□ WORM INFESTATIONS
When a person has worms, the doctor prescribe a deworming dose. However, in practice it is often seen that a child/person does not get rid of worm infestations with one deworming dose. Repeated doses have their own hazards.
Practitioners of traditional medicine — vaids/hakims— in rural areas have time-tested remedies which have actually formed an integral part of our traditional practices of which we are unaware.
Pumpkin seeds are considered very efficacious in removing tapeworm — an infestation which even allopaths find difficult to treat. The seeds crushed into a coarse powder and taken with milk and honey at bedtime for three to five days or alternately having walnuts with warm water at bedtime is effective. Carlic eaten regularly or a quarter cup of cabbage juice every morning for three days helps. Another remedy is to powder the dry ripe skin of a pomegranate and have a teaspoon with water every morning and evening for three days. A teaspoon of neem leaf powder twice a day with milk or hot water for a week generally sanitizes the intestional tract. Give a break of a week to 10 days and repeat. This is specially good for thread worm infestation and may be had by the entire family.
Papaya is a good fruit to eat when ripe but unripe is helpful in treating roundworm infestations too. A home remedy is a tablespoon of green fruit mashed and mixed with an equal amount of honey — as the green fruit is awful to taste. Add half a cup of hot water and drink it followed by a tablespoon of castor oil. Alternately, crush two or three papaya seeds, mix in a glass of warm milk and drink. Repeat next day.
A small betel nut, powdered (not more than 1 teaspoon full) and had with milk on an empty stomach gets rid of tapeworms. People in Assam, i.e. marshy moist lands and humid weather with heavy rainfall would have worm infestations but for their habit of eating betel nuts. However, too much betel nut can lead to oral cancer. The tradition of eating pan/supari — a little but after the main meal every day was probably to help the digestive tract remain free from worm infestation.
A recipe for a relishing chutney follows for children but to.be had only once a week. Take an ounce of fresh neem flowers, or of tender sweet neem leaves, quarter teaspoon of ajwain, a few black pepper seeds, a little dried or fresh ginger and a teaspoon of saunf. Fry these in pure ghee and grind to a paste and serve with main meal. A little jaggery can be added. This will ensure a good appetite, no constipation, indigestion, flatulence, worms or phlegm in the chest.
□ HEADACHE
• Herbal teas made with tulsi, jheera, mint or thyme.
• Half a teaspoon of black pepper powder taken with honey.
• Hot honey and lemon water drink.
• Ginger paste applied on the forehead relieves a headache.
• Coconut hair oil massage.
□ TOOTHACHE AND DENTAL CONDITIONS
• Place a crushed clove in your mouth where the tooth hurts.
• To one and a half tablespoon of mustard oil add a teaspoon of salt. Massage your gums daily with this twice a day followed by warm water gargles. This keeps the gums healthy and teeth intact.
• Mint leaf tea, tulsi tea, cherry juice, turnip leaf juice, raw spinach and carrot juice make for healthy teeth and gums.
• Eat guavas and apples and chew on dried anwla. Drink buttermilk and have fresh yogurt regularly.