Dadima ke Nuskhe – Home remedies for common illnesses

I practice allopathy on a day-to-day basis. Therefore I can say with certainty that allopathy is usually not tolerated well by many. Side effects are really common. Antibiotic abuse has led to resistance and development of far more virulent and harmful bacteria. I am not saying that allopathy is bad, indeed not. When the requirement is specific, there is no substitute for allopathic medicine.

However, when children fall sick, try as far as possible to stick to some home remedies. Pumping their tiny bodies with chemicals as a first line of treatment is not recommended. They do get relief quicker, sure. But their immunity does not get a boost. Teach their bodies to defend itself and you have a far healthier kid with lesser requirement for synthetic medicines.

I am sharing with you some home remedies told to me by my mother and mother-in-law. They are timeless and work well with children. As adults we tend to have slight tendency towards placebo effect. A placebo is a pill which is completely neutral, and has no medicinal effect at all. However, when it was given to patients during research, sometimes patient got well on their own not knowing that the medicine given to them has no medicinal properties. Taken with faith, these work well even with adults.

Fever

• Boil one Lendi Pimpli (see image) which you can find at your local grocery shop in India or at any Ayurvedic pharmacy and one khareek (dried date, see image) along with one almond in one cup of milk to which half a cup of water has been added.

• 

  Lendi Pimpli

• Add a little sugar for taste. Boil till the quantity reduces somewhat.
• If you are giving it to a baby, strain and give it.

• 

  Kharik – Dried dates

• If you are giving it to a child, remove the lendi pimpli as it can be spicy.
• The child can eat the rest. An adult can eat everything.
• Have only once a day till fever persists.

Cold, Cough, Fever

• 1 bel leaf (Bael, bilva, see image) You can find this with most pooja flower vendors.
• 
• 1 tulsi leaf (holy basil, see image).
• 2-3 peppercorns, whole
• 8-10 coriander seeds, whole (or a pinch of coriander powder)
• 1-2 small khadi sakhar (I think it is called rock candy or rock sugar, see image)

• 

  khadi sakhar

• 1/4th tsp ajwain seeds
• 1 small piece of dried or fresh ginger
• 1 crushed stick of jeshtimadhu (see image) you can find this at your local grocery shop.

• 

  Jeshtimadh

• 2 cups of water.
• Boil the above ingredients till the water reduces by half. Strain and refrigerate.
• You can add milk to this and have or have it by itself.
• Do not drink water immediately after drinking this concoction.
• For babies only half a teaspoon is enough.
• For children two teaspoons.
• For adults half a cup.

Loose stools

• Grind one baal harda to a fine powder. (You can find this at a pharmacy)
• 
• For babies: Mix one pinch in one teaspoon of honey
• For children: Mix 1/4 tsp in one teaspoon of honey
• For adults: Mix one whole baal harda powder in one teaspoon of honey.

Baal harda can be revolting taste-wise. The next medicine is effective and tasty as well. It can be had even if there is loose motions with crampy abdominal pain.

• Equal quantities of Sunth (dried ginger powder), sugar and pure ghee.
  

  Sunth – dried ginger

• For babies: 1/4th tsp
• For children: 2 teaspoons
• For adults: about 4 tsp

Alternatively, you can pinch a couple of pomegranate seeds between your fingers to squeeze out the juice. Discard the stones. One tsp of this juice is enough for babies. Three to four teaspoons is enough for children.

Bananas also act as stool binder.

Constipation

• Grind one majuphal on a grinding stone till you get a little paste. Use this with one tsp of honey.                                                                                                                                                                                   
• Majuphal is in  reality a resinous shelter of a specific type of worm found on some trees in India.
• Also called Gall oak in English

Pomegranate is such a wonder fruit, that in case of constipation, pomegranate seeds eaten whole act as an effective laxative.

• Black raisins – soak them in water for half an hour and eat 4-5 raisins at a time. Given everyday, it relieves chronic constipation

Sore throat

• Gargling with warm saline is a known and extremely effective remedy for sore throat.
• Add 1/2 tsp turmeric powder to warm milk along with little sugar. (Make sure that any turmeric you use in medicine should not be taken out of the box which is used to hold spices for daily use, as it can be mixed with red chilli powder or other spices. Use it directly from the packet.)
• Roast one clove over ghee ka diya and grind it. Add 1 teaspoon honey to it. For babies, use only 1/8th spoon as clove can cause gastric upset. Use only once a day.

Bleeding

• Put one pinch of turmeric over the bleeding area and press.

Headache

• Boil 1 cup coconut oil with 8-10 camphors. Store in a jar and apply on your head and massage whenever there is a headache                                                                                                                          .

Muscular pain or contusions

• Heat 1 tsp turmeric with 1 tsp lime (chuna available with any paanwala) and 1 tsp jaggery. It turns red when you heat it. Bring it to a boil, and allow it to cool down a little. Apply to the bruise (except around or on the eyes) while it is warm, and let it dry completely.

These are the first part of my home remedies. I don’t want the post to get too tedious to read. I will post some more remedies soon.

Please share any remedies you know too. Our knowledge increases by sharing it with others.

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