Many of us have suffered natural remedies for everyday ailments at the hands of our mothers or grandmas. Here's a list of recommendations for medicinal usage of Indian spices. Now before you read any further, let me warn you not to depend on these remedies as your fallback option in case 'healthcare reform' begins to suck big time. The author a.k.a. I offer no express guarantees for the efficacy of any of these remedies. Heck! I don't even think many of them would taste good either. Now that the standard disclaimers have been dispensed with, here goes:
COMMON COLD: Mix a gram of cinnamon powder with a tsp of honey to Cure cold.
Prepare tea adding ginger, clove, bay Leaf and black pepper. Drink twice a day.
Ginger tea is very good to cure cold. Preparation of tea: cut ginger into small pieces and boil it with water, boil it a few times and then add sugar to sweeten and milk to taste, and drink it hot.
DRY COUGHS.
Add a gram of turmeric (haldi) powder to a tsp of honey to cure dry cough.
Chew on a whole cardamom.
BLOCKED NOSE: Tbsp of crushed carom seeds (ajwain) and tie it in a cloth and inhale it.
SORE THROAT: 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera) + few small pieces of dry Ginger to a glass of boiling water. Simmer it for a few minutes, and Then let it cool. Drink it twice daily. This will cure cold & sore throat.
Boil carom seeds (ajwain) in water and inhale the steam.
BACKACHE: Rub ginger paste on the back to get relief.
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE: Chew 1-2 garlic cloves first thing in the morning with water.
(Nobody may come near you all day leading to a relaxed mind ;-)
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE: 1 tbsp ginger (adrak) juice+1 tbsp ground cumin seeds (jeera) twice a day.
MIGRAINE: Boil 1 tbsp pepper powder + a pinch of turmeric in a cup of milk, and drink for a few days.
TURMERIC: Apply turmeric powder to injuries to stop the bleeding. It also works as an antiseptic.
-Use 5 almonds with hot milk in your daily diet.
-1 gram black pepper + honey or milk, twice or thrice a day.
-Apply almond paste (or raw almond butter) to forehead.
-Eat an apple with a little salt on an empty stomach everyday.
-For headaches caused due to cold winds, apply paste of cinnamon in water to forehead.
TURMERIC
-Turmeric can be used in treating arthritis due to its Anti-inflammatory property. Add 1 tsp turmeric powder to a Cup of warm milk every day. Apply paste locally to affected areas.
-Turmeric lower cholesterol prevents formation of internal blood clots, improves circulation and prevents heart disease and stroke.
HICCUPS: Take a warm slice of lemon and sprinkle salt, sugar and black pepper
On it. Suck on it until hiccups stop.
HIGH CHOLESTEROL
-To 1 glass water, add 2 tbsp coriander(dhania) seeds and bring to a boil. Let the decoction cool for some time and then strain. Drink this mixture twice a day.
-Sunflower seeds are extremely beneficial, as they contain linoleic acid that helps in reducing the cholesterol deposits on the walls of arteries.
SINUSITIS
-Mango serves as an effective home remedy for preventing the frequent attacks of sinus, as it is packed with loads of vitamin A.
-In cup of water, boil 1 tsp of Fenugreek seeds and reduce it to half. This will help you to perspire,
dispel toxicity and reduce the fever period. OR Tie a tsp of black cumin seeds in a thin cotton cloth and inhale.
TONSILLITIS
-Squeeze a lemon in a glass of water + 4 tsp honey + 1/2 tsp salt. Sip it.
-To 1 glass boiled milk, add a pinch of turmeric powder and pepper. Drink for 3 nights.
