Finger Millet, A Highly Nutritious Cereal

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana, "Dagusa" in Amharic and "Ragi" in Kannada) is an annual plant in the grass family, widely grown in the arid regions of Africa and Asia. Finger millet is native to the Ethiopian Highlands, which was introduced into India approximately 4000 years ago. It is very adaptable to dry climate and grows in higher elevations up to 2,300 metres. It is grown as a cereal crop and a staple food in many regions of Africa and Asia.

Finger millet is often intercropped with legumes such as peanuts (Arachis hypogea), cowpeas (Vigna sinensis), and pigeon peas (Cajanus cajan) etc. It is estimated that finger millet is grown on approximately 38,000 km2. The seeds are stored extremely well and are not attacked by insects or moulds. It grows well without irrigation, pesticides, or fertilisers. The long storage capacity makes finger millet an important crop for poorer farming communities.

 
Finger millet is especially valuable in the amino acid methionine, which is lacking in other cereal crops, notably polished rice. It has the highest content of protein and calcium than any other cereal. It is digested easily from infancy through old age. It costs less than wheat, rice, or dairy milk while delivering superior nutrition. Finger millet can be ground and cooked into cakes, puddings or porridge. It is also used as a flavoured drink in festivals. The preparation made out of this cereal is considered as a weaning food for babies because of its high nutrition content. It is a good food for those with osteoporosis and other calcium deficient patients. Finger millet is an ideal food for obese people, because its digestion is slow and the carbohydrate takes longer time to get absorbed. It is an important crop for preventing malnutrition in rural communities in some developing countries. The straw from finger millet is used as an animal fodder.

The nutritive value of Ragi per 100 g is as follows:

Protein 7.3 g
Fat 1.3 g
Carbohydrate 72 g
Minerals 2.7 g
Calcium 3.44 g
Fibre 3.6 g
Energy 328 kCal

Preparation:
In India, finger millet (called locally as ragi) is mostly grown and consumed in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Goa. Ragi flour is made into flatbreads, including thick, leavened dosa and thinner, unleavened roti. Ragi grain is malted and the grains are ground. This ground flour is consumed mixed with milk, boiled water or yoghurt. In southern parts of India, pediatricians recommend finger-millet-based food for infants of six months and above because of its high nutritional content, especially Iron and calcium. Home made Ragi malt happens to be one of the most popular infant food even to this day. Sprouting ragi increases the bioavailability of its iron to 88%, comparable only to mother’s milk (and 8 times higher than cow’s milk).

Health Benefits of Ganoderma Lucidum Mushroom

Ganoderma Lucidum mushroom is known to cure various chronic diseases including organ diseases and cancer. It also slows down the aging process and prevent illnesses. Ganoderma is a genus of polypore mushooms which grow on wood and include about 80 species, mostly from the tropical regions. The name Ganoderma is derived from the Greek ganos "brightness, sheen", hence "shining" and derma "skin" and lucidum in Latin for "shining." As a fungus it is not capable of producing their own nutrient through photosynthesis such as green plants. They lead a parasitic life by surviving on nutrients of other plants and animals. Ganoderma are wood-decaying fungi with a cosmopolitan distribution, and can grow on both coniferous and hardwood species. They are white-rot fungi, and have enzymes that allow them to break down wood components such as lignin and cellulose.

Língzhi  is the name for one form of the mushroom Ganoderma lucidum, and its close relative Ganoderma tsugae. It is extensively used in traditional Asian Chinese medicine for more than 4,000 years for their potential for bioremediation and it is one of the oldest mushrooms known to have been used in medicine. An ancient medical practitioner Lee Shizhen from Ming Dynasty classified Ganoderma as the "superior herb" also known as the "King of Herbs." He grouped Ganoderma herb into six categories by its color and form, namely Green, Purple, Red, Yellow, White and Black Ganoderma. All six types have its own medicinal values and healing effects.

Description
Ganoderma are characterized by basidiocarps that are large, perennial, woody brackets, also called "conks". They are lignicolous, leathery, and either with or without a stem. The fruit bodies typically grow in a fanlike or hooflike form on the trunks of living or dead trees. They have double-walled, truncate spores with yellow to brown ornamented inner layers. It is a polypore mushroom which is soft when fresh, corky, and flat, with a conspicuous red-varnished, kidney-shaped cap and depending on the age, white to dull brown pores underneath. It lacks gills on its underside and releases its spores through fine pores and so is classified as a polypore.


Benefits

There are special healing properties of Ganoderma on circulatory system, nervous system, and immune system as well as anti-cancer effects. Ganoderma Lucidum has the an unusual combination of beneficial components such as Polysaccharides, Organic Germanium, Peroxide Dismutase, and Triterpenes.

It possess anti-tumor, immunomodulatory and immunotherapeutic activities, supported by studies on polysaccharides, terpenes, and other bioactive compounds isolated from fruiting bodies and mycelia. It has also been found to inhibit platelet aggregation, and to lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar.

The mechanisms by which Ganoderma Lucidum may affect cancer are unknown and they may target different stages of cancer development: inhibition of angiogenesis mediated by cytokines, cytoxicity, inhibiting migration of the cancer cells and metastasis, and inducing and enhancing apoptosis of tumor cells.

Ganoderic acid  can help to strengthen the liver against liver injury by viruses and other toxic agents in mice, suggesting a potential benefit of this compound in the prevention of liver diseases in humans and Ganoderma-derived sterols inhibit lanosterol 14 alpha-demethylase activity in the biosynthesis of cholesterol.

Ganoderma is reported to exhibit direct anti-viral with the following viruses; HSV-1, HSV-2, influenza virus, vesicular stomatitis. Ganoderma mushrooms are reported to exhibit direct anti-microbial properties with the following organisms; Aspergillus niger, Bacillus cereus, Candida albicans, and Escherichia coli.

Ganoderma Lucidum also contains Polysaccharides which help to strengthen your immune system. Hence the stabilizing effects of Ganoderma can strengthen your health, improve your vitality and improve your immune system. These mushrooms can improve the immune system by activating Macrophages and Natural Killer (NK) cells. Macrophages are the important first line defence against virus, bacteria and foreign substances. NK cells are responsible to kill cancer cells in the body. Some can even improve allergic conditions such as skin allergy and asthma.


Extracted active components of Ganoderma can neutralize toxics in the body, reduce free radicals to slow down aging, and remove circulation blockage. Ganoderma can eliminate toxins accumulated in your body through intake of drugs. The organic Germanium in Ganoderma helps to enhance the ability of blood to take in more oxygen by 1.5 times. It also increases the metabolism rate and slow down the aging.


Availability
Ganoderma is available in capsules and liquid extracts, which can be found at health food stores. You can also take ganoderma in tea or coffee form, but the flavor may be bitter.

Medicinal Use
Usually 1 to 3 capsules of Ganoderma extract capsule per day is recommended for normal person and the dose can be increased from 3 to 6 capsules for those with serious and chronic health problems. Some people experience dry nose, dry throat, nausea, and gastrointestinal problems when taking Ganoderma, which is normal. Since the mushroom might interact with certain medications (such as anticoagulants and some chemotherapeutic agents), it is important to tell your physician when considering the use of Ganoderma. Please consult a registered medical practitioner before using it.