Treatment of allergy in Ayurveda is not just confined to medicines, diet and exercise but other measures are also involved. This difference in the approach to the disease is due to the difference in the concept of the disease. In Ayurveda, it is believed that any disease is due to imbalance in the doshas, i.e., one or more doshas may increase or decrease.
Allergy is commonly believed to be due to increase in Vata dosha. In some individuals, depending on their inherent nature, there may be an increase in Pitta or Kapha doshas. Thus, the principle of treatment in Ayurveda is to bring about a balance in the three doshas.
For the sake of convenience, Ayurvedic treatment of allergy is divided into treatment of dust allergy, food allergy and skin allergy.
Ayurvedic Treatment of Dust Allergy
This is classified into two categories:-
□ Treatment using Home Remedies
□ Treatment using Classical Ayurvedic Medicines
Home Remedies
□ Black tea prepared with black pepper powder, dry ginger powder and rulsi leaves. This tea can be taken3-4 times a day to get relief from runny nose, headache and sore throat.
□ Two grams of pure home-made turmeric powder well mixed in a cup of warm milk, taken twice a day effectively checks the cough. This should be continued for 15 days.
□ 5ml of fresh tulsi juice well mixed in 10ml of pure honey, taken twice a day, calms down cough in children and adults.
□ In chronic coughs, crush 1 or 2 garlic cloves, add to a glass of milk, boil the milk till % glass of milk remains, then filter it, add a little bit of sugar if desired, and divide it into two parts. Take one part in the morning and another in the evening. Do it for a week. There will be remarkable improvement. However, patients suffering from acidity should not use it, since it may aggravate the acidity.
□ Similarly, onion juice can also be used. 5ml of fresh onion juice well mixed with 10ml of pure honey should be taken twice a day for 10 days.
□ Steam inhalation of turmeric in water is very good for controlling cough.
□ Take 1 teaspoon of besan (gram flour), roast it with 1 teaspoon of pure ghee. Add a cup of milk and 4-5 badams. Boil it for 2-3 minutes. It should be taken at bedtime. Water should not be taken after it.
□ The juice of one clove of garlic (after removing the outer layer) is mixed with a tsp of honey and taken twice a day, to dilate the contracted bronchial tubes and dissolve mucus in the sinuses, bronchial tubes and lungs. Garlic foot bath is used by some French herbalists. A hot dish of garlic soup at bedtime is also soothing. Patients of ulcers and bleeding disorders should abstain from the above remedy.
□ 1/2 tsp of hing (asafoetida), 50ml of sesame oil and a pinch of camphor are mixed and applied on the chest to relieve congestion and uneasiness.
□ 1 tspful each of green ginger juice, betel leaf juice and juice of one clove of garlic are mixed and taken thrice a day, 1 tsp each time.
□ Some camphor (karpur) and hing (asafoetida) are mixed well and pills of pea size are made. 1-2 pills taken with some hot water, 3-4 times a day, give relief.
□ Pipal, amla and sonth taken in equal quantities crushed in the form of churana and taken with honey, mishri (sugar candy) and ghee give good results in mild attacks of asthma.
□ Gur mixed with equal quantity of mustard oil taken for 21 days gives almost permanent relief from asthma.
□ The powder of pipal taken along with sendha namak (rock salt) and mixed with the juice of ginger gives results in 7 days.
□ Yoghurt inhibits production of histamine which produces symptoms of allergy. Goat milk yoghurt is best and should be preferably taken in the afternoon.
□ Grape juice gives lot of energy, eliminates mucus and phlegm and cleans the blood toxins.
□ Cranberries contain natural citric, malic and benzoic acids which act as intestinal antiseptics and facilitate digestion. They also contain a bronchial antispasmodic which dilates bronchial tubes. Cranberries may be cooked and mashed and taken with warm water or as juice.
□ About 3-4 tablespoons of cooked asparagus may be taken twice daily or diluted with water to make a cold or hot drink.
□ A cup of thyme (ajwain) tea with lemon and sugar helps in removing phlegm of the lungs in Bronchial Asthma. Herbal teas containing sage, comfrey, chamomile, eucalyptus leaves and garlic are useful in asthma.
