Bazaar Drugs
Everybody’s Home Doctor
by Swami Sivananda
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Paperback: 128 + xv pages
ISBN: 81-7052-054-1
Book Dimensions: 7.0 x 5.0 x 0.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 120 grams
Table of Contents
| Publishers’ Note | iv |
| Prayers | v |
| Mantra for Good Digestion | vi |
| Vedantic Formula for Health | vii |
| Home Remedies Chest | viii |
| Introduction | ix |
|
Chapter I |
3 |
|
Chapter II |
9 |
|
Chapter III |
13 |
|
Chapter IV |
20 |
|
Chapter V |
31 |
|
Chapter VI |
34 |
|
Chapter VII |
37 |
|
Chapter VIII |
50 |
|
Chapter IX |
58 |
|
Chapter X |
|
| Nature’s Healing Power | 69 |
| Observe Health Laws | 70 |
| Practise Dietetic Rules | 72 |
| Nature, the Best Guide | 73 |
| Vitamins | 74 |
| Fruits and Vegetables | 75 |
| Oils | 77 |
| Drinks | 79 |
| Tonic for Children | 80 |
| Diet in Disease | 80 |
| Foods to be Avoided | 81 |
| Prevention Is Better Than Cure | 82 |
| Care of the Eyes | 83 |
| Care of the Kitchen | 83 |
| Remedial Measures | 84 |
| Constipation | 85 |
| Cholera | 85 |
| Malaria | 87 |
| Typhoid | 88 |
| To Pregnant Women | 89 |
| Treatment of Diseases | 89 |
|
Appendix A |
94 |
|
Appendix B |
100 |
|
Appendix C |
110 |
|
Appendix D |
113 |
PUBLISHERS’ NOTE
Patent drugs were heavily guarded by trade secrets; and the “Grandmother’s remedies” were denied the wings of publicity. The Common Man, the Poor Man, had access to neither. Therefore, he had to pay a heavy penalty in the form of money (if he purchased the costly patent drugs) or of his own life, often, if he could not afford the expenditure.
From the very early days of his service to humanity, as a doctor, Sri Swami Sivananda (then Dr. Kuppuswami) had a burning passion to make available to all, the trade secrets of the few. As the Editor of “Ambrosia” in those days, he would publish cheap household remedies, easy, simple and cheap remedies for common ailments; and thus brought healing to all.
After renouncing the world, embracing Sannyasa and rising by the acquisition of Self-knowledge to be a World Teacher, Swami Sivanandaji has revealed the humanitarian trait in all fields of knowledge—all secrets he has revealed, and he has placed within the reach of all the highest truths of Yoga and Vedanta. Never has he neglected to take the human body into account; and his books on health and healing are as popular as his works on Yoga and Vedanta. The present one bringing, as it does, health and healing to the very kitchen of every man, would, we are certain, be welcomed by all.
–THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY
PRAYERS
Repeat the following two Slokas before taking any medicine; and the medicine will acquire the healing power of the Lord’s Grace.
Sareere Jarjareebhute Vyaadhigraste Kalevare;
Aushadam Jahnavi Toyam Vaidyo Narayano Harih.
When the body is in the grip of disease and old age, Ganga-water is the medicine and Lord Narayana, the doctor.
Achyutananta Govinda Namochchaarana Bheshajaat;
Nasyanti Sakalaa Rogaah Satyam Satyam Vadaamyaham
I declare this as a great truth: by the great remedy of repeating “Achyuta, Ananta and Govinda” all diseases perish.
MANTRA FOR GOOD DIGESTION
After taking food, move the palms of the hand on the stomach and repeat the Mantra given below:
Agastyam Kumbhaharnamcha
Sanimcha Badavanalam;
Bhojanam Pachanarthaya
Smaredbheemamcha Panchamam.
One should well remember for the purpose of digesting the food the following five persons: Agastya, Kumbhakarna, Shani, Badavanala and Bhima.
VEDANTIC FORMULA FOR HEALTH
| Anamayoham Advaitoham | |
| I am diseaseless and non-dual Brahman. | |
| Deho naham, Jeevo Na-aham | |
| Pratyag-abhinna Brahmaivaaham. | |
| I am not this body; this body is not mine. | |
| I am all-pervading Brahman. | |
| I am Avinasi Brahman | Om Om Om |
| I am indestructible Atman | Om Om Om |
| I am deathless Brahman | Om Om Om |
| I am Anamaya Atman | Om Om Om |
| I am diseaseless Atman | Om Om Om |
| Soham Sivoham | Om Om Om |
| Satchidananda Svarupoham | Om Om Om |
| I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss |
Om Om Om |
HOME REMEDIES CHEST
(Chief drugs used. Ready-made packets to be kept)
(Vide chapter II)
1. AJOWAN
2. AMLA
3. BLACK PEPPER
4. BLACK SUGAR (Purana Gud)
5. BORAX
6. CAMPHOR
7. CARDAMOM
8. COMMON SALT
9. FRESH GINGER
10. COW’S GHEE
11. HING (Asafoetida)
12. HONEY
13. HARAD
14. JIRA (Cumin seeds)
15. LONG PEPPER
16. LEMON
17. COW’S MILK
18. MUSTARD OIL
19. NEEM
20. SUGAR
21. SUGARCANDY
22. SENDHA NIMAK (Rock Salt)
23. SONTH (Dried Ginger)
24. SONF (Anise)
25. TURMERIC
26. TULASI
INTRODUCTION
Everyone should possess an elementary knowledge of the “Bazaar Drugs.” Even an elementary knowledge of the “Bazaar Drugs” will go a long way in alleviating human suffering and saving valuable lives. All cannot afford to pay the doctor’s bill and purchase costly patent medicines. The results achieved by “Chamberlains Cough Remedy” or “Venos Lightning Cough Cure” can be very easily obtained by a decoction of the vegetable Ladies Finger at the cost of a few cents, or a lozenge made out of black pepper, sugarcandy, liquorice and honey.
