Part I: Simple home remedies for common ailments

A teaspoon of honey, a few cloves of garlic, a pinch of asafoetida, a slice of onion -- besides adding flavour to your cooking, they also serve as home remedies that give relief from certain health ailments.

Yesterday, we shared remedies for sore throat, common cold and acidity. 

Here are some homemade remedies to help you deal with constipation, hiccups, diarrhoea and more.

Note: These common household remedies cannot be a replacement for medical attention; it is important to see a doctor when necessary. In conditions like diabetes, hypertension or any kind of food allergy, etc, always consult your dietician before trying them out.

Hiccups

i. Take a spoonful of sugar and keep under your tongue until the sugar melts.

ii. Suck two to three pieces of ginger. This helps stop hiccups from recurring.

iii. Hold your breath for 30 seconds. If the hiccups do not stop, repeat the procedure two more times.

iv. Take a glass of water and gulp it down non-stop.

v. Boil � tsp of cardamom in 1 cup of water and sip like tea.

Sinus

Soak four to five dried pieces of amla (gooseberry) overnight in water. Drink the resulting solution in the morning on an empty stomach. Repeat this process for at least one month.

Stomach ache

i. Add a pinch of rock salt (black salt) to 1 tsp of ajwain (carom seeds), chew and swallow with one glass of lukewarm water.

ii. Boil 1 tsp of ajwain in one glass of water and keep sipping it through the day.

iii. Take 1 tsp of mint juice, add 1 tsp of honey to it and have with a spoon.

iv. Sip cinnamon tea throughout the day. Boil 1 tsp of powdered cinnamon in 1 cup of water and sip.

v. Chew one betel leaf with one small crystal of rock salt for instant relief.

vi. Make a paste with � tsp of hing (asafoetida) and few drops of water and apply on the navel. It helps release the gas.

Diarrhoea
 
i. Take 1 tsp of mustard seeds and swallow it with 1 glass of lukewarm water.

ii. Take 1 tsp of fenugreek seeds, add 1 tsp of curd and swallow.

iii. Eat stewed apples everyday. Steam the apple with the peel on till soft, then skin, mash and consume.  

iv. Eat boiled sweet potatoes seasoned with salt and pepper to cure diarrhoea.

v. Take � tsp powdered nutmeg, add honey and swallow.

vi. Grind lemon with the seed and skin, add a little salt and have three to four times a day.

vii. Have two or three of the smaller, yellow bananas or one to one-and-a-half of the bigger, regular bananas. This helps to bind the stools.

Anaemia

i. Soak black raisins overnight in water and have in the morning on an empty stomach, for one month.

ii. Add 2 tsp of powdered black til (sesame seeds) to � glass lukewarm water, and have every morning.

iii. Eat two to three dates everyday.

iv. Vitamin C is required for iron to get absorbed in the body. Squeeze lemon juice on iron rich foods like rice flakes, dark green leafy vegetables, etc.

Constipation
      
i. In addition to your regular water intake, have atleast three to four glasses of warm water with honey added to it.

ii. Eat apples, along with the skin, daily.

iii. Soak black currants overnight and feed this water to your baby in the morning. This will increase his/ her iron level.

iv. Eat bran rotis. Make them by using 50 percent wheat flour and 50 percent bran flour. It will add fibre to your diet.

v. Eat 1 serving of raw salads with every meal.

vi. Eat two to three ripe bananas to add bulk to your stools.

Part I: Simple home remedies for common ailments

Priya Khanna and Seemaa Tarneja are both practicing dieticians.

DON'T MISS!

• Diet dos and don'ts for diabetes
• Why you suffer from migraine attacks