Pulses PDF Print E-mail
Health
Written by Shrii P. R. Sarkar   

Peas (Kalai, Matar)

Peas are called “kalai” in Sam´skrta, “matar” or “kalai” in Bengali and “kerao” by the inhabitants of Bihar. Peas are a very substantial and nutritious food, but if they are eaten excessively they may cause skin disease.
There are two varieties : Small Black Variety Big White Variety The small variety is
called “t´hikre matar” in Bengali. This black pea may be grown as a “pigeon crop” in the paddy field, like khesa´ri. It may also be used as a single crop by tilling the land and growing it as a winter crop, or as a blended crop along with wheat in a ratio of 9:1 wheat to peas.
The big white variety will produce a winter crop, but the land must be tilled properly. Peas take four months to mature, that is, almost the same amount of time as khesa´ri. The leaf of the pea has more potassium than the green gram leaves (chola´ sha´k), but less than caladium. It is also a laxative.

Bengal Gram (Cana, Chola)
Bengal gram is known as “canak” or “buntik” in Sam´skrta, “ca´na´” in Hindi, “chola´” in Persian, Urdu and standard Bengali, “rahila´” in Bhojpuri and “but” in Bihar and Ra´r´hi Bangla.
There are three varieties of Bengal gram : Small Black Variety (T´hikre Cha´na´) Pink Variety (Gula´bi Cha´na´) All White Variety (Ka´buli Cha´na´)
The black variety of Bengal gram has substantial food value and is the most tasty. The plants are small and the yield is low. It is grown as a “pigeon crop” with paddy, just like khesa´ri, black pea (t´hikre mat´ar) and pea, if the soil is dry after harvesting the a´man crop. If it is grown as a “pigeon crop”, it should be sown by the 10th of Agraha´yan´a at the latest, otherwise boro paddy should be planted. Black Bengal gram takes five months to mature, from Ka´rttika to Pha´lguna. Black gram can also be sown as a “pigeon crop” for research.
The pink variety is produced as a winter crop after the land has been tilled. It also takes five months to mature. The all white Bengal gram is all white, and bigger, less tasty, less substantial and less productive than the other varieties, but it is a good money earner. It is also produced as a winter crop after tilling the land.
Gram has good nutritional value but it is hard to digest. Gram gives immediate energy, but not much reserve energy. Horses are often fed gram because it is easy to soak. As long as the gram is in their stomachs, they can work, but when it is digested they must be fed again.
When the gram crop is one month old, its leaves and stems should be picked for use as green vegetables (sha´k). This induces side offshoots so that there is more flowering and fruiting. But the practice of plucking the leaves and stems should be stopped one month before flowering. For example, if flowering occurs on the 1st of Paos´, then plucking should be stopped from the 1st of Agraha´yan´a. This rule applies to all the pulses.
One property of gram leaves is that they are rich in calcium. During teething, children often suffer from diarrhoea because all the calcium in their diet goes into teeth formation. In the rainy season also, children sometimes suffer from diarrhoea because the rainwater does not contain many minerals. If a child develops diarrhoea and becomes emaciated due to lack of calcium, gram leaves will restore his or her health. The leaves should be ground into a liquid, which will turn red, and this juice should be taken. Also, if a nursing mother dies, the baby can be fed boiled gram leaves as a substitute for mothers milk. This will prevent the health of the baby deteriorating.
Gram husk makes a good cattle feed. Milk giving animals relish gram husk mixed with mustard oil cake (sars´e khal)

Shrii P. R. Sarkar