| Herbs that heal in your kitchen cabinet |
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| Tuesday, 01 February 2011 09:48 |
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IN today’s age of modern medicine, most of us rely on medications even for a minor problem such as a headache or a mild stomach cramp. While I don’t forbid the use of medications, I don’t recommend depending on them either. Mother Nature has bestowed us with the best of medicines that are with minimal or no side-effects! These secret “grandma” remedies do a magic of their own. People of the past didn’t use medications but used herbs and kitchen remedies to treat several kinds of illnesses at the comfort of their own houses. We, too, can have these simple remedies at hand whenever needed. So, here are a few that are present in your kitchen cabinet that can give you a quick remedy! Ginger: Dried, freshly crushed or diced, each has its own benefits. If you are suffering from sore throat, take four pieces of freshly diced ginger (peeled) and boil it in a cup of water for 10 minutes. Add a tablespoon of honey. This ginger-honey tea is best for any flu due to its anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. It is also good for vomiting and motion sickness. Garlic: Freshly crushed. If you feel there is a mild rise in blood pressure, add 2 tablespoons of yogurt to the freshly crushed garlic. Mix it well. Swallow two tablespoons of this mixture but be careful not to drink water. Relax. After 15 minutes, have a glass of water. It was seen that people who normally have this everyday had normal blood pressure levels for those who slightly have a rise in their blood pressure. Cinnamon: Powdered or boiled. Cinnamon is a great menstrual regulator and helps during the premenstrual syndrome. It also helps in digestion disorders, bad breath and common cold. The cinnamon sticks can be boiled and a teaspoon of honey can be added to it during infections and common cold problems. Powdered cinnamon can be added to tea or boiled for its maximum benefits. Black pepper: Increases body’s immunity and keeps you away from regular seasonal flu and fevers. It is definitely one of the best alternative options and an easy way to take black pepper is to add honey to a seven peppercorn mixture and voila! Caraway seeds (Habba Barakah/Habbah Sawdah): Every local herb seller in Saudi Arabia highly recommends caraway seeds due to its multipurpose healing properties and its significance in Islam, as mentioned by our Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him). Caraway seeds help in the digestion process. Whether it is indigestion or gas, caraway seeds can help you. Herbalists recommend an infusion of caraway seeds to those who have digestion problems. Caraway seeds also prove to be helpful for gripping. So, next time you have an indigestion problem, you know what to look for instead of your antacids. Turmeric: Usually taken as a powdered form. This is highly recommended for pregnant women having cough in their pregnancy (or anyone else as well). In a cup of warm milk, a pinch of turmeric is added. Very helpful during menstrual cramps and nosebleeds. Mint: While mint is a great flavouring agent, it has its medicinal benefits too. It works wonders for colds and indigestion problems. Herbalists recommend mint for parasitic conditions such as ring worms. It is also good for constipation and nausea. If you are with an ulcer, it helps in healing ulcers. Mint has a good fragrance with a refreshing taste. It makes a great alternative to a black coffee and offers you a fresh morning ahead. While there may be many more (depending on “your” grandma’s remedies), the above can be found in every kitchen shelf. I do recommend using these herbs with caution due to sensitivities or allergies. Remember, too much of anything is trouble, so use it moderately and as every health practitioner would say, please see your doctor in case of emergency. |
Comments
Jazaki Allah khair for this most beneficial article.
I'm wondering if you can write about the health benefits of drinking camel's milk. After trying it and giving some to my 9 month old daughter, I wish we can have it all the time. I believe the camel's milk is what ultimately cured my daughter's digestive problems.
Jazakallah Khair for commenting! I apologize for the delay in responding to your comment- it's been really hectic here with studies, exams and motherhood. Camel milk benefits- definitely a great idea! I'd love to research on that one- my husband's family are fond of camel milk too for its benefits. Thank you very much for your suggestion. Please stay tuned for other articles by me :) and I look forward to your comments
I can't say that none of these homespun elixirs are useless, but if you're worried about getting a cold or the flu, you're a lot better off avoiding people with a cold or flu, washing your hands...and leave the "immunity boosting" to the quacks who want to sell you a cure for autism, diabetes or cancer.
Thank you so much for commenting- however, you have got the whole thing messed up. First, this is not medical science. As a natural health educator, our aim is to educate our clients and readers about their various health options that are natural ans safe. I suggest you look into what "naturopathy" is and perhaps then, you'd be in a better position to know what we actually do. We do not recommend anything as such mentioned above. Megadose Vitamin C? Diet water? Snake oil? Blood letting? Are you kidding me? We don't have or recommend anything as such. People are knowledgeable enough today to judge between what is a quack and what is absolutely genuine. We have had results here- the article does not just blankly propose such remedies without real practice.
Secondly, none of the herbs mentioned above are for self-administration. Only with the help of qualified practitioners or by personal consultation from me, our clients and readers can use these herbs as instructed. This article is only meant to provide alternative options and does not intend to "cure" any disease as such.
