Take a refreshing Orange Bath

Remember the Orange Sugar Body Scrub recipe I shared a few days back. So, what to do with the orange peels. Throw them!! No way. You can air dry and powder them, right. But, if you don't want to go through all that trouble then you can simply boil the peels in a big bowl of water and wait till the water level drops down to half. You can let it sit overnight if you wish too. Mash the orange peels nicely in the water after the water cools down. The peels breakdown very easily and release the tangy citrus scent. After you mash the peels properly, strain the water and squeeze to extract all the remaining water in the peels. You can dump the peels in your recycling dust bin or compost it in your garden. And, mix this orange water with your bath water. Take a refreshing bath. You will feel alive and your skin will glow after the bath, specially useful in summers for the refreshing citrus flavor which will hang on to your skin for sometime.

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Improve skin complexion with almonds

Almonds are extremely good for skin inside as well as outside. So, I have a simple recipe which can be used daily to enhance your skin complexion and make your skin look soft and supple.

Soak 5 (or as many as you want) almonds in the milk overnight. In the morning, make a paste of the almonds with milk. Do not remove the peel of the almonds as they make for a great scrub. Apply this paste on your face including the eye area. You can extend this to the neck and chest too. It helps in removing the tanning also. Keep for 15-20 minutes till it dries and then wash off. You can use this scrub after washing your face thoroughly with the cleanser for a moisturizing effect too.

Variations: For dry skin, you can also put some coconut oil. Or, using homemade coconut milk instead of simple milk is again a great idea. For oily skin and combination skin, using milk can cause breakouts so you can substitute milk with water and make the paste in aloevera or orange juice.

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Get a bottle of Rogan Badam Shirin

Okay, so I love this product. I came to know about this product through my friend. She advised me to use this oil for my hair when I was going through one of the worst phases of hair fall. My hair had thinned to an extent of alarm. Still it is not as thick as I want to be but, definitely, my hair quality is better. And, since I have started using this oil, it has stayed on my 'must buy' list. I am sure many of you would already be aware of this oil and its benefits. I do have certain complaints like I am not sure if the oil is cold pressed or organic. But, still, I can not get rid of it. I thought of writing about this product after reading about its review somewhere else. This has become so part of my life that I forgot about this completely. 

The product does claim to do wonders to your brain and intellect along with relieving the muscle cramps and other pains in the body if taken internally. Well, I did take it internally (just two drops in milk every night). But, I was not very diligent in it so did not see the results. I shall try it again this Diwali and report back if I really see any difference. But, let me tell you, it tastes real bad. That was one of the main reasons I discontinued it. Anyways, regular application (twice a week) on hair made my hair soft and long. I also use it as body moisturizer too sometimes. It does feel raw in your hands (the oil is not soft to touch like the refined oils are soft to touch, if you know what I mean) so my guess is that it can be cold pressed or not completely refined. I am not even sure if they do have preservatives in the oil because it has a long shelf life (I forgot how exact and if it is just a year, I'll edit this line). It is a great makeup remover. I am not a makeup user but I do use almond oil to remove the sunscreen (if you remember I had mentioned that you need to use a makeup remover for removing sunscreen too). It does not sting much if it gets into your eyes accidentally. You can also use it to smooth out your wrinkles or to make your own lip balm at home.  

 

Cost: 25ml of bottle costs 75 INR which makes it pretty costly but it is the best almond oil I have come across and a small bottle does last long enough. 

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Dark Knees and Elbows Home Remedies

What do we know about the skin around knees and elbows?

It is usually thicker than its surroundings and has more folds, is rough and dry and appears to be dirty even though the part may have been covered like full sleeved clothes and jeans. The skin is at least a tone darker than the original skin color. It looks ugly and never seems to restore to its original state. 

Why is the skin dark?

Have you seen a baby with dark elbows and knees? No, obviously. It is the result of friction like leaning on the elbows or knees which causes the maximum problem. In schools, we are supposed to sit on the ground or participate in sports activities which causes the knee skin to grow drier. And, of course, due to our bad habits, we seem to lean on our elbows rather than sit straight and keep a good posture. The other cause is lack of hygiene and improper care. So, your affected areas need more care now on.

There are other reasons as well. Being overweight is one of them. And, another of the most pertinent reasons is eating a lot of sugar. Now, I would suggest you to ponder on certain points? Is your menstrual cycle highly irregular? Have you been to a doctor or ignored it? Are you a teenager going through puberty? Are you having any other dark patches or blotches on your skin, especially near your genitals or breast or neck? If all these questions are answered in negative, you do not need any professional advice. If not, you might need to consult a doctor and get yourself checked. Darkening of skin is usually a symptom to some of the diseases caused by hormonal imbalance in the body. 

