Category: Home Remedies

Hair is kind of our confidence factor and there won’t be a single human who is not bothered about their hair. Earlier girls were the more concerned, but now irrespective of the sex and age, hair issues have become a common problem. Let’s have a short glance into the Ayurvedic view of basic trichological conditions.

Hair fall

Ayurveda acharyas consider hair or kesha as upadhatu of Asthi dhatu or as mala of shukra dhatu. Keshachyuti or hair fall can be because of vaigunya (irregularities) in the Asthi dhatu or it may be due to change in quality of any of the sapta dhatu. Moreover, it is due to the change in the doshic balance of the body.

Some of the common causes of hair fall are:

• Stress and Sleeplessness
• Nutritional deficiencies like anaemia
• Gynaecological issues like PCOS
• Thyroid dysfunctions
• Due to other skin problems or any scalp infections
• Faulty or excess hairstyling techniques and treatments
• Psychological issues like depression
• Autoimmune conditions
• The side effect of any medications as in chemotherapy.

Types of hair fall

1. Patchy hair loss or Indralupta(Alopecia arieta)
2. Complete hair loss or Alopecia totalis
3. Male pattern or androgenic hair loss ( Khalitya) and Female pattern hair loss
4. Telogen effluvium( temporary hair loss due to stress, shock, trauma etc)

Premature Greying of hair

 Who doesn’t want to look young? A single strand of grey hair is enough for all of us to get depressed and if it is worsening then there is no other tension than hair loss!! Age-related greying of hair is a natural process, but premature greying is due to deterioration of melanin content due to various factors.  Ayurveda explains, Palitya or premature greying as a pathological condition due to the imbalance of mainly Pitta dosha. Prakupita or vitiated Pitta does kesha pachana or due to the heat of the Pitta hair follicles get burnt and as a result, hair becomes grey.

Causes:

In general, anything that aggravates Pitta like

• excess spicy, sour and salty foods
• Anger, overthinking, stress and work pressure.
• exposure to hot conditions including standing in the scorching sun

Genetic factors, overuse of chemical dyes, shampoos, excessive straining of eyes is also found to be a cause of grey hairs.

How to manage?

Before treatment aspects, the most important thing is to know the exact cause as well the nature of our hair. Kesha, in the Ayurvedic view, is a key factor in identifying the Prakriti of an individual.

Instead of vague trials with different hair products, it’s always better to have a clear idea of the exact cause and dosha involved. Based on the cause, like any other systemic diseases hair also require internal medication along with external applications. But if you feel your system is completely ok and you want to improve your hair, Ayurveda offers innumerable keshya drugs and medications like Bhringaraj (Eclipta alba), Amalaki (Emblica officinalis), Reetha (Sapindus mukorossi), Shikakai (Acacia concinna), Kumari (Aloe vera), coconut milk etc.

• Chemparatyadi kerataila
• Nirgundi taila
• Bhringamalaka taila
• Neelibringadi taila
• Neelinyadi taila
• Himasagara taila ( especially for Pitta persons)
• Malatyadi taila are some of the keshya taila mentioned in Ayurvedic classics.

Always keep in mind:

• Avoid frequent head bath as it may alter the pH of hair ( normal pH is 4.5-5.5)
• Always keep the scalp and hair clean, try to cover hair while going out.
• Do proper brushing from scalp to tip; this will increase blood circulation in the scalp. Never brush and tie wet hair.
• Only use a personal comb, bath towel etc
• If you are using chlorinated or salt or hard water for the head bath, it’s better to store this water for around 8 hrs and then wash the hair.

Home remedies for hair fall

• Have one spoon full of black sesame (til) seeds either alone or with a small piece of jaggery twice daily
• One Amla (Indian gooseberry) a day is good for hair. This should be taken continuously for about 6 months
• Oil prepared from hibiscus flowers, curry leaves, Bhringaraj and aloe vera is good for strong hair.
• Oil prepared from leaf juice of gunja (Abrus precatorius) with the same amount of gingelly oil is found to be effective.
• Hot oil massage is very good for strong and healthy hair. Take any keshya taila or the usual hair oil that you use and double boil it, when it is warm apply over the scalp and give a good massage.
• Applying aloe vera gel over scalp will act as a rooting agent for hair.
• Applying egg white is a very good source of protein for hair follicles.
• For strong and long hair, soak triphala or hareetaki (Terminalia chebula) overnight in water and wash hair with the same.
• Hairwash with previous day’s rice water is a good cleanser and nourisher.

Grey hair management

It’s impossible to have a complete reversal of this condition, in early stages ayurvedic medicines can prevent the progress by tackling the Pitta dosha. Internal medication along with a good virechana (purgation) is very necessary in this condition.

