CARDAMOM SEEDS

1)  For loss of voice or sore throat - Mix ¼ teaspoon green cardamom seed powder and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder in ½ cup warm water. Drink a mouthful, and keep this water in your mouth for about 10 minutes, while pulling the water from one side to the other, inside your mouth.  After about 10 mins, spit it out.  Then use the balance water for gargling. This method can help to restore normal voice, especially if the loss of voice is caused due to high fever and/or cold (phlegm).

2)  For Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) - Mix 2 – 3 pinches of black cardamom seed powder with ¼ - ½ teaspoon ground rock sugar. Take this powder followed by 100 ml normal water, 2 – 3 times a day. This formula can reduce burning sensation while urinating and can also help normalise the flow of urine.

TO PROMOTE FERTILITY...

1) It is very beneficial for men to consume cinnamon mixed in milk, to help increase vitality and virility in men. This can also help to improve the motility and enhance the life span of sperms.  Cinnamon powder can be taken in the following manner : add 1⁄2 teaspoon (about 5 gm) of cinnamon powder in 250 ml fresh cow’s milk and boil it. When the milk comes to the boiling point, add a tablespoon of ground rock sugar and cool down the milk slightly. Drink this milk whilst it is still warm. It is advisable to take this milk twice a day or at least once at night, 30 minutes before going to bed.

2) It is mentioned in Ayurveda that men who have problems with the consistency of their vital fluid (semen) should add 1 teaspoon of wheat starch in a glass of fresh hot milk –- and drink this 30 minutes before going to bed. This simple remedy can help to improve the consistency of semen and therefore can also help to prevent premature ejaculation (a very common problem amongst young men nowadays). It can also help to prevent wet dreams in teenagers.

3) For women, psylium husk is a simple and very useful natural remedy. Nowadays, young women often suffer from excessive white discharge from the vagina, which not only has a weakening effect on the physical body, but which can also be very depleting, emotionally and mentally. If this problem is not corrected, this can even cause difficulty in conceiving. In my Ayurvedic practice, I have come across a few women clients who could not conceive after trying for a long time, even though all their medical reports were fine. From checking their pulse, I could determine that the main problem was excessive white discharge and the acidic effect it has on the sperms, which did not allow conception to take place. I advised them to take psylium husk for a period of 6 – 8 weeks, along with following a specific diet and certain Yoga exercises, and thereafter, they were able to conceive without the aid of hormone supplements. One of them calls her son “my Ayurveda baby” : )

Women who are suffering from this problem should take 1 tablespoon of psylium husk, mixed in a glass of warm water, at around 11:00 am (or at least 1 hour before lunch), and again, 1 tablespoon of this husk at night, with a glass of hot fresh milk (preferably adding a little cardamom seed powder into the milk), 30 mins before going to bed.

4) Shatavari (Indian asparagus) powder – According to Ayurveda, this herb is like nature’s boon for women. Generally women of all ages can benefit from this herb - it can help women who :
i) want to conceive, ii) are already pregnant, and iii) have just delivered a baby.

In this article I will focus on this herb’s efficacy mainly in helping women to conceive a healthy child. Take 250 ml fresh cow’s milk mixed with 250 ml water - add 1 tablespoon of Shatavari powder and boil this mixture on a medium flame, whilst stirring it regularly so that the powder doesn’t get stuck at the bottom of the pot or get burnt. Boil it till the quantity is reduced to 250 ml - it will become a porridge-like consistency - then add 1⁄4 teaspoon cardamom seed powder and a little ground rock sugar and consume it whilst it is still warm. This will be very beneficial if taken twice a day, morning and evening, or at the very least, it should be taken in the morning after breakfast. Please note that one should not drink water for at least an hour after having this.

This simple formula can help women to solve several problems pertaining to their reproductive system e.g. excessive white discharge, irregular menstruation, hormonal imbalance, unnatural weakness (physical & mental), disturbed sleep, irritability, back pain, frigidity, low libido, pain in the vagina while having intercourse, etc.

If a woman takes this formula continuously for 6 weeks before trying to conceive, this can help her to become a happy mother of a healthy child.
(Note : Shatavari powder can be easily ordered through the internet).

COUGH & COLD REMEDIES

If you have a cough & cold, the following home remedies can help :

1. Take 5 gm amla powder, 2 gm turmeric powder, 2 gm cinnamon powder, 2 gm black pepper powder and 1 gm green cardamom seed powder - mix these powders with 1 tablespoon of honey & consume this paste.  You can have some hot herbal tea (like fennel or green tea) after this.  Take this mixture 3 – 4 times a day, as required.

2. Amla – works as a natural source of vitamin C, strengthens the lungs and enhances resistance power.

3. Turmeric – has anti inflammatory properties which purifies the blood and improves breathing, thus helping to ensure better intake of oxygen which is good for the lungs.

4. Cinnamon & black pepper powder – help to generate natural warmth in the body & release mucus and ama (toxins) from blocked channels.  Both also have a soothing effect on the throat and help ease breathing.

5. Green cardamom – has a soothing effect on the throat, pacifies Pitta (fire) and helps to eliminate excess Kapha/mucus from the body.

6. Take 5 gm amla powder, 5 gm fennel seed powder, 3 gm cinnamon powder, 2 gm turmeric powder and 2 gm black pepper powder - mix all these powders in 500 ml water and boil it till the quantity of water is reduced to 200 ml. Strain the water and drink it whilst it is still warm. Take this drink 2 – 3 times a day.  Amla – works as a natural source of vitamin C, strengthens the lungs and enhances resistance power.  Fennel – helps to pacify aggravated Pitta (fire), therefore it can be particularly useful for a dry cough.  Black pepper – helps to cleanse the channels, and is useful in correcting wheezing due to cough & cold.