Benefits of Oil Massage and Oil Treatment

It has been age old practice in South India to apply oil to the whole body with a gentle massage followed by warm water bath. For women, this is to be observed on Fridays and for men Saturdays.

A recent study by Dr K. N. Agarwal of Delhi has shown the health benefits of oil massage on 6 week old infants. The study concluded that sesame oil as the most beneficial of all other oils. Oil massage also helps in increased secretion of thyroid and insulin.

South India is a hot region with very high temperatures during the summer. Rapid deforestation, depletion of underground water, environmental pollution etc add to the woe. The Siddha saints regard human body as a microcosm that reflects the larger Universe. When the earth gets polluted due to the reasons mentioned above, a corresponding disharmony sets in, in the human body too. This is there for all of us to see. The nature strikes back with vengeance; natural calamities and epidemics like H1N1 are on the rise. The three doshas, vata, pitta and kapha get vitiated. Oil massage and bath once a week will help pacify the vitiated doshas to a large extent.

This way of bathing benefits human body and mind immensely. The skin is able to maintain its sheen and luster. The muscles get strengthened. There is improved blood circulation. Oil massage relaxes the body and energizes it. There is a sense of complete relaxation. When the muscles and joints are massaged, the body fluids stagnant at these points move on and toxins if any get eliminated. A relaxing oil massage and bath once a week will keep you energized and alert throughout the week.

Sesame oil, coconut oil and castor oil can be used for this purpose. Take sesame oil and coconut oil in equal quantities. Castor oil of one third volume is added to this mixture. Drop a few pepper corns, betel leaves, a pinch of camphor to this mixture and heat it to a bearable level.

Apply this warm oil all over the body. This should be done ideally in the mornings. Allow this oil to soak into your body for 20 to 30 minutes. Use warm water for bathing. You can add a few drops of eucalyptus oil, or eucalyptus leaves to the warm water meant for bathing.

You can also use massage oils available in the market. These oils are made by adding basil leaves, clove, jasmine, sandalwood etc. They give out a very nice, relaxing aroma.

Abhyanga snan is observed on Deepavali day. It is a full body massage with oil followed by a ritual bathing.

You can wash away this oil using soap nut powder or handmade soaps. Handmade soaps do not contain chemicals that could harm the skin in the long run. They retain skin moisture. I will share some more benefits and tips on oil massage in subsequent posts.

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Ayurvedic Hair Care - Part 6

Home remedy for dark and thick black hair

Ingredients

Hibiscus (Shoe flower) the dark red ones 20 nos

Coconut oil 200 ml

Method

Heat the coconut oil and when it nears the boiling point, drop the shoe flowers with the stalk into the oil. As soon as the flowers are dropped remove the coconut oil from heat and allow it to cool. Strain out the flowers and store the oil in a bottle in a cool place. Apply this oil to your hair everyday for healthy hair growth.

Fenugreek remedy for arresting hair loss

Method

A handful of fenugreek seeds are soaked in water the previous night. The fenugreek is ground to a fine paste the next day morning. This paste is then applied to the hair roots. Allow the paste to stay for 5-10 minutes and then wash it off. Regular application will stop hair loss and will help healthy hair growth.

Home remedy for premature grey hair

Ingredients

White karisalankanni plant

Coconut oil or sesame oil

Method

Take a small whole white karisalankanni plant and pound it thoroughly. Make a fine paste of the pounded plant using a mixer. Make dime-sized tablets out of the paste and dry them in shade for a couple days. Once thoroughly dried, store these tablets in a bottle. Soak a couple of these tablets for two days in either coconut oil or sesame oil 50 ml as and when needed. This oil is applied on hair to treat premature greying of hair. For good results regular application for at least 2-3 months is recommended.

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Ayurvedic Hair Care - Part 3

For healthy hair growth you should adopt certain healthy practices. The most important one is to apply oil to the scalp before bathing. Oil should be applied at least 15 minutes before a bath. Similarly the hair should be patted dry thoroughly after a bath. After this you can apply hair oil. You should ensure that the scalp does not remain dry for quite too long. The scalp and hair should have oil always.

Cleaning your hair is very essential to keep it healthy. Since India is a hot country, and more so the southern part, people sweat a lot and the dust gets settled on skin and scalp very quickly. Bathing twice a day would be ideal. One thing you need to keep in mind is that you should not bathe immediately after some strenuous work which had involved physical exertion. Do not bathe when you are dripping with sweat. Rest for a few minutes to let the body come back to the normal temperature and then have your bath. Also do not bathe immediately after a full meal.

