Ayurvedic Treatment For Cracked Foot

Ouch!!! It aches, especially on every step that I take. What can I do?’ These are the mind words of people who have sore, cracked foot. Women are often affected and suffer with dry, cracked and not so appealing heels more than men. Your dream footwear will just be sleeping on the shelves of the shoe rack, till you treat your cracked foot. I have seen people hide their foot, with the fear of unveiling their thorny, flaky and busted heels also known as heel fissures. Painful, cracked and dry heels is a predominant cosmetic problem and has been termed as Padadari in Ayurveda and has been explained in Kshudra Rogas in Sushruta Samhita. There are innumerable remedies for cracked foot in Ayurveda and let’s have a look at the promising Ayurvedic essential oils for healing heel fissures.

Causes for cracks or fissures: Human foot is the powerful part of the body helping one to withstand all severe climatic conditions and roam around, yet it is this part of the body that is often neglected. Cracks on foot have no age limit and it can affect anyone for that matter irrelevant of the sex, color and origin. The major causes for cracks or heel fissures are:

  • Cracks are occupational especially for farmers and other people who are involved in laborious tasks that demand standing always, which lead to huge pressure on the foot forcing it to develop cracks.
  • Prolonged standing on hard floor and this is the reason why most of the homemakers develop cracks.
  • Dry, dull and lifeless skin that lacks moisture, especially during winter has the tendency to develop cracks.
  • Uncomfortable, not so fitting or open back footwear compels pressure on the foot, while widening and deepening the cracks.
  • Obesity or excess accumulation of fat and deficiency of essential nutrients like vitamins and minerals.
  • Dry, hot, humid and tropical climatic conditions make your feet dull, dry and hard paving way to develop cracks.
  • Aging and skin conditions like psoriasis, eczema, athlete’s foot etc.
  • High exposure of feet to dust, dirt, germs and other harmful organisms leading to infection in the foot.
  • Excess sweating of feet or other causal illnesses like thyroid and diabetes can also cause cracks on the foot.

Symptoms: Cracks generally appear on the external or outer walls of the heels, when it is thick and dry. The symptoms of cracked foot are dry, itchy and painful heels with flaky and red patches and partition of skin looking like root hairs. When left unnoticed, fissures may start bleeding with excruciating pain and might even lead to developing Calluses, Cellulites, and Lymphangitis etc. Anyone with cracked feet will have greater discomfort while walking and the cracks can act as a dangerous channel for bacteria, virus, fungi and other harmful organisms to enter into the body and complicate the situation.

Ayurvedic treatment for Cracked foot: Ayurveda, the natural healing science suggests the systematic way of living in harmony with nature. Following an Ayurvedic routine can weaken your illness woes and strengthen your immunity. Padadari or cracked heels occurs mainly due to Vata imbalance. Ayurvedic texts recommend human beings to keep themselves clean and maintain perfect personal hygiene, which can help in controlling and preventing illness.

1. Pamper your feet with an Ayurvedic massage: Feet is one such vital part of the body that needs complete pampering and with such care it would remain soft, supple and glowing. Abhyanga or an Ayurvedic massage with effective natural and hydrogenated vegetable oils like Coconut oil, Sesame seed oil etc can heal your cracked heels effectively. Essential oils like Lavender essential oil, Lemon essential oil, Eucalyptus essential oil etc, can heal your infected heels and make the foot skin soft. This helps the hard, rough and dry skin to turn tender and smooth by enhancing the blood circulation in your feet.

2. Comforting foot bath or Padasnana: For cracked foot, this miraculous science suggests foot bath also known as Padasnana to revitalize your foot skin and prevent the fissures in the future as well. Padasnana along with certain effective Ayurvedic essential oils can help you save your foot from such painful, displeasing and unappealing heel fissures.

Take a small tub of warm water and add 2 to 4 drops of Patchouli essential oil, Tea tree essential oil, Rose essential oil and Lavender essential oil. Soak your feet in this water for about 15 to 20 minutes and the cicatrisant, antibacterial, antiseptic, antifungal, calming and anti-inflammatory properties in these essential oils will make your feet petal soft when done two or three times a week.

