If you have even a small piece of Curcuma aromatica/ kasthuri manjal/ wild turmeric in the room, the whole room will smell very nice. Kasthuri Manjal/ Wild turmeric is very fragrant and you could have easily guessed that it is my favorite among all the turmeric varieties, as I have even named my blog wild turmeric. Each turmeric have their own uses and health benefits but when it comes to external applications, wild turmeric is the king. Wild turmeric treats a variety of skin diseases from acne, eczema to insect bites on the skin.

The main difference between kasthuri manjal from other variety of turmerics is it does not stain the skin like the regular turmeric, and is very fragrant than the normal turmeric. But we don't use this variety for cooking, we only use it for external applications. I like to buy organic dried kasthuri manjal and make my own turmeric powder at home. If you don't get them in your place, try using good quality wild turmeric powder. Dried kasthuri manjal stores well, buy it in bulk, sun dry and store it. Whenever you want to use, you can powder it a mixer preferably after sun drying it a little more. This way, it retains the freshness longer. Kasthuri manjal has strong antiseptic and anti bacterial properties, making it the best for acne treatments. But if you have sensitive skin, never use turmeric alone. Use it along with a conditioning agents like milk, yogurt, etc. If you have oily skin, you can mix it with rose water. Even pregnant women can use kasthuri manjal on their skin at least weekly once or twice mixed with yogurt and little bit of coconut oil on their skin, before bath to prevent stretch marks.

 

Beauty benefits:

 

1.Kasthuri Manjal Face Pack for Fairness/ Skin Whitening:

                                      I haven't come across any ingredient that changes our skin color dramatically. Whenever I see an advertisement promising fair skin, I only think how misleading these advertisements are, spending billions of dollars to make us believe something that is not true. But there are natural ingredients that brighten our skin and kasthuri manjal tops that list. A simple homemade face pack made with kasthuri manjal powder and milk/ yogurt will brighten our skin considerably, if used regularly.

2. Kasthuri Manjal For Unwanted Facial Hair Removal:

                                     Regular use of kasthuri manjal on the face as a face pack helps to retard facial hair growth. In our village, many homes have a small stone along with a small piece of turmeric in the bathroom. When women have their bath, they rub the turmeric on the stone and apply the paste on their face, this keeps the face blemish free and also removes facial hair. But this has to be done for a long time. 

3. Kasthuri Manjal for Babies:

                            When the women gets pregnant in our place, we start preparing nalangu powder/ nalangu maavu/ bath powder. It is a powder made with kasthuri manjal and other herbs that keep the babies skin blemish free. We don't use kasthuri manjal for boy babies, we only use it for girl babies as it reduces the hair growth on their skin, if used regularly. I will post the recipe for it very soon in the blog.

4. Kasthuri Manjal for Acne & Acne Scars:

                           Kasthuri manjal is amazing for treating acne and acne scars. Unlike chemical filled acne creams sold in the market, kasthuri manjal acne treatment is very effective for treating acne and acne scars and does not have any side effects. A homemade face pack made with holy basil leaves and kasthuri manjal is very effective for acne and acne scars. You can fine the link for the recipe here. I have used regular fat variety of turmeric for the pack, but using kasthuri manjal is even more effective.

5. Kasthuri Manjal Bath Powder:

                  We make a wonderful bath powder at home with kasthuri manjal. It is made with white turmeric, kasthuri manjal/ wild turmeric, rose petals and green gram dhal. This bath powder is very fragrant, prevent skin diseases and does not strip of skin's natural oils. You can find the recipe for it here. But make sure to sun dry the bath powder ingredients well before powdering, for it to store well.