Evolved over thousands of years, some of the ancient Ayurveda therapies and practices have become acknowledged and widely used in the modern age. Others remained relatively unknown.
Sophisticated and powerful mind-body health system, Ayurveda has a lot to offer — a few things to make you smile included. Without further ado, we are introducing the top 5 strangest ayurvedic home remedies out there — and an explanation of why each of them makes more sense than it seems at first.
1. Oils for oily skin
Applying castor and jojoba oil at the problematic, too oily, too dry or acne-prone skin is one of the most widely used ayurvedic beauty tricks. And, when it comes to oily or acne-prone skin care, oils without a doubt sound quite controversial. But prepare to be surprised!
Castor oil is great in treating dry skin complaints and inflammatory conditions because of its strong moisturizing, detoxifying, and nourishing effects. That is exactly the reason why castor oil is a common ingredient in natural soaps, shampoos and skin care products.
Jojoba oil may actually work wonders for both dry and oily skin types. For the oily skin, jojoba oil can be used to decrease the production of oil: it is so similar in structure to our natural skin sebum that it can mimic it, which makes the pores produce less oil as they are saturated with oil already. For those whose skin is more on the dry side, jojoba oil can make a great moisturizer for the same reason: it is the most molecularly similar thing to the sebum your own pores underproduce.
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To make your skin smooth and supple, try massaging problematic skin areas with castor or jojoba oil, depending on your skin’s needs. Massaging the skin with the blend of these two oils can have a revitalizing and revivifying effect.
2. Sitting to burn fat
Yes, you read that right: sitting immediately after having a meal helps in weight loss and burning belly fat… as long as you sit in Vajrasana yoga pose! Practicing Vajrasana for 15-20 minutes every day after dinner (or any other meal) is said to be effective for burning belly fat and maintaining slim, good-looking body with a steady and firm back posture. By the by, to learn another 20 weight loss tricks from all around the world, don’t miss this article!
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3. Pouring salted water into your nose (a.k.a. Neti pot nasal irrigations)
Nasal saline irrigation is a peculiar procedure of pouring salted water into your nose using a small clay pot. The process takes nothing but the said clay neti pot, gravity, and perhaps some practice. The result?
Decreased symptoms of seasonal allergies, soothed sinuses inflammation, prevention of sinus infection — list goes on. Funny as it sounds at first, nasal wash seems to be a great way to promote good sinus and nasal health.
4. Almond oil as nasal drops
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In Ayurveda, pouring a little almond oil in your nostrils before going to bed is considered to be one of the easiest ways to cure headaches and ensure deep, quality sleep. There’s not enough scientific evidence to either confirm or deny the effectiveness of this method, but according to those people who tried it, pouring 2-3 drops of pure almond oil in both nostrils right before bed helps them to:
- Relieve headaches and migraines;
- Grease the nostrils and air pipe;
- Have deeper and calmer sleep.
5. Talking less for better health
According to Ayurveda, excessive, irrelevant talking and social activities are a common cause of Vata imbalance. Vata is the energetic force in the body that is responsible for all physical and mental movement. It is considered to control the processes such as blood flow and breathing as well as the movement of thoughts and emotions across our minds. Excessive talking causes Vata disbalance which, in turn, leads to exhausted body and mental strength.
Sounds a bit overstretched, doesn’t it? Well, this hypothesis had been recently backed by modern psychologists who introduced the term “co-rumination“, which essentially means talking too much about the events which have been already discussed. This kind of excessive talking was admitted to cause anxiety, stress and depression.
Not So Weird After All!
Rooted in the Indian subcontinent, Ayurvedic tradition may sometimes seem controversial to the Western minds. Nevertheless, some of the modernized practices derived from Ayurveda traditions have proven to be more than effective (this said, please do consult your doctor before trying anything you’re not sure about).
We hope that this list of peculiar (yet effective) Ayurvedic remedies had inspired and entertained you. Make sure to bookmark and share this article as some of these tips may actually help you or someone you know — and if nothing else, they make a great conversation starter!
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