After bathing use a towel to pat your hair and scalp dry. Ensure that the scalp is thoroughly dry. Do not use a hair dryer for this purpose. The hot air can damage the hair roots. Apply oil only after the scalp is patted dry.

Given below is a method to prepare the oil that is applied to scalp before bathing.

The ingredients are dried Indian gooseberry, fenugreek, and dried lemon peel. 50 gm of each of these are powdered and added to a liter of sesame oil. This oil is then applied to the scalp and allowed to stay for some 30 minutes and then washed off.

Another way is to apply sesame oil to hair. Now add soapnut powder, green gram powder, bengal gram powder, and powdered rice to rice congee. Make a thick paste of good consistency and apply the paste onto your hair and scalp. Wash it off after 30 minutes.

Another alternative is to apply sesame oil to hair. Then collect henna leaves, sesame, athimathuram, Indian gooseberries, and make a fine paste of these with cow's milk. Heat this fine paste a little and once it reaches a bearable level of heat apply it on the hair and scalp. Leave it for 10-15 minutes and then wash it off.

Another herbal preparation found to be very effective is to make a paste of karisalankanni leaves, nelli mulli and anthimathuram and applying it on the hair after the usual application of oil. This is then washed off after 10-15 minutes. This helps in luscious hair growth. The hair will have a nice fragrance and it will keep away diseases that affect your hair.

You can try a simple preparation to stop hair loss. For this you need to make a paste of split red gram (thuvaram paruppu in Tamil). Red gram is soaked in water the previous night. The next day morning it is ground to a fine paste and applied to scalp and washed off after 10 or 15 minutes. If you do this frequently, it will help in arresting hair loss and also aid in hair regrowth.

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Ayurveda Hair Care - Part 2

A healthy body begets a healthy mind. I would like to add healthy hair. A comprehensive hair care in Ayurveda starts inside out. Hair weakens with deficiency of vitamins or minerals in the body, or changes in food habits. Some common hair problems are hair fall, inadequate and lackluster growth, change of color, gradual receding of hairline leading to baldness, alopecia or round shaped small bald patches on scalp, dandruff and head lice, graying of hair.

Though many reasons could be attributed to the cause of the above mentioned conditions, the basic one according to Ayurveda is the body ‘heat’. A ‘heat body’ is somewhat akin to an acidic body, and this body ‘heat’ increases with anger, anxiety, confusion, jealousy, depression and such emotions. Some physical reasons could be constipation, walking barefoot in hot sun for long, etc.

Leading a stress free life is essential for good hair growth. Meditation or other such practices can help in managing stress in your life. Also you should start eating more fibrous foods and drinking more water. This alone can take care of constipation most of the time. Stubborn cases of constipation can be treated with some Ayurvedic laxatives. For people who walk too much in hot sun, one way to reduce their body ‘heat’ is the application of sesame oil on the soles of their feet. For this purpose they should clean their feet before going to bed and pat them dry with a towel. Sesame oil is then applied to the soles of both feet and rubbed vigorously for a minute or two. This is said to have a soporific effect and can induce a good night sleep. In addition, it reduces the body ‘heat’ too.

Is it necessary to apply oil to hair? While there is an ongoing debate on whether you need oil for hair growth, Ayurveda does suggest application of oil to help healthy hair growth. One of the famous hair oils that aids in hair growth is the neelibringadhi oil. This can be applied to the scalp after a bath. This oil is found to help arrest hair fall and activate luscious hair growth.

Application of oil to your hair helps in reducing the body ‘heat’. It keeps the hair fresh. The hair would not get tangled. The color of hair improves with regular application of oil. Since the oil strengthens the hair root, there is a reduction in hair loss.

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Ayurvedic Hair Care Tips - Part 1

Human hair grows to half an inch per month. The hair can be divided into three parts, the bulb, the root and shaft. The bulb is the swelling at the base below the root that comes up from the dermis, the root is the portion of hair beneath skin surface and shaft is the hair above skin surface. Life span of a human hair is said to be between two to three years. It is normal to shed 50 to 70 strands per day.

Excessive hair loss can be attributed to weak hair roots. Some of the reasons for hair loss include heredity, infection of scalp, certain drugs, stress, environmental pollution, chlorine in water, hormonal imbalances, menopause, pregnancy, diseases like typhoid, flu etc.

Some more reasons for hair loss include

• lack of essential nutrients in body

• dust that is not cleaned off from scalp

• cleaning hair with excessive hot or excessive cold water

• scalp not patted dry after a bath

• application of oil on scalp after a bath without proper drying

Some precautions to be observed:

• Do not allow others to use your comb, keep it to yourselves.

• Avoid combs with very sharp teeth.

