Also known as the 'queen of herbs', holy basil or tulsi makes for the most sacred herb in India. It is widely used in culinary practices. For ages, it has been known for its medicinal uses in Ayurveda that makes it an effective remedy for several ailments. According to the book Healing Foods by DK Publishing, holy basil contains a range of natural antioxidants that can help protect the body tissues against free-radical damage. Tulsi in all forms- dried, fresh and powdered has several healing properties. Chewing on a few tulsi leaves regularly can be super beneficial for you, but did you know sipping on tulsi tea can be even better?
Here are some reasons why you should definitely skip sipping on your regular tea and instead opt for tulsi tea-

1. Prevents Respiratory Disorders

Tulsi tea helps prevent certain respiratory illnesses ranging from cold and cough to bronchitis and asthma. It has immunomodulatory (helps to enhance immunity), antitussive (helps relieving cough) and expectorant (helps in expelling out the phlegm) properties that provide relief in the respiratory system. It has certain oils that help relieve congestion too.

2. Beats Stress

According to quite some studies, tulsi tea helps in maintaining normal levels of cortisol hormone in the body that is known as the stress hormone. It lowers the levels of cortisol, leaving you stress-free. In fact, it is known to subside various symptoms of depression, which may include anxiety.

3. Regulates Blood Sugar Levels

Move over the regular milk tea and opt for this one as it helps lower the blood sugar levels significantly. Daily intake of tulsi tea may also help facilitate metabolism of carbs and fats, further ensuring that the sugar in the blood is utilized for energy.

4. Maintains Dental and Oral health

The presence of anti-microbial properties in tulsi tea help combat against harmful bacteria and germs in the mouth. Acting as a mouth freshener, it may curb bad breath too.

5. May Prove To Be Great For Patients With Arthritis

According to the book Healing Foods, Eugenol, a constituent of the oil in the basil has an anti-inflammatory effect on joints and the digestive tract.

How to make the perfect tulsi tea (Tulsi tea recipe)?
Tulsi tea is simple to make; all you need to do is to take a cup of water in a pan and add 2-3 basil leaves in it and bring it a boil. Let the water absorb its colour and flavour. After about three minutes, strain the tea in a glass. You can drink this tea as it is or add a teaspoon of honey and a half teaspoon of lemon juice in it for extra flavour and benefits. In fact, you can also add cardamom and ginger while preparing the tea.

So, go ahead and make some amazing tulsi tea for yourself and ensure a healthy and fit self!

Ayurveda is a treasure trove of numerous herbal treatments. The ancient medical science is said to possess herbal therapies and medicines that help manage and treat various health conditions. Nowadays, the modern and globalised science integrates a lot of Ayurvedic practises in general wellness applications and, in some cases, in medical uses. One of the most common health conditions is diabetes, and Ayurveda has a number of herbal medicines that helps manage blood sugar. According to the book, 'The Complete Book Of Ayurvedic Remedies', by Dr. Vasant Lad, diabetes (or madhumeh) is a metabolic kapha type of disorder in which diminished functioning of agni (digestive fire) leads to a tendency towards high blood sugar.In order to control the spikes in blood sugar, Ayurveda suggests having sadabahar herb, which is also known as periwinkle and vinca rosea. Here's what you need to know about this herb.

What Is Sadabahar?

Sadabahar, or periwinkle, is a commonly found plant in India and is said to be native to Madagascar. It is an evergreen shrub that works as an ornamental plant and for medicinal purposes. The smooth, glossy and dark green coloured leaves along with flowers are said to act as natural medicine for type-2 diabetes. According to Ayurvedic expert Dr. Ashutosh Gautam, "sadabahar flowers and leaves are used to control blood sugar levels. One can have herbal tea made from flowers and leaves in the morning or you can also chew some three to four leaves to get effective results."

Health Benefits Of Sadabahar For Diabetes
Sadabahar has long been used in Ayurveda and Chinese medicines and is said to be a time-tested herbal treatment for managing conditions like diabetes, malaria, sore throats and leukaemia. Vinca rosea contains two active compounds, the alkaloids and the tannins. It is believed that the plant has more than 100 alkaloids, of which vincristine and vinblastine are most notable for their medicinal benefits.

How To Use Sadabahar For Diabetes?

The fresh leaves of sadabahar can be dried, powdered and stored in an air-tight container.

Consume one teaspoon of this dried leaf powder with a cupful of fresh fruit juice or water daily. The powder may taste bitter.

Take not more than three to four leaves of the plant and chew them to manage blood sugar levels through the day.

Take the pink coloured flowers of the sadabahar plant and boil them in a cupful of water. Strain the water and drink it every morning on an empty stomach.

Make sure you consult a certified Ayurvedic expert or a diabetologist. If you are taking any medications for diabetes and this herb simultaneously, chances are that the blood sugar levels may drop significantly.

What is Low Sex Drive?

Low sex drive, medically known as Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSSD), is a condition where you may notice a drop in the urge to have sex or engage in any sort of sexual activity. It is something that everyone may go through at some point in their life. However, if this prolongs, you may be suffering from HSSD and you need treatment for the same. According to statistics, about 15 percent of men and 30 percent of women go through this at some point of time but never pay much heed to it.

What Causes Low Sex Drive?

The factors that contribute to low sex drive may differ in men and women.

Causes In Men

Erectile dysfunction

Alcohol and or smoking

Diabetes

Hypothyroidism

Low levels of testosterone

Obesity

Drugs dealing with depression, blood pressure, etc.

