Home Remedies - Part...3

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As promised last time, let us today talk about the healing properties of Ginger and Garlic in this post.

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Ginger - It is known to prevent stomach upset  from many sources including pregnancy, motion sickness and chemotherapy. Ginger is also known to be effective in regulating the blood flow which inturn will lower the blood pressure. Its anti-inflammatory properties might help ease arthritis in some cases.

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For motion sickness, Ginger is best taken as 500 mg of dried ginger powder, 30 to 60 minutes before the scheduled travel and then 550 mg every 2 to 4 hours as per requirement. This does will need to reduced to 50% in case of children.

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The best ways to include Ginger in your daily food habits is to take freshly grated ginger combined with lemon juice, honey and water to make ginger lemondae; mix ginger, olive oil and garlic to make a healthy salad dressing and spice up all your legumes and vegetables by adding freshly grated ginger. It can also be taken as in Ginger Tea which is considered a good medicine for heart.

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Garlic - Another wonder herb from Indian Kitchen, Garlic makes sure to lower the rates of ovarian, colorectal and other cancers if taken in substantial quantities and included in daily fooding habits. Couple of years back, a Japanese trial found that after a year of taking aged garlic extract extract supplements, people with a history of colon polyps saw a reduction in the size and number of the pre-cancerous growths detected by their doctors.

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Garlic also protects heart. It contains more than 70 active phyto-chemicals, includeing allicin, which many studies have shown decreases in high BP by as much as 30 points. It also may prevent strokes as well by slowing arterial blockages. 

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Garlic is best taken in the form of crushed fresh garlic which offers best cardiovascular and cancer fighting benefits (chew a clove of fresh garlic early morning with warm lemon water for heart health). When cooking, add garlic to retain sulphur compounds and its volatile constituents. You can even marinate crushed garlic in oilve oil and use this flavoured oil in dressings and marinades.

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We talked about a few herbs or spices from Indian Kitchen that have mercurial healing properties but we sill need to keep in mind few myths and their truths. One of the myths about herbs is that they are completely safe as any other food when taken in moderation. The truth is that we can not ASSUME that all herbs are safe. Most herbs are not regulated for safety or efficacy. Also, we need to be particular about the grades and quality of the herb. Many people have allergies to some herbs and these need to be tested before you can started taking them in quantities.

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The other myth is that anyone can take Herb Extracts. Well, largely it is true but as mentioned above, we need to take care of the allergies and also the fact that some herbs might react with some allopathic medicines if they are taken together. So, we need to consult the doctor in this case.

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A myth about herbs is that you can take as much quantity as you want. It is a big NO. Ayurveda, which is the parent science behind herbs healing, says that more isn't necessarily better - infact, that can be even dangerous. For a treatment of length, some herbs need to be substituted with another after a few months of continuous use. Make sure to check with your herbal medicine practitioner.

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With this, I will conclude my Home Remedies posts series and I hope that the information will benefit the people with health conditions.

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Home Remedies Unearthed - Part...2

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Let us take my Home Remedies post series further and we will talk about another spice in Indian Kitchen today that offers lot of healing properties. This spice is Cinnamon.

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Cinnamon, when used to season a high carbohydrate food can help lessen its impact on your blood sugar levels. Cinnamon slows the rate at which the stomach empties after meals, reducing the rise in blood sugar levels after eating. Tests have also proved that adding cinnamon to the rice pudding lowered the gastric emptying rate from 37% to 34.5% and lessened the rise in blood sugar levels after eating.

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The cholesterol lowering qualities of cinnamon are also unearthed some time back and one research actually found that people with type 2 diabetes if take 1 gram cinnamon everyday for 40-45 days, they experienced a significant decrease in their blood sugar levels, Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL) , total cholesterol (HDL+LDL) and triglycerides.

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Cinnamon can be taken in multiple ways like by adding to curries, tea, coffee or deserts. It has a mild sweetness. Make the classic cinnamon toast with a healthy twist - drizzle flax seed oil on a whole wheat toast. Sprinkle with cinnamon and honey and enjoy it.

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Let us also talk about 2 super healers from Ayurveda Repository that are not spices from Indian Kitchen. These are Ashwagandha and Guggulu.

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Ashwagandha stimulates activation of the immune system cells (the lymphocytes), counteracts the effects of stress and generally promotes wellness. It is particularly helpful in stress related disorders like such as arthritis, hypertension, diabetes and premature ageing. It is anti inflammatory and helps treat sciatica pain too.

