Ginger To Prevent Menstrual Cramps

My latest natural remedy to relieve menstrual cramps is ginger powder.  I mix 1 teaspoon of pure Bentong ginger powder with 1/2 cube of ginger brown sugar to about 300ml of warm water.  This ginger tonic is not only aromatic but very soothing.  I drink it 2-3 times a day on the first two days of my Aunt Flow when I experience cramps. On non-menstruation days, I drink this tonic once a day.




Ginger has been effective in relieving inflammation and pain, and it can help alleviate the pain associated with menstrual cramps. Ginger also is used for nausea and an upset stomach, symptoms that sometimes accompany menstruation. The University of Maryland Medical Center recommends taking ginger two to three times a day while you are experiencing menstrual cramps.




I bought the pure Bentong ginger powder from a TCM clinic and the ginger brown sugar cubes from an organic shop. If you are unable to get these from your area, you can  boil ginger roots with a little brown sugar.



Warning! 
Although ginger tea is generally considered safe, it does have a few side effects. Do not drink ginger tea if you have peptic ulcers, as it might worsen them. Using too much ginger might cause mouth irritation, heartburn and diarrhea. Avoid ginger if you have a bleeding disorder or are taking blood-thinning drugs. Talk to your doctor before taking ginger if you have gallstones.

Lemon Grass Tea

Ever since we found out the many wonders of lemon grass, we have been making our very own lemon grass concoction or tea. It's pretty simple. Just slice up the stalk of a bunch of lemon grass, boil a pot of water and pour the boiling water into a pot or a jug with the thinly sliced lemon grass stalks. Let the lemon grass steep in the hot water for about half an hour to an hour before drinking. You can drink it hot but it tastes better and really refreshing when chilled.



This is our lemon grass tea. We get our lemon grass supply from a friend who stays nearby who has lemon grass in abundance planted in his huge garden.

Check out my health blog to read more about the wonders of lemon grass.

Purple Flower Plant

Since I'd received requests from many mommies to have the picture of the purple flower plant taken, I went to the playground near my house early this morning to have the pic of the purple flower plant snapped.



Sorry, I don't know the scientific English name of this plant and I'm not sure if this plant grows in any other country besides tropical countries. You can do a google search to find out more about this plant.

I was advised that the leaves of the plant can also be boiled and I normally put in 2 blades of leaves to boil together with barley for Alycia and Sherilyn to drink. Another benefit of drinking water boiled from the flowers and leaves of this plant is that it alleviates constipation. It works for me and my 2 gals in relieving constipation. In fact you will have a real smooth 'business' after consuming this drink and it doesn't cause any tummy discomfort.

*Disclaimer - this is not intended to be a medical advice*

Purple Flower, A Natural Anti-Oxidant & Remedy

I had promised earlier that I will blog about this 'Phong Far' (as the chinese call it in cantonese), a flower with purplish, greenish petals and tiny white flowers inside the bud. This flower has been known for a long time to be a natural anti-oxidant and remedy for various ailments and diseases. The leaves are pointy and long and also purplish and greenish in colour.

My late maternal grandma used to boil the flower with either pork or raw yellow sugar whenever my youngest brother had eczema decades ago. My mum is now drinking this purple flower water boiled with raw yellow sugar to treat her goitre and fibroids.

When I went for my pap-smear and annual medical check-up a few months ago, my gynae had detected a very tiny fibroid of apprx 1cm in size in my uterus when he did a trans-vaginal ultrasound scan. Naturally, I was alarmed and stunned. My gynae was however very blase about it and said I don't need to take any action and said that fibroids are prevalent among women (1 in 5 women has it) and normally would not turn malignant.

Some time last year, when my mum went for her routine medical check-up, her gynae had also detected a fibroid in her uterus. My mum's friends then advised her to boil 'phong far' with raw yellow sugar to shrink the cyst. Miraculously after months of consuming the 'phong far' water, the ultrasound scans showed that the cyst had vanished. My mum's friends who had cysts in various parts of their internal body also drank this flower water and swear by the miraculous healing properties. One of my mum's friend's surgeon also recommended this flower water to his patients with cysts.
I plucked these flowers from a bush next to a playground near my house.

