The Wonder Tree - Neem or Margosa

The Neem tree or the Azadirachta indica or Margosa tree is a fast growing evergreen that is native to Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Myanmar. This amazing tree is claimed to treat forty different diseases. All the parts of the tree are used for treating illnesses, the leaves, fruit, seeds and even the bark, all contain medicinal properties.

The use of neem as a medicinal herb dates back over 5,000 years. Today,  it’s benefits have been proven by scientific research and clinical trials. And, although few of us have access to a neem tree, it can be purchased in the form of oil, powder and pills.

To give you an idea of the healing powers of the neem tree, here are a few names that the people of India have given it, “Divine Tree”, “Village Pharmacy”, “Heal All” and “Nature’s Drugstore”. With the almost unending list of uses for neem, I think it could be called, ” The Tree of Life”!

In treating diabetes, neem has been found to actually reduce the insulin requirements by as much as 50% without altering the blood glucose levels. Take 3 to 5 drops internally each day.

Neem cleanses the blood, stimulates antibody protection and strengthens the immune system which improves the body resistance to many diseases.

Used as a mouth wash it treats infections, mouth ulcers, bleeding sore gums and will even help prevent tooth decay!

For pink eye the juice of neem leaves can be used as eye drops, warm 5-10 ml and apply several drops.

To treat jaundice, mix 30 ml of neem juice with 15 ml of honey, take on an empty stomach for seven days. If you suffer from burning sensations and excessive sweating, add 5 to 10 drops of neem oil in a glass of milk before going to bed.

Proclaimed the best product available in treating psoriasis, 2 capsules should be taken three times daily after meals with a glass of water.

Another way to treat psoriasis as well as eczema, skin ulcers, fungal conditions, cold sores and athletes foot, is to mix 1 tablespoon neem oil and 4 ounces of olive oil. This should be applied at least twice daily to the affected areas.

For acne problems take 2 capsules twice daily, you will start to see results within a few days.

To remove moles and warts, one drop of undiluted neem oil should be applied directly to the mole or wart and then covered with a small bandage. The procedure should be repeated daily using fresh oil and clean bandage.

For sinusitis, plain pure neem oil can be used as nasal drops. Use tow drops twice daily, morning and evening.

For athletes foot, soak feet in warm water with 15 ml of neem oil.

Neem oil will quickly stop earaches, just warm some oil and apply a few drops into the ear.

For hemorrhoids, apply some neem oil to a cotton ball and gently rub for about a week. If preferred a paste can be made by adding a small amount of olive oil or Aloe Vera oil until desired consistency is reached.

To prevent hair loss and enhance growth, mix a few drops of neem oil with coconut or olive oil and massage into scalp. This will even prevent your hair from graying!

Neem oil can be applied to cuts and abrasions to help them heal quickly. Neem increases blood flow which aids in creating the collagen fibers that helps the wounds to close.

As a treatment for burns and even sunburn, neem oil can kill the bacteria, reduce the pain and stimulate the immune system. By stimulating the immune system it speeds up the healing process and there is less scarring.

To kill head lice, neem oil should be massaged into the scalp and left on over night. Shampoo your hair as usual the next morning.

Neem detoxifies the body and helps maintain healthy circulatory systems, digestive and respiratory systems and helps to keep the urinary tract free of infections.

Scientific evidence has shown that neem is valuable in boosting the bodys’  immune system. A healthier immune system helps your body in fighting off many illnesses and diseases.

Laboratory studies have proven neem to be effective in treating the symptoms of food poisoning associated with both salmonella and staphylococcus. Neem extracts kill the salmonella bacteria and flush it out of your system, reducing the severity and length of the ailment.

A neem paste applied directly to the sores caused by chicken pox, will relieve the itching and reduce scarring.

Neem tea drank once or twice weekly can even help prevent colds. If you already have the symptoms associated with a cold they can be lessened by drinking neem tea three times a day. It will help alleviate the fever, cough, aches and pains, sore throat, fatigue and nasal congestion.

Neem also contains powerful anti-fungal properties that have been shown to aide in the treatment of athletes foot, yeast infections, thrush and even ringworm.

In it’s use of treating hepatitis, 80% of test subjects showed a significant improvement. The neem extract can actually block the infection that causes this virus.

Drinking neem tea during an outbreak of influenza will help alleviate some of the symptoms and speed up the recovery time. Neem has an amazing ability to literally surround viruses and prevent them from even infecting the cells.

