Tag: Headaches

10 Incredible Health Benefits of Nigella Seeds (Kalonji)

Highlights

The kalonji, or Nigella seeds, is an interesting spice
The tiny black seed comes with a whole lot of health benefits
Its known to have anti-carcinogenic properties and keeps heart healthy

The kalonji, or Nigella seeds, is an interesting spice – when used for tempering, it adds a beautiful aroma to the dishes, and a hint of flavor that you can’t quite nail. In India, dry roasted kalonji is used for flavoring curries, dal, stir-fried vegetables, and even savories such as samosa, papdis and kachori among others.

Flavour and aroma aside, the tiny black seed comes with a whole lot of health benefits. It’s loaded with trace elements, vitamins, crystalline nigellone, amino acids, saponin, crude fiber, proteins and fatty acids like linolenic and oleic acids, volatile oils, alkaloids, iron, sodium, potassium and calcium. It keeps your heart healthy, addresses breathing problem, lubricates your joints, and is known to have anti-carcinogenic properties. That’s quite a lot for a seed that size, isn’t it? In fact, if you keep a bottle of kalonji oil at home, you can use them for plenty of things to boost your health and take care of niggling problems. Let’s take a look at some of them:

1. Fights Acne

Sweet lime juice and kalonji oil together can fix many skin problems. For every cup of sweet lime juice, you’ll need about half a teaspoon of kalonji oil. Apply the oil twice a day on your face and watch your blemishes and acne disappear. If you keep pure kalonji oil handy, you can use it to treat cracked heels as well.

skin tone

2. Keeps a Check on Diabetes

This is probably one of the most known benefits of kalonji. If you already have diabetes, kalonji oil can also help to manage it. Take half a teaspoon of the oil in a cup of black tea every morning, and see the difference in a few weeks.

3. Increases Memory and Alleviates Asthma

Ground kalonji seeds with a little bit of honey is known to boost memory. And if you mix this in warm water and drink, it also helps in alleviating breathing trouble (asthma included) in children and adults alike. But you need to do this is for at least 45 days, and avoid cold beverages and food during the period.

4. Gets Rid of Headaches

One of the most common urban problems in today’s time is headaches. Instead of popping a pill, rub kalonji oil on your forehead, relax, and wait for your headache to disappear. Nothing like natural home remedies!

5. Aids Weight Loss

The warm water, honey, and lemon combination is often recommended for those who are on a diet. Now add a pinch of powdered kalonji seeds to this mix and see how it works. Many health enthusiasts have claimed that kalonji seeds is a miracle ingredient which helps in shedding those extra kilos. weight loss

6. Eases Joint Pain

It’s an old-school treatment; take a handful of kalonji seeds, and heat it well with mustard oil. Once the oil is smoking, take it off the flame and cool it down for a bit. The oil is ready when you can dip the tip of a finger into the oil without feeling uncomfortable. Now use this oil to massage the inflamed joint.

7. Controls Blood Pressure

For those who suffer from or have the tendency of high blood pressure can drink half a teaspoon of kalonji oil with warm water to keep hypertension under control. It is of course advised to follow a proper diet along with it.

8. Protects the Kidney

Kidney stones are a common urban problem. It is said that half a teaspoon of kalonji oil had with two teaspoons of honey and warm water can aid in getting rid of kidney pain, stones and infections. But you also need to consult a doctor to get a proper diet.

9. Makes Teeth Stronger

Did you know that kalonji has been used traditionally to take care of dental trouble such as swelling or bleeding of gums, and weak teeth? Of course you need to see a dentist, but you can also massage your teeth with curd and some kalonji oil twice a day to strengthen your gums.

10. Strengthens Immunity

Kalonji oil, honey and warm water have more than one benefit. Apart from the ones already mentioned, it can also help to strengthen your immunity if consumed daily. If you add kalonji oil in boiling water and inhale the fumes, it can also reduce nasal congestion, and help those who suffer from sinusitis problems.

