Friday 29 July 2016

12 Health Benefits of Lemons and Limes That You Probably Haven’t Heard of Yet

Lemons and limes belong to the citrus fruit family, known for their high levels of vitamin C content and other essential minerals. Regardless of their acidity and sour taste, these fruits do not acidify the human body but on the contrary, their consumption has an alkaline effect upon it. Citrus fruits’ rinds contain limonene, a compound known to be anti-carcinogenic and liver healthy. It is also used to promote weight loss and treat bronchitis.
Lemon and Lime’s Nutritional Benefits
These citrus fruits are rich in folate, potassium, vitamin C, B6, flavonoids, phytochemicals and limonene. D-Limonene is a compound known to be anti-carcinogenic and to help promote the production of those particular enzymes that have the ability to detoxify carcinogens.
health_benefits_of_lemon_juice
Health Benefits
Lemons and limes contain excellent anticancer and antioxidant properties. In addition, they also contain a high content of antibiotics that are capable of combating against the bacteria present in the body. The following are just a few of lemon and lime’s numerous health benefits:
  1. Lemon and lime help you combat common cold:
Combine the juice of two lemons or limes with half a liter of warm water. Add raw honey to taste and consume before you go to bed at night. The anti-viral properties found in lemons and limes will help you to effectively fight against common cold symptoms as well as boost your body’s immune response to fight off the infection.
  1. Improve digestion:
The consumption of both lemons and limes can help you relieve indigestion, bloating and foul burping.
  1. Relieve constipation:
Relieve your constipation problems by consuming a mix of lime or lemon, a glass of warm water and a small amount of raw honey to add a better taste to this healthy drink. Consume this drink before breakfast, on an empty stomach, to get an instant relief from constipation. Besides constipation relief, your body will also receive an excellent detox.
  1. Reduce frequency of heartburn:
Reduce frequent heartburns by consuming a mixture of 2 teaspoons of either fresh lemon or lime juice and a glass of warm water.
  1. Combat inflammatory disorders:
Both lemon and lime juice are highly effective in the combat against inflammatory disorders like arthritis, sciatica and rheumatism among others. The consumption of these juices is also associated with a reduced risk of gout, due to lemon and lime’s ability to inhibit the uric acid buildup in the body’s tissues.
  1. Treat asthma:
If you have asthma, you can relieve its symptoms by taking a tablespoon of lemon juice an hour before each meal.
  1. Reduce swollen gums:
To relieve swollen gums, combine some freshly-squeezed lime juice (diluted) with a pinch of sea salt and consume the resulting mixture. Another thing you can try to relieve this issue is to rub a piece of the albedo of a lime or a lemon (the white flesh under the peel) on your gums. Thus you will reduce their swelling.
  1. Relieve sore throat:
Prepare a mixture of warm water and lemon juice (ration 1:1) and gargle with it to obtain an instant relief.
  1. Relieve burning heels and soles:
Take a slice of lemon or lime and rub it onto the affected area (sole, feet, heel) to relieve the pain or burning sensation. By doing this, you will also encourage the process of toxin elimination from the pores of your feet.
  1. Nourish skin:
Lime and lemon peel help to moisture skin. Therefore, by rubbing dry or scaly skin with a piece of lemon or lime peel, you will provide it with its much needed moisture and it will become soft and supple like never before.
  1. Relax your body and help you fall asleep fast:
Soak your feet in a solution of lemon or lime and warm water. Its fresh smell and its cooling and astringent effects will provide you with instant relaxation, making you fall asleep right away.
  1. Relieve cholera:
The regular consumption of a cup of lemon or lime juice will help you destroy the cholera bacilli virus. Drink the same amount of water as well. Lemon and lime’s anti-viral properties are highly effective when it comes to this virus and will help you eliminate it within a short period of time.
Extra Juicing Tips
To get the most of your lemon or lime juice, you should include the entire fruit together with its peel. We all know that the peel is the part where harmful ingredients are usually contained, so prior to juicing you should make sure that the fruit is properly washed. Also, try buying 100% organic fruits in order to avoid the consumption of pesticides and GMO lemons and limes.
Using the whole fruit when preparing your juice will surely provide you with all the health benefits the fruit has to offer. The compound we’ve mentioned above, known as limonene, is very high in the white part of the fruit, just under the peel, so by juicing the entire fruit you will get the most of it.
In addition, you can use lemon and lime juice to make ice cubes and add them to other drinks as well. The ice cubes prepared like this can stay refrigerated up to two weeks and after that period they will start losing their taste and potential benefits.
A useful tip when buying lemons, is to look at their stem ends. The number of lines radiating from the stem shows you how high is their mineral content. The greater this number is, the higher their mineral content.
Caution:
You should always consume lemon or lime juice in moderation.
If you notice any allergic reactions to some of these fruits, stop consuming them immediately and consult your healthcare provider.

