From missed periods to menstrual cramps, the period problems are common but usually are not considered serious. The uneasy and uncomfortable situation may make you cranky and can adversely affect your mood.

Here we have listed a few Ayurvedic remedies which can help you with period problems.

For Polycystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD)
PCOD is a health condition that affects one in every 10 women. PCOS is an aftermath of a hormonal imbalance in women wherein testosterone levels shoot up in the body causing an array of symptomatic reactions. A woman with PCOS is prone to gain weight, pelvic pain, acne, depression and irregular menstrual cycles. In some cases, women with PCOD may even face challenges in conceiving. But with proper treatment, diet and exercise schedule, PCOD is curable.
The most simple and effective treatment for PCOD is Ayurveda. You can rely on Aloe Vera pulp with manjistha (rubia cordifolia) capsule. This helps in purifying blood and gradually restores the health of uterus which results in regular, healthy periods.

For menorrhagia (Heavy Bleeding)
Menorrhagia is defined as menstruation at regular intervals but with excessive flow and duration. Some women have also reported heavy bleeding for 6 to 7 days during periods leading to weakness and other health issues. According to Vaidya Pravin Hirpara, niranjan phal (China Fruit) is best and effective medicine
for Menorrhagia, you can soak Niranjan Phal in water for 1.5 to two hours till the time fruit swells to the size of a lemon. Crush and squeeze the pulp into the water. Add some sugar and drink it. This effectively controls menstrual bleeding.

For foul menstrual blood odour
Many women find menstruation odour unpleasant during and after their periods. You may experience this situation despite maintaining hygiene. A normal vaginal discharge doesn't have any smell. This foul smell is called aartdushti in Ayurveda and can be treated with manjishta which helps in blood purification.

Flu season often gets with it fever, cold and coughing. The constant itch caused by a sore throat is often agitating, especially if it hinders your productivity at work and home.

Pharyngitis or sore throat is a condition with local & systemic symptoms.

Here are some home remedies u can follow to get rid of this condition:

1.Gargles: Our grandmother's favourite cure for any sore throat infection, gargles are the best and most effective way of curing sore throat. This is because a glass of lukewarm water with a pinch of salt will help increase blood flow to pharyngeal region which will eventually wash off the infection.

2.Warm liquids: Teas such as cinnamon tea, ginger tulsi tea, lemon honey tea or simply a cup of desi masala chai can do wonders for your throat. As the throat is choked due to infection, warm liquids can help relax this area.

3. Soft diet: Eating foods lighter on your stomach will be helpful. Along with this, foods which won't hurt while going down your throat will also be extremely useful. You can steam an apple and consume it with honey, or have mashed khichdi or dal with crushed vegetables for best results.

4. Steam: You can add a cough suppressant in your steam and inhale it for speedy recovery. This will open up your nasal and throat area and help you breathe properly.

5. Throat sootheners: During a sore throat condition, our throat tends to become dry & hence causes numbness in the throat area. Taking cough lozenges, menthol or eucalyptus oil lozenges can help you heal your throat faster.

6. Local heat: Sore throat also brings with it pain. There are times when our throat gets spasms of pain or while we eat a hard food, our throat starts to pain. At times like these, you can apply a heating pad or a hot towel around your neck give relief to the delicate aching area.

7. Avoid going to public places as the infection can increase because, during the flu season, cold, cough and fever are extremely contagious and can worsen your condition.

When your skin is wounded, platelets clump together to form clots to stop bleeding. However, when you do not have enough blood platelets in your body, blood clots cannot form. Blood is made up of various types of cells, namely red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets, also known thrombocytes.

There are certain foods to increase blood platelets. We take you through the symptoms and causes of low platelet count and the foods to increase blood platelets.

Here are foods to increase blood platelets-

1. Vitamin A rich foods
Vitamin A is essential for a healthy platelet production. This nutrient is known to be significant for protein formation in the body. Healthy protein content in the body helps in the process of cell division and growth. Some of the foods that you should ideally add to your daily diet may include carrot, pumpkin, kale and sweet potatoes.

