Ayurveda – Ayurvedic – India

1. Diarrhoea: Diarrhoea is common in all age groups but children are more vulnerable. Especially under – nourished children living in unhygienic conditions easily get affected with diarrhoea. It is characterised by passage of very loose and watery stools with increased frequency. If it is associated with vomitting with or without fever, it is called gastroenteritis.
Causes: Eating stale food or eating food contaminated with microbes. Infections in the alimentary canal by viruses, bacteria, Amoeba etc.
• Milk allergy and allergy to certain foods can also cause diarrohoea.
• Ulceration of the Intestines. Incapacity of the bowels to cope with heavy, fatty, spicy food.
• Sudden shock or fright may cause a temporary diarrhoea.
Symptoms:-
• Dehydration evident from parched mouth and skin which loses turgidity and sunken eyes – although these signs are late to appear.
• Vomiting may or may not be present
• Cramps in stomach and calves due to loss of water and essential salts.
Home Remedies
• Dry ginger powder is the drug of choice. It helps fight bacteria and prevents motion. 1/2 tea spoon of fine dry ginger powder taken with dasamoolarishtam is of help.
• Take enough fluids like lemon juice, boiled rice water with salt, water from boiled dal etc.
W.H.O. recommends the following solution to be administered in patients
suffering from diarrhoea, to prevent dehydration. Take 1 litre of boiled and cooled water and add 8 tea spoons of sugar and pinch of salt and give a cup of it to the patient after every 15 mins.
• Black coffee with nutmeg powder can be given if patient feels weak after passing motions continuously.
• Pulp of fruit of Bel (Aegle marmelos) 5 gm can be given with water.
• A mixture of equal parts of tender leaves of babul tree (Gum Acacia) with Jeera (white) and black Jeera administered in doses of 12 gm each, thrice a day checks diarrhoea.
• Butter milk with a pinch of salt can be taken thrice a day
• Carrot soup can be given. It combats dehydration
• Juices made from mint, pomegranate, Bottlegourd, turmeric Rhizome can be given.
• Arrow root water checks diarrhoea.
2. Hepatites: The largest organ present in the right upper quardrant of the abdomen is the liver. Inflammation of the liver is known as hepatitis. This results in yellowness of the skin due to increased bilirubin in the blood. This condition where skin becomes yellow due to the presence of excess bilirubin is known as ‘jaundice’. The word jaundice is sometimes used synonymously as hepatitis, which is wrong. Since jaundice is a symptom present in many diseases like malaria, cirrhosis of liver, dengue etc. apart from hepatitis. Hepatitis is a viral disease caused by different virus and hence is classified into A,B,C,D,and E. The most common ones being A & B.
Hepatitis A virus enters the body through faeco-oral route due to
consumption of contaminated water and food. It is a self – limiting disease but it can be debilitating during its course.
 Hepatitis B virus, on the other hand, enters the blood through the following route.
• contact with infected blood by means of transfusion or due to use of contaminated surgical instruments.
• through unsafe sex with a person who is already infected.
• Or transplacental route that is from infected mother to the foetus in her womb.
Hepatitis A is the milder of two and ayurvedic medicines are very effective
in speeding up the recovery from it and also in controlling the damage that hepatitis B virus may cause to the liver.
Signs and Symptoms:
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Discomfort in upper abdomen
• Fever may or may not be present
• Icterus or yellow discolouration of skin and sclera.
• Blood investigations may show increased serum bilirubin, etc
• Home Remedies:
• Mint leaves and betel nut leaves to be chewed together 3-4 times a day.
• Mix 1 tea spoon of honey in 1 cup of juice of white radish and take it twice a day.
• Mix 2 tea spoon of turmeric powder in 1 small bowl of curd (approx. 50ml.). Consume half of it at a time. Do so twice a day for a period of 15 days.
• Eat sugarcane sticks.
• Drink plenty of water and fluids like coconut water barley water etc. Boiled and filtered water should be consumed.
• Take rest during the duration of the illness.
3. Dysentry: This disease is of two types – Amoebic dysentry when caused by the parasite Entamoeba Histolytica and Bacillary dysentry it caused by bacteria like shigella. Dysentry refers to repeat passage of blood. or mucus or both in the stools and invariably preceded by severe abdominal pain. It is usually transmitted by the faeco – oral route when one consumes food or water contaminated by the micro – organisms mentioned above.
Symptoms:
• Passage of mucus or blood through anus with little or no faecal matter.
• Excessive spasmodic pain in lower abdomen while passing stool.
• Fever may be present in bacillary dysentery.
• Loss of appetite.
• Weakness.
Home Remedies:
• One bowl of curd mixed with half tea spoon of dry ginger powder can be taken twice a day.
• Consume half tea spoon of cumin seeds roasted in ghee twice a day.
• Pulp of fruit of Aegle marmelos one – two tea spoons should be taken twice a day.
• Consume 1/4 tea spoon of finely powdered clove with 1/2 tea spoon of honey twice a day.
4. Piles: Piles, also known as Haemorrhoids are dilated or swollen blood veins situated either in side or just outside the Anus, commonly called Internal or external piles. These swollen veins may burst and may cause bleeding, in which case they are called bleeding piles. External piles may cause pain without bleeding. Internal piles may cause discharge of dark blood. In the case of bleeding piles, there may be excessive bleeding. Constipation is the key feature of all types of piles.
Symptoms:
• Internal piles may bleed slightly. However since they are located inside the anus they are not so painful. Occasionally there is some discomfort while passing stool.
• External piles are present just at the edge of anus where the skin and mucous membrane meet. They might protrude out while defaecating. These are usually painful. Itching in the anal region may also be present sometimes.
• The third most painful condition is when the blood from the swollen veins stagnates and clot and the veins become quite dilated and remain outside anus. These can be very distressing and painful.
• Constipation always precedes the condition.
• Anemia may result in case of bleeding piles.