COMMUNITY

ROLE OF COMMUNITY IN DETERMINING BELIEFS, PRACTICES

AND HOME REMEDIES IN TREATMENT
Man is biologically an animal. But his well developed brain
differentiates him from and other animals and makes him
creative. Community life was established as a part of his
social and cultural development . They started living in
groups in particular geographical areas . These groups
based on their life experiences

developed certain beliefs ‘ attitudes and practices. This

is true as far as health field is also concerned.

he
HALTH BELIEFS IN COMMUNITY
1. In certain community of Tamilnadu , the infants
who had recovered after being sick for a long time
will be taken to the temple in front of which , they
will be burried for a few seconds and then taken
out . People believe that this practices will prevent
the recurrence of disease.

2.
• 2.The beliefs in community is that if the shed teeth of a child
take time to growth the child’s maternal uncle is made to
chew a stick and if it is swallowed by the child , the teeth will
grow soon.
• 3. people in certain community believe that the application
of honey , in the tongue of a stammerer will control
stammering.
• 4.people in the southern side of Tamilnadu believe that
stammering will be controlled if the stammerer stands on a
rock and makes a cooing, sound with marble stones in the
mouth.
• 5.A belief exists among the people of certain community
that application of pigeon’s blood will make the limb strong.
• 6.The medicine for dog bite as believed by
certain people is to drink the water got from
the house to which the dog belongs.
• 7.the belief among the people of certain
communities is that when a scorpion has
bitten a person , the spot of bite has to be
rubbed with onion peels.
• 8.certain other people believe that the
scorpion which has bitten a person must be
killed and kept inside a bottle containing
kerosene.this should be applied on spot of
bite to prevent the spread of the poison.
• 9. people in certain villages believe that taking in herbal
syrup got from the ladies practicing traditional medicines
on certain occasion will prevent them from getting
diseases.
• 10. children affected by small pox are made to lie on a
plantain leaf on which oil has been applied and neem leaf
are spread . As they believe that diseases is due to the
curses of goddess , it is hoped that they by doing so she will
be pleased.
• 11. people believe that when there is a delay in the growth
of the shed teeth of children , it can be fastened by
scratching the gums with paddy.
• 12.A belief exists that the delay in speech of the infants can
be rectified by the application of honey on their tongue.
• 13.A group called jehova believers do not have the
practice of undergoing treatment at the of
sickness. It I owing to the belief that sickness is the
cause of their sins . They pray god to for give them.
• 14.certain people believe that a syrup made by
grinding pepper if taken will the spread of poison
at the time of scorpion bite.
• 15.when a child falls sick , it is taken to the mosque
as the people believe that the prayers offered by
the senior men in the mosque will cure the child.
• 16.people believe that a pain caused by the
pricking of them can be relieved by the application
of hot cooked rice on the spot.
• 17.People of certain community in the southern
side of Tamilnadu believe that when one suffers
from a severe neck pain, that can be relieved by
the massage done by a lady who has given birth
to twins.
• 18. people believe that passing a few drops of
rose water will cure the conjuctivities in the eye.
• IRRATIONAL PRACTICES
• Each community has peculiar practices. Some of
them are irrational. EXAMPLE : in tamil
community people prevent a pregnant woman
from taking papaya fruit as they believe that it
causes abortion.
• Some group of people like brhamins who take pure
vegetarian food and such people are vulnerable to
vitamin B12 deficiency.
• HOME REMEDIES :
• In primitive communities many health care
methods were developed based on the
experiences of the people , people in the different
communities had their own interpretations and
perceptions about various health problems.
• According to khanna, “ every country has
traditional cures for its diseases.
• “folk medicine is an integral part of the wealth of
the medical knowledge available in any cultural
groups.
• “ Home medicines are simple to prepare with
the materials available in the kitchen and they
got excellent curative effects”
• Examples:
• DIGESTION:
• Guava is rich in nutrition , helps in the
normal evacuation of the bowels.
• a quarter teaspoonful of pepper powder
mixed with thin buttermilk forms a wonderful
home remedy for indigestion.
• a juice of pomegranate mixed with
tablespoon of honey is effective cure for
indigestion accompanied by giddiness.
• ABDOMINAL PAIN:
Warm a small piece of asafoetida in castor oil powder a
piece and mix it well in little warm castor oil . apply this medicated oil
all around the suffering infants navel and generally massage the
abdomen.
warm mustard oil is used to massage they abdomen of
grown of people.
A teaspoonful of powdered fenugreek seed is mixed
with buttermilk and taken internally to relieve abdominal pain.

DIARRHOEA AND DYSENTRY:

Rice gruel is given to control diarrhoea in
south india.
a fine curry leaves paste is prepared by
grinding these leaves and mixed in buttermilk this drink is taken on
empty stomach.
a teaspoonful of ghee mixed in a glass of tea
decoction forms a good remedy.
• VOMITING:
• The central rib of peacock feather is burnt
and half a teaspoonful of charred feather mixed with
honey and taken.
• A piece of ginger , one cardamom , a few
tulasi leaves and little aniseed are boiled in a glass of
water and an ounce of this taken thrice a day to stop
vomiting.
• FLATULENCE OR GAS:
• A garlic soup is a good remedy for
decrease intestinal gas .
• a drink prepared by boiling roasted
cumin is effective in reducing flatulence .
• JAUNDICE:
• A teaspoonful of honey mixed with
white radish juice is useful drink to control the
toxaemia of infection .
• sugarcane juice mixed with lime juice
or the extract of white radish with palm candy will
speed up the recovery.

CONSTIPATION:
For children 6 to 7 raisins are soaked
in boiling water and set aside for a while to get
cooled . Then the raisins are thoroughly crushed to
extract the juice into the water and the liquid is
filtered to remove the skin.
• Problem . there are many traditional home remedies to juice
prepared in a glass of warm water with a teaspoonful of honey Is a
good remedy for cold and dry cough. control this problem. white
onions are shredded and fried PILES:
• Piles is an age old in ghee and taken . similarly preparations of
fenugreek leaves and cucumber and ginger chutney are greatly
useful to treat chronic piles.
• HICCUPS:
• HICCUPS IS A FREQUENTLY OBSERVED PROBLEM.
• Modern medicine does not have any remedy for this.
• This is controlled by frightening the person who has hiccups.

COMMON COLD:
Simple home remedies have good result without harming the system.
dilute lime
• Cumin is added to boiling water ,allowed to simmer for a few
seconds and cooled. this water controls cold and fever.
• FEVER:
• Home remedies used for expel toxins from the system by increasing
urination and sweating and reduce the fever. Coffee and tea are useful
drinks to control fever.
• MUMPS:
• Mumps is caused by viral infection.
• dry ginger paste is applied to cover the swollen portion. when the paste
dries up the swelling decreases in size and pain is reduced.
• A paste is prepared from neem and turmeric is applied on the swollen area
to control mumps.
• WHEEZING AND ASTHMA:
• In the control of asthma and wheezing modern
medicine uses extremely harmful drugs.
• steaming ginger tea with mixed garlic clove in it can be
taken two times a day for controlling allergy and asthma.
•
• EARACHE: • a piece of juicy
• Neem oil is a stem of kathazhai plant
useful remedy for is warmed little and the
infection and juice is extracted.
inflammation in the ear. • this juice can be used
Few drops of it instilled for as ear drops to
into the ears cures control infection and
inflammatory pain in the ear.
conditions of the ear.
•INSECT IN THE EAR:
• a teaspoon ful of strong salt solution is poured into the ear and can be covered with a hanky. the insect will die within few minutes.
•Then the head should be tilted to on side so that the dead insect will come ou t along with salt water.
•EYES:
•Jayphal is otherwise called as jadikkai .
•A paste of jayphal is prepared in milk and applied all around the eyes and over the eyelids.
•This cool the eyes.
•Coconut water is useful to wash the eyes for eyes hemorrhage, irritation and ulceration.
Stye :
Namakkatti is rubbed on a
rough surface with few drops of milk
or water to get a white paste. This
paste is applied on the inflamed lid
for few times for complete cure.
• MOUTH ULCER:
• A teaspoonful of this dried berries
is fried with little ghee and mixed with rice and
taken.
• one can frequently take fenugreek ,
manattakali , drumstick leaves to cure chronic ulcer.
• a paste prepared by grinding
manattakali leaves is mixed with buttermilk is taken
and heals the ulcer.
• RECIPIES FOR CLEAR SKIN:
• Gram flour is mixed with milk
cream or rice starch and applied on the whole body.
• Multhai paste with a pinch of saffron in
milk is applied on the bald patches before going to
bed.
• SHAMPOOS:
• Starch water of rice is mixed with
shikakai powder or gram flour is used as shampoo.
• HAIR DYE:
• Curry leaves boiled in coconut oil
becomes an excellent tonic for hair growth and hair
pigmentation.
• red hibiscus boiled in coconut oil is
regularly applied on hair as a dye.
• FACE:
• Warm water in which neem leaves are
heated should be used to wash the face.
• Lime juice and coconut juice is mixed and
rose petal juice or jasmine flower juice is added. This
emulsion can be applied on the face.
• LICE:
• A pinch of camphor is mixed is coconut
and used as hair oil.
• Custard apple seeds are powdered and
mixed with gramflour to prepare a paste . Hair is
washed with this paste.
• DANDRUFF:
• A fenugreek seed paste is applied on
the scalp and the hair can be washed after half an
hour with shikakai.
• Green gram powder is mixed with
curd and used to wash the hair twice a week
HAIR GROWTH:
the coconut shavings are ground and squeezed
to get the milk.
this milk is applied on the sclp and massaged to
nourish the hair roots.
The white powder of gorbach is mixed with cold
coconut milk. This is applied on the scalp and
massaged.
• BALDNESS:
• Lime seeds and black pepper seeds are
ground plain water or ginger juice for
getting a fine paste.
• For a few weeks once a twice a day this
paste is applied on the patches.
• JOINTS SWELLINGS,ACHES AND SPRAINS:
• plain onion juice mixed
with warm mustard oil can also be used as
an external remedy for aches and pains.
• A thick paste of tamarind with a lot of salts
in it is applied on the sprained area.
• LEGS-PAIN AND TIREDNESS:
• Warm water to which crystals of rock
salt have been added if one sits with feet immersed in
this warm salted water, the pain will be relieved more
quickly.
• HEADACHE:
• A paste of cloves and salt crystals in milk is
applied on the head to control head ache.
• A poultice of wheat dough is applied on the temples to
relieve head ache.
• Equal quantities of lime juice and water are mixed and a
few drops of it are instilled into the ears. If the ache is on
the left side, the drops are put into the right ear and if it
is on the right side then the drops are instilled on the left
ear.
• CONCLUSION:
Home remedies are rich and vast. Home remedies
are simple and easy to practice.
There are many home remedies for each health
problem.
They can be used combined with modern
medicine also.