Adding few drops of Tea tree oil, Peppermint oil, Eucalyptus oil and Lemon oil to a small basin of water and soak your feet into this medicated solution for about 10 to 15 minutes. This relaxes your heels, loosens the cracks, moisturizes the dry scaly skin and helps combat fungal infections as these oils have anti-fungal, analgesic, anesthetic and astringent properties.

3. Moisturize your feet with soothing essential oils: The best essential oils for moisturizing your feet are Peppermint oil, Myrrh oil, Lavender oil, Rose oil, Geranium oil, Patchouli oil, Tea tree oil and Eucalyptus oil. These oils can be used for massaging your feet either as a blend with carrier oils like jojoba oil or coconut oil or can be added to warm water for your foot bath. 5 to 10 drops of essential oils of Geranium, Benzoin, Lavender, Myrrh and Tea tree mixed with 1 ounce of natural cream or mild lotion can act as the best daily moisturizing rub for your feet, especially after a shower.

4. Care your heels with Carrier oils: Carrier oils like Jojoba oil, Calendula oil, Avocado oil, Olive oil and Sweet Almond oil can guard your foot from cracks and other infections. These oils enrich your skin with the presence of essential vitamins and minerals. A gentle massage with any of these oils can aid in nourishing your dehydrated and dry skin while preventing it from painful cracks.

5. Healthy and nutritious diet: Drink enough water daily and eat a balanced diet with rich nutrients like essential fatty acids, minerals and vitamins, which make your skin smooth and combat dead skin cells in your body. Green leafy vegetables and juicy fruits can supply the essential resilience to your skin.

Regular physical exercises and yoga can help you in treating your cracked heels. Hmmm…. Now you can use your dream footwear on your shelves again and dance in joy with the comfort and confidence of having crack-free, clear and supple heels. Happy Dancing!!!

Thought for the day:

The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art.                                                                        – Leonardo da Vinci

Suggested Reading:

  1. Natural Foot Care: Herbal Treatments, Massage, and Exercises for Healthy Feet By Stephanie L. Tourles
  2. Whole Body Massage: The Ultimate Practical Manual of Head, Face, Body and Foot Massage Techniques By Francesca Rinaldi, Nitya Lacroix, Sharon Seager, Renée Tanner
  3. Absolute Beauty: Radiant Skin and Inner Harmony Through the Ancient Secrets of Ayurveda By Pratima Raichur, Mariam Cohn

Reference Links:

  1. Kshudra Roga Critical Understanding by Scribd
  2. Effect of Madhusiktadi Lepa and Padasnana in the Management of Padadari by S.J.G. Ayurvedic Medical College
  3. Dry Cracked Feet by essential3

Best Christmas Gift Idea 2012: Adoring Ayurvedic Essential Oils

Are you thinking ‘What is wrong with me?’ wondering what’s the need for Christmas gift idea now, while there are still 4 full months for December 25th to knock your door? Come on! This is scorching summer season and to think about something that will enchant your mind, chill your senses and hearten your spirits will certainly be a brilliant idea and nothing else other than Christmas Eve has the glory to splash such joy on you. Sounds great now….. Right!! This is the right time to start your Christmas count down. Every year Christmas is exceptional in its special way. This year, you make it out of the ordinary by gifting your loved ones with warm and healing Ayurvedic essential oils rather than your usual gifts.

Your 2011 Christmas might not have been the same as your 2008 Christmas. You might have missed your loved ones or there might have been a new member to your family last year (baby!), much more adventure and a variety of gifts and that is what Christmas is all about. Make your 2012 Christmas outshine all the other festive seasons that you’ve passed in your lifetime with a wonderful pack of sensational essential oils that can take your entire family out of this world. Yes! There are certain mind-blowing Ayurvedic essential oils that suit everyone and can be used all through the year till the next Christmas comes by your way. Such enlivening essential oils are:

  1. Lavender essential oil: According to me ‘Lavender is the queen of all essential oils’ and is my all-time favorite. How can anyone keep themselves away from this magnificent oil with a mystique fragrance in it? Fill your love in a bottle full of Lavender essential oil that can uplift the spirits and refresh the mind. Wow! The wonderful color, the exuberant aroma, immense health benefits and numerous therapeutic properties like nervine, sedative, antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, expectorant, antiseptic, analgesic, anti-rheumatic, anti-convulsant and many more make Lavender very special at all the good times and sick times too!
  2. Ylang Ylang essential oil: Nothing can be so very romantic, tender, quixotic, passionate and magical like the transfixing fragrance of Ylang Ylang essential oil. This oil has emmenagogue, sedative, antiseptic, aphrodisiac, hypotensive and antidepressant properties that alleviates pain, supports mood fluctuations, controls high blood pressure, aids in frigidity problems, brings down rapid heartbeat and treats your senses.
  3. Rose essential oil: Shakespeare rightly said that ‘Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose’. Very popularly known as the symbol of love all around the universe, Rose essential oil can give you the joy of being together in a garden full of fresh, fragrant roses. Rose oil has been proven effective in treating various health conditions with its aphrodisiac, antiseptic, antiviral, antidepressant, antiphlogistic, antispasmodic, emmenagogue, uterine, bactericidal and nervine properties.
  4. Grapefruit essential oil: Grapefruit oil with its light and fresh aroma is trusted to have great effects in shedding the extra pounds of the body. Any weight loss program with essential oils cannot get fulfilled without Grapefruit essential oil. It is also an excellent skin toning agent and natural skin purifier.

Apart from these essential oils, you can also include Peppermint essential oil, Sandalwood essential oil, Sweet orange essential oil or Jasmine essential oil as per the preference of your near ones.

Love is known only when it is shown. Express your unconditional love this Christmas season with the never-ending bliss of these Ayurvedic essential oils gift pack. There’s nothing to get surprised if the love of your life asks for one the next Christmas also. Wait and watch!!!

Merry Christmas and let it be a Mesmerizing Christmas as well.

Reference links:

  1. Christmas by History.com
  2. Health benefits of Rose essential oil by Organic facts
  3. Ylang Ylang – The Great Benefits by Ylang Ylang Essential Oil

Orange Sweet Essential Oil

Orange-sweet-bannerBeing fit as a fiddle is the dream of every one of us in this wobbly world where perfect health looks like a forbidden fruit to humanity. When this contemporary living demands swallowing pills, regular gymming and deficient diet to make you look like Mr. / Ms. Perfect, Ayurveda, the oldest of all healing sciences on earth suggests the holistic treatment to your five senses for a harmonious living.

Colors for the sense of sight, sound for the sense of hearing, aroma for the sense of smell, massage and topical application for the sense of touch and herbal remedies for the sense of taste.

And now, here’s the key for opening your door to perfect health, yes you are right and the key is Orange and its essential oil. With an appeasing orange color it instills peace, happiness and spiritual wisdom, the tangy and mesmerizing aroma calms your senses and soothes your nerves, the therapeutic properties ease numerous functions of the body when massaged gently and its numerous medicinal benefits strengthen your aura when ingested in the form of juices.

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Historical Importance of Sweet Orange:

It is native to China and is scientifically known as Citrus sinensis. The first literary presence of orange dates back to 500 BC in the book ‘Yu Kung’ written under the reign of the Chinese Emperor Ta Yun. The ancient Chinese considered Orange as a symbol of good luck and used it for treating numerous health problems, whereas the Europeans regarded it as a sign of richness. Sweet oranges were celebrated as a Qi-tonic (tonic for the aura or the life force) to eliminate obstacles in the energy meridians.

Vasco da Gama was the first person to bring Sweet Oranges to Europe when he discovered it in the 15th century in East Africa, which was considered as the Arabian trade routes. It gained greater reputation in Portugal and was called as ‘Portugal Orange’.

Few sources say that Columbus took the seeds of Citrus sinensis to America in 1493 and it slowly spread across California, Florida and Louisiana by the middle of the 18th century. Sweet orange and its oil has been in use in a number traditional cuisines like roast duck (other water birds also), fennel and orange salad, orange-almond tart and in many savories, desserts and confectionery items across the globe.