□ Jushanda is a popular remedy for Bronchitis. Take 1 teaspoon of this powder, add to it a cup of water. Boil it till half of it remains. Add some sugar or honey and take it at bedtime and in the morning before breakfast.
Classical Ayurvedic Medicines
□ If amla is not available, its readymade preparation Amalaki rasayana in powder form is available in Ayurvedic stores. Take 3 grams of the powder along with warm milk twice a day.
□ Sitopaladi choorna— a classical Ayurvedic preparation available in the stores, is a common drug. About 3-5 grams of this powder, mixed in 5ml of pure honey, should be taken twice or thrice a day. It works well for adults as well as children.
□ Lavangadi Vati — one tablet thrice a day should be chewed. It controls throat irritation and cough rapidly. One can carry this while travelling.
□ Kaph-ketu Ras – is another good preparation taken in the dose of 1-2 pills thrice daily with warm water.
□ Talisadi choorna, 5gms + Kapardika bhasma, lgm -should be given twice a day for 15 days.
□ Tribhuvan kirti Ras – is the drug of choice for flu in the dose of 1-2 tablets crushed and mixed with honey taken 3-4 times daily.
□ Agastya rasayana – is usually given to people who are asthmatics with constipation, sneezing, blocking of nostrils and congestion of throat.
□ Maha Laxmi Vilas Ras — 1 tablet twice a day with Triphala quatha is a good remedy for sinusitis.
□ Chitraka hareetaki – available in lehya form is a proven remedy. 2 teaspoons of this medicine should be mixed in a glass of warm milk, and taken twice a day.
□ Laxmi Vilas Ras (Nardia) – 1 tablet thrice daily for the same period.
□ Shad Bindu Tail — can be used for inhalation, 1 to 2 drops twice a day.
□ Talisadi churan — taken V2 to 1 teaspoon along with honey and ginger juice gives relief in a day or two. The doses can be taken thrice a day.
□ Khadiravati – should be kept in the mouth and sucked slowly. This gives relief in bronchitis associated with congested throat. 4-6 pills can be sucked over a day.
□ Vasarishta – is a liquid taken 15ml in 15ml of water, twice a day after meals.
□ Haridara khand – 5gm of it mixed with a cup of warm milk taken at bed time proves effective for dust allergy.
Ayurvedic Treatment of Food Allergy
Home Remedies
□ A decoction of sandal (chandan) may be consumed thrice a day for relief from acidity due to food allergy.
□ Tender fruit pulp of coconut may be taken from time to time. Tender coconut water soothes gastric irritation.
□ About 200 to 500 ml of cold milk taken in sips during the day and at bedtime proves very beneficial in controlling acidity.
□ Cardamom (elaichi) is a highly useful home remedy for gas. 5 grams of its powder can be taken with water. Take 5 grams each of fried asafoetida, commonly known as hing (by frying in ghee, hing becomes pure), black salt (commonly known as kalanamak), cardamoms (elaichi) and dry ginger known as sonth. Make a fine powder, mix well and store in a clean bottle. V2 teaspoon of this powder can be given along with some lukewarm water 2-3 times a day, which instantly gives relief from gas.
□ Similarly, a mixture of 2 grams of ajmoda (celery seeds) and 1 gram saunph (aniseeds) and sugar (as required) is given in doses of V2 to 1 teaspoon with lukewarm water. This also gives prompt relief from gas problems.
□ Take 1 part of hing, 2 parts of vacha, 3 parts of kala namak, 4 parts of sonth, 5 parts of jeera, 6 parts of harar, 7 parts of pohkar mul and 8 parts of kuth and prepare a choorna. Take about 3-5 gm of this choorna twice or thrice daily with warm water for immediate relief from gas.
□ Amlaki – Botanically known as Emblica officinalis, Indian gooseberry is highly useful and the fresh juice extracted from the fruit along with some sugar, if consumed daily on empty stomach, works wonderfully in food allergy.
□ Certain plants which have astringent properties like patol patar, brahmi, aloe, etc., are also very useful.
