Herbs for your daily needs
What a lustful pleasure it must be to be heirs of that ancient school of medicine called Ayurveda; to be seated in a muddy pot bound by daffodil fertilisers; to be rained upon by the purest of Himalayan waters; to be hung down from hanging planters so as to look down upon the less significant lush or so would call the local gardener of the house; to be plucked and put on wounds for an instant healing. Such is the story of herbs. Herbal remedy is all you need for a healthy life, they’d say. So, here are the top 10 herbs that can be used to prevent the recurrence of every day stings. Image courtesy: Getty
Turmeric
A bowl of dal or lentil soup will give you relief from all sorts of pain, because it has turmeric, a spice that is very commonly used in Indian curries. Turmeric has curcumin in it, which prevents anti-inflammatory diseases. Curcumin functions just like the Cox-2 inhibitors or drugs that reduce the Cox-2 enzyme which causes pain and arthritic swelling. More importantly, it had been found in a small clinical trial conducted by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine that curcumin is capable of shrinking precancerous lesions also called colon polyps when taken in small amounts. Image courtesy: Getty
Cinnamon
A recent German study that was done on Type 2 diabetics had found that consumption of cinnamon extract everyday helped in reducing blood sugar levels by about 10 percent. Another study of people with diabetes had found that cinnamon triggers a 13 percent fall in the amount of cholesterol and 23 percent fall in the amount of triglycerides in the blood. Taking water soluble extract of this herb may work better because it will limit the damage that may incur on higher doses of the herb. Image courtesy: Getty
Rosemary
If you are a meat-eater, there is every possibility of you knowing that when meat is fried, broiled or grilled at really high temperatures, it leads to the creation of heterocydic amines, which are potent carcinogens that have been implicated in different cancers. Also called HCA, the levels of heterocydic amines decrease significantly if rosemary is leisurely added to meat while it is being cooked. Rosemary consists two powerful antioxidants that destroy the HCAs, namely, carnosol and rosemarinic acid. This herb can be applied topically for joint aches and pains. Since it has a very strong flavour, it can go with a lot of foods such as meat and some vegetables. Image courtesy: Getty
Ginger
Ginger is a powerful antioxidant that can block the negative effects of a chemical produced by the brain as well as stomach when one is nauseated (serotonin) and also stop the production of free radicals. Without ginger’s intervention, the two of these above mentioned activities can cause one to feel nauseated or have stomach ache. A study of cruise ship passengers travelling on rough seas showed that ginger if consumed every 4 hours was equally effective in treating motion sickness as Dramamine, which is a commonly prescribed medication for the said problem. You could use add ginger to your diet by sprinkling in a bowl of boiling water when preparing tea or when cooking sweet dishes. Image courtesy: Getty
Holy Basil
So, what is coming next is proof enough that the use of holy basil isn’t restricted to the holy corners of a puja room in Indian homes. Apparently, it helps in reducing stress by increasing the level of adrenaline and noradrenaline and cutting the release of serotonin. No wonder, just taking a whiff of this herb gives us immense outwardly relief. Add a leaf or two as part of garnishing dishes or when making tea. Image courtesy: Getty
Garlic
This herb is not just a taste-enhancer, it is said in a research review in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that it also lowers the rates of colorectal, ovarian as well as other types of cancer. Another of the many Japanese clinical trial studies showed that a year of taking aged extract supplements of garlic helped people with a history of colon polyps to reduce the size as well as number of precancerous growths that were detected by the doctors. Garlic in lentil soup will make feel exceptionally tasty. Image courtesy: Getty
Ashwagandha
This herb is a rejuvenating health tonic, a booster of one’s immune system, an anti-inflammatory edible advice and a cure for anxiety. There are just too many studies that prove its effectiveness for us to pick the most relevant to our observation. You could consume it by simmering 1 tsp of dried and sliced root in 1 cupful of water or milk for about 10 minutes before straining and drinking the same 1 or 2 times a day. Image courtesy: Getty
St. John’s Wort
Researchers have found that this herb has the ability to relieve mild to moderate depression as well as anxiety just as effectively as several other drugs i.e. without many of the side-effects that it is said to cause. St. John’s Wort contains melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles but also increases the melatonin levels in the body, thus improving sleep. You could access this herb by consuming supplement that contains 0.3 percent of hypercin in a single capsule or 300 mg of the extract to be taken three times every day. Image courtesy: Getty
Black Cohosh
This herb is used for the treatment of menstrual cramps as well as arthritic pain and is also commonly used to ease symptoms experienced by menopausal women. Basically, it can relieve you from all sorts of aches that is to say it is an antispasmodic nerves, muscles and blood vessels. Take20-80 mg of this extract at least twice a day or consume 1-2 ml of its juice at least 2 to 3 times a day. Image courtesy: Getty
