Low carbon intensive Building materials

Chemical reactions in the firing of clay.

Solar powered ceramic firing

Medicinal plants used for kalpam

Amritabhallataka
Ingredients

• Bhallataka (sans), Bhilava (hindi), Amberi (konkani), Tetrankottai (tamil)
• cow's milk
• cow's ghee

Amritavartika
Ingredients

Daruharidra is an evergreen shrub having height 1.25 to 3 meters. The leaves are strong with fine whorld venation, straight, but with dentate or corrugated margins. Inflorascence is 5-8 cms. Long, with large yellow coloured flowers. The fruits are bluish purple and small(called zarishka in Yunani). Flowers bloom in the spring and fruits in winter . The stem is ash coloured from outside but is dark yellow coloured inside. It mainly grows in Himalaya, Parasnath, Nilgiri, Nepal etc at height of 0.75 to 4.25 thousand meters. - See more at: http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=14875#sthash.oZyAivPV.dpuf

Daruharidra is an evergreen shrub having height 1.25 to 3 meters. The leaves are strong with fine whorld venation, straight, but with dentate or corrugated margins. Inflorascence is 5-8 cms. Long, with large yellow coloured flowers. The fruits are bluish purple and small(called zarishka in Yunani). Flowers bloom in the spring and fruits in winter . The stem is ash coloured from outside but is dark yellow coloured inside. It mainly grows in Himalaya, Parasnath, Nilgiri, Nepal etc at height of 0.75 to 4.25 thousand meters. - See more at: http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=14875#sthash.oZyAivPV.dpuf

• Triphala
• Trikatu
• Brahmi
• Guduci
• Red chitraka
• Nagakesara
• Bhringaraja
• Dried ginger
• Nirgundi
• Haridra
• Daruharidra, Berberis aristata, Daruhaldi (hindi)
  
  Daruharidra is an evergreen shrub having height 1.25 to 3 meters. The leaves are strong with fine whorld venation, straight, but with dentate or corrugated margins. Inflorascence is 5-8 cms. Long, with large yellow coloured flowers. The fruits are bluish purple and small(called zarishka in Yunani). Flowers bloom in the spring and fruits in winter . The stem is ash coloured from outside but is dark yellow coloured inside. It mainly grows in Himalaya, Parasnath, Nilgiri, Nepal etc at height of 0.75 to 4.25 thousand meters. - See more at: http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=14875#sthash.oZyAivPV.dpuf
  Daruharidra is an evergreen shrub having height 1.25 to 3 meters. The leaves are strong with fine whorld venation, straight, but with dentate or corrugated margins. Inflorascence is 5-8 cms. Long, with large yellow coloured flowers. The fruits are bluish purple and small(called zarishka in Yunani). Flowers bloom in the spring and fruits in winter . The stem is ash coloured from outside but is dark yellow coloured inside. It mainly grows in Himalaya, Parasnath, Nilgiri, Nepal etc at height of 0.75 to 4.25 thousand meters.
  
