RHEUMATISM HERBAL CURE

SOMLATA (EPHEDRA VULGARIS)--Many vaidyas are of the view that Ephedra is the same Herb from which 'Som Ras' was prepared in the Vedic ages & which has been widely mentioned in ancient Ayurvedic texts like Charak, Sushrut etc. There are many varieties of the Herb. But it is important to note that the variety having thin stems is more effective than the one having thicker stems.

Ephedra Vulgaris verses Rheumatism-- Its powder as well as infusion is effective in cases of acute rheumatism & the fact is now widely admitted but the same dose not prove to be of any substantial value in chronic cases. Its use for 10 to 12 days consecutively removes the painful disposition of the inflamed joints & leaves the patient healthy. Dr. Nadkarni writes in "Indian Materia Medica" that Somalata stands as as infallible remedy for rheumatic troubles where allopathic medicines like Salcylate of Soda, Aspirin & antipyrin etc. fail to provide any good results & at the same time does not produce any untoward side effect upon the Heart but, on the contrary, it is a good cardiac stimulant. The sense of instantaneous relief that a patient suffering from Rheumatic pains feels by taking its infusion is far more remarkable than the action of antipyretics like soda salicylas, antipyrin & salol etc. It is most effective in the acute febrile stage of Rheumatism.Chronic cases are not found to respond so favourably to its use. Acute cases with complications like inflammation & pain etc. are well nigh controlled by its use in nearly 10 to 12 days.

SOMLATA ASTHMA CURE

EPHEDRA VULGARIS (SOM LATA)--It is a specific for asthma & it is worth giving a trial where other medicines have failed to produce desired results. I am sure that you will also endorse my views about the herb after using it. Allopathic pharmacists have prepared its extract under the name of Ephedrine which has earned a reputation as instantaneous cure for Asthma & some other diseases. Ephedrine is definitely costlier than the herb itself in crude form. Moreover the use of the herb in its original form is safer than Ephedrine. Therefore, I mention a method of using this herb in such a way that even the poorest can be benefited with its use very easily, & at the same time without the least fear of any harm. In my humble opinion the use of Ephedrine is quite unnecessary. The powder of the whole Herb too is as effective as its derivative Ephedrine & absolutely free of untoward after-effects, Ephedrine may produce high blood-pressure, pain in the chest & palpitation of the heart etc. which are totally unknown to the user of the powder of the Herb. The powder of the Herb ranging from 250 mg. to 800 mg. taken with water produces instantaneous effect in asthma at the time of paroxyms which is obviously manifested by unrestricted discharge of the accumulated phlegm & clearance of the air passage followed by restful sleep. The Ayurvedic name of this Herb is "SOM LATA" which until now was supposed to be obscure & rare. There are other ailments which can be cured by the use of this miraculous Herb I will write about them in further publications.

ASTHMA HERBAL CURE

ASTHMA --
It is a very stubborn disease. Moreover, there is a general belief that asthma is incurable & lasts up till the last breath of life. But this is a wrong presumption. Here I shall mention a herbal recipe which is far more effective than costly medicines that are indicated for the purpose & repeated experiments have established this fact. The propounder of this recipe is a hermit. He gives it to thousands of patients suffering from asthma annually on the full moon day of 'Kanwar' month (August-September as per the Indian calender). In many cases it furnishes life long cure while others enjoy relief for one full year only & require repetition of the treatment next year. Although he does not disclose the recipe to anybody yet I have secured it somehow & am publishing the same over here as it is also herbal medicine.
The Recipe-Prepare a fine powder of the bark of Terminalia Arjuna & store the same in a well corked (Air tight) bottle. Mode of Administration-The patient wishing to take up the treatment should observe fast on the full moon day. At night a dish from milk & rice (KHEER) should be prepared & put at a place where the moon-light plays upon it for the whole night. Then at 4 A. M. 12 Grams of the above powder should be sprinkled over the dish & it should be taken by the patient. But one thing is imperative, the patient should not sleep for 12 hours more after that & a cure shall be effected.
TERMINALIA ARJUNA--Properties-It is cooling, metallic in taste & furnishes cure in fractures, wounds, consumption, poisoning, blood impurities, obesity,spermatorrhoea, boils & other phlegmatic & bilious disorders.
Characteristics- Terminalia Arjuna is a high & dense tree which is found in forests. It has long & conically round leaves & white bark which emits out a milky juice when cut.

