A request to all the pregnant mothers....

All the pregnant mothers are requested to realise that a Natural delivery is a much safer option with lesser complications than a C-section . A Cesarean operation cannot be avoided in case of complications but it should never be performed for the sake of convenience.

"Youvanprash " recipe

This is a recipe for elderly people or people who are suffering from symptoms of old age.This rejuvenates a person's health and makes them feel younger.
Ingredients needed:
10 gm of cardamom /elaichi/elakai
10gm bay leaves
10 gm of cloves/lavangalu/lavangam/laung
10 gm dry ginger/sont/chukku/sonti
10 gm long pepper/pipallu/pipli
20 gm dry dates/khajur/karjuram/perichampazham
20gm coriander seeds/dhaniya
20gm chironji seeds/charoli/saarapappu-small brown nuts with an almond flavour.
200gm Raisins
200 gm Mishri
These are the other few ingredients which are available in the Ayurvedic stores
10gmAthimadhuram(Glycyrrhiza glabra)
20gm Kantkari/Vakudukayalu/Solanum Xanthocarpum
20 gm Nelavemu/nilavempu/Kalmegh in Hindi
Powder all the above except raisins and mix.Now grind the powder with the raisins the mixture becomes a thick jam.Store it in a clean jar.
Dosage:
One teaspoon on an empty stomach and once at bedtime with warm milk and mishri.
-This is a recipe as told by Panditha Elchuri.
A word of caution:pregnant ladies should avoid eating this.

Giloy or Tinospora cardifolia for combating swine flu.

photo source:wikimedia.org released to the Public Domain.

Tinosporia cardifolia has innumerable curative properties.

Its also known as Gudichi,Giloy in Hindi ,Thippatheega in Telugu, Shindilakodi in Tamil,Amritaballi in Kannada and Ambrithu in Malayalam.

Take a branch -one foot long of the giloy plant -wash it well and extract the juice and boil it well with 7 leaves of Tulasi plant (The holy Basil).Drink this concoction with pepper corns and rock salt .Alternatively Mishri also can be added according to the taste preferred.

In case the fresh plant of giloy is not available the powdered form or the churna can be used to prepare the concoction .Tulasi and Giloy churnas are easily available in all Ayurvedic stores.

This is a preventive as well as a curative measure to effectively fight the flu and also common cold.This strengthens the immune system and the respiratory system.

--As told by Baba Ramdevji.

Long pepper for stomach problems

photo souce:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Piper_longum.jpg

Long pepper is dried and powdered and stored in a jar.when 3 pinches of this powder is taken with honey it reduces the symptoms of diarrhoea .

Rice broth /kanji for people recovering from dysentery.

When patients are recovering from dysentery it is very beneficial if they drink rice broth to which a little rock salt/sendha namak and roasted jeera /cumin powder has been added.

Common Leucas for itchy skin

Photo source:wikimedia.org,author-J.M.Garg

The Chota halkusa * or the common Leucas has many medicinal properties.
Wash the leaves and extract the juice .Mix it with a pinch of salt and apply on rashes and skin eruptions and infections and itchy areas.The skin problems disappear.
-As told by Panditha elchuri.
*This plant is also known as Thummachettu in Telugu -Not to be confused with Thumma Chettu which is a big thorny tree,Thumbai in Tamil and Thumbe in Kanada.The L. name is Leucas aspera.

Hibiscus flower decoction for fevers

Crush 2 hibiscus flowers (red and single layered) and boil it in a glass of water till it reduces to one cup.Filter and drink.This infusion helps reduce fevers and decreases the heat in the body.
-As told by Panditha elchuri.

Hibiscus flower for initiating periods in young girls

photo source:pdphoto.org
The hibiscus plant has many medicinal uses.This tip may be useful for older girls who have not started getting their periods.The girl must take 3 hibiscus flowers(only the petals) and crush them and eat them with mishri for 4-5 days.The hibiscus which has to be used is the single layered red variety.After the discharge begins,the girl must discontinue eating this mixture.
-as told by Panditha Elchuri.

Accumlated Ama-The main reason for most diseases

Improper digestion can leave behind partially digested food in the intestines.This is called ama.If this is not flushed out in time-it gets putrefied and sometimes also gets toxic.This becomes the root cause for many diseases.Technically speaking it is a word describing any substance which is in a state of incomplete transformation."Agni' is responsible for the transformation and low agni again cannot help in the elimination of ama resulting in diseases.Agni can be compared to the digestive enzymes in this case.
Ama is not only physical but also exists in emotional levels -like excessive anger,pent up negative emotions like jealosy,greed,hatred-all of them lead to accumulation of ama which in turn invite diseases.
A person wishing good health must be aware that good digestion and a calm mind is very vital.

Fasting for health

Fasting once a week or once a fortnight is very beneficial for health.This gives the digestive system some rest it deserves and also revitalizes and repairs the body .Care must be taken and adequate fluids must be taken.some fresh fruits may be consumed.

Phulka Vs Paratha

Though the phulka is no competition for the very delicious paratha it is more easily digestible.The rotis which are roasted with oil/ghee on the pan take a longer time to digest than the phulka which is puffed up on the direct flame.This can be tested by a small experiment.Soak both type of breads in water and observe which soaks faster...

A cure for people who feel 'hot' when its not

In Ayurveda terms the' heat' does not mean the body temperature.
For people who feel its hot even during rainy seasons and winters can try this simple recipe:
Fry half an onion (which is cut into pieces) in very little oil and add curd .Let it soak for a while. Eat this once a day.The body will not feel so hot.
-As told by Panditha Elchuri.

