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Sunday, 15 July 2012

Home Remedies that even the doctors use and prescribe


Home Remedies that even the doctors use and prescribe  


Your Refrigerator and kitchen cabinet bursts with cooking ingredients that can ease a clutchful of conditions. Although there are as many home remedies as there are people on this earth. Here we introduce you to only those ones which have a semblance of scientific basis to them. Remedies that haven't made it to this list will have to wait till you and me find a plausible and scientific reason for them.



ANXIETY


Just juice it Raw carrot or lettuce juice has calming properties and helps when you are stressed out, says Granny. Science has now given weight to this theory. Apparently it is the magnesium ( present in moderate amounts in these veggies ) that helps by regulating serotonin balance. The antioxidants are a bonus. Drink 2 to 3 cups a day if you are a worrisome character. 



ARTHRITIS


Ice it Fill small plastic bags with ice and seal them. Hold or secure one over and one under each painful knee. Do this several times a day for 15 to 20 minutes. The cold constricts blood vessels, reduces inflammation and eases pain and swelling






ATHLETE'S FOOT


Bathe with Garlic or Ginger Both are supposed to be good anti-fungals. Soak feet in a basin of warm water containing several crushed garlic cloves and a little alcohol for several minutes. Repeat 2 to 3 times a day



BAD BREATH


# Chew some cardamom Spices fight bad breath because of their antifungal and antibacterial properties, say experts. Cardamom is rich in cineole, a potent antiseptic that zaps the bacteria responsible for foul mouth odour.


# Have a spice tea Boil one litre of water and add 4 whole cloves and 2 tablespoons broken cinnamon sticks. Let it steep for 20 minutes, strain and drink a cup for long lasting fresh breath.


# Sip a cuppa mint tea What gives mint (pudina) its distinctive flavour and smell is a potent antiseptic that kills the Bad Breath Baddies. Use one tablespoon whole dried leaves or two tablespoon fresh leaves per cup of hot water for 10 minutes and drink when needed.



BLISTERS


Soothe with milk Appling a cool milk compress to a blister within first 24 hours reduces the inflammation that's causing the pain. Plus the protein may actually promote healing.



BRUISES


Press a pack 'o' peas Tap a pack of frozen peas on a hard surface to loosen, then lay the bag on where you are black 'n' blue. The bag fits the contours of your body and the cold melts away the inflammation caused by the bruise.



COLDS


# Herbs 'n' Spice is warm 'n' nice Combine 28 grams sliced fresh ginger, 1 broken up cinnamon stick, 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, 3 cloves, 1slice of lime, 1/2 liter water. Simmer for 15 minutes, strain. Drink a hot cupful every 2 hours. The lime has plenty of vitamin C (a recommended cold fighter) while the ginger and spices provide the antibacterial effect


# OR Add 1/2" ginger, 6 tulsi leaves, 1 bay leaf, 3 peppercorns, and 1 clove to 1/2 liter water with palm sugar to taste. Boil for 15 minutes. Strain and drink hot, as often as you please. The pepper dilates blood vessels in the nose and stimulates secretions which help drain sinuses. Chilli powder or red pepper also has the same effect and, in addition, possesses anti inflammatory properties.


# Juice a Ginger Take an inch of ginger and wash thoroughly. Scrape the skin and chop into 3 to 4 pieces. Add a tablespoon of water. Churn thoroughly in a mixer and strain out the juice in a gauzy cloth. Discard the pulp. Add a teaspoon of honey (a mild antibacterial), a pinch of turmeric (today a proven antiseptic), stir well. Drink half in the morning and half in the evening. The mixture keeps well under refrigeration.


# Chug some chicken soup It attacks a cold or flu in at least three ways: The fluids and minerals help rehydrate and energise your body; the spices provide decongestant benefits; and if you huddle over your bowl as you eat, your mucous membranes will get a soothing steam bath.
   Bring a liter of chicken broth to a boil. Add a teaspoon of chilli powder and a thumb sized piece of ginger, grated. Simmer for 15 minutes. Garnish each bowl with a raw, minced garlic clove and chopped scallions. Have four bowls a day when you are at your sickest. 


# Go for a Garlic Its pungent active ingredient, allicin (the same one in onions), works especially well against infections such as bronchitis and sinusitis, which often result from colds and flu. Some experts believe allicin destroys the cold and flu viruses themselves, though this theory hasn't been scientifically proven. 
Eat one or two cloves a day of raw or lightly sauteed garlic, all at once or in small doses.



CONGESTION
# Hack it with Horse Radish Grate a piece of radish, add a squeeze of lime juice, a pinch of salt and sugar, stir, swallow. The pungent vapours will clear up your chest. So try not to hold your breath while you swallow.
# Make a spice bag Tie 1 tablespoon ajwain in muslin into a sort of bean bag as large as your palm. Run against a hot iron and then place against the chest or on the sinuses. 


