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Dr. Vikram Chauhan - MD (Ayurveda)

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Psoriasis Herbal Remedies - Ayurvedic Treatment for Psoriasis

Psoriasis Herbal Remedies - Ayurvedic treatment for Psoriasis

What is Psoriasis as per Ayurveda -
According to Ayurveda Psoriasis develops because of imbalance of "fire" and "Earth + Water" elements i.e. it is a Pitta - Kapha disorder. Psoriasis therefore has to be treated using herbs which are having constituents and actions opposite to fire, earth and water energy.
According to Ayurveda, the diseases are caused by imbalance of Five elements ( represented by 3 main energies in our bodies i.e. Vata-Pitta and Kapha)
In Psoriasis the imbalance is in Pitta and Kapha energies leading to scaly plaques, itching, redness and painful joints in some cases.

What is Psoriasis ?
According to Modern Medicine- Psoriasis (sore-EYE-ah-sis) is a medical condition that occurs when skin cells grow too quickly and not shed quickly leading to their piling up. Faulty signals in the immune system cause new skin cells to form in days rather than weeks. The body does not shed these excess skin cells, so the cells pile up on the surface of the skin and lesions form.

There are five types of psoriasis: Plaque, guttate, pustular, inverse, and erythrodermic. About 80% of people living with psoriasis have plaque (plak) psoriasis, also called “psoriasis vulgaris.” Plaque psoriasis causes patches of thick, scaly skin that may be white, silvery, or red. Called plaques (plax), these patches can develop anywhere on the skin. The most common areas to find plaques are the elbows, knees, lower back, and scalp.

Ayurvedic Treatment of Psoriasis - Prescription which I usually give to Psoriasis patients in my clinic is -

Mixture of following

Praval panchamrit- 5 gm
Kalmegh Navayas Loh - 5 gm
Swarn Makshik Bhasma - 10 gm
Mukta Pishti - 2 gm
Kamdudha Ras - 5 gm
Yashad Bhasma - 5 gm
Akik Pishti - 5 gm
Jahar Mohra Pishti - 5 gm
Giloy Satv - 10 gm
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Make 30 packs of equal dosages of all these mineral preparations, consume 1 dosage twice daily, with honey or with milk ( 10-20 ml)
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2. 777 Oil - For Local Application - Apply 777 oil after bath on the lesions daily.
3. Psorolin Soap - Use this herbal soap for bath as it is natural herbal soap for helping in fighting psoriasis
4. Psorolin Ointment - This has to be applied on the psoriasis lesions everyday after bath. This can be used alternate days.

Blood Purifying herbs for Psoriasis -

5. Navkarshik Churna - 1 teaspoonful twice daily with warm water after meals
6. Mahamanjisthadi Kwath or Mahamanjisthadi Ghan Vati- 20 ml twice daily
7. Syp. Talekt ( himalaya) , Syp. Purodil ( Aimil), Syp. Amypure , Tablet Purim (Himalaya)
8. Cap. Neem (planet Ayurveda) - 2 capsules twice daily are recommended.


Neem has a very good role in Psoriasis. It is bitter in taste and that's why Neem Capsules in vegetarian capsule shell are recommended. Bitters are good in Psoriasis as bitter taste contains Air and Ether elements which are totally opposite to Earth, Water and Fire elements which are cause of Psoriasis and other skin ailments as per Ayurvedic physiology.
So Neem Capsules play a very important role in psoriasis.

For more information about herbal remedies for Psoriasis and Ayurvedic treatment for Psoriasis, you can write to me directly at - herbalremedies123@yahoo.com 

Friday, January 22, 2010

Athelete's foot - Ayurvedic Remedies for Athelee's foot

Fungus of the foot- Athelete's foot



Fungal infection of the feet is called Tinea Pedis as Tinea is the medical word for fungus, and Pedis means feet. It is also called Athlete’s foot. The Microsporum, Epidermophyton and Trichophyton are the fungi that account for 90 per cent of all skin fungal infections. Athlete's foot is a common condition in young people and adults. The fungi love warm, moist places with the result they are primarily a problem for people who wear tight-fitting trainers or don't dry their feet properly.

The condition is very contagious. It can be spread by direct skin-to-skin contact and indirectly through towels, shoes, floors, etc.