Sunday 24 July 2016

Am I pregnant?

CONFIRMING YOU ARE PREGNANT

Well, you’ve waited and waited, your body feels like it’s changing already (or perhaps it doesn’t) and you are dying to find out whether that sneaking suspicion is actually correct. So you ask yourself, am I pregnant? A lot of women planning to become pregnant keep a stash of home pregnancy tests – and that’s not a bad idea, these days they are pretty accurate when used correctly.
Pregnancy tests return a result based on the level of the hormone hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) which is released into the bloodstream soon after conception, initially at very low levels but increasing rapidly till about twelve weeks into the pregnancy.
While research has shown that around five percent of women will return a positive result from a home pregnancy test as early as eight days into the pregnancy, most experts recommend waiting until at least 14 days past the likely conception date.
If you are very keen to get an early result, discuss your options with your doctor; it is possible to confirm an early positive result from a urine sample with an early blood test, administered by your doctor, from around ten to twelve days after conception.
Testing too early may give a negative result even though you may still be pregnant. And to prevent early hopes getting too high, an early positive result should be checked again around 14 days after conception is thought to have occurred to ensure that the result is accurate.

Home pregnancy tests

There’s a big range of home pregnancy tests on the market which test for levels of the pregnancy hormone hCG in the urine. But in general, if you follow all the instructions, the tests are around 97 percent accurate.
The more sensitive tests claim to detect pregnancy earlier than others – and are therefore more expensive. Tests will measure how much hCG is present and report it in mIU per millilitre. More sensitive tests will detect anything over 20 mIU per ml and report it as positive, giving a result from as early as eight days after conception; while most tests will detect around 50 to 100 mIU per ml before returning a positive result.

The best time to test is first thing in the morning, as hormone levels are likely not to have been diluted, although most tests these days will give results any time of day. Avoid drinking lots of water before testing so you don’t dilute the urine too much.
Before you take the test, make sure you read the instructions carefully – when you are anxious or excited it is easy to get mixed up, so take a deep breath and be as calm as possible.
Use a watch or clock with second hands if possible, so that you are definite about the time that has passed. You may even want to write down the time that the test was started if you are feeling very scatty. Make sure that you check the test result within the recommended time limits.
Most tests ask that you hold the pregnancy test stick into the urine mid-stream – a bit tricky and possibly messy. Some pregnancy test veterans suggest bringing a container or a cup into the loo, collecting a little urine mid-stream and then dipping the test in to reduce the risk of missing.
The general rule on pregnancy tests is – one line (the control) means NO, you’re not pregnant; two lines meanYES – you are pregnant, and you can begin to tell your family and friends, I am pregnant!
However, sometimes pregnancy tests show an ‘evaporation line’ which can confuse the issue. Read the instructions if you’re not sure – and most instructions also have a customer support line that you can ring if you are still unsure.

Blood tests

Pregnancy tests based on urine samples are so accurate these days that blood tests are rarely used to confirm pregnancy. Blood pregnancy tests used by doctors are estimated to be more than 99 percent accurate and will test for the presence of hCG. Some tests will check the level of hCG, which may give an indication of how far along the pregnancy has progressed. A blood sample is generally sent to a pathology laboratory and results available in a day or two.

False Positives

Usually, if a test says you are pregnant – you are, but occasionally, a “False positive” result can occur. These can be heart-breaking and are rare, but may occur for a few reasons:
  • “Chemical pregnancy” – this is a term used for a very early miscarriage. About half of all pregnancies are thought to end in miscarriage, usually shortly after conception. But if a test is taken very early, when hormone levels have started to climb, you may detect a positive hCG response and then go on to have a period.
  • Not following directions – Make sure you check the pregnancy test within the specified reaction period; a test that has been sitting around too long may return a false positive result.
  • Fertility treatments – Some fertility treatments contain the hCG hormone and may return a false positive if the hormone is still present.

False Negatives

If you test too early, you may get a negative result even though you are pregnant; testing a few days later may return a different result, so do keep an eye on the changes in your body just in case. And in rare cases, a pregnancy test may not be working properly (although the test strip usually shows if this is the case) so you will need to re-test."

हस्‍तमैथुन से जुड़े तथ्‍य

हस्‍तमैथुन से जुड़े तथ्‍य
हस्‍तमैथुन एक सामान्‍य क्रिया है। यह किसी व्‍यक्ति के निजी अंगों में स्‍व यौन उत्‍तेजना का एक माध्‍यम है। इसे लेकर अधिक संशय अथवा ग्‍लानि पालने की कोई जरूरत नहीं है। हालांकि इसे लेकर खुले में चर्चा नहीं की जाती, और शायद यही वजह है कि इसे लेकर कई मिथ और गलत धारणायें प्रचलित हैं। ये धारणायें पीढ़ी दर पीढ़ी चली आती हैं और धीरे-धीरे समाज में इनकी जड़ें बहुत गहरी हो जाती हैं।


महिलाओं में भी सामान्‍य
आमतौर पर हस्‍तमैथुन को पुरुषों से जोड़कर देखा जाता है। लेकिन, ऐसा नहीं है कि महिलायें हस्‍तमैथुन नहीं करतीं। महिलायें भी काम की अधिकता होने पर हस्‍तमैथुन के जरिये खुद को रिलीव करती हैं।

हस्‍तमैथुन के लाभ
हस्‍तमैथुन को लेकर समाज में कई भ्रांतियां हैं। इसे लेकर बुरा माना जाता है। कई नीम-हकीम इसे पौरुष शक्ति के लिए बहुत घातक मानते हैं। उन बातों में पूरी सच्‍चाई नहीं होती, और उनमें से कई पूरी तरह बेबुनियाद होती हैं।



जानते हैं कि आखिर हस्‍तमैथुन करने के क्‍या लाभ हो सकते हैं-
वीर्य स्‍खलन से राहत
वीर्य स्‍खलन के जरिये आपको काफी राहत मिल सकती है। कामोत्‍तेजना की अधिकता होने पर हस्‍तमैथुन करने से राहत मिलती है। इससे वे मानसिक रूप से हल्‍का महसूस करने लगते हैं।
आनंददायक चरमोत्‍कर्ष
हस्‍तमैथुन मस्ती और खुशी के लिए चरमोत्कर्ष हासिल करने का एक स्‍वस्‍थ और सुरक्षित तरीका माना जाता है। इसमें व्‍यक्ति बिना किसी साथी के भी चरमोत्‍कर्ष हासिल कर लेता है।
नींद लाए
हस्‍तमैथुन को नींद के लिए अच्‍छा माना जाता है। यह नींद न आने की शिकायत को दूर करने में मदद करता है। ऐसा पाया गया है कि अगर रात को नींद न आ रही हो, तो हस्‍तमैथुन करने से नींद आ जाती है।
तनाव दूर कर दिलाये आराम
हस्‍तमैथुन से सेक्‍स जैसे ही लाभ मिलने की बात कही जाती है। जिस प्रकार सेक्‍स तनाव को दूर करने में मदद करता है,  वैसे ही हस्‍तमैथुन के जरिये भी आपको तनाव दूर करने में मदद मिलती है।

हस्‍तमैथुन के नुकसान
ऐसा नहीं है कि हस्‍तमैथुन से केवल लाभ ही होते हैं। किसी भी चीज की अधिकता आपको नुकसान पहुंचा सकती है। हस्‍तमैथुन कोई अपवाद नहीं है। हस्‍तमैथुन अगर आपकी लत बन चुका है, तो यह आपको कई नुकसान पहुंचा सकता है।
हस्‍तमैथुन से कम होते हैं शुक्राणु
नियमित हस्‍तमैथुन करने से पुरुषों में शुक्राणुओं की संख्‍या कम होने की बात मानी जाती है। इसका असर उनके पिता बनने की क्षमता पर भी पड़ता है।
संतुष्टि में कमी
नियमित रूप से हस्‍तमैथुन करने से आपको संतुष्‍ट होने में अधिक समय लगता है। इसके साथ ही आपका वीर्य स्‍खलित होने का समय भी बढ़ जाता है।

सूजन का खतरा
हस्‍तमैथुन करते समय अधिक जोर लगाने से काफी परेशानी हो सकती है। इससे लिंग में सूजन की शिकायत हो सकती है। इससे आपको काफी दर्द हो सकता है।
हस्‍तमैथुन से जुड़े मिथ
हस्‍तमैथुन को लेकर समाज में कई तरह के मिथ प्रचलित हैं। ये मिथ सत्‍य से दूर हैं, इन मिथ का न तो कोई वैज्ञानिक आधार होता है और न ही कोई साक्ष्‍य। लेकिन फिर भी लोग इन पर विश्वास करते हैं।
हस्‍तमैथुन से हाथों पर बाल!
यह बात पूरी तरह से बेबुनियाद है। कई लोग इस तरह की बात करते हैं कि हस्‍तमैथुन करने से हाथों पर बाल हो सकते हैं। न तो इस बात का कोई वैज्ञानिक आधार है और न ही अब तक कोई ऐसा मामला ही सामने आया है। यानी इस बात में कोई सच्‍चाई नहीं है।
उत्तेजना में कमी
इस बारे में अभी तक साक्ष्‍यों का अभाव है कि नियमित रूप से हस्‍तमैथुन करने से पुरुष उत्तेजना में कमी आती है। कई विज्ञापन हस्‍तमैथुन के इस नुकसान की बात करते हैं, लेकिन इसे लेकर अभी तक कोई वैज्ञानिक साक्ष्‍य सामने नहीं आया है।
कितना सही
अक्‍सर इस बारे में सवाल उठते हैं कि आखिर कितनी बार हस्‍तमैथुन करना सही रहता है। हालांकि इसे लेकर कोई निश्चित संख्‍या नहीं है। हर व्‍यक्ति दर व्‍यक्ति निर्भर करता है। हालांकि सप्‍ताह में तीन से सात बार तक हस्‍तमैथुन करना औसत माना जाता है।

Wednesday 20 July 2016

Health Benefits of Tulsi and Basil Leaves

About Tulsi/Basil
Tulsi is the most famous herb of the India, belongs to the Lamiaceae family and known for its amazing and wonderful values all around the world. It was originated in the Indian Subcontinents and also called as the holy Basil and queen of the herbs. It is the most sacred aromatic plant found in India and worshipped by the Indian people in their daily life. It is planted by almost every Indian in their houses for the religious purposes. Sacred Tulsi leaves have been in use by the Indian people more than thousands of years.
It is found in many varieties and different parts like stem, leaves, roots, seeds are used for the therapeutic purposes. Tulsi plant having green leaves is known as the Rama/Shri/Lakshmi Tulsi whereas Tulsi plant with reddish/purple leaves is known as the Krishna/Shyama Tulsi.

Benefits of Tulsi/Basil

Tulsi leaves and seeds are used for many years in curing variety of seasonal problems and serious health disorders like cough, cold, malaria, inflammation, problems of heart, kidney, liver and etc. it is naturally loaded with lots of nutritional such as antioxidants, phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals and etc. It has strong ability to promote longevity. Some of its really believable nutritional health benefits are mentioned below:

Benefits of Tulsi Leaves

Prevents from Common Infections
  • It prevents from the common infections caused by the bacteria, fungus, and virus because of its anti-bacterial, fungicidal and germicidal properties.
Reduces Fever
  • It helps in reducing the body temperature means fever to its normal level during any infection if boiled Tulsi water with cardamom is taken two to three times a day.
Benefits of Tulsi Leaves for Diabetes
Releases Insulin under Control
  • Holy basil leaves contain antioxidants and essential oils (eugenol, caryophyllene, methyl eugenol and etc) which helps beta cells of the pancreas to release insulin under control and function properly.
Lowers Blood Sugar Level
  • It helps in lowering down the blood sugar level and keeps diabetes symptoms under control. It prevents from the oxidative stress thus increase longevity.
Benefits of Tulsi Leaves for Heart
Maintains Cholesterol Level
  • It contains a powerful anti-oxidant compound (eugenol) which helps in maintaining the blood cholesterol level and blood pressure thus lowers the risk of heart disorders.
Prevents from Heart Illness
  • It is very beneficial to chew some Tulsi leaves in the early morning with empty stomach on daily basis to get prevented from the heart illnesses.
Benefits of Tulsi Leaves for Mind Relief
Reduces Stress Level
  • It helps in lowering down the body and mind stress level by normalizing the level of stress hormone called cortisol.
Improves Blood Flow
  • It contains some anti-stress agents which have soothing effects on the nerves, fights with harmful free radicals and regulates the proper flow of blood throughout the body.
Sharpens Memory
  • It acts as a natural nerve tonic and memory sharper home remedy if five tulsi leaves are taken with water in the morning.
Benefits of Tulsi Leaves for Kidney
Dissolves Kidney Stones
  • It helps in dissolving out the kidney stones by reducing the blood uric acid level because of its diuretic and detoxifying property.
Removes Body Toxin
  • It helps in cleansing kidneys by flushing out all the body toxins through kidney. Taking the mixture of honey and Tulsi leaves juice on daily basis helps a lot.
Benefits of Tulsi Leaves for Cancer
Prevents from Cancer
  • It helps in treating various type of body cancer by inhibiting the growth of tumour cells because of its strong anti-carcinogenic and anti-oxidant properties.
  • It reduces the risk of cancer among people eating basil leaves regularly.
Benefits of Tulsi Leaves for Skin and Hair
Improves Health of Hair and Skin
  • Its powerful antioxidant and purifying nature makes skin and hair health, strong and smooth.
Purifies Blood
  • It is a famous blood purifier gives skin and hair an amazing glowing look.
Clears Skin
  • It removes all the black spots, acne and blemishes from the skin and prevents from further problems due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties.
Provides Relief from Skin Problems
  • It also provides relief from other skin problems like itchiness, leucoderma including hair fall if paste of Tulsi leaves is applied directly as a pack or drinking it juice.
Lightens Skin Tone
  • Applying the paste of besan and Tulsi leaves on the face helps in removing scar marks, acne and lightens out the skin tone.
Relieves Skin Inflammation
  • Applying the paste of Tulsi leaves, sandalwood and rose water on the face helps in preventing skin inflammation and makes skin younger, smooth and fresh.
Makes Hair Smooth and Shiny
  • It makes hair smooth, shiny and itch free if the mixture of Tulsi leaves, neem leaves and hibiscus leaves is applied to the hair.
Prevents from Ageing
  • Its anti-ageing property makes it capable to prevent body from the age related damages caused by the free radicals.
Removes Wrinkles
  • It helps in delaying the aging processes such as fine lines on the skin, appearance of wrinkles and etc.
Prevents Hair Greying
  • It prevents hair from getting grey if hair is washed with Tulsi leaves and amla powder (soaked for whole night) water.
Benefits of Tulsi Leaves for Respiratory System
Provides Relief from Respiratory Disorders
  • It provides relief from various respiratory problems (cold, cough, influenza, flu, bronchitis, asthma and etc) as well as prevents in future from serious respiratory disorders if it is consumed regularly.
Boosts Body Immunity
  • It enhances the body immunity system, suppresses cough release, relieve chest by expelling more phlegm from the chest.
Relieves Pain and Inflammation
  • It helps in relieving the pain and inflammations caused by the sore throat if boiled basil leaves water is taken regularly.
Benefits of Tulsi Leaves for Kids
Treats Common Cold
  • It also helps in treating kids problems like common cold, diarrhea, fever, vomiting and etc.
Keeps Away from Chicken Pox
  • It keeps children away from the chicken pox if few basil leaves with honey is given.
Treats Worms Problem
  • It helps in treating the stomach and intestinal worms problem among kids.
Other Benefits of Tulsi Leaves
Cures Damages of Smoking
  • It helps in quitting the smoking habits as well as curing all the damages caused by the smoking.
Relieves Headache
  • It provides instant relief from the headache caused by infections like sinusitis, allergic reactions, seasonal problems, migraine and etc.
Treats Insect Bites and Bad Breath Problems
  • It is a good home remedy to treat insect bites and bad breath problems.
Natural Tooth Paste
  • Powdered basil leaves are used to brush teeth to get relief from the teeth disorders such as bad breath, gingivitis, pyorrhea and etc.
Treats Eye Disorders
  • It helps in treating eye disorders like sore eyes, night-blindness, itching and etc if black basil leaves juice is used as an eye drop during bedtime.
Treats Stomach Problems
  • It helps in treating common stomach problems including constipation, vomiting, appetite problem, flatulence, bloating, acidity and etc.
Relieves Tooth Pain
  • Applying paste of some tulsi leaves and black pepper to the teeth helps in relieving tooth pain.
Benefits of Tulsi Roots during Pregnancy
Eases Labour Pain
  • It helps pregnant women by reducing the labour pain and ease delivery if Tulsi root is tied at back of the pregnant women.

Benefits of Tulsi Oil

Natural Insects Repellent
  • It helps in keeping mosquitoes and other harmful insects away if Tulsi oil is applied on the body.
Provides Relief from Mental Problems
  • Basil seed oil has hypo-tensive property and helps in relieving the mental weakness, release nervous tension, depression and other disorders.
Relieves Lice Problem
  • Applying it to the scalp helps in getting relief from the lice problem as well as lightens the color if applied to the face.

Benefits of Tulsi Tea

Improves Oxygenated Blood Flow
  • Basil leaves contain lots of vitamins and minerals like B, A, E, K, C, manganese, calcium, iron, zinc, dietary fibers, magnesium, potassium, folates, chlorophyll and phytonutrients thus it helps in nourishing the body very deeply if basil tea is taken regularly. Dried leaves of the Tulsi are also used to make tea. It is rich in iron and low in calories, enhances oxygenated blood flow all through the body.

Benefits of Tulsi Seeds

Reduces Inflammation
  • It is anti-inflammatory in nature reduces inflammation caused by many problems like arthritis, joints pain and etc.
Maintains Functioning of various Body Systems
  • It helps in maintaining the functioning of blood circulation system, cardio vascular system, digestive system, immune system and other body systems.
Treats Problems of Genito-Urinary System
  • It helps in treating the problems of genito-urinary system such as bladder infection, vaginal infection and gonorrhea.
Regulates Blood Sugar Level
  • It helps in slowing down the metabolism and absorption of the carbohydrate in the intestine thus regulates the blood sugar level.
Fastens Wound Healing
  • Its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory property fastens the wound healing and prevents from further skin infections.
Treats Hyper-Acidity Problem
  • It helps in managing the normal cholesterol level and treating the hyper-acidity problems like heartburn, gastro-esophageal reflex disorder and etc.
Reduces Effect of Snake Poison
  • It acts as a natural antidote for the snake poison.
Improves Memory Level
  • Omega-3 fatty acids found in the basil seed helps in improving the memory level and brain power.

Benefits of Tulsi Mala

Prevents from Negative Effects
  • It is considered in India that wearing Tulsi mala in the neck prevents from the negative effects due to the divine properties.
Keeps Mind Peaceful
  • It keeps mind very calm and peaceful.
Nutritional Benefits of Tulsi/Basil Leaves per 100 g
(Source: USDA Nutrient database)
Energy: 23 Kcal
Carbohydrate: 2.65 g
Protein: 3.15 g
Fat: 0.64 g
Dietary Fibers: 1.60 g
Vitamins
Thiamin: 0.034 mg
Riboflavin: 0.076 mg
Niacin: 0.902 mg
Pantothenic acid: 0.209 mg
Pyridoxine: 0.155 mg
Folates: 68 µg
Vitamin A: 5275 IU
Vitamin E: 0.80 mg
Vitamin C: 18 mg
Vitamin K: 414.8 µg
Electrolytes
Sodium: 4 mg
Potassium: 295 mg
Minerals
Calcium: 177 mg
Copper: 385 mg
Manganese: 1.15 mg
Magnesium: 64 mg
Iron: 3.17 mg
Zinc: 0.81 mg
Phyto-nutrients
Beta-carotene: 3142 µg
Beta-crypto-xanthin: 46 µg
Lutein-zeaxanthin: 5650 µg
How to Enjoy
Almost each part of the Tulsi plant is useful and beneficial for the human health. It can be enjoyed as fresh leaves, dried leaves, powdered leaves, stem, roots, seeds and etc. Tulsi leaves can be enjoyed by making green Tulsi tea, fresh leaves juice, dried powdered form, added to the salad, soup and etc.
How to Select and Store
Any variety of the Tulsi plant can be planted at home in the small vase to get fresh leaves easily on daily basis. Choosing fresh and organic basil leaves are good instead of dried one as they are in high quality, flavor and more beneficial. However, in the absence of fresh leaves, dried leaves can be used but less beneficial as they have low level of vitamin C, carotene and etc. Tulsi leaves can be stored fresh for some days in the refrigerator and dried leaves can be stored for months in the air tight container at dry, cool and dark place.
Disadvantages, Side Effects and Precautions
It has some disadvantages and side effects which needs some careful precautions while using:
  • It should be avoided taking inappropriately as it may lead to some serious health problems.
  • It is taken very carefully by the diabetic person as it may highly slow down the glucose level which causes weakness and affect brain functionality.
  • It is generally avoided during pregnancy and breast feeding.
  • Its anticoagulant (blood thinning) property may affect people taking medication for heart problems, inadequate blood flow and etc.
  • It may enhance the chromium level in the body which is toxic.
  • It should be avoided some days earlier and after to any surgery to avoid risk of more bleeding.
How Much Tulsi to Eat a Day
Tulsi leaves are very famous in India not only from the religious points of view but from the therapeutic points of view as well. It makes atmosphere very clear by hindering the growth of harmful insects in the nearby areas. It is considered that people taking four to five basil leaves daily gets free from many health problems. However, its high dose should be avoided and need to consult a doctor immediately if any problem occurs.