Till a few years ago, every body in my family believed in the power and magic of Ayurvedic medicine, except me. Dad has always been prone to frequent throat infections. After taking tons of antibiotics and guzzling in gallons of cough expectorants, which gave him a lot of temporary side effects, he found solace in Ayurvedic medicines. Mom found natural Ayurvedic remedies better than painkillers for her knee problem. And my sister after trying all the therapies and treatments under the sun for her terrible Psoriasis found relief only with Ayurvedic medicines.
I started my career with a leading pharmaceutical company (and worked for a decade there), so I was all for the cure, treatment and prevention of diseases through synthetically produced medicines.
And then our little one joined us in our world.
Massaging is an integral part in the life of new-born babies. And a good massage everyday became a routine for our baby too. We had received a lot of gift packs containing baby products of a large MNC. And of course, that was considered to be the best. So, our little bundle of joy were given daily massages with the baby oil for his growth and development.
And soon, our child developed rashes all over his face and body. 
Worried and paranoid like any new parents, we rushed to our doctor who immediately asked us about the oil we were using. After hearing about our brand of choice, he suggested us to change to Dabur Lal Tail along with some home remedies for the rashes.
And soon the rashes were history and our baby’s skin glowed back to its natural self. In fact 
regular massage with Dabur Lal Tail showed a significant improvement in his skin which always looked nourished, hydrated and smooth.
Literature showed that Till oil or Sesame oil in Dabur Lal Tail improves growth and post-massage sleep, Ratanjyot protects against skin infection, Shankha Pushpi cures general weakness, Camphor improves blood circulation and Urad nourishes muscles & bones. I also read, that this Ayurvedic oil also helped in weight gain and better physical growth and this finding was corroborated with our baby’s records. His weight gain and physical parameters were above the normal growth standards.
After this experience, (and seeing the experiences of my parents and sister in new light) my inclination towards natural herbs and natural home remedies increased. I realized that while they were 100% natural, they were 100% safe too!
Also, I realized that there is a lot of wisdom in the ancient healing traditions of nature itself. Experiences within our family showed that we all, after trying chemically processed/synthetic pharmaceutical products, finally turned to the old methods of healing that have been carefully passed down through hundreds of generations, ie Ayurveda.
So for abdominal pains, we relied on a drink of the powder of jeera (cumin) and rock salt dissolved in water. For common cold, it was always the juice of tulsi leaves given two to three times with honey or sips of ginger juice and lime juice with warm water. For the aching tooth, it was the clove and asafoetida on a cotton swab which gave the much needed relief. We made having Chyavanaprasha a daily habit for our child, which contains thyme-leaved gatriola (brahmi) and Indian pennywort (madukaparni) among other ingredients. Chyavanaprasha enhances a child’s concentration ability and intelligence.
While the chemically processed/synthetic pharmaceutical products help in alleviating symptoms and thereby providing relief especially in acute and emergency situations, Ayurvedic medicines, strengthen body’s defense/immune system to effectively combat diseases and that provides a strong foundation for a good physical and mental health and well-being. Ayurvedic medicine integrates and balance the body, mind, and spirit. This is believed to help prevent illness and promote wellness.
We believed in going natural for our child… the Ayurveda way for a holistic and a healthy living and are glad that we made that choice.
This post is written for Indiblogger’s Traditional Knowledge, Natural Growth contest in association with “Dabur Lal Tail” and is based on true personal experiences.
All 3 pictures used in the post are personal.
51 Responses
Very useful and enlightening post.The Ayurvedic medicines are normally made from herbs which have no side effects.Best of luck for the contest.
Thank you Ma’am. They say that Ayurvedic medicines contain herbs, minerals, or metals—may be harmful, particularly if used improperly or without the direction of a trained practitioner. So guess, caution has to be taken while taking these medicines too.
Upto a time it didn’t take Ayurved seriously.
Recently,I had skin infection.I tried every possible ointment and medicines which were prescribed by a Dr.
