In one word,” acne” is a pain! And the worst part is, they make a grand entry on our face when we least want them to.

Acne

Acne starts with the over-production of sebum from the sebaceous glands which results in the blockage of the pores with a sticky mass of the dead cells and oil. It results in infection that occurs due to bacteria normally present in the skin. These convert the mass into compounds that cause inflammation and unattractive raised surfaces. Skin irritation may also result from the use of artificial cosmetics. The problem becomes worst by pinching, squeezing, scratching, or rubbing the skin area plagued with acne.

The reasons

One of the most common causes is hormonal imbalance that occurs at the time of adolescence. Some other causing factors that send invitation to acne are emotional stress and sex hormones. When active during puberty, androgen (a sex hormone), stimulates the oil glands typically on the face, chest, back and shoulders. Many girls are prone to acne usually in the week before menstruation.

Although junk food is linked to the problem at times but the prime suspects are sugars, saturated fat and iodized salt (liberally used on crisps, chips, and other fast foods) contained in them. Diet based on junk foods, snacks, chocolates, soft drinks, and alcohol is low in several vital nutrients. Deficiency of these nutrients may result in eruptions of acne.

Role of Nutrients

One must eat regular and healthy meals. A healthy diet can play a major role in the prevention as well as cure of acne. It is not just a matter of what you eat, but it is about what you do not eat.

• Many acne sufferers are deficient in Zinc, Nuts, Yoghurt, Skimmed milk, and skinless poultry can supplement this mineral in the diet.
• A diet rich in poly-unsaturated fats has been claimed to counteract the problem in people suffering from acne.
• People with acne should eat plenty of green and orange vegetables and fruits (Carrots, Spinach, Apricot, Mangoes, etc.), and eggs. These are a good source of Vitamin A which helps to maintain healthy skin.
• Several of the B vitamins are believed to prevent blackheads and leave the skin less greasy. It helps prevent appearance of acne. Acne sufferers should eat a diet rich in vitamin C as it makes them less vulnerable to infections. Vitamin E has a healing effect on the skin. It is found in Wheatgerm, eggs and cold-pressed vegetable oils.

Home Remedies for Acne

There are several herbal and folk remedies available for curing acne. Few of the most common practices are mentioned below:

• Rub your acne with raw Garlic (Allium sativum) several times a day.
• The pulp of Aloe (Aloe vera) is an exceptional skin cleanser. Juice of the plant counteract infection and promote healing. Split off a portion of Aloe vera leaf and rub the pulp directly on the skin.

• Make a tea from Amaranth (Amaranthus spinosus) seeds and use as a face wash. To make the tea bring 3 cups of water to boil, add 2 teaspoons of seeds. Cover and boil for five minutes; remove from heat and add 1 teaspoon of leaves and steep for 30 minutes
• Neem (Azadirachta indica) is valued in Ayurvedic medicine for its varied healing properties due to its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral capabilities. For acne, fresh 5 leaves everyday taken in the morning helps in removing stubborn acne.
• Clean your skin and apply Lemon (Citrus limon) juice with a cotton ball. The acid in Lemon helps flush out the pores and keeps the skin looking beautiful. Another method using Lemon juice is to “steam clean” the face by putting it over a pan of boiling water with a towel over your head to trap the steam. This will loosen the dirt and oil. Then apply a cotton ball to remove the dirt and oil buildup. Use this method once a week.
• Drink a tea made by combining 0.5 teaspoons of Coriander (Coriandrum sativum), Cumin (Cuminum cyminum) and Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) and steeping it in hot water for 10 minutes. Strain and drink the tea after breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
• Make an infusion of Basil (Ocimum basilicum) leaves. Put two to four teaspoons of dried Basil leaves in a cup of boiling water, steep for 10 to 20 minutes, cool, and apply to the acne.
• Liquefy a peeled Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) in a blender and apply the juice to the acne. Another variation of this remedy is to drink four or five cups of Cucumber juice daily for a week. This is said to purify the blood and lymphatic system, resulting in a clearer skin.
• Grape (Vitis vinifera) seed extractis a powerful all-around antimicrobial agent and is an excellent disinfectant. Make a solution of 4-40 drops in four ounces of water and apply to the affected areas with a cotton ball two or three times a day.
• Wash your face with Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) paste (mix one teaspoon of chick-pea flour with a little water). Dry with a clean towel. This is also a good remedy to cure acne.
• Use a blend of one part Beet (Beta vulgaris) root juice, three parts Carrot (Daucus carota) juice and two parts water to stimulate the liver and to cleanse the system.

