Ayurvedic Home Remedies: Triphala Health Benefits

Triphala is one of the most popular and effective Ayurvedic remedies used over the millennia to treat various illnesses.  This powder with excellent medicinal properties is effective in treating constipation as well as detoxifying the body.  It is a gentle detoxifier par excellence.  It regulates glucose levels in diabetics, controls hypertension and even stops the progression of cancers.

Indian Gooseberry

Triphala means ‘three fruits’ in Sanskrit; the three fruits are Indian gooseberry, kadukkai (Terminalia chebula) and thanrikkai (Terminalia Bellirica).  The three fruits on their own have immense medicinal value and are used in the preparation of various home remedies.  When these fruits come together in Thiripala, their medicinal powers multiply synergistically, resulting in a remedy that has a wide range of healing applications.

Triphala balances the tridoshas vata, pitta and kapha.  It is mentioned in Ayurvedic text Sushrut Samhita.  Generally Ayurveda physicians prescribe Triphala for constipation as it is cleanses the bowel in a gentle manner while acting as a detoxifier.  Hence this preparation can be taken in moderation every day without any nasty side effects.  But when we limit its usage to just a laxative, we might miss out on its other health promoting properties.

Regular intake of triphala benefits lungs and reduces the intensity of an asthmatic attack.  It is rich in antioxidants, hence effective in combating cancers and signs of aging.  It guards you against infectious diseases and tackles chronic ulcers and arthritis effectively.  Triphala’s detoxifying effect results in healthy skin and good hair growth.

Thiriphala powder can be taken with water or honey.  A tablespoon of the powder is mixed in water and taken at nights at bedtime (one hour after supper) for constipation.  It can also be taken with honey for cleansing and other health purposes.  Some find it hard to stomach the taste of the powder.  They can take the powder in capsule form.

Triphala tea is yet another easy way to consume the remedy.  Boil a glass of water and add a teaspoon of triphala powder.  Allow the water to cool and add honey as needed to hide the taste. 

Triphala can also be used an eyewash for eye infections.  For this purpose triphala powder steeped water kept overnight is used.  Splashing this water on eyes is found to be beneficial in redness of eyes etc.

Pregnant women should desist from taking Triphala as it has a tendency to favor miscarriage.  Excessive intake can lead to dehydration and stomach troubles due to its laxative properties.

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Ayurvedic Home Remedies: Medicinal Uses of 'Touch Me Not' Plant - Part 1

Medicinal Uses of 'Touch Me Not' Plant

The ‘Sensitive Plant’ (Touch-me-not) ‘thotta chinungi’ in Tamil and ‘thotta vaadi’ in Malayalam has been the subject of extensive studies over the recent years for its medicinal properties.

This plant is effective in treating a wide range of disease conditions ranging from allergy, asthma, menstrual problems, hemorrhoids, premature ejaculation, to hypertension, cholesterol, snake bite and more. Research has shown the plant to be effective in treating cancer, especially of the mouth and lungs. One of its compound mimocin is found to inhibit DNA replication in cancer cells.

The botanical name of ‘touch-me-not’ is Mimosa pudica. Though native to South and Central America, this plant is found in the tropical regions the world over. It is also called ‘humble plant’, ‘shameful plant’ because of the tendency of the leaves to fold inward when touched or shaken.

The thotta vaadi plant is an Ayurvedic home remedy for diabetes and hypertension. People suffering from diabetes can take 30 ml juice of thotaa vaadi plant in the mornings and evenings to bring down elevated glucose to normal levels. This remedy can also be used to keep diabetes at bay.

For those suffering from hypertension the remedy would be to take 15 ml of juice obtained from the leaves of this plant. This can be taken in the mornings and evenings to the keep blood pressure levels normal.

One Ayurvedic home remedy for arsas (hemorrhoids) is taking 8 gm of the dried and powdered root of thotta vaadi. This powder is added to warm milk and taken at nights for a period of two to three months. This is found to cure hemorrhoids or piles.

Some of the chemical compounds found in thotta vaadi are mimocin, galactose, mannose etc. These are more potent than the tricyclic anti-depressants and hence can be used in treating depression and other related disorders.

The plant has a tendency to bring down swellings and vata pain in the joints. The thick paste obtained from grinding the whole plant is taken in a piece of cloth and placed over the painful joint swellings and tied with a piece of cloth to hold it in place. This is done a couple of times. This relieves and pain and reduces the swelling. Similarly the paste can be used to treat delayed wound healing. The paste is applied over the wound to help in rapid healing.