Cure to INSOMNIA (Low Blood Pressure)

Here is a simple cure to Insomnia, using some sommon herbs..

The very first dose of Rouwolfia Serpentina enables the patient of phlegmatic & gouty nature to sleep.The powder of its root from 300 to 500 mg. should be mixed with some scented vehicle & given to patient. It is non-stimulating &, if given proper dose, it brings sound sleep. if at the time of sleeping, patient is given 250 mg. of it, he will have a good & sound sleep during the whole night. If the disease is an old one, the patient should take 250 mg. twice a day, in the morning as well as before sleeping. Before the discovery of this herb, intoxicating medicines such as Potassium bromide, mixture of Chloral hydrate, paraldehyde, soulphonal etc. were being used for curing insomnia. Since the discovery of this herb, no need is being felt for the use of any foreign medicine for this purpose. It is undoubtedly a wonderful sedative herb.

JATAMANSI (Nardastachys) is another Indian herb which is world famous for its curative effect for treatment of low blood-pressure, Insomnia & irregular pulse. SARPGANDHA (Rauwolfia Serpentina) has been adopted for use by medical men in most countries as one of the most useful drugs in the treatment of high blood-pressure. A Mumbai research worker in Ayurveda, After 12 years of research on the drug, has come to the conclusion that JATAMANSI is the most effective drug in the treatment of low blood-pressure, nervousness & intermittent pulse. He submitted clinical details to the All India Ayurvedic Conference for approval & further medical research. SARPAGANDHA is now extensively used, particularly in America, in the treatment of high blood-pressure. JATAMANSI is one of the first 12 drugs mentioned in the earliest European medical work, the PHARMACOPEA of HIPPOCRATES & is more ancient than Sarpagandha which has been in India for the last 3000 years. JATAMANSI is available in very large quantities all over India & is a low cost treatment for low blood-pressure according to Ayurvedic experts.

Easy cure to Hyper Tension and blood pressure

The plant has secured an important place as a medicine for insanity, blood-pressure & a whimsical disposition. The great popularity of the drug as an anti-insanity herb is an established proof of its indisputable efficacy as a sedative. Probably the native Indians have been quite familiar with its hypnotic properties since long as the practice of administering the same to babies for inducing sleep is in vogue in many districts there even up to this day. In America, where high blood-pressure cases are common than in any other country in the world, its use has given most encouraging results. Dr. R. W. Wilkens & Dr. W. E. Judson tried serpina tablets, which are prepared from Rauwolfia Serpentina on many patients suffering from blood- pressure & the report of its results has been published in-The New England Journal Of Medicine. The report says that the tablets produce a sedative effect & a restful sleep but in some cases bad dreams are also complained for. The tablets seem to be tolerated well but a stationary effect of the drug is not completely manifested before six weeks. Evidently it does not seem to be habit-forming & can very well be used as an auxiliary to more powerful drugs meant for relieving blood-pressure. No side effects of any serious nature were reported but the experimentalists noted that it depresses the heart-beats & produces congestion of blood in the nasal passage, augments weight & slightly stimulates the intestines.(Reproduced from The Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association).

RAUWOLFIA SERPENTINA

Here is yet another cure to the disease..

Rauwolfia Srepentina--Useful Parts-Mostly the root is used as medicine but leaves & stem can also be tried for the same purpose.

Doses:- Root: 500 mg. for bringing down blood-pressure. 800 mg. to 1.5 grams. to secure a sedative effect; 1.5 grams to 3 grams in cases of insanity.

The active principle in leaves & stem is nearly half the proportion of that contained in the root & hence they should oviously be used in comparitively double the doses.

