Nasika chooranam to cure cough, cold

My friend’s son was telling me that he takes antibiotics once in every two months for colds and coughs, and mild fevers. He says, with his intense work pressure, he really cannot afford to take the risk of taking ayurvedic medications. To my mind, a 25-year-old who takes antibiotics six times a year is asking for trouble. I gave him my usual lecture and he has promised to give ayurveda a chance. While his mindset was a bit disheartening, I was pleasantly surprised by what my daughter told me. On the flight to India from US with her fiancé, who is a European, she experienced a bit of stomach pain and told him that the spicy chicken curry had probably upset her stomach. To her utter surprise, he pulled out a packet of Ashta Chooranam and asked her to take some of it. My daughter’s take on it was that her fiancé was trying to score brownie points with me.

Just as yoga had a revival in India through the West, perhaps ayurveda’s revival would also be through the West. I am hoping that Indians are recognising the potential of our ancient medical systems, and that the central and state governments would foster and encourage them, so that they become mainstream medicines.

With the winter setting in, almost everybody I know has had a bad bout of cold and cough. In my earlier articles I had written about rasanadi powder to get rid of the phlegm in the sinuses and the nasal passages. Sometimes, the phlegm seems to last forever. This is where Nasika Chooranam comes in handy. Nasika Chooranam cannot be used continuously as often as rasanadi since it contains a bit of tobacco. However, it is very effective in bringing out all the phlegm from the sinuses and nasal passages. Taken with the decoction of Adathoda leaves and Agasthya Rasayanam,  this regimen is very effective in chasing away stubborn colds and coughs, and is far safer than having repeated doses of antibiotics.

Nasika Chooranam is used extensively by Kerala vaidyars and is featured in the Sahasara Yogam. I am going for a short vacation to Munnar and am taking some Nasika Chooranam with me. I am also hoping that some locals in Munnar will share with me some of their grandmother’s secrets to keeping healthy and fit.

Nasika Chooranam is made from a mixture of the powders of amla, cumin, stem of a peacock feather, Terminalia chebula (Kadukkai in Tamil), mace, liquorice (glycyrrhiza glabra), a bit of tobacco and sandalwood. The powders are mixed with lime juice, tender coconut water, rose water, natural camphor, frankincense and musk. The prepared powder is fragrant and inhaling it immediately brings out most of the phlegm. Also, taking a few doses of Agasthya Rasayanam internally almost always drives away cold and cough. Try these before making a habit of taking antibiotics for simple colds and coughs.

Seeing me write this article, my future son-in-law shared some of the home remedies that they follow in Russia. For a cold, a favourite remedy is hot black tea with raspberry preserves. And while we inhale nochi leaves, they boil potatoes, throw out the water and put the hot boiled potatoes in a pot, cover themselves with a towel and inhale the steam that comes off the potatoes. They also gargle with warm water in which a few drops of eucalyptus oil or calendula extract is added. He was also saying that allopathic medicine has replaced home remedies and that he would find out more remedies from his grandmother. At 85, she is a fount of knowledge and hardly ever goes to the doctor. When she has a cold, she just has a few cloves of raw garlic and instills diluted onion juice for a stuffy nose.

The writer was earlier Health Secretary, Tamil Nadu,  and is currently Additional Chief Secretary, and  Chairman and MD, Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation. She can be reached at Sheelarani.arogyamantra@gmail.com.Earlier articles can be accessed at www.arogyamantra.blogspot.com