Liver and Ayurveda

Liver is one of the complex organs in the human body. One of its functions is production of bile which helps in digesting fat. Food digested by the stomach gets processed by the liver where toxins are filtered.

Sometimes the liver has to bear the brunt due to excessive consumption of alcohol, certain drugs, hot substances like chillies etc.

Karisalankanni (Eclipta prostrata) is the herb of choice in treating liver diseases. This herb grows in marshy areas throughout the year. It grows abundantly during the rainy season. There are two varieties of karisilankanni, one has yellow flowers and the other white. The yellow one is more potent.

Karisalankanni is most effective when eaten raw. It can also be dried in shade and powdered.

When ground to a paste and cooked as in karislankanni kootu, it is good for teeth, skin and hair. It induces appetite. It aids digestion and helps expel fecal matter from the large intestines. It heals ulcers. It cleans the liver and encourages secretion of bile. It cures inflamed liver also called fatty liver.

Adulterated food can jeopardise the liver. Also foods contaminated with chemicals can play havoc. All these on entering human body should to be expelled and the liver is strained beyond its limit. This results in sluggish liver, stomach upset and gastroenteritis. Even though we consume nutritive foods in plenty than the previous generations it doesn’t seem to strengthen our immune system. This is because of the loss of coordination between the liver, intestines and stomach. Adulterated food, contaminated water and polluted environment are the factors that are to be blamed for this state of affairs. There is a high risk of hypercholesterolemia, high blood pressure, cirrhosis, atherosclerosis and coronary thrombosis.

Karisalankanni comes to rescue in such cases. One ounce of karisalankanni juice (15 ml) and cow’s milk 20 ml (boiled and then brought down to the room temperature) are mixed and should be taken first thing in the morning. This regulates the blood pressure as well.

As karisalankanni starts working in the system, it sets right the liver and cures jaundice, fatty liver, splenomegaly, hemorrhoids, indigestion etc. Regular intake strengthens the inner organs.



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Ayurveda for Dark Circles around Eyes

Reading books for a long time in a dimly lit place, straining the eyes to read books, reading without spectacles when necessary, sleeping in a seated position frequently, bathing using very hot water, watching telly in a dark room, lying down and watching television, not exercising the eyes, daytime sleep, frequent eating of foods that are too salty or sour, using of cosmetics which may be allergic, not wearing necessary eye protection equipments when working near hot places like furnaces, hot stoves etc….so on goes the reasons for dark circles around the eyes.

The first step to cure the dark circles is to avoid such situations.

Ayurveda suggests that cow’s milk, goat’s milk, yoghurt, butter, fenugreek are added to the diet. These strengthen the eyes and the muscles around them. Fish oil also serves the purpose.

The diet should also consist the following.

A paste (thuvayal) made of coriander leaves and mint leaves induces appetite. This paste can be mixed with rice and taken as the first course. This should be followed by rice with buttermilk and curry leaf paste as the second course. Similarly greens like drumstick leaves, agathi leaves, mulai keerai, arai keerai, tender neem leaves, fenugreek leaves etc which contain vitamin A in plenty should be part of the diet.

A good night’s sleep will go a long way in restoring the lost sheen. 6 – 8 hours of sleep is recommended. (One simple remedy for insomnia, grind poppy seeds to a paste and add a marble sized paste to a glass of warm milk. Take this before going to bed for good sleep, but do not make it a habit.)

Cover your eyes with your palm for 10 minutes after a strenuous day’s work. This would relax your eyes and lessen the strain. Gently massage around the eyes with your fingertips after this.

Collect the thin layer that forms on top of milk when heated. This is applied to the face before going to bed. On getting up the next day morning, clean the face by splashing hot and cold water alternatively. Make a paste by rubbing turmeric against stone. Add a few drops of linseed oil to the paste and apply the mixture to the dark circles around the eyes. After half an hour wash it away using greengram powder. This helps to clear black rings and provide a bright countenance.


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Ways to Cure Stammering and Stuttering in Ayurveda

Given below are some ayurvedic home remedies for stuttering and stammering.

All activities of the human body is controlled by the brain. The brain processes all the information it receives through the senses and makes it more meaningful. All of the physical activities are controlled by the brain and specific areas of the brain control specific organs and the corresponding activities. Most of the activities of the brain are beyond the conscious control of the individual.

When a part of the brain is damaged due to various reasons, the specific body part and the corresponding activities come to a standstill. That part of the brain which controls speech may get damaged and this can result in stuttering and stammering. This is the physiological reason.

Just as our bodies can be kept fit by exercises, stuttering can also be cured by specific set of exercises.

Ayurveda states that the brain is under the control of ‘Prana’. Therefore to cure stuttering we have to improve the functioning of ‘prana’.

