the health benefits of cinnamon?
Answer:
Health Benefits of cinnamon:
Besides using it in cooking, cinnamon is also thought to have health benefits. The naturally sweet taste may help some people reduce their sugar intake.
In Ayurveda, cinnamon is used as a remedy for diabetes, indigestion, and colds. Volatile oil prepared from cinnamon provides relief in arthritic pain.
Question 13. Write about the medicinal uses of Turmeric.
Answer:
Turmeric:
Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant of the ginger family. It is native to southwest India and needs temperatures between 20 and 30°C (68 and 86’F) and a considerable amount of annual rainfall to thrive.
Plants are gathered annually for their rhizomes and propagated from some of those rhizomes in the following season. India, a significant producer of turmeric, has regional names based on language and country.
When not used fresh, the rhizomes are boiled for about 30-45 minutes and then dried in hot ovens, after which they are ground into a deep-orange-yellow powder commonly used as a spice in Indian cuisine and curries, for dyeing, and to impart color to mustard condiments.
One active ingredient is curcumin, which has a distinctly earthy, slightly bitter, slightly hot peppery flavor and a mustardy smell.
Turmeric plants reach up to 1 m tall. Highly branched, yellow to orange, cylindrical, aromatic rhizomes are found. The leaves are alternate and arranged in two rows.
They are divided into leaf sheath, petiole, and leaf blade. From the leaf sheaths, a false stem is formed. The petiole is 50 to 115 cm long.
The simple leaf blades are usually 76 to 115 cm long and rarely up to 230 cm. They have a width of 38 to 45 cm and are oblong to an elliptic narrowing at the tip.
Uses:
We probably know turmeric as the main spice in curry. It has a warm, bitter taste and is frequently used to flavor or color curry powders, mustards, butter, and cheeses.
But the root of turmeric is also used widely to make medicine. In food and manufacturing, the essential oil of turmeric is used in perfumes, and its resin is used as a flavor and color component in foods.
It has been known as poor man’s saffron because it offers a less expensive alternative yellow coloring. Turmeric is mostly used in flavored milk drinks, cultured milk, and desserts to obtain lemon and banana colors in dairy.
ln turmeric, curcumin is the primary pigment and is generally used in various food industries as a food color. Turmeric is added at higher levels to sausages, pickles, relishes, sauces, dry mixes, and fish due to its original usage as a spice.
Due to the presence of a compound called curcumin in turmeric, it has the ability to kill microbes. Turmeric keeps the liver healthy. It is effective in controlling anemia due to the presence of a good amount of iron in it. Turmeric also controls blood cholesterol levels.
Turmeric is used for arthritis, heartburn (dyspepsia), stomach pain, diarrhea, intestinal gas, stomach bloating, loss of appetite, jaundice, liver problems, and gallbladder disorders.
It is also used for headaches, bronchitis, colds, lung infections, fibromyalgia, leprosy, fever, menstrual problems, and cancer. Other uses include depression. Alzheimer’s disease, water retention, worms, and kidney problems.
Some people apply turmeric to the skin for pain, ringworm, bruising, leech bites, eye infections, inflammatory skin conditions, soreness inside of the mouth, and infected wounds.
Women in India apply turmeric before taking bath as its antibacterial property protects the skin from infects and protects it from harsh sunlight.
Question 14. What is Garam Masala composed of?
Answer:
Garam Masala:
Garam masala contains black and white peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon or cassia bark, nutmeg, black and green cardamom pods, bay leaf, caraway, etc.
Question 15. What are the medicinal uses of Ginger?
Answer:
Ginger:
Ginger [Zingiber officinale) is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root, or simply ginger, is widely used as a spice or a medicine.
It is a herbaceous perennial that grows annual stems about a meter tall bearing narrow green leaves and yellow flowers.
Ginger is indigenous to southern China and was spread eventually to other parts of Asia and subsequently to West Africa and the Caribbean. India is now the largest producer of ginger.
Uses:
Ginger produces a hot, fragrant kitchen spice, vinegar, or sherry as a snack or cooked as young ginger rhizomes are juicy and fleshy with ingredients in many dishes.
They can be steen-ea very mild taste. They are often pickled in boiling water to make ginger tea, to which honey is often added; sliced orange or lemon fruit may be added.
Ginger can be made into candy or ginger wine. Mature ginger rhizomes are fibrous and nearly dry. The juice from ginger roots is often used as a spice.
In Indian recipes and is a common ingredient in Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, and many South Asian cuisines for flavoring dishes such as seafood, meat, and vegetarian dishes. The rhizome (underground stem) is used as a spice and also as a medicine.
