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Jaggery holds a very special place in Indian cuisines. The

distinctive salty-sweet taste of Jaggery has made it suitable for

preparing many sweets that have formed the cultural identity

of many festivals in India. 'Tilgud' a special delicacy prepared

from Jaggery, and is generally consumed in the winter, is one

such popular preparation made in certain parts of India.

Considered healthier than the popularly used white sugar,

Jaggery is also used in many Ayurvedic medicines. But Jaggery

is best when consumed organic. Organic Jaggery retains notonly all the sucrose but all the other natural nutrients like

calcium, phosphorous, magnesium and potassium. The

commercially available Jaggery is made by adding certain

chemicals to regulate the hardness and color of Jaggery, but it

Holy Tulsi to protect against Nuclear Radiation

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Vol 3, Issue 2

How to Make Organic Jaggery

NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2012

Address: Govardhan Eco Village,Galtare, Post Hamrapur, Taluka

Wada, District Thane, Maharastra,India 421303.

Email: contactus@ecovillage.org.in,Contact No: +91 91672 04666,

+91 99307 58996

Dedicated to His Divine Grace,

A. C. Bhaktivedanta SwamiPrabhupada, Founder Acharya ofthe International Society for Krishna

Consciousness

www.ecovillage.org.in

The purpose of food is toincrease the duration of life,purify the mind and aid bodilystrength. This is its onlypurpose. In the past, great

authorities selected those foodsthat best aid health and increaselife's duration, such as milkproducts, sugar, rice, wheat,fruits and vegetables. Thesefoods are very dear to those inthe mode of goodness. Someother foods, such as baked cornand molasses, while not verypalatable in themselves, can bemade pleasant when mixed

with milk or other foods. Theyare then in the mode ofgoodness. All these foods arepure by nature.

GOVARDHAN ECO VILLAGE

Insid

e

4 Heath Benefits of Watermelon

Continued in Page 2

How to Make

ORGANIC JAGGERY

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GEV Newsletter Vol 3, Issue 2

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Continued from Page 1

is very harmful for the health.

The chemical contamination in

Jaggery comes not only in its

preparation stage, but right from

the beginning when thesugarcane is grown. Being a

very profitable cash crop,

sugarcane plantations are often

grown with lots of chemical

fertilizers to ensure quality

harvest. So good quality organic

Jaggery essentially requires not

only chemical free

manufacturing but also chemicalfree sugarcane produce.

At Govardhan Eco Village wefollow a strict zero chemicalpolicy, so that we ensure thateven the sugarcane juice thatgoes into the preparation ofOrganic Jaggery is pure andchemical free. Last January weplanted our first sugarcane

plantation in an area little overhalf an acre. The land is firsttilled with oxen and then naturalorganic fertilizers like cow dung

How to Make ORGANIC JAGGERY

is applied. Cow dung manurecontains different types ofmicrobes that enrich the soilwith essential nutrients.Usually 5 Tons of cow dungmanure is used in 1 acre ofland. The land is again tilledand then the sugar cane isplanted. While planting thesugarcane cuttings care shouldbe taken to ensure that theentire cutting is under the soil.Sugarcane requires goodamount of water and it issupplied once in every 15

days. To protect thesugarcane from pests Cowurine diluted to 5% can besprayed if required. Usuallyit takes about 9-11 monthsfor the sugarcane to beready for harvesting. Thisyear GEV harvested about16.5 Tons of sugarcane.Once harvested the pureorganic sugarcane is nowready to be converted to

Jaggery. Read more in ournext article.

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Holy Tulsi

to protect

against

Nuclear

Radiation

Does the word Ocimum tenuiflorum ring abell? In case you are scratching your head,that's what Tulsi is called in Botanicalterminology. Popularly called as the HolyBasil, this aromatic plant is revered throughout India as a sacred plant. It is quite commonto find a tulsi plant in the courtyard of every

Hindu household, as a symbol of protectionand well-being. The very Sanskrit word tula-asimeans "incomparable". And the significance ofthis name has reached a newer dimensionwith the latest discovery of Tulsi's anti-radiation properties. The Indian top defenceresearch organization DRDO, has recentlyrevealed this startling find. Scientists at theDRDOs Institute of Nuclear Medicines andAllied Sciences, and the Department ofRadiobiology, Kasturba Medical College,Manipal, have successfully tested Tulsi extractson mice for its anti-radiation and anti-cancerproperties. Observations have shown thatinspite of exposure to radiation, the miceingested with Tulsi preparation had no damageto the bone marrow. Presenting a researchpaper on the anti-radiation impact of Tulsiextract at the 99th Indian Science Congress, DrW Selvamurthy, the chief controller ofresearch and development, DRDO, said,

"Scientists are working on that property of theplant to develop medicine to protect againstradiation poisoning." Tulsi gains its antiradiation properties from a chemical called

glutathione, that is found in it. The DRDO hasundertaken a Rs 70 million project to developan anti-cancer drug facilitating radiationtherapy. They are in testing stages. Tulsi-based medicine is already in phase-II clinicaltrials. It will undergo some more trials beforethe technology is finalized and it goes for

commercial production. Animal trials havealso been conducted and their results werequite encouraging, said Dr.Selvamurthy.

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After the winter, woes have faded you would bejaded by the thought of impending dry seasonwhich brings out the need for fruits withrehydrating juices. What better choice we canhave other than the big and bulky watermelon.Yes this tropical fruit is mostly water, around90%, and is best suited to charge your body withelectrolytes and minerals for summer.

This popular tropical fruit is known mostly in dry

and arid countries like India. This watery andsucculent fruit can be sugary or otherwise,depending on the type.

Although you may feel it just a big ball of water,a second thought about its health benefits willcertainly go a long way in ensuring good health.

Watermelon is packed with antioxidantsespecially lycopene which prevents theproduction of free radicals in the body. Also, thered pulp of watermelon can be attributed to

lycopene. Lycopene content is maximum inwatermelon as compared to other fruits, which ina way, helps to reduce the risk of heart diseaseand prostate cancer. So we can be safe to saythat people with have included them in their diethave a lesser chance of getting a heart attack.

Watermelon as we know when bitten fills ourmouth with watery juice, which shows that, it ismostly water. But actually the large amount ofwater is attributed to its abundance of

electrolytes. This makes them the perfect choicefor preventing dehydration. Besides this, theyprovide the vital fluids for cells processes and forsmooth skin.

Moreover watermelon rejuvenates our energy.We will feel stronger and revitalized after eatingthis fruit. This is due to the presence of richvitamin B, especially the variants such as vitaminB1 and B6. It also contains Vitamin B6 that isessential to deal in conditions of panic andanxiety in a better way besides helping in thefunctioning of the brain. Magnesium andpotassium are also found in good amounts in

watermelon, which helps in nervous functions.Last but not the least watermelon is a rich sourceof vitamin C. As we know vitamin C is essentialingredient in boosting the immune system, so thediseases like the flu and cold will be kept at bay.Nevertheless vitamin C contributes in the anti-aging process by giving you a great and healthyskin besides averting cell damage and healingwounds.

So this summer do not forget to include this

wonder fruit in your diet. May be you will haveno reasons to not do so.