Disclaimer: The information included here is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional. Because of unique individual needs, the reader should consult their physician to determine the appropriateness of the information for the reader’s situation.

The post Your Skin deserves more than just “Acne” first appeared on FOUNDATION FOR REVITALISATION OF LOCAL HEALTH.

A clear skin makes you feel fresh. Even a small mark on skin leaves you very disturbed. One such mark that gets you worried is a wart.

What is a Wart? 

Warts are small rough growths resembling blisters that develop on a person’s skin, most often on the skin of the hands or feet. Warts are also called as Verrucae. Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is one of the common causes for the warts and most people will experience this infection at some point in their life. The Ayurveda equivalent of wart is Charmakeela.

Warts are of many kinds:

• Common wart (Verruca vulgaris): Is a raised wart with rough surface and occurs most commonly on hands and knees.
• Flat wart (Verruca plana): Is a small, smooth, and flattened wart, usually coffee or flesh colored. It may occur in large numbers, mostly on face, neck, hands, wrists, and knees.
• Digitate wart (Filiform wart): Is a thread or finger-like wart which is most common on the face, especially near the eyelids and lips.
• Plantar wart (Verruca pedis): Is a hardened kind of wart, and is sometimes painful. Often with multiple black specks in the center, it is usually found on pressure points on the soles of the feet.
• Mosaic warts: Are closely clustered plantar-type warts that are commonly found on the hands or soles of the feet.
• Genital wart (venereal wart, condyloma acuminatum, verruca acuminata): Is one that affects the genital areas.

Warts are the most common among dermatological ailments. Many people do not understand what to do and how to get rid of warts. Removing warts from the skin is an agonizing task, for it often leaves scars on the skin.

Before going into some of the home remedies and treatment options in Ayurveda, it is very important to consult a doctor to diagnose a wart. It is necessary to differentiate these warts from squamous cell carcinoma, molluscum contagiosum, epidermodysplasia verruciformis, callus, arsenic keratosis, and syphilis. Many a time, squamous cell carcinoma is wrongly construed to be a common wart. A doctor would help you in diagnosing it properly.

Hygiene

Strict hygiene is of utmost importance in the management of warts, especially when you treat them yourselves. Never leave a wart wet; dry is immediately after wash, for a wet wart may proliferate!

Although HPVs are usually restricted to a single part of the body, some of them can spread. Touching a wart and then touching another part of your body could give rise to new warts. Hence affected people should avoid physical contact with other people and with the unaffected part of one’s own body. Transmission of most wart infections, though improbable, is not impossible. Hence caution is to be exercised, especially in the case of genital warts. At times a wart can disappear on its own! It can also be painful and needs to be treated soon.

Ayurvedic Treatment for warts

1. Kaseesadi Taila – Direct application of Kaseesadi taila on wart and covering with a cotton bandage will remove wart quickly.
2. Garlic – Make a paste of garlic and apply on the wart and cover with a cotton bandage and wash the area with cold water after 4-6 hours. This will help in removal of wart. Doing this for a few days will help in complete removal of a wart.
3. Amalaki or Amla is another medicine which helps in removal of warts. Applying of the juice of amla on wart for a week will help in curing of wart. 
4. Sap of banyan, papaya and fig is also an excellent medicine in wart removal.
5. Castor oil can be applied regularly on the warts. This will help the warts to become supple and finally disappear. Instead of castor oil, camphor oil can be used in the same manner.
6. Ksharasutra – Ayurveda Doctor would help in removal of warts with the help of ksharasutra. 