# Drop some salt To clear a stuffy nose mix 1/4 teaspoon table salt in 1 cup of boiled and cooled water. With a dropper, place 2 or 3 drops in each nostril half an hour before meals and at bedtime.




COUGH
# Try some thyme It not only acts as an expectorant and antiseptic but relieves bronchial spasms and dries up secretions. Make a thyme tea by steeping 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried thyme leaves in a cup of boiling water for 10 minutes. Drink upto 3 times a day
# Steep some honey and Onions Doesn't sound too appetizing, but this cough remedy has thrived for generations in the Spanish Basque folk tradition. Overnight, soak a sliced onion in enough honey to cover it. The next day strain and discard the onion. Then dilute the honey with enough lime juice to reach the consistency of cough syrup. Take a tablespoonful at two hour intervals all day until your symptoms subside. The onions allicin, a powerful antibacterial chemical, may seep into the honey, which ahs mild antibacterial effects in the throat.


# Sweet 'n' Sour 1 teaspoon of honey and 1 teaspoon lime juice in a glass of warm water can help dissolve mucous in the throat.


# Yellow says Stop Add a pinch of turmeric to a cup of hot milk with sugar candy to taste.


# Leafy relief 2 tablespoon  tulsi leaf juice and a teaspoon of honey soothes a sore throat.



CUTS 


Give them a powdery end Press antiseptic turmeric powder straight into the wound to stop bleeding and promote healing






CONSTIPATION


# Currants make you go Soak 200 grams fiber rich dry black currants in water. Let them puff out all day and eat as an after dinner dessert. Don't forget to drink plenty of water throughout the day.


# Eat a banana tree The banana stem, flower and fruit are chockful of fiber that helps bind stools and ease them out.



DIARRHOEA


# Add some fluid To prevent dehydration make a mixture of 1 liter boiled and cooled water with 4 teaspoon sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt and drink as much as you can, specially after a watery stool.


# Stem the runs with cinnamon Mix 1 tablespoon powdered cinnamon bark with one cup of hot water. Steep for 10 to 15 minutes. Cinnamon, a natural astringent, dries up your bowel.
  # Bulk out with banana Strangely enough, banana is good therapy for constipation as well as the runs. Boil a raw banana, mash, add a pinch of salt and butter, eat. 
# Blind with spice Blend 1 teaspoon cumin-seeds, 1/4 tsp methi seeds, 1/4 tsp mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp dil (suwa) seeds, 1/2 tsp ajwain seeds. Roast on a low flame Add a pinch of heeng and salt and stir for a minute. Make a  course powder when cool and store in an air tight jar. Mix 1/2 tsp of powder with 1 tsp of curd. Eat twice a day for quick relief.
** This mixture is also good for chronic flatulence and dyspepsia. The fenugreek (methi) alone stimulates the digestive process as well as the metabolism in general. The other spices have properties that have still not been scientifically evaluated.


# Yahoo yoghurt The friendly bacteria in yoghu(dahi) helps vanquish the baddies and keep your gastrointestinal tract working properly. Eat a cup daily, not just when you have diarrhea.



FATIGUE


# Spice Rise Sprinkle fresh ground cinnamon on your porridge, cereal, toast or whatever you have for breakfast. It triples the ability of insulin to metabolize glucose.


# Minty Mental Mint tea is a great pick-me-up (see recipe Bad Breath). The peppermint oil boosts beta wave activity in the formal lobe of the brain, increasing alertness and the ability to focus, according to studies.



GAS AND INDIGESTION


# Calm 'n' Cool Stress can trigger gas. Mint can calm your nerves as its active ingredient flows through the gastrointestinal tract. Have a cup of mint tea in the morning and one at night. Sip slowlu and inhale the aroma as you relax.


# Acid Attack A pinch of ajwain with another pinch of rock salt and a dash of lime makes a good meal go down better. So does dried amla on aniseed (saunf)


# Curry flavor Methi and Turmeric stop acid buildup, and stimulate the flow of digestive juices. So add some more to your meals.


# The old standby Mix 1 tbsp ginger in a cup of hot water. Steep for 10 to 15 minutes. Strain. Drink after meals.



GIDDINESS

# Know your onion Slice one. The stinging smell helps clear the head and prevents fainting.



GUM PROBLEMS


# Yummy Gummy For gums that are temporarily irritated and swollen treat yourself to a pineapple juice ice pack. Freeze some juice solid in an ice tray. The cold reduces the swelling, the pineapple sweetens the therapy. 


