Monsoon blues-1 was green leafy vegetables and infections

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Monsoon blues - 1

 

This post is meant for people in regions where monsoon is expected for next

three months.

 

In Southern India, we have already welcom first showers of monsoon

after experiencing the scorching heat of summer.

 

A Vaidya of our list has written a good article on monsoon blues,

especially where children are concerned:

http://health.ayurveda/message/7230

 

She has given ayurvedic tips including home remedies to increase body

immunity and preventing diseases of monsoon. Her recommendations when

faced with Indigestion, diarrhea, flatulence, if followed fully may

not bring in Jaundice, Malaria, cholera, Typhoid or viral infections.

 

However, in case you get the visit by these diseases, what to do?

This post tries to deal with cholera alone.

 

Cholera hits especially during the monsoon season.

According to modern science, the major cause of cholera is the

bacterium Vibrio cholerae, which typically enter into the body

through contaminated water or improperly cooked food. Cholera is a

chronic disease of intestine that involves the lower small intestine.

 

Symptoms include mild diarrhea, loose stools with gas and bubbles, nausea,

vomiting,

thirsty feeling, low fever and restlessness. Sometimes, pain in

stomach, about four fingerwidth below the navel and 3-4 finger widths

to the right side of mid-line may be experienced. Reduced haemoglobin

may be revealed by examining finger nails, and pulse may be weak.

Low B.P. is a less common symptom, exhibited if disease is able to

advance.

 

Precautions are already mentioned in cited article by Dr. Savitha

Suri, and it may be better to consult a vaidya, especially if patient is

a child and the conditions such as low strength, mild fever, danger

of dehydration is there. Howver, sometimes, due to vacation/holiday, distance

from town, vaidya is un-available. Hence some common home remedies

are here. Try any one of them till vaidya can make better diagnosis

or recommend stronger measures. Do not try all. alternatives are

given since you may not have some ingredients in home.

 

1. Two exceptional fruit most useful in many home remedies are Lemon

and amlaki. The juice of lemon can kill cholera bacilli as well as a

variety of other microbes rapidly. Lemon is useful from indigestion

remedy to heart tonic. It is also very effective and reliable

preventive against cholera during an epidemic. Take a glass of boiled

water, add one lemon juice, 2 pinches sea salt, jaggery or honey as

sweetner and 2 pinches turmeric powder as an extra fortification as

antibiotic. Mix well, have three times a day. Reduce the dose to 50%

for children. Taking of lemon with food as a daily routine can also

prevent cholera.

 

2. The use of raw guava fruit in curing migraines was pointed out

earlier. If guava tree is in the neighbourhood, make a concentrated

decoction by boiling about 25 grams of root bark in 450 ml of water

till residual water quantity is 25%. Take this twice daily. The root

bark of guava is rich in tannins, which causes astringent action to

stop loose motions in adition to deactivating the bacilli. You may

also substitute apple for guava, but in that case just steeping 1

apple for 5 minutes in 100-125 ml water is adequate. eat the paste

also. Apple is costlier than guava bark, but if available use apple

itself. Tea without milk and sugar, with lemon juice, also provides

decceleration of diarrhea.

 

3. A paste of a medium sized white/red onion and seven black peppers

made by pounding finely in a mortar and pestle can be given two or

three times a day. Onions reduce thirst and restlessness and the

patient feels better. If mortar and prestle is not available use

kitchen mixer/blender.

 

4. The fresh juice of bitter gourd is an effective medicine in the

early stages of cholera. Two teaspoons of this juice, mixed with an

equal quantity of white onion juice and a teaspoon of lime juice,

should be given twice daily. The masticating juicer for various

juices costs hardly Rs 800/-, and is a very good life-time investment useful for

all family members. All

solid fruits such as carrot, beet, potato, bottle gourd, bitter

gourd, cucumber, cabbage, cauli-flower, guava, ginger, amalaki, tomato, snake

gourd etc can be juiced within minutes.

 

5. The leaves of the drumstick tree are also useful. A teaspoon of

fresh leaf juice, mixed with one teaspoon of honey and a glass of

tender coconut water, can be given two or three limes a day as a

herbal medicine. Taking out the juice is difficult, unless one is

accustomed to old style manual grinding stone.

 

6. A glass of fresh juice of cucumber leaves with an equal quantity

of tender coconut water, given in doses of 30-60 ml(lower dose for

children higher dose for adults), satisfies excessive thirst during

cholera. It restores the acid-base balance in dehydration. This juice

can be used if diarrhea is due to someother reasons also. Only

problem is taking out the juice has to be done on a manual grinding

stone or in kitchen blender, in latter case some enzymes are lost.

 

7. The herb nutmeg is a valuable remedy for dehydration caused by

cholera. An infusion made by steeping half a nutmeg in half a litre

of water should be given along with half a litre of tender coconut

water in doses of 15 ml at a time in treating this condition.

 

8. About four grams of cloves, boiled in three litres of water until

half of the water has evaporated. This decoction should be given to

the patient several times during the day. This will reduce the severe

symptoms.

 

Avoid solid food and uncooked vegetables till fully recovered.

Coocked vegetable soups should have lemon, onion, mint, cinnamon, bay

leaf etc. Ayurveda discourages curd, buttermilk during monsoon. But

then what to do with excess curd/buttermilk. Maharashtrians and

Gujarathis love " Kadhi " made from buttermilk and besan. This kadhi

generally contains turmeric, cloves, cinnamon and/or bayleaf,

ginger. Housewives who invent such items have understood essense of

ayurvedic combinatios of ama fighting spices!

 

All foodstuffs must be kept covered, and vegetables and fruits washed

with a salt and lime solution before consumption. Those handling food

should wash their hands well with same solution before starting to

cook. While modern science uses all strong chemicals such as detol,

phenyl and still hospitals are full of infections. Contrast this with

lime and salt solutions brought in top hotels, derived from ancient

customs, to clean hands after meals!

 

 

 

ayurveda , " rajubhaee " <rajphadke

wrote:

> most of these leafy vegetables

> are grown on drain water ( sewage), those which are grown in better

> farms, carry residues of the fertilizers and insecticides used.

> Consuming raw vegetables might result into bacterial infections.