• Never use a dirty comb

• Change your comb after a month.

• Do not use combs of others.

• Do not comb in a hurry. Take your own time to comb your hair.

• Run your comb gently through your hair. Never test your strength with your hair.

Coconut oil has been used from time immemorial for luscious hair growth. Application of coconut oil on scalp nourishes the hair roots and strengthens hair follicles.

One inexpensive way to have a soft and shiny hair is to apply not so sour curd obtained from cow’s milk onto to your hair. After about fifteen minutes you can clean off the hair with lukewarm water.

Records show that our ancestors cared for their long hair with the help of herbs and oils. They took time to dry their hair and expose it to scented fumes. They prepared herbal oils that nourished the hair roots and hair follicles. Above all they led a stress free life which should have been the primary reason for their healthy hair.

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Hair Care in Ayurveda

Human hair has had an important social significance for human beings throughout the history of mankind. It has been a symbol of love and respect in many traditions. In the Hindu tradition, the first born son tonsures his head on the death of his father or mother. This rite of tonsuring the head is done on the day of cremation. He also shaves off his mustache. The next day, the son is taken in procession from his home to the crematorium to take part in the rites and ceremonies performed at the crematorium. You can find this act of giving away of hair as a sign of respect, mourning and for various other reasons in different cultures throughout the world.

The biblical character Samson was said to have had his strength in his hair. When his hair was cut he lost his strength. He regained his strength when the hair grew back again.

Pictures of Lord Jesus depict him with shoulder length hair. The great gurus and rishis were said to have had thick lock of shoulder length hair. The great Fathers of the Church were always found with long hair and beard. The pictures of the great poet Thiruvalluvar show him with shoulder length hair which is tied at the top as a knot.

Devotees in India offer their hair as a token of love and thanksgiving to Lord Balaji in Tirupathi, Andhra Pradesh. Men of certain religious faith like Orthodox Jews and Sikhs for example may never cut their hair or shave some or all of it. Womenfolk of orthodox Christianity and Judaism cover their heads using headscarves as a sign of modesty.

Cutting off hair or tonsuring in public was meted out as punishment. Heads were shaved in the concentration camps of Second World War. Long hair of women was cut as a sign of punishment.

More recently, Yoko Ono, wife of John Lennon cut her long hair on her husband’s assassination. She said “John loved my hair, so I gave it to him”. Hippies of the 60s and 70s grew long hair to show their antipathy towards the mainstream society.

Though hair is not considered necessary for survival, loss of hair or baldness does cause a lot of stress in most of the people.

Women tend to be more careful in the upkeep of their hair. Women with long hair clean it regularly and take extra care in maintaining it. Hair grows and stays well in a healthy body. Care should be taken to keep the scalp clean and free from dust. Frequent usage of shampoo with chemical contents can harm the scalp. Dry scalp is a fertile place for dandruff. Dandruff on scalp can lead to weakening of hair root and result in hair loss. It is very difficult to eradicate dandruff once it has set in. It can also lead to baldness.

Hair loss due to hereditary genetic condition like male pattern baldness or female pattern baldness can be can be reversed with judicious use of excellent herbs and oils. Ayurveda and Siddha manuscripts mention number of hair oils as well as oral preparations that help in restoring hair and preventing hair loss.

Mainstream system utilizes oral drugs like finasteride or minoxidil for hair growth. These drugs were originally meant for treating BPH and high blood pressure and the hair growth was a side effect. The side effect of using these drugs for hair growth remains to be seen. Finasteride is found to cause birth defects in unborn baby of pregnant women. This drug can be absorbed by the skin and so pregnant women should not handle this drug.

I will introduce you to some herbal preparations that help in hair growth as well as prevent hair loss in my subsequent posts.

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A Simple Ayurvedic Hair Oil for Hair Care

One formula for hair growth used from time immemorial is given below. It has both external and internal components.

The four main ingredients needed to prepare this concoction are

1. Juice of henna leaves 200 ml
2. Juice of karisalankanni leaves (false daisy or swamp daisy) 200 ml
3. Juice of adukku chembaruthi (hibiscus flower and buds) 200 ml
4. Juice of kariveppilai (curry leaves) 200 ml.

Add all the juices to 800 ml of coconut oil and heat the combination.

Anjana kal is a sort of black stone available in local herbal stores in South India. 40 gm of this is ground to a fine powder and sieved using a fine piece of cloth. Also 40 gm of ashes of coconut shell is sieved and stored.

The oil is heated to the required level (one way to test this is to see whether a grain of paddy when dropped into the oil turns to a puffed one).

