Eczema is a skin disease, which is observed as exfoliation of the skin, mostly accompanied by severe itching. In the chronic stages, there may be oozing of pus and bleeding from the affected regions. It is also commonly referred to as dermatitis.

In Ayurveda, eczema is known as Vicharchika. It is caused due to the vitiation of all the three doshas – vata, pitta and kapha. Eczema is an infectious disease. It can spread from one person to another. It has been found to run in families. Especially if there is some allergy, then there is greater chance of eczema. Other factors that can bring on eczema are age, climate, food, stress and nature of skin. Eczema has more chances of occurring during puberty and menopause.

Useful Herbs for the Treatment of Eczema

- Babul (Acacia arabica) The bark of the babul tree is potent in the treatment of eczema. It is boiled in water and the fumes are used to foment the affected areas.

- Butea (Butea monosperma) In the treatment of skin diseases such as eczema, its the seeds of the butea tree that are useful. The seeds of the butea are mixed with lime water and are applied on the affected regions to get the required benefits.

- Linseed (Linum usitatissimum) Linseed is applied on the affected regions in the form of its oil mixed with lime water. This is effective in the treatment of many skin ailments including eczema.

- Madhuca (Madhuca indica) Madhuca leaves are used to get the madhuca oil. This is applied on the regions where the eczema has occurred to obtain relief.

Dietary Treatments for Eczema

The following dietary rules are very important for eczema patients to be obeyed:-

- Salt must be reduced in the diet.

- Sour foods must be avoided. This includes all pickles, curds, etc.

- Bitter tastes are useful. These are obtained from vegetables such as bitter gourd, bitter drumstick and flowers of the neem tree.

- Turmeric has a soothing effect on the skin. It must be used liberally in flavoring the food. Turmeric is also useful if it is applied locally over the affected parts.

Ayurvedic Treatments for Eczema

Eczema is a constitutional disease. Its cause is deep-seated within the body. Hence external medications are not effective in eczema. With such medications, the outer symptoms may disappear, but the underlying cause remains. Ayurveda attempts at curing eczema from its roots. The method used is an elaborate process to purify the blood of the individual.

The different steps involved are:-

a) Snehana – This method oleates the skin, i.e. makes it smooth using oily preparations. b) Swedana – This method induces sweating which removes the toxins from the blood. c) Panchkarma – These are the five steps to improve the blood. They include vamana (emesis), virechana (purgation), vasti (enema), siro-virechana (errhines) and rakta mokshana (blood-letting).

The following Ayurvedic preparations are used in the treatment of eczema:-

One teaspoonful of Panchatikta ghritam twice a day and one tablet of Arogyavardhini thrice a day are prescribed to all patients of eczema.

In addition, a dosage of 50 milligrams of Chaturmukha rasa with gold is prescribed to be taken twice a day along with 15 milliliters of Khadirarishta thrice a day. All treatments must be continued for one month.

Physicians would suggest massaging the area with Mahamarichyadi taila or Guduchyadi taila.

Home Remedies for Eczema

- Applying the juice of the wild almond (Terminalia catapa) on the affected parts provides relief.

- An emulsion can be made with the seeds of the karanja (Pongamia pinnata) and lemon juice. This is very beneficial if applied externally.

- An ointment is prepared using one part of sesame oil, sixteen parts of arka (Calatropics gigantica) and one part of turmeric. This should be applied externally.

- Prepare a brew of the peel of the banyan tree. Both drinking this brew and applying it externally over the affected parts show promising results.

- After meals, take one teaspoonful of Panchanimbadi choorna, which is available at all Ayurvedic outlets.

There are some other preventive methods that are necessary for people with eczema. These are enlisted below:-

- Soap must not be used over the affected regions. Mild soaps can be used, but it is best to avoid them. Hot water must not be used for baths. Adding some olive oil to the water helps.

- If the skin over the affected part is excessively dry, then a ghee or an oil massage will help. This will prevent the skin from erupting.

- People with eczema should take care that their bodies do not suffer from sudden extremities of climate. Hence, traveling must be done with care.

- The products of wool are not good for skins affected with eczema. Hence, people with eczema must avoid blankets and sweaters that are made of wool.

- People with eczema must take care that they do not sweat too much. Sweat can irritate the eczema.