Chemical constituents or Gas Chromatography Report of Orange sweet oil:

According to the Gas chromatography report, Orange sweet oil constitutes of Limonene as the key component with about 97.2%, contributing to its distinctive fragrance, remedial properties and quality.

Just click on Limonene for knowing about the exclusive information of this prime constituent of Orange sweet oil.

The table below on the Gas Chromatography report talks about the prime chemical constituent and its role in granting the therapeutic and other attributes to Orange sweet oil.

Orange-sweet-OilTherapeutic properties of Orange sweet oil:

The essential oil of Sweet orange is extracted by cold pressing the rinds of this fruit that instills a fresh and strong aroma. The healing properties of this oil are antidepressant, tonic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, anti-carcinogenic, chemo-preventive, cholagogue, antispasmodic, carminative, antioxidant, sedative, anti-inflammatory and diuretic.

Ayurvedic health benefits of Orange sweet essential oil:

Nothing is as complicated as studying human physiology and human psychology even with today’s modern devices. You will now feel highly impressed with the kind of wisdom that Ayurveda has imparted to this world even before our scanning machines or X-ray devices were found.

It is for this reason people call Ayurveda as a common sense science that transforms the knowledge about human mind, body and spirit in an easier manner for everyone to understand thoroughly as this noble methodology considers that knowledge about one’s own health condition is vital for healthy living.

Ayurvedic texts indicate that human beings are an essential part of nature and everything that corresponds to their illness or wellness depends upon their balance or harmony with nature.

Thus illness in Ayurveda means that your body is out of rhythm with nature and natural remedies like essential oils, herbs, healthy lifestyle, yoga, meditation and prayers can assist in treating imbalances that bring you back to balance with nature and help prevent such diseases in the future also.

Ayurvedic remedies are always unique for every individual as it trusts that every human being is made up of a unique combination of energy elements known as doshas (vata, pitta and kapha) in Sanskrit.

Predominance of any one of these doshas determines an individual’s personality and health condition and imbalance of any one these doshas leads to illness. Ayurvedic treatment is solely based upon the individual constitution and the dosha imbalances of a person. Sweet orange oil is said to reduce excess vata and kapha and increase pitta deficit.

The Ayurvedic health benefits of Orange sweet essential oil are:Orange-sweet-broucher1. Benefits to the skin:

Sweet orange essential oil has a handful of benefits to the skin when added to your regular skin care cream or lotions. Massaging your skin gently with 2 drops of Orange sweet oil blended with mild carrier oil like jojoba oil can help in treating acne, skin irritation, microbial infections, wounds, cuts, abrasions and dermatitis with its antiseptic properties.

Known as a skin tonic, this oil stimulates the lymphatic system and aids in eliminating the toxins of the congested skin surface.

As a natural skin energizer, Orange sweet oil penetrates deeply into the pores and supports the formation of collagen in the skin. This helps in augmenting the elasticity of the skin, reduces wrinkles, removes excess oil, improves skin complexion and grants a never before brighter, fairer, spotless, healthy and glowing skin.

Adding 2 drops of Orange sweet oil in lukewarm bathing water or in facial steam helps in refreshing and revitalizing your skin and aids in fighting the symptoms of aging.

2. Benefits to the mind:

As a trusted antidepressant, sedative and mild aphrodisiac, Orange sweet oil has been used for treating depression, anxiety, mood fluctuations, sleeping difficulties and sexual problems like loss of interest in sex, loss of libido, impotence etc.

Adding 2 drops of this oil in your diffuser, air freshener, vaporizer, burner or in bath will uplift your mood, grant mental clarity, pacify your nerves, induce positive feelings and reminds you of the happy moments in your life.

Sweet orange oil with its inspiring, encouraging, stimulating and versatile aroma grants a sense of support, warmth and happiness. With this motive, Orange oil is recommended for use in the bed room to treat sleeping problems, mental worries and for assisting stubborn children to fall asleep.

