Simple Home Remedies

Important Note: Some of these remedies contain a few items that is generally avoided by Jain & Srivaishnava Community. However, for the purpose of medicinal value, it can be consumed even by very orthodox persons, as a substitute to medicine.

These simple and easy to follow Home Remedies are given in good intention. It is always safer to consult a medical practitioner even if the simple ailment is noticed. These home remedies are of non-poisonous, no side effects and very easy to follow. Oh, Please read the disclaimer before you practice -  TRS Iyengar

ANEMIA:

Avoid drinking tea (regular, not herbal varieties) and coffee immediately after meals, as the tannin present in these interferes in the absorption of iron from the food. Drink a cup of herbal tea mixed with 1/4-cup blackstrap molasses each day. This provides 80% of the iron needed in one day.

Foods high in iron: lentils, split peas, green peas, spinach, kale, collards, beet greens, chard, raisins, prunes, figs, dates, dried peaches, dried apricots, nuts, peanut butter, whole grain breads.

Your body absorbs iron from fruits and vegetables. To aid in the absorption of iron from fruits and vegetables, eat them with a good source of vitamin C.

ARTHRITIS:

A daily consumption of few fish oil capsules helps to give relief of arthritis and other joint pains. 3-4 walnuts eaten daily, on an empty stomach, will help. (Oh, Srivaishnavites & Veggies, Pardon me for listing this here!)

ASTHMA:

Mix 1 tsp. honey with 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and take it at night before going to bed. Avoid taking aspirin, as this may invoke an asthma attack.

BLADDER INFECTION:

Take a bag of fresh or frozen cranberries and boil them in water (they will fall apart). Cool and drink. Don't add sugar! This remedy is also useful for people with kidney problems.

BLADDER STONES:

Boil 2 figs in 1 cup of water. Drink daily for a month.

BRUISES:

Slice a raw onion and place over the bruise. Do not apply this to broken skin.

COLD AND FLU:

Take a few fresh betel leaves and crush it until it gets into pieces. Squeeze it to get a teaspoon full of essence mix it with honey. Taking twice or thrice a day would help reduce common cold.

CONSTIPATION (IN ADULTS):

Eat a few black licorice sticks. Take apple pectin. Make sure you're getting enough Folic Acid in your diet. Drinking ginger tea will help start a bowel movement.

CONSTIPATION (IN SMALL CHILDREN):

Soak 6-8 raisins in hot water. When cool, crush well and strain. When given routinely even too little infants, it helps to regulate bowel movement.

COUGHS AND ASTHMA:

Steep 3-4 cloves of garlic in a cool, dark place for 2 weeks. Use several drops at a time, several times a day for coughs or asthma. Garlic is an exceptional cleanser for the body and has anti-microbial action similar to other antibiotics.

DEPRESSION:

3/4 cup of cooked spinach a day is enough to give dramatic relief from depression if you are deficient in B vitamins.

DIARRHEA:

Eat boiled sweet potatoes seasoned with salt and pepper before bedtime to cure chronic diarrhea.

EARACHE:

Steep 1-2 tsp. chamomile flowers in boiling water for 10-15 minutes. Strain out the water, and apply the hot flowers in a cloth for alleviation of the earache.

ECZEMA:

Rub a whole nutmeg against a smooth stone slab with a little water and make a paste. Apply on affected parts. (Note: It is believed by some rural, old fashioned practitioners that instead of water, one's own early morning saliva can be used for better results.)

ENERGIZER:

Simmer 1-cup honey and 3-cup water together slowly. Allow 1 cup of the water to evaporate. Strain off the top surface, and put the remaining liquid into a stoneware crock or dark bottle. Put a towel over it so it can breathe, yet be free of dirt. Place in a cool place. You can add cinnamon, clove, or the juice of 2 lemons, if you like.

FATIGUE:

Take a glass of grapefruit and lemon juice in equal parts to dispel fatigue and general tiredness after a day's work.

HANG-OVER:

Eat honey on crackers. The fructose in the honey will help to flush out the alcohol in your system.