Toenail fungal infections may look different in different people. Most people have a white or yellow thickening under the nail. Toenail is common and many adults have some fungus of their toenails. However, It can make the toenails difficult to cut and some people are predisposed to ingrown toenails because of the fungus. The fungus can also provide openings or crack in the skin that may allow easier access for bacterial infections of the feet and legs.

The accurate diagnosis can be made by your doctor. There are simple herbal remedies to take care of your foot.

1. Apply Neem Oil (Margosa Oil) every night after washing, scrubbing your feet with warm water and completely drying them.
2. Pongamia Oil is another best remedy to get rid of fungus foot.
3. Maha marichayadi tailam-An Ayurvedic oil available through internet is also very effective remedy.
4. Tea tree oil , Cedar wood Oil, Sweet flag oil (Acorus calamus oil) are another useful oils which can be applied alternatively for fungal infections.

Consume
Capsule Neem - 2 capsules twice daily x 3 months
Syp. Mahamanjisthadi Kwath - 20 ml twice daily x 3 months
Syp. Khadirarishta - 20 ml twice daily x 3 months
Tablet Arogyavardhni Vati - 2 tablets twice daily x 3 months

Obesity Ayurvedic Treatment - Herbal Remedies for Weight Loss

AYURVEDIC REMEDIES FOR OBESITY – A DISEASE OF THE AFFLUENTS


In ancient Ayurvedic text –Charak Samhita, obesity is described as one of the conditions which is very much undesirable and leads to many complications of health. It’s called “Medoroga” in ayurveda. Med is referred to as adipose tissue.
Central obesity is a condition in which the adipose tissue is deposited more around the abdominal area. This condition is more dangerous than the generalized obesity.

Imagine a small piece of land which needs to be properly irrigated to get proper yield.

So to irrigate it we need a water pump with adequate horse power motor to irrigate that piece of land. but imagine if that piece of land keeps growing but the horse power of our pump remains the same. What will happen ? The motor will fail ultimately.

Similarly, God has put a very good and strong pump in our chest (heart) to irrigate all over body organs with essential nutrients through blood, but when we grow bigger in size, the heart is pushed to it's limits and ultimately it gets enlarged and starts to fail. The natural motor - the heart gives up as it is not able to pump the blood with full force anymore leading to it's failure.

According to Ayurveda- Obesity or being overweight is a serious health wizard putting extra burden not only on heart but also puts extra strain on liver, kidneys and weight bearing joints such as hips, knees and ankles. Obesity is the leading cause of many problems like coronary heart disease, heart failure, high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, gout, liver and gall bladder disorders. There are many herbs and ayurvedic methods which can help in reducing the body weight.

Generally, the reason for over weight is over eating and sedentary lifestyle. So modification in diet is required to loose weight. I never recommend that you should go for fasting at all. Starving or fasting will rob the body of essential nutrients and necessary fuel it needs. We rather encourage you to eat in moderation at regular intervals without missing your meals.

Mild to moderate exercise is also recommended to burn the deposited calories. Brisk walk, cyclying, jogging, swimming, playing tennis etc. are excellent ways to loose weight.
It is clearly written in Ayurveda that it is easy to cure an underweight person for his ailments rather than obese patients.
The excessive fat also blockes channels thereby preventing the nutrition and medicines to reach different cells.


Treatment of Obesity through Nature

Prevention is better then cure. You must take precautions rather following treatment after increase in weight. Once you are obese it is difficult to treat yourself, but still there are many herbs which can help.

• The metabolic rate is generally decreased in obese people, getting up early morning, even light exercise, walk etc. can increase the metabolic rate and help burn some calories.
• Avoid excess eating, eating during indigestion or just after taking pervious meal.
• Avoid day sleeping; sleep in the night after one hour of your dinner.
• Avoid eating excess sweets. Have low fat /skim dairy products. Avoid product like chocolates, ice creams, cheese, sugar etc.
• Take non-vegetarian food like chicken, fishes, eggs, meats etc. in moderate quantity. Remove fat from meat & skin from chicken.
• Try to minimize excess oil & ghee in cooking, Use a non-stick pan for cooking. avoid hydrogenated vegetable oils, Instead of frying things try to consume roasted things & change your cooking techniques a little. Grill or bake food instead of frying, cook vegetables without fat by steaming and boiling.
• Use low fat spreads and chutney on bread instead of butter and cheese.
• Don't consume alcoholic drinks.
• Avoid aerated drinks and excess water after meal.

