Health Benefits of Licorice / Mulethi / Yasthimadhu

Licorice is a popular herb in Indian subcontinent. This multipurpose herb is commonly available in general stores across the country. It is popularly known as Mulethi in Hindi.  In Ayurveda Licorice is one of the most widely used medicinal herbs and is found in numerous traditional formulas. The Liquorice root contains glycyrrhizic acid which is approximately 50 times sweeter than sugar. Following are the benefits of Licorice/ Mulethi:-

1)   For Weight gain and Strength: - Mix 5 Gms licorice, ½ teaspoon ghee (purified butter) and 1.5 teaspoon honey. Consume the mixture with a glass of milk. Add candy sugar in milk for taste. You can add Ashwagandha in place of honey, if unavailable.

2)     For Mouth ulcers: - Keep a piece of slightly chewed mulethi in mouth for sometime to get relief.

3)   For Angina pain: - licorice ½ teaspoon mix with ½ teaspoon of katuki (Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora) should be taken twice a day with lukewarm water.

Home Remedies for Jaundice

Jaundice is yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes, caused by the excess of Bile pigment (Bilirubin) in the blood. Mild Jaundice is common in new born babies. In adults, jaundice may occur when the flow of bile from the liver to the intestine is blocked by an obstruction such as a GALLSTONE, or in diseases such as CIRRHOSIS, HEPATITIS, or ANEMIA.

Jaundice is not a disease but it’s a symptom of other diseases which sometimes can be life threatening. There are many reasons of Jaundice like Gilbert Syndrome (It is a mild liver disorder in which bloodstream levels of Bilirubin - a liver enzyme - are abnormal.), blood incompatibilities, some types of cancers, dehydration, liver problems, cirrhosis, hepatitis, anemia, bile duct blockage, taking medications(especially pain killers and sedatives) for a long time, infections. Whatever may be the cause; jaundice should not be taken lightly and must be treated with greatest precedence.

Ayurvedic Remedies are treating Jaundice patients effectively since ages. Below are some of the well tried and tested home remedies.

1)      50-60 ml juice of radish leaves mixed with 10 Gms of sugar candy. The juice should be consumed by the patient as soon as he/she gets up in the morning. This is considered to be the potent medicine for jaundice. The patient will recover within the week time. Shun turmeric and milk during the treatment.

2)      Eat ripe papaya regularly; it is one of the best fruits effective in the treatment of jaundice. Patient can also eat ripe banana with half a teaspoon of honey. Prune fruit can also be eaten regularly.

3)      Drink the juice made by adding mint leaves juice, fresh lime juice and ginger juice. You can also add

Kidney Stones: Cure and Prevention

Kidney stones, once considered as the middle age crisis, now even engulfing children as small as 6 years old. A faulty eating practice along with fewer intake of water is the explanation to why there is such a steep rise of kidney stones in younger patients. Around 60 percent of the kidney stone formed is due to the binding of calcium with a byproduct of certain foods, known as oxalate. Other commonly kidney stones types include calcium phosphate stones and uric acid stones. The pain caused by the kidney stones is considered to be one of the most excruciating one. Kidney stones take a while to do away with, once it affects us. Below are few herbal home remedies that are considered to be effective in flushing out kidney stones from the body.

1)      6 gram papaya root powder mix with 50 ml of water. Consume this potion twice (morning and evening) daily for 21 days. This process will liquefy the stones from the kidney.

2)      1 gram turmeric (haldi) with 2 gram jaggery or molasses (Indian Gur) if eaten with gajar ki kanji (a tasty carrot drink with mustard) is dissolve stones in no time.

3)      Horse gram (kulthi lentil in India) is considered to be the pinnacle for kidney stones. Take 20 Gms of Horse gram and

Home Remedies for Mouth Ulcers

The discomfort cause by mouth ulcers is excruciating. You cannot taste the food without soreness. Your mouth don’t experience flavor in food you eat but pain. There are many home remedies of mouth ulcers that we have somehow forgotten and which are fairly effective and bring respite in short period. But ahead of explaining the home remedies to you, let me first talk about the causes of mouth ulcer, which is very essential in preventing the ulcers to resurface time and again.

Main Causes of Mouth Ulcers

Mouth Ulcers are not infectious and cannot be spread from person to person. Minor Ulcers can be caused by incidentally biting the inside of cheek while eating or talking, it can also be caused by using sharp objects like pencil, broken teeth edges, while brushing etc, but the ulcers that reoccurs over and over again may be the hint that something is not well within us. These troublesome Mouth Ulcers can be caused by any of the following stated reasons.

1)      Hormonal Changes: Hormonal Changes is one of the basic reasons, particularly in women during their monthly period.

2)      Nutritional Deficiencies: Deficiencies such as iron, vitamins, particularly B12 and C.

3)      Stress and Anxiety: Many people experience mouth ulcers during the time when they feel over stressed out or anxious over any important issue.

4)      Allergic Food: Eating, drinking or smoking certain food like chocolate, coffee, wheat or barley flour (Coeliac disease due to Gluten), nuts (peanuts, almonds etc), cigarettes (especially when leaving it) and all shorts of chewing tobacco.

5)      Allergic reactions due to Medication: Some anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen, aspirin, drugs used in heart problems like Nicorandil etc can cause reactions that are reported to be the cause of mouth ulcers.

6)      Cohn’s diseases: This causes inflammation in gut, leads to ulcers in both mouth and stomach.

Home Remedies for Mouth Ulcers:

1)      Mix a teaspoon of Alum (phitkari) powder in a liter of water. Gargle 3-4 times a day with it.

2)      Rub some butter or purified butter over ulcers before going to bed for instant relief from burning sensation and for cure.

3)      Chew some cardamom and

Simple Home Remedies for Constipation

Unhealthy life styles like eating junk food, frequent non-veg. diet, heavy medication, over use of laxatives, burgers, pizzas, untimely sleep, stress, smoking, alcohol, over or under eating especially in the urban areas, constipation has grown to be a part and parcel of life. Constipation should be taken as a serious problem and if left unattended for a long time can cause some serious problems. Many researches hint that constipation may be linked with the increase numbers of Parkinson’s disease, thyroid problems, diabetes etc.

Below mentioned are some simple yet potent herbal home remedies which have proved beneficial time and again in curing as well as preventing the problem of constipation.

1)      Amla/ Indian Gooseberry. Amla as I have mentioned several times earlier in my blog has many wonderful curative properties, of which its use in constipation is one of them. Amla as a natural colon cleanser removes years of deposited toxins (medications, heavy metals, pesticides, and chemicals), impurities and fecal materials in colon and lower intestines. Take 1 teaspoon of Amla powder with water or with honey before going to bed. Regular use of Amla powder will relieve from constipation and many other intestinal/colon related problems. You can also take Triphala in which Amla is one of the three constituents can be taken in place of Amla powder to augment its effect. 

2)       Soak Dry Palm Date (Chuara or Chuaara) and Amla fruit(seedless) in water overnight in equal proportion. In the morning blend them and filter the paste. Take 2-3 teaspoon 2-3 times a day will alleviate the constipation.