Home and Herbal Remedies for Head or Sinus Congestion

Often people feel congested nose, heavy head, sinus blockage and irritation, feeling a heavy head and congested nose is something that everyone of us have experienced once or more. It is a problem that not only disturbs your physical wellness but also causes problems for your working capability as well. No one can concentrate on work, study or anything if suffering with a heavy head or head congestion. There are pretty large numbers of viruses, bacteria and other micro-organism around us which we can’t see through our bare eyes, some of these bacteria and viruses gets active in certain conditions and infects us. One of these unseen micro-organisms is a virus that infects our nasal cavity and causes head congestion or heavy head. The nasal cavity when infected by virus gets congested as a result of swelling and makes breathing heavy. A person can experience a variety of symptoms when catches head congestion, some common symptoms of head congestion includes heavy head, itchiness, irritation, headache, flue, throat soreness, cough, breathing problem and congested nose and pain in the nasal cavity.

As mentioned above, viruses and bacteria gets active with certain conditions or triggers, these certain condition or triggers are known as causes or reason. There are varieties of reasons that may trigger head congestion, some common causes of head congestion includes pollution, sudden change in environment, depression, alcoholism, smoking, tobacco consumption, allergies, sinus problem, pollens and some chronic disease. Moreover, pregnancy and direct contact with chemicals may also cause head congestion as well. In general head congestion does not poses any serious threat to our health and can be treated easily however, it may lead to serious problems if not taken care of. There are various types of home and herbal remedies that you can use to treat head congestion apart from the general medicines.  Some of effective herbal remedies for the treatment of head congestion are mentioned below.

Turmeric

Turmeric is an effective home remedies for a variety of minor health disorders especially in skin related problems and nasal infections. Head congestion is a type of nasal infection and therefore turmeric is capable of treating it effectively. Loaded with a wide range of medicinal capabilities such as anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antiviral and antibacterial, turmeric not only effectively cure head congestion but also boosts immune system of the body as well. The best way to use turmeric for head congestion is to take it with warm milk twice daily; moreover, consuming raw turmeric with honey is also good. 

Garlic

 Garlic is capable of curing most of the minor health problems including head congestion. The reason behind it is the medicinal capabilities of garlic that includes antifungal, antiviral and antibacterial properties. Another good thing with garlic is that you can find it very easy in obtaining as well as using. For head congestion or sinus congestion eat 1-2 raw garlic cloves twice daily to get relief, moreover add it in your food preparation. You can also buy its capsule from your local grocery store as well.

 Basil

With its wide range of medicinal and religious uses basil sometimes termed as holy basil as well. The medicinal properties like anti-inflammatory, ant-allergic, antiviral and antibacterial found in basil makes it an effective home remedy for treating minor health disorders such as head congestion, skin problems, oral infections, nausea, headache, flu and many other similar problems. In head congestion, consuming basil tea two times a day is very effective in getting quick relief; moreover taking steam with basil oil is also good in head congestion as well. 

Eucalyptus oil

Eucalyptus oil is another useful remedy for the treatment of head congestion. Similar to other essential oil, it contains a variety of medicinal properties along with aromatic smell that makes it perfect for clearing the nasal passage and relieving head congestion. For using eucalyptus oil, pour few drops of it into a bowl of boiling water for taking steam. Repeat the procedure twice daily to get quick relief from head congestion.

 Black Pepper

Black paper contains antioxidant, antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antifungal properties along with many other useful compound and minerals. Black pepper is also rich in magnesium and iron in addition it is also a rich source of vitamin K and C as well. Loaded with so many amazing medicinal capabilities, black pepper serves in treating wide array of minor health problems such as nasal or head congestion, liver and heart problems, asthma, muscular cramps, sinusitis, flu, cough, headache and even cancer as well. For getting relief from head congestion, consume meshed black pepper along with honey two times a day, in addition, you can add black pepper into your daily food preparation as well.  