Someone recommended a soap made by Ramdev’s company.In just a week’s time I was through with the problem
I can relate to your experience. Have seen the effects of Ayurvedic medicines when other treatments fail!
Anything that comes with the tag Indian, traditional, ancient, natural is my first choice. so is ayurveda. Glad your baby got well with ayurvedic oils. your supporting photos are cute.
Nice post, and all the best for the contest, shilpa:)
Agree… Ayurvedic medicines may take time but are good. Thanks a lot, Asha 🙂
I have resorted to traditional and natural remedies in bringing up my children. Your bundle of joy is so cute..
Glad that you made that choice too, Farida. Thank you so much 🙂
Naturopathy is another branch of medicine that interests me a lot. They suggest different types of fasting for curing & well-being. The core of their philosophy is this: While English medicine is focused on treating symptoms as if they were diseases (fever, cold, etc.), naturopathy considers the root-cause of these common symptoms to be, inability of the body to digest and eject toxins from the body.
These toxins might accumulate and result in diseases. Fasting enables the stomach to finish its normal food digestion process and work on digesting/eliminating the toxins. This also explains why our body doesn’t want to eat when we are unwell. We should learn to listen to our body & nature.
Destination Infinity
Oh yes, Naturopathy is great too. My mother tried this form of therapy for quite some time.
Going natural is what many people prefer these days. It is considered the better option always. But also, people shouldnt go blindly by what others say and try to understand what suits their body type.
Cute kid 🙂
Absolutely, all these medicines should be taken under the guidance of a trained practitioner only! Thanks Ashwini 🙂
Thank you for a very informative post!
Ayurveda, Naturopathy, Homeopathy, Unani and other alternate/traditional systems, which were largely ignored in India till a decade or two back, have now become popular. These systems have a lot to offer. However, we must ensure that we consult a good practitioner and buy medicines from reliable sources.
Unfortunately, there are quite a few quacks who pose as practitioners of these systems.
Secondly, there have been known instances of Ayurvedic and Homeopathic medicines being ‘strengthened’ by adding allopathic medicines/heavy metals in them.
Oh yes, any form of medicine must be taken only after consultation with a trained doctor. Agree, there are so many quacks around too for Ayurvedic medicines! Guess, those people with tents along the roadside give herbs etc. Will check out when I see one next!
OK… was not aware of the second practice that you mentioned. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Nice post, ATB for the contest 😀
Thank you Jairam 🙂
The unfortunate part of Ayurveda is sufficient research and studies are not carried forward as they do in the West for Allopathy,
The issue of side effects is the catch in Allopathy – every drug has a threat of other ill effects.The matter doctors say is in being judicious.
From my experience, I would not bet on Ayurveda for an acute Pneumonia or bronchial infection, where a good dose of antibiotics would save. I opted for Ayurveda when I had a minor bronchial infection and it blew up to an acute stage and I wriggled out with antibiotics.
But there are ailments as I now have, knee pain which the Doc said was beginning of wear and tear and early arthritis . He prescribed some medicines that included painkillers which I decided not to pursue. I’m now on Ayurvedic medicines and I feel better and also the satisfaction of not drugging my system with pain relievers that do not address the cause which I later decided not to pursue.
You are bang on, Anil. Of course, for acute infections/diseases, it has to be allopathic medicines for faster relief from symptoms. But yes for chronic or long term diseases, ayurvedic medicines are the best bet.
Yes, if clinical studies are available for Ayurvedic medicines, they will have a wider and more acceptance!
Hi SG, there seems to be an error in posting my comment.
Now coming back to the points you mentioned, the goodness of the ancient Ayurveda that bases on Nature is not encouraged because there is a lot at stake in the multi trillion pharmaceutical empire.
It is as you mentioned, a fact that most remedies are in Nature . Turmeric, Garlic , Jeera , and so on. I guess the use of Garlic or garlic itself was patented in the USA. I remember reading something about that once.