Camphor relief in stress

Place a small block of camphor under the pillow of the person suffering from stress in the night and burn the camphor in the morning.This aids in stress relief.-As told by Asaramji Bapu.

A simple digestive aid recipe

Ingredients needed:
Dry ginger powder/sont/sonti/chukku
powder of black Myrobalan/haritaki/karakkaya/harra/kadukkai
powder of ajwain/Carom seeds seeds/vamu/
Powdered Long pepper/pipalli/pippalu
Powdered black salt
Take 1 table spoon of all the powders and mix and store .When 1/4 spoon is of this powder is taken after a meal with warm water even the most heavy meals are digested very quickly.
-As told by panditha elchuri.

Ayurvedic Shampoo

Things needed:
Gooseberry powder/usurikai powder/amla powder/nellikai powder
Shikakai powder/the powder of the dried fruits of Acacia concinna
Soapnuts-4/kunkudikaya in telugu/rita in hindi
Boil the above ingredients in 300 ml water ,filter and use as a herbal shampoo.
-As told by Panditha Elchuri.

coconut milk for hair growth

Grind pieces of fresh coconut and extract the milk.Massage the scalp with this milk and wash the hair with a herbal shampoo after half an hour.This promotes luxurious hair growth,reduces dandruff and also prevents greying.

Almond milk recipe for improving eyesight in children

Take equal quantities of almonds/badam, fennel/somph and mishri.
Powder the mishri.
Fry the fennel seeds in very little ghee and powder.
Soak the almonds in hot water for a few hours and remove the skin and powder them after drying them in the sun.
Now mix the 3 powders and store.
when 1 spoon of this mixture is taken with half a glass of milk daily at bedtime for 3 months the eyesight improves greatly in children and this also improves their memory and concentration and helps them to grow strong and beautiful.
-As told by Panditha Elchuri.

Avoiding milk during fevers

It is best for adults to avoid drinking milk when one has fever.

Practising mauna to hear the voice of the silence.

Mouna or silence when practised as a yoga gives all good results for the mind ,body and soul.When mauna is practised for an hour a day the mind becomes very refreshed and more work will be achieved by the person.It should not conflict with one's daily duties or put other people in trouble.
Spiritually motivated silence is known a s mouna yoga.Ordinarily keeping silent would be called mauna but avoiding any type of communication is an advanced level with direct results.
It must be noted that when a person is silent forcefully out of anger or fear or any negative feeling is bad for health.
The obvious benefits of mauna are that one can avoid are gossiping,backbiting,exposing one's ignorance,talking to the point that one regrets later,spending away so much physical energy and also saving a lot of time.
Mauna yoga creates a kind of stillness of mind where one can be both peaceful and alert.

Tratak- To improve memory and other benefits

Tratak or fixed gaze meditation is practised on one's favourite god's image or a black dot or Om symbol or swastik symbol or a on candle flame.It is better done indoors in a dimly lit room.The object of concentration is kept 3 feet away at the eye level.The breathing should be first regulated.
Then look at the picture steadily without blinking or staring or straining the eyes.Then close the eyes after a minute and try to visualize the object.Reapeat this 4-5 times.
Regular practice of this yoga increases the concentration,mental and memory power.

Tips for students-1

Doing Surya namaskars,light exercises and yogasana is very beneficial for students.Pranayama and wearing tilak also helps the students to perform well in school.
chewing 5 tulasi leaves and drinking a glass of water has a very good effect.
Drinking Cow's milk is more beneficial for students.
-As told by Pujya Asaramji Bapu

Ideal timings for a bath

It is very ideal for people to take bath before sunrise.Bath should be taken in the mornings on an empty stomach.The body must be scrubbed well and only clothes which are washed and cleaned must be worn.These are very small adaptations which bring about a lot of beneficial changes in the health of a person.

Onion cure for urinary problems

photo source: http://pdphoto.org/

Fry a piece of onion (appr : 25 gm) in little ghee and consume it with food.This is a very effective remedy for many kidney problems including kidney stones and the body becomes strong too.

-As told by Panditha Elchuri.

An amazingly simple cure for white discharge in women

Eating 2 tender ladies finger/okra early in the morning on an empty stomach for 40 days will stop the unnecessary white discharge in ladies.

-As told by Panditha Elchuri.

Gingelly seeds cure for constipation

Grind gingelly seeds/sesame seeds and jaggery and eat around 20 gm of this mixture at bedtime.This ensures the proper cleaning of intestines and aids in digestion.

For a dry mouth

Mix pomegranate seeds with sugar and chew well and take in the juice for decreasing the discomfort of a dry mouth.

an ayurvedic appetiser

Mix a spoon of honey with sweet pomegranate juice and drink it twice a day.This acts like an appetiser and increases hunger.
-As told by Panditha Elchuri

pomegranate aid for nose bleeding

When 2 drops of pomegranate flower's juice is put in the nostrils the bleeding immediately stops.
-As told by Panditha Elchuri

Tips for the rainy season

It is always better to consume easily digestible foodstuff in the rainy season.
The water gets contaminated easily so care must be taken when boiling and storing the water.
Fenugreek leaves,drumstick leaves,parwal/potals/pointed gourds,bottle gourd/lauki,bathua leaves,spinach,green gram dal,warm milk,cow's ghee,pomegranates,grapes and apples are especially suitable during this season.
As told by Pujya Asaramji Bapu.