Cardamom

Similar to eucalyptus oil, cardamom oil poses effective decongestant and soothing capability. Using cardamom oil is similar to that of eucalyptus oil, add few drops of it into boiling water to take steam, use this method twice daily for getting quick relief from sinus congestion.

Peppermint

For relieving head congestion or nasal congestion, peppermint is considered as one of the best home remedies due to its soothing and aromatic effect. The main compound of peppermint is mentha or menthol which contains nerve soothing capability and therefore very effective in treating cough, cold, nasal congestion and other similar problems. Using peppermint or mint is quite simple, prepare its tea by using mint leaves and drink it two times a day. Another method for using mint is to use its oil for taking steams or pour few drops of mint oil in your bathing water to have a calming bath.    

Ginger

Ginger is one of the most versatile home remedies that can be used for varieties of purposes in verities of ways. Ginger is a commonly found kitchen item in most part of the world, in Asia it is an essential part of daily food preparation. Ginger contains antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties which make it an effective remedy for treating head congestion, cold & flue, nausea, bronchitis, migraine and other similar health problems. To get rid of head congestion, drink ginger tea 2-3 times a day moreover you can eat it raw with honey as well.

Other useful Remedies for Head Congestion:

·         Cinnamon

·        Camphor

·        Onion

·        Juniper

·        Apple Cider Vinegar

·        Parsley

·        Anise

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Home and Herbal Treatment for Malaria

A spasmodic fever that spreads with the biting of a female mosquito named Anopheles is called as malaria. The saliva of female anopheles mosquito contains a variety of deadly parasites that transfer with her bite into the bitten person’s body and finds shelter in his liver, gain momentum and multiplies itself and spreads along with the bloodstream. The main target of these parasites is the red blood cells in our blood stream. When the parasite infects red blood cells of a person it causes headache, fever, fatigue, vomiting and other serious health concerns that may even lead to death if not taken care of. There was a time when Malaria was considered as lethal as bubonic plague that, when broke wipes out a huge portion of the population. A mere tiny mosquito is responsible for killing and wiping out millions of people during the past several centuries and still causing deaths to many, not in such massive numbers though. Malaria is almost under control in most parts of the world now but countries on the African continent, South America and some parts of Asian peninsula are still considered risky regarding malaria.  

The main cause of malaria is the bite of female anopheles mosquito however the types of parasites may differ from person to person therefore its severity and symptoms as well. There are a number of symptoms associated with malaria such as fever, feeling sudden cold, vomiting, muscular pain, nausea and fatigue moreover, jaundice, anemia and sweating may also occur as well. The key to counter malaria is to prevent the biting of female anopheles by adopting various means such as using mosquito net and controlling the population of the mosquito. You can find various types of medications containing quinine and chloroquinine for treating malaria with the consult of a doctor however there are various home and herbal remedies to treat malaria as well. Let’s have a look on some of them.

Cinchona Tree (Quina tree)

Cinchona tree bark is the main source of quinine, a well known anti malaria remedy.  A native of South American sub continent Cinchona has a long history of medicinal uses in Ecuador, Peru and other surrounding countries of South America however its various species are now found in Asia, America and Europe as well. The quinine compound found in Cinchona bark not only contains anti malaria capabilities but it also contains anti-inflammatory and pain reducing capabilities as well. Cinchona bark is first dried and then made powder of it for medicinal use; you can buy its powder from any herbal store however you should first consult your doctor regarding the dosage and use of it.

Garlic

Garlic is another useful home remedy when it comes to counter malaria as it contains several beneficial medicinal properties. Garlic has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antifungal properties; moreover, garlic contains natural disulfides and allicin that has the capability to counter malaria and cancer parasites. You can use garlic tablets available in drugstores or eat raw garlic cloves moreover; you can use crushed garlic with honey or with orange juice as well.

