Sunday, July 26, 2009

Herbal Water.

Herbal water is a remedy using three most commonly used herbs in an Indian household.


Jeera/Cumin
Cumin is stomachic, diuretic(increase in urine production), carminative(gas-relieving and gastrointestinal tract cramp-relieving agent)., stimulant, astringent, emmenagogic and antispasmodic. It is valuable in dyspepsia, diarrhoea and hoarseness, and relieves flatulence and colic, Cumin stimulates the appetite.

Saunf/ Fennel
Saunf is a carminative, diuretic and mild stimulant. Fennel is also thought to possess diuretic choleretic (increase in production of bile), pain-reducing, fever-reducing, and anti-microbial actions. The seeds are used as a flavoring agent in many herbal medicines, and to help disperse flatulence. The seeds, and roots, also help to open obstructions of the liver, spleen & gall bladder, and to ease painful swellings, in addition to helping with yellow jaundice, the gout and occasional cramps.

Ajwain/Ommum
Ajwain seeds contain an essential oil which is about 50% thymol which is a strong germicide, anti-spasmodic and fungicide.
It is used in a steeped liquid form against diarrhea and flatulence. In India the seeds are used as a household remedy for indigestion and colic.

Uses of herbal water-
You can use herbal water when your child has:

  • colic
  • Indigestion
  • Poor apetite
  • Flatulence
  • Diarrhea
  • Worms

You can introduce your baby to herbal water when he/she is 6months old. This is when we begin to introduce semi-solids. Since prevention is always better than cure, you can avoid many of the above symptoms that are normally seen at this stage. Giving herbal water on a regular basis as your child grows will certainly reduce your trips to the doctor and dependency on pills.


Here’s how you prepare it-

Ingredients

5 glasses of water
1tsp jeera/ cumin seeds
1tsp of saunf/ fennel seeds
1tsp of ajwain/ ommum seeds

Preparation-

  • Take a deep bottomed dish
  • Pour in the water and add all the herbs.
  • Boil this water down to 4 glasses. The seeds will settle at the bottom.
  • Strain and give your child at least 3 times a day.
  • Best taken slightly warm.

Tip:
An oft heard complain of parents is “my child does not drink sufficient water”. At times like these, prepare the herbal water using Fennel only. This gives a sweetish taste to the water along with the mentioned properties. The taste motivates the child to drink more. Try it out!

2 comments:

  1. I tried this out and my kid liked it.It has a mild sweet taste unlike normal jeera water.
    Thank you and looking forward for more of this kind of recipes:)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm glad you liked it Sajana. Do try out the other recipes as well and you can subscribe to mails, so that you can keep yourself updated with the latest.

    ReplyDelete