Hi Anil, I did not make any comment on this post till now. Therefore, no need to respond to me. You must have mistaken me for someone by the name of Shilpa Garg. HaHaHa.
Haha SG… 😀
Oh yes, the politics of business… if an alternate form of medicine which is better is accepted that will cause a dent or collapse of a multi-billion dollar pharma industry!
Dont know about garlic patent but came across this article which says that, Garlic cannot be patented. Found this here… http://quanta-gaia.org/reviews/books/powerOfGarlic.html
A nice read and hope more people understand the benifits of using natural remedies, Shilpa:) Best of luck for the contest!
Yes, let’s hope so. Thank you Mr Bhatia 🙂
Really nicely written and an absolutely adorable baby. All the best to both of you.
You might be interested in my article at http://www.indiblogger.in/indipost.php?post=296460
Thanks a lot, Doc 🙂
Thanks for the useful information on ayurvedic medicines.
My pleasure, SG 🙂
I had not heard of this but now feel very enlightened. Your baby is adorable. Glad it worked!~ ♥
Hi Kathy, glad you found this post interesting. Ayurveda is one of the world’s oldest medical systems. It originated in India more than 3,000 years ago and remains one of the country’s traditional health care systems. Its concepts about health and disease promote the use of herbal compounds, special diets, and other unique health practices. Thanks 🙂
Very true Shilpa, Ayurveda has a lot of benefits, sometimes it may take longer time than allopathic medicines to provide relief but we must remember that it heals from the root of the issue and so is beneficial and better. In fact home remedies work well for most of our everyday health troubles.
Well said, Reshma. Ayurvedic medicines works on the root cause of the disease. Oh yes, home remedies are so good … in fact we have a book which has home remedies of issues from head to toe.
That’s really informative Shilpa! All the best for the contest 🙂
Thank you Ankita 🙂
That was truly enlightening Shilpa! Home remedies have always worked for me too. Ayurvedic treatment, though, I have found to be quite slow in yielding results, and terrifyingly counter-reactive in my case when I had developed skin allergies years back.
But I am glad it has worked well for you and your family 🙂
Aryan looks so so adorable BTW!
Good luck for the contest!
Agree with you Deeps… Ayurvedic take a bit longer time to show results but yes, we are glad that they work for all of us in the family. Thanks a lot 🙂
very useful piece of information. each body cannot adopt to all forms of medicine. but since ayurveda does not have any side effects, i hope it can be trusted. all the best for contest.
http://amarnaik.com/2013/10/29/ayurdveda-for-our-future-generation-is-a-better-choice/
Thanks Amar 🙂
Definitely Ayurvedic medicine is effective. But the only problem we have is not all practicing it are actually well verse with it’s theories. A lot of hoaxes are on the rise and one needs to be prudent while selecting which products we use or which center we go to
True, one must consult a trained Ayurvedic practitioner only!!
Home remedies are always the best in minor problems. Your baby looks cute.
True, they are simple and effective too! Thanks Rama 🙂
Enlightening!!
I’m glad your little one’s rashes went away quickly
Yeah! Thanks Pixie 🙂
Agree with you. I haven’t taken ayurvedic medicines so far, but can vouch for homeopathy medicines. English medicines give temporary relief and nothing more than that. Must try ayurvedic medicines in future.
Yes, my father can vouch for homeopathic medicines. But somehow I am never able to take them religiously, so it doesnt work for me! 😛
All the best for the contest. 🙂 you have a lovely child.
Thanks Preethi 🙂
Ayurvedic treatment indeed is good. I have been having a tough time with my second one for the last 5 years. She has acute allergic Bronchitis which aggravates as soon as winter steps in. This year I have tried the Ayurvedic treatment instead of the nebulization and strong antibiotics and ut helps a lot. Wish someone had told me this earlier.
Glad that this treatment is working for your baby now, Rekha!! Somehow, we go in for Ayurvedic treatment only after we have failed with other therapies!
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