•  The article is based on a talk delivered at the Royal Institute Maharagama recently by native food and food sustainability promoter Ranjit Seneviratne

In this current phase our nation is going through, why don’t ‘we’ do something that will give us power – that will force change – make Sri Lanka self-sufficient again – able to provide all the food people need – not with so-called vegetables introduced during colonisation, but with our own vegetables – now called “medicinal herbs” – murunga, Japan batu, gotukola, lunuwila, holy basil (maduruthala/tholasi) gendha – to name a few. 

It’s all so very simple. All we need to do is to eat what humans ate before the discovery of fire, raw herbs, fruits, nuts, yams that grew everywhere - so ALL people were one, together and more importantly, no rich, no poor. 

How can we do this?

By not eating any imported food – especially wheat flour, white sugar (now called “poisons” by US researchers), imported rice (could be genetically modified (GMO) and dangerous – US scientists) and fast foods – well-known to have all sorts of chemical additives. 

Stop using imported agro-chemicals – fertilisers, glyphosate and vegetable seeds like kale, and other “vegetables” introduced by industrialists.

So if no one buys imports – then no profits and no money means no power.

But to make this happen, we must all do this together – just like the protests. 

For example:

We can replace wheat flour and bread with Kurakkan flour, Jak seed flour roti. Imported rice with Deshiya Hal, and for vegetables?

To most people vegetables means carrots, cabbages, beets, leeks, tomatos, peppers – all introduced by the colonials. But, US scientists report these vegetables are today approximately 40% less nutritious due to changes made to increase production. 

But what did we eat before these were introduced? 

Today they are called “medicinal herbs” such as Murunga (Moringa Oleafera “The Miracle Tree”), Gendha (Portulaca) high in vitamin E – grows by the roadside even today, “weeds” such as Kuppamenia (Acalypha indica) an expectorant to treat asthma and pneumonia and for skin problems, Polpala (Aerva lanata) dissolves bladder and kidney stones, Mukunuwenna (Sessile joyweed) cures piles, jaundice, infertility, prevents cancer, various types of thampala, (Amaranth) Ayurvedic usage – treatment for eczema, piles, gonorrhoea, gotukola (Centella asiatica) for heart and stress problems, brain health, Sarana (Horse Purslane) asthma, diabetes, maduruthala (Holy Basil) strengthens immunity against viruses like dengue, COVID, Nidhikumba root – stomach worms, dysentery, Lunuwila (Bacopa) strengthens brain function (if grown in pots, limit drainage as they are marsh plants), as well as other common weed type plants – Gus Nivithi, Ambul Ambili, Monara Kudumbi and a whole lot more.

So it is obvious if we eat different mixes of these leaves raw in mallums, salads or as smoothies every day, we will automatically prevent diseases from harming us. Those of us with any of these illnesses can eat more of the particular herbs (like Masbedda [Gymnema Sylvestre], Thebu [Costus Speciosus], Kovakka [Coccinea Grandis] – for Diabetes) that treat them and gradually heal ourselves – guaranteed – I healed myself and my wife and some friends too.

So, if we eat food raw – we need less gas and if we grow these in homes – less shopping – less fuel – simple isn’t it? 

Today many of us are also scared about the possible shortage of drugs – for diabetes, high blood pressure, gastritis, etc. – chemical drugs (mostly petroleum based) and based on the Old Biology of Pasteur (Pasteurised milk, etc) and Lister and “Listerine” (Chlorinated water, etc.) and Jenner for vaccines – “Petri Dish Research” done in sterile conditions, some 120-130 years ago, is it possible medical science has not found anything new about bacteria, viruses, etc., for more than 100 years?

But like Quantum Physics replaced Newtonian Physics, the Old Biology has been replaced by “The New Biology” based on Nano-scale research (check this out in “pubmed.com” or for non-technical explanation In Greenmedinfo.com). 

According to this new research, we are in the era of the Microbiome, the Virome, of Exosomes, etc. – and that we humans are only some 30-40% “Human” and 60-70% controlled by the “Microbiome” and “Virome”, etc. Similarly all plants and trees are sustained by soil microbiota of microbes, viruses, fungi, etc.

So eating cooked food bypasses the microbiome and feeds our bodies directly, making us fat, especially carbs (which we do not need) and excess carbs could make us sick too. Not to mention, illnesses due to chemicals – found in flavours, colours, preservatives (which kill bacteria) and from agro-chemicals like “Glyphosate” (possible carcinogen – WHO) and WHO warning Bangladesh and Sri Lanka rice has “unacceptable levels of cyanide”. 

Again, the good news is – we CAN cure ALL these diseases if we started eating what humans ate before the discovery of fire – obviously food designed for humans. 

That’s right – they ate raw green leaves, berries, yams, seeds may be raw eggs and no cow’s milk as cows were not domesticated. 

Today, if we like milk, we could drink organic coconut milk or cashew milk, almond milk, etc. which is what I do.  

Proof – I cannot live in a forest – so I surrounded my home in Kollupitiya with a “Forest Garden” which supplies 90% of my salad greens and now I need only one meal a day – a “brunch” (breakfast and lunch) around noon, but I need to share dinner with my wife, so I have a cup of soup and some nights, two tablespoons of the Buckwheat noodles she eats. 

My wife was a 400+ diabetic, now cured – normal blood sugar for the past 20+ years. 