Use of a neem based powder for jock itch will reduce the itching, dry the area and kill the fungus. For severe cases a neem lotion may be more effective.

The length and severity of an outbreak of mononucleosis can be decreased by drinking neem tea twice a day for two weeks.

For shingles, neem cream should be applied to the affected area at least three times per day. Severe cases should also be treated with neem tea after each meal, but tea should not be consumed for more than two weeks at a time. 

Thrush can be effectively treated with neem tea, it will reduce the inflammation, reduce the pain and speed healing. Children under the age of 12 should not drink neem tea, for children this young it should only be used to gargle. 

Secondary bacterial infections in the nasal passages and respiratory system can be decreased by inhaling steam from boiling the leaves.

In a recent study neem was shown to lower cholesterol levels when taken for a month in either the capsule form or the extract.

Scientific studies have proven that neem will reduce blood clots, heart irregularities and even reduce blood pressure. Results can be seen within one month on a regimen of extract or capsules.

Neem will increase the body’s  production of T-cells, which will attack infections.

The use of neem oil on the skin is known to actually rejuvenate the skin, it also promotes collagen and will work in the treatment of many skin conditions including acne. Acne can be cleared up within a few days by taking two neem capsules twice daily.

It is reported that neem will help in fighting chronic fatigue.

For headaches neem powder should be applied to the forehead, neem oil should also work in combating headaches when used the same way.

The inflammation, pain and swelling of the joints associated with arthritis can be greatly relieved with the use of neem. Neem changes the immune systems response to arthritis and can halt the progress of this disease.

For centuries neem has been used to reduce tumors. Clinical research has shown remarkable effects in the reduction of tumors and cancers and also in treating leukemia.

Neem is highly effective in treating gastritis, indigestion and heartburn.

Blood disorders such as blood poisoning, kidney problems and poor circulation have been benefited by the use of neem.

Neem oil should be stored in a cool dark place, if the oil solidifies it can be placed in warm water to bring back to liquid form.

YOGA FOR INCREASING LUNG CAPACITY

You dont need to think that yoga can only be done by some. All of us can find some basic exercises that can be done for certain specific requirements. A core component of yoga is its focus on controlled breathing, or pranayama.  Although researchers are not sure why or how yoga improves lung function, several studies have shown that it does, indeed, have a positive affect on respiration. Many allergies and asthmatic disorders can be treated with certain yogic exercises. “Chair breathing”: a yogic relaxation breathing technique helps in reducing asthmatic symptoms.

Chair Breathing Exercise

The yogic chair breathing exercise is simple to perform, but has proven to be effective at controlling asthma and other breathing-related malfunctions.  A 1993 study done at the University College of Medical Sciences in New Delhi found that chair breathing improved lung capacity by 10%.

In this exercise, the patient sits on a mat on the floor facing a folding chair. The patient extends his or her legs beneath the legs of the chair and rests his or her arms on the seat of the chair.  The following steps are then performed in sequence:

1.      Slowly tense all of the muscles of the body
2.      Progressively relax each of those muscles
3.      Repeat step 1 and 2 five times in sequence while slowly leaning   the head backward and then forward toward the seat of the chair
4.      Inhale slowly and deeply while leaning the head backward
5.      Exhale slowly while leaning the head forward and down toward the seat of the chair
6.      Repeat steps 4 and 5 five times in sequence
7.      Repeat steps 4 and 5 five more times in sequence while slowly chanting “Ah” on the exhale

8.      Repeat steps 4 and 5 five more times in sequence while slowly chanting “MM” on the exhale 

Pranayamas

The chair breathing exercise is not the only pranayama that is thought to improve lung function.  Indeed, the whole practice of yoga is, in a sense, a pranayama because of its continual focus on the breath.

Pranayamas range from simple deep breathing exercising (a series of deep inhalations and deep exhalations) to alternate nostril breathing (a series of inhalations and exhalations that utilize only one nostril at a time.)

But they all play an important respiratory function.

One of the ways in which yoga is believed to improve lung function is through exercises that expand the chest wall, thus providing more room for the lungs to expand.

Yoga Exercises that Improve Chest Wall Function

Some of the yoga postures (called asanas) that are believe to improve chest wall function are:

-          The tree (Vrksasana)
-          The camel (Ushtrasana)
-          The cat ( Bidalasana)

Other asanas that are believed to improve chest wall function are:

-          The cobra (Bhujangasana)
-          The swan (Hansasana)
-          The bow (Dhanurasana) 

The First Chakra (Muladhara) Balancing

In dealing with all the chakras I would try to give a brief as it is in the texts and then I would be giving you a simplified version so that the post can address a wider audience.