I add 1 tablespoon of raw yellow sugar to approximately 4 cups of water.

Put the flowers and yellow sugar into a pot of water and boil for approximately 1 hour.

Washing the flowers is quite a onerous task as I have to open up the petals of each flower and wash out the soil and dirt under running water. It takes me half an hour to wash 2 handfuls of flowers.

The 'phong far' drink. It has a sweet fragrant flowery taste.

I have been boiling 'phong far' with raw yellow sugar for myself, Alycia (for her eczema) and Sherilyn for her swollen lymph nodes for the last 2 months and have so far consumed it more than 20 times. Sherilyn has no problem drinking it, in fact she LOVES it. A few days ago, when I touched the lump below Sherilyn's jaw, it had reduced in size and not so tender anymore.

* Disclaimer : this is not intended to be a medical advice*

Drug-Free Relief For Constipation

Every now and then, I'd suffer from constipation. I've got a handful of real handy tips from my 'Alternative Cures' book by Reader's Digest which I'd like to share. Here're a few drug-free alternatives, as recommended in the book, tried & tested by myself:

1. Mixing 1 tbs of psyllium husk in a glass of water on an empty stomach. I do that on most mornings. You can easily get psyllium husk from pharmacies or organic shops, they are not very expensive.

2. Getting a daily minimum of 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, 3 servings of whole-grain foods and 1 serving of beans. I normally eat almonds, pumpkin & sunflower seeds, lots of fruits and vege. I also make my own multi-grain and seeds bread every week.

3. Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of plain water a day. I drink way more than that.

4. Squeeze the juice of lemon into an 8-ounce glass of warm or hot water and drinking it first thing in the morning to help stimulate a bowel movement.

5. At least 30 mins of exercise daily.

6. Maintaining a regular routine & consistent time for elimination.

7. Break up the jam with colon massage. This is one new found method which really works for me. I do it almost everyday to break up the jam.
Method:
Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent.

Beginning in the abdominal area on the right side just above your hip, use the fingertips of both hands to press as deeply as is comfy, then move your fingertips in a circular, massaging motion.

Continue upward just below your ribs. Then using the same pressing, circular motion, move across your abcomen just above your belly button. Continue to massage down to your left hip.

The book recommends doing the massage for 5 - 20 mins a day.

If there is bowel in your intestines, you can actually feel something hard inside while doing the massage. Normally when I can already feel them, within 5 - 10 mins, the bowel will get eliminated smoothly,without any pain or discomfort.

Natural Remedy For Flu And Throat Infection

During my recent bout of flu and throat infection, infected to me by my 2 little gals and DH, I've decided that I will cure myself naturally and vowed not to take antibiotics again, if necessary, coz antibiotics destroy all the bacteria in my body, whether good or bad bacteria and each time I'd taken antibiotics, I'd develop Vaginal Yeast Infection, something which I really really hate. So I surfed the net to find the best remedy for my ailment and pored thru my Natural Remedy book by Readers' Digest. The result? I was completely cured WITHOUT having to visit the dr., yay! Here's what I ate :

1. Popped garlic pills 2-3 times a day.

2. Popped Echinacea pills 2 times a day.

3. Drank raw Manuka honey. Method - either mix it with lemon juice or swallow a teaspoon of the honey without any water. Do not drink water thereafter for at least 15 minutes. Manuka honey is well-known for its antibacterial properties.

4. Popped probiotics pills.

5. Drank Redoxon Zinc + Vit C effervescent

6. Popped Vit ACE

7. To alleviate pain in throat, sucked Difflam anti-inflammatory & anti-bacterial lozenges. This really helped to alleviate the pain in the throat for a few hours but I had to bear with the side effect of a slightly numb tongue.

7. Popped Nurofen caplet to reduce fever & alleviate flu symptoms.

8. Gargle salt water throughout the day.

9. Asked maid to cook me 'Sick People Soup'. Check out recipe here.

Well, this concoction worked for me. Hope it will also work for whoever who is keen to try it.

Disclaimer : This article is not intended to be a medical advice. It is purely based on my own experience.