It can be used fresh, dried, and powdered, or as a juice or oil. Ginger is commonly used to treat various types of stomach problems, including motion sickness, morning sickness, colic, upset stomach, gas, diarrhea, nausea caused by cancer treatment, nausea, and vomiting after surgery, as well as loss of appetite.
Other uses include pain relief from arthritis or muscle soreness, upper respiratory tract infections, cough, and bronchitis.
Ginger is also sometimes used for chest pain, low back pain, and stomach pain. Some people pour fresh juice on their skin to treat burns. The oil made from ginger is sometimes applied to the skin to relieve pain.
Question 16. Write the general uses of Neem.
Answer:
Neem:
Neem (Azadirachta indica), is a tree in the mahogany family. It is one of two species in the genus Azadirachta and is native to India and the Indian subcontinent including Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.
Neem is a fast-growing tree that can reach a height of 15-20 meters (49-66 ft), rarely 35-40 meters (115— 131 ft). It is evergreen, but in severe drought, it may shed most or nearly all of its leaves.
The branches are wide and spreading. The fairly dense crown is roundish and may reach a diameter of 15-20 meters (49-66 ft) in old, freestanding specimens.
General uses:
- Neem leaves are dried in India and placed in cupboards to prevent insects from eating the clothes and also while storing rice in tins.
- Neem leaves are dried and burnt in tropical regions to keep away mosquitoes as Ayurveda herb. Neem is also used in baths.
- Neem contains chemicals that might help reduce blood sugar levels, heal ulcers in the digestive tract, prevent conception, kill bacteria, and prevent plaque formation in the mouth.
- The tender shoots and flowers of the neem tree are eaten as a vegetable in India. In West Bengal, young neem leaves are fried in oil with tiny pieces of eggplant (brinjal).
- The dish is called nim begun and is the first item during a Bengali meal that acts as an appetizer. It is eaten with rice
Question 17. Why are spices used in cooking?
Answer:
We use spices in cooking because:
- it brings taste to the food item being cooked.
- it helps in digestion by increasing salivation.
- it keeps the mouth cavity germ free
- it also acts as a preservative.
Question 18. Write a few health benefits of Amlaki.
Answer:
Emblica (Amlaki):
Phyllanthus emblica, also known as emblic, amlaki, or amla from Sanskrit Amalia, is a deciduous tree. It is known for its edible fruit of the same name.
The tree is small to medium in size, reaching 8 to 18 m in height, with a crooked trunk and spreading branches. The branchlets are glabrous or finely pubescent, 10-20 cm long, and usually deciduous;
the leaves are simple, subsessile, and closely set along branchlets, light green, resembling pinnate leaves. The flowers are greenish-yellow.
The fruit is nearly spherical, light greenish yellow, quite smooth, and hard on appearance, with six vertical stripes or furrows.
Ripening in autumn, the berries are harvested by hand after climbing to the upper branches bearing the fruits. The taste of Indian gooseberry (amla) is sour, bitter, and astringent, and it is quite fibrous.
In India, it is common to eat gooseberries steeped in salt water and turmeric to make sour fruits palatable.
Medicinal use:
The nutritional facts of Amlaki include bioflavonoids, flavones, polyphenols, and carotenoids. It is the richest natural source of vitamin C available on this planet.
The unique thing about amlaki fruit is the ascorbic acid found is nearly indestructible even by burning or drying it. This makes the richest bio-availability of Vitamin C in this fruit which plays a significant role in the synthesis of neurotransmitters.
It is also required for collagen and carnitine synthesis, important molecules that produce energy from the fat cells whenever required.
- Health Benefits of Amlaki
- Amlaki inhibits the aging process and prevents the common cold.
- Amlaki is a nutritional powerhouse and is hence used to boost immunity and restore the body’s vitality.
- Amlaki provides energy to vital organs and is hence used in chronic illness recovery.
- Amlaki helps in regulating blood glucose levels in diabetic patients.
- Amlaki facilitates the absorption of iron in the body and improves hemoglobin levels. Amlaki possesses potent anti-inflammatory action and is hence used in various gastrointestinal tract inflammation such as gastritis.
- Amlaki contains natural digestive enzymes and is hence used in indigestion.
- Amlaki promotes spermatogenesis.
- Amlaki reduces serum cholesterol and high blood pressure.
- In Chinese traditional therapy, this fruit is used to treat throat inflammation.
Other use:
Popularly used in inks, shampoos, and hair oils, the high tannin content of Indian gooseberry fruit serves as a mordant for fixing dyes in fabrics.
Amla shampoos and hair oil are traditionally believed to nourish the hair and scalp and prevent premature grey hair.
