Homemade Digestive Powder.

"Homemade Digestive Powder" ... Tried out my own digestive powder to be mixed with buttermilk/ chaas/dahi with some lemon to be relished after heavy meals when tummy starts grumbling ... It tasted great ... I have also added on some store bought hingashtak churan (Optional) ... tummy khush 

** Everyone of us have suffered a stomach indigestion or a grumbling stomach some time or the other. For some it is a daily affair, while for some it is a rare one and then for some like me it happens when we overeat or when we consume some type of pulses. Come to think about it tummy is very difficult to please, always upto something or the other, does not even spare toddlers, who have not yet learnt to speak. But, let’s not blame the tummy, why ??? obviously you are trying to pass the buck. Why will tummy be upset on it’s own. It’s our own doing, Isn’t it, after all we fed it so it is we who are to be blamed. Ok, let’s forget the blame game and come to the the point, yes relief for the tummy when its upset. There are some simple home remedies that must be given a try before you reach out for those gelusils or digestive tablets. 

** Indigestion is the main cause for a tummy upset and there are many a home remedies that actually give relief. I was so used to taking medicines that, there came a point in my life when I was filled with acidity and got loads of problems. I had a throat infection that just could not be diagnosed as to the level of increasing acidity. My Dr. just could not come to conclusion as all test were normal. Finally she suggest changing of oil and bland food diet to remove acidity for a period of minimum 6 months. Sigh, I dread to think of those days, which was about 2 decades back. But it worked, bland food, just like baby’s food without chilies, less salt, less sugar and no masala. It relieved me off all my acidity. I have no much knowledge of these things but I know that half the problem starts from spicy and salty foods. 

** It was then I decided to give a try to home remedies, I started digging information from grannies, friends, maid helps (oh they really know so much), books etc. I tried them all on me, my best guide was my maid help, she always gave me useful tips after querying about what I had eaten. She told me the benefits of consumption of kokum water, lemons, saunf, ajwain and yes sesame too. Off course she could not explain properly and would just chatter about saying eat this for this and that for that, sometimes literally confusing me. Another maid of mine told me the benefits of sabja, and my friend always tells me so much about home products. I am ears all the time and our topics are always on health, cooking etc. We never ever chit chat or gossip about people, which is what I like about my new friend. 

** Coming to this churan or digestive powder I prepared, the reason was I was popping this and that all the time and munching on them. Last week when I prepared the prawn biryani, all hell broke loose. As usual greed got the better of me and I overate to the extent that the prawns started protesting in my tummy. They greated havoc and I did not want to take medicine. I kept munching on ajwain and got immense relief. Hubby brought and gave me hingashtaka churan which was also effective, but slightly strong for my taste. I am used to gummy hing / asafoetida bought from Mangalore and somehow do not like any other. That was when I thought enough of this nonsense, I would prepare my own digestive powder. This is my first trial, and I have to add to do some more variations for sure. 

** But it worked, Just put a teaspoon of the powder in your mouth and eat it and drink in a glass of water, that’s it, simply isn’t it. You can also add it to a glass of thin buttermilk along with freshly squeezed juice of one lemon. It tastes simply fantastic and also tummy feels much better. I am sure the day we have some heavy dinner if we have this one after a few hours, we should feel better, though the best thing is to always not overeat or eat wrong combo of foods, sometimes we cant help but relish them at functions or during festive times. Try this, who knows it may work for you like it did for me, though I can’t assure you, there is no harm at all in trying after all they are safe and ingredients available in kitchen. 

** Disclaimer ... I am not a Doctor or Nutritionist nor do I have much knowledge of medicine ... Just an experimenter, who learnt from books, web, older generation / ancestors, friends, relatives and other people around me ... But this simple homemade Digestive Powder / Churan worked for me, and as all they have in them are our own kitchen ingredients they are quite safe. The addition of hingashtak churan is not must, I just added on as it was bought and I wanted to finish it off. You may leave it out, too, it will not make much of a difference as I have added on hing / asafoetida. If you wish you can add on the same from any brand too. 

** Here is how I prepared the Digestive Powder …. My Style … 

** Ingredients : 

Badisep / Fennel Seeds / Saunf : 1 heaped cup 

Carom seeds / Ajwain / Vonvo / Ovam : ¼ cup 

Cumin Seeds / Jeera : 3 tblsp 

White Til / Sesame / Tilu : 2 tblsp 

Hing / Asafoetida : 1 marble sized ball (I used the gummy one) 

OR 

Hing / Asafoetida powder : 2 tblsp 

Kala Namak : 1tblsp (approximately) or as per taste.

Hingashtak Churan (Ready made) : 2 tblsp 

** Heat a thick bottomed kadai / pan and add in the white til, roast on low heat till they splutter slightly, remove in a plate and keep it aside. In the same kadai now add in the fennel seeds and roast on low heat for a few minutes. Remove and add it to the white til in plate. Now continue same procedure with cumin seeds and then with carom seeds at the end add in the hing and fry with it for a few minutes. Let all the ingredients cool completely. 

** Note / Caution : All ingredients to be roasted just for a few minutes on low heat separately and cooled before grinding. Do not roast on high heat as the nutrients contents are lost and some ingredients like jeera turn bitter if roasted for long on high heat. So use minimum heat and minimum time, just slightly roasting and its doen. 

** Add all the roasted ingredients along with kala namak and hingashtak churan into a mixer grinder and grind to a fine powder. Please do not add in water and also do not run the mixer grinder continuously on high speed. The heat created within can make the ingredients sticky and lead to a sticky powder. To get a fine powder, you should stop and mix frequently and not let the ingredients nor the motor of the machine heat. 

** Remove and store in an airtight jar and use as and when necessary. You can safely consume 1 tsp of this powder after heavy meals or whenever need arises. But having said it, control your food and do not make habit of churans, they are ok to be consumed once in a few days but I don’t think we should make habit of anything on daily basis even though its safe. 

** The Best way to consume this is, take a glass of buttermilk, add in a glass of water and 1 tblsp of this powder to it along with the juice of one freshly squeezed lemon. Mix well and serve it after lunch. It tastes great. You can add on extra salt if needed, I have kept it at minimum as too much salt is not good for health and one should learn to relish foods and drinks with minimum salt.