• Thalapothichil or present-day henna is very effective. Henna prepared out of amla, triphala, curry leaves, aragwada (Cassia fistula) leaves, neem leaves, yashti choorna and Krishna jeeraka (Nigella sativa) can be tried.
• Shiro dhara or takra dhara
• Pranayama like naadi shudhi, sheetali, sheetkari.
• Prepare homemade dyes by adding indigo powder and coffee powder in henna.
• Giving a head massage with coconut milk is both nourishing and stress releasing.

# for internal medication always consults a qualified doctor. # Stay happy-stay healthy

Filariasis or Filaria (known as Shlipada in Ayurveda) is caused by Culex mosquitoes. The bite of infected mosquitos spread the microfilariae and once bitten by the infected mosquito it injects it to the healthy individual. Usually, the parasite circulates at night in the blood and reaches different parts of the body. The microfilariae develop into adult worms and start to affect the carrier body. 

When the mosquito bites the infected person, it carries the parasites. When it bites another healthy person, it spreads the infection to him as well.

Symptoms:

Usually, the early symptoms are fever and sometimes fever accompanied by pain & redness along the affected lymphatic vessels is observed. 

In later stages, all the lymphatic channels in the lower Limbs are affected and legs become Swollen giving rise to elephantiasis (Hathi Paon).

Some patients develop urticaria and pneumonia.

Home remedies: 

Bel Leaves: The leaves of the Bel tree are very useful in the treatment of this condition. Taking three leaves everyday helps in treating Filaria. Also note, Bel tree leaves help in preventing this disease. If you stay in an area where mosquito issue is prevalent, it is advised to take Bel leaves to strengthen immunity.

Garlic: Garlic is a well known natural germicide. Take 10 cloves of garlic everyday to get rid of Filaria.

 Dried Ginger: Ginger is another very helpful herb which is also available in each household. Take dried Ginger and boil it in water. Take the water regularly to fight Filaria.

Ayurvedic Treatment: 

Nityananda Rasa is commonly recommended to Filaria patients. Take 1/2 tab to 1 tab,  two times a day on an empty stomach for two months. As per Rasendra Sara Sangraha and Bhaisajya Ratnavali, Nityananda Rasa is considered a very useful medicine to treat Shlipada or Filiria.

Saptanga Guggulu: This medicine is prescribed 500mg twice a day. Saptanga Guggulu has anti-inflammatory properties which help in reducing swelling caused by filaria. 

Important note: As medications prescribed for a longer time, it’s very important to take medicines under a qualified ayurvedic doctor. Based on the various conditions of the patient’s body and Prakriti, dosha, medicines can vary drastically.

Diet: 

• Take healthy food. 
• Bitter food like karela, neem flower etc help. 
• Take enough green vegetables (properly cooked).
• Horse gram, barley etc should be added to the regular diet.
• Milk, curd, jaggery etc are discouraged for the patient.

As it spreads in the body through blood, it takes quite some time to treat this condition. Continue the medications till the recommended period even when the patient starts feeling better. Stopping the medication before the recommended period can bring back the infection. 

#StaySafe #StayHealthy #FilariaPrevention, #FilariaTreatment

Diabetes is also known as Blood Sugar. In Ayurveda, it’s called ‘Madhumeh’. This disease is very common these days but should be taken seriously with proper precautions else can lead to severe health issues. It affects the usage of blood sugar(glucose) in the body. Glucose is very important for our health as this helps in making up the muscles and tissues in our body. Being an important source of energy it also provides fuel to the brain.

Diabetes is distinguished by its type, but whatever type it is, it always leads to excessive sugar in the blood, which is very dangerous.

Types of Diabetes

Chronic Diabetes

• Type 1 – In this type the pancreas cells are attacked and destroyed by the immune system.

• Type 2 – This is seen when more sugar builds up in the blood and the body becomes resistant to insulin.

Potentially reversible Diabetes

• Prediabetes – This is the early stage of diabetes, which can be cured if proper precautions and appropriate measures are taken.

• Gestational – This can be called a temporary stage as this happens during pregnancy and can be resolved after that.

 Symptoms

• Too much hunger and thirst
• Weight loss
• Fatigue
• Blurred vision
• Slow-healing sores
• Skin infections
• Vaginal infections
• Increased Urination

Precautions to be taken

• Avoid taking an excess amount of sweets.
• Take more green and leafy vegetables.
• Do exercise regularly.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Quit smoking.
• Avoid dairy products.

