Is your little one complaining of a tummy ache? Stomach aches are common for kids. Luckily, they are not usually caused by anything serious. They can be painful, though, so it is good to have soothing strategies on hand. Try out some self-help home remedies…

Stomach ache

Symptoms and Causes: Flatulence, heaviness, pricking pain in the abdomen due to indigestion, untimely intake of food, excessive intake of hot and spicy food and tuberous vegetables

Precautions: Avoid overeating, pungent, spicy and oily foods. If abdominal pain is unbearable or persists for more than 2 days, please consult a doctor.

Caution: Abdominal pain in adults could be due to appendicitis, hernia, gall stones, intestinal obstructions etc. that require immediate expert intervention.

Heaviness in stomach

• Ginger:  Crush fresh ‘ginger’ to extract the juice. Take 1 tsp of the juice with honey 3 times a day for 2-3 days.

Plants Used: Zingiber officinale (Rhizome)

• Pippali and Ginger:  Pound together equal quantities of ‘pippali’ and ‘ginger’ to make powder. Take 1 tsp of this powder with a glass of hot water to alleviate colic characterized by heaviness of abdomen and indigestion.

Plants Used: Piper longum (Fruiting spikes), Zingiber officinale (Rhizome)

General Pain

• Nugge leaves:  Pound 1 fistful of ‘Nugge leaves’ to extract juice. Add a pinch of salt to it and take it thrice daily for 2 days.

Plants Used: Moringa oleifera (Leaf)

• Lolesara:  Take 1tsp leaf pulp of ‘lolesara’, mix it with 1/4 tsp each of cow’s ghee, trikatu powder, haritaki and rock salt twice a day for 2 days.

Plants Used: Aloe vera (Leaf pulp)

• Ginger and Sesame:  Pound together ‘ginger’, ‘sesame’ and ‘jaggery’ to make a sticky paste. Roll the paste into bolus of gooseberry size. Take 1 bolus with milk to alleviate pain during digestion.

Plants Used: Sesamum indicum (Sesame oil), Zingiber officinale (Rhizome)

• Lasuna:  Eat 2-3 cloves of garlic along with ghee

Plants Used: Allium sativum (Bulb/Clove)

Precautions: Oil application over the entire body followed by warm water bath, avoid curd and all sour foods, greatly reduce or avoid pulses/ legumes (except moong dal), incorporate into your diet celery seeds and bitter gourd, which are highly beneficial.

Flatulence

Symptoms and Causes: Excessive gas in stomach and intestine is released in form of flatulence causing fullness of stomach, abdominal pain, belching. This is caused by rapid chewing or drinking that leads to swallowing of excess air, carbonated drinks. Note: The urge should not be suppressed as it leads to many other diseases.

• Nugge leaves and Asafoetida:  Pound 2 fistfuls of ‘Nugge leaves’ to extract juice. Add a pinch of asafoetida to 30 ml of this juice. Slightly warm the juice and take twice daily after food.

Plants Used: Ferula asafetida (Resin), Moringa oliefera (Leaf)

• Basale:  Take two handfuls of ‘basale’ leaves and extract the juice. Take the juice twice daily.

Plants Used: Basella alba (Leaf)

• Ginger:  Crush fresh ‘ginger’ to extract the juice. Mix 1 tsp of this juice with jaggery and take on empty stomach for 3 days.

Plants Used: Zingiber officinale (Rhizome)

• Asafoetida and Banana:  Sprinkle a few pinches of ‘asafoetida’ over peeled and longitudinally slit banana. Eat the fruit on empty stomach for 3 days.

Plants Used: Ferula asafetida (Resin), Musa paradisiaca (Fruit)

• Garlic, Black Pepper, Bhringraj:  Pound together equal quantities of ‘garlic’, ‘black pepper’ and ‘bhringraj’ leaves to make fine paste. Take 1 tsp of this paste twice daily.

Plants Used: Allium sativum (Bulb/Clove), Eclipta alba (Leaf), Piper nigrum (Fruit)

Precautions: Avoid consuming cabbage, broccoli, beans, cauliflower, eggs, potatoes, pulses like black gram and bengal gram; chew food slowly and steadily; after meals take a brisk walk.

For Adults

Burning sensation

Symptoms and Causes: Excessive thirst, disorientation, fatigue caused due to excessive intake of alcohol, dry and spicy food, long lasting illness, injury, long term medicinal intake, stress

• Karibevu:  Extract juice of the fresh ‘Karibevu’ leaves and take 2 tsp of this juice twice daily.

Plants Used: Murraya koengii (Leaf)

• Neem bark:  Pound lightly a 3″x3″ piece of ‘neem bark’ and place it in 1 cup of hot water for 15 minutes and strain. Take this infusion in the morning and evening for 2 days.

Plants Used: Azadirachta indica (Bark)

• Kutaja:  Roast the seeds of ‘kutaja’ and pound to make fine powder. Take 1 pinch of this powder with water twice a day for 2-3 days.

Plants Used: Holarrhena antidysentrica (Seed)

Precautions: Should include cow’s milk, green gram, raisins, red rice, banana in your diet, should have cold water bath, avoid exposure to sun, heavy exercise, anger, garlic, alcohol, salts, and pungent substances.