The first Chakra or Muladhara is positioned close to anus, at the perineum, and it has four petals which match the vrittis of greatest joy, natural pleasure, delight in controlling passion, and blissfulness in concentration.

In Samkhya philosophy, the concept of Muladhara is that of moola prakriti, the metaphysical basis of material existence. Muladhara is the chakra that draws down spritual energy and causes it to assume a physical existence. It is like the negative pole in an electrical circuit, which provides the potential for the evolution of form.

Within this chakra resides sleeps the kundalini shakti, the great spiritual potential, waiting to be aroused and brought back up to the source from which it originated, Brahman.

Muladhara is the base from which the 3 main psychic channels, nadis, ida, pingala and sushumna, emerge.It is related to the physical processes of reproduction and excretion, and also to the various fear and guilt complexes associated with them. All a person's Samskaras ( potential karma ), are expressed here, in a physical form.

This chakra is associated with the deities Indra, Brahma and Dakini, the element Earth and the color red.

The energy that was unleashed in creation, called the Kundalini, lies coiled and sleeping, and it is the purpose of a tantric yogi( please do not entertain misconceptions that Tantra means sex because it does not, it literally means 'To Connect') to arouse this energy, and cause it to rise back up through the increasingly subtler chakras, until union with god is achieved in the Sahasrara chakra at the crown of the head. Sahasrara is positioned above the head or at the top of it and it has 1000 petals which are arranged in 20 layers each of them with 50 petals. Often referred as thousand-petaled lotus, it is said to be the most subtle chakra in the system, relating to pure consciousness, and it is from this chakra that all the other chakras emanate. When a yogi is able to raise his or her kundalini, energy of consciousness, up to this point, the state of samadhi, or union with god, is experienced. The earliest known mention of chakras is found in the later Upanishads, including specifically the Brahma Upanishad and the Yogatattva Upanishad. These vedic models were adapted in Tibetan Buddhism as Vajrayana theory, and in the Tantric Shakta theory of chakras. It is the shakta theory of 7 main chakras that most people in the West adhere to, either knowingly or unknowingly, largely thanks to a translation of two indian texts, the Sat-Cakra-Nirupana, and the Padaka-Pancaka, by Sir John Woodroffe, alias Arthur Avalon, in a book entitled The Serpent Power.

Now, the easiest way that I have found to balance and charge chakras is to think about it as if you were cleaning off a greasy marble.

Let's start with the first Chakra you should always start with, the "Root Chakra"

The corresponding color is Ruby Red. The chakra is located at the base of your spine where your "tail bone" is. The Root Chakra is in control of things like "the fight or flight" reaction, our inner feeling of safety and serenity. When it is out of balance, you will find that you are generally restless, anxious, worried, afraid, or feel generally unsafe. It can also manifest into physical things like extra weight around your thighs or stomach.

Now, close your eyes and picture your Root Chakra. It's not complex, just picture a Red Chakra at the base of your spine near your rear.

It should be fairly small and clear rudy red, it should also be spinning clockwise. If it seems dark, muddy, cloudy, darker red, black or anything other than Rudy Red and clear, then it needs to be cleaning.

Whether it seems fully clear rudy red or not, take the time to wipe it clean. Just imagine that it's a marble that you can pull out and rub clean, like your wiping some dust or old grease off of a marble. Or you can picture drenching it in water to cleanse it. The important part is not in how your visualize that it is done, so long as you 'feel' that it is cleaner. Remember not to worry so much if you can't quiet 'see' it in your inner eye, this will come with practice if you can't naturally see it. Just knowing you are doing it is enough in most cases and it is common to not be able to see it when it is out of balance.

Now, try to notice if you can tell what direction it is spinning, or how quickly. A balanced and charged chakra should be spinning clockwise without wobbling and should spin pretty fast.

for simplicities sake, lets say your not sure how fast it's spinning or in what direction. Mentally make the chakra stop spinning. This won't hurt during this time, so don't fear doing it. Just stop it from spinning all together and then turn it clockwise. Don't worry to much about whether your going the right way or not, your mind naturally knows which way it clockwise and you will notice if it's not going the right way by the way it feels.

