Of Headaches and Migraines

If I were to tell you that the daily use of anu tailam will get rid of your worst headaches and migraines, you would probably be sceptical. I was once such a sceptic till the regular use of anu tailam made me headache-free. Whether it is from stress, too much sun, from congestion of the ear, nose, throat passage or some unknown reason the daily use of anu tailam can only help. Anu tailam is to be used as nasal drops or as a nasyam. The composition and benefits of using anu tailam have been given in detail in the Sutrasathna section of Vaghbhata’s Ashtanga Hridayam, written sometime between 550 and 600 AD. This wonderful Ayurvedic treatise has been translated into many Indian languages and even into German. Germany is one European country which actively encourages alternative medicine .

Anu tailam is available in small bottles with a dropper. The best way to instill anu tailam is to get your spouse or another person to do it for you. Lie on a bed with your head tilted over the edge. Ask your spouse or attendant to put one or two drops of anu tailam inside one nostril. Close one nostril and gently inhale. Gently massage the area around the nose, the forehead and the sinuses. Repeat for the other nostril. In the beginning you may feel a little uncomfortable and have a slight burning sensation. If you find the above process very complicated, just take a few drops of anu tailam on your fingers, tilt your head and inhale the tailam. As you get more comfortable, you can follow the actual nasyam process. If you have phlegm in any part of your head or nasal passages, it will invariably come out through your nostrils or throat. Blow it out gently or spit it out.

The use of anu tailam has been prescribed as a dinacharya, meaning that it should be used daily. If you are disciplined enough to use it daily, headaches will become a thing of the past. Vagbhata has detailed the time of the nasal medication depending on the dosha affected. In general where there is a vata or kapha problem it can be instilled in the morning and evenings. Do not start the nasyam process, however when you have severe nasal congestion. Anu tailam should not be used after consuming alcohol.

Made from lotus stamens, water lily rhizomes, asparagus roots, wild date roots, nut grass tubes, cinnamon leaves, cardamom, red sanders wood, vetiver, Indian sarasaparilla, Himalayan cedar wood, bael roots, fruits of Embelia, amla, and a whole host of other herbs all infused and boiled in sesame oil and goat’s milk, anu tailam is surely a product of Indian genius. Vaghbata says the regular use of anu tailam helps improve the functioning of the sense organs and can even make gray hair disappear. Diseases of the head and nose rarely affect those who regularly use anu tailam.

--- The writer was earlier Health Secretary, Govt. of Tamil Nadu and is currently CMD, TN Industrial Investment Corporation; Sheelarani.arogyamantra@gmail.com