A stitch In Time Saves Nine

There has been a sudden spurt of Dengue across many parts in India and i thought it better to share some useful information because i benefitted greatly from this timely help imparted to me by my friends and relatives.

First about dengue http://www.ayurprideindia.com/combating-dengue.html

Since there are no antiviral drugs to combat dengue and the body is allowed to recover on it's own, it is not always that everyone is blessed with a strong immune system. Thus when the blood platelets level drop continuously and fall below the 10.000 count,  the doctors at best can help by giving transfusion.

Thanks to my friend who called up at the hospital and apprised me with a timely antidote. She informed me about the Papaya leaf doing wonders for recovery. i just followed her advice as i did not have the time nor the inclination to do research on the healing properties of Papaya leaf. i knew it to be an important fruit having great properties whether eaten raw or as a ripe fruit. That sufficed.
So when i was at ease i searched the net and thanked my friend even more sincerely for sharing something that was spot on time, easy to procure and just too helpful when i was suffering with anxiety as i was told by the doctors that there are no antiviral drugs for dengue and that we just watch and wait for the body to recover on it's own.

My research on the various sites on the net confirmed that Papaya leaf juice does wonders not only on the speedy recovery when one is afflicted with Dengue but also other fevers like Chikanguniya. What proved to be an eye opener was a site that talked about scientists in the United States confirming the report that a compound found in Papaya tree was more powerful than the latest anti cancer drug.
There were many sites that talked about the curative powers of the Papaya leaf juice.
All except one which had doubts about the medicinal value of Papaya leaf juice in being an effective medication for dengue patients. Because according to the author by the time the patient starts taking the papaya leaf juice his/her body is already recovering as per the symptoms of the disease which has it's own cycle.
Nevertheless this is what i think.
i know of all parts of Papaya being beneficial and having healing properties. Right from the seeds to the leaves to the fruit, all parts have medicinal value. The enzyme in Papaya called Papain is found to be very effective in curing chronic indigestion and constipation.
i would like to share http://hubpages.com/hub/Cure-dengue  which explains and makes my job easier in trying to convey.

Another helpful and timely advice that i recieved from my brother-in-law was about this herb called Giloy or Guduchi. We might have seen it around us only thing that we are ignorant about it as we are ignorant about the so many herbs that exist and about their miraculous curative properties.
It is a creeper which looks more like a vine,  grows commonly and also has cluster of tiny berries which turn red when ripe. To see how it looks like i have images from the net which helped me identify this herb.

Now the extract from from this herb Giloy (Tinospora cardifolia) has been found to help by increasing the blood platelet count which drops to less than 10,000 in some cases for patients of Dengue. The fundamental here being that Giloy helps in boosting the body immune system. However many who have a strong immune system the situation of platelet counts dropping to a very critical level may not occur as the platelets start multiplying due to the body's own disease fighting mechanism. For the less fortunate the herb should help. That is if the person is free from allergies of any kind be it from Papaya or even others.  

http://www.morphemeremedies.com/tinospora.htm

http://www.ayurprideindia.com/combating-dengue.html

It may be difficult to go looking for this herb when someone in the family is down with this fever and needs constant attention. For the patient may become too weak to do normal things by himself/herself. Due to a temporary drop in the blood pressure level the person suffering from dengue finds normal tasks difficult. For example even for going to the toilet which is quite often because of all the hydrating fluids that are given constantly. Therefore it becomes imperative to be around to help and support the patient as and when it is required.

In such situations Ayurveda comes to the rescue by providing us with herbal drugs that help.

i suppose these drugs could be obtained from any ayurvedic store as now i am aware of drugs being manufactured by most ayurvedic medicine makers to combat not only dengue but even swine flu . Since i was informed about Baba Ramdev and Patanjali Chikitsalaya it was not that difficult for me to obtain these herbal drugs.  In Chennai itself i know of two such Chikitsalayas and one being very much familiar to me,  i contacted them.

It was heartening to know that  Patanjali Ckitisalaya of Baba Ramdev has come out with tablets made out of this herb and on consultation can be obtained from there along with the information about the correct amount of dosage to be registered. The tablet is called GILOY GHANVATI.