Question 19. What is Triphala?
Answer:
Triphala:
Literally meaning “three fruits”, Triphala is a traditional Ayurvedic herbal formulation consisting of three fruits native to the Indian subcontinent Amlaki (Emblica officinalis), Bibhitaki or Bahera (Terminalia bellirica) and Haritaki (Terminalia chebula).
Triphala is most commonly known for its use as a gentle bowel tonic, helpful in digestion and supporting regular bowel movements.
The combination of the three fruits has a synergistic effect to bolster many other systems as well. In addition to the Gl tract, Ayurveda uses Triphala to support healthy respiratory, cardiovascular, urinary, reproductive, and nervous systems.
Triphala has also been shown to be a powerful antioxidant, protecting cells from the damaging effects of free radicals
Question 20. Name two alkaloids found in Nayantara.
Answer:
Raubasine and Vincristine.
Question 21. Write a few uses of mint oil.
Answer:
Uses of mint oil:
Menthol from the mint essential oil (40-90%) is an ingredient of many cosmetics and some perfumes. Menthol and mint essential oil are also used in aromatherapy which may have clinical use to alleviate post-surgery nausea.
Mint oil is also used as an environmentally friendly insecticide for its ability to kill some common pests such as wasps, hornets, ants, and cockroaches.
Question 22. What are the uses of Aloe vera?
Answer:
Aloe vera:
Aloe vera (Ghritakumari) is a succulent plant species. The species is frequently cited as being used in herbal medicine since the beginning of the first century AD.
Extracts from Aloe vera are widely used in the cosmetics and alternative medicine industries, being marketed as variously having rejuvenating, healing, or soothing properties.
Aloe is one of the great healing agents among herbs. Indian aloe or Ghritkumari is a form of cactus. Aloes have long been in use for a host of diseases, particularly those connected with the digestive system and skin disorders.
it contains enzymes, polysaccharides, and nutrients that exhibit antibacterial and antifungal action. Aloe vera is useful in liver and spleen disorders, skin problems (scars, pimples, dermatitis, minor wounds or burns, etc.), external sores, hair problems, and eye troubles.
It is used as a flavoring agent in many culinary preparations.
Other Uses:
The leaf, fresh or dried, is the culinary source of mint. Fresh mint is usually preferred over dried mint when storage of the mint is not a problem.
The leaves have a warm, fresh, aromatic, sweet flavor with a cool aftertaste, and are used in teas, beverages, jellies, syrups, candies, and ice creams.
Mint essential oil and menthol are extensively used as flavorings in breath fresheners, drinks, antiseptic mouth rinses, toothpaste, chewing gum, desserts, and candies, such as mint (candy) and mint chocolate.
The substances that give the mints their characteristic aromas and flavors are menthol and pulegone. Mint was originally used as a medicinal herb to treat stomach aches and chest pains.
There are several uses in traditional medicine and preliminary research for possible use in treating irritable bowel syndrome.
Menthol from the mint essential oil (40-90%) is an ingredient of many cosmetics and some perfumes. Menthol and mint essential oil are also used in aromatherapy which may have clinical use to alleviate post-surgery nausea.
Mint oil is also used as an environmentally friendly insecticide for its ability to kill some common pests such as wasps, hornets, ants, and cockroaches, and has small white teeth.
The flowers are produced in summer on a spike up to 90 cm (35 in) tall, each flower being pendulous, with a yellow tubular corolla 2-3 cm (0.8-1.2 in) long.
Medicinal Uses:
Aloe vera is used in traditional medicine as a multipurpose skin treatment. Aloe vera is used on facial tissues where it is promoted as a moisturizer and anti-irritant to reduce chafing of the nose.
Cosmetic companies commonly add sap or other derivatives from Aloe vera to products such as makeup, tissues, moisturizers, soaps, sunscreens, incense, shaving cream, or shampoos.
Aloe vera gel is effective in treating psoriasis, seborrhea, dandruff, minor burns, and skin abrasions, as well as radiation-induced skin injuries.
Aloe vera juice (also called latex) taken by mouth is a powerful laxative. Aloe vera gel taken orally (by mouth) seems to help people with diabetes by lowering blood sugar levels.
It may also help to lower cholesterol. Extracts of aloe vera leave contain vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids.
It is used to reduce acidity, and inflammation of bone joints, and to reduce fever (antipyretic to reduce mental stress and tension.
Question 23. Mention a few detrimental consequences associated with mass flowering in bamboo.
Answer:
Detrimental effects:
- Increase in rodent population leading to plague etc.
- local people losing building materials.