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Guggulu strengthens our digestive system, reduces fat levels from the body and helps in treating upper respiratory tract infections. It significantly lowers serum triglycerides and LDL and VLDL cholesterol's and raises level of HDL or good cholesterol. It protects against atherosclerosis and reduces the stickiness of platelets. It helps in treating menstrual disturbances too.

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We all should try to make these part of our daily life as they are easy to use and naturally strengthens our body metabolism to fight against diseases and other health conditions. We will talk about the mercurial properties of ginger and garlic in the next post.

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Home Remedies Unearthed - Part..1

Ayurveda is very rich in home remedies and the practitioners have done exhaustive research supported by test results to make sure that the remedies they suggest, actually are useful to human beings in getting rid of certain disease conditions. Herbs have been used for years to alleviate arthritis pain, reduce blood sugar and cholesterol and help with many other conditions. It is also discovered lately that these herbs in Indian Kitchen have the ability to kill cancer cells too. We will discuss some of these super healer herbs in next few posts:

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Turmeric: A curry with turmeric could relieve your pain. Turmeric contains curcumin - a powerful anti inflammatory compound that works similarly to Cox-2 inhibitors, drugs that reduce the Cox-2 enzyme (that causes the pain and swelling of arthritis). The role of Turmeric in treating indigestion, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, toothache, bruises, pre and post surgery health, flatulence, jaundice, menstrual difficulties, hemorrhage, chest pain and colic is already known and established.

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Studies have also indicated that turmeric is also beneficial in treating colon cancer and Alzheimer's disease. The substance curcumin found in it can help shrink pre-cancerous lesions known as colon polyps, when taken with a small amount of quercetin, a powerful anti-oxidant found in onions, apples and cabbage. The average number of polyps was found to be dropped more than 60% and those that remained shrank by more than 50% in one of the lab tests. Turmeric is also proven to be effective in clearing the brain of plaques that are characteristic of the disease.

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How to use it best: Add it to your cooking wherever possible and not only in curries but in salads too like on sauted cauliflower and lentils. To strengthen bones, add turmeric to hot milk and drink before sleeping at night. It reduces the risk of developing osteoporosis and osteoarthritis too specially in age after 35.

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We will talk about Cinnamon and its benefits in the next post.
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Overcome Eye Diseases with Ayurveda...Part 3

Incidentally, in a birthday party at a friend's house yesterday, I got this question from an aged neighbour of my friend, that what exactly is cataract? Is it really a film that grows on our eyes causing to see double or blurred images? They were curious to know if there is some ayurvedic treatment available for this disease or they will have to go through the eye surgery to get rid of this problem. I explained them about this in detail and let me also write about it here for the benefits of the readers. To start with, let us first see the difference of vision in eyes for "Without Cataract" and "With Cataract" below:

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A cataract is a clouding of the natural lens, the part of the eye responsible for focusing light and producing clear, sharp images. The lens is contained in a sealed bag or capsule. As old cells die they become trapped within the capsule. Over time, the cells accumulate causing the lens to cloud, making images look blurred or fuzzy. For most people, cataracts are a natural result of aging. In fact, they are the leading cause of visual loss among adults 55 and older. Eye injuries, certain medications, and diseases such as diabetes and alcoholism have also been known to cause cataracts.

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Partial or complee opacity of the eye lens is also known as Timira in Ayurveda. In its initial stage vision of the patient is impaired and he sees imaginary things like cobweb. With the prgress of the disease, impairment of vision also increases. In the end, complete loss of vision may occur.

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There are some very good known ayurvedic treatments available to cure Cataract. Some of them are:

• Take Triphala Churna - 6 to 12 gram with 12 to 24 gram Ghee thrice a day
• Take Ghrta Sidhha with Rhizome of Haridra (turmeric) and root of Usira (Khas) - 12 to 24 gram, twice a day
• Equal part of powder of Triphala, root of Yastimadhu (glycyrrhiza) - 3 to 6 gram, when taken with honey or ghee thrice a day, will surely improve the symptoms
• Apply Anjana of Rasanjana, Kasisa (green vitriol) and Guda (Jaggery) in the eye
• Apply Anjana of powder of equla part of fruit of Pippali (Long Pepper) and Saindhava (Rock Salt) prepared in honey in the eye
• Retain a Kavala (Mouth Wash) of cold water in the mouth as long you can hold - do it thrice a day - it improves the pressure in the eyes
• Take 1 litre of fruit juice af Amalaki (embelic myrobalan), concentrate it and add ghee - 50 gram and honey - 50 gram. Apply it in the eye using a cloth
• Practice Bhramri Yogasan for at least 15 minutes everyday for 90 days and you will see excellent results for sure

These are all independent treatments and need not take/perform all to be cured. sleect one or two you think you can do comfortably. My recommendation is to start practicing Bhramari for sure as it has shown miraculous results in this disease.