2. Folate rich foods
Deficiency of folate in the body may lead to a lower blood platelet count. Add more vitamin B9 or folate rich foods that may be extremely important for healthy cell division in the body that can help increase blood platelet count. Include more orange juice, spinach, asparagus and leafy greens in your diet.

3. Load up on vitamin K
Foods to increase blood platelets include vitamin K rich foods. This nutrient is necessary to ensure a healthy growth of cells at an optimum level in the body. Eating kale, eggs, green leafy vegetables, liver, meat, cabbage, parsley, et al will help increase your blood platelet count.

4. Vitamin B-12
Vitamin B-12 may help keep your blood cells healthy and its deficiency has been associated with low platelet counts. Vitamin B-12 is generally found in eggs, milk, cheese, et al.

5. Iron
Iron is known to promote the production of healthy cells in the body. It is best for the people with anemia. Go ahead and include pumpkin seeds, pomegranate, lentils and leafy greens in your diet to load up on iron.

If you have been slugging through the day extremely exhausted or just struggling with gut and digestive issues, there is a chance your liver is taking up extra load. Of all the organs in your body, liver is one of the most important organs and is used in a wide range of functions, some of which include removing toxins from the blood, metabolizing alcohol, converting lactate into energy, activating enzymes, regulating fat, protein and carbohydrate in the blood, producing and excreting bile and storing essential vitamins, minerals and glycogen. Basically, without liver our body wouldn't be functional. Thanks to the constant mechanism, liver goes through lots of exertion, which is why it can get damaged easily if not taken proper care of.

Here are foods that may somewhat help cleanse your liver naturally:

1. Garlic

Garlic contains certain sulphur compounds that are essential for supporting the liver and activating liver enzymes, which are responsible for flushing out toxins and waste from the body. It also consists of selenium, which is an important mineral that assists in detoxification.

2. Green leafy vegetables

The greener, the better! Your liver loves bitter and greener leafy vegetables like spinach, mustard greens, et al that contain various cleansing compounds. In fact, they help to stimulate bile flow.

3. Fibre-rich foods

Adding fibre-rich foods like apple, carrots, cauliflower, beetroots, green leafy vegetables, et al hastens elimination of toxins in the body, while providing support to the digestive tract.

4. Green tea

Green tea has plant-based antioxidants known as catechins, the compounds that are known to assist liver function and eliminate liver fat accumulation. So sip 2-3 cups of green tea every day to ensure a healthy liver.

5. Citrus fruits

Citrus fruits like lemon, grapefruit, oranges, et al are rich in vitamin C content &antioxidants that are known to be powerful liver-cleansers. They also boost the production of liver detoxifying enzymes.

How many times have you spent most of your weekend doing absolutely nothing and then woken up filled with regret on Monday? Too many to count, we're sure. Weekends are meant to wind down but vegging on the couch with Netflix and junk food for two days straight isn't the best way to spend that precious time. It is possible to be more productive on the weekend while still taking a break so here are 4 ways to make that possible.

1. Sleep Well

To do absolutely anything energetically, your body needs its quota of sleep. And while gathering sleep debt is something we're all guilty of through the week, clear it on the weekend by sleeping on time, allowing yourself to laze around a bit and waking up a bit later than usual. Good sleep will ensure you're high on energy and not groggy. Plus, take a nap too if you feel like it - it's the weekend after all.

2. Make A To-Do List

Just as you plan out your work week in a daily agenda, work on the same lines for your weekends too, except make it more fun. On Friday, make a list of everything you'd like to complete over the weekend - from grocery trips to visiting friends and slowly work your way through it. That'll make sure you've left nothing out on Sunday night.

3. Stay Off Social Media

While we're always glued to our phones, tablets and laptops day during the week; which is usually unavoidable when working, stay away from social media on weekends. It's a digital black hole of sorts that sucks you in with cat videos and makeup memes. Before you know it, you've forgotten about dinner and it's 2am. So instead of wasting those awaited weekend hours, keep the phone down and go outside instead.

4. Make Time For You

Between reaching home and leaving for work the next morning, there's very little time to take time out for yourself during the work week. On the weekend, make it a point to clear your closet, iron your clothes, get a mani-pedi and kick back with a massage.