Stress and anxiety related disorders

Lost spark in marriage

Causes In Women

Childbirth

Pregnancy

Diabetes

Birth-control pills

Drugs, smoking, alcohol

Hysterectomy

Hypothyroidism

Drugs for depression, blood pressure and pain

Stress and anxiety


Traumatic incidents in childhood, such as child abuse

Symptoms of Low Libido

Low sex drive happens over a period of time. If it happens over a few days, then it is nothing of great concern. However, if the symptoms persist over a span of few weeks then you may consider treatment. If you notice the following symptoms, then it may be low sex drive:

Sex has become less frequent

Your partner points out your disinterest in sexual activities

You feel too lazy to initiate sex

If you have stopped enjoying sex altogether

Sex is less dynamic and more mechanical

There is change in your pattern of desiring sex

Aversion to sex

No arousal even after sufficient stimulation

How To Treat it with Homeopathy?

Homeopathy helps to treat the underlying disease which may be responsible for low sex drive. There are number of cases in which low sex drive may be present without any other disease in the background. Homeopathy offers promising results in improving low sex drive. It helps in following ways:

Treating the underlying cause

Treatment of Erectile dysfunction

Reducing stress and improving your stress coping system

Replacing your antidepressant and anti-anxiety medicines, whenever possible

Enhancing your moods and stimulating your sex drive

Homeopathy is strongly recommended in the cases of Low sex drive or Loss of Libido. The homeopathy drugs that can be prescribed to you for boosting your libido are:

Lycopodium clavatum

Ashwagandha

Argentum nitricum or silver nitrate

Turnera diffusa or Damiana

Women may be at greater risk for developing diabetes, heart disease and stroke in the years before menopause, rather than afterward, a U.S. study suggests. This may mean that the higher cardiovascular risk seen among post-menopausal women could be related to changes in that time before menopause and less so to the changes after menopause has occurred," said lead study author Dr. Mark DeBoer, a researcher at University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville. While the reasons for this are unclear, the findings suggest that women may need to pay especially close attention to cardiovascular risk factors in the years leading up to menopause and consider lifestyle changes like improved diet and exercise habits that can make problems like diabetes and heart disease less likely, DeBoer added by email.
Menopause typically happens between ages 45 and 55. As the ovaries curb production of estrogen and progesterone, menstruation stops, and women can experience symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats and vaginal dryness. Certain treatments for menopause symptoms that contain man-made versions of the hormones estrogen and progestin have also been linked to an increase risk of heart attack and stroke.Previous research has also linked menopause to an increased risk of what's known as metabolic syndrome, a constellation of conditions that increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke. Obesity, inactivity and a history of smoking appear to make these problems more likely.
For the current study, researchers examined data on 1,470 white and African-American women participating in a national study of the causes and health effects of hardening of the arteries.All of the women went through menopause during the ten-year study period.Researchers focused on five things that contribute to metabolic syndrome: expanding waist circumference, elevated fats in the flood, declines in so-called "good" HDL cholesterol, spikes in blood pressure and increased levels of sugar in the blood. After taking into account whether women used hormone-replacement therapy, researchers still found bigger changes in triglycerides (fats in the blood), cholesterol and glucose (blood sugar) before menopause than afterwards.For white women, waist size spiked more after menopause, however.African-American women experienced larger increases in blood pressure after menopause than before, the researchers report in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
One limitation of the study is that researchers defined the timing of menopause based on whether women said they had a menstrual period in the previous two years, the authors note. Menopause is commonly diagnosed after women cease menstruation for one year, which means the study may have categorized some women as going through this transition who had already completed it. Researchers also lacked data on hormone levels for individual women, even though these can fluctuate and influence the risk for metabolic problems, said Dr. Robert Eckel, of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora.
Not all types of hormone-replacement therapy carry the same risks, and the study also didn't account for the way hormones were administered, Eckel, who wasn't involved in the study, said by email. "Cardiovascular disease screening remains important for all adults including men and women," Eckel said. "Perhaps the frequency of evaluation should be more emphasized in this important peri-menopausal interval (between ages 45-55) in women - more science needed here."

Depression in early pregnancy more than doubles the risk of gestational diabetes, which, in turn, increases risk of postpartum depression six weeks after giving birth, says a study.Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes occurring only in pregnancy and, if untreated, may cause serious health problems for mother and infant.

"Our data suggest that depression and gestational diabetes may occur together," said study first author Stefanie Hinkle from US National Institutes of Health's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

"Until we learn more, physicians may want to consider observing pregnant women with depressive symptoms for signs of gestational diabetes. They also may want to monitor women who have had gestational diabetes for signs of postpartum depression," Hinkle noted.

Although obesity is known to increase the risk for gestational diabetes, the likelihood of gestational diabetes was higher for non-obese women reporting depression than for obese women with depression, the study found.
The researchers analysed pregnancy records from the NICHD Fetal Growth Studies-Singleton Cohort, which tracked the progress of thousands of pregnancies, to understand the patterns of fetal growth.

The study enrolled 2,334 non-obese and 468 obese women in weeks eight to 13 of pregnancy.

The women responded to questionnaires on symptoms of depression when they enrolled in the study, again between the 16th and 22nd week of pregnancy, and then six weeks after giving birth.

The researchers found that women who had the highest scores for depression in the first and second trimesters -- about 17 percent -- had nearly triple the risk for gestational diabetes when compared to women who had lower depression scores.

Of the women who developed gestational diabetes, nearly 15 percent experienced depressive symptoms after birth, which was more than four times that of women who had not had gestational diabetes, showed the study published online in the journal Diabetologia.

The researchers believe that high blood sugar levels may lead to inflammation, hormonal, and other changes that could lead to symptoms of depression.