With this, I will conclude the Eye Diseases Series of Posts and will focus on some other diseases and their treatments from next post onwards.

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Overcome Eye Diseases with Ayurveda...Part 2

Today, we will talk about two more eye diseases that are prevalent in world. Though these have good medication present in the Ayurvedic medical science, even then people are not able to take benefits of these since the awareness is at very low level. In fact, Night Blindness is one of the those eye diseases that can be compeltely cured with the help of Ayurveda. First, we will talk about Trachoma.
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Trachoma (Pothaki): It is a contagious disease characterized by appearance of small and red colored papules in the conjunctiva of the eyelid and accompanied by itching, pain and lacrimation.
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Treatments:

• 1 to 2 gram powdered seed of Brhad-Ela (Larger Cardamom) and take with 5 to 10 gram Sarkara (raw sugar) thrice a day
• Foment the eyes with the mixtureof bark of Khadira (Khair) and seeds of Adhaki (pigeon pea) and Sigru (Horse Radish), after the eyes have been washed with tepid warm water
• Foment the eyes with the mixture of rhizome of Haridra (turmeric) and roots of Daruharidra (barberry) and Yastimadhu (glycyrrhzia) mixed with honey
• Apply an Anjana of seed of Cakramarda (Foetid Cassia) at bed time
• Apply an Anjana of Laghu Haritki (smaller variety of chebulic myrobalan) with honey at bed time

Night Blindness (Naktandhya): This is a disease caused by the vitiation of Kapha and in which the patient is unable to see in the night but can see very well in the day light.

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We have another variety of Night Blindness which is called Nyctalope or Nakulandhya in which patient in the day also sees peculiar outlines and his eyes (iris) shine like that of a mongoose (Nakula)

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Treatments:

• Leaves of Jivanti fried in ghee needs to be taken in 6 to 12 gram dose thrice a day
• Leaf Juice (Svarasa) of Agastya - 12 to 14 ml or its Kalka - 12 to 24 gram fried in 10 gram ghee needs to be taken twice a day
• Apply Anjana prepared from the fine powder of leaf stalk of Kapittha (wood apple) or its ash in honey sufficient to make a paste
• Apply Anjana of Aja-Yakrt (Goat's Liver) concentrated in mixture of Triphala
• Take equal parts of stamens of Sveta Kamala (White Lotus) and Nila Kamala (Blue Lotus). Wash in freshly prepared Gomaya Rasa and make a Varti. Apply it as Anjana with rose water in eyes
• Anjana prepared from the juice of Sallaki (Indian Olibanum) upto 10 ml and honey upto 1 gram, needs to be applied twice a day
• Mixture of leaf of Udumbara (gular fig) concentrated to the solid consistency can be used as Anjana
• Prepare pottalika (small bag) of equal part of powder of root of Gambhari, fruit rinds of Haritki (chebulic myrobalan) and Amalaki (embelic myrobalan) and dip in distilled water. Few drops to be instilled in eyes from Pottalika
• Mix Rasanjana - 600 mg in Nari Dugdha (human milk) - 10 ml and instill its 2 to 4 drops in the eyes or dissolve 1.25 gram of pure Rasanjana in 10 ml distilled water. Add 10 ml honey and instill its 2 to 4 drops into the eyes
• Lepa of fruit rind of Haritki (chebulic myrobalan) fried in ghee and mixed in water to be applied on the eyes
• Make a paste (Kalka) of root of Bhumayamlki with Saindhava Namak (Rock Salt) and Kanji in a copper bath and apply on the eyes as Lapa

In next post, I will talk about Cataract and few other eye diseases.

Overcome Eye Diseases with Ayurveda...Part1

Eyes Diseases are prevalent in most of the world but they are more found in the tropical countries and mostly at the time of monsoon when the moisture in the air is more and there is free communication of virus and bacteria from one human to another. Also, the changing weather makes the human beings little less strong in immunity which again leads to viruses and bacteria increased attacks. Ayurveda divides the Eye diseases in different types on the basis of their symptoms. Let us see some of the diseases and medicines for them.

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Conjuctivitis (Netrabhisyanda): This is an eye disease characterized by the inflammation and rednesss of the conjuctiva accompanied by various types of pain and watery discharge from the eye. Its other symptoms include feeling of stiffness, burning sensation, heavyness ir itching in eys and headache. In some cases pus may also form.