Vallarai is a herb that is found in shades in villages. A few coriander seeds and palm candy are placed inside 3 or 4 vallarai leaves and chewed. Also vallarai leaves can be dried in shade and powdered. This powder taken regularly helps reduce stammering. Paste made by grinding the leaves can also be taken with milk. It is surprising to note that the shape of vallarai leaf resembles the human brain.

Cow’s ghee is also recommended by Ayurveda to cure stammering. According to Ayurveda texts cow's ghee acts positively in the sphere of memory, speech, knowledge, wisdom etc. To sense things, store them in memory, express things coherently from memory etc all belong to this domain. Hence cow’s ghee is used in preparation of medicines that help improve memory, cure stammering, stuttering etc.

‘Saaraswatha choornam’ half a teaspoon and ‘brahmi kirutham’ one and half teaspoon are mixed in honey. This mixture is then placed inside rice balls and taken internally and masticated well. For this purpose it is recommended that you have rice along with hot sambar and rasam as breakfast. After breakfast, saraswatharishtam 30 ml should be taken.

Apply warm brahmi oil on top of head and allow it to soak for about 30 – 45 minutes. Afterwards bathe using warm water. This process helps improve memory as well clear stuttering and stammering.

The above mentioned ayurvedic remedies complement very well with the conventional treatments like fluency shaping, hypnosis, stuttering modification etc.


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Ayurveda for Potbelly

Eating more than what is necessary, eating tough to digest foods, consumption of excessive sweets, oily stuff etc, lack of exercise, lack of sexual activity, daytime sleep and genetic make up are the major contributors to potbellies. One or more of these can be the cause of your potbelly.

While people of third world countries suffer from malnutrition, it is the other way round for those of the affluent nations. Easy availability and mindless consumption of nutritious products result in over-nutrition. Lack of exercise is another reason. The present work culture adds to the problem where physical movement at the workplace is vastly reduced due to the advent of computers, mobile phones etc.

Fat is an adipose tissue which stores energy. It is an important fuel for the body. It is needed to maintain the body heat. Fat that enters the human body through food is digested at different levels and undergoes many changes. Problems in the enzymes that digest fat as well as problems in the glands that secrete these enzymes allow the fat to get stagnated in the body.

Potbelly cannot be called a disease, but can be considered as a precursor to diseases. Difficulty to breathe on slight exertion, lethargy and laziness are some of the symptoms. Once the size of belly increases one is at the risk of diabetes, heart disease and blood pressure. A series of complications ensue.

We become addicted to taste of the junk food and eat beyond what is necessary. Reducing the quantity of food does not necessarily bring down the body weight. Whatever the body can accept gets assimilated and the rest either gets eliminated or gets stored in the body as fat.

Moderation in consumption and timely intake of food helps in digestion and assimilation of nutrition and helps in overall well being.


Heat sour buttermilk and add horsegram powder to it. Massage this mix onto the potbelly in an upward direction from bottom to top and also sideways. Allow this to stay for 15 minutes and then bathe with warm water. Horsegram helps to reduce potbelly.

Also varadhi kashayam 15 ml is added to 60 ml of water. One tablespoon of honey is added to this. This mix should be taken internally morning and evening on empty stomach. This too aids in reducing potbelly.

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Ginger, Honey and Obesity

Ginger is known from time immemorial for its action on the digestive system. It activates the taste buds and restores the sense of taste. It plays a pivotal role in digesting heavy foods while maintaining the equilibrium of the doshas. It helps maintain the necessary heat which enables smooth functioning of the entire body. It aids blood circulation and removes lethargy.

Ginger tastes hot but becomes sweetish on digestion. It restores voice by clearing phlegm from the throat. It also removes phlegm in chest and helps in curing indigestion. In case of fevers due to these, honey and ginger juice is mixed and given internally.

When pitta increases beyond its normal levels in the intestines it results in giddiness and tiredness. In such cases, ginger, coriander seeds and cumin seeds are ground to a fine paste using a few drops of water and taken with honey or sugar.

Remove the outer skin of fresh ginger and dry it in sunlight for 10 minutes. Take 200 gm of such dried ginger and slice them into small pieces. This is then soaked in 200 gm of honey and stored in a bottle. Stir it regularly. Also place the honey and ginger combination in sunlight for 10 – 15 minutes twice a week. Ginger thus preserved lasts longer. This preparation is a good remedy for loss of appetite, lethargy, body heat, giddiness due to excessive pittha etc. Half a teaspoon of this sliced ginger and honey a day is the recommended quantity. Regular intake up to restoration of appetite is recommended.

Honey plays an important role in reducing beer belly or pot belly. Ginger prevents indigestion that may be caused due to honey. This combination of honey and ginger thus helps in combating obesity also.


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