All patients suffering from insanity are not benefitted through Rauwolfia Serpentina. Extremely irritable patients having strong physique should be subjected to treatment through this herb. Lean, weak & melancholy patients should be treated with caution. Such patients should have their blood- pressure examined before the commencement of treatment & if the same is found to be abnormally high Rauwolfia Serpentina should be tried. Insane persons with alow blood-pressure don't find the use of this drug suitable for them. A summary of the upto- date findings regarding the drug suggests that it would be, no doubt, a valuable addition in the list of sedative medicines which have hitherto been used insanity & other conditions requiring mitigation of the irritated nervous system & vagus centres.

Cure to Insomnia and Hypertension..

RAUWOLFIA SERPENTINA FOR HIGH BLOOD-PRESSURE & INSANITY--

Although physicians of our country knew it in the beginning of the 20th. century, yet it was in a little different way. it had earned widespread popularity by the name of a 'Herb of insanity' (Pagal Booti) & those who acquired the knowledge of its use in cases of insanity kept it a secret. It is sold under the aforesaid name & is commonly used by grocers & indigenous practitioners. Dr. Ganneth Sen & Dr. Kartik Chandra Bose, the renowned Ayurvedic physicians of Calcutta contributed an article in the Indian Medical World in which they disclosed many secret facts about the herb which they held to have known with a great amount of difficulty. Dr. Sen positively recognised & established the plant which yielded this root many years ago &, henceforth, extensively used the same upon his patients with commendable success. Being very bitter, he used it in shape of pills or tablets which he called 'Maheshwar Chakrika'. Dr. Sen was probably the first man who succeeded in discovering & re orientating this valuable & safe remedy for high blood-pressure. It is, however, notable that no medicine Eastern or Western, can finally cure the disease. Dr. Bose, with his assistants, began to study & make research on the medicinal value of the herb. Thus the credit of introducing this miraculous herb to the Western system of treatment goes to Dr. Ganneth Sen & Dr. Kartik Chandra Bose, Col. Chopra & Dr. Mukerjee too later took up the work & as a result of the labours of all these workers the root has now earned the name & fame as an effective drug for lowering blood-pressure. Dr. Sen & Bose made experiments with Rauwolfia Serpentina on cases of high blood-pressure & extreme type of insanity attendedby grave signs of absurdity of mind. The powder of its root in 5 to 10 Grams dose, not onlly provided a sedative effect but lowered the blood-pressure as well. The patients in most cases regain normal senses withen a week but some, however, require longer treatment for the same. The above gentlemen have found its result most encouraging in cases of high blood-pressure where it does not produce any untoward changes like thickening the walls of the nerves etc.

Herbs for Mental Fatigue and Stress

Obviously, in the great race of life one has got no time at all to spare for self-meditation:so much so, that ,for the greater part of the night, which the kindly nature has meant exclusively for rest, he toils to finish up the day's remaining work. the following facts should be borne in mind in relation to these circumstances.

1. Too much work weakens the nervous system.

2. An inferiority-complex also undermines the mental energy.

3. Emotions like fear, anxiety, anger & prejudice too lesson the vigour.

4. In present times, which should rather be called the materialistic age, in most cases, man is compelled to, willingly or unwillingly, take up any available job to make his both ends meet: this compulsion of doing disagreeable job disturbs the balance of the mind.

5. Sometimes the extraordinary burden of responsibilities becomes unbearable for man & the poor fellow is hard hit by exhaustion due to strain of work coupled with extreme mental anxieties; this goes a long way to feed at his mental faculties.

6. A man who has got constant fear to be subjected to humiliation & criticism also loses his mental fitness. In short, any agency through which the mind is put to extraordinary strain, weakens the nervous system & the brain.

Excessive lust too subverts the nervous pith; so it is wise to form a dignified goal of life & work with restraint & perseverance to achieve the same.

Enlargement of the lymphatic glands of the neck is yet another cause of unsinewing of the nerves, so periodical health examination by by a Doctor should also be needed for. More over, all addictions like taking tea, coffee, wines etc. or tobacco-smoking also strip-off the mental potency of man. Last but not the least of all, impure blood also weakens the nervous system to a great extent.

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

Physical as well as mental debility is brought about by the deficiency of blood. Environments also effect a lot upon the mental disposition of men. A man having favourable circumstances & happy environments all around, shall naturally enjoy a well-balanced mental condition which shall obviously, help to build up a sound health. On the contrary, a life full of tussles & anxieties shall definitely tell badly upon his vital force. So the above mentioned factors should clearly be borne in mind while examining a patient & if any of them be found to be present, every effort should be made to remove the same before the commencement of treatment. No less importance should be attached to the mental state of the patient as many a time, not physical but mental breakdown is found to, dominate the general condition of the patient. Like physical debility, mental weakness may also be the sequel of so many causative factors. it has already stated that nervous debility has been the common talk of the present day because of the general mental strain that the man of the present age has to undergo & which was probably unknown to our predecessors.

Simple herbs for curing headaches

HEADACHE--It is a well known disease with a wide range of varieties & causes. But the premier causes are generally constipation, dyspepsia, coryza, cold, intracranial worms, roaming in the sun, lack of vital fluid-semen, injuries of the head & brain debilities etc. & hence the treatment should also be according to the symptoms & origin of the ailment. Some simple recipes which remove the disorder quickly & easily are given below.

1. The headache produced by exposure to cold air is readily removed by plastering the temples & the fore-head with finely powdered cinnamon in water.

2. Plastering the palms of feet with onions rubbed in water sees off the pain in no time. This though seems to be a trifling recipe, is tremendously effective in practice.

3. Headache caused by roaming under the sun is set right in no time by a plaster of Henna flowers rubbed in vinegar, applied over the fore head.

4. If the brain has got infected with worms & pain is provoked even at a slight motion of the head, salt of Raddish should be used like a snuff thrice a day which shall purge off the worms.

Burning sensation in the head-- Men who suffer from a burning sensation in the head generally become bald in the long run, they can't even bear the weight of a cap on their head. Such men should soak flowers of Henna (50 Grams) & Sterculia Urens (35 Grams) in water at night in a new earthen pot & should take the filtered water of the above basin mixed with a little sugar candy (Misri) next morning. The use of this preparation should cure the ailment within a few days.

Another recipe for the above ailment. Mildly crush 75 Grams of Aniseeds in 500 Grams of water in a new earthen basin at night & place the basin at such a place where the moonlight may freely play upon it. The water should be filtered through a muslin cloth next morning & taken after adding a little sugar to it. This should show definite results gradually & a complete cure shall follow soon.

REMEDIES FOR BALDNESS

The loveliness of the face & the beauty of the head depends mostly upon the presence of black & abundant hair. A bald head makes even an attractive figure unsightly.

Few remedies- (1) Boil 250 grams of mustard oil in a tinned basin & continue putting in, by & by, a little quantity of henna leaves. When 100 grams of henna leaves are thus burnt in the oil the same should be filtered through a cloth & stored well in a glass bottle. Regular massage of the head with this oil produces abundant hair on the bald head.

(2) Rub a little Henna leaves with those of Colocynth & apply the preparation over the head like a plaster. The plaster should be freshly prepared daily & applied in the aforesaid way after washing the head with Neem water. A few applications should yield remarkable results.

(3) Application of the juice of green Coriander leaves on the head also should relieve the ailment after few days. this obviously is a very simple remedy & must be tried.

(4) Oil for remedying baldness. It is the oil of the seeds of Ankol (Sage-Leaved Alangium). If it is rubbed daily at hairless patches in the morning & evening, hair should spring up there after some time. The oil cannot be extracted easily. In order to obtain it, the seeds of Ankol (Sage-Leaved Alangium) should be half-pounded & soaked in Sesamum oil. When after some time the seeds absorb the oil, they should be soaked soaked again in Sesamum oil next day. This process should be continued for at least seven days. Then take a bronze bowl, fill it with the oil-soaked Ankol seeds & place a muslin cloth over it. Keep the bowl upside down in a China-clay plate under the hot sun. After some time due to the scorching heat of the sun, the bowl will become hot; & after passing through the cloth the oil will accumulate in the plate. Bottle the oil. On rubbing the oil on hairless spots, hair should spring up there.