An Advice: When you read these questions, I am sure everyone of you would feel that all the questions are positive and may get panicked. So, I would like to suggest that you talk to your mom about all these issues and then come up to a conclusion. Always remember many of our problems including skin and hair conditions are due to weight issues which seems always out of control. So, take time and start with losing weight. I am sure that many of your would notice an immediate change. Even the cure for the said diseases is to lose weight so no need to think much. Now, on a lighter note, let us go to the home remedies and see what we can do to get rid of the dark skin.

Home Remedies and Habits to get rid of the Dark Skin

• First things first. Lose weight. Start pranayam. It is the simplest of the exercises and extremely relaxing. 
• Secondly, stop munching on sugar and processed food. All the processed food including breads, cereals, energy drinks, soft drinks, energy bars and health foods are extremely high in their sugar content. And, they can wreak havoc with your system. Feel like having a dessert. Go for yogurt banana custard which is satisfying enough for the palate. Or, prepare the particular junk food which you feel like munching on at home. 
• Stop leaning on your elbows and knees and you would see the difference in two days. Trust me, I have been there and done that.
• Always use a moisturizing and little rough body scrub made from honey or oils like coconut, almond, olive and such. They help in getting rid of the dead cells in these areas in an effective way. Sugar and rock salt are obvious choices for the granular part of the scrub. Use Cane Sugar (powdered jaggery). It is widely available and use organic products as much as possible.
• Apply a heavy moisturizer on your legs and arms. They are, generally, the driest parts of the body even if your skin type is oily. Keep the elbows and knees moisturized.
• Use a loofah at least 3 times a week in your bath if you have sensitive and dry skin and once a day for other skin types. It helps in regular exfoliation of the area and keeps the skin smooth.
  
• Applying coconut oil or almond oil is also beneficial as they are best oils for curing dry skin.
• Use bleaching fruits (fruits good for oily skin) in conjunction with moisturizing agents (liquids good for dry skin) of your applying as a knee packs, elbow pack or scrub. Like, lemon juice with sugar is a good option, even better is tomato juice or pomegranate juice with honey or oils. Fresh Lime (mausambi) juice or orange will give more potent results than lemon.
  
• Coconut oil and Walnut powder make good exfoliators for dark skin patches.
• Another great remedy which surely works is milk cream. Mix milk cream with a pinch of turmeric and apply on the affected areas. 
• Aloevera (straight from the plant) also shows lightening of the skin.
• Keep the elbows and knees covered as much as possible. 
• There should be no deep lines visible on the joints. If you can see lines, that means your skin is dry and you need to moisturize it. Apply oil from Vitamin E supplements topically.
• Sesame oil is great for moisturizing such areas as it has especially high proportion of essential fatty acids. 
• Massage the areas with oil daily. That will make the skin soft.

Note: The skin on elbows and knees always look little darker than original skin color because of the folds in the skin which increases if you are overweight. So, to check if the color of knees and elbows have lightened, folds on the elbows or knees and see the color. That should give you the accurate state of your skin.

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Get the most out of your scrubs

When you are scrubbing your face or any other part of your body, the general trend is to scrub and wash it off. But, yesterday, I thought of improvising a little. While scrubbing my face yesterday, I did it for no more than 3 minutes and then left the scrub on to let it dry. After it dried, I washed it off. My skin was smooth and moisturized. And, I ended the routine with a little of cleanser to wash off any scrub residue left on my skin. There was no need of a face mask and I firmly believe in not overdoing my beauty routines. The result was an even complexion with perfectly glowing skin. 

Tip: You can use the products from the market or you can make various scrubs at home. For over the counter products, you can improve the results by adding a capsule of vitamin E oil or a little of aloevera gel before scrubbing. This would give even better results.

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Strawberry Body Scrub

Strawberries are the most sensuous of fruits and what would be better than starting your day with these delicious and invigorating fruits as your scrub. They leave a lingering scent on your body for almost whole day. And, the scrub is not at all difficult to prepare.

Mash 5-6 strawberries and mix adequate amount of cane sugar (jaggery powder). You can add chickpea flour if the mixture is too runny. And, your scrub is ready. You can also add honey and other moisturizing ingredients like coconut oil or almond oil in case of dry weather or dry skin. Your skin would be glowing after the shower.
You can also use the strawberries as hair mask for gloss and shine or enjoy the awesome chocolate strawberry face mask. 

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Vegetarian Sandwich Facial

Sounds intriguing!!! This is not my original idea of facial. I came across this in some magazine. The article was discussing a recently opened spa on some highway road where you can get a vegetarian sandwich facial. And, it also states why. Because, any vegetarian sandwich has the goodness of all the veggies, bread (yeast is good for skin) and butter (softening for skin). So, I thought that I should just give it a try. There are some considerations before you try this. Choose the bread carefully. Make sure there is no fungus on it and if you can bake it at home, nothing better than that. 

