Ginger in Ayurveda - Ultimate Herb

There is an Indian saying 'There's no tincture without ginger". Ginger root has been used as a medicine and cooking ingredient in India for thousands of years. Most ayurvedic formulations use ginger because practitioners believe it enhances other herbs' healing properties. It is also said that it controls all the three doshas, and hence often termed as an "universal medicine" 



Ginger: Universal Medicine

Ginger is used so widely in ayurveda that it is an entire medicine chest in itself. There is an ayurvedic sutra (verse) that says that everyone should eat fresh ginger just before lunch and dinner to enhance digestion. Not only does ginger stoke the digestive fire, it whets the appetite, improves assimilation and transportation of nutrients to targeted body tissues, and clears the microcirculatory channels of the body. The few situations in which ginger is contraindicated are in cases of hyperacidity, during any form of hemorrhage (including menstruation), vertigo and chronic skin disease.

Other than in these situations, ginger is an excellent spice that can be used daily.

Traditional ayurvedic texts recommend ginger for therapeutic use for joint pain, motion or airsickness and clearing the microcirculatory channels to facilitate better absorption of nutrients and better elimination of wastes. Modern science, by way of worldwide research, ratifies its effectiveness in preventing motion or airsickness, improving digestion and its pro-analgesic effect on the joints, particularly in early stages of rheumatoid arthritis.

If you can eat raw ginger, a good way to take it is to dip two or three thin slices of ginger in a little salt and limejuice and have them before a main meal.

If you find ginger hard to eat raw or by itself because of its pungent taste, consider adding two or three thin slices to your vegetables or lentils as they cook. Another way to eat ginger is to sauté some grated ginger in a tablespoon of Ghee and add the mixture to warm milk (add sweetener if you like) or desserts or other dishes.

Learn more about the the scientific research on ginger and why Ginger is truly a universal medicine

Hives Urticaria - Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

The causes of Hives (urticaria):

The Major cause of the hives is the body's reaction to an external or internal irritant. The internal irritant is usually the chemical agents present in the food that we consume and the external irritants can be certain chemicals that comes in contact with the skin.

In response to that irritant the skin releases different chemicals like histamine which causes inflammation and itching. Irritants includes different foods such as eggs, milk, nuts, fish and shellfish, berries, chocolate and tomatoes other irritants may include cosmetics, medications, insect stings, products, infections, chemicals, medical problems, and even exposure of cold and heat. Most the hives patient claim and get rashes due to eating foods like dairy products, berries chocolate, or may stung by insects or due to intake of medications. The other rare causes of urticaria are alcohol, tobacco and coffee. Sometimes even continuous exposure to sunlight and certain types of water can also cause this disease.

Hives (Urticaria) Symptoms:

The affected area of the skin becomes swollen, causing itchiness and pain. The symptoms of urticaria/hives are itching, red welts on the skin and itchy bumps on skin. Urticaria eczema is an erroneous terminology used for eczema, which is a form of dermatitis or inflammation of the outer layer of the skin (the epidermis). Many People confuse Eczema and Urticaria, Eczema is a totally different skin disease, More about Eczema)

Natural and Alternative Medicine for Hives:

If the patient drinks nettle tea, it may relieve his throat. This tea can be made by stirring 2 teaspoons of powdered nettles into a cup of hot water and adding honey. Fresh lemon juice can be used if honey is not available. Patients can also apply calamine lotion on the affected area for soothing relief. Aloe vera gel and vitamin E oil have also been used to counter the effects of urticaria. Another way to relieve the itch is by bathing or dipping the affected area in warm water containing 1/2 cup cornstarch and 1/2 cup baking soda.

Learn more about hives and natural methods to cure hives (urticaria)

Dangers of Nasal Polyps Surgery

Conventional nasal polyps treatment generally involves steroid therapy as the first line of treatment and eventually surgical removal when steroids prove ineffective or intolerable.

There are two types of nasal polyps surgery: nasal polypectomy and functional endoscopic sinus surgery. The former is used for polyps which are near the nose entrance while the latter is used for polyps deep in the sinuses and involves an incision being made in the face. Before opting for such procedures, there are a number of complications and dangers of nasal polyps surgery that you should know about.

First of all, contrary to what you may think, nasal polyps surgery is NOT a permanent solution for most people, as recurrence of nasal polyps after surgery is likely. The reported frequency of nasal polyps re-growth post-operatively varies, but in most cases it is found to occur in most patients. According to Dr. Wynn and Dr. Har-El from the SUNY Downstate Medical Center at Brooklyn (New York, USA), 60% of patients who undergo nasal polyps surgery develop recurrent polyposis. According to Dr. Mark C. Loury at Advanced Otolaryngology, PC (Colorado, USA), rates of recurrence can be as high as 75%.

Learn More about the dangers of conventional therapies and surgery and the effective natural alternative medicine for Nasal Polyps

Home Remedy and Alternative Medicine

Hinduism and Buddhism always gave very much importance for health, and things associated with healthy living are often considered as divine. Neem, turmeric, and many other medicinal plants are considered as divine. They were considered as a medicine and also as agents which ward off negative energies.

Buddha said "Health is the greatest gift" and "Without health life is not life; it is only a state of langour and suffering".

However the modern lifestyle leads to various diseases and ailments. We need to cure them to attain health and happiness. However conventional medicine focus more on addressing the effects and symptoms rather than the cause. The results of conventional medicine is pretty fast, however it is often associated with lot of side affects and results only in partial cure. People all around the world is becoming more aware of this and are now opting for Alternative medicines like Siddha, Ayurvedha and Chinese folk medicine. These medicinal systems provide wholesome cure and are considered as holistic.

As per a recent study 36-40% of Americans swear by some form of alternative medicine like traditional Chinese medicine, Indian Ayurveda and Siddha Medicine.  These systems don't provide instead relief from pain, but cures the ailment completely over a period of time. We should not discredit the conventional medicine completely, the diagnostic tools are too good, and we should give importance to the western medicine and use it to diagnose the ailment or disease and use a holistic approach to cure the ailment completely. 

At the same time there are many alternative medicines and home remedies that are either unproven or disproven. Alternative medicine industry is huge with a net revenue of over 5 trillion dollars every year and it is important to isolate the good methods from the wrong and fake ones. So at Nutritbuy we are starting a new website for Alternative medicine and home remedy. In this section we handle numerous home remedies and alternative medicine for common diseases and ailments.