A 2012 study on ‘Effect of Sweet Orange Aroma on Experimental Anxiety in Humans’ presented results stating “an acute anxiolytic activity of sweet orange aroma, giving some scientific support to its use as a tranquilizer by aromatherapists.” This proves that the aroma of Sweet orange is effective in reducing anxiety and stress levels in human beings.

Another research on ‘Anxiolytic-like effect of sweet orange aroma in Wistar rats’ also proved that the acute anxiolytic aroma of sweet orange is better than the aroma of tea tree oil when tested on the same animal model.

3. Benefits to the digestive system:

Orange sweet oil has carminative properties that aids in expelling the formation of gas in the intestines. If left unnoticed intestinal gas can create sharp pain in the chest, severe stomach pain, indigestion, abdominal discomfort and increase your blood pressure.

Using 2 drops of this oil with sesame oil for massaging your tummy will help in preventing gas formation, driving out existing gas, treating intestinal spasms, cramps and killing intestinal parasites.

A 2010 study on ‘Efficacy of an orange oil emulsion as an anthelmintic against Haemonchus contortus in gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) and in sheep (Ovis aries)’ tested the effectiveness of Orange oil in killing Haemonchus contortus, a blood-sucking abomasal gastrointestinal parasite that affects goats and sheep. This research proved that orange oil is 97 percent effective in treating parasitic worms in sheep and goats.

4. Benefits to spasms and pain:

Sweet orange oil with its antispasmodic effect helps relieve spasms that can cause chronic diarrhea, persistent coughs, muscular cramps and convulsions. This oil has excellent diuretic properties that eliminate the toxic substances from the body through urine. It also helps in treating obesity, water retention and inflammation due to the presence of harmful toxins in the body.

Add 2 to 3 drops of Orange sweet oil in your bath tub for treating inflammation and spasms. Massaging the affected area with 2 drops of Orange sweet oil blended with coconut oil can grant instant relief from painful spasms along with external and internal inflammations.

5. Benefits to the entire system:

The essential oil of Orange sweet benefits the entire system by balancing various functions of the body. Being a cholagogue, this oil stimulates the secretion from all the glands, helping to regularize menstrual flow, digestive juices, hormones and milk in nursing mothers.

The presence of limonene constituent in Orange sweet oil has been proved to combat free radicals and check the growth of cancerous tumors by preventing cellular mutations. This oil also enhances the immune power of the body and helps to fight against cold, flu, nervous tension and numerous other diseases.

Disclaimer:

Never take essential oils internally. Always use essential oils after diluting it in carrier oils as pure essential oils are highly concentrated liquids and may harm you when used directly on the skin. Citrus oils in general have photo-toxicity effect so avoid using it before going out in the sun. Consult your Ayurvedic practitioner before choosing the right essential oil for your individual constitution and appropriate health condition.

The MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) of Orange sweet essential oil is readily available for your enhanced safety and superior usage.

Gas Chromatography Report of Orange sweet essential oil.

Thought for the day:

When life gives you lemons, make orange juice and leave the world wondering how the hell you did it.      – Unknown

Suggested Reading:

  1. HEALING POWERS OF SWEET ORANGE OIL (The Aromatherapy Professional: Healing with Essential Oils) by KG Stiles
  2. How to Use Orange Essential Oil (Aromatherapy) by Miriam Kinai
  3. Citrus Essential Oils: Flavor and Fragrance from Wiley
  4. Citrus Oils: Composition, Advanced Analytical Techniques, Contaminants, and Biological Activity (Medicinal and Aromatic Plants – Industrial Profiles) from CRC Press

Reference Links:

  1. Oranges: History, Types and Uses by HubPages
  2. Efficacy of an orange oil emulsion as an anthelmintic against Haemonchus contortus in gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) and in sheep (Ovis aries) submitted to Veterinary Parasitology, published in USDA Agricultural Research Service Website
  3. Citrus sinensis by World Agroforestry Centre
  4. Effect of Sweet Orange Aroma on Experimental Anxiety in Humans published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine