Ayurveda, the science of life was the first system which advocated the ‘Food is Medicine’ concept. In every context of physiology to pathology and prognosis, Ayurveda talks about the quality of food and its good and bad effects.
Here, we take a look at Ayurveda’s top 11 pain killers – which I should call the ‘Top 10 Kitchen pain killers’ as all of them can be found on your kitchen shelf and are currently very well validated by the modern medical system.
1. Fresh ginger to ease muscular pain
Ayurveda recommends 5 gm of fresh ginger or 2 gm dried ginger as part of diet to prevent and manage muscular and joint pains. Research from Denmark has proven ginger’s positive effects on reducing swelling and stiffness. They have very well documented the physiological results of ‘Gingerols’ which is effective for reducing all kinds of pain.
2. Clove for toothache
Indians have always used the clove powder or oil to beat tooth ache and tooth-related problems. A team of researchers from the US have documented the effects eugenol – one of the active components from clove for its anesthetic and anti bacterial effects. They have also documented that the intake of 2 gm of clove powder improves cholesterol ratio, maintains the PH in the GI tract which in turn prevents all kinds of oral infections.
3. Vinegar for heart burn
Did you know that Ayurveda was the first system to talk about preparing different kinds of Vinegars and its therapeutic and medical effects. Ayurveda recommends 30 ml of vinegar after a heavy meal to make digestion and metabolism smoother. One of the teams of the US Colon and Digestive Disease Center has documented the good results of vinegar especially the Apple cider one. They have found that mallic and tartaric acids are the components which help in the breakdown of harder, bigger food particles to smaller easily digestible ones.
4. Garlic for earache
People from rural India would well be aware of this use of garlic. Traditionally, garlic is used to treat earaches. The practice is to pour 2 drops of warm garlic oil into the affected ear for 5-11 days till it is completely healed. In a study conducted by Mexican scientists, it is evident that the active ingredients of garlic like germanium, selenium and sulfur have positive physiological effects on pain causing chemicals secreted by common bacterial infection.
5. Cherries for pain
Research has shown that anthocyanins, which are the active ingredients in cherries, have ten times more positive effect on reducing pain than common pain killers like Ibuprofen etc., and that too, without any side effects.
6. Fish for stomach ailments
Most of us think that Ayurveda is a vegetarian system. But the truth is Ayurveda recommends as much non-vegetarian foods for better health. For example, for conditions like indigestion, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel syndrome etc Ayurveda recommends as much as 200 gm of specified fish as diet. Ayurveda also opines that the waist size can very well be controlled by a fish diet. Modern research agrees that EPA and DHA, the powerful anti-inflammatory chemicals found in fish, are ten times more effective than the common corticosteroids.
7. Buttermilk for PMS
Ayurveda recommends buttermilk for pre and post menopausal syndromes and menstrual pains. One of researches conducted in the Yale University has shown the positive results of buttermilk in treating gynaecological troubles. The calcium in buttermilk helps calm down the physical and psychological irritability caused during PMS.
8. Reversing diabetic pain with turmeric
Ayurveda recommends the use of turmeric as a part of the diet to prevent the complications of diabetes and pain. One of the researches has shown the positive results of turmeric in healing pain in arthritis and fibromyalgia in diabetic patients.
9. Salt to ease leg pain
As per research on the Internet, leg pain affects everyone irrespective of age, sex, region etc. As research has shown, salt’s anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, makes it effective against pain. Research from Stanford University shows that regular soaking of affected parts in warm salt water acts better than tropical pain killers and antibiotics.
10. Honey for mouth sores
Ayurveda recommends honey gargle for mouth sores. Even as general practice, as part of ‘Dina Charya’ gargle with honey is recommended for better voice, improved speech and to prevent all types of oral inflammation and infections. A research conducted in the Dubai Medical center suggests that honey gargle heals mouth sores 47% better than any medicine or cream available in the market. Honey is extremely effective in reducing inflammation and improving tissue healing.
11. Heal muscle cramps with tamarind juice
Ayurveda recommends tamarind juice to manage acute muscle cramps. An authentic research shows that potassium deficiency usually leads to muscle cramps and one out of four people over the age of 40 suffer from cramps. 50 ml of diluted tamarind juice is effective in bringing back the blood potassium levels, says research.
Ayurveda the science of life recommends called ‘Dina Charya’ – a daily regimen for the health and wellness of every individual, and for the society.
Unfortunately, in this fast-paced life, we have lost the habit of following these practices. We lose out on their health benefits leading to ill health which results in intake of medicines. These remedies do not require much time, effort or cost. All that is required is to include them as a part of your diet or habit. Even though these remedies look simple, their benefits are priceless.
Source: Dr K Gowthaman, Medical Director, rVita (rVita Ayurveda Centers)
Image: ZakGreant
With Dua
Aliwale Hussainwale
Motive is to get Connected with Shia World
healthremedies.awhw@gmail.
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