Some useful herbs for weight loss

1. Smilax China – Chopchini – This is a native of china. According to ayurvedic pharmacology, this herb is excellent for dissolving the adipose tissue. This is hot, pungent and penetrating in nature, helps to dissociate accumulated fat lodged and stuck in many organ systems. It thereby helps to clean the system too.

2. Garcinia – This is popularly known as Malabar Tamarind in South India. This has remarkable properties to cause weight loss without causing side effects. The rind of the fruit is used and it’s extract is made to be used as a weight loss herbal remedy. Hydroxycitrate [(-)hydroxycitric acid, HCA], is a popular component of over-the-counter weight-loss formulations, where it is marketed under various names and Garcinia is found to be rich in this component.

3. Cyprus rotundus – This is another weight loss herb described in anciet ayurvedic texts as “Lekhan” herbs. Lekhan herbs are those which helps in reducing one’s weight. This is also known as “Nagar-motha” in common language.

4. Tri-katu – This is a combination of 3 herbs which are again pungent, hot and helps to dissolve excessive fat tissue. These 3 herbs are dry ginger, dry long pepper and dry black pepper. Trikatu powder is used ½ teaspoonful twice daily, with ¼ teaspoonful of honey and water.

5. Kutki Powder- This herb grows up in Himalayas and it’s very rare. It is useful for removing excessive fat from liver and it’s the main herb used in most of the liver syrups used in Ayurveda. It regularized the fat metabolism through its action on the liver.

6. Triphala – 3 Fruits make up this formulation. These are Haritaki, bhibhitaki and Amalaki. Amalaki is the richest source of natural vitamin C on earth. Triphala in general is used as an anti-constipation remedy but it not only clears the bowels but also helps in cleansing the whole system. It lowers down the blood cholesterol levels as well as act as a best anti-ageing remedy. It removes excessive fat deposits from within the body and helps to loose weight.
Constipation is another reason for being overweight, as it leads to blockage of channels. So constipation should also be taken care of in case of obesity.



Article by –
Dr. Vikram Chauhan
MD ( Ayurveda ) –
PLANET AYURVEDA – 3604, Sector 23-D, Chandigarh-160023 INDIA
Phone 0091-9876643604

Non Suppression of Natural Urges

Non-Suppressible Natural Urges

God created animals as well as humans, but now we see a lot of difference between their behaviors. Humans are provided with brain which is very advance, resulting in extraordinary discoveries to assist in its functions in many ways, but in this process we forgot what our ancient sages wrote in Ayurveda.

We went far away from nature. We are in rush all the time and we dont have time even to respond to nature calls. Yes ! I am talking about attending the natural urges. This has made us worst than animals who have enough time to evacuate atleast.


Ayurveda - the ancient healthcare system of India has described 13 natural urges which should not be retained at any cost. If they are stopped due to any reason, they can lead to various health problems.

Charka- ancient authority on Ayurveda, explains about these 13 natural non-suppressible urges -
That the wise should not suppress the impending urges of urine, faeces, semen, flatus, vomiting, sneezing, eructation, yawning, hunger, thirst, tears, sleep and breathing after exertion.

(Reference Charak Samhita – Sutrasthana – Chapter 7, verse 3-4)

Suppression of urge to defaecate causes colic pain, headache, retention of flatus and faeces, cramps in calf muscles and flatulence. This happens in case of temporarily holding up the urge to pass the stool. This soon turns into a habit due to irregular lifestyle, irregular diet, lack of time and undisciplined life.

The chronic habit leads to constipation which is the root cause of most of the diseases as per Ayurveda.

Passing the stools is the most important of all natural urges. Stool is full of toxins and if it stays in body for long, the fermentation process starts leading to many more problems.

Why people ignore such an important and unavoidable urge ?

The school going children ignore it and they do not go to toilet early in the morning because they are in a rush to go to school and they sleep very late. Their parents have busy lifestyles leading to late night sleep pattern.

The housewives also hold the urge to defaecate because they are too busy to serve the joint families and handling their children.