HAY FEVER:

Steep 1 tsp. fenugreek seed in 1-cup water, covered, for 10 minutes. Drink 1 cup a day to help hay fever symptoms.

HEADACHE:

Eat 10-12 almonds, the equivalent of two aspirins, for a migraine headache. Almonds are far less likely to upset the stomach.

HICCUPS:

Drink 1/2 glass of water, slowly. Keep a tsp. of sugar in your mouth and suck slowly. Suck 2-3 small pieces of fresh ginger. This helps in hiccups, which keep occurring again and again. OR Take a large mouthful of water without swallowing, plug both ears, and slowly begin to swallow the water. Unplug your ears and you're hiccups free!

INSECT BITES:

Mix water with cornstarch into a paste and apply. This is effective in drawing out the poisons of most insect bites and is also an effective remedy for diaper rash.

MORNING SICKNESS:

Mix 1 tsp. each fresh juice of mint and lime, and 1 Tbsp. honey. Take 3 times a day.

MOSQUITO BITES:

Apply limejuice diluted with water on bites with cotton ball.

MUCUS IN COUGH:

Pour 1 cup boiling water over 1/2 tsp. each of ginger, ground cloves, and cinnamon. Filter. Sweeten with 1 tsp. honey and drink.

MUSCLE CRAMPS:

Apply clove oil on the affected body parts.

NAUSEA:

Boil 1/2 cup of rice in 1 cup of water for about 10-20 minutes. After it is boiled, drain the water into a cup and sip at the rice water until symptoms are gone.

OBESITY:

Mix limejuice with honey and water; drink a glass of this every morning. Mix 3 tsp. limejuice, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, 1 tsp. honey, and 1-cup water; drink a glass a day for 3 months. Mix 1 tsp. lime juice with 1cup water and drink each morning. Eat a tomato before breakfast.

OVERWEIGHT:

Effective for getting rid of fat, drink up to 3 cups of green tea daily. Regular tea can also be used with a lesser effect. In the olden days, people used to take Horse Gram soup in the empty stomach that burns extra fat.

PAIN RELIEVER:

Mix 3 Tbsp. of honey in boiled water and drink. Honey has natural pain-relieving powers.

SMELLY FEET:

Soak feet in strong tea for 20 minutes every day until the smell disappears. To prepare your footbath, brew two tea bags in 2 1/2 cups of water for 15 minutes and pour the tea into a basin containing two liters of cool water.

SMOKING HABIT:

Lick a little salt with the tip of your tongue whenever you feel the urge to smoke. This is said to break the habit within 1 month.

SORE THROAT:

Mix 1 tsp. limejuice and 1 Tbsp. honey. Swallow tiny amounts slowly 2-3 times a day.

SPLINTERS:

Lay scotch tape over the splinter and pull off. Soak the area in vegetable oil for a few minutes before removing with tweezers.

STOMACH ACHE:

A simple cure for a stomachache is to dissolve 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon in 1-cup warm water, cover and let sit for 15 minutes, and then drink it like tea. This remedy can also ease diarrhea and flatulence.

STOMACH ACIDITY:

Drink coconut water 3-4 times a day. Have a plateful of watermelon and/or cucumber every hour.

TOOTHACHE & MOUTH PAIN:

To ease toothache or other mouth pain, make  tea by boiling 1 Tbsp. fresh peppermint in 1 cup water and adding a little salt. Peppermint is an antiseptic and contains menthol, which relieves pain when applied to skin surfaces.

VARICOSE VEINS:

Take 2-3 tsp. black strap molasses orally daily. This also treats all kinds of circulatory ailments.

VOMITING AND NAUSEA:

Sucking a piece of ice controls vomiting. Eat 1/2 tsp. ground cumin seeds. Cinnamon and sliced ginger work by interrupting nausea signals sent from the stomach to the brain. If you are an herbal tea drinker, simply sprinkle cinnamon on the tea and drink. To make ginger tea, simmer a few slices of ginger in hot tea water.

WARTS:

Try taping a slice of garlic to the wart. Be sure to first protect the surrounding skin with petroleum jelly.