□ The decoction of barley, pipal, parval along with honey can be taken for ulcers and acidity twice daily in the dose of 25 to 50ml.
□ The powder of harar (2.5gm to 5gm) mixed with honey and gur has proved very effective for controlling food allergy.
□ The decoction of dashmool taken in the quantity of 20ml mixed with 2.5gm powder of sonth taken twice daily gives immediate relief.
□ The powder of harar and pipal taken in equal parts with warm water proves effective.
□ Bel ki giri’s powder, 2.5-5gm taken twice or thrice a day is very useful in controlling diarrhoea.
□ The milk of goat boiled with equal quantity of water taken 20-50ml in divided doses gives relief in diarrhoea.
Classical Ayurvedic Medicines
□ Avipattikara choorna – is a good Ayurvedic remedy. About 3 grams of powder, well dissolved in 50ml of hot water, should be taken twice a day for 40 days.
□ Sutshekar Ras (simple) – 1 tablet thrice daily taken with water after meals controls acidity effectively.
□ Kamdudha Ras (with pearls) – is a drug of choice for acidity taken in the dose of 1 tablet thrice daily.
□ Hingvastaka Choorna – can be taken in a dose of 1 teaspoonful twice a day with hot water.
□ Hingutriguna Taila – if given on empty stomach relieves constipation. The dose is 2 teaspoons once a day on empty stomach with a cup of hot water. This sets in bowel movement.
□ Kumar Asava – an oral liquid, 20 ml with equal quantity of lukewarm water twice a day is also a good choice in gas problem.
□ Besides these, Leelavilas Ras, Chanderkala Ras, Amalpithantak Loh are other useful medicines.
□ Kutaj Ghan Vati — is very useful in diarrhoea. It should be taken as 1 tablet three times a day.
□ Sanjivini Vati – is also commonly used by Ayurvedic physicians. It controls indigestion, flatulence and diarrhoea. The doses are 1 pill 2-3 times a day.
□ Kutajarishta — 15ml mixed with equal quantity of water taken 2 times a day after meals can control diarrhoea due to food allergy.
Ayurvedic Treatment of Skin Allergy
Home Remedies
□ The affected part should be cleaned daily with warm water boiled with the bark of the neem tree. This simple measure prevents secondary infections, and itching.
□ The paste prepared from neem bark should be applied on the affected part and allowed to dry and then washed off.
□ Pure neem oil, in a dosage of 2-4 drops well mixed in a cup of warm milk with sugar should be taken daily for 40 days.
□ Doob grass, harar, sendha namak, chakbar and tulsi taken in equal quantities and crushed with kanji or buttermilk and applied on affected areas daily for 4-6 weeks gives good results.
□ Haridra – is a popular home remedy. The powder should be taken as xk tsp — twice daily with water.
□ Gairika (red ochre) — is another popularly used remedy in this condition. One tsp of it, mixed with honey taken three times a day, is beneficial for skin allergy.
Classical Ayurvedic Medicines
Home Remedies
A number of effective, soothing ointment/oils are available which are to be used under the supervision of an Ayurvedic physician, since these contain arsenic, mercury, suphur, etc.
□ Pancha Tikta Ghrita Guggul – A ghee-based pure herbal preparation – 2 teaspoonfuls well mixed in a cup of hot milk, should be taken on empty stomach, preferably in the early morning, followed by some warm water.
□ Khadirarista, an oral liquid in doses of 20ml well mixed with equal quantity of water, should be taken twice a day after meals.
□ For external application: Guduchyadi Taila – a medicated oil can be applied on the allergic patches as a primary drug.
□ Mahamarichayadi Taila – is very effective for external application.
□ Panchnimbadi Churan – Vi to 1 teaspoon twice daily taken with water after meals gives very good results in 15-20 days.
□ Sutsekhara Rasa (simple) – 1 tablet three times a day.
□ Kamdudha Ras – 1 tablet (of 125 mg) three times a day.
□ Haridra Khand – 1 teaspoonful mixed with warm cup of milk at bedtime.