Onion

Similar to garlic, onion also contains some natural disulfides which are very effective in treating malaria and cancer. Therefore, onion sometime referred as anti cancer remedy as well, onion also contains several medicinal properties such as antirheumatic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiseptic, antifungal, antispasmodic and antibiotic that are very useful in treating infections and other health related problems as well. You can use onion with salad, with food preparation or you can eat it out raw.

Ginger

Ginger is another effective way of treating malaria along with various other health related problems because similar to garlic, ginger too contains several useful medicinal properties as well. The best way of using ginger for malaria is to boil it along with raisins in proportionate amount of water, let it boil for half an hour and then consume it after letting it cool properly.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is another easily available home remedy that serves in treating a variety of health disorders including Malaria. People from Asia and Africa used cinnamon for past several centuries to treat malaria and dengue fever and it is still relevant in treating the same. In order to use cinnamon boil its powder along with

pepper and let the mixture cool for some time, add few drops of honey into it for consuming.

Papaya Seeds

Papaya seeds are also very effective in preventing malaria and dengue fever. You just need to eat out few papaya seeds twice daily for few days to fight back malaria.

Other Useful Remedies

Other useful remedies for Malaria include:

·        Basil

·        Grape Fruit

·        Alum

·        Lemon

·        Fever Nut

·        Orange juice

·        Neem

·        Sweet wormwood

·        Snakeroot plant

·        Artemisia leaves

Remember:

Malaria is not something that might be taken lightly as it may lead to serious health problems if not taken proper care. You should consult your doctor as soon as you see the symptoms associated with it moreover, you should be very careful about your diet as well. Always remember that prevention is better than cure so prevent you from being bitten by the dangerous female anopheles mosquito by using mosquito net and other available things. 

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Natural Home Treatment for Chickenpox

Who can forget the unpleasant vaccination during the childhood days when your parents and sometime teachers accompanied you to a nearby clinic so the doctor could give you an injection? A child undergoes several vaccination courses during his childhood to be safe from various diseases. One important vaccine is Varicella Vaccine that protects a child from a very contagious and airborne disease known as Chickenpox or Varicella. Chickenpox is a viral infection that spreads from one person to other, an affected person’s sneeze and coughing causes the virus to spread through air to other persons. Chickenpox mainly occurs to children however it may infect adults too. Chickenpox when attack a person makes pinkish rashes over his skin that later turn into small blisters. These small blisters are very itchy in nature which later forms a layer over the itchy blisters.

Chickenpox however does not considered serious now days because medical science has developed its’ vaccination onto which a child undergoes. But in case of adults chickenpox could cause a serious problem and therefore needs to be treated as early as possible whereas, in the case of children it does not pose any major health threat. The main cause of chickenpox is a virus named as Vericella Zoster which spreads through air when a person comes into contact with an infected person. The symptoms associated with chickenpox include pink rashes which turn into itchy blisters with fluid, headache, fever, irritation, itchiness and decreased diet. The rashes and blisters associated with chickenpox first appear on neck, back and face and then spread to other parts of the body. Diet plays an important role in controlling chickenpox however, there are some effective home remedies for the treatment of chickenpox as well that you can use with the consult of your doctor. Some effective remedies for chickenpox are mentioned below.

Home Remedies for Chickenpox      

Diet

When dealing with chickenpox, proper monitoring of diet is very important as it plays a vital role in the healing process. Avoid fried items, junk food, excessive salt, dairy products, processed food and foods with added sugar. Moreover, avoid taking meat products and too much spicy food as well. The best food you can use are fruits and vegetables; use plenty of fruits and vegetables as they contain a good amount of essential nutrients including minerals, vitamins and dietary fiber. Moreover, use fruit and vegetable juice instead of soft drinks and drink as much water as you can for speedy recovery.

Honey

Honey is an extraordinary gift of nature to us because of versatility of its uses. Honey is a powerful home remedy for a large range of health problems including chickenpox. Loaded with plentiful of beneficial medicinal properties, honey not only accelerates the process of healing but also sooth and relieve from the itchiness caused by chickenpox as well. You can use honey by adding few drops of rose water into it and applying slowly over the infected skin, leave it till it spreads thoroughly over the entire area and then wash it with clean water.

