The Dawn of Ayurveda

My mother woke me up at four in the morning and took me to the terrace. I have a vague memory of it as I was then a little toddler. But, I do have partial memory of that early morning and the taste of the Kheer that my mother had fed to me. It was unlike the usual Kheer.

As a child, I had asthma and I, many a times, had a tough time at nights, taking long breaths, trying to fill up my lungs with air, opening my mouth. And I am sure, this would have been even harder for my parents to watch me suffer like that and so, they tried every kind of treatments and therapies to cure me. I am not sure, which one worked for me.

The Kheer was one of them. My father had brought some ‘magical’ powder (which, I later learnt, was Ayurvedic). And this ‘magical’ powder was fed to me, mixed with the Kheer. The night before that morning was a Sharad Poornima (full moon night). It is said that on this day as moon and the earth are very close to each other, the moon rays have certain healing properties of nourishing the body and the soul.

So, following this property, my mother kept a bowl of boiled rice in milk, covering it with a translucent cotton cloth, in full view of the moonlight for the night long.

According to the Ayurveda, it is also said that it proves beneficial in pacifying the mind, and keeping the body healthy throughout the year. The mind attains peace through it and it cures the diseases caused by aggravated pitta (Pitta governs all heat, metabolism and transformation in the mind and body). So, on this night, you might just find a cure to all your illnesses.

The following nights, I was pretty relieved and my lungs were happy. I am again, not sure whether it was the ‘magical’ powder and blessings of the moon or my parent’s love and care, which worked for me.

Apart from the healing power, Ayurveda, since ages has proved to be a powerful tool in the healthy growth of children. Long before the terms, Allopathy and Homeopathy were even coined, these ideas were widely used.

I remember when I used to very closely observe how my grandma gave my younger cousin Oil massage and singing lullabies or making the baby laugh doing some childish acts and she’d tell me how I, myself loved it when I was a kid. And then I held up the ‘Dabur Lal Tail’ oil bottle and I could see my cousin was as happy as the child on the bottle.

Seeing my curiosity to know about it, my granny explained to me that during the initial ages, various organs of the body are not well developed. There is tenderness and the baby can’t tolerate stress. And therefore, external oil massage of the whole body is very important for weight gain. Massaging with appropriate oil increases blood circulation and muscle growth. This is a unique method prescribed by Ayurveda which is very effective.

A little knowledge about Ayurveda is always helpful, even during the small ailments we face in day to day life. Here are a few quick tips, which my Grandma, if nobody else, would be the first to suggest.

For tooth aches, chewing on a clove slowly, letting the juice penetrate the affected area really helps. Clove has been used since ancient times. It has healing elements which soothes the inflamed nerves.

For quick relief from cough and cold, taking a little ginger and basil juice with honey really pacifies the throat.

And for muscular pains, make a dressing of heated mustard oil and turmeric with a pinch of salt. Applying this to the aching or injured area and leaving it for about two hours, is a simple home-made remedy. Turmeric is a natural anti-inflammatory and antiseptic. Mustard oil, with its warming nature, improves circulation and is a natural anti-bacterial agent.

I hope that was helpful.

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Thank you IndiBlogger,

And Dabur Lal Tail for this contest. 

Ashish