Me – I had stomach ulcers, scar in one lung, which caused recurring bruno-pneumonia, arthritic ankle joints due to flat-feet – all healed and now new hair growing where I was bald – at age 86! As a bonus, I can climb trees and sprint once again – not bad for an old man.

But don’t believe me – just check out these videos by top doctors and medical researchers:

Reversing Type 2 diabetes – starts with ignoring the guidelines | Sarah Hallberg | TEDxPurdueU – https://youtu.be/da1vvigy5tQ

The Science of How the Body Heals Itself – William Li, M.D – https://youtu.be/wlJEGJvI1UA

Fuel crisis? 

OK, growing your own means less shopping for food, but what about going to work?

Why spend money going to the gym? Why not do a work-out while going to work and back? Many do this in the USA, so why not in Colombo? 

Ah! But it’s too hot – is that an excuse – really?

Why not dump the gym suit and cycle to work and back in running shorts/track kits? This way you will have the workout ‘and’ have a good sun-bath for your skin to fill you with disease preventing Vitamin D and much-needed Melatonin too (new research) – not to mention a good sweat-out to detoxify all the chemicals from food, personal products, water and air (in cold climates they pay for a Sauna to do this detoxing through sweating), but for us it’s free.

Once in the office, have a shower (but do ‘not’ use soap which will wash away the Vitamin D) and get into your “Office tie and coat” or whatever. In addition to feeling fit – you will be more alert and the brain will be in top order – because the Japanese have “Radio Thaiso” Program on the radio, so all schools, offices, workshops, etc. have this gentle morning work-out to improve blood circulation to body and brain. 

(I know – I did this as a schoolboy in Malaysia during WW2 and saw it being done in a Japanese-run workshop in Dubai while on an FAO Research Vessel assignment in the 1980s).  

Imagine the money we would save if most of us used bicycles – and the government got serious and made cycle tracks in Colombo – with racks for them at rail and bus stations and in office complexes. 

They have “cycle tracks” in Holland, Rome, Singapore. In Rome they have a “Smart Card” system with a small charge, but mainly to monitor cycle use. The “Smart card” releases the bike from the vertical (to save space) bike-rack and after use you park the bike in a similar rack close to your office. The tourists love this because it allows them to explore all the small, ancient by-lanes of old Rome. We could do the same here in Colombo and even have a forest in Viharamaha Devi Park with a village home somewhere in the middle serving “buth curry” for visitors sitting on logs. Won’t the tourists just love that!

But what about the debt crisis?

From the videos you will realise that the world is waking up. There will be a huge demand for “organic natural food” and “forest-grown food” will have an even bigger demand – for obvious reasons. These could be in powdered form (dried without heat, with cooled hot air to minimse heat damage) or as “essential oils” or herbal medications (Hela Vedakama and Ayurvedic preparations) and even as “frozen whole food packs” of herb salads, curries, etc. As these are well-known natural foods, the receiving countries will only check for harmful chemical residues from agro-chemicals and food additives.

So what are we waiting for? Let’s heal our dead soils and gardens with biomass (which is being burnt in almost every home to keep the garden “clean”?).

To start the process, we do ‘not’ need to compost leaves and biomass – just chop them up (only the large leaves) and collect them in a corner.

Never dig the garden because digging and turning the soil upsets the soil habitat of micro-bota, worms, etc. This is called “No till” gardening.

Next, cover the old grasses and weeds with paper (preferably not newspaper) to block out sunlight to kill the existing grasses, weeds, etc.  

A few days later, spread a minimum 4-inch layer of the biomass for the microbiota to gradually turn it into top-soil. (You could use powdered compost but it must be mixed with biomass, because the microbes, worms, etc., also need oxygen like all creatures and any powdered stuff could choke out the air).

Food waste from the table and kitchen – blend with a little water to make a “Worm Soup”. Dig a small 8-10 inch deep hole and pour it in and cover with soil. No flies, no rats and in 3-4 days it will be top-soil – only some eggshell and bone pieces which also disappear in days. 

Keep adding biomass to keep the biomass layer about 4-inches deep, even after you start planting seeds and plants.

For really poor, hard dead soil, it could take a year or more to build about a 6-inch layer of rich, black top-soil.

It is best to wait until there is a good layer of top-soil before planting seeds and plants.

In the meantime, you could purchase plants in pots from venders in “Diyata Uyana” Rajagiriya (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) like “CeylonAgri” (who have YouTube videos) and have a “Kitchen Garden” of potted herbs. Later these could be transferred to bigger (preferably clay pots) with the dark, rich soil from your new “healed garden”.

(Ranjit Seneviratne has been researching health and food sustainability for the past 30 years. He is a marine engineer by profession. He was Project Operations Officer, FAO, Rome and one of his projects dubbed ‘Blue Revolution’ by the locals resulted in the Government of Bangladesh winning the first Souma Award, given by FAO to a Government that best developed an FAO project. His FAO Project in Eritrea was shortlisted for the second Souma Award and two of his Project Managers won B.R. Sen Awards for Excellence. He is currently a soil healing consultant who maintains his Colombo home garden as a laboratory to develop various techniques of biodiversity conservation that includes rainwater harvesting. He was among the pioneers of the organic revival in Sri Lanka in the 1980s. He promotes traditional food of Sri Lanka through traditional, nature-based methods of cultivation through the foresting method.)