Snakes and other venomous creatures are giving people in Kerala a scare like never before as they return to their homes after the floods. Ayurvedic mixtures can help in keeping homes and surroundings free of insect and reptile menace.
Take these precautionary steps
Before getting into dirty water, apply this mixture of oils on the body – gugglumarichadi tailam, jatyadi keram and karpooradi tailam. Alternatively, one of these oils can be mixed with turmeric and applied. This will save you from insect bites and will work as a coating that will prevent dirt from sticking to your body.
Snakes can spotted inside homes even months after cleaning it. So, remember that you are not out of danger immediately after the cleaning. Make a mixture of garlic, asafoetida and kerosene; sprinkle it all over the house, kitchen cabinets, almirahs, cabinets under the washbasins and other nooks and crannies. This should be done continuously at least for over a week to get rid of insects and reptiles.
After sprinkling the guggulu-asafoetida-kerosene mixture, close the doors and windows of your home. Burn aparajitha choornam or a mix of guggulu and kunthirikkam (frankincense) on charcoal and allow the smoke to stand for some time. This will prevent reptiles from entering the house when you clean the surroundings. Only after these steps are taken should you start cleaning the outside; even so, care should be taken to ensure that reptiles do not enter the house while the surroundings are cleaned.
In case of insect or snake bite
Despite taking utmost care, it is possible to get bitten by venous creatures in such conditions. Make a powder of vilwadi tablets and keep it handy. Mixe it with the juice of tulsi leaves to make an excellent home remedy against the bite of scorpions (thel), centipedes (pazhuthara) and wasps (kadannal). Along with this, it is advisable to take vilwadi tablet and dasangam tablet orally.
If the sting is strong, ‘erikkila kizhi’ can help relieve the pain. To make the ‘kizhi’, pluck 20 leaves of ‘erikku’(calotropis gigantea), cut the thick ends off and make two bundles (kizhi) with ten leaves each stacked one on top. Heat ghee and rock salt in a thick bottomed vessel, dip the ‘kizhi’ in the hot mixture and sponge it over the site of the bite, moving it in downward motion.
Spider bites can be cured by pouring a concentrate made using triphala (triphala kashayam). You can orally take ‘kashayam’ such as neelitulasyadi and lodhra sevyadi.
To stop centipedes and leeches from crawling on to your body while doing cleaning work, apply jatyadi tailam or guggulu marichadi tailam all over your body. If these are not available, mix turmeric with coconut oil and apply over the body.
If you spot blood-sucking leeches on any part of your body, sprinkle turmeric or salt on the insect. After the leech falls off, wash the wound well with water and apply a mixture of honey and turmeric. If there is itching at the site of the bite, make a powder of vilwadi tablet and add it to the honey-turmeric mixture before applying.
Safeguard yourself
Do not go out bare foot and do not touch anything with bare hands. It is advisable to wear clothes that cover the whole body.
Tap around with sticks and also stomp using your foot as you enter homes and premises. This will alert reptiles of human presence and will give them time to sneak away.
Keep the doors and windows open.
Reptiles and insects could be hiding under almirahs and cabinets. If you need to lift them to clean underneath, use long wooden sticks instead of bare hands. Alternatively, wrap your hands with several layers of thick cloth before moving them.
Courtesy: Dr C A Bimal, Poison Specialist, Government Ayurveda Dispensary, Ollur
