Practical things that you must consider before following any home remedy
Tips coming from social media :
Today we are living in a information overloaded environment. There is abundance of wanted and unwanted information from every, so is the case with health content. So before you follow any home remedy or a health tip coming from social media, including news sites, always ask these few questions and you may attempt to follow these tips, only if you get a reasonable answer for these questions.
- What are the credentials of the person who posted this video/tip?
- Are they are qualified doctor?
- Is there a scientific/research proof that proves that this remedy works, if not at least some published article from a trusted organization
- Or atleast did they refer to a publication or news from a government health or medical organization?
If the answer is no for these questions, it is better that you avoid following the tip/remedy suggested by them. Some times, these remedies instead of reducing the current ailment, may create a new ailment.
Thinking the other way around, if a tip can reduce the ailment, there should definitely be a medicine manufactured based on this, so it's better to look for a medicine by consulting a Ayurvedic vaidya.
Do not attempt home remedies for chronic Ailments:
Never try to address chronic ailments with home remedies. Ayurveda is an massive medical system with remedies for most common chronic ailments. Contact a vaidya for more help for a holistic solution, than a tip from a neighbour
Do your homework:
Always do your homework before following any home remedy, research on Google, but make sure you consider advice from only government or reputed hospitals/doctors.
Do not try multiples remedies at one go
If you are already using allopathic medicines, always consult your doctor before using a home remedy. Though usage of home remedies do not conflict with allopathic meds, but it's better to be safe upfront.
Know your remedy properly
Once you learnt that the home remedy you heard is safe and you can try it now. Make sure you know about the remedy thoroughly - if you are asked to source the raw herb - know which plant you should be sourcing - meaning which part of the plant - leaves, stem, bark, fruit(fresh/dried fruit) etc.
Learn how to consume and dosage
Next step is how to consume - can you consume it directly or do you need to make kwath(Kashaya/tisane/herbal tea) out of the herb. If it's a kwath, know about the water proportion. How much quantity of water should be used. Generally the quantity of water differs from herb to herb, depending on the properties of the herb. Sometimes it could be 4 part of water boiled to 1 part, sometimes it's 8 parts etc.
Kwath/Kashayam should always be prepared afresh and you should never store them and use later .
Learn about the adjuvants
The behaviour of the herb changes based on the adjuvant used, sometimes the adjuvant may be water, sometimes it's honey, mishri, buttermilk, ghee, butter etc. Make sure you are aware of this before consuming.
Buying Herbs
To the extent possible, avoid collecting raw herbs for yourself. Most popular herbs are available to buy as ready to use powders online and offline. Make sure you check the part of the plant used to make the herb.
If you were to use the raw herbs, make sure they are purified as prescribed in books. Also ensure to clean them thoroughly, free of mud and any pesticide residues.
Precautions to take before buying herbal powders
When you are buying herbs online or offline, always buy them certified manufacturers. You would know that by looking for the license number and GMP flag on the packaging. As per government norms all ayurvedic manufacturers should have a GMP license and it should be prominently displayed on the packaging.
Example below
Last but not least
Talk to your doctor
Talk to your doctor before following any remedy, if you don't have direct access to an Ayurvedic doctor. You can book an online consultation with our doctors here.
Get Healthy, Naturally