Nani’s and Dadi’s Formulas:

Nani’s and Dadi’s Formulas:

Kadha/ Joshanda, for cold, cough, flu

Formula 1:

 1 ball banafsha/as much as fits in 5 fingers

1 stick or 1 tsp crushed Licorice.

1 black cardamom

1 tbs or 4 to 6 black large seeded raisins (Mannakka)

1 dried date crushed/ powdered

Few whole crushed peppercorns

Few Tulsi Leaves (optional)

Formula 1 is still commonly boiled (in north India) at night, strained in a cup and given at night before sleeping in case of any respiratory ailment or winter flu. Milk and turmeric can be added, but this traditional Joshanda is commonly had without milk( more effective). White Sugar is never added. Anyway not required as formula is naturally sweet. White sugar( due to being harmful) cannot be added to any of these kadhas as it will reduce effectiveness. Natural jaggery is a common sweetener for extra sweetening if required. Honey can only be added when kadhas have cooled down.

 Formula 2: Add

1 tsp Saunth

½ tsp ajwain

4 cloves

2-3 sticks cinnamon

Formula 3: Can add or make separately

1 tsp flaxseed- (don’t put milk if putting Flaxseed/Alsi)

½ tsp vansh lochan (bamboo Manna) (can roast a bit or directly handpound)

 2-3 green cardamom

2-3 crushed long pepper

 ½ piece fresh haldi / ½ tsp haldi powder / important to add 3-4 crushed peppercorns as pepper increases the bio availability of turmeric.

Variations and additions:

Tulsi, mint , Vasa/ Adusa Leaves or powder, Saunf/ Fennel, Methi dana , Lemongrass, Laxmi Taru Leaves and stem, Saffron, Chamomile, Elder Flower, Lime flowers, Rosemary, are all tonic, decongestant, expectorants and digestives.

Herbal/ Ayurvedic teas/kadhas:

½ tsp -Saunf

1 / ½ -Dalchini (broken whole pieces)

1 -green Cardamom

2 – Cloves (crushed)

½ tsp – Ajwain

½ finger / ½ tsp- dried ginger

1 tsp/ 1 crushed stick – Giloy/  Guduchi

1-2 leaves of dried Laxmi Taru

1 tsp / ½ tsp Herbal tea Options: -Pragya Peye- Shanti Kunj/ Madhukari Tea- Sri Sri Tattva/ Kadha-Gurukul Kangadi / Divya Peye- Patanjali / Herbal mixture- ISKON/ Kashayam- Kottakkal/ Dhanvantari/ Vaidyaratnam/ Arya Vaidya Pharmacy etc. or Himalayan Herbal Formulas.

Boil all together. Give several boils, in 2-3 glasses of water and strain. Milk is optional. In this case boil all herbs in 1 glass of water and add 2 glasses of ideally desi cow milk. Give 2-3 boils again.

Regular Tea

Method:

1 / 1 ½ glass water

1 tsp saunf

 1 tsp broken dalchini

1 clove

 ½ piece ginger (crushed)(optional)

½ large cardamom (optional)

 Boil all spices in required water. (DO NOT use aluminum vessel or microwave.)

Put 2 tsp organic regular tea to boiling water. Immediately add a glass of Desi cow milk. Switch off gas just before it boils or at 1 boil. Strain immediately. (Herbs can be beneficial even if overboiled (except Tulsi leaves) but tea leaves are harmful when overboiled.)

1    Regular Tea- with Leaves

4-8 kandi/ stems with leaves - Fresh mint

4-6 leaves - Tulsi

1 tsp – Saunf

½ finger- Ginger(crushed)

Method as above.

Variation:

 Add 1-2  Lemongrass leaves

½ stick  Dalchini / Cinnamon

1 green or black cardamom (crushed/ opened)

Pinch of nutmeg or 1 Clove

Stronger  formula for Cough and Cold (above ingredients can be added also):

Add 1  crushed stick Mulethi

1 tsp banafsha (optional)

 few pinches or ½ tsp Ajwain

½ tsp crushed peppercorns

These Kadhas have been traditional to Indian households since time immemorial just like Haldi milk.

Hair Care

General:

Shampoo for hair growth, dandruff, hair fall etc.

Formula 1:

100 gm - Badam, 10-20 gm – Pepper, Methi, Saunth- in same proportion

Soak Methi in water. Grind all ingredients to make a fine paste. Put paste in a fine cotton cloth to make Potli. Wet hair and rub the Potli on hair like a shampoo or cleanser.

Option 2:  Can directly use, if paste is very fine. Apply leave for 5 to 15 minutes and wash off.

Option 3: cook these powders in oil or water. Strain and apply.

Formula 2:

Make a paste of Multani mitti/ Fuller’s Earth with water and wash hair by applying thin paste on scalp and wash off. (this is cooling , so summer months are best)

Option 1: Mix boiled water of neem/ hibiscus leaves, flowers or both/ curry leaves/ Strained water of above formula, in dry multani mitti/ fine green  moong/ gram  powder/ reetha powder.

Formula 3:

Soak 100 gm each of  reetha, amla, shikakai (dried or fresh) overnight or  powders of each  together. In the morning boil and strain. Wash hair with this liquid. The whole mixture can be reused or rubbed by hand in water and strained up to 3-4 times.

Dandruff:

 a) 1 tsp – Suhaga, 1 tsp – Curd, 1 tsp – coconut oil. Mix and rub in hair. Keep for ½ hr

b) Mix lemon juice in coconut oil. Apply and leave for an hour or overnight.

c) After shampoo, rinse hair with lemon juice/lemon water/Neem water/ Hibiscus leaves and flower water/ marigold flower water/ tea or coffee water/ vinegar.

d) After oiling and before shampoo, liberally apply curd or buttermilk. Leave for 15 minutes to 1 hr.

e) Applying herbal henna to hair and scalp or using it as a rinse also removes dandruff.

Black hair and hair growth –

a) Rub right side nails on left.

b) Bhrungraj: Cook in oil and apply/mix in mehendi/boil in water and use as after rinse/make a paste of powder or concentrated juice. Apply on hair and leave 1 hr to overnight.

C) Amla, Brahmi, Bhrungraj, little pepper- Uses as above or for a powerful hair blackening paste, soak overnight in an iron kadhai and apply strained liquid or paste.

Hair growth oils:

Banyan aerial roots(fresh or dried), crushed, cooked in oil and strained.

Lice:

a) Neem Oil or neem leaves water , juice, paste, Paste of neem bark or seeds.

b) Sitaphal fruit seeds crushed, powdered , cooked in oil or water. Strained and applied overnight or fine paste mixed in oil and applied.

*Precaution: Tie a cotton cloth around head

c) Herbal henna application or rinse