Quick Facts

When you’re buying nigella seeds, remember to check the pack carefully; the seeds are jet black and shouldn’t look stale.
Storing nigella is important. Always store it in a dry place and make sure it doesn’t come in contact with moisture.
Don’t buy large quantities of kalonji. 100 grams can take you a long way, so buy in smaller portions. This will prevent the seed from losing its aroma and benefits by sitting on the shelf for too long.

Disclaimer:

The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. Cymantra is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this article. All information is provided on an as-is basis. The information, facts or opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Cymantra and Cymantra does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.

This Author has found another health benefit of Kalonji Seeds. Suffering from intense heartburn for many years and trying all the standard remedies to no avail, I find that Kalonji seeds boiled and drank as a strong black tea almost alleviates my heartburn. Who’d have thought that this little black seed could provide so much pain relief from a otherwise daily occurrence.

Cymantra Admin

Original Article

Priya Chakraborty September 09, 2016

admin March 11, 2017

Categories: Acne Antioxidants Asthma Black Seeds and Oil Blood Pressure Brain Function Cancer Cancer Cures Cleansing Colon Diabetes Diet Disease & Prevention Eating Healthy Epilepsy Folklore General Health Heart Disease Heart Line Heartburn Immune System Information Kaloni Seeds Kidney Health Liver Disease Migrames Natural Cures Personal Health Skin Health Teeth Type 2 Diabetes Well Being Your Body Your Memory

Tags: Acne Asthma blood presure Diabetes Headaches Immune System joint pain kalonji kalonji seeds Kidney Health Memory nigella nigella seeds Teeth Weight Loss

12 Signs Your Health Problems are Actually Magnesium Deficiency Symptoms

Could your health problems actually be magnesium deficiency symptoms? The symptoms can be anything from headaches to PMS. Chances are you’re deficient in this mineral as more than 80% of the population is not getting enough magnesium.

Low magnesium is often overlooked, especially by doctors who rarely consider the role of nutrition and vitamins. Yet, there are hundreds of magnesium deficiency symptoms that this can cause, in addition to many diseases that can be exacerbated.

Almost a year ago, I went to my family doctor because I was having painful menstrual cramps every month. I asked him what could be causing this and what I should do about it. His response was that it was genetic; there’s nothing that can be done. His only suggestion was to take an over the counter medication to deal with the pain. But, after researching this online, I found that menstrual cramps are one of the common magnesium deficiency symptoms. Eager to try this, I corrected my ratio of calcium and magnesium and within a month voila! No more cramps!

Sadly, doctors today know little to none about the importance of magnesium in the body and the resulting magnesium deficiency symptoms. Your best hope is to be your own doctor and research magnesium deficiency symptoms to find out if this could be the cause.

Why Are we not Getting Enough Magnesium?

It is very hard to get enough magnesium through your diet, no matter how healthy you eat. This is because modern farming processes have depleted our soil of adequate natural magnesium. Also, there are many other factors that significantly decrease the amount of magnesium absorbed in our bodies. These include:

-Stress: Many of us experience high levels of stress on a daily basis. When we experience stress or anxiety, this causes our bodies to deplete our magnesium.

-Diet: Certain foods can also result in a decrease in magnesium such as caffeine, alcohol, and sugar. It has been estimated that it takes 287 molecules of magnesium to metabolize one glucose molecule.

-Medications: There are many over-the-counters and prescription medications that deplete magnesium. These include: birth control pills, diuretics, insulin, and antibiotics.

Why You Need Magnesium

Magnesium is a mineral that is responsible for numerous bodily processes. It is the fourth most abundant mineral in our bodies and is essential for carrying out over 300 reactions within the body.

Magnesium is commonly known for helping relieve constipation, but that is just one of it’s many crucial roles in the body. Magnesium is important for the functioning of your heart, muscles, kidneys, and balancing many other nutrients such as calcium and potassium. Having adequate magnesium levels has been found to ward off diabetes, prevent osteoporosis, and improve blood pressure.

