Best Ayurveda Therapies, Herbs & Home Remedies For Joint Pains And Arthritis
World Arthritis day is celebrated on October 12 mainly to raise awareness about arthritis and educate the general public as well as Arthritis patients about the steps that can be taken to ease it. It is understandable that Arthritis or joint pains which may grip the body at any age, mainly interferes with everyday living including the easily accomplished activities like moving, exercising and interacting with the environment around you. Not only at the physical level, the ailment of joint pains tends to impinge on the mental and emotional grounds. Therefore, it becomes significant that naturally safe and promising methods may be adopted that not only help to relieve from joint pains, but also (more importantly) help to keep the distressing ailment at bay.
Ayurveda Analysis of Joint Pains
- Ayurveda attributes development of pain and stiffness in the joints mainly due to imbalance and vitiation in the air body humor or the Vata dosha.
- Moreover, when the food we eat is not digested properly it causes ama (toxins) which circulates through the whole body and gets accumulated in the bones and joints.
- This causes inflammation of the joints or Arthritis.
Joint pains or Arthritis is further categorized into three main types –
- Osteo arthritis is regarded as Sandhigata vata,
- Rheumatoid arthritis is Aama vata
- and Gout or Gouty arthritis is referred to as Vata Rakta in Ayurveda text.
Ayurveda Arthritis Perception
Ayurveda, the science of life, deals with the holistic aspect and recommends proper care and avoidance of Vata promoting factors in diet and lifestyle (aahara & vihara). Also, it has been strongly suggested that the natural urges of the body viz. passing of flatus, burp, urination, stools, sleeping, yawning, sneezing etc should never be withheld as this causes imbalance in Vata dosha.
More Factors
There are a number of contributing factors to this disease.
- Regular intake of diet that is dry, cold or stale reasons vitiation of Vata in the body.
- Another contributing factor is erratic lifestyle which includes irregular sleeping habits.
- There is natural aggravation of Vata during old age which makes this ailment to be distressing for the elderly.
- Getting exposed to severe cold and dry weather further intensifies the ailment of joint pains.
- Undergoing of physical or accidental as well as mental trauma and anxiety for a long period of time imbalances Vata.
Ayurveda Home Remedies for Joint pains
- Oil massage of mustard oil (preferably previously warmed) is beneficial for the joint pains.
- A bag of sand is heated and can be used as hot compress over the painful and swollen joint.
- Massage of mustard oil provides strength and warmth to the joints and muscles of the body. It acts as a pain reliever in ailments like joint pains, acts as a rubefacient that relieves muscular pain and stiffness
- Camphor can also be added to the oil normally used for local massage of the affected joint e.g. mustard oil, sesame seed oil or any medicated oil. This could relieve the inflammation, swelling as well as pain.
- The leaves of Papaya are to be warmed and applied as a hot fomentation onto the affected joints or the seeds can be crushed and mixed into mustard oil for local massage.
Ayurveda Herbs Relieve Joint Pains
- Two to four cloves of garlic taken on empty stomach can prove useful.
- Small pieces of ginger are to be fried in cow’s ghee. Take a few of these with daily meals.
- Ayurveda herb of Alsi, Aloe vera and Giloy are recommended.
- Equal portions of saunf, ajawain and dana methi are to be crushed together and a pinch or two of the three are to be taken with warm water after meals.
- Ayurveda herbs of Erand and Guggul help in digestion of Ama and therefore also relieve pain and stiffness in the joints.
- Ginger is also used as a hot fomentation. For this purpose, a powder of dry ginger may be mixed into oil of sesame seeds and massaged into the joint.
- Powder prepared by pounding the dried fruit of Harad is to be taken in a dose of 3 to 5 grams along with warm water once or twice in a day’s time.
- Soak a few seed of the herb of Fenugreek (Methi) in a glass of water overnight. In the morning mash the same and take it mixed with a teaspoon of honey.
- Pound some seeds of the herb of Fenugreek and some dried ginger. Take a teaspoon each of both the powders mixed into some jaggery. This can be taken twice daily.
- Being slimy and hot, groundnuts cause a decrease in the Vata or the air body humor. A local massage of warmed groundnut oil proves helpful.
- Warm some sesame seed oil or mustard oil and mix into the same powders of the herbs of turmeric, garlic and camphor. This makes effective massage oil for joint pains.
- Til helps to subside the Vata dosha or air body humor which when aggravated cause a number of ailments like muscular and joint pains. Soak some black Til seeds in a glass of water overnight. Take this water along with seeds in the morning.
- A pinch of Saffron mixed in a warmed glass of cow’s milk to be taken at bedtime.
Ayurveda Therapies for Joint Pains
The medications and therapies recommended in Ayurveda aims at providing effective relief in the traumatic conditions of joint pains. Herein Vata balancing therapies of oil massages with hot fomentation, medicinal oils, gels and liniment are used as lepa, administering vasti ( medicinal enema), dhāra (pouring of medicinal liquid in a particular fashion) are of great significance. Maha Narayana taila is one of the effective oils used for this purpose. Ayurveda medicines like Yograj guggul, Sihnad guggul, Vaat Gajankusha Rasa, Balarishta etc may be taken under supervision of an Ayurveda expert.
Ayurveda Panchkarma For Arthritis
Ayurveda emphasizes on preventative and healing therapies along with various methods of purification and rejuvenation. Panchakarma therapy of Ayurveda is primarily detoxification remedy which aids in removing toxins from the body system. Panchkarma encompasses five techniques that aim at disintegrating the Ama or the toxic matter. The detoxification effect of Panchkarma treatment is used to manage arthritis in Ayurveda treatment. Janu Basti is a specific treatment for treating Osteo Arhritis of knee.
Practical And Natural Tips For Relieving Joint Pains
- It is important to take care of the right posture at all times. Also, in case you are suffering from painful joints of the knees, neck, back etc, specific yoga asanas or mild exercises would be of good help.
- Ayurveda recommends diet should contain less of Vata increasing foods like rough, light and cold foods and also forbids eating less or fasting for long time.
- Also having an over active lifestyle, keeping awake at night and mental stress need to be avoided.
- Hot fomentation of the painful part and massage with Til oil or mustard oil is helpful.
- In case of joint pains, conditions of diabetes and overweight should be taken care.
Article Published in 4thD Wellbeing Magazine
About the Author:
Dr Sonica Krishan is Author and Speaker in Healthy and Joyous Living through Ayurveda, Meditation, Yoga and other Contemplative practices. She is a leading Ayurveda Professional in India. She is also Health Writer, Columnist, Editor, Ayurveda Consultant at Herboveda and Holistic Healing Coach. Dr Sonica is open for National as well as International Collaborations with interested people / institutions in fields of Ayurveda, Meditation and Yoga.