Once you have it going clockwise, imagine that you take a finger and spin it around as you would a marble on a table. Or for another image, think about what a pinwheel does when you blow on it. Or one of those little hand held electric fans. It spins and keeps going and going without much effort on your part. This is called "charging" your chakras. Once you have cleaned, balanced and charged your chakras, it is most common to "see" the color of that chakra flash before your closed eyes, or you might feel a connected happy emotion that corresponds to that chakra. Don't worry if it doesn't happen right away, it will with practice.

Then you are done with that chakra!

Home Remedies for Acidity and Heartburn

Synonym and Related keywords for acidity and heartburn: Indigestion, bloating, borborygmus and dyspepsia are all used to define this condition, which in many cases, occurs after eating.

Home Remedies for Acidity

1. After the meals, take one piece of CLOVE(Laung) and suck on it slowly.  This not only gives instantaneous relief but also helps in reducing the onslaught of diseases arising out of acidity.
2. Try chewing on a clove.  Eat a piece of Jaggery or Gur after lunch/dinner.
3. Bananas have protective action against the acidity and heart burn. Daily eat a Bannana will help.
4. Drink daily a 1 tsp juice of chebulic myroblan mixed with 1 tsp of amla (Indian gooseberry) juice.
5. Another good remedy is the usage of Jaggery (Gudh) after the meals.  About 5 to 10 grams of a Jaggery piece taken after the meals helps in eliminating acidity, improves digestion and also helps in the expulsion of worms in small children.
6. Aniseed or Saunf : Relieves abdominal pain, colon disorders, gas, gastrointestinal tract spasms. Effective for acidic stomach conditions (heartburn).
7. Ginger: Ginger is useful for digestion disorders. Helps relieve indigestion from rich foods.
8. Take equal amounts of ginger powder, black pepper, dried mint leaves, asafetida (hing), anise seeds, coriander seeds, cumin, fennel and common salt. Grind together to make a fine powder. Dosage: Take about 1 teaspoon of this powder with water, twice a day after meals.
9. Drinking water gives immediate relief to symptoms like wind, distended stomach and acidity.
10. Have a cup of vanilla ice cream or cold milk.
11. Chew bubble-gum and acidity will disappear. This is an easy and best way to get rid of Acidity.

Quick Home Heartburn Remedies (This is actually different from acidity)

Finding a home remedy for heartburn is not difficult; you just have to know where to look! When you feel that pain in your chest starting to hit, there are natural heartburn remedies around the house that will provide you with instant relief. Whether you don't have medication or choose not to take any, this article will provide you with some easy to find home heartburn remedies.

Heartburn is becoming more and more prevalent as our lifestyles and diet habits are becoming poorer and poorer. Even though there are home heartburn remedies that will provide instant relief, you should consult a doctor and find out how to stop heartburn or acid reflux before it gets worse.

With that said, let's get to those home heartburn remedies.

1. Saliva will help ease your heartburn. Try swallowing some, and if you need help producing more saliva think of a food that you absolutely love, or chew some gum.

2. Oftentimes, heartburn occurs due to gas pressing on the stomach. Try to make yourself burp by drinking a carbonated beverage. This should relieve some of the gas pressure and help you feel better.

3. Drink plenty of water and other beverages. When heartburn occurs, water will help reduce the acidity in the stomach.

4. The best way to instantly cure heartburn or acid reflux is by using antacids or baking soda. These neutralize acid in the stomach, causing you to immediately feel better. Baking soda is readily available in any store, is inexpensive, and you probably already have it around the house.

5. Do you have tea lying around? Herbal tea will make you feel better, especially ginger tea.

6. Aloe Vera has also proven to be a great heartburn home remedy. It has an alkalizing effect on the body, meaning it will help neutralize acid, and thus will relieve your heartburn. Aloe Vera juice is readily available in capsule or liquid form in many supermarkets and stores.

7. THE MOST important home heartburn remedy; you must lose weight and stop smoking. Both of these have been linked to heartburn and acid reflux, and are essential to your overall health.

This list should help you relieve your heartburn using easy home remedies, but they are no substitute for serious medical care. If you are experiencing severe, often heartburn pain you should immediately consult a doctor. If your heartburn is a rare occurrence, then by all means give these options a shot.

On popular demand- home remedies to common problems

I would be running posts on common problems and their home remedies. My first post is addressing the problem of Acidity. Please feel free to write anything else which you feel needs special attention. You can write in the Comments and I will run a post accordingly.