Got this simple Home Remedy for common cold from a fellow tweeter(camellia_).

Called Salabat, this is a Filipino home remedy involving brown sugar, boiled water and ginger. Camellia shares instructions on how to prepare this remedy for cold on her blog. Try it out and see how it works for you!

I think we have something similar in Ayurveda that uses honey and lemon juice (instead of brown sugar) with boiled water and ginger. But Camellia’s remedy sounds easier to make…good for the lazy ones amongst us and that includes me…

Thanks for sharing buddy!

Tags: ayurveda, ayurvedic remedy, common cold cure, home remedy for cold, natural cure, Natural healing, natural health

Do you wake up in the mornings feeling stiff and tired? Try these simple tips to wake up to a fresh you in the mornings.

• Sleep early: While it may sound improbable given your hectic schedule, try and hit the bed by 10pm. It is believed that the sleep that you get from 10pm to 12am is more effective than what you get when you sleep later than that.
• Ensure 8 hours of sleep: While a lot of people can do with 6 hours of sleep, experts say an 8 hours sleep is what the body needs. 
• Have a glass of hot milk before retiring to bed.
• Right posture: Its important to have the right sleeping posture that ensures good blood circulation. Improper posture can impair blood circulation and therefore a build up of lactic acid, hence causing stiffness. Some experts believe that sleeping on a side, specifically in a foetal posture is good for the body.
• Stretch: Try some light stretching exercises in the morning to stretch and loosen the stiff muscles.

Tags: Natural healing, natural health

Last night on my way to Gurgaon for an outing, I noticed all these beautifully lit up office complexes on the highway. They looked attractive from a distance, orderly lit and their interiors shining through the glass walls. It was all calm inside, not a soul could be sighted and one felt compelled to imagine the frenetic pace of activity therein during the day. And then it struck – why were all offices in these buildings so well lit up when there wasn’t a soul working at that time? Who pays for their electricity bills? What a sheer waste at a time when all companies are looking to cut costs!

And think of its repercussions on the environment. It is a colossal loss of energy. We all know there isn’t surplus energy in the country. Why keep thousands of lights switched on at night in offices where people work during the day or atleast not after 11pm? Can’t that energy be used to light up villages in the state that are often plunged in darkness?

Tags: Global Warming, green living, Save Earth, Stop Wasting, Sustainable Living

Lemon has a special place in home remedies. And it carries a special meaning for those of us living in hot climes. A glass of Nimbu Pani (lemonade) is all you want after a day out on a hot summer day. Lemon has significant therapeutic properties and finds use in a wide variety of treatments, some of which I have tried to list below.

As a cooler

• Lemon makes for a refreshing drink in summers. It cools the body and lemonade with a pinch of salt helps replenish body salts lost due to heat.
• Lemonade with salt & sugar is recommended in loose motions.
• Sweet lemonade is recommended in fever.
• Essential oil of lemons is used for cooling.
• Its essence also finds use in soaps, body washes and deodorants to convey a “cooling effect”.

For the skin

• Lemon acts as a natural bleach. Applying lemon juice on face regularly brings glow to the face.
• Because of its high Vitamin C content, lemon helps ward off scurvy.
• Used with glycerine, it works as a good moisturiser.

As a cleanser

• Rubbing the inside of a rind of lemon on elbows and knees cleanses them.
• Lemon rinds have long been used for cleaning brass and copper utensils.

For healing

• Lemon has antiseptic, anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties.
• Lemon juice creates a soothing effect when applied on insect bites and stings.
• Lemon taken with honey, ground black pepper, crushed cardamom and hot water helps heal sore throat.

In detox

• Lemon, because of its acidic nature, cleanses the system. It acts as a blood purifier and helps the body get rid of toxins.
• Lemon strengthens the immune system of the body and helps protect against infections.
• Its high potassium content makes it useful for brain and nerve cells, and safer for those with heart troubles.
• Lemon taken with warm water and honey, on an empty stomach early in the morning, is known to assist in weight-loss.
• Lemon detox diets, which consist of fresh lemon juice, water, cayenne pepper and maple syrup are known to help cleanse the body of toxins and thus help lose weight quickly while improving general health and well being.

Tags: ayurvedic remedy, benefits of lemon, lemon in ayurveda, Natural detox, Natural healing, natural health

Are you spending thousands of bucks on those oh-so-attractively packaged anti-ageing creams that claim to have potent combinations of aloe, gold, diamonds, sea weeds and what have you! May be they work, may be they don’t. May be they’ll suit your skin, may be they won’t. May be you can spend thousands every month on these creams and botox, may be you can’t. But if you fall in the latter category and yet, like everyone else, want to keep the glow in your skin, try one of these natural anti-ageing treatments.

• Plant an aloe plant at home and use its juice as a face pack.
• Apply a swab of almond oil under your eyes every night.
• Mix 3 tsps of almond oil with 1 tsp each of apricot oil and soya oil. Massage your face and neck with this mixture. Take a face towel and dip it in warm water. Squeeze and spread on your face. Keep for 10-15 minutes, after which you can wipe the extra oil off your face and neck.

Tags: ayurveda, healthy living, Natural detox, natural health

• Mix some gram flour with grated potato. Use it as a soap substitute.
• Use powdered oats mixed with sandalwood powder and your favorite aroma oil to get a fresh feeling.
• Mix a mashed banana with some milk, honey and yogurt. Apply and leave for a few minutes. Wash off, preferably with lukewarm water. This paste works wonder for the skin, though some may find it a bit sticky. 

Tags: ayurveda, healthy living, natural health