12 Common Magnesium Deficiency Symptoms:

1. Anxiety
2. Weak Bones
3. Low Energy
4. Weakness
5. Inability to Sleep
6. PMS and Hormonal Imbalances
7. Irritability
8. Nervousness
9. Headaches
10. Abnormal Heart Rhythm
11. Muscle Tension, Spasms, Cramps
12. Fatigue

These are just a few of the most common magnesium deficiency symptoms. Additional magnesium deficiency symptoms include: constipation, vertigo, stiff and achy muscles, insomnia, and muscle weakness. There are many more health problems that having low magnesium can cause. If you think you may be experiencing a magnesium deficiency symptom, but it’s not listed above, make sure to do a thorough search online.

Additional Conditions/Diseases Associated with Magnesium Deficiency:

Much research has found that individuals with magnesium deficiency are at an increased risk for developing diabetes, high blood pressure, Parkinson’s, kidney stones, and restless legs syndrome, just to name a few.

How to Find Out if You’re Truly Deficient in Magnesium

When comes to determining if you have a magnesium deficiency, unfortunately, there is not a great way to find out, such as from a test. There are blood tests that can be used to check the level of magnesium in your body to evaluate if you have magnesium deficiency; however, they have been found to be inaccurate. This is because the blood serum tests only give a reading of the level of magnesium in your blood and only one percent of the magnesium in your body is distributed in your blood. Thus, you have to rely on making a diagnosis for magnesium deficiency based on magnesium deficiency symptoms, not a blood test.

It is best to look at the symptoms your experiencing and try supplementing with magnesium and evaluate whether it helped or not.

For me, after looking at the list of magnesium deficiency symptoms, I knew there were at least 3 that I had and it was likely that I had a magnesium deficiency. I also have some anxiety and I’m sure that was contributing to my decreased magnesium.

How to Increase Your Magnesium:

There are several ways you can increase your magnesium.

1. Use Epsom salts – Add Epsom salts to your bath or make a foot bath. Magnesium is highly absorbed through the skin (transdermally) .

2. Apply magnesium oil – Similar to Epsom salts, magnesium oil is made from adding the magnesium flakes (see them here) to water. You can add them to your bath, make a small mixture and spray it on your skin or rub it on with a washcloth. You can also, buy it pre-made.

3. Eat foods high in magnesium – such as leafy green vegetables and nuts. (however, with magnesium deficiency, it would be tough to raise your levels enough solely through diet) This is a helpful chart that lists foods high in magnesium.

4. Take a magnesium supplement.

My Experience with Treating Magnesium Deficiency:

After I started researching magnesium deficiency, the more I explored it, the more I thought I found the cause of my health issues. However, my doctor ignored me when I brought up the fact that magnesium deficiency may be behind my anxiety, menstrual cramps, or difficulty sleeping, so I had to find out for myself if my self-diagnosis was right. I started to increase my magnesium slowly, first by adding more green vegetables into my diet and taking baths with Epsom salts. This did make a great improvement and decreased the occurrence of my magnesium deficiency symptoms; however, I still felt that I wasn’t getting an adequate amount. So, I started making and applying magnesium oil, once every morning and this helped very much. After a full month, nearly all of my symptoms had been resolved.

When trying to increase your magnesium levels, you may need to use a combination of ways to ensure you’re getting enough. You can base this off your symptoms. Also, one sign to watch for, while you increase your magnesium, is diarrhea, if you’re getting too much this will occur.

by LORI KLEIN

Sources:
http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/magnesium
http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/magnesium-supplement-oral-route-parenteral-route/description/DRG-20070730

Credit: http://healthextremist.com

admin July 11, 2015 No Comments

Categories: Cleansing Disease & Prevention Healthy Choices Insomnia Magnesium Deficiency Natural Cures Pain Relief Personal Health Well Being Your Body