Nature Medicine- Balloon Vines - Mudakathan Kerai- Cardiospermum Halicacabum

Balloon Vines - Cardiospermum Halicacabum

முடக்கத்தான் கீரை (Tamil), Harivay Soppu (Kannada)

In each of his programmes, Dr. Sakthi Subramanian impresses upon us the old Tamil proverb which goes as "Food is medicine, medicine is food" (உணவே மருந்து, மருந்தே உணவு).  In this blog I share with you a rough translation of the programme Dr. Sakthi Subramanian Ayya's Naatu Maruthuvam on SUN TV. This particular programme is on Balloon Vines or Mudakatha Kerai as it is know in Tamil for the benefit of non-Tamil speaking people as well. All credits go to Dr. Sakthi Subramanian and as per his request on his programme, wish to spread his word and knowledge on nature medicine.

Mudakathan kerai as it is popularly known in Tamil is also known by it's scientific name Cardiospermum Halicacabum). Other names in some of the Indian languages are Harivay Soppu (Kannada), Kanphata (कनफूटी-Hindi), Kapaphodi (कपालफोड़ी-Marathi) and Indravalli (इंद्रवल्ली -Sanskrit).  It is traditionally used to treat cough, cold and sore throat, joint pains, constipation and mild edema. Balloon vines is a creeper that usually grows wild in unattended land in the South India. Available mostly by the village side it is eliminated as a weed as many people do not know about its medicinal properties.

Balloon vines contains large amounts of saponins. Saponins from plants are known to reduce cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. Balloon vines also contains beta-sitosterol which is known to lowers cholesterol besides being beneficial for common cold, bronchitis, flu and preventing rheumatoid arthritis, hair loss etc. It also contains small amount of oxalic acid that is used to treat urinary tract infections.  It is usually used to treat arthritis where swollen joints that usually contain the synovial fluid have a tendency for water retention leading to joint pains. Moreover it contains flavonoids, vitamins C, B and B1 that are essential for the body.

The leaves, stems, pods, seeds, and the roots of the balloon vine all have medicinal properties and can be used to treat a variety of ailments. Let us look at some of the uses.

Soup:
A soup  made out of balloon vines is beneficial for cough and cold or for joint pains. It reduces the cough and discharge due to cold and also body pain.

Ingredients:

• Balloon vine leaves
• Four to five  cloves of Garlic
• A little bit of pepper
• Two or three buds of cloves
• One or two teaspoons of Gingelly Oil (Sesame oil) or Ghee (Clarified butter) 

Crush the garlic cloves and the clove buds a wee bit with a pestle in a mortar. Heat a pan on a low flame and add the oil or the ghee and when it is reasonably hot, add the crushed garlic and the cloves buds and saute. When the garlic and the cloves buds are sauteed add the balloon vine leaves and continue to saute the leaves until the fresh green smell of the leaves evaporates. All parts of the balloon vines, the pods, leaves, stem and the small white flowers may be used. The sauteed leaves reduces in volume as it gets cooked. Add 200ml of water and allow the mixture to reach boiling point. Add pepper and salt to taste and put off the flame. Filter the liquid into a cup. The soup when given to small children suffering from flu gives relief from their fever, body pain and headache and the children start to become active.

Poultice:
The balloon vines can also be used as a poultice on the external body to treat body pains.

Ingredients:

• Castor Oil
• Balloon Vine leaves

Heat the pan on a small flame and pour the castor oil and wait until it heats up. Add the cleaned balloon vine leaves and saute until the quantity reduces. Castor leaves or moringa leaves (drum stick tree leaves) may also be added .

The warm leaves are tied into a soft cloth and given as fomentation on the lower abdomen of women who have recently delivered so as to take out any impurities that were retained during pregnancy. Fomentation with the oil is also beneficial in relieving dysmenorrhea or the painful spasmodic pain or cramps of the lower abdomen that occurs in some women during mensuration.  Patients suffering from arthritic pain can  apply fomentation on the joints twice a week to get relief. Have a pan on a low flame on the side and when the temperature of the cloth containing the leaves cools down, reheat it on the pan and apply back on the spot. Make sure that the temperature of the cloth packet is of bearable warmth and doesn't burn the skin.

Ear Drops:
The juice of balloon vines can be used to treat ear ache. The balloon vine is used here as an anti bacterial and as an analgesic.

Ingredients:

• Balloon vines juice
• Gingelly or musrard oil

In a pan heat the oil and add the juice. When the mixture is warm and bearable, use a dropper to put a few drops in the ear for relief from ear pain.

Weight Gain:
The seeds from the balloon vines can be also be collected and used. The seeds contain anabolic steroids and should be used carefully. It is used as a general health tonic and can be taken in by men for weight gain and to drive away tiredness. Both the green seeds and the dried ones can be used. The green seeds may be sun dried and stored away for later use. The seeds may be used as is or in powdered form. One tea teaspoon of the seeds (half a teaspoon of the powder) is added to milk or water and boiled until the seeds are cooked.  Palm sugar is added for taste. It is recommended not to use more than one teaspoon of the seeds per day.

Hair Treatment:
Balloon vine leaves can be used  to treat a variety of hair problems like dandruff, or to darken the hair, hair loss and spot baldness also known as alopecia areata.

Ingredients:

• Ground ballon vine leaves
• Gingelly oil

Mix the ground balloon vines paste together with the oil in a pan and heat it. As the oil heats up the mixture starts losing its muscilage (mucus like property).  Wait until the mixture starts bubbling and the oil turns green. All the water from the mixture should evaporate and the bubbling slow down and stops completely. Put off the flame and let the mixture cool down and pour the cooled down mixtureinto a bottle and stored for a long period of time.  Massage warm oil mixture into the hair half an hour before taking a bath and wash the oil off with shampoo . The hair turns shiny and dark if used continuously for 4 to 5 weeks.

Disclaimer: Sometimes nature medicines that are suggested may not work as mentioned. That is because each one of us have a different body constitution and  therefore the medicines may be effective on some of us but may not give relief to some others. Dr, Sakthi Subramanian advises that we know our body the best and arrive at the right quantities that are effective for us through trial and error . If it is not effective, he advises us to choose from the plethora of plants that are available in nature and find the one that works for you.

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