The plant is a herbal natural remedy for asthma and asthmatic conditions. For this purpose 15 ml juice from thotta vaadi leaves is collected. Hot water is added to this juice and taken every two hours for quick relief from asthmatic troubles.

One of the problems of old age is insomnia. One excellent natural remedy for insomnia is the thotta vaadi plant. For this 5 gm of leaves is taken and boiled in a glass of water and taken at night before going to bed. Repeating this for a couple of days will help in curing insomnia.

Wheat congee made with thottavaadi juice, guava leaf, curry leaf and horse gram broth is a well known preparation for lowering elevated cholesterol levels.

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A Simple Remedy for Joint and Muscular Pains

Joint and muscular pains flare up during the winter season. Ayurveda has very effective formulations to mitigate this pain.

Described below is the method of making 'Karpoorathi thailam' a famous remedy for joint and muscular pains. This oil is applied on areas of pain and massaged gently. For good results, a warm water bath 30 - 45 min after application of oil is recommended.

Though it is available in market readymade, the home made one is more effective. Now let's get down to the nitty-gritty of making the oil.

The ingredients are 1 kilogram of ajwain (Bishop's Weed), 1 litre of coconut oil and 200 gm camphor.

800 gm of ajwain is powdered. This powdered ajwain is added to 6 litres of water and boiled and reduced to 2 litres. This is called kashayam.

The remaining 200 gm of ajwain is then ground to a fine paste using water.

Take a wide bottomed pan and pour 1 litre coconut oil into it. Add the 2 litre kashayam to this coconut oil. Now add the fine paste of ajwain. Heat the mix and let it boil in simmering heat. Once you get a sort of sandy deposit at the base, remove it from stove. Place 200 gm camphor in a steel vessel and pour the somewhat hot oil into this vessel. Allow the oil to cool to room temperature. Now store this oil in glass bottle.

Now the 'karpoorathi thailam' is ready. Apply it on painful joints and muscles and massage gently as explained above.

Courtesy: Dr. Hareendran Nair, Jeevanam

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Some Ayurvedic Home Remedies and Tips for Joint Pain in Winter

How to resolve osteoarthritis and rheumatic arthritis pain? This question bothers the elderly especially during winter times. Dr. Hareendran Nair provides a simple solution.

Jeevanam is an Ayurveda awareness program telecast in Kairali TV on Saturday mornings. Dr Harindran Nair of Pankajakasthuri Herbals India Limited answers the questions of viewers and also recounts his own experiences in treating various ailments. He offers excellent ayurvedic home remedy tips both curative and preventative, for many diseases. A very articulate individual, Dr Nair is well known for his espousal of the Ayurvedic way of life. I view his program often and can vouch for its usefulness.

In one of his episodes he talks about the aggravation of joint pains during the winter season, especially among the elderly and suggests some excellent remedies. He mentions that rheumatoid arthritis and arthritic pain in general can be lessened to a great degree by following certain simple instructions.

He insists on intake of easily digestible food preferably vegetables. This will help the digestive system to process the food easily. He advocates usage of carrot, cucumber etc in plenty. He says that these vegetables have diuretic properties and help eliminate waste products from our bodies. He also mentions frequent intake of an ayurvedic drug ‘yogaraja guggulu’ if needed.

Then he goes on to elaborate the role of honey and lemon in lessening the arthritic pain. He came to know of this remedy from some of his friends and experimented on it. He further refined it based on his own personal experience.

Two teaspoonful fresh plain lemon juice and one teaspoon of honey (preferably honey obtained from small honeybees called cheruthen in malayalam) is added to one glass of warm water and taken first thing in the morning and similarly on empty stomach in the evening.

Another alternative is, two teaspoons of honey, one teaspoon cinnamon powder (karuva) mixed together and taken once before bedtime.

You can follow any one of the two methods mentioned above.

Also, as an external application mix one teaspoon honey and one teaspoon cinnamon powder to two teaspoons of water and prepare a thick paste. Apply a thin layer of this on the inflamed painful areas.

Eat a piece of dry coconut everyday in the mornings.

Follow this regimen for 3 months for a noticeable reduction in joint pain. This can be followed by people with diabetes also.

Thus osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis pains can be eased without side effects.

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