by Sheela Rani Chunkath
Have you see the beautiful mauve and pink flowers of bauhinia? I love the range of pinks from deep pink, salmon pink to baby pink, pinks with deeper variegation and the purples. I love the butterfly shaped leaves too -- mantharai elai is the leaf is called used to be our throwaway plates during my growing-up years. The leaves used to be stitched together with small kuchis or sticks, normally the thin mid rib of the leaflets of the coconut frond. It probably was a laborious process but the end product was superbly ecofriendly. So that was my first introduction to the usefulness of this beautiful tree. Some years later I learnt to my surprise that the bark of this tree was the main ingredient in kanchanara guggulu, a drug of choice in treating galaganda (goitre) and hypothyroidism.
Kanchanara guggulu consists of the bark of Bauhinia variegata, triphala(the rinds of the fruits of Terminalia chebula, Terminalia bellirica and Emblica officinalis), ginger, pepper, pippali, cardamom, cinnamon and the bark of Crataeva nurvala. One of the ayurvedic acharyas said that with triphala one can cure 50% of the diseases; it seems to be probably true and not mere hyperbole as so many of the drugs have triphala as one of the ingredients.
Many of the women I meet seem to be having thyroid problems. Earlier it seemed that only older people were affected, but now I find many youngsters suffering from the complaint.
Consult your vaidyar if you have freshly diagnosed with hypothyroidism because she can probably start you on treatment protocol at once. The general cosensus among physicians seems to be one 50 mg tablet, thrice a day. This should be taken after food as the drug could sometimes be a gastric irritant. Some vaidyars recommend a spoon of Sudarshan churanam to be taken twice a day with cold water on an empty stomach to counteract the effects of hypothyroidism.
Now for your died do avoid foods that are vayu enhancing and also some others considered goitrogenic foods. Foods such as bok choy, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, mustard greens, radish, soybeans and turnips are best avoided if you have thyroid issues. Other foods which also have goitrogens but to a lesser extent are bamboo shoots, peaches, peanuts, peas, pine nuts, spinnach, strawberries, sweet potatoes, millets and almonds. So what is left you well ask. One of the highly recommended greens is the leaves of the drumstick plant. These are very rich in iodine and iron. You can make a koottu or poriyal with the tender leaves. A tasty soup with the leaves can be made by pressure cooking the leaves with a few small onions, garlic and a little green gram dhal. You drink it as it is or coarsely grind and strain it drink as a clear soup. You call all spices like jeera and fennel or cardamom and cinnamon. This soup while improving thyroid health also improves vascular health and prevents hair fall.
Meat, poultry, eggs and butter (all organic or grass-fed) help promote thyroid health. Fish which are mercury-free, so chose smaller sized fish, are also very good for promoting thyroid health. Avocados, guavas and pomegranates are fruits which are non-goitrogenic. For those already on thyroid medication and wishing to make a shift in the hope that one can ultimately do away with all drugs, please consult your physician. Normally the allopathic drug is reduced 25 mg at a time and frequent tests are done to monitor the levels of the Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH), free T3 and free T4. Combine this new drug and food regimen with a daily practice of Ujjayi pranayama. The Ujjayi pranayama draws the breath through the throat and thyroid area and is extremely beneficial in maintaining a healthy thyroid.
So from pretty flowering trees to the common drumstick plant and traditions of yoga; these should get your thyroid glands into good working order.
--- The writer is retired Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu. She can be reached at Sheelarani.arogyamantra@gmail. com. Earlier articles can be accessed at http://arogyamantra.blogspot.com/