Some Home remedies

1. Hair – Tying of hair tightly around the base of the wart will check blood supply to the wart and will cause the wart to wither in 3 to 4 days without leaving a scar.
2. Apply a compress or cotton ball soaked in vinegar and tape it down on the wart with an elastic bandage for at least one or two hours daily for effective removal.
3. A popular folk remedy is to rub a juicy, freshly cut slice of raw potato over a wart.
4. Take the peel of a banana and keep its inner side on the warts. Tie it up like a bandage. Change it twice a day. Do this until the wart disappears.
5. Vitamin E oil is also said to work against warts. Once a day, pierce a vitamin E capsule and rub the contents on the warts.
6. Plantar warts are painful warts on the bottom of your feet and are sensitive to heat and may disappear in a few weeks if you soak your feet in hot water (43˚C to 45˚C) for about 15 minutes a day. This remedy was published in a medical journal in the 1960s. For a better result you can add one part of vinegar or rock salt to hot water. 

Diet for Warts

Proper and healthy diet plan is important for curing warts. Along with the above said remedies, patient should take fruits like papaya, orange and mangoes, and vegetables, especially green leafy vegetable regularly. Using of garlic, onion, egg, asparagus also helps in wart treatment.

For painless removal of warts with the help of Agnikarma or Ksharasutra, contact our Ayurvedic surgeons at I-AIM Healthcare, www.iaimhealthcare.org

The post   Weary of Warts? first appeared on FOUNDATION FOR REVITALISATION OF LOCAL HEALTH.

Multani Mitti or Fuller’s Earth

Too budget conscious to get a face clean up or a facial at the parlours? Then, try Multani mitti, a natural solution to all your skin woes! This traditional skincare ingredient, which is rich in minerals, offers high absorbing properties that leave the skin fresh and radiant.

Multani Mitti is a form of clay, naturally obtained in the nature, and has numerous magical effects on the metabolism of body. It is used to eliminate various possible diseases from the body, especially the skin, with the maximum attention towards how to make your skin more attractive! Multani Mitti or Fullers’ Earth has the tendency to absorb any form of oil, when mixed with it, thus rendering it as a good absorbent of oily substances. A few important health benefits of Multani Mitti are mentioned below:

Improves Oily Skin

Multani Mitti is best known for curing the problems of oily skin. When you wake up, just wipe your nose or forehead with the help of a clean tissue. If you find marks of oil on the tissue, it means your skin is oily. Now the content of oiliness depends on the amount of oil stuck on the tissue. This is a very basic and simple method to check if your skin is oily or dry. Now, having an oily skin is very irritating, especially in summers. A simple way to prevent oily skin is to make a paste of Multani Mitti with rose water and apply it on your skin in the form of a mask, for a few hours. After washing your face off, you will get a sigh of relief.

For Glowing Skin

Paste of two spoons of Multani Mitti, tomato juice and some sandalwood powder will help reduce the facial spots. For extra glow, just add a dash of turmeric powder to it and apply on face for 10 minutes before rinsing it with warm water. Use this face pack for glowing skin regularly.

As a Scrub

Multani Mitti has a widespread use in the form of a scrub. All you must do is mix Multani Mitti with crushed almonds and a little of honey. Use this paste to properly massage your face, especially the portion below your eyes, which has gone dark due to lack of sleep, excessive use of cellphones and laptops etc. After properly massaging, leave it as it is for some time, and then, wash it off. This would regenerate the freshness in your face, and would also remove the dark circles under your eyes.

Blood Circulation

This naturally healing product tends to improve every metabolism of our body. All our body parts work simply due to blood. Our heart pumps the blood with such a pressure that it reaches all the organs of human body! But this circulation needs to be proper, only then will our body be able to coordinate with our mind. Multani Mitti is said to have a property that improves blood circulation. This improved blood circulation leads to the removal of dead useless skin from the body.