Home Remedies for treating Ayurveda

Treating with Turmeric: Root extract of turmeric is very beneficial for treating diabetes, as it helps in reducing the insulin resistance that leads to increase in the level of blood sugar in the body.

Copper Vessel: Drinking water in a copper vessel is very helpful for the body. In Ayurveda water stored in a copper vessel is called ‘Tamra Jal’. The 3 doshas in the body can be balanced well with this water. Keep water in a copper vessel overnight and drink in the morning.

Methi Seeds: Eating sprouted methi and drinking methi soaked in water overnight is very beneficial.

Bitter foods: Consuming bitter food like, amla, aloe vera, hemp seeds, bitter gourds are very beneficial and helpful in managing diabetes.

Mango Leaves: Powder of dry mango leaves is beneficial. Take 1 tsp of mango leaf powder in a glass of water and drink this daily. This will reduce high blood sugar.

Bitter Gourd: Bitter Gourd juice is very helpful too. Include this in your meal. Also, take 1 tsp of bitter gourd juice, once a day.

Gooseberry: Take 1 tsp of gooseberry juice with turmeric every morning.

Ayurvedic treatment for Diabetes:

Phalatrikadi kwath – Take this with warm water for 7 days (alternate days) – 15-20ml

Ayaskriti – Take this for 3 months – 20 – 30 ml

Shuddha Shilajit – Take this for 3 months with lukewarm water – 500mg – 1g

Triphaladi Churna – Take this for 3 months with lukewarm water or honey – 3g to 6g

Nishamalakaadi Churna – Take this for 3 months with honey – 3g – 6g

Chandraprabha vati – Take this for 3 months with water – 250 – 500mg

Choose Wisely:

Many spices from our kitchen can help you control diabetes. Choose wisely the correct spices. Like, mustard, coriander, cinnamon, turmeric, asafoetida, bay leaf and include them in your meal to manage and control diabetes naturally.

The word Blood Pressure(BP) or hypertension has become a part and parcel of most of our life. We the humans are moreover like pressure cookers that may burst at any time. But what actually hypertension aka BP means in the Ayurvedic perspective is something different and interesting.

The lateral force exerted by the flowing blood on the walls of blood vessels is literally known as blood pressure, its increase or decrease is what actually matters. As per Ayurveda, acharyas have considered this as gudalinga avyakta vyadhi (a disease with hidden features or masked symptoms). There is no direct reference of this condition in any of our Ayurvedic texts. It may be due to the difference in chala guna of vata, usna guna of pitta, or the snigda- manda guna of kapha which interferes with the movement of Rakta. Thus in Ayurveda High BP is not just related to blood but more than that it is the dosha imbalance associated with rakta that causes raktaatichapa or hypertension. Some others explained it as raktagata vata or as vyanavruta prana.

In general most of the patients won’t have any symptoms and is incidentally diagnosed with other diseases. A person with a reading of above 140/90mm of Hg BP is considered as hypertensive (age matters!). Headache especially in the backside of head, sweating, nervousness, feeling of uneasiness and often vomiting are some of the basic symptoms and in severe cases, there may be bleeding from the nose, chances of stroke, and other internal organ damage.

How to tackle it at home

In the initial period or if you are in the borderline hypertensive category you can definitely try some home remedies like

• Reduced salt intake with a healthy diet and regular exercise.
• Have sound sleep.
• Involve in activities which relieve stress.
• Yoga & Pranayama practice is highly recommended.
• Have a refreshing cold water shower when you feel exhausted.
• When you are aware that your blood pressure is getting high always be in a head high position with good ventilation.
• Milk added with crushed roots of Sarpagandha (Rauwolfia serpentina).
• If you are having stress related or sleep-deprived hypertension one of the best ways is to make a smooth paste of Punarnava (Boerrhavia diffusa) with butter and apply it over the soles and great toe.
• Have at least 6 g of Shigru leaves (Moringa oliefera) in either raw or steamed form for thrice a day.
• Have a natural decoction of fenugreek seeds and cumin seeds.

Classical Ayurveda Medications:

• Sarpagandhadi vati
• Brahmi vati
• Ashwagandha choorna
• Hridayarnava rasa
• Dhanvantaram kashayam
• Drakshadi kashayam
• Rasonadi kashayam     

Always it’s better to avoid asava arishtas as it may vitiate the Pitta dosha.

Panchakarma also help in this condition as

• Thalam with kachooradi choornam and ksheerabala taila or karuthavattu with ksheerabala taila in shigru leaf juice is an emergency remedy.
• Padabhyanga &  shiro abhyanga with any vatahara taila.
• Shirodhara with takra or i.

# Its always better to consult a qualified doctor before having any medication.# stay healthy stay happy.