Prepare a vegetarian sandwich using your favorite vegetables like cucumber, tomato, onion, spinach, cabbage, carrot, broccoli, potato, mint, coriander, corn, broccoli, even cottage cheese (paneer). You can add anything else according to your preference. Be inventive like add a handful of sesame seeds or even try adding dry fruits or other fruits. Just make sure nothing is cooked. Everything should be raw. No salt, sugar, pepper or any other spice. Instead of regular butter, either use milk cream on the bread or white butter freshly churned at home. Now, put the sandwich in a blender and create a paste. You might need to add liquid to help in blending so use any fruit juice or vegetable juice or even milk. Blend only so much to make a consistent paste. Excess blending will make the mixture more watery and it will be all runny over the face. Now, smooth the mixture on your face. Keep till it dries off which may take a very long time. Or, for at least half an hour. Wash off. Your skin would be smooth and glowing.

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Carrot Face Mask

As I have pointed out earlier that not only fruits but vegetables also make great face masks and are extensively endowed with nutrients required for our skin. Spinach serves as a great hydrating face mask and beetroot can be used to give color to a pale complexion.

Today, I would like to discuss carrots with you. Carrots are, as you all are well aware, rich in vitamin A and helps improve our vision. But, actually, carrot is also very helpful for oily skin. It clears the extra oil from the skin and also takes care of pimples, acne and dark spots. Boil a carrot for 15 minutes. It would turn very soft and easy to mash. Mash it or blend it with lemon juice, orange juice or even the water in which it was boiled. Apply it on your face for 30 minutes and wash off with cold water. Your skin would be glowing. You can open your pores before you apply this mask as it helps carrot to act better on the skin. 

For people with dry skin or normal skin, you can blend carrot with honey or milk cream or even any nourishing and moisturizing fruit.

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Milk Turmeric Solution for glowing skin

A very simple remedy which works for all skin types and not only protects skin from all kinds of outbreaks but also improves the skin tone and makes your skin flawless and radiant. This remedy can also be stored for some days in the fridge so you need not make it everyday. 

Buy turmeric root from the market. Make sure they are long and thin and rich in color. If they are more brownish than yellow, they are old roots. Try to buy new or better if you can plant them in your garden. Turmeric is really good for health apart from its beauty uses. Take a cup of raw milk (better if it is cow or goat milk) and boil in a single root of turmeric in it for an hour or so till the root loses its color. Let the milk cool. Discard the root and refrigerate the milk. Dip a cotton in the milk and apply it on your face. Wash your face with this solution as much as possible or at least make a habit to use it once a day or once in a week. This would control the oil production in the body and also improve your skin tone making your skin flawless. Turmeric also helps in preventing skin breakouts. Thus, this solution is great for all skin types. You can also use this milk to mix your face packs and scrubs.

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Almond Orange Body Polisher

Do you ever get bored using the same old scrubs available in the market or at home. I do. So, time for innovation. And, this time, it was just a little better than the regular almond scrub we use.

So, take a handful of almonds and soak them in milk overnight. In the morning, make a paste of the milk soaked almonds and dried orange peels. The result would be sort of a paste. Now, use this scrub in the shower instead of your regular soap or cleanser. Milk would cleanse your skin, almonds would provide the required vitamin E and orange peels would bring a glow to your skin resulting in a fresh and dewy look. And, the scrub smells nice too. You can also add your favorite essential oils.

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Natural Homemade Cleansers

The cleansers and face washes available in the market are laden with chemicals and it is not necessary that they will suit your skin type. Where as, everything which is available naturally will suit your skin, no matter what type. So, here are some natural ingredients available in your kitchen which you can use as cleansers and they sure will cause you no harm if not do you any good. So, go ahead and have a look.

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Ten assorted body scrubs

Exfoliation is one important routine of skin care which has to be followed regularly and what better than going for homemade recipes. You can indulge yourself as much as you want without a thought to the cost of your scrub. Here are ten different body scrubs which are extremely easy to prepare and extremely beneficial for the skin. You can substitute the ingredients of these recipes with something available easily in case you are not able to find any. 

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Gentle Body Scrub

You do not need any more than two ingredients to make the most wonderful body scrub which you can ever use. Mix cane sugar (powdered jaggery) with some olive, coconut or almond oil. You can even use all three of them together. Or, you can improvise using oils like vitamin E, wheatgerm, jojoba, evening primrose or any other oils of your choice. Avoid using any essential oils if you are not sure of your skin sensitivity. The result is a glowing and super soft skin. Cane Sugar is the best available natural body scrub as it is derived from sugar canes without involving any chemical processes. You can also read about its benefits for the body.

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Oat meal face pack

A very Happy