Cloves in Ancient Remedies
Ancient Indian, Chinese, and Tibetan medicine used cloves extensively. However, they were not encouraged in the summer, because they are considered to be of a warm nature. However, they are used extensively in the winter in herbal teas and to prevent coughs and colds. That is why people suffering or who are genetically more prone to autoimmune diseases are not advised to eat cloves.
Cloves as Insect Repellent
This comes in the category of grandma’s natural remedies, because the clove has been used since centuries for repelling insects, including ants. That is because of the powerful aroma of the clove oil. So if you want to get rid of ants, in your kitchen, just place a couple of crushed cloves on a lid in the area, which shows plenty of ant activity. This is soon going to make all the ants disappear from that particular area.
You may also want to powder some cloves and place them in small cloth bundles. Hang these cloth bundles in your cupboards or place them in any place where you find silverfish, moths and other insects moving around. There, you have got rid of them without any resort to pesticides which are going to be potentially harmful to you and your family.
Suffering from Diarrhea?
Digestive problems are often caused by eating too much or too rich food.
Take two drops of clove oil in half a teaspoonful of honey. Drink this twice a day, if you are suffering from diarrhea. Drink this only once, a day, if you are suffering from indigestion.
So cloves in different proportions can heal two different ailments. In the same way, indigestion can also be cured by drinking two ground cloves in a glass full of warm water.
Not Feeling Hungry?
Stress and tension can cause a loss of appetite.
You may find you losing your appetite due to many reasons, including stress, strain, tension, or if you are recuperating from an illness.
Make up a mixture of grinding 3 g each of dried ginger, rock salt, bishops weed and clove together. 3 g is half a teaspoon. Take half a teaspoon of this yummy appetizer, twice a day and you are soon going to find yourself regaining your appetite. This is because the cloves have woken up your digestive system and the ginger has helped to cure any possible potential infections in your tummy.
In the same way, if you are suffering from weakness, brought about by fever, just add two cloves to the drinking water, which you drink. This water needs to be boiled to prevent any other infections and the cloves are going to help heal you.
When I was living in the South of India as a child, this same ancient tradition of boiling water with some spice in it – cumin in this case – was practiced extensively, and that was the water, which was drunk throughout the day by all the members of the family.
Many of the families had traditional copper, and even silver drinking utensils. But then, South India has always been the land of ancient tradition going down millenniums and because it was not often subjected to invasions by mid Asian invaders, it managed to keep its riches, traditions, rituals, practices, and customs mostly intact, coming down the ages.
The matriarch of the family used to get up early in the morning and while the younger females prepared the breakfast, ground coffee for the family, the eldest lady used to boil water with roasted powdered cumin seeds, and then place them into different water containers throughout the house.
So you could not go anywhere without easy access to some water source. So, what a nice way to make sure that your family never suffers from dehydration and also make sure that all the containers were finished by nighttime.
In this way, children got used to drinking water throughout the day, and often. I never found any of those children suffering from toxic problems, either as children are as adults because their systems were well hydrated with antiseptic water. So whether you use cloves, or you use cumin, add these spices to your drinking water and keep healthy.
Also, clove water is effective to get rid of worms in your tummy.
Chest Congestion
Roast three cloves on the griddle, and powder them. Now take this powder with half a teaspoon of honey before you go to sleep. This is going to help relieve chest congestion, and also help in curing potential just problems.
Throat Infections
You do not need to suffer from a stuffy nose and a throat infection, if you have cloves around.
I found that two roasted cloves kept in your mouth throughout the day not only kept your mouth and breath fresh, but it also helped produce enough of moisture and clove oil to eliminate nasty phlegm, and any irritation in your throat. Try it out. It is worth it. Especially in the winters.
Also, another tip. This was extremely efficacious when I found my throat getting hoarse after continuous talking for about 4 to 5 hours during training sessions. Also, it gave me a chance to keep quiet!
To make this even more palatable, I sprinkled the little bit of clove powder on honey and licked the spoon – cannot resist honey – before I popped the cloves into the gab box.
Ready for next talkathon session, within half an hour.
Healing Cuts and Bruises
I wonder why more people do not use this perfect combination to get rid of cuts , open wounds and bruises, without scarring? Turmeric is the necessary ingredient here, which is going to prevent scarring.
Clove – Cinnamon Ointment
Make up my natural ointment right now and put it in your healing closet.
- Half a cup of coconut oil.
- Half a cup of wheat germ/olive oil/almond oil. [All these oils are extremely amazingly good healing agents.]
- ¼ cup beeswax. 4 tablespoons turmeric powder.
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder.
- Half teaspoon cinnamon powder.
- Four teaspoons cloves powder.
Take a double boiler, and place the oils, as well as the beeswax in the inner container. Now place water in the outer container. Stir constantly and heat on slow heat until the wax melts, and the oil begins to give you an ointment like consistency. Now add all the spices. Stir until they are thoroughly mixed.
You may want to thicken the ointment. Add more wax. For thinning, add more oil. For more power, add more cinnamon and cloves.
Place in a glass jar and the next time you find yourself suffering from cuts, just apply a little bit of this ointment after cleaning that hurt area thoroughly.
Turmeric prevents that area from scarring after it has been healed.
Okay, let me admit it. I could not resist putting in a teaspoonful of honey in the last batch I made. Well, it has been in use for the past six months, and my skin is totally scar free. Even though I keep scratching and hurting it ever so often during my rather gawky accident prone existence.
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