LETS not forget a very important TRUTH that man came first and then came discoveries and inventions and science and research .That which was good for our ancestors cannot be bad for us --there may be some irregularities but we cannot straight away write off old tried and tested methods of rearing children In fact honey helped me clean by daughters tongues when they were babies I would apply a little honey on a piece of cloth wrapped round my fingers and insert into the baby's mouth nicely cleaning her tongue while she would be enjoying the sweet taste :otherwise a dirty tongue could give rise to so many diseases .and we all know how difficult it is to clean a baby's tongue.
Similarly we give a warm mustard oil massage or a bit of Jaifal (nutmeg) in milk and the baby is cured of the severest of colds without any side effects .A spoonful of water in which Ajwain has been boiled is also a good cure for colds and stomach aches .
We have all seen that home remedies are better substitutes for children as compared to some allopathic medicines simply because they don't have any side effects this is because they comprise of those things which are natural and not chemicals -eg-ginger which is absolutely harmless is a good cure for cold , coughs and even stomach disorders whereas a simple cough syrup can cause drowsiness in children and in adults too which can be very dangerous .
In fact we are discovering the importance of old traditional methods and advocating their use too ---clove oil is a component in so many remedies for tooth trouble the old and simple gargle with warm water and salt is the panacea for all throat infections irrespective of the fact that the patient is taking antibiotics or not
we find toothpaste companies asking people ---kya apke toothpaste me namak hai ? nimbu hai ?
now aren't nimbu and namak traditional methods of cleaning teeth I remember as children we used to clean our teeth with salt and mustard oil , my mom used to rub her teeth with left over lemon peels from her plate after every meal this to make her teeth shine --and boy did they ? yes they sparkled always .
I need not keep visiting Google to corroborate or prove my points --we all know that Diabetes and Cardiac problems are all lifestyle diseases and can be cured by making changes in your food habits and some exercise ---and aren't these traditional methods we used to eat missi roti (roti made of flour which had horse gram added to it ) modern day cardiologists advocate this kind of flour because it has a lot of fibre
Doctors are prescribing garlic to reduce cholesterol
.
Yoga again comprises of asanas which are a traditional form of exercise and doctors from across the seas are prescribing YOGA for cardiovascular ailments .
We all know that strong medicines affect the liver ----drug induced liver diseases are those that are caused by physician -prescribed medications , over the counter medications , vitamins , hormones etc Thankfully this knowledge has put an end to the trendy practise of popping vitamin pills into your mouth for breakfast A very trendy scenes in all affluent MODERN families used to be the wife asking the hubby and kids " tumne apni vitamins le li ?" before they left home for work or school :)
Coming to simpler things a hair dye has the capacity to whiten even that hair which can be black for another 2 or 3 years whereas henna and amla mixture if applied regularly can make your hair retain its luster and blackness for years and years and it gives a natural shaded look if its regularity is not broken even after your hair has started greying .And the kidney and eyes too remain safe
Baby soaps are harsher for baby's skins as compared to besan and haldi combined with milk , "ubtan"--ubtan even rids the baby of unwanted body hair gradually
Oh yes and don't we remember that the Americans wanted to patent the turmeric and the Neem
Google to my rescue again
By October, 1996 when the prestigious New Scientist magazine wrote under the title, "Pirates in the garden of India", India's sanguine magnanimity was to end. A crisis was brewing. India had to do something.
Abduction of turmeric:
The war began thus: In May, 1995 the US Patent Office granted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center a patent [#5,401,504] for "Use of Turmeric in Wound Healing."
Well, well, well. Some discovery, that. Indians grow up with a constant awareness of turmeric. It permeates their life. It is an easy and generous plant [curcurma longa] that grows throughout the sub-continent. The tuber when dried keeps practically forever. Its decoction is a stubborn dye. It is a condiment that adds character to Indian food and helps digestion. Turmeric powder heals open wounds. Drunk with warm milk, it stems coughs, cures colds and comforts throats.
. Indian physicians had always packed their kits with turmeric. Now West's formal research was confirming many of its virtues. It is now believed to be able to treat dysentery, arthritis, ulcers and even some cancers. It is also found to protect the liver.
Turmeric's grace is stunning cancer researchers. COX-2 inhibitor drugs have been known to block an enzyme called cyclooxygenase-2 which aggravates arthritis. Dr. Mitch Gaynor at the Strang Cancer Prevention Center, New York uses these drugs in cancer treatment to impede this undesirable enzyme. Turmeric goes one step further: Dr. Chintalapally V. Rao of American Health Foundation, Valhalla, NY believes that while COX-2 inhibitor drugs battle the enzyme, the curcurmin element in turmeric prevents even the formation of the enzyme
The patent was promptly challenged by Dr. R A Mashelkar, an Indian scientist who has done much to awaken India to Intellectual Property Rights issues. After four months of submissions it was established that the use of turmeric as a healing agent was well-known in India. For some centuries, one is tempted to add. The patent was annulled. But there were more battles ahead.
In 1996, Vandana Shiva -- an icon for Third World Knowledge Rights -- began to challenge the patent granted to the firm of W.R.Grace & Co by the European Patent Office, Munich for 'fungicidal uses of neem oil'. Now, it so happens that neem is as much a divine object in India as turmeric is. With far less education than modern scientists the Indian farmer over the ages had integrated neem into his work. It is a part of India's religious life, to sublimate anything of value to divine levels in order to engender an esteem and sensitivity for it. Shiva and Ajay Phadke [who had researched neem for Rhone Poulenc in India] flagged ancient Indian texts for their eminences in Munich to convince them that there was no 'novelty' factor in neem's magical properties that Grace had unveiled-- Indians had known them for long.
This patent too was vacated.
I am using these excerpts from google just to prove the authenticity of my views
What do all these battles prove --that modern and the scientifically aware westerners too have discovered the benefits of our own desi knowledge .Whereas we are busy immitating and apeing them and providing them with a dumping yard .
I would request all aware Indians to preach and practise our own traditional methods as far as possible
I don't say that modern medicine is bad it is also very important but not for every small ailments because all that glitters is not always gold .
Let not history repeat itself let not nimbu and namak come to us as salt and lemon like Yoga and Sitar came to us via the USA .
This post is written for the contest ---traditional knowledge natural growth on indiblogger in collaboration with Dabur Lal Tail