Men are also busy in travel, business meetings, jobs and achieving the targets so that they do not give attention to the urge. The modern society also plays in role as it looks indecent to many if someone goes to toilet for 10 minutes to evacuate.

Sometimes the urge comes for a few seconds and then goes away. This is the time when one should go to toilet without bothering for anything else. This helps to keep the weight also under control.

Ignoring this leads to constipation. Constipation is considered to be root cause of most of the ailments. Large intestine is the place of 'vata' or air element as per Ayurveda. Imbalance of vata in body is cause of 80 % of all diseases. Major diseases like blood pressure, diabetes, low eye sight among children, skin problems, piles, acid reflux, migraine, headache, back pain, fatigue and restlessness, indigestion are all caused due to imbalance of air element in the body i.e. Vata vitiation. Ignoring the urge to defaecate leads to enhanced ageing because of destruction caused by imbalanced Vata.

So do not ignore when the next nature call comes, attend to it on priority.



Article written by –

Dr. Vikram Chauhan – MD ( Ayurveda)
Mobile - 098766-43604 (+91)

www.planetayurveda.com

Constipation - Herbal Remedies for Constipation

Herbal Remedies for Constipation

Inability to defecate completely in one go is called Constipation and sometimes person goes again and again trying to clean the bowel but in vain is also called constipation.

Ayurveda considers constipation as the root cause of most of the illnesses. Constipation leads to accumulation of toxins within the body and causes blockage of various energy channels impeding the flow of nutrients, hormones leading to malfunctioning of various organ systems.

Reasons for constipation
There are many common reasons for constipation. Stress is also one of the major factors. Faulty diet which is devoid of fiber rich fruits, irregular routine, late night sleep, excessive consumption of non-vegetarian diet, junk food are the major reasons for constipation.

Getting rid of constipation

Avoid using laxatives- Do not try different types of laxatives. Try to find out the reason first. The constipation may be because of sleeping late at night and giving more laxatives will help in cleansing for once or twice but it may cause problems later on.
So avoid using laxatives.
As per Ayurveda, our body is made up of 5 elements – Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Ether. All the reasons for constipation mentioned above cause imbalance of Air element in the body which dries up the stool in the large colon and also causes dryness in other parts of the body. Therefore imbalance of Air componenet ( Vata) is the cause of constipation.

To avoid these, one should try to balance Vata component as much as possible. Try to eat herbs like fennel after meals, which helps to minimize Vata and assists in digestion. Other herbs and spices like cumin, celery, thyme, turmeric, coriander, cumin, which are used in Indian cooking are all Vata pacifying.

Bed tea is another cause of constipation. Tea is basically an astringent and therefore good for loose motions but still many people become habitual to go to toilet only after consuming a cup of tea early in the morning, but that is not right as per Ayurveda.

Consuming a lot of fresh water ( atleast 10 glasses every day) is a very good remedy for constipation. It is just like flushing our toilet with water. It cleanses the intestines and also maintains their tone.

Consuming fruits is very much recommended as fruits are rich in natural fiber and they clean the intestines just as we scrub our floor. The fruits like melons, mangoes, apples, grapes, guava, peaches, pineapple etc. are rich in roughage and must be consumed everyday.
Non-vegetarian diet and junk food like pizza, burgers, noodles, pasta and foods made up from very refined flour should not be consumed.

Ayurveda also has specified various time periods in a day when there is increase and decrease in the level of tri-energies of the body i.e. the Vata, Pitta and Kapha. (made up of 5 elements).
Vata gets imbalanced during the period before midnight, about 8 PM to 12 PM. If we are awake during this period, this leads to more imbalance and causes more vata related problems. So we should also listen to our bio-rhythms which the God has specified for our biological system.