Nothing can equal the ‘Bazaar Drugs’ in helping the layman to become his own doctor. The recipes given herein are very cheap preparations from the pecuniary view-point; but they are the most efficacious ones from the health-point. What one hopes to get by spending very many rupees from the bottled goods available with Chemists and Druggists, one can easily get more than that by mixing a few articles commonly used in the kitchen and that too within a short time.
This book, a portion of which originally appeared in the journal ‘Health and Long Life’ published by the Divine Life Society, supplies a handy list of over two hundred very useful, practical, potent prescriptions made out of the articles which are commonly used in the kitchen. They are very good prescriptions for any illness—from a slight headache to severe typhoid.
The digestive powders and drinks can be used by all daily. Other recipes can be kept ready in stock for emergency use. Long keeping of these preparations will not spoil them. The appendix to the book will give you a list of more commonly used articles in this book. You can maintain a home ready box containing those precious ones. Even if you don’t keep them, they are readily available with your provision stores. A few rupees will give you the best cure if intelligently spent in these recipes.
In places where there are no dispensaries, “Bazaar Drugs” will come to your help, and guide you like an able Family Physician.
Prakriti or Mother Nature has been very, very kind and beneficent. She has placed valuable potent herbs and plants at your backyard, immediate neighbourhood and garden. Make use of these herbs and be healthy and strong.
Equip your household, domestic, medicine chest with preparations like dysentery powder, diarrhoea powder, cough lozenges, constipation powder, pills, etc. Your whole family will be immensely benefited.
Rural dispensaries can give you a great deal of medical relief at a very little cost, if “Household Remedies” or Bazaar medicines are intelligently, judiciously and largely used.
In the Medical Schools and Colleges in India, Europe and America, the students should get a knowledge of Indian plants, herbs and drugs during their course of study of Materia Medica. There is great potency or potentiality in Indian herbs and plants. Many plants have very great therapeutic value.
Many Ayurvedic Pharmacies are already manufacturing a variety of valuable preparations out of Indian herbs and Plants. Still big manufacturing and pharmaceutic chemists are needed in India and the whole world at large who can make and standardise preparations and put them on the market.
Free India should start now many Ayurvedic laboratories in different parts of India to manufacture various Ayurvedic preparations and send them to different parts of the world and should have Ayurvedic conquest. Ayurveda will surely have triumph over other systems of medicine as the preparations are very potent, cheap and produce lasting effect and permanent cure.
A doctor should have a very large Vedantic heart and broad tolerance. He should see good in every system of medicine. He should welcome the good from each system and utilise it in the treatment of his patients. Every individual has a peculiar temperament. Allopathic drug that suits one temperament will not be suitable to another person. Homeopathy suits X, Allopathy suits Y and Ayurveda suits Z. And as such a synthetic doctor can do more good to the patients by taking recourse to different systems. Every doctor should have a synthetic knowledge of all systems. Every doctor should have a perfect knowledge of the Indian plants and herbs and the Household Remedies or Indian Bazaar drugs.
In olden times Indian grandmothers had good knowledge of Household Remedies. They were good Family Physicians.
People have forgotten the intrinsic health value of these remedies. The grandma at the house has proved herself worthy of veneration by rearing the young ones on a healthy diet and sane health-principles—periodical purgatives with a decoction made of rose petals, ginger (dried), Munakka (grapes), Tippili, etc., twice-a-week oil baths attended by Svarasams, Omum water for daily drinking with some digestive Choornas for taking just after meals and very good digestive, liver-toning powders for mixing with rice along with our meal. These kept the people from diseases and made them ever-active and ever-energetic.
Today with the onslaught of Mayaic civilisation, conditions have totally changed. The grandma is no more regarded as your well-wisher and home-physician. No one listens to her advice when she says take this for headache or take that for indigestion, so on and so forth. People flock to the modern medical stores under the impression that ginger and pepper are good only to taste but have no medicinal properties. They shun these well-wishers. ‘Sweet-meats available at the bazaar do taste sweeter than the home-made ones’, is a child’s fancy. ‘The neighbour’s property is always tempting’, is the law of the world that is deluded by Maya. So too, injection tubes and tablets are more attractive than the homely drug-foods!
Present-day Indian women also should possess a knowledge of the herbs and plants. Then they can attend well to the health of their families.
It is hoped that this handy book will be of great help to the householders, rural doctors and the general practitioners as well.
Glory to the Ayurvedic Rishis of India like Charaka, Sushruta, Dhanvantri and others!
Swami Sivananda