How ironic. Remedies and natural therapies which have been used for thousands of years to the present are now being called “new age”. Home remedies practiced successfully for eons are now referred to “alternative medicine”.
As a practitioner of Yoga and massage therapy I was naturally drawn to Ayurveda medicine and the curative power of mother nature. Becoming a new mother in New Mexico and being surrounded by a phenomenal support group of ayurvedic practitioner led by Dr. Vasant Lad I was confident to raise my daughter on only natural medicines. Homeopathic remedies, Ayurvedic principals, Aromatherapy, essential oils, a healthy diet, no sugar and no television became our chosen lifestyle and path for health care. What follows are some of the stories and lessons garnered from my personal experiences with Ayurvedic medicine, being a new mother and the healing gifts offered by Mother Nature.
After the birth of my daughter I was given the present of a Homeopathic kit. The gift soon became my go to resource for many of the things a new mother needs and became the basis for my ever growing first aid kit. My “medicine cabinet” consisted of a homeopathic Rescue Remedy, ghee, medicated and essential oils, along with Ayurvedic herbs and tinctures. My lovely little one always enjoyed baths with wonderful essential oils. Our favorites were lavender, lemon, eucalyptus, geranium and orange. These fragrant oils always soothed and relaxed her and promoted deep peaceful sleep. Truly a mother’s dream.
I later discovered two Ayurvedic herbs used frequently at the first signs of a cold or cough. Sitopaladi -a mixture of ground cloves and black peppers “yum”and maha surdarshan a mixture of several powerful bitter herbs “yuck”. We used honey as a carrier for these dry herbs to counter their bitterness. She would always ask me “mommy is this the yummy one or the yucky one” so she could prepare herself. Sitopaladi is used in cases of coughs and congestion. Maha Surdarshan to enhance the immune system and taken for colds and flus. Triphala is another daily recommended Ayurvedic dried herb with hundreds of uses. It’s a mixture of three fruits to help cleanse the body of toxins and promote healthy tissues.
We all face the normal maladies associated with child rearing and caring for our family. Winter colds fevers, flus, restless night sleeps, sore throats, ear aches and the list goes on. When Gem was a baby she suffered with gas pains and fevers. Dr. Lad taught me how to massage the outside of her thigh and to make a tea using fennel, cumin, and ajwain seeds which I gave her in a small dropper. This worked remarkedly well and she was a happy baby once more. Years later Gem was running a very high fever. Once again Dr. Lad, my trusted adviser surprised me with a unique remedy. He instructed me to make onion juice poultice and treat the top of her head. Wow! Don’t ask me how or why but it quickly did the trick. Who would have guessed the power of onions? The only down side was my poor child reeked of onions for two weeks.
Like all children, when Gem started preschool she was exposed to many new germs and began having little colds and congestion. We found a beautiful tincture called Ayurbiotic which we used successfully to deal with these little maladies. I was not quite as fortunate. My cure required a few extra days before being assaulted by the next school yard plague. In desperation Dr. lad simply instructed me to stay on the Ayurbiotic formula daily for the entire cold season and this was my panacea!
Every mother knows the curse of ear aches and swimmers ear. A easy remedy that often works is a simple solution of slightly warm alcohol and peroxide. Another soothing remedy for the common ear ache is something I learned from my mother.