 Not only this there is yet another concoction made out of this herb and many other herbs that help the patient recover well from dengue and even swine flu. This herbal concoction known as Divya Giloy Kwath or Divya Giloy Sat is also the product of intensive research and can be obtained from Patanjali Ckitisalaya.

The wonder herb Giloy/Guduchi/Amrita which helps boost the body immune system can be grown in pots at home and i found a blog post by another blogger very enlightening as it educated me with why the herb is also known as AMRITA .

" it is useful in curing many many diseases....ranging from diabetes, arthritis, gout, high blood pressure, urinary infections , asthma, infection caused fevers and is also beneficial for detoxification, for skin infections and to promote general immunity..."

http://ayurvedaonmyplate.blogspot.com/2009/08/amrita-or-giloy-is-one-of-many-herbs-i.html

True it is,  what is said about happenings. Good or bad, one can choose either to be despondent or be receptive enough to grasp sound advice. Every situation whether favourable or unfavourable has in it's scope not only the experience of battling with the unfavourable situations but also gives us the opportunity to educate ourselves and shatter myths. A tryst with Dengue drew me towards close encounters of a newer kind. THE HERBAL KIND. 

Firstly about the Herbs that we don't even notice and worst may dismiss as weeds. They are there and yet there is so much that we are not familiar with apart from the fact that they provide the green cover and help us with oxygen. For lack of both interest and knowledge they remain as somethings to be yanked out and removed what to talk of preserving and nurturing them.

 Then about the fruit trees having an antidote for our diseases if only we knew that sometimes even the leaves have more powers than the fruit itself in certain dire conditions.

 Even now i feel that deep sense of gratitude for the information shared by my friend and my brother in law. But for them i would have just waited for my husband's immune system to fight back watching him helplessly as he grew weaker and weaker to even sit by himself. i would have had anxious moments like the relatives of another patient who was being registered blood transfusion for the second time as his platelet count had fallen below the 8,000 mark.

Instead i became busy first in procuring the leaf of papaya and then crushing and squeezing it to obtain that one tablespoon of the green elixir. i became busy coaxing him to have liquids like fruit juice, tender coconut water, buttermilk and milk at timely intervals to hydrate him. He had lost his appetite for food almost completely. i could have worried myself to sickness watching him eat just a couple of spoons of khichadi or unwillingly bite into half of an idly instead i got hopeful . 

Registering Giloy Ghanvati  twice a day as advised by Patanjali Chikitsalaya and further boiling the herbal Kwath in 4 cups of water till the water got reduced to just one cup. Straining the decoction then which resembled a darker version of green tea and coaxing my husband to gulp down the bitter medicine in one go. Of course keeping slices of orange in my hand to push it into his mouth to get rid of the aftertaste. i was fortunate enough as the markets in Chennai were flooded not with the local Nagpur oranges that are seasonal but with juicy Australian oranges. Just two needed for a glassful of pure orange juice. And just a slice to combat the sorry aftertaste of a bitter drink.

No i am not trying to give kudos to myself or trying to project my role as a dutiful wife, rather trying to convey that i was able to do what i did because i knew what to do thanks to my friend and family.

 Also thanks to Dengue that i have become more respectful of all the greens on the ground that i come across. For some that we may feel to be a weed may just be another herb. A herb that can provide relief and succor when there is nothing available to do so. In fact now i understand better what someone had said about weeds. i remember the Forest Officer now,  my sister's husband who has this intense dislike for calling anything that we know not as a WEED.

For he knew all this and more only that i understand his feelings more and respect his annoyance too. He knew enough to get irritated at such dismissals without knowledge. i understand his irritation now... for to a certain extent i know it too...that what we label as unwanted and worthless may not be so...

But a weed is simply a plant that wants to grow where people want something else.  In blaming nature, people mistake the culprit.  Weeds are people's idea, not nature's.  ~Author Unknown

and

What is a weed?  I have heard it said that there are sixty definitions.  For me, a weed is a plant out of place.  ~Donald Culross Peattie

and

What is a weed?  A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson, Fortune of the Republic, 1878


Image courtesy: http://www.google.co.in/images?q=giloy+herb&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=OZa8TJe3MoagvgPOsZnxDQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&ved=0CCgQsAQwAQ&biw=1024&bih=653