Curing Allergies

Multani Mitti acts as a great source of curing skin allergies. It not only cures skin allergies, but also is a great remedy to various forms of skin infections. Mix some amount of Multani Mitti with rose water and some camphor, and you are good to go! Regularly apply this on the infected area, and within no time, the infection will disappear.

Suntan/Pigmentation

The tanning and pigmentation of skin can be prevented with the help of Multani Mitti. For creating a paste suitable for finishing the sun tan, mix Multani Mitti with some amount of coconut water and sugar. Make a paste out of it and apply on the tanned portion for a quarter of an hour. After removing, the benefit of using Fullers’ Earth would be clearly visible.

For Hair

Multani Mitti can be used on any body part, granted the use is strictly external, as at the end of the day, it is a form of clay, which if swallowed, would cause digestion problems. A very common complaint that can be heard from most of the people is that they do not have smooth and silky hair like those of the people in commercials of hair products! For this, simply soak Multani Mitti in water for about 2 hours and apply it on your hair and scalp like a shampoo. Rinse it after 5 minutes, and you will see the results yourself.

For Wrinkles

As we grow older, our skin starts showing signs of ageing. These signs of ageing include wrinkles which are a consequence of loose skin. To create a pack for tightening up your skin and remove wrinkles, mix Multani Mitti with a whole egg and a spoon of curd. Mix this properly to form a paste and apply it on your skin. Leave it for a couple of hours and you will observe the wrinkles getting reduced.

Freedom from Sweat
Mixed with your talcum powder, Multani Mitti makes for an excellent sweat absorbent for those summer months when your feet get all sweaty in your shoes. Mix equal parts of both Multani mitti and your talc and rub it on your feet before leaving for work.

For Acne and Scars

Acne is a common skin problem affecting many. Just like any other skin problem, Multani Mitti can also cure the acne and scars developed on the skin. To form a face pack for curing this skin problem, make a paste of Multani Mitti with lemon, rosewater, neem, and sandalwood powder. After applying, leave it on for about 30 minutes.

As a Bodywash

An exceptional use of Multani Mitti is in making body wash. For this purpose, mix Multani Mitti with oatmeal powder, neem powder, haldi (turmeric), sandalwood powder and milk and form a solution of even consistency. Store it in a bottle and use it as a body wash! It is healthy and is going to prevent you from any probable infected skin condition.

As an Antiseptic

Multani Mitti has an excellent capability of acting as an antiseptic. If you are suffering from some sort of injury, just use Multani Mitti over it, and the injured portion would get healed within no time! The exceptional antiseptic quality of Multani Mitti is the reason why it is being used in many commercial products nowadays!

Multani Mitti can be easily procured from any online, Indian stores.

The post Being Close to Nature first appeared on FOUNDATION FOR REVITALISATION OF LOCAL HEALTH.

Jungle Geranium or Ixora coccinea is one of the most popular flowering plants of gardens and landscapes. Results from recent research studies carried out, reveal that Ixora coccinea is a potential candidate as the active ingredient of products for topical application as skin whitening and anti-ageing in cosmetic formulations, along with its traditional applications in the treatment of skin diseases.

Ixora coccinea, commonly known as ‘Paranti’ in Sanskrit, is one of the most popular of house and garden plants. A well-grown specimen of Paranti will definitely attract one’s attention. There are several varieties of Ixora worldwide. Paranti has varied medical applications in Ayurveda, Siddha and Folk medicine. It is widely found in Western Ghats of southern India and in Sri Lanka. The plant is traditionally found to be useful against many skin ailments like itching, chronic ulcers etc. It is also a good antiseptic and wound healing agent.

How does it look like?

It is a densely branched evergreen shrub growing up to 3 metres tall; stems are grayish-brown in colour, 3-4 cm in diameter. The leaves are ovate-oblong in shape with leathery or glossy texture. Inflorescence is dense, terminal corymbs with several scarlet red flowers. Fruits are berries, fleshy, globose in shape, chick pea sized, green in colour, turning crimson red when ripe. The fruits contain 2 seeds, oval shaped flat seeds, red in colour.

