choongan caralluma report by allah dad khan
TRANSCRIPT
CARALLUMA Caralluma is a genus of
flowering plants in the dogbane family, Apocynaceae, consisting of about 120 species. The generic name is derived from the Arabic word qahr al-luhum, meaning "wound in the flesh" or "abscess," referring to the floral odour. Most of the species occur in Africa, including several taxa valued by people for their medicinal properties.
WHAT IS CARALLUMA Caralluma is a succulent plant (cactus)
from Pakistan. In country it grows wild and is often used as a border in gardens and as a roadside shrub.
It is also found in the wild in Africa, Saudi Arabia, Canary Islands, Afghanistan, and Southern Europe
Caralluma is cooked as a vegetable and is used in preserves such as chutneys and pickles. It is also eaten raw.
CARALLUMA SPECIES The genus Caralluma (Asclepiadaceae)
comprises about 260 species that are succulent, perennial and branched herbs. The species are distributed in Middle East, Africa, Spain and some other countries. In Pakistan, two species C. tuberculata (N.E. Brown) and C. edulis (Edgew) grow wild in the scattered foot-hill areas of Suleiman and Hindukush ranges in Baluchistan, Punjab and Khyber Paktunkhwa
DIFFERENT NAMES OF CARALLUMA TUBERCULATA
Language Name Pashto Pumankay Urdu Choongan English Bitter Cress Botanical Caralluma
Tuberculata
ORIGIN OF CARALLUMA 1. India - Jammu and Kashmir,
Punjab; Pakistan2. Traditionally, Indian tribes chewed
chunks of caralluma to keep from being hungry during a long hunt.
3. These days, a solution that contains chemicals taken from the plant (extract) is used to decrease appetite for weight loss.
4. It is also used to quench thirst and to increase endurance.
DISTRIBUTION IN PAKISTAN It is widely distributed in Pakistan in almost all the four Provinces but the most common in Baluchistan and secondly in NWFP.
Basically, the Caralluma herb is an edible succulent plant. It has been utilized by the people for over a hundred years for many purposes, including the
control of hunger and improved strength. However it has
also been simply used in cooking, as Caralluma is a
typical part of the diet.
CHARACTERISTICS OF CARALLUMA
Spiny leaves and thick flowers characterize the Caralluma plant. The flowers are star
shaped and may be purple, red, black or yellow. They are typically shown during the
summer or fall. The Caralluma stands with an angular stem and is clump forming.
While the herb has been found extremely useful in many kinds of situations.
BOTANY Stem succulent, angular, up to 15 cm tall, branches 8-13
mm broad. Flowers in terminal cymes, pedicellate. Sepals ovate-lanceolate. Corolla 8-9 mm in diameter, dark purple, deeply divided, lobes lanceolate, glabrous. Follicles 8-10.5
cm, glabrous, gradually tapering towards the tip.
CHONG Chong or perhaps chonga is used as a
vegetable where we are in Pakistan, although it is not well known in other places it would appear. It is a strange-looking thing when you first see it sitting in a greengrocers, or at leas, we thought so. Neither of us had any idea what it was, so the vegetable seller kindly informed us that this was chong (in Urdu)
CHONGAN AS VEGETABLECaralluma as Vegetable - Hundreds upon hundreds of years, even before the Caralluma herb was known to the Western world, it has been utilized by the peoples as a vegetable. It has also been mixed with chutneys and pickles. It can be consumed both cooked and raw. The green follicles of the herb are often boiled, salted, and consumed.Our greengrocer says that it is good to purify the blood
when it is eaten as a green vegetable (although it is bitter like karella or bitter melon, so the juice needs to be removed prior to cooking) and it is also good for skin problems and diabetes. It can be made into a pickle or chutney, but we have only eaten it cooked, as the juice is very bitter
CARALLUMA AS MEDICINE
1.Caralluma s a plant largely associated with Indian hunter-gatherers for its apparent appetite suppressing properties.,stamina enhancer , food and thrist quencher .
2. Helps in weight loss., blocks the enzyme citrate lyase , Malonyl Coenzyme When these enzyme’s activity istopped, body cannot produce fat , Chong forces your body to start burning its own fat reserves, thus promoting fat loss.