Camphor (Kapoor)

Camphor is one of the best home remedies for the treatment of chickenpox due to its antimicrobial and anti

itching properties, moreover, it sooths the affected part as well. In order to use Camphor for the treatment of chicken pox, add 3-4 camphor cubes in warm water and take bath with this water. It will not only sooths out your skin but also minimizes the itchiness of the skin as well.

Neem (Azadirachta Indica)

Neem is a wonderful gift of nature to the humankind as it contains a wide variety of health friendly medicinal properties. Neem is the main ingredient for antiviral and antibacterial bathing soaps and skin ointment in addition, neem leaves are used for keeping away insects as well.  The medicinal properties of neem includes antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antiseptic and anthelmintic which makes it an effective remedy for skin infections and other health disorders. The best way of using neem for chickenpox is to bath with neem leaves mixed water, in addition, make paste of neem leaves for applying on the affected portion as well; you can add few drops of lime juice into the neem paste also.

Turmeric

Turmeric is another easily available yet effective remedy for treating skin related problems including chickenpox. You can use turmeric in many ways to treat chickenpox and its after scars, add a little amount of turmeric powder into your bathing water, it will sooth as well as decrease the itchiness. In addition make turmeric paste by using proportionate amount of water and few drops of rose water, apply this paste over the infected portion of your body and leave it for 1-2 hours. Soak a clean cotton towel in warm water and clean it gently.

In Addition 

In addition of the above use following things to get quick relief from chickenpox:

·         Drink Herbal tea (Ginger, Basil, Mint, Echinacea, Catnip, Lemon etc.)

·         Use baking soda and oatmeal for bath. Mix essential oil (Eucalyptus, lavender, rosemary, basil, mint, chamomile etc.) into the bathing water.

·         Apply essential oil over the infected portion of the skin

Remember

Always remember that chickenpox is very contagious disease so avoid direct contact and avoid using the personal items of the infected person till he recovers completely. Give maximum rest to the affected person and don’t let him go to school, college or office till he recovers fully. Don’t let him use his nails on the itching blisters because it will only worsen the situation, and also be very careful about his diet as well.

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5 Simple yet Effective Home / Herbal Remedies for treating Dandruff

The medical term used for dandruff is Seborrheic Dermatitis. Dandruff is nothing but the dead skin cells on scalp, a human body undergoes tremendous changes every minute and regeneration of new skin cells in your scalp is one of them. In certain condition the process of new skin cell creation over the scalp speeds up and replaces the dead cells of the scalp in a speedy manner. The dead cells thus start appearing like flakes over the scalp, these flakes of dead cells are termed as dandruff. The certain condition that causes the dandruff to appear over your scalp is termed as triggers or causes of dandruff. According to a reputed health magazine, about half of the world population is affected by minor dandruff problem now a day. Dandruff is a common medical condition that one can treat with the available medications easily however; if a person reaches to the advance level of dandruff problem then he needs an expert to treat his problem.  

There are several conditions or triggers that may cause dandruff, some of which includes skin irritation, lack of scalp cleanliness, improper brushing, infections due to allergy, yeast, depression, chronic diseases, improper diets, reaction to certain hair products i.e. soap, shampoo or lotion. Moreover, dry skin is also a reason behind causing dandruff as well. The symptoms associated with dandruff problem is very common and one can easily notice if a person is having dandruff or not by the appearance of white flakes in between his hairs.  Having dandruff is not a very serious medical condition however; it has a great social impact on the affected person’s life because you can’t hide it. Therefore, its’ obvious that people with dandruff feels like neglected and wants to cure it as soon as possible without even checking the product’s authenticity or it’s after aftereffects. This article is going to tell you about some simple home remedies to treat your dandruff without any side effects.

