Kerala government forms separate department for Ayush

Mirroring the central model, the government of Kerala has formed a separate department for Ayush (Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) with a view to promote the use of Indian Systems of Medicine (ISM) and to implement various projects under Union government’s Ayush programmes.

With this, after Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh, Kerala becomes the third state in the country to have separate department for Ayush systems. It will help the state to avail more funds through Central government schemes to implement various centrally sponsored projects.

The creation of the Ayush department will help largely for the growth of traditional medicines in Kerala, especially in the field of Ayurveda. The main objectives of the department include strengthening methods of treatment under ISM, develop standards of Ayush education by modernising hospitals and other healthcare institutions, develop infrastructure facilities for Ayush education, push up research activities in the sector, promote educational programmes under Indian systems of medicine, adopt measures to improve the quality of drugs and to increase the availability of raw drugs and medicinal plants.

The creation of the department will improve acceptance of Ayurveda . Kerala will become the capital of Ayurveda in the country, though it is already a major hot-spot for ayurvedic treatments.

Cinnamon For Hypertension

Cinnamon a commonly used spice is available as rolled quills, powder or liquid extract. There are many cinnamon varieties although the most commonly used is Ceylon cinnamon and Cassia (Chinese) Cinnamon. Cinnamon also offers various health benefits mainly due to the presence of volatile oils cinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl alcohol and cinnamyl acetate. Cinnamon contains calcium, iron, manganese, vitamin K and dietary fiber.

Cassia cinnamon has especially been used for medicinal purposes. It could be used to treat hypertension, some types of cancer, chest pain or kidney disorders. Cinnamon is said to reduce high blood pressure and improve blood glucose circulation. It is also said to help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Foods rich in calcium like cinnamon could help lower blood pressure levels. Calcium acts as a mediator in contracting and relaxing blood vessels. Calcium deficiency could result in raising blood pressure levels. This is where cinnamon can help. 1 tbps of cinnamon provides close to 8% of daily body calcium requirement.

In one randomized trial that studied 58 patients , it was found that 2g cinnamon taken daily reduced high blood pressure and blood sugar levels over time. In a 2006 study it was found that cinnamon regulated blood sugar metabolism and lowered blood pressure in rats suffering from hypertension. Thus cinnamon can be of help in dealing with hypertension but detail effects of cinnamon need some more study.
Read more about Cinnamon.