Prevention is better than cure but what happens if you happen to sit in a group of people (accidentally, coincidentally) who are infected by the flu virus? With that said, I suppose one needs to stick in his or her super "germ-protected" house in order not to get infected. Yes, I have seen these houses in movies
And yes, we are not "selling" anything here. Our job is to educate and provide the most accurate information to our clients and readers. Of course, by maintaining a healthy lifestyle, who can't have a super immunity? But it's just not by avoiding people and washing hands- people who stay in their own houses are also infected by the same flu virus [who stay away from infected people and yes, they wash their hands] and I wonder how... though they are such neat freaks!
Naturopathy (even the name is misbegotten) is a largely pseudoscientifi c approach said to "assist nature"(National Association of Naturopathic Physicians), "support the body's own innate capacity to achieve optimal health" (Introduction to Level 2: The Natural Foods Education Program, Lesson 1. Seattle, WA: Bastyr College, 1990), and "facilitate the body's inherent healing mechanisms." (Turner RN. Naturopathic Medicine: Treating the Whole Person.) Naturopaths say that diseases are the body's effort to purify itself, and that cures result from increasing the patient's "vital force" or "innate vitalistic force" (Wikipedia)
The notion of a "vital force" or "life force" — a nonmaterial force that transcends the laws of chemistry and physics — sometimes known as "vitalism," originated in ancient times. No scientific evidence supports this doctrine, but a huge body of knowledge, including the entire discipline of organic chemistry, does refute it.
Naturopaths claim to stimulate the body's natural healing processes by ridding it of waste products and "toxins."
The idea that one can rid the body of toxins with "fresh air" for example -- a common naturopathic claim -- is a medically meaningless concept that reflects a fundamental misunderstandin g of the nature of human anatomy and physiology and leads to such extreme quackeries as ionic foot baths and hydrocolon cleansing therapy.
Naturopaths often say that their "natural" methods, when properly used, rarely have adverse effects because they do not interfere with the individual's inherent healing abilities. This claim is nonsense. Any medication (drug or herb) potent enough to produce a therapeutic effect is potent enough to cause adverse effects.
Likewise with the medically meaningless term "super immunity" which seems to exist only in the minds of so-called alternative medicine practitioners. Once again we find a basic misunderstandin g of how the body's immune system works. To talk about "super immunity" or another favored phrase "boosting the immune system" makes about as much sense as building a "super teeter totter" or developing water with a "super pH".
My mother once warned me that if I ever see someone coming down the road calling themself a teacher who has customers but says they have "nothing to sell"..run away...fast!
If there are clients, something is always being sold, be it vitamin supplements, detox water, herbal remedies, fresh air (whatever that is) or some other pseudoscientifi c mumbo jumbo.
I find naturopathy very mersmerizing and unless we know how the body works and what it needs, there is no way one can treat a person on a "whole" basis and not on a "symptom" wise basis. We don't have our own theory- as far as what my institution taught me, we pretty much learn what the doctors know and do but the way we treat our clients is very different. We don't look at symptoms- we look at our clients "as a whole person".
I am a naturopath and I am proud to be one- why? Because I have tried and tested the methods and I am happy with the results. I am not here to debate about which one works- conventional medicine and alternative medicine have always been foes. Nevertheless, conventional medicine IS accepting alternative medicine and I truly believe that there will be a day when there will be no difference between them both. We do have doctors prescribing alternative herb cough syrups, St. John's wort for depression by specialists and yes- people are loving it! THEY- our clients- people- prefer natural remedies because they are tried and tested by our ancestors. Ask anyone :)
As far as hydrocolon therapy and other healing modalities are concerned, I'd love to invite you once I open one of my own- a place that will "honestly" practice nature therapies. There are researches claiming now its benefits. Should you be interested, I'd be happy to share the journals who did their research.
As far as magic potions are concerned, those are indeed quacks. If there's something we cannot help our clients with, we don't suggest anything as such. Our ethics teach us to be giving- free of charge. No money, whatsoever. If our clients benefit from our therapies, being paid is a gesture and a gift that we accept. Most of our healers in the previous era did treatments for free and all what they wanted was satisfaction and preserving human life in its natural way. There may be some exaggeration but I pretty much agree with most of the naturopathic principles because I applied them in my life. I tried them. Tested them. And now, I educate everyone about it. If there's something that doesn't comply with a rational explanation, I find it doubtful too.
Jacob- a sincere request- try some of the "real" healing power and therapies from what Mother Nature has bestowed and only then you'd be in a position to judge. Give Nature some time too- it's not a quick get-well thing that most doctors here offer. As people take time to ruin their system with toxins, it takes time for Mother Nature to clean it all. :)
As far as vital force is concerned, the blind eyes of medicine will not know because it is something that is felt. Medicine requires visible evidence. That way, conventional medicine is "heartless" according to me because it does not acknowledge a person's feelings. No wonder we have so many people who are psychologically affected with ailments nowadays such as chronic stress, depression, mental instability and so many more. People are resorting to natural therapies for the cure. If you take a look in to the lives of our ancestors, you'd see that they "naturally", by "instinct" trusted the vital force within them for healing. Take a look at Chinese medicine. Why are people so drawn towards alternative medicine? It's because they "tried" and "tested" the remedies that conventional medicine offered. They are tired. They want their bodies to heal. Why alternative medicine? Ask people. They know what they want.