By: Dr.Anna Hardy

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Cholesterol is quite easily the top of the list of killers among the human race in the world today. An excess of cholesterol can produce extremely fatal cardiovascular conditions such as atherosclerosis, heart aches, heart attacks, high blood pressure, etc. If a person has begun accumulating cholesterol in his or her arteries, then it might well be a way of inviting death.

A common misconception is that all kinds of fats can cause cholesterol buildup. But this is very far from the truth. In fact, only saturated fats and trans-fatty acids are responsible in building up cholesterol in the arteries. Whereas, cholesterol obtained from the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids such as from nuts and cool water fishes are useful to the body, and they can bring the level of the harmful cholesterol down.

Even if the cholesterol has built up in the body, it can be certainly brought down using proper herbal techniques, as described in Ayurveda. This article is written with the purpose of enlightening you with some of the most potential remedies that Ayurveda describes for treating cholesterol and also some simple home remedies which also achieve the same task.

Treatment with Simple Home Remedies

Remedy 1

You cannot even dream of reducing cholesterol without first making a determination to stick to a particular regimen. If your cholesterol levels are high, then you must immediately and strictly obey the following guidelines:-

§ Stop the consumption of all fattening foods, which contain saturated and trans-fatty acids. These include all the hydrogenated oils, creams and chocolates.

§ Increase the consumption of fish such as salmon, sardines and mackerel and nuts. Always insist on one bitter dish per meal. It could be fenugreek, bitter gourd or bitter drumstick.

§ If you are overweight, enroll in a weight loss program. Keep yourself active and exercise often, according to the capacity of your body.

§ If you are an alcoholic, stop! If you are a smoker, desist! Alcoholism and smoking are lethal in people with high cholesterol.

Remedy 2

Oranges are very beneficial to eliminate cholesterol because of their high vitamin C content. Sticking to a diet of only orange juice for a day is really beneficial.

Remedy 3

Watermelon is very beneficial in treating high blood pressure that has been caused due to excessive cholesterol levels. Cut a whole watermelon and rub rock salt and black pepper on its slices. Then extract the juice of this watermelon and drink it. Within three or four days, the levels of the cholesterol will go down and the high blood pressure will also become normal.

Remedy 4

Crush some coriander and then put it in a cup of water. Warm it so that the juices of the coriander exude out into the water properly. Then cool it and drink this coriander water. Doing this everyday for about a month will bring the cholesterol levels back to normal.

Remedy 5

Every morning when you wake up, eat two to three cloves of garlic. If you cannot bear the sulfurous taste of the garlic, then you can roast them in a little amount of castor oil. Eat these cloves by biting them and chewing upon them fast. Eat them on an empty stomach each day. This seems to be a very simple thing to do (apart from the pungent taste of the garlic cloves, of course!) but it is proven even by western scientists to have amazing effects in the treatment of cholesterol.

Remedy 6

Every night before retiring, have a cup of warm water with five grams of Triphala choorna in it. Triphala contains the three great herbs – amalaki (Emblica officinalis), bibhitaki (Terminalia belerica) and haritaki (Terminalia chebula). All these three have been individually proved to have powers of dissolving serum cholesterol. Amalaki is very rich in vitamin C, which is the best known nutrient for the natural dissolution of cholesterol in the blood.

Remedy 7

Mix equal proportions of Bishop’s weed seeds, cumin seeds and sugar. Grind them to a fine powder in a mixer grinder. Take one teaspoonful of this powder twice a day with water. This is a safe remedy even for pregnant women, and it shows good results in them.

Remedy 8

Put a single clove of garlic in one glass of milk. Bring it to a boil. Drink this garlic milk when it is still a little warm. Drinking this continuously for a week will surely bring the level of the cholesterol down.

Remedy 9

Take two teaspoons of honey and mix one teaspoon of lemon juice in it. Drinking this juice twice a day helps to dissolve the cholesterol from the arteries.

Treatment with Special Ayurvedic Methods

Arjuna is the Ayurvedic drug of choice for the elimination of cholesterol. The bark of the arjuna is prescribed to the patient in powder form, or in the form of its various decoctions with other herbs. The general dosage is one gram of powder four times a day. The vehicle to take this drug is either ghee, milk or honey; depending on which dosha is predominant in the body of the person. Ayurvedic doctors may also prescribe Arjunarishta, which is a preparation of arjuna mixed in special butters or ghee.

By: Dr John Anne

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