Rasnadi churanam

--- by Sheela Rani Chunkath

I had written in my earlier articles about the use of Anu tailam in preventing migraine and sinus headaches. Yet another useful churanam in tackling headaches is Rasnadi churanam. If you have a headache put a little Rasnadi churanam on the top of your skull and dribble a little Nochi (Vitex negundo) tailam over it. Oiling your head regularly with Nochi tailam is great for preventing headaches. It is a pity that the western fashionable look eschews the use of oil on the head. So if you have to follow the dictates of fashion and still wish to be headache free you have to get up a little early, liberally use the tailam, keep it for an hour or two and then wash it off. During my school days it was a daily ritual to oil ones hair. Almost all school children had oily shiny double plaits with cute ribbons made into bows. Perhaps many of us suffered less from migraines, sinus and other headaches.

Oil is a powerful rejuvenator and decreases vayu, the vitiation of which causes pain. A combination of Anu tailam, the use of which removes kapha and phlegm from the sinuses, Nochi tailam and Rasnadi which mitigates vayu helps lessen headaches very effectively. A steam inhalation of nochi leaves boiled in water is very soothing when you have a stuffy nose and a heavy head. Of course prevention of headaches is the way to go. Systematic use of Nochi tailam, Rasnadi and Anu tailam can almost ensure that you don’t have headaches again.

Rasnadi churanam is made from equal parts of about 24 herbs and spices. The name of the churanam indicates that it is made from rasna, popularly known as lesser galangal (chitharathai in Tamil) and other ingredients. Some of the other ingredients are devadaru (Himalayan cedar wood), liquorice (yashti madhu in Sanskrit) pepper, sandalwood, ashwagandha, sweet flag (vasambu in Tamil), dry ginger, turmeric, long pepper (pippali in Sanskrit) vetiver, black vetiver, tamarind leaf rachis, kuberakshi bonduc nuts (kazharchikkai in Tamil), asafetida and cuttlefish bone. Dry ginger and pepper are lightly fried and added to the other ingredients, powdered and sieved. The churanam is now ready for use. It is intriguing that the many ingredients work holistically to reduce headaches. Cuttlefish bones (now how did our vaidyars think of including this) is anti inflammatory in nature and helps with inflamed sinuses etc. It also happens to be used in other ancient medical systems such as the Chinese and Unani systems.

Rasnadi churanam is simple to use. It can be applied over the scalp for adults and children after a head bath, a walk in the rain or a swim to prevent colds. A small pinch can be inhaled and serves the same purpose. It can be mixed with a little hot water and applied over the forehead when you have a headache. It is most effective when Rasnadi is applied over the skull, the base of the scalp and dribbled with large quantities of Nochi tailam. The quantity of oil to be used depends on whether you want to relax at home or go out. The more oil you use the better. May seem a trifle old fashioned, but worth the effort to be headache-free.

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