Thousands years ago India's greatest sages established the Ayurveda, or Knowledge of Life, the main goal of which was the alleviation of human suffering. The sages of the Ayurveda saw all illness and all health as part of an interlocking whole - mind, body and spirit - that must be treated as one. For medicines and treatments, they looked to the natural world around them, to the plants used by forest world around them, to the plants used by forest tribes since the beginning of history.
The Garden of Life is a beautifully illustrated and practical guide to the use of plants in a range of applications - sacred, medicinal, culinary, cosmetic and aromatic. Each of the seventh plants, both familiar and exotic, is illustrated by an exquisite Indian miniature, painted especially for this volume by descendants of the master painters of Indian temples and courts.
In an age when Western medicine is finally looking outside the laboratory to ancient natural methods of healing, The Garden of Life is a tremendously timely book - useful, informative and enlightening.
About the Author
Naveen Patnaik is the author of A Second Paradise: Indian Courtly Life 1590-1947 and A Desert Kingdom: The Rajputs of Bikaner. He lives in New Delhi, India.
Contents:
INTRODUCTION HISTORY OF THE AYURVEDA I. SACRED PLANTS 1. Banyan (Ficus bengalensis) 2. Lotus (Nelumba nucifera) 3. Holy Basil (Ocimum spectrum) 4. Flame-of-the-Forest (Butea sanctum) 5. Coconut (Cocos nucifera) 6. Bel (Aegle marmelos) 7. Ustram Bead (Elaeocarpus ganitrus) 8. Indian Hemp (Cannabis sativa) 9. Sacred Fig (Ficus religiosa) 10. Jamun (Syzygium indica) 11. Margosa (Azadirachta indica) II MEDICINAL PLANTS 12. Indian Pennywort (Centella asiatica) 13. Asparagus Racemosus (Asparagus racemosus) 14. Asoka (Saraca asoca) 15. Castor (Ricinus communis) 16. Indian Gentian (Andrographis paniculata) 17. Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) 18. Vasaka (Adhatoda vasica) 19. Chebulic Myrobalan (Terminalia chebula) 20. Emblic Myrobalan (Emblica officinalis) 21. Bauhinia (Bauhinia variegata) 22. Swallowwort (Catotropis gigantea) 23. Indian Laburnum (Cassia fistula) 24. Plantain (Musa paradisiacal) 25. Eclipta Alba (Eclipta alba) 26. Hogweed (Boerhaavia diffusa) 27. Indian Madder (Rubia cordifolia) 28. Arjun (Terminalia Arjuna) 29. Indian Bedellium (Commiphora mukul) 30. Thorn Apple (Datura alba) 31. Winter Cherry (Withania somnifera) III. CULINARY PLANTS 32. Cumin (Cuminum cyminum) 33. Black Pepper (Piper nigrum) 34. Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) 35. Mango (Mangifera indica) 36. Bitter Gourd (Momordica charantia) 37. Palmyra (Borassus flabellifer) 38. Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) 39. Indian Cassia Lignea (Cinnamomum tamala) 40. Eggplant (Solanum melongena) 41. Drumstick (Moringa oleifera) 42. Tamarind (Tamarindus indica) 43. Garlic (Allium sativum) 44. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) 45. Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) 46. Mahua (Madhuca longifolia) IV. COSMETIC PLANTS 47. Henna (Lawsonia inermis) 48. Sesame (Sesamum indicum) 49. Indian Sarsaparilla (Hemidesmus indicus) 50. Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) 51. Areca Nut Palm (Areca catechu) 52. Soap Nut (Sapindus trifoliatus) 53. Turmeric (Curcuma longa) 54. Indian Kamila (Mallotus philippensis) 55. Lime (Citrus medica) 56. Safforn (Crocus sativus) 57. Betel Leaf (Piper betle) 58.True Indigo (Indigofera tinctoria) V. COSMETIC PLANTS 59. Jasmine (Jasminum grandiflorum) 60. Fragrant Screw Pine (Pandanus odoratissimus) 61. Bakula (Mimusops elengi) 62. Nutmeg (Myristica Fragrans) 63. Clove (Syzygium aromaticum) 64. Camphor (Cinnamomum camphora) 65. Golden Champa (Michelia champaca) 66. Aloeswood (Aquilaria agallocha) 67. Kadamba (Anthocephalus cadamba) 68. Vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides) 69.Hundred leaf rose (Rosa centifolia) 70. Sandalwood (Santalam album) Ayurvedic Health Center The Artists Artists Index Plant Names Bibliography Index Acknowledgement
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