3. Chong is believed to work directly on the appetite control center of your brain, specifically the hypothalamic
4.Caralluma is a “new” discovery in the west in the family of cactii and succulent plants that are becoming increasingly popular for their appetite suppressant, and loss properties, as well as their ability to lower blood sugar.amus, to suppress your appetite.
5.Used In Diabetes
CARE IN USING CARALLUMA The appropriate dose of caralluma
depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for caralluma. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.
PRESENT POSITION AND SCOPE Sold one pot in Pakistan @ 300 Rupees Sold one pot in America @25 Dollars
CULTIVATION PACKAGE OF CARALLUMA
1. Preparation of Pot)
a) Size of pot = ( 10X3 inches)
b) Mix the following ingredients ( Sand: Silty clay:FYM: Wood Bran)( 1:1:1:1)
c) Mix the ingredients thoroughly .
d) Fill the pot and left one inch space for water.
e) Place pots I haf sun and shade place.
2.Propogation through seed
f) Chong starts flowers in March and gives uptil July .
g) Seed form in June July .
h) The seed is sown inn July
i) Seed germinate after 20 days.
j) Plant produced take time to maturity .
F ) Not pregferable.
CULTIVATION PACKAGE CONTINUED
3. Through Cutting Propagation
a) Can be sown year round .
b) Cutting with root and with out roots germinate 100%
c) Plant 30 gm cutting in a pot of ( 10X3 inch)
4.Method of Sowing
a. If through seed , seed depth not more then one inch.
b. Cutting to be planted ½ to 1 inch deep.
c. After planting light watering .
5.Irrigation
a) In winter after 15 days interval
b) In summer after 7 days interval.
CULTIVATION PACKAGE CONTINUED
Shoots with 5 cm in height were separated and individual shoots were transferred for rooting to half-strength MS medium
containing different concentrations of NAA (α-naphthalene acetic acid), IAA (indole-3-acetic acid) andIBA (Indole-3-butyric acid). The cultures were incubated under 16 h photoperiod for
30 days until the micro shoots developed the
roots.
CHONG WITH MINCED BEEF A RECIEPE
Ingredients ½ kilo chong 1 tbsp salt ½ kilo minced beef 2 onions, finely chopped 4 tomatoes, finely chopped 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 inch fresh ginger, finely chopped 2 tbsps lemon juice 1 handful of fresh coriander leaves, finely shredded 6 green chillies, finely chopped 1 tbsp cumin seeds 1 tbsp ajwain or thyme 1 tbsp coriander seeds, crushed 1 tbsp garam masala 1 tsp turmeric (haldi) 8 whole black peppercorns 1 tbsp chilli powder salt to taste 1 cup oil
METHOD TO PREPARE THE CHONG
Wash the chong very well and separate the pieces, discarding the root. Pound it a little but not too much, then put one tablespoon of salt over it and rub it into the pieces of chong with you hands, so that it is well mixed into it. Leave this for half an hour to remove the bitter juices.
After half an hour, squeeze the chong to remove the excess juices. Then wash it in cold water two or three times so that all the bitter juices are removed. Put it in a strainer or sieve and leave to drip.
COOKING
Heat the oil in a pan and add the garlic, ginger, black peppercorns and cumin seeds, and fry them for 30 seconds then stir in the onion and fry this for 1 minute. Add the minced beef and green chillies, stir and fry for 5 minutes.
Pour in 1 cup of water the turmeric, ajwain or thyme, chilli powder, coriander seeds and salt to taste. (Remember that some salt will have remained on the chong, however well you washed it.)
COOKING CONTD Cook this until the water is gone, then add the
chong and tomatoes, stirring well to mix. Cook this still stirring for 5 – 7 minutes.
Add 2 glasses of water the lemon juice and the garam masala, stirring to mix.
Cover the pan and let it cook for ½ hour over a low heat or until all the water has gone and the oil floats to the top.
Remove from the heat, and then add the fresh coriander, cover for a few minutes so that the flavours mingle and settle and serve with naan or chapattis.
To get the best out of this dish, serve with natural yoghurt.This has Taste and is a Treat.
