Name and classification of the plant
The vernacular name of the plant is Mustard, while the scientific name is Brassica juncea which belongs to Family Brassicaceae; Order Brassicales.
Plant description
Brown mustard Chinese mustard, Indian mustard, leaf mustard, Oriental mustard and vegetable mustard is the common name for species Brassica juncea. Brassica juncea is an annual herb that is native to southern and eastern Asia. The foliage leaves of the plant are pale green. The first leaves are with a few hairs. The leaf blade terminates well up the petiole. Mature B. juncea plants grow to a height of 1 to 2 meters. The lower leaves are lobed, while the upper leaves are narrow and entire. The inflorescence is an elongated raceme and the flowers are pale yellow and open progressively upwards from the base of the raceme. The seed pods of the plant are slightly appressed. It length is 2.5 to 5 cm, including of the beak. The beak is 0.5 to 1 cm long. Seeds are round and can be yellow or brown.
Culinary Use of plant
Plant are cultivated for their greens, and
for oilseed production. The mustard spice produced from the seeds of the B.
juncea is considered to be spicier than yellow mustard. B. juncea is
the main species grown for the production of mustard oil in Russia. This oil is
widely used in canning, baking and margarine production.
The leaves of the
cultivars of B. juncea are used in African cooking, and all plant parts
are used in Nepali cuisine, as well as in the Punjabi cuisine in the northern
part of Indian, where a dish called mustard greens (sarson da saag) is prepared.
The thick stem of B. juncea subsp. tatsai, is used to make the Chinese
pickle zha cai and the Nepali pickle called achar. In common, mustard greens
are cooked with meat of all sorts in Nepal, especially goat meat. In a pressure
cooker, the mustard and meat is normally prepared in with minimal use of spices
to focus on the flavour of the greens and dry chillies. The seeds of Brassica
juncea are more pungent than greens from kale, broccoli, and collard, and
are frequently mixed with these milder greens in a dish of "mixed
greens".
In Asia, mustard greens are most often pickled or stir-fried. The left lovers from a large meal are used to make a Southeast Asian dish called assam gai choy or kiam chai boey. The dish involves stewing mustard greens with tamarind, dried chillies and leftover meat on the bone.
Medicinal uses of plant
Brown mustard has been used for centuries as a medicine to treat conditions ranging from simple toothaches to severe convulsions in small children. Such medicine is typically extracted from Brown mustard leaves and seeds.
The most common use of mustard as a medicine is external as a liniment, poultice, or plaster. Mustard oil stimulates circulation, which relieves muscle pain. Mustard poultices have been used to relieve certain cases of pleurisy and bronchitis. When ingested internally in small amounts, the ingredients of mustard can be used as a laxative or to improve digestion. Also, taken in mild doses, extracts tend to slightly inflame the stomach, causing perspiration which is sometimes helpful in treating colds, fevers, and influenza. Seeds, ingested in large amounts, can induce vomiting. Vomiting happens within 10 minutes, if a person drinks teaspoon of seeds in a glass of water. This treatment is therefore sometimes used in emergency treatment of alcohol or drug overdoses.
In India, mustard is brewed in a tea to relieve muscular and skeletal pain and to treat fevers and colds. In china, mustard is used to treat abscesses, ulcers. It is also used to treat pain which resulted from lumbago and rheumatism. They consider the leaves to be especially helpful to treat inflammation of the bladder.
Additional
medicinal uses of mustard include attacking venom from snake bites and scorpion stings, relieving pain from bruises or a
stiff neck, and relieving colic and respiratory problems. Oil from mustard seed hulls is found to promote
hair growth and help in curing ringworm.
Brown
mustard is also sometimes used as a food supplement to increase body levels of
iron, zinc, chromium and selenium. Its oil is often used in the administration
of massage therapy. Not all uses of brown mustard are beneficial. The highly
odorous and irritating chemical allyl isothiocyanate presents
in Brown mustard has been used to produce mustard gas as a chemical weapon in times of war.
The
seeds and leaves of brown mustard contain several complex chemicals. They
include enzymes, glucosinates, sulphur, protein, and
mucilage. Because of the actions of these chemicals, some surgeons in the past
used a paste of brown mustard to disinfect their hands before operating on patients.
References
https://spiceitupp.com/what-are-mustard-seeds-and-how-to-use-them-for-cooking/
https://www.carehospitals.com/blog-detail/benefits-of-mustard-seeds/
https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-poultice.htm
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