# Soda pop Treat a gum boil with a paste of baking soda and water. Baking soda reduces the swelling.



HEADACHE


#Rosemary makes it wary Because it keeps blood vessels dilated, rosemary is an effective preventive for vasoconstrictive migraines. Use 1 tsp rosemary per cup and drink.


#Ginger up The root helps prevent the release of substances that make blood vessels dilate, and keep the blood flowing at an even keel, which is essential in migraine prevention. Grate fresh ginger into juice. Use fresh or powdered ginger when you cook, nibble on a piece or two of crystallized ginger daily.



HICCUPS


# Pamper your sweet tooth No one exactly knows why sugar may help hiccups. Some doctors speculate that the granules stimulate the vagus nerve, a long nerve in the back of the throat that sends branches to many muscle groups, including those in the diaphragm.


# Take a deep breath Holding your breath for a count of 30 may also work for some. It increases carbon dioxide levels in the blood and apparently decreases the sensitivity of the vagus nerve centre in the brain.



INSECT BITES AND STINGS


# Tenderizer tenderizes Make a paste of 1/4 tsp meat tenderizer and 1 to 2 tsp water. Rub the paste into the sting area as soon as possible after the sting. Repeat in an hour if it still stings. The tenderizer contains papain, an enzyme derived from the papaya fruit that can break down venoms, making them harmless. ( Don't try this with a scorpion sting which requires immediate medical attention ).


# Centre with vinegar A drop of vinegar rubbed into the centre of the bite can bring quick, long lasting relief. And more, you don't feel like scratching. Simultaneously, it increases the blood flow to the area which helps to quickly carry off the spot of venom the insect has deposited under the surface as well as the chemicals your body has produced in reaction to the venom.


# Try baking soda A paste of sodium bicarbonate and water applied on a mosquito bite will work like an antihistamine, relieving the itch without the risk of the drug's side effects.


# Pass the hot pepper Red pepper won't draw out the venom, but will take your mind off the itch by counter irritation. The result ? Less itch.


# Chop an onion Onions contain enzymes that help break down prostaglandins - chemicals that your body releases in response to pain. They also contain quercetin, an anti-allergic chemical good for relieving inflammation.  



MENOPAUSAL WOES


#Sage is wise Garden sage can eliminate or reduce night sweats. To make a sage infusion place 4 heaping tablespoons dried sage in one cup of hot water. Cover tightly and  steep for four hours or more. Then strain and drink at bedtime.


# Soy saves English studies confirm ancient Chinese wisdom: Photoestrogens, found in soya beans produce a 40 % reduction in hot flashes. So add them to soups and casseroles in any form. Or combine soya flour to atta on your chapattis



MOTION SICKNESS


# Ride on Ginger which has demonstrated to be far superior to dimenhydrinate, the active ingredient in anti nausea medications such as Dramamine and Gravol -- without the side effects of drowsiness, dry mouth or blurry vision. The ginger works by dampening impulses to the brain that deliver messages about equilibrium. You need to give it time to kick in. So one hour before your trip grate 1 tsp. to 1 tbsp. fresh ginger steep in one cup of water for 10 to 15 minutes, strain and drink. Or eat some candied ginger.



NAUSEA AND VOMITTING


# Mate cinnamon and ginger The ginger will stop your nausea, while cinnamon (a natural astringent) dries up your bowels. Mix 1 tsp. dried cinnamon with 1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger and add to 1 cup boiling water. Steep for 10 to 15 minutes. Strain and drink.


# Saunf settles Soak 1 tbsp aniseed in 1 cup of water till it becomes a rich golden yellow. Strain and drink.



TOOTHACHE


#  Clove oils well Dab some clove oil (an analgesic anaesthetic) on a cotton bud and apply directly on the aching tooth. Or just wiggle a whole clove, pointed end down, next to the tooth.


# Close with sesame Sesame contains at least 7 pain relieving compounds. Boil 1 part sesame seeds with 3 parts water until the liquid is reduced by half. Cool the resulting decoction and apply directly to the tooth.



URINARY TRACT INFECTION


# Parsley makes you pour Parsley is an excellent diuretic which contains myristicin and apiol, compounds that are thought to help increase the output of urine by increasing the flow of blood to the kidneys. To make an infusion, pour boiling water over a few sprigs of crushed fresh parsley or 1 tsp. of dried parsley. Let the herb steep for ten minutes, then strain and drink.


















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1 comment:

hanna said...

What about using some herbs from your garden? Are those methods could be useful too in some ways. I've read something about tulsi and how it could relieve a person internally like an antioxidant. In India, tulsi is said to be the center of their ancient holistic system. Do you think herbal products could be a substitute too?