Desi Remedies for Everyday Health Issues

Put down the Tylenol and Benalyn and learn common Desi health remedies straight from your Bibi’s kitchen!

Back Pain: Take 10 small garlic pieces and fry them in oil on a low flame. You can either use sesame oil, coconut oil, or mustard oil. Fry until the garlic cloves turn light brown. Let the oil prepared from garlic cool completely. Thereafter apply it on the back and keep it for about three hours. In a couple of days, you’ll feel its magical effects.

 

Headache: Poothna (peppermint) is a herbal remedy used to cure headaches. It can be taken internally or used externally. To take internally, drink peppermint tea. To use externally, mix several drops of peppermint oil with lotion or body oil and massage into the temples.

 

 

Toothache: Toothache can be a very painful experience commonly caused by a cavity or infection. To relieve toothache, place a clove of garlic on the aching tooth. Keep the clove in your mouth between the aching teeth and suck on it allowing its juice be absorbed for relief. Cloves can help alleviate tooth pain and fight infection due to their anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant and anesthetic properties.

 

Cough: A persistent cough can be very uncomfortable interfering with daily activities. To relieve a bad cough, chop ginger into fine pieces. Add garlic to one cup of water. Keep boiling the liquid until the volume reduces to half the original quantity. Strain the liquid, ad a teaspoon of honey and drink when warm to give a soothing effect. Ginger works by promoting salivation and mucus secretion which will help relieve cough symptoms.

 

Constipation: Constipation affects most individuals at some time in their lives. To relieve constipation drink half a glass of spinach juice mixed with half a glass of water twice daily for three days. Spinach is a high fibre food thereby improving bowel movements.

 

 

Diarrhea: Take a ripe banana and mash it. Add 1 teaspoon of tamarind pulp and a pinch of salt to it. Consume this mixture two times a day to get rid of diarrhea.

 

 

Common Cold (sore throat, sneezing, stuffy nose): Squeeze 3-4 teaspoons of juice from an onion. Add 3-4 teaspoons of honey and mix well to relieve common cold symptoms.

 

 

Dandruff: Apply warm coconut oil mixed with lemon juice to scalp and leave it on for about an hour. Then steam your hair for 10 minutes and wash. You can use olive oil as a substitute for coconut oil. Use this treatment twice a week. Coconut oil provides moisture which we often lack in the winter months thereby relieving dandruff symptoms.