Herbs for constipation


1. Aloe vera juice – Kumari saar is a very useful herbal remedy for constipation. 20-30 ml of Aloe vera juice ( Kumari Saar) taken twice daily, empty stomach with equal quanity of plain water detoxifies naturally. It not only clears the intestines without any problem but also helps in removing the endotoxins from within the blood. It also nourishes the body as it is rich in natural vitamins and minerals. It can also be mixed with a juice

2. Triphala – Tri means 3 and Phala is Fruit. This is a combination of 3 fruit powders namely Haritaki, Bhibhitaki and Amalaki. Triphala is also known as Vara which in Sanskrit language means ‘ The best”. So this is the best herbal remedy for constipation. It is non- habit forming mild laxative and also best anti-ageing formulation. This is available all over the world in powder form as well as capsule form, but the powder form is much better and recommended. It should be taken 1 teaspoonful twice daily, with lukewarm water, after meals

3. Ghee – Ghee or Butter – Oil is a also recommended in Ayurveda for lubrication of the intestines. Small quantity of it should always be taken along with food to eliminate toxins, aid digestion and lubricate the intestines.

4. Senna – Herbs like senna are not very mild laxatives and they are also habit forming. Their use should be very limited as they disturb the natural tone of the colon.

5. Isabguha husk ( Psyllium husk) – This is another wonderful remedy for clearing up the bowels. This is a bulk forming agent i.e. makes the stool, as it absorbs water and swells in the intestines and helps in putting the pressure on intestines to evacuate.

6. Drastic Purgatives – There are herbs like Jamalghota ( Croton tiglium), Nishoth ( Turpeth), Indervaruni (Citrullus colocynthus), Snuhi, ( Euphorbia neerifolium), Ark ( Madder), Swarnkshiri ( Argemone mexicana) are all strong purgatives and they should always be consumed under guidance of a medical or Ayurvedic specialist. They are also very useful in some cases where their use is justified.

7. Liver Cleansers – Picrorrhiza kurrao (Kutki) is another herb which helps the body to cleanse itself by the action of this herb on liver. This herb grows in Himalayas and stimulates liver to release bile salts and bile acids to emulsify the fats and thereby reducing the incidence of galls stones, promoting healthy digestion, promotes healthy metabolism of various hormones in liver and also helping in constipation.

Article By – Dr. Vikram Chauhan, MD ( Ayurveda )
www.planetayurveda.com , Phone : + 91- 9876643604

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Ayurvedic medicines for Low Immunity

AYURVEDIC MEDICINES FOR LOW IMMUNITY 

Ayurveda has a great role to play in immunodeficient states. The Ayurvedic medicines can be given as an adjuvant to modern anti-viral medicines. These herbs are also given as supportive treatment to AIDS patients. This is not a cure but a support to the system. These herbal remedies are usually recommended in Ayurveda as stamina promotion and health maintenance.

General herbal remedies for low immunity -

1. Cap. Amalaki Rasayan - 4 capsules thrice daily
2. Cap. Ashwagandha- 4 capsules thrice daily
3. Cap. Tribulus Power - 4 Capsules thrice daily
4. Cap. Shilajit - 2 Capsules thrice daily
5. Amla and Aloe vera juice- 20 ml twice daily


These are recommended if the patient wants only herbal medicines and not Ayurvedic bhasma etc.
These are all for generalized immunity support - rest depending upon patients symptoms.
I would use some metal based formulations also if patient is willing. The above are purely herbs which the patients do not mind taking.

The mineral/metal based medicines which I recommend are -
1.
Swarn Basant Malti Ras- 2 gm
Yashad (zinc) bhasma - 5 gm
Heerak( Diamond) bhasma- 300 mg
Raj Mrigank Ras - 2 gm
Swarn Sameer pannag Ras - 2 gm
Abhrak Bhasama (Shahastra puti) - 2 gm
Praval Panchamrit - 5 gm
Mukta Pishti - 2 gm
Akik Pishti - 5 gm
Swarn Makshik Bhasma - 10 gm
kalmegh navayas Loh - 5 gm
Swarn Bhupati Ras - 2 gm
Giloy Satv - 10 gm
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All these made into 60 equal doses and 1 dose given once or twice daily, depending upon patient's strength / body weight
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2. Khamira Gojaban Ambri Jawahar Wala - 1 tablespoonful twice daily
3. Musli Pak - 1 teaspoonful twice daily ( depending upon patient's digestive power, ok to give if he can digest it )
4. Sanjivani Vati - 2 tablets twice daily ( given if the patient has low digestive fire )
5. tablet Punarnava Mandur - 2 tablets thrice daily


These ayurvedic medicines are useful in all immuno deficient states and even in cases of AIDS and HIV when the CD 4 cell count is low.