AS DENGUE THREATENS GUJARAT, AYURVEDA A POPULAR TREATMENT

Times of India (Ankur Tewari)
Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Tuesday, September 22, 2015

IIT-Gandhinagar student Minal Shah was petrified when her room-mate Sejal Tripathi was hospitalized with dengue fever this month. Since there is no specific vaccine or drug for the fatal disease, she took shelter in homemade remedies as a preventive measure.

Hers is not a lone case. With Aedes aegypti mosquito spreading dengue terror in the city, people have placed their hopes on alternative medicine — the ancient science of Ayurveda to protect themselves from the deadly bite.

Ayurveda experts are strongly endorsing the use of papaya juice, cow milk, desi ghee and neem to not only prevent dengue, but also H1N1 influenza.

Surprisingly, papaya leaves not only help prevent dengue, but also increase platelet counts. "The humble papaya leaf is a miracle panacea. I recommended its paste to several patients with less than 35,000 platelet count and it worked wonders," said Dr Dinesh Chandra Pandya, medical superintendent, Akhandanand Ayurvedic College.

He said: "Since nose is the route of all infections in the body, putting two drops of pure desi ghee in nose twice a day will guard you against all viruses."

Alpana Vasavada, a teacher in a private school, said: "My husband was diagnosed with dengue on September 5. I gave him the paste extracted from papaya leaves daily. This miraculously helped reduce the loss in platelet count."

Dr Pandya also recommended Sudarshan Ghanvati and Shamshamni Vati as an alternative treatment for dengue and swine flu. "Both are widely used for chronic fever. Patients have two tablets each of Sudarshan Ghanvati and Shamshamni Vati with warm water twice a day," he said.

Papaya tablets: Many pharmaceutical companies are selling papaya extracts in a tablet form to cash in on its popularity. A bottle of 15 tablets costs from Rs 300 to Rs 500.

Papaya paste: Devein the leaves of 'desi' papaya and use a mixer to make it into a thick paste. Remember not to mix water in it. Take 20ml (about four teaspoons) twice a day for at least a week on an empty stomach. Chymopapin and papin enzymes in the leaf not only guard you against dengue, but also help regenerate depleting platelet count.

Cow milk, dry ginger water: That cow milk helps bones grow strong is a common perception. But Ayurvedic experts claim that several enzymes found in this protein-rich milk can fight viral infections and dengue. After H1N1 or dengue, observe fast for at least two days and drink just dry ginger water for faster recovery.

Neem, Tulsi: Though bitter in taste, 11 leaves each of neem and tusli should be grounded and filtered. Consume 20ml twice a day. Even after recovery, this may be continued for another two days. Neem oil can also be mixed with coconut oil and rubbed on exposed body parts to ward off mosquitoes

Giloy (Guduchi):: It has a range of chemical constituents which are effective against different set of diseases. It is widely used in fever due to its anti inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties. Have at least 20ml on empty stomach twice a day.