I wouldn't sell anything- I would just help people understand how their bodies work, what our bodies need... the rest is up to my readers. They are better judges. My aim is to help people heal by themselves so they don't need to come back to us again and again.
I am not against conventional medicine. There are times and conditions that conventional medicine can only treat. It's just that these modern medicines contradict the way man was created by God and I'd never agree with the Human evolution theory that man evolved from monkeys. Scientifically that is proven but my human instinct says that I was always made a human by God and not an animal
Closing this discussion on a healthy note- let's not debate what is quack and what is not. Let's join hands to help everyone live healthy (physically, mentally, spiritually) and not contradict one another because such debates are endless. It has happened before and the result was nothing. All the useful energy wasted for nothing productive. Let's be productive humans on earth to establish humanity again!
Naturopaths like to think they treat patients as "whole persons" rather than as...well whatever they think evidence-based physicians do. But that is largely just a question of naturapathic mythology. However, one positive thing naturopaths are known for is the time they take with patients or clients and their willingness to get to know the patient rather than seeming to hurry through the clinical visit.
As for debating, there is no debate. There is medicine based on evidence -- that is, research based on methods such as double-blind, placebo-controlled studies published in reputable peer-reviewed journals -- and there is all the rest, that is, anecdotal "evidence" based on a practitioner being "happy with the results."
There's a good reason naturopaths don't like to debate what is quack and what is not. Invariably the quack methods of so-called alternative practitioners turn out either to have no effect whatsoever or can be clearly attributed to placebo effects.
We could go on endlessly about the mistaken efficacy of so-called alternative methods. Truly, there are times when alternative ideas become tested, proven methods. When that happens, as it often does, the "alternative methods" are no longer alternative or complementary. And of course many if not most modern evidence-based medicines are often found to have some herbal or plant-sourced origin. As we know now, it's much more medically effective and cost effective to avoid the so-called "natural" supplement recommended in health food stores and by naturopathic "education consultants" and stick with the nutrients and healthful elements of the ordinary stuff we call "food."
However one aspect of your note calls for a clear comment: hydrocolon therapy.
Let us be very clear about this: this is a complete boondoggle of the worst sort.
Anyone person who gets sucked into undergoing this most bogus of pseudo-medical procedures should immediately ask themselves why no American insurance company will support it and no legitimate MD will recommend it. There is simply no medical or health benefit of any kind and indeed there is always a chance of complications. Of course the pseudo-scientific "alternative" movement advocates will claim that it's a ploy on the part of insurance companies to avoid helping people get healthy. But just as hydrocolon therapy practitioners fail to understand the most basic concepts of human toxin handling systems so too, thinking that insurance companies don't want people to get well reflects a basic lack of understanding of what insurance is about.
Please, readers. Don't be a victim of useless hydrocolon schemes. Avoid detox scams and anything that claims to boost your immunity or improve your "vital forces." Let us join hands to combat health scams.
Here is an excellent website you may find useful too:
http://www.healthymuslim.com/
BTW UmmRiyam I am happy to hear that your daughter has been cured and I pray that Allah protects all of our children.
Regarding your statement 'I believe the camel's milk is what ultimately cured my daughter's digestive problems' it is in fact Allah who ultimately cured your daughter's digestive problems and the camel milk was, insha-Allah, a means to her being cured. I'm sure you believe this but I just wanted to point this out so that we can all be careful when we say or write something in this vein.
Jazaki Allahu khair for a beneficial article. I'm always interested in remedies in their natural state. I thought I should point out for the benefit of readers from the Western Hemisphere that caraway seeds are different from "habba sauda" although these last named have sometimes been called "black caraway". "Habba sauda" is usually called "black seeds" in English nowadays and corresponds in latin to "nigella sativa". Caraway seeds is known as "carum carvi" in latin. Caraway seeds are quite well known and used in cooking in America and Europe and perhaps elsewhere. "Habba al Baraka" is a type of seed not generally known in the West except among Muslims.
Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia that sheds some light on the name:
In English, Nigella sativa seed is variously called fennel flower, nutmeg flower, Roman coriander, blackseed or black caraway. Other names used, sometimes misleadingly, are onion seed and black sesame, both of which are similar-looking but unrelated.
Hope this can be useful insha Allah and may Allah reward you for sharing with us the benefits of these plants.
Jazakallah Khair for the info- it was really useful. Some of the herbs here have been really hard for me to translate as many don't know English. I truly acknowledge how the genus of the seed changes with the name itself!
Please readers- kindly note. Habba sauda are the black seeds and not Caraway seeds. A little confusion :)
Thank you for constantly posting of so many useful tips.They are such a great help to me.Thank you very much!.
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