You can be a doctor in your kitchen

Medicinal plants are part of our social life. Since ages, we have been using medicinal plants for curing various disorders. Home remedies are less expensive than other system of medicines. Generally, it is harmless, easy to access, eco-friendly and cheaper. Anyone can afford these medicines. Since ages, we have been using medicinal plants for curing various disorders.

In the present communication, it is aimed to list few home remedies for common disorders like cough, cold, fever, dandruff and pains etc. All the herbs mentioned here are mostly found in our kitchen garden. If you follow these remedies, you surely will be a doctor of your own.

TULSI

1. Tulsi extract mixed with pepper powder should be consumed to reduce cough.

2. Crush Tulsi leaves along with black pepper is chewed in case of toothache.

3. Dry Tulsi leaf powder can be used as tooth powder, it helps in preventing foul smell of mouth.

4. Tulsi leaf extract helps in curing skin infections.

5. Equal amount of Tulsi extract, Lemon juice and Onion extract should be applied before taking shower, it helps in curing all types of skin diseases.

6. Boil 5 to 10 Tulasi leaves and consume it when there is asthmatic attack.

7. Mixture of Tulsi juice, Ginger juice and honey helps in Asthma

8. To a spoon of Tulsi juice, add juice of Bitter Gourd. Take it daily in the night for 1 month for controlling asthma and bronchitis.

9. In pimples, blend crushed Tulasi, Mint(Pudina) and Lemon juice in equal proportion. It heals pimple.

10. Chewing leaves of Tulsi acts as a mouth freshener.

GINGER

1. Cut ginger into small pieces, to this, add Tamarind leaves and two cups of water and boil till it comes down to one cup. To this, add one-cup sugar and simmer it in low flame. Once it is cooled down, add little Lemon juice to it and consume once in every 3 hours to get rid of cough.

2. To Ginger extract, mix little honey and take it. It helps in cough and cold.

3. Crush dry Ginger and add equal amount of Ghee (clarified butter) and jaggery (unrefined sugar). Take the same in the case of severe cough and cold.

4. To Ginger juice, mix equal amount of Lemon fruit juice, add little rock salt and crystal salt to it. Keep this mixture in a closed bottle under the sun for a week. Consuming the filtrate of this mixture after meals helps in digestion.

5. Take equal amount of Ginger extract and sugar is good for digestion.

6. To little Ginger, add 2 teaspoon Coriander seeds and boil. To this add little jaggery. This mixture is given to minimize the burning sensation in chest and stomach.

7. One teaspoon of Ginger powder with little sugar helps in stomach pain.

8. Take a teaspoon of fresh Ginger juice and Fenugreek leaves extract and to it, add honey. This mixture acts as an excellent expectorant.

9. Ginger powder (half teaspoon) with water (1 teaspoon)can be applied over the forehead to minimize headache.

GARLIC

1. Dip one Garlic bud in honey and keep it for 40 days. The mixture helps in speech improvement and throat infections.

2. Garlic acts as a galactogogue therefore given to mother with non-lactation problems.

3. Crush Garlic and mix it with Coconut oil and roast it. Pouring two to three drops of this oil in ears, helps in earache

4. Garlic should be crushed in salt and applied over scorpion sting area. It is a good antidote.

5. Add a teaspoon of Garlic juice to a glassful of water, take it twice a day to cure asthma.

6. About 3 drops of Garlic oil is good in case of earache.

7. Chew raw Garlic everyday, it is perhaps the most effective remedy for blood related disorders. It also helps in minimizing bodyache.

8. Extract of fresh Garlic buds kill or slow downs the growth of more than a dozen common bacteria.

HONEY

1. To honey, add Ginger extract and consume in cough and cold.

2. Two teaspoon honey with lukewarm water in empty stomach helps in reducing weight.

4. Taking two teaspoons of honey after meals helps in increasing the body weight.

5. A number of recent studies have shown that externally applied honey can prevent a broad range of bacterial infections and promote healing in burn patients.

6. A teaspoon of honey before bed, aids water retention and calms fears in children.

7. A dessert spoon of honey in a mug of hot milk aids sleep and works wonders for kids

ONION

1. Mix Onion extract with honey and take it when it is too cold. This gives warmth to cold body.

2. Onion and jaggery should be taken to increase body weight.

3. Onion juice with honey is useful in cold, cough, bronchitis and influenza.

4. Onion contains iron, therefore, beneficial in treating anaemia.

5. About 30 gm Onion and 7 seeds of Black Pepper can finely be pounded and given to the Cholera patients.

6. Chop one raw Onion and cover with salt and leave it overnight. Apply the juice 3-4 times a day on warts or wounds.

7. A mixture of equal amount of Onion honey should be kept over for 3 to 4 hours. It acts wonderful in the case of cough.

8. About 50 gm of water soaked Onion and 10 gm sugar should be taken twice a day. This helps in curing bleeding piles.

9. One teaspoon of raw onion juice is good in bronchitis.

10. Raw onion is good to reduce the cholesterol.

FENUGREEK SEEDS (METHI SEEDS)

1. Diabetic patients should consume 25g to 50g fenugreek seeds everyday.

2. Fenugreek seed tea is equally valued to quinine. It reduces fever.

3. Paste made from Fenugreek seeds could be applied over the scalp. Leave it for an hour, then rinse and dry. This could cure dandruff.

4. Application of the extract helps in the growth of hair and prevents hair fall.

5. Fenugreek seed powder is used as a poultice to inflamed parts and is applied on the skin as a cosmetic.

6. Paste of Fenugreek leaf is applied over the face, it helps in preventing pimples and black heads.

7. Methi seeds are boiled in water. The water helps to cure rashes of skin.

TURMERIC

1. Add little Turmeric to hot milk. It reduces cold and cough.

2. Paste of Turmeric and Sandalwood helps in curing skin infection and pimples.

3. Applying Turmeric paste over the pimples helps in curing it.

4. Mix Turmeric powder with Mint leaves or Lemon leaves, using this as face pack every day helps in curing pimples.

5. For a fair complexion, apply a blend of raw milk, Cucumber juice and Olive oil with a pinch of Turmeric powder on your skin.

6. A pinch of Turmeric powder mixed with a teaspoon of Coriander juice, is an effective home remedy for pimples and blackheads.

7. A pinch of turmeric powder, one teaspoon of milk cream, mixed with half a teaspoon of vinegar, makes an excellent poultice. It helps in ripening the blood boils and in their healing without allowing them to become septic.

8. Use clean Turmeric to heal a small cut.

NEEM

1. Neem leaves are boiled in water and honey is added. Consuming this twice a day cures diabetes at preliminary stage.

2. Neem oil applied on scalp helps to get rid of lice and dandruff.

3. Neem water is good to cure skin infections.

4. Raw Neem leaves are said to be good to purify the blood.

5. In pimples, mix Neem powder, Red Sandalwood powder and curd in equal proportions. Apply the paste on the affected area.

6. Neem oil is good in itching and rashes of the skin.

8. Neem leaf paste should be applied on the wounds. It cures the wound very soon.

9. Young branch of Neem is used as tooth brush, it removes foul taste of mouth and removes bacteria.

10. Decoction of the leaves is useful in fever.

References:

1. Apke Paudhe Apka Swasthya: By Dr Deepak Acharya
2. Adbhut Jadi Butiyan: Dr MK Rai
3. Miraculous herbs of Patalkot: Dr Deepak Acharya
4. Why herbs? : By Dr Deepak Acharya and S. Ashtana