Some useful tips

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My other thread Mustard Oil inspired me to start this one.
I want to share some useful tips which can help people. Others are also welcome to do the same if they had any. But, before that, let me address a slightly different but pertinent issue.

I put some old and established practices and perceptions, which seem to be reasonable to me also. But, Phyllo brought a legitimate question about issue of authentic scientific researches about the effectiveness of these practices. Let me put it into perspective from an example.

There is tree in the name of Neem which is very commonly found in the Indian subcontinet. Its botanical name is Azadirachta indica and also known as Indian Lilac.

Its medicinal values are known In India since ages. It is anthelmintic, antifungal, antidiabetic, antibacterial, antiviral and contraceptive. It is also used in non-pesticidal management for crops. Its benefits are well established since ages. Having said that, there is no such authentic scientific research that can prove it.

Its soft and small branches are used as a combination of tooth paste and brush. Firstly, one has to pluck a 3-4 inch long soft stick from the tree and chew it slightly. That opens up its long fibers and it becomes bit like tooth brush. Then, one can rub it all along on the teeth. This is still very much a practice, especially in the rural India. And, it also serves the purpose very well, even better than normal tooth brushes and pastes because by chewing, not only teeth but gems also become healthy. Secondly, its antifungal and antibacterial qualities prevent all harm to the teeth.

Now, one may rightly ask where is the authentic scientific research to support it. The answer is that there are millions of people who never used any toothbrush or paste in their life, yet their teeth are healthier than others, because they have been using the neem throughout their lives.

Having said that, if you ask any pharma companies, they deny of any such properties of the neem that can help the teeth. They say that this is all myth. In the same way, pesticide companies deny any usefulness of neem as a organic pesticide. Though, every Indian farmer is aware of it, because many or then use it.

They say exactly the same that there is no such scientific research that can prove the case of neem. But, which industry will fund and conduct such scientific research, which is going to be against it for sure?

But, the story does not end there but goes beyond.

Despite the fact that the pharma industry rejects the case of neem, some years back, a group of US pharma companies applied for the patent of neem tree, and even more surprisingly, US patent authorities granted that too.

After that, Indian govt. woke up by the protests of some groups, challenged that patent in the US courts, and got it revoked too. But, had Indian Govt. not done that, i am dead sure that authentic scientific researches would have been followed soon establishing the medicinal values of the neem.

This is how it goes about scientific reserch in many cases.

And, i am not faking all this, One can check this from concerned official reports. Their next targets were to get the patent of things like Turmeric and Tulsi (Holy Basil).

Secondly, i found it bit surprising that Tobacco industry funds Cancer research and Oil industry for keeping the environment safe. It does not need a degree in philosophy to predict what such Authentic Scientific Researches would come up with!

with love,
sanjay

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Organic marijuana growers use neem oil to prevent pests. It doesn’t hurt the plant, and the bugs think it tastes terrible. So you can put some into a bottle with water and mist your trees, and the thrips, aphids, spider mites and fungus gnats will stay away.

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Yes, it has a proven track record for this. Those farmers must have been heard about it from any source.

Though, traditionally, it is not used in the form of oil for that purpose. Instead of that, neem seeds are ground into a powder that is soaked overnight in water and sprayed on the crop. Neem does not directly kill insects on the crop. It acts as an anti-feedant, repellent, and egg-laying deterrent, protecting the crop from damage. The insects starve and die within a few days. Neem also suppresses the hatching of pest insects from their eggs. Though, spraying once is not enought, that has to be repeated for some days.

It serve the same purpose when used for cleaning the mouth too.

But, the problem in establishing these facts as a scientific truth is that it would cost dearly to some MNC’s, who are in this business. And, they never let it happen.

with love,
sanjay

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An incident yesterday reminded me of this thread. I want to share the benefits of turmeric.

Some research shows that taking turmeric extracts, alone or in combination with other herbal ingredients, can reduce the pain caused by osteoarthritis. In one study, turmeric worked about as well as ibuprofen for reducing osteoarthritis pain.

Not only in osteoarthritis, turmeric reduces all types of pains. In India, it is an established tradition to give warm milk dissolved with some turmaric powder to an injured person. It really helps.

Turmeric is also useful as an external antibiotic in preventing bacterial infection in wounds, both external and internal.

Besides this, it gives skin a beautiful yellow glow.

Take some gram flour and mix it with some turmeric powder. Now add some mustard oil just enough to make it a non-runny or semi-solid paste. This can be applied all over the body, including face. One has to rub in on the body, leave for some minutes, and then take a bath. The skin will start glowing. The results will be even better if some sandal powder is also mixed with the turmeric. All herbal skin care products are basically comprise of these ingredients.

With love,
Sanjay

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Toochace is common problem but can be very severe at times and only a dentist can take care of that.

But, it becomes a issue if it happens in odd hours or in odd places, like in the middle of the night. General pain killers do not work well with toothache.

If one is unable to visit the dentist right away, there is very simple solution to take relief from the pain.

All one has to do it put one clove on the tooth which is aceing, and keep it there from the help of the opposite tooth. That is all. It starts providing relief within some minutes. One can change the clove when it gets completely soften.

Clove oil reduces toothache. It is also used in many concerning medicines, right from the advent of Ayurveda till modern ones.

But, clove oil just reduces ace. It does not help in any other way. One has to go the dentist. It is meant just to get relief from the pain in the odd hours.

With love,
Sanjay

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There is a spice in the name of Heeng, which is found in Afghanistan and widely used in the Indian subcontinent and around. It is called Asafoetida in the west. It is mostly used in lintel soups and considered very good for digestion.

Besides that it has a very unique but useful application as a medicine, where other medicines fail most of the times, and that is the gastic problems of infants.

The treatment is very simple. Put around 1/3 tea spoon of Asafoetida in a pan, add half cup water, and make it lukewarm. Now, rub this mixture on the abdomen of the child. The gas will be released. It cannot be simpler than that but It will work 9 times out of 10 and no side effects at all because nothing is given orally.

Asafoetida is easily available online.

With love,
Sanjay