By Dr Kasturi Desai
Ganesh Chathurthi is usually celebrated for one-and-a-half-day, five-days or seven-days, but many continue the celebration for eleven, thirteen or twenty-one-days.
Be it a large scale or a small household celebration it is customary to use the fruits that were part of the Matoli as Prasad. In public celebrations the fruits are auctioned and received as blessings of the Lord. Though pineapples are not fruits of the season, but special efforts are made to preserve a few fruits of the previous year and are offered to Lord Ganesha.
Pineapple is botanically called Ananas cosmosus. This fruit is very rich in Vitamin C, manganese - an essential mineral which helps break down fats, carbohydrates and proteins. It is also a good source of Vitamin B1 and Vitamin B6, copper and is rich in fibre. The fruit is a good anti-oxidant and helps support the immune system. It helps in protecting age related eye problems. The enzyme bromalain though found less in the fruits but rich in the stem is known to be an anti-inflammatory agent and is used for the treatment of athletic injuries, digestive problems, sinusitis and healing after surgery.
Banana is a must in the decoration of the Matoli and it is one fruit that is a very common produce of the Goan agricultural family. Besides, being an important fruit, the entire plant has many medicinal properties. The ash of the entire plant or the leaves and the stem is anti scorbutic that is used to treat scurvy - a disease of the gums. The ash is very effective in treating acidity, heartburn and is often used to expel intestinal worms. In the case of ulcers the ash is dusted. The plant juice is an astringent and it quenches thirst in cholera. It is also administered in the case of nervous disorders like hysteria and epilepsy. As a mild purgative it is given with ghee. The juice is also used to treat diarrhoea and dysentery. A poultice of the inner part of the pseudostem is applied on burns and ulcers. The fresh, terminal leaves coated with bland oil is used as a surgical dressing for inflamed and blistered surfaces. The green leaves provide shade for the eyes in opthalmia and other eye diseases. The root of the plant is a tonic and is antibilious. It is given to retain urine. In the treatment of gonorrhoea it is given with ghee and sugar. The root is also prescribed in the diseases of the glands and goitre. A cold infusion of the root is effective in treating people under the influence of alcohol. The root is also administered in venereal diseases, anaemia and disorders of the blood. An enema of an infusion of the root is given in diarrhoea. The juice of the flower with curd is very effective in treating dysmenorrhoea and menorrhagia. For diabetic patients, the cooked flowers are effective. The fruit is not only delicious but also has many medicinal properties.
One ripe fruit mixed with tamarind and salt is a household remedy for dysentery and diarrhoea. The fruit relieves soreness of the throat and chest accompanied with dry cough. It also relieves irritability of the bladder and is a good laxative. The unripe fruit is often included in the diet of diabetic patients.
Areca catechu or supari is another fruit which is invariably hung on the Matoli. The hot poultice of the leaf or the juice mixed with some bland oil is applied to the loins to treat lumbago. The nut is a laxative and carminative helping to relieve stomach problems. In fact it acts as a mild nervine tonic. The mastication of the nut removes bad taste from the mouth, strengthens the gum and checks perspiration. The powder of the nut is given with milk or honey to expel intestinal worms like round worms and tape worms. The nut is prescribed in calculous affection, urinary disorders, and heartburn during pregnancy and vaginal discharge.
Different types of cucurbits, citrus fruits and variety of gourds are part of the Matoli. Besides being used as vegetables and fruits, they have medicinal properties. One typical vegetable now-a-days not very easily available but that used to be common is Phaglan. It is botanically called Memordica dioica. The fruit resembles the common bitter gourd or Karela. It is medicinally used to treat fever, breathing problems, bowel affection, bleeding piles and urinary complaints.