Mehandi (Henna)

Mehandi or Henna is an integral part of people’s lives in Indian subcontinent; you cannot imagine a festival or wedding ceremony without henna in India, Pakistan and some other parts of Asian peninsula. Henna not only used for making designs on hands and feet but also used as an anti dandruff remedy as well. In order to use henna for countering dandruff, first take proportionate amount of henna powder on a bowl and add little water into it, now boil some tea in an another pot and filter the boiled tea leaves from the water. Mix this filtered tea water with henna and leave it for the night, on the next day, apply the henna and tea water mixture into the hair evenly and let it dry for 2-3 hours and then rinse it well with water. Repeat it in every 10-15

days to see your scalp free from dandruff.

Curd  

This is another very effective method to clear your scalp from dandruff. For removing dandruff from your scalp, use sour curd instead of sweet curd; also remember that older is better than the fresh curd for using onto your hair.  Mix some lemon juice with the curd and apply it onto your scalp, let it dry for 1-2 hrs and then rinse thoroughly with clean water. Repeat this 1-2 times a week to see the result.

Onion Juice

Onion juice is one of the best home remedies for the treatment of dandruff. Onion blessed with wide range of beneficial medicinal properties including antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammation that makes it perfect remedy for dandruff. For extracting the onion juice, boil it in proportionate amount of water and filter out the remaining onion to use only the remaining juice for applying onto your scalp. Massage thoroughly with your fingers and leave it for few minutes before washing it out.

Fuller’s Earth (Multani Mitti)

Many people think that Fuller’s earth is good for skin only however it’s just half truth, in reality fuller’s earth is not only good for your skin but it works wonder on your scalp and hair as well specially if you are having dandruff. For using fuller’s earth against dandruff, dilute it with water till it turn into a semi liquid state, add a little rose water into the mixture and apply the solution evenly over your scalp. Let it dry for few minutes and then wash it out with clean water. Repeat it once a week to see its effectiveness.

Indian Gooseberry & Soap nut (Amla & Reetha)  

Reetha (soap nuts) and Amla (Indian gooseberry) are among those herbs without which no herbal hair products said to be complete. These two are the most common yet very effective home remedies that may erase your dandruff problem completely. You need to boil both soap nut and Indian gooseberry in proportionate amount of water for half an hour and then filter out the remains. Use the remaining liquid to rinse the scalp and hair thoroughly before washing your hair with clean water.

Other Home / Herbal remedies for Dandruff:

·         Almond oil

·         Apple cedar vinegar

·         Tea tree oil

·         Rosemary oil

·         Neem

·         Margosa oil

·         Egg oil

·         Ginger

·         Gram Flour

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Asthma treatment through Natural home & herbal remedies

Many of you have had noticed that a number of people living around you uses a certain type of inhaler which they use when breathing become harder for them. They put the nozzle into their mouth and press the bottom of inhaler to resume breathing naturally. Well, they are doing it because they are suffering from a certain respiratory problem known as ‘Asthma’. It is a condition that shrinks the breathing passage for a while which as a result causes the breathing problem. In order to clear the breathing passage again, one need to use the inhaler you often noticed. Asthma is a chronic respiratory disorder that often makes breathing harder by causing spasm in the airways and decreases the amount of oxygen reaching into lungs. Today a large portion of human population is suffering from this problem even when we are living in the ultra modern edge of medical facilities; a majority of People in world’s most advanced countries like US and UK are suffering with asthma as well.

Causes: 

In today’s time, the pollution level of our surroundings is increasing in an alarming rate due to the rapid growth of industrial sector. The price this industrial and technological advancement causing us is our health, pollution is one of the main reasons that trigger asthmatic attacks. The dust particles, airborne micro-organisms and other types of impurities present in the air attacks the respiratory system of a person. A person with a sensitive respiratory system can very easily catch asthma. Moreover, chronic diseases such as prolonged cough & cold may also some time cause asthma as well. Other reasons that may cause asthma include family history of asthma, allergies, infection in the respiratory passage, stress, smoking and anxiety. Sometimes, exercise is also responsible for triggering asthma as well.