CAUSES OF BALDNESS GREYING

Two premier causes of falling or grey hair are mental worries & lack of necessary nutrition. Mental worries produce an extra ordinary tension in the skin of the scalp which interferes with the local circulation of blood thereby jeopardising the supply of vital nutrition necessary for healthy growth of the hair; similarly, anxieties, fear, envy & failures cause an unwanted effect upon the hair. They dry out the scalpular marrow the vital sap at the root of the hair, resulting in reduction of the gross number of hair. In addition to local cleanliness, food rich in Vitamin B, Copper, Iron & Iodine elements is also a necessity for maintaining normal health of the hair: it is mainly due to the lack of the above mentioned elements in food that the malady is caused at a very tender age these days. Deficiency of Vitamin B can to a large extent be pooled up by taking sprouted wheat which can be secured by wetting the same in water. Tonics like Drakshasava & Chyavanprash are also helpful. Iodine is also essential for the hair. Fish is the main source of Iodine but the requirement can very well be made up through the intake of carrots, bananas & similar other vegetables & fruits in case of vegetarians. Carrot is particularly effective for furnishing fresh blood & maintaining the health of the hair. In reality, the need of a nutritious, easily digestible & balanced diet can very well be met with through the use of fruits, milk & its products. Castor oil reinforced by 'JAL BHANGRA' & green phyllanthus Embelica fruits can be very helpful for relieving Baldness & Grey Hair. The main cause of falling hair in milk fed infants can be traced in lack of necessary amount of vitamin B in the mother's milk or that of the cow or buffalo. This causes the hair to thin & fade out. Lack of this vitamin sometimes causes boils on the scalp so it is advisable to give orange juice or tomato squash to children. Grown up children can advantageously take hominy( Daliya) made of sprouted wheat.

BALDNESS GREY FALLING HAIR

We note with regret that the hair begin to fall or turn grey in very tender age these days.The defect appears early, say at the ahe of twenty & by the fortieth year of life the hair of a majority of people turn mostly grey & the situation is worsening day by day. Grey hair, that are seen before time, before the attainment of ripe age, are a sign of the wastage of the vital energy; & similar is the disorder of falling hair which too is on the increase with the march of time.The roots of our hair are hollow & coiled with small capsules at the end. These capsules are filled with a peculiar type ofoily secretion which is the source of nutrition, lustre & blackness to the hair. A good many factors which include deficient circulation & impurities of blood, & lack of nutrition produce conditions resulting in falling of hair or their turning grey. The main cause of the grey or falling hair are some wrong habits, general debility, faulty diet, unhealthy living conditions & mental worries. Ancestral helth history is yet another predisposing factor to give rise to the ailment. If father's head had grown bald at a certain age, the son is very likely to suffer from hir-falling at the same age. Like yourself, your hair too require fresh open air & free circulation of blood to grow healthily so it is injurious to wear tight caps or turbans as they hamper access of fresh air & free circulation of blood by exrting pressure upon the arteries that feed the roots of the hair. Opposite to it, roaming bareheaded for a long time under the sun as well, produces an undesierable effect, as the blood vessels of the region get distended; & many essential elements that are necessary for the well-being of hair thus fade out on account of abnormal thinness of the peripheral blood that is caused thereby. Unclean conditions of the scalp too, weaken the roots of the hair as the pores are blocked by the collected dirt. General debility caused on account of long standing illness adversely effects the roots of the hair as well & makes them weak resulting in hair-falling. Careless ness in cleaning the head in chronic ailments leaves the scalp filthy & is yet another cause of falling hair. Lastly, it is found that the hair of those persons also who generally suffer from chronic constipation, begin to fall early.