When one thinks of traditional home remedies one gets a cosy feeling associated with wise grandmothers and simple, natural ingredients. Members of the older generation in India relied heavily on Ayurveda, the traditional Indian system of medicine.

1. Fresh ghee applied regularly to eyelids with a clean fingertip is excellent for eyesight.
2. When ghee is over one-year-old, it is best used externally, such as in massage.
3. Persons anxious to lose weight can eat rice boiled without salt, sugar or spices. In cases of chronic dysentery or tuberculosis, rice cooked with dal in the form of khichdi is beneficial.
4. For those with anemia or general weakness, dates with milk and cream at breakfast are very helpful.
5. For those who feel they are losing stamina, date milk is a tonic.
6. Stammering will be cured and pronunciation will improve if a piece of bayleaf is kept under the tongue.
7. To cure pain of the gums and teeth, boil seeds of 1 black cardamom pod in 1 cup of water until the water is reduced to ¼ cup. Use the mixture as a gargle.
8. A drink made with black cumin seeds, honey and water cures swelling in the uterus.
9. A paste of fenugreek, chickpea flour, mustard oil and turmeric when applied to the normal skin, makes the skin smooth and shiny.
10. If a small clove is swallowed as medicine regularly, early in the morning, it gives vitality and virility and rejuvenates the intestines.
11. A drink made from ajwain (carom) seeds is good for people suffering from paralysis and trembling.
12. Water in which ajwain (carom) seeds have been boiled will clean the eyes and cure the ears of deafness.
13. Honey with black pepper is a popular remedy for coughs and cold.
14. Honey taken with almond paste, first thing in the morning, is a tonic for the heart and the brain.
15. Massage the body with a paste made from 1 table spoon of ground bitter almonds, ½ cup chick-pea flour, water and almond oil since it improves the texture of oily or dry skin and makes people of any age look younger.
16. For anemia, soak washed raisins and cashews overnight in water, in equal proportions. Grind them and add some of the water in which they were soaked to make a paste. Spread this on toasted breads or eat by itself.
17. For internal injuries, a small amount of turmeric powder should be swallowed, followed by a glass of milk.
18. A drink made by soaking less than 2 ounces of tamarind in 2 quarts of water (with raw sugar to taste) is useful in protecting the system from heat. It also cures stomach ailments or an upset stomach.
19. To cure a skin rash, add a small amount of water in which cumin seeds have been boiled, to the bath water. Repeat this cumin seed bath several times.
20. For piles, mix cumin seeds powder with water to form a paste of thick honey consistency and apply to anus for relief of acute pain.
21. Drinking a solution of coriander seeds, soaked overnight, cures piles and neuralgia and stops passing of blood in the stools.
22. A quarter teaspoon of powdered coriander seeds taken with a 'peg' of any good liquor cures the stomach of worms.
23. Eating of 3-4 cloves of raw garlic early in the morning on an empty stomach helps in lowering cholesterol, triglycerides and can prevent heart ailments to a great extent.