Symptoms:

The symptoms of asthma are not very hard to identify, one can easily understand if someone is having asthma by the following symptoms.

·        Feeling of suffocation and breadth shortness

·        Frequent coughing while working or speaking loudly, moreover severe coughing problem during the night.

·        A whistle like sound during breathing

·        Felling pressure on the chest 

·        Tiredness and dullness

·        Loss of sleep

·        Nasal and head congestion

Precautions and Prevention :

Despite the invention of cutting edge medical equipment and advancement of medical science, hundred percent cure of asthma is still a thing of another world. There are inhalers and nebulizers to calm an asthma patient by providing him pressurized oxygen dose but it is not something that comes under treatment. These measures can only provide temporary relief to an asthmatic person, besides you can find varieties of medications that may provide short term relief but nothing works for long. The only thing you can do is to control yourself from getting into the triggering points of asthma, for example an asthmatic person should avoid going into a polluted place, and moreover he should avoid dust, moisture and pollen as much as possible. An asthmatic person if allergic to certain things than it is in his best interest to avoid those things, similarly, a smoker should immediately quit smoking if he sees any symptoms of asthma. The most important things that asthma patient should consider is to follow balanced diet and balanced routine without failure. Apart from the above precautions one can  use the following herbal/home remedies for controlling frequent asthma attacks as well as decreasing the symptoms associated with it.

Garlic

Whenever we talk about natural remedies, the name of garlic comes first in our minds, garlic is among those few home based remedies that may help you in a wide range of health disorders. Garlic contains medicinal properties like anti-inflammatory, antibactarial, antiviral, antifungal and anti oxidant which works wonder on various health problems including asthma. The anti-infalmmatory capability of garlic helps in curing the inflammation of airway passage that reduces the amount of oxygen reaching to the lungs. Moreover, garlic increases your immune resistance against allergy and different types of airborne threats. You can use garlic in many ways such as eating it raw, taking it along with your meal or with honey. Moreover you can take 1-2 cloves of it with luke warm water and salt or you can take it with milk as well.

Ginger  

Ginger is another useful herb that you can find and use easily whenever in need. Ginger is capable of clearing the airway congestion due to its anti-inflammatory action, regular use of ginger may reduce the frequency of asthma attacks dramatically. Similar to garlic, you can use ginger in many ways such as mixing with your food, adding it in your tea or consuming its juice. However, the best way to use ginger for asthma patients is to consume a little portion of it with honey twice daily.

Carom Seeds( Ajwain)

Although these seeds are tiny but the work they do is much broader, carom seed or bishop seed is one of the best remedies for the treatment of asthma, gestation, acidity, respiratory disorders, nasal congestion, stomachache, rheumatism, digestive disorders and  various other health problems. Carom seeds are an essential part of kitchen in India, Pakistan, China and other parts of Asian Peninsula from past several centuries but now  it is equally praised in other parts of the world as well. Carom seed contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties along with an essential oil named ‘Thyme’ that increases its medicinal value. In order to use carom seed for asthma first heat them for some time till the seeds turn brownish in color and use it for consuming 2-3 times daily in small quantity. Moreover, you can consume carom seed with warm water or even inhale its vapors as well.  

Clove

Clove is also very effective in controlling asthma along with a wide array of other health problems. Clove has rich medicinal properties which makes it an ideal home as well as herbal remedy for asthma, cold, flu, head and nasal congestion. For using clove, first boil some cloves with the proportionate amount of water, mix a little honey after boiling the mixture and consume it 2-3 times in a day.

Other useful home / herbal remedies for Asthma :  

·        Honey

·        Licroice

·        Onion

·        Cinamon

·        Basil

·        Mint

·        Pepper

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