The impact to the world we live in from COVID-19 is mind boggling. Being brought up in a household that had to counteract viruses using natural remedies, it would be beneficial I thought to share some that might help. None of these are very expensive or habit forming and are generally helpful. They can be taken with regular medicines too, but some are preventative and also curative. I will add others also. Share yours in comments.
What is COVID 19? Good video here
Physical remedies (for the body)
- First from a good friend who is a practitioner of Ayurveda. Several excellent suggestions here,
- Drink luke warm water (definitely NOT cold or ice water). If possible put in a small pinch of turmeric powder (available easily online or at your nearest health store) and boil the water. Drink after it returns to luke warm temperatures. Turmeric has great antiviral properties.
- Gargle every morning with warm water with a pinch of salt and black pepper. You can also add a pinch of turmeric when gargling. Very effective in supporting the lungs.
- Eat less meat, and if possible completely avoid it. This helps in many ways. It purifies the digestive systems. It helps the liver, since it is not overworking to get rid of toxins. Drink warm lentil soups, with ginger and turmeric. Green and yellow mung soup is the best. Heres a recipe.
- Practice simple breathing exercise to strengthen the lungs as well as to diagnose if the lungs are getting weaker. This video gives a little bit of an overview. There are 5 mentioned here and all of them are helpful. Before doing pranayama (prana = life air, yama = control), it is necessary to practice a couple of yoga asanas. A sun salutation is great for the lungs (its in hindi, and its quite authentic, you can find some others if you do a quick search). If thats hard, just do a few quick stretches before doing the breathing exercises.
- Acupressure remedies. There are 2 points on the top center of both our palms (about an inch area below intersection of the middle and ring finger) that are indicative of where the lungs are. Massaging them with a bit of pressure massages the lungs. Pain in that area, could indicate that there might be some infections. The adrenal glands are in the same area, more under the intersection of the index and middle finger (more towards the index), massaging which is great to strengthen our immune response. Massaging the upper 2/3 of the index and the middle fingers also relieves colds and headaches. On the above points press for 2 minutes intermittently through the day.
- Roast bishop seeds (ajwain), place them in a small kerchief when hot and massage the chest area. You may even chew a few at a time. Keep this close to you. You may also consider purchasing tribindu and inhale it through the day as per directions. This will give relief and is also curative.
- Inhaling essential oils like “breathe” according to directions on label soothes the symptoms.
- If symptoms are severe, then stop all dairy intake, cold and pre-made foods, fruit juices, ice cream etc and anything that is sour.
- Nux Vomica is a great homeopathic medicine that is preventative also. Use as directed (the 30 strength version, about 4 pills twice a day)
- Make a tea with 1 TBSP of fennel seeds, 1 tsp of bishop seeds, turmeric and a small piece of ginger. Boil in water and sip through the day. Dont use sugar, a little honey is better if you can handle it, else maple syrup, but just a bit.
For the mind
- Practice meditation daily. Whats that go to do with the virus you ask? Stress is the major cause of immune system disorders. As conscious beings, the body is a vehicle for us to experience the world we live in. If we do not take care of ourselves, the vehicle is not going to be of much use. I recommend highly mantra meditation which is easily performed. If you are in the NY area, check this out. (Besides this is a great thing to do in case you are in self isolation!).
- Get more spiritual, it helps put things in perspective. Heres a NY time best seller: The Journey within to get started.
Good luck! Live long and prosper!