Kandhamal haladi and its benefits

Kandhamal Haladi and its benefits - 

Kandhamal Haladi –

India is the leading country in the world in the production of turmeric. There are turmeric or Haladi productions in different regions of our country.  Kandhamal is one of the regions where turmeric production and consumption is significant. Kandhamal is a district in Odisha state. It is situated in the south part of the state. This district is full of greenery and amazing hills. Kandhamal is famous for turmeric production. It got a geographical indication (GI) tag in 1^st April 2019. GI tag indicates the uniqueness of a product. The soil of this district is suitable for producing turmeric. Here I will write about the properties and benefits of Kandhamal Haladi. The summer season is best for turmeric production. In other seasons the plant may grow but not the fruit. (Please note - I am not comparing this turmeric type with other turmeric types.)

I think all turmeric has similar properties. The percentage of availability of natural ingredients may differ. They show their beneficial properties according to their locality. Here I am explaining about Kandhamal Haladi because I belong to this place and I have used this.

Properties –

1. 2 to 3 per cent of curcumin

2. 12 to 15 per cent of oleoresin - It is a combination of oil and resins. Lower risk of cancer & diarrhoea, treat the digestive problem and treat joint and muscle pain, cure colic flatulence, urinary tract infection, good for rheumatism treatment.

3. 5.3 per cent of volatile oil - It is another term for essential oil. These oils are full of good properties. The uniqueness of volatile oil is in aroma and psychological benefits.

(This properties information is collected from the paper “Value chain analysis of organic turmeric in Kandhamal district of Odisha”)

Let’s discuss these above properties and benefits each by each –

1.     Curcumin – This is an on-demand ingredient for many cosmetic industries. It is very effective for skin problems. Here in Kandhamal ladies use raw turmeric for whole body after bath. It protects you from causing acne and pimples. It has also anti-microbial, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and wound healing capacity.

2.      Oleoresin - It is a combination of oil and resins. It has effective properties such as –

i.Lower risk of cancer & diarrhoea

ii.Treat digestive problem

iii.Treat joint and muscle pain

iv.Cure colic flatulence

v.Effective for urinary tract infection

vi.Good for rheumatism treatment.

3. Volatile oil - It is another term for essential oil. These oils are full of good properties. The uniqueness of volatile oil is in aroma and psychological benefits.

Use of turmeric –

It can be used in raw form and powdered form. Commonly, raw form is used for skin purposes and powdered form is used for cooking purposes.

Use of raw turmeric –

It is very helpful in cleansing skin. It can be crushed or grinded to apply it on the skin.

It is very useful for pain relief from any insect bite. Crushed turmeric is more effective when you apply it quickly after the bite (If you apply it lately then also it will work but early application is more effective). It is said that it sucks the poison and gives you relief.

The other use is “turmeric tea”. It is effective for weight loss and detox our body.  You just need to boil water with crushed turmeric and you can add some crushed ginger.

It provides coolness to our body.

Use of powder turmeric –

It can be used for skin, insect bite and turmeric tea. If you are not available to raw form then switch to powdered form.

A little bit of turmeric is used in almost all Indian cuisines.

The speciality of Kandhamal Haladi –

It is purely organic. People of Kandhamal uses their hands starting from cultivation to drying turmeric. They use fewer instruments for cultivation purpose. They use a mill to make powder from it. They do not add anything to increase their income. They transport the pure turmeric powder throughout Odisha state. The feedback of this whole state is positive for this product which is very good for all the turmeric producing farmers.