KEEP YOUR SELF HEALTHY WITH VIPUL

ALLERGIES  Neem is cool. Boil antiseptic neem in water, sieve, cool in the refrigerator and use to wash itchy parts of your body without using soaps.       ANXIETY Just juice it Raw carrot or lettuce juice has calming properties and helps when you are stressed out, says Granny. Science has now given weight to this theory. Apparently it is the magnesium ( present in moderate amounts in these veggies ) that helps by regulating serotonin balance. The antioxidants are a bonus. Drink 2 to 3 cups a day if you are a worrisome character. ARTHRITIS Ice it Fill small plastic bags with ice and seal them. Hold or secure one over and one under each painful knee. Do this several times a day for 15 to 20 minutes. The cold constricts blood vessels, reduces inflammation and eases pain and swelling BAD BREATH # Chew some cardamom Spices fight bad breath because of their antifungal and antibacterial properties, say experts. Cardamom is rich in cineole, a potent antiseptic that zaps the bacteria responsible for foul mouth odour. # Have a spice tea Boil one litre of water and add 4 whole cloves and 2 tablespoons broken cinnamon sticks. Let it steep for 20 minutes, strain and drink a cup for long lasting fresh breath. # Sip a cuppa mint tea What gives mint (pudina) its distinctive flavour and smell is a potent antiseptic that kills the Bad Breath Baddies. Use one tablespoon whole dried leaves or two tablespoon fresh leaves per cup of hot water for 10 minutes and drink when needed. # Try some thyme It not only acts as an expectorant and antiseptic but relieves bronchial spasms and dries up secretions. Make a thyme tea by steeping 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried thyme leaves in a cup of boiling water for 10 minutes. Drink upto 3 times a day # Steep some honey and Onions Doesn't sound too appetizing, but this cough remedy has thrived for generations in the Spanish Basque folk tradition. Overnight, soak a sliced onion in enough honey to cover it. The next day strain and discard the onion. Then dilute the honey with enough lime juice to reach the consistency of cough syrup. Take a tablespoonful at two hour intervals all day until your symptoms subside. The onions allicin, a powerful antibacterial chemical, may seep into the honey, which ahs mild antibacterial effects in the throat. # Sweet 'n' Sour 1 teaspoon of honey and 1 teaspoon lime juice in a glass of warm water can help dissolve mucous in the throat. # Yellow says Stop Add a pinch of turmeric to a cup of hot milk with sugar candy to taste. # Leafy relief 2 tablespoon  tulsi leaf juice and a teaspoon of honey soothes a sore throat.