Place the anjana kall powder and coconut shell powder in a wide mouthed steel vessel. Cover the mouth with a cotton cloth to filter. Pour the hot oil into the vessel and let it cool. Store it in a cool dry place.

Regular application of this oil helps in hair growth. It can be used by people of all ages.

To further strengthen hair growth, ‘lohasavam’ 15 ml can be taken twice a day (morning and before bed).

‘Narasimha Rasayanam’ 1 teaspoon twice a day also helps.

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Some More Remedies for Baldness and Hair Loss

One Siddha preparation that can help cure premature balding is to rub garlic in honey and applying the ensuing paste in areas bald. Regular application once a day can help hair growth in those areas.

In case of bald patches due to autoimmune disease following remedies may be used. Pepper powder, small onion (shallot) and salt are ground together to a fine paste and applied on affected areas. Another remedy is to burn and char elephant tusk and mix this powder in honey to form a fine paste. Apply this paste on affected areas. Both these methods are effective in treating bald patches.

Sometimes there is loss of hair as a side effect of certain fevers. In such circumstances, after head bath first wipe out all water using a soft towel. Then grind an onion to a fine paste. Mix honey to this paste and apply it in affected areas.

Take 100 ml of kuppaimeni juice and 100 ml of coconut oil. Mix the two in a wide pan. Also crush 25 grams of root of kuppaimeni plant and extract its juice in a separate bowl. Now heat the 100ml kuppaimeni juice and 100 ml coconut oil mixture. After 5 minutes add the root extract to it and allow the mixture to simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove from fire and allow it to cool. Store it in a bottle in a cool dry place. Apply regularly on scalp for quick results.

Another hair oil based on Siddha herbs. Juice of henna leaves 50 ml, cow’s milk 500 ml, sesame oil or gingely oil 400 ml are mixed and heated. Allow the mix to boil for sometime. Once it is boiled for nearly 5 min, allow it to cool and store in a bottle. This oil is helps in luscious hair growth.

Now a cure for headache.

Kasthuri manjal (curcuma aromatica), karuva pattai (wild cinnamon), sandal paste, korai kizhangu) (coco grass or nutgrass), samprani (Boswellia serrata Var glabra), cloves (krambu), vaal milagu (Java pepper) 4 gm of each of these are collected and ground to a fine paste using mother’s milk. Heat the mix to boil and then allow it to cool. When it reaches a lukewarm state, apply on forehead, nape, as a thick paste. This can help cure chronic headaches.



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Siddha Remedies for Hair Problems

Writings of Siddhars

The Siddhars presented their recipes for herbal tinctures and base metal amalgams in poetic form. In fact all of their writings, be it their philosophical ideas or yogic practices all of these were in poems with difficult meters similar to those of the epics of the Sangam Age of Tamil Nadu.

Their works are full of tantric imagery, references to Kundalini, the sleeping serpent power that resides in each of us, and also ways to control this power. The esoteric nature of their imagery and their philosophy which defies human logic resulted in their works still being not translated.

To know more about Siddhars click here.

The Siddhars have classified diseases as 4,448 in number and prescribed medicines in the form of herb, roots, salts, metals and mineral compounds. They formulated methods to process metals, minerals, herbs and natural raw materials to make churnams, chenthurams and leyhams, etc. (Churnam is in the form of powder, leyham is in the form of a thick paste). Siddha practitioners claim that there is mention of treating AIDS in the writings of the Siddhars. AIDS was called "Vettai Noi" in the Siddha parlance. In Chennai some AIDS patients are treated with Siddha remedies along with their regular allopathic treatment.

"Vettai Noi" is due to Azhal Kurtrum (fault of pittam or bile, acidic nature) exhibited in the blood stream. To treat this they prescribe a regimen based on herbs namely arugampul(Cynodon Dactylon Pers), karisilankanni (Eclipta Alba Hassk), musumusukkai (Mukai Scavrillia), thoodhuvalai (Solanum Trilobatum Linn) and jeeragam (Luminum Cyminum)

Now for some Siddha remedies for baldness.

Athimathuram (Indian Liquorice) is powdered. Buffalo’s milk is added and made into a paste. This paste is applied to the bald areas. Bathe after 5 – 10 minutes. Regular application helps hair growth in bald areas.

Kuppaimeni (Acalypha Indica) and coconut oil ½ litre each is taken. Root of kuppaimeni 35 gm is cleaned and ground to a fine paste. This is added to the coconut oil. Again add kuppaimeni juice to the oil and heat the whole mixture. Allow the mixture to boil for a while. Remove this from stove and allow it to cool. Filter the mixture and store the oil in a bottle. Apply this oil on head 15 minutes before you take bath. This too helps baldness.

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