Ahalya 60th ingredient to taste for the first time was Polpala and she really liked it. Unlike the milder version of Hathawariya Kenda I offered her before, this time I made her Polpala and Gotukola Kenda the way I usually do at home.
I first picked the leaves of the Polpala herb also known as Mountain Knot Grass and some Gotukola leaves. Then with a little warm water I juiced it in a blender. This I strained, and repeated the process with the crushed leaves again. Meanwhile I had some Rosa Kekulu rice cooking on the stove. To this, I added the strained herb juice and some coconut milk and let it cook until thick and porridge-like (I usually don’t cook kolakenda for so long or make it as thick, but because I needed it to solidify enough to be fed to baby, I
cooked it for longer until it was not as watery as we would usually have at home).
Polpala known scientifically as Aerva Lanata consists of Potassium, Zinc, Iron, Manganese, Calcium and Magnesium. It is believed to be a memory enhancing herb in Ayurveda and is used to remedy headaches, eye ailments and asthma.
Polpala is also effective in counteracting almost all types of hemorrhages and maintaining a healthy body temperature, thereby countering fevers in case of afflictions such as Jaundice.
It is beneficial in avoiding and preventing throat inflammation by protecting the Mucous Lining in case of cold, cough and sore throat, and aids healthy digestion and metabolism.
This herb is extremely effective against kidney, bladder and urinary tract-related ailments and is full of anti-cancer and anti-ulcer properties.
In addition, Aerva Lanata is valuable is countering and curing skin ailments caused due to parasitic attacks, whether it’s inside or outside the body. Its astringent properties are also helpful in ceasing bleeding from wounds and the Emollient aspect of this herb remedies eczema and dry skin conditions in babies and moisturizes and smoothens infant skin.
PINKPOPPYPETAL 