Friday 9 December 2011

Tips and Tricks - Home Remedies


I am sharing some home remedies that I have heard over the years from my aunts, friends, colleagues, and neighbors. The contributors of each of these remedies swore by their effectiveness and the degree of their conviction would put any amount of scientific data to shame. I am noting down my experience on the effectiveness of the ones that I have tried.



1. Rubbing sandalwood oil on chicken pox scars makes them go away completely. Contributor specified that it is only effective for new scars. Does not work on old scars. (My experience: Seems to work :))

2. A pinch of rock salt (kala namak) and a spoonful of ajwain boiled together in a cup of water relieves gas and bloating. (My experience: Really works for me :) )

3. One amla (Indian gooseberry) a day builds immunity and protects against colds and coughs. (My experience: I recall my mother giving us one amla murrabba (gooseberry preserved in sugar syrup) every day in winters. Don’t recall the effectiveness but this one makes sense because amla is a known rich source of Vitamin C, which is known to protect against common cold :))

4. A paste of ground red gram (masoor daal) and egg yolk applied regularly keeps skin soft and glowing and reduces acne scars. (My experience: Used for about 6 months. Seems to work :) )

5. Dried and powdered orange peels make an excellent face pack that keeps skin soft, glowing and free from all skin problems. (My experience: My roommate used this one regularly and it seemed to work very well for her :) )

6. Eating drumsticks and Bitter gourd (karela) builds immunity and can protect you from an impending infection. (My experience: Once tried eating drumsticks daily to avoid going down with seasonal flu. Did not work :( Maybe very long term use is required )

7. Putting few drops of mustard oil regularly in your nostrils provides relief from allergic rhinitis. (My experience: Have not tried regularly enough to comment, but it makes sense to me because the oil would probably form a layer and maybe that can control dust allergy :) )

8. A paste of fuller’s earth (multani mitti) applied daily on the face reduces acne. (My experience: Did not work at all. Made my skin dry, itchy and the pimples looked red and much worse. But I know a dozen people who say it worked for them, so I guess it depends on your skin type :) )

9. If you want to get rid of a zit/ pimple fast, crush some black pepper and apply on top of the pimple. (My experience: Itches and burns like hell. Had to wash off immediately before it could possibly work. I don’t recommend trying this one :) )

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