The wild Paranti produces flowers that are reddish-orange in colour. There are many cultivated varieties of Paranti plants with white, yellow, salmon or pink flowers prevalent.

Where it is found?

It is native to India and found in almost all tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. In India it is extensively found in the West Coast, Southern parts and along the slopes in tropical areas with moderate annual rainfall.

How to grow it in your Garden?

Paranti is one of the finest flowering plants ensuring itself pre-eminent position in the garden. The large terminal trusses of scarlet-red flowers bloom from summer through rainy season that look strikingly beautiful adding to the vibrancy of any garden.

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Medicinal properties and Uses

Pharmacological studies suggest that the plant possesses properties of antioxidative, antibacterial (works against bacterial infections), gastro-protective (good for digestive system), hepato-protective (protects the Liver), anti-diarrhoeal, analgesic (reduces pain), anti-neoplastic (inhibiting or preventing the growth and spread of malignant cells like cancer cells) and chemo-preventive (the use of chemical agents to prevent the development of cancer) effects, thus lending scientific support to the plant’s ethno-medicinal uses.

Subject to medical condition the leaves, stem, fruits, flowers and roots are also used against various ailments in traditional Indian systems of medicine. The fruits and flowers are used to treat dysentery, haemoptysis (coughing blood), hypertension, menstrual irregularities, sprains, bronchitis, fever, sores, chronic ulcers, scabies and other skin diseases.

The concoction prepared by boiling its flowers with the leaves of Coldenia procumbens (Tripakshi), Centella asiatica (Manduka parni), and the stem bark of Madhuca longifolia (Madhuka), is mixed with coconut oil and then used as a wound healing agent.

The shade-dried flowers are processed in coconut oil is externally applied to reduce eczema.

Vernacular Names

Popularly known as Rukmini (Hindi), Paranti (Sanskrit), Kempu kepala gida (Kannada) Chethi (Malayalam), Raamabaanamu (Telugu), Vetchi (Tamil), Rangan (Bengali), Bakora (Marathi) and Jungle Geranium (English), Ixora coccinea belonging to the coffee family (Rubiaceae) is the fourth largest among the flowering plants.

Probably the Generic name ‘Ixora’ is believed to be derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Ishwara’ which means ‘God’ as it is offered to Gods in puja rituals. Specific epithet ‘coccinea’ means “scarlet-dyed” (Latin), referring to the colour of its flowers.

Self Help

For Skin Diseases

Chop handful flowers of Ixora coccinea, boil them in coconut oil, and use it over infected or damaged skin

For Leucorrhoea

Crush flowers of Ixora coccinea to make a paste, add 1 teaspoon of it in one glass of buttermilk, and have it twice a day for 2 months.

For Fever

Make a decoction with flowers of Ixora coccinea, have 20 ml of it once a day’ for 3 days or till fever persists.

For Dysentery

Grind 100 grams dried roots of Ixora coccinea with 25 grams of black pepper. Consume it by adding 20 grams of the powder in buttermilk. Have it twice a day

For Diarrhoea

Take 50 grams of root bark of Ixora coccinea, 30 grams of long pepper, grind them to make a powder, take 2 grams of this twice a day with luke warm water.

For Eczema

Shade dried flowers of Ixora coccinea are gently heated in coconut oil and the extract is applied externally to treat eczema. Flowers grinded with water applied in affected eczema area and bathing with water boiled with flowers is very useful in eczema.

For Allergic Asthma

Make a decoction with a handful of Ixora coccinea leaves in water, have it twice a day for two weeks to get rid of allergic asthma.

Disclaimer: The medical recommendations are not confirmed by clinical studies or classical references of any medical texts. Information is gathered from the practicing physicians.

Please Note: Saplings for Ixora coccinea and other medicinal plants are available for sale at I-AIM’s Herbal Garden and nursery, for more details, contact:

E-mail:  garden@tdu.edu.in
Web link: http://envis.frlht.org/garden.php
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmruthHerbalGardens

The post Glossy Foliage for Glowing Skin first appeared on FOUNDATION FOR REVITALISATION OF LOCAL HEALTH.