An infection caused by a virus in the respiratory system, immune system and skin is known as Measles or morbilli or rubeola. It is an airborne disease and symptoms generally appear 7-14 days after contact with an infected person. High fever, spots or rashes on the mouth and throughout body, loss of appetite, hacking cough, runny nose and red eyes are its common symptoms.
Measles usually spread through respiration i.e through contact with fluids from the infected persons nose or mouth directly or through the air. It is one among highly contagious diseases.
After infection, there is a 10-14 day period of incubation. You never know that you have been infected or you do not even show any symptoms. For the next 2-3 days you might start feeling mild fever, runny nose, cough, inflamed eyes, sore throat, etc. Then for the next few days you can find rashes that keep spreading all over the body. Also, you can see the temperature of fever rising at this time.
Measles is a common problem in children and these days due to vaccination, it is prevented up to a great extent. Improper eating habits, weaker immune system, malnutrition and vitamin A deficiency are some of the common causes for Measles.
According to Ayurveda, measles is due to the aggravation of kapha and pitta doshas. It is known as Romantika in Ayurveda. Apart from fever, measles is accompanied by diarrhea and if the condition worsens, an individual can have pneumonia, bronchitis, abscesses in the ear. There are simple Ayurvedic home remedies that help or give better relief from Measles.
Ayurvedic home remedies for Measles.
- Extract 2 teaspoon juice of basil leaves and add 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder to it. Mix them well and have it 2 times a day.
- Take 2 tablespoon fenugreek seeds and soak them in 1 glass water for 2 hours. Drink 3 teaspoon of this water every 30 mins.
- Take 120 mg each of Kasturi Bhairava, swarnamakshika bhasma, Shringa bhasma, and 240 mg of saubhagya Vati with the juice of bitter gourd and honey. Mix this well and take it 4 times daily.
- Prepare herbal tea of chamomile and drink it.
- Neem leaves are very effective as they are antiviral and antibacterial. They prevent spreading of diseases. Add neem leaves to the bathing water.
- Take some fresh podina leaves and pound them well to form a paste. Now apply this paste on rashes for relief.
- Khus or Indian grass is antipyretic which can reduce fever.
- Take a sandalwood stick and rub on a stone to form a paste. Now apply this paste on rashes for relief.
- Try wearing warm clothes.
- Take some licorice root powder with honey.
- Drink lots of fresh fruit juices to keep the body well hydrated.
- Apply Kesar on the rashes for soothing relief.
- Clove oil has skin toning and pain killing property. Apply it on itchy rashes for quick relief.
- Henna has cooling properties and hence can be applied on itchy rashes.
- Eat lots of oranges or drink orange juice twice to keep the body well hydrated.
- Take 15-25 ml of lemon juice that is diluted with water very often.
- Take raw roots of turmeric that is dried in the sun and grind them well to form a fine powder. Take 1/2 teaspoon of this powder and mix it with a few drops of honey and juice extracted from bitter gourd leaves.
- Take barley water sweetened with newly drawn oil of sweet almonds frequently to get relief from cough.
- Take 1/2 to 1 gram of eggplant seeds daily for 3 days to help develop immunity against measles for 1 year.
- Take equal quantity of tamarind seeds and turmeric. Grind them well to form a fine powder. Take 300-400 g of this mixture 3 times a day.
Try to have a balanced diet and avoid eating spicy, oily and junk food. If you have measles, try to isolate from others as it can spread very easily. Maintain a good hygiene, take a good amount of rest, and drink lots of fruit juices. Eat papaya or carrots that are good sources of vitamin A. Vitamin A helps to build immunity in the body. Eat foods like parsley that help in quick healing process. All fruit diet for the first 3 days of measles is very effective in providing the required water content to the body. The above mentioned home remedies are simple and can be tried at home for treatment of measles.