Beauty and Personal Grooming

Neem herbal tea , that boosts immunity and wards off viral & bacterial infections is the perfect beverage to be had during rainy season or for that matter during the flu season. It's a homemade herbal tea (also called as kashayam / kashaya)  made with neem leaves and some incredible spices. But before we go to the procedure of making this potent neem herbal tea or kadha , let's take a look at how the weather changes during rainy season can give rise to many ailments and diseases.

One ingredient homemade face masks - really? Yes, you can have a delightful, home spa experience with minimal ingredients - in fact with the usage of only 1 ingredient, a single ingredient from your kitchen pantry or your kitchen garden!

You relish eating hot, spicy food. But this time, your mouth is literally on fire from too much spice especially as the spicy dish that you are savoring is full of chili peppers & also flavored with garam masala . Your immediate reaction would be to gulp half a dozen of glasses of water to relieve that fire in your mouth.

Cashew apples had been growing abundantly in our garden during the months of March and April. And we had a great time eating these fruits either by cutting them in slices or in juice form .

What’s not to love about aloe vera? This miracle plant is not just good as a beauty product, but does wonders to your overall health as well! So much so, that even the ever-beautiful Cleopatra was not blind to its charms. It is said that the Egyptian queen used to apply aloe pulp to her face and body, which could be the secret behind her youthful and supple skin.

There are a lot of people who are clamouring for health supplements that will keep them healthy. But, there is no other health supplement better than the real one. Fruits and vegetables are the best natural health supplements and black radish is one such super food full of nutrients. Black radish has been known throughout the world as both food and medicine. In fact, it has been used since the ancient times as medicine and as home remedies for common ailments. Black radishes are sautéed or braised even stir-fried and mixed with other vegetables to prepare delectable dishes for consumption. So, what are the best health benefits of a black radish to the human body? Here are some of the top health benefits you get if you consume black radish.

We are all familiar with the golden yellow spice called turmeric ( haldi ), which is  used in everyday cooking by almost all families in India. It's for sure a  miracle healer from the kitchen. Turmeric is used in a wide variety of therapeutic preparations for both prevention and treatment of many ailments.The presence of an active substance called curcumin in turmeric imparts it with several medicinal properties. For instance, there is this Turmeric Milk / Turmeric Latte or the quintessential Haldi Doodh that is used as a remedy for sore throat , colds and coughs and is known to most people all over India. Turmeric milk is a highly potent beverage and its efficacy is unmatchable to OTC medicines for the same ailments.   Do check for more medicinal uses and home remedies with turmeric in this post. Turmeric, with its antiseptic and antibacterial properties is widely used in skin care, to treat acne , hyperpigmentation etc. Read all about it in Turmeric a...

Nature’s bounty provides us with a galaxy of things that we can use to beautify ourselves. For thousands of years, Indian women have been aware of this and have made the most of them for their beauty routines. Grandmother’s Pandora’s Box of beauty tricks consisted of many natural ingredients which are commonly available. While fruits, flowers and vegetables are often used in different beauty recipes, leaves are also invaluable as beauty aids . These include mostly leaves of mint, lemon, tulsi, henna, neem, drumsticks, lettuce etc.

Cornstarch , or cornflour (makkai ka atta) , is the starch of the maize grain, commonly known as corn. According to Dee Anna Glaser, MD, associate professor of dermatology at St. Louis University school of medicine, Cornstarch is one of the best home remedies to prevent irritated skin , as it relieves chafing by forming a protective absorbent layer between you and the outside world. With less friction, the irritation lessens when the skin rubs against itself or something else. Dr Glaser further says that you can also reduce the amount of moisture that normally develops over the course of a day by sprinkling odor-prone areas with cornstarch.

The coconut palm is often compared to "Kalpavriksha", the celestial wish-giving tree in Hindu mythology and why not! All the parts of the coconut tree can be put to some use or another. Coconut is a staple diet of the people of several countries in the world, though it's considered as exotic in the western world. Coconut oil, wrongly got the bad press for being an unhealthy oil but recent studies have shown that it's one of the healthiest oils. Coconut water, especially tender coconut water is one of the most healthiest, nutritious health drinks out there which is full of electrolytes. Being rich is potassium and  magnesium, two important electrolytes, this makes for an awesome after-workout energy drink. If you're vegan or lactose intolerant, you can use coconut milk as milk substitute. Even if you do eat dairy, you can add coconut milk in your recipes to enhance the taste as well to reap the health benefits. These are just a few uses of coconut that I have enum...