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Treatments:

• Take Ghrta (Ghee) - 12 to 24 gram with meal or with 5 gram sarkara (raw sugar) thrice a day
• Take 100 ml Dugdha (Milk) Siddha (prepared) in the decoction of Tripahla twice a day
• Ghrta (Ghee) - 12 to 24 gram. Siddha in the decoction of Dasamula or of Triphala needs to be taken twice a day
• Dugdha (Milk) Siddha - 100 to 250 ml. siddha with root of Satavari (wild asaparagus) - 12 to 24 gram and juice of Ardraka (Ginger) - 7 ml is to be taken thrice a day

External Applications:

1. Foment the eye with cotton dipped in warm ghee or hot Aja Dugdha (Goat's milk) or warm Tila Taila (Gingelly oil)
2. Make solution of Shudha Tankana (Purified Borax) in hot water and foment the eye
3. Prepare Pottalika (Small bag) of hot payasa and foment the eye
4. Netrabindu - Instil its 2 - 4 drops in the eyes 4 times a day
5. Phulikadrava - Instil its 2 to 4 drops in the eyes 4 times a day

In my next post, I will talk about Trachoma and Night Blindness.

Back Pain - Prevention and Cure

Back Pain has become one of the most common ailments in the world today, specially with the people who have long sitting hours at work or otherwise. There are different types of back pains ranging from pain in the upper back to spinal cord pain to pain in the lower back etc. and we will discuss in terms of their causes, prevention, cure and best practices that we should in our life style to make sure that our body is away from it. According to ayurvedic philosophy, excess 'apana' in the body is responsible for lower back pain. Hence, the body needs to be detoxified of this element. One of the most effective ways to detoxifying your body is to to take Castor oil thrice a week for a month.

Few of the methods that can help cure Back Pain are:

• The administration of a herbal preparation (such as Asthavargam) is essential to bring the vitiated dosha back to a normal state
• An ayurvedic internal treatment method called 'Panchakarma' is also good to treat back pain. This treatment method includes administration of a full body massage (Abhyanga) and/or meditated enema (Basti) to lubricate the inside walls of the intestine and empty the bowels. Daily purgation, according to ayurveda, helps reduce back pain
• Certain ayurvedic preparations can also be given to reduce back pain. These medications include Lakshadiguggul, Mahanarayana tailam, Triphala Guggul, and Yogarajaguggul. Their consumption leads to an internal action on the causes of back pain.

Few More Methods of Ayurvedic Back Pain Treatment

• Yogasana: One more method to treat back pain ayurvedically mostly include performing yogasanas. The postures that can be done to reduce back pain include the following simple back bend poses: Marjari Asana (Cat pose), Salabhasana Asana (Locust pose), Chakravak Asana (Sunbird pose). It is advised that people suffering from back pain take and strictly follow the advice of their yoga teacher. Doing this would avoid possibilities of any further damage to the lower back
• Breathing Posture: For more stability of spine, it is advised in ayurveda that the breathing posture needs to be corrected. Hence, if you have back pain then inhale in a manner which allows your breath to reach the bottom of your spine. This would result in a relaxed feeling in the full length of the spine as well as the lower back region.
• Aromatherapy: Ayurveda also recommends the use of aromatherapy to reduce back pain. This method is both- external as well as internal. Oils of natural herbs such as basil, cinnamon, frangipani, or henna could be poured into hot water and its vapors inhaled.
• Sleep Well: When it comes to sleeping, good mattresses are important. A good mattress would give ample support to your back. Too hard or too soft mattresses can ruin the posture of our back and can cause or aggravate back pain. We normally ignore the fact that we spend close to one-third of our life in the bed. What is also ignored is that it is highly important to remain in the correct posture while we are sleeping in our bed. The situation aggravates when one sleeps on a too soft or too hard mattress. Such a mattress does not provide proper support to the back. When this is ignored for an excessively long period of time, it becomes the cause of back pain.

Ayurveda can cure Swine Flu

Whenever there is a change in the environment due to spurt in growth of any kind of virus, human beings are the first one to be affected by it. These days, there is a panic all around due to swine flu. On the basis of symptoms like cough, cold, sore throat and fever, one cannot be considered as a patient of swine flu but still people do not want to take chances and getting them checked at special centres and taking preventive medicines. The problem is that the most popular medical science i.e. Allopathy, does not yet offer a preventive medicine or a vaccine for Swine flu. Though, it has the cure but few people know that Ayurveda can cure swine flu like anything and most of all, the medicines have far less side effects. Dr Bhagwan Singh, principal and superintendent of State Ayurvedic College, Lucknow, says, "The disease (swine flu) and its treatment is already mentioned in our old books of medicines by sages. On the basis of the symptoms of swine flu, it has been given the name `vatashlesmic' fever in the ayurvedic medicine books."

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For treating a patient infected with H1N1 virus, ayurvedic medicines like Sanjawini Vati and Tribhuvan Kriti Ras can be given. These medicines are prepared by mixing 12-14 ayurvedic ingredients selected on the basis of the symptoms of the viral disease. Ayurveda claims to have preventive medicine for H1N1 infection also. As I said earlier, on the basis of symptoms like cough, cold, sore throat and fever, one cannot be considered as a patient of swine flu. So to be on the safer side, one could take a medicine named as Gurahi for the sake of prevention. Apart from this, one can also have tea or hot water adding black tulsi leaves to it and following other hygienic practices like using mask etc."

Prameha (Diabetes) – How to control the deadly disease

Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder in which the body is unable to make proper use of glucose resulting in hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) and glycosuria (sugar in urine). Poorly managed diabetes can lead to a host of long-term complications like Heart attacks, strokes, blindness, nerve damage and even impotence in men.

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Diabetes can be controlled and it has been verified by various studies. As per Ayurveda There are 20 forms of this disease: 4 are due to Vata, 6 result from Pitta, and 10 are caused by Kapha. But prameha is mainly kapha dosha disease.

Causes

• Diet- increasing kapha dosha such as sugar, fats, potatoes, rice
• Lack exercise
• Mental stress and strain
• Excessive sleep etc.

Symptoms

• Excessive urine formation & Frequent urination
• Burning of palms and soles
• Increased hunger
• Excessive Thirst
• Sweet taste to mouth etc.
• Weight Loss
• Blurry Vision
• Wounds that take time to heal
• Skin Infections
• Unexplained extreme fatigue

Remedies

• Diet planning- is the cornerstone of managing diabetes.The diabetic diet is an otherwise normal balanced diet, with a few modifications and proper spacing between food intakes. Avoid diet increasing kapha dosha such as sugar, fats, potatoes, rice. Avoid alcohol
• Daily exercise- One of the methods to heal prameha include strenuous exercises. Regular exercise in any form is a must. In 'Yogasanas' - Forward bending asanas like 'Paschimottanasan','Halasan' etc. are effective
• Restrict and reduce weight
• Avoid sleeping during daytime.
• Avoid smoking
• Try to reduce stress by implementing & practicing Yoga

Useful herbs

• Jambhul (Eugenia jambolana) Powder from jamun core is useful.
• Gurmar(gymnema sylvestre)
• Sagar gota (Ceasalpinia crista)
• Bel (Aegle marmelos)
• Shilájit
• Turmeric
• Neem
• Triphala

Liver Cirrhosis - Ayurveda can help cure this

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What is Liver Cirrhosis: Cirrhosis is scarring of the liver that occurs as a result of chronic liver disease. People who have cirrhosis, the cells of the liver are damaged and can’t repair themselves. As liver cells die, scar tissue forms. When this scar tissue builds up, blood can’t flow through the liver properly.

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It is caused by:

• Excessive Alcohol consumption
• Conversion from hepatitis C or hepatitis B
• Disorder of excretory system of Liver
• Consuming any harmful chemicals etc.

Major symptoms are:

1. Weight Loss or Weight Gain abnormally
2. Nausea
3. Symptoms similar to Jaundice like yellowing of palms, eyes etc
4. Loss of appetite
5. Visible blood vessels on skin
6. Fatigue or weakness

Ayurvedic Remedies:

• Arjuna (Terminalia arjuna) - This is the most useful medicine for this disease. The bark is useful as an anti-ischemic and cardioprotective agent in hypertension and in ischemic heart disease. It also has a tonic effect in cases of cirrhosis of the liver
• Boerhavia diffusa (Punarnava) - An alcoholic extract of whole plant Boerhavia diffusa given orally exhibited hepato-protective activity against experimentally induced carbon tetrachloride hepatotoxicity.
• Eclipta alba (Bhringaraj) - It is the main herb for treating liver disorders. It is normally given after mixing with ethanol in same quantities and it helps the liver by regulating the levels of hepatic microsomal drug metabolising enzymes
• Tinospora cordifolia (Guduchi) : This herb is used to treat HIV/AIDS, other immune diseases, and pita diseases. It is used as a blood purifier, to treat fever, and to aid recovery from fevers. It is also used for jaundice, digestion, constipation, hemorrhoids, dysentery, and cancer
• Glycyrhhiza (licorice or Mulathhi) : Licorice root has been used in both Eastern and Western medicine to treat a variety of illnesses, including liver disease.