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Naturopathy is fast gaining popularity around the world
for its safe and effective healing. In Indian homes, home
remedies come before the trip to the doctor. All ailments
are believed to be caused by what you eat and what you
don't eat. A traditional Indian doctor will first make
slight adjustments to your diet before he prescribes a
medicine, which is the last resort.
There are various forms of medicine in practice in
India, such as Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Unani, etc. Ayurveda
is based on the theory that with proper diet and corrective
therapy aided by massages, techniques of respiration
and through meditation, all problems can be cured. Yoga
therapy corrects respiration and all bodily imbalances
by the use of different postures that facilitate the
above and initiate recovery. Yoga is practiced by itself
and can be combined with other therapies as well. Diet
plays a very important role in Unani medicine as well.
When an illness is being treated, diet is controlled
during the initial stages and if the problem persists,
medicine is administered.
Similarly, skin ailments are also naturally cured. Be
it acne, dryness, a rash etc. In fact, in India skin
care and beautifying rituals have such an important
place that there are 16 steps to complete care. These
are cumulatively called Solah Sringar or 16 adornments.
These start with the pre-bath oil massage and go up
to the perfuming step. The beautifying ritual for a
bride begins with a ceremony in which a mixture of gram
flour, turmeric and mustard/vegetable oil or clarified
butter is rubbed on her. Then she is given a manicure
and a pedicure with milk and on the big day she is bathed
in milk and rose water. Milk softens the skin and the
rose water cools and deodorizes the body.
For those with oily skin, a mixture of gram flour and
turmeric makes for a great scrub and face pack removing
excess oil and cleansing the face. There are many such
concoctions that Indian women use even today for problems
as varied as colds and unwanted hair.
Following are a list of such mixtures guaranteed to
work very effectively and if they don't work as desired,
you can be sure that there won't be any side effects
since these are completely natural.
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LEMON
For cough, cold and fever, lemon is very effective.
Squeeze a lemon in a glass full of water and drink repeatedly.
This will cure all three. But if the fever is high and
makes you thirsty, boil the water. This will bring down
the fever and reduce the thirst. If the cold is severe,
add required amounts of honey in the above mixture. Another
very beneficial method is: cut a lemon in half, add in
it salt, ground black pepper and powdered molasses. Heat
this and squeeze the juice directly on the tongue.
If you don't like the freckles on your face, rub a piece
of lemon on them everyday and they will lighten considerably.
Sprinkling a little alum on the lemon works wonders for
the complexion. Rubbing half a lemon on the teeth not
only makes them shiny and bright but will also cure bad
breath.
If you are looking to lose some weight, before crash dieting
try this: add a little salt and one lemon to 350mls of
lukewarm water. Drink this daily on an empty stomach.
If you prefer honey to salt, you can substitute. Drink
this mixture every time you feel thirsty. Try this for
a month and you are sure to see results
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MILK
Milk should ideally be consumed in the morning since
it is believed that the heat of the sun digests milk.
Adding sugar to milk is very harmful since it not only
induces phlegm, it also destroys the calcium content in
it. It should be drunk at room temperature if possible,
or cold. But if you prefer warm milk then don't overheat
it. Overheating destroys all its beneficial elements.
For the sweetening of milk and easy digestion, add honey
to it. Never drink milk if you are suffering from cough,
constipation, diarrhea, stomachache or indigestion. For
acidity, drink cold milk twice a day. And for tiredness
a glass of warm milk will prove effective.
For wrinkles, pimples and blemishes apply warm milk and
wash with water. Do this regularly before sleeping at
night, it will solve your problem and improve your complexion.
Adding a little saffron to a spoonful of fresh milk and
applying on the lips will cure their darkness and make
them softer.
If you are suffering from an itchy rash, add a little
water to some milk and apply on the rash with cotton wool
and then wash. It will stop the itch and cure the rash
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SALT
Salt is good only in small quantities and rock salt
is better than sea salt. Eating excessive salt weakens
the gums and is also the cause of body odour. Due to excessive
consumption of salt, body cells die and these dead cells
come out from the pores through perspiration. This makes
the odour very strong and foul. To help the situation,
eat salt in very small quantities. Salt is very drying,
thus excessive amounts of salt causes unnatural thirst.
Small quantities of it can be very beneficial.
In a headache, keep a pinch of salt on the tongue and
ten minutes later drink a cold glass of water. Or, smell
a mixture or three grams of salt in one-fourth cup of
water.
For a stomachache, mix half a spoon of salt in a glass
of hot water and drink. This will not only cure the pain
but will also remove the cause of the pain.
For softening the skin, wet the skin and take a fistful
of salt, rub on the skin in circular motions and then
wash. Do this once a week, it will slough off dead skin
thus making it soft. For cracking heels or rough feet,
add salt to warm water and soak your feet
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