Malabar Spinach or Basella alba is one of the most common vegetables that is grown in kitchen gardens, especially in the coastal and Malanad regions of Karnataka. Called as " Basale Soppu " in Kannada, this is one of my favourite vegetables and makes me nostalgic as the very mention of this vine reminds me of my native place where it grew abundantly.

Coconut oil is one of the most utilitarian and advantageous substances that you can incorporate into your life! Due to its versatility, coconut oil can be integrated in many of your daily routines in a very health-friendly way. Here are five aspects of your life that can be benefited by it.

Activated charcoal (not the black stuff you’d use to fire up a barbeque by the way) seems to be a buzzword these days, and if you haven’t started reaping the benefits of carbon yet, this post will show you why you need to rethink the possibilities. Pic Credits: Wikipedia The fact that activated charcoal powder is widely used as a detoxifier and an antidote to poison, means that it has the ability to clean up your skin, but it can also work wonders when used in and around the home.

If you have recently embarked on the wheatgrass juice journey you sure will find its taste intense and not very palatable, to say it gently. I first found its taste very grassy, raw and overwhelming. But knowing its benefits can really help you to get over the taste factor sooner and motivate you to have that morning shot daily.

I always knew about the medicinal value of the wonder spice cinnamon and how it could be used as a home remedy for various ailments not to mention its various health benefits.It can be used in combination with sandalwood to treat acne , as a massage oil for painful joins in chikungunya , as an antidote while recovering from malaria -DIY remedies with this spice are too numerous to be listed.

Love for Quinoa, the gluten-free and nutrient dense alternative for wheat, has grown many folds in the recent past. Quinoa (say keen-wah), was deemed as the super crop and marked the year 2013 as the “International Year of Quinoa” due to high protein content and other health benefits. Though it has got the supercrop recognition only lately, it has been considered as the sacred food by Incans for centuries and was consumed especially by warriors for strength and nutrition.

Traditional dishes with banana stems have become rare these days. And it's good that many bloggers are keeping a record of these recipes by putting it up on their blogs. People living in cities and staying in multi-storeyed flats can hardly grow a banana plant in their vicinity. But people staying in  small towns and villages do grow them in their backyards. But even in these places, the preparation of such traditional dishes is fast disappearing as people these days are preferring to eat unhealthy packed and processed stuff.

Dates are an ancient natural product which every culture has been using from time immemorial.The actual place of origin of date is not known but its home has always been the Persian Gulf and the Baluchistan area. Dates are the one-seeded fruits of Phoneix dactylifera , a tree of the palm family. Though usually oblong, they vary much in shape, size, colour, quality and consistency of flesh according to the conditions of their culture. The date is extensively grown in Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Libya, Oman, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Yemen. Geographically, India, Pakistan and West Asia also figure in the date map, but they are not important from the production point of view.

Carrot is a bright orange, crunchy vegetable that is extremely popular and abundant. Whether you like it or not, you cannot ignore this superfood that is full of healthy nutrients. It is said that it's best for health when eaten raw. However if you want to cook carrots, the the healthiest way is by steaming. Carrots can be taken either whole, sliced or grated in a salad. If the carrots are organic, the skin should not be scraped off but should be thoroughly cleaned, as its mineral contents are very close to the skin. Also do not discard the leaves of this vegetable - they are highly nutritious and health-building.

Long time back, I had blogged about the enormous health benefits and medicinal uses of drumstick or Moringa Oleifera. You can read about this in the posts Drumsticks for Health and Medicinal Uses and Home-Remedies with Drumstick leaves . Interestingly, this versatile plant has many cosmetic benefits to its credit as well. Now, I’m not at all mentioning about the use of moringa oil or moringa extracts in cosmetic products. I’m just sharing some homemade organic beauty and skin care recipes that you can prepare from the cozy comforts of your home without making a dent in your pocket. And this is all the more easy for you if you have a drumstick tree in your backyard or vicinity. You can then make use of its leaves, roots and bark to prepare DIY face packs, hair packs, skincare oils and the works. Read on to find out more…