  Daruharidra is an evergreen shrub having height 1.25 to 3 meters. The leaves are strong with fine whorld venation, straight, but with dentate or corrugated margins. Inflorascence is 5-8 cms. Long, with large yellow coloured flowers. The fruits are bluish purple and small(called zarishka in Yunani). Flowers bloom in the spring and fruits in winter . The stem is ash coloured from outside but is dark yellow coloured inside. It mainly grows in Himalaya, Parasnath, Nilgiri, Nepal etc at height of 0.75 to 4.25 thousand meters. - See more at: http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=14875#sthash.oZyAivPV.dpuf
  Daruharidra is an evergreen shrub having height 1.25 to 3 meters. The leaves are strong with fine whorld venation, straight, but with dentate or corrugated margins. Inflorascence is 5-8 cms. Long, with large yellow coloured flowers. The fruits are bluish purple and small(called zarishka in Yunani). Flowers bloom in the spring and fruits in winter . The stem is ash coloured from outside but is dark yellow coloured inside. It mainly grows in Himalaya, Parasnath, Nilgiri, Nepal etc at height of 0.75 to 4.25 thousand meters. - See more at: http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=14875#sthash.oZyAivPV.dpuf
  Daruharidra is an evergreen shrub having height 1.25 to 3 meters. The leaves are strong with fine whorld venation, straight, but with dentate or corrugated margins. Inflorascence is 5-8 cms. Long, with large yellow coloured flowers. The fruits are bluish purple and small(called zarishka in Yunani). Flowers bloom in the spring and fruits in winter . The stem is ash coloured from outside but is dark yellow coloured inside. It mainly grows in Himalaya, Parasnath, Nilgiri, Nepal etc at height of 0.75 to 4.25 thousand meters. - See more at: http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=14875#sthash.oZyAivPV.dpuf
  Daruharidra is an evergreen shrub having height 1.25 to 3 meters. The leaves are strong with fine whorld venation, straight, but with dentate or corrugated margins. Inflorascence is 5-8 cms. Long, with large yellow coloured flowers. The fruits are bluish purple and small(called zarishka in Yunani). Flowers bloom in the spring and fruits in winter . The stem is ash coloured from outside but is dark yellow coloured inside. It mainly grows in Himalaya, Parasnath, Nilgiri, Nepal etc at height of 0.75 to 4.25 thousand meters. - See more at: http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=14875#sthash.oZyAivPV.dpuf
  Daruharidra is an evergreen shrub having height 1.25 to 3 meters. The leaves are strong with fine whorld venation, straight, but with dentate or corrugated margins. Inflorascence is 5-8 cms. Long, with large yellow coloured flowers. The fruits are bluish purple and small(called zarishka in Yunani). Flowers bloom in the spring and fruits in winter . The stem is ash coloured from outside but is dark yellow coloured inside. It mainly grows in Himalaya, Parasnath, Nilgiri, Nepal etc at height of 0.75 to 4.25 thousand meters. - See more at: http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=14875#sthash.oZyAivPV.dpuf
  Daruharidra is an evergreen shrub having height 1.25 to 3 meters. The leaves are strong with fine whorld venation, straight, but with dentate or corrugated margins. Inflorascence is 5-8 cms. Long, with large yellow coloured flowers. The fruits are bluish purple and small(called zarishka in Yunani). Flowers bloom in the spring and fruits in winter . The stem is ash coloured from outside but is dark yellow coloured inside. It mainly grows in Himalaya, Parasnath, Nilgiri, Nepal etc at height of 0.75 to 4.25 thousand meters. - See more at: http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=14875#sthash.oZyAivPV.dpuf
• Purified Vijaya, (shuddhi technique is in Formulary of Siddha Medicines)
• Cinnamon bark
• Smaller cardamom
• Gambhari, Gmelina arborea, .  Part reqd: Bark
• Vayavidanga, Embelia ribes.  Part Used: Seed
• Vaca
• Guda from Kamrup des

post season observation

I noted something interesting about the alsande after it dried up.  It was surrounded by weeds of a particular kind (need to get a snap of that).  Maybe that is an indicator of nitrogen in soil? 

The magic bean

Eng.: Velvet bean
Sans: Kapikachhu, Atmagupta
Tam: Periya poonaikaali

An article on how velvet bean has been used to increase productivity around the world.  It is a good forage crop and good ground cover to prevent weeds from coming up.  It is also used in Ayurvedic medicines.  It has been used to supplement food during droughts in NE India.  The water it is boiled in must be thrown away to remove toxins.

Indigenous Microorganisms

Developed by Dr.Cho of Korea:
natural farming with indigenous microorganisms

Medicinal plants to grow

High demand for:
Sita Ashoka the main ingredient of Ahsokaristha (a key Ayurvedic formulation for gyaenecological disorders). The estimated demand of Sita Ashoka bark is in excess of 2,000 MT, however, the availability in the wild is extremely rare.

Guggal (Commiphora wightii) – a thorny bush which yields gum resin and is used in more than 100 Ayurvedic preparations. Likewise, though more than 1,000 MT of gum resin of Guggal is used by the Ayurvedic industry, more than 90% of this is imported.

Dashmools – used in the most widely used Ayurvedic preparation – Dashmoolarishta.
Bilva root (Aegle marmelos),
Agnimantha root (Premna integrifolia),
http://www.kew.org/plants-fungi/Premna-serratifolia.htm
Shyonaka root (Oroxylum indicum),
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oroxylum_indicum
Its pollinated by bats and here's an interesting site on bat plants :-)
http://www.batplants.co.uk/brokenbonesfinal.htm
http://theherbs.org/articles/article-87.html
Patala root (Stereospermym suaveolens),
Found in Davanagere Dist.
Kashmari root (Gmelina arborea),
Bruhati root (Solanum indicum),
Kantakari root (Solanum xanthocarpum) kandankattiri,
Shalaparni root (Desmodium ganageticum) pulladi, orilai,
Prushniparni root (Uraria picta),
Gokshura root (Tribulus terrestris)

Interesting article on the sea almond tree and the bat that pollinates it:
http://www.batplants.co.uk/sea%20almond%20tree.htm
And on casuarina:
http://www.batplants.co.uk/casuarina.htm

Michaelia champaka - orange flowers, nitrogen fixing.
Pongam
Arasu
Aala
Coral Tree - Erythrina stricta, nitrogen fixing

Interesting medicinal plants to grow:
Nilappanai Curculigo Orchioides
Poonaikaali Mucuna Pruriens Velvet bean
Bhoomishakkara kizhangu Ipomoea digitata
Ammukkara kizhangu Withania Somnifera Aswagandha
Asperagus Racemosus Sathavari

Links on pruning trees

http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/430/430-456/430-456.html

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/dg0628.html

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/ag29.html