All of us keep a certain number of allopathic medicines at home, which are use whenever needed. These medicines usually include a pain killing medicine, an antihistamine tablet, a laxative, a drug for diarrhoea, an antibiotic and perhaps on antiseptic ointment. There are also simple inexpensive herbal medicines now available in the market which could also be kept at home and used whenever necessary.
Ocimum sanctum or tulsi can be kept for preventing or treating coughs and common cold. Mentha arvensis known as mint or pudina would certainly help when a person suffers from indigestion or flatulence. For constipation, the husks of Plantago ovata, soaked in little water or milk, is the preferred treatment, even allopathic medicine. It is commonly known as Isabgol. Nausea or loss of appetite should be treated by giving Zingiber officinale commonly known as ginger. Interestingly, the Food and Drug Directorate of the USA has just recently approved the use of ginger for treating nausea that is usually seen when treating cancer patients with anticancer drugs. The fruit of the Aegle marmelos, the bael plant, should be used for treating diarrhoea and preparations of this are available in the market.
To treat fever, one can have tea made from Ocimum sanctum, neem, Azadirachta indica and black pepper. Honey shuld also be kept as a home remedy. It can be used with tulsi for the treatment of coughs, while in certain circumstances, it can also be used to promote healing of wounds. A preparation of Albizzia lebeck or Siris could be kept in the house for the treatment of asthmatic attacks or bad fits of coughing.
To treat a luggish liver, keeping some stems of the plant Andrographis paniculata or chirata at home will come in handy. These can be left overnight in a tumbler of water which should be taken the next morning. Acidity is a very common problem, preparation containing Embelia officinalis or vidanga are available and one of these could be used to treat acidity. A preparation of the plant Curcuma longa or haldi has a clear anti-inflammatory effect, both when applied locally and when taken orally. This should be kept at home for the treatment of inflammatory conditions such arthritis and back pain. A preparation of Azadirachta indica should be kept for local application in skin disorders.
It has often asked whether these home remedies are effective. There is of course ethnobotanical support for their efficacy in that generations have been using these remedies. Experimental and clinical observations also appear to support their therapeutic effect. Strict well controlled clinical trials have however been carried out only with a few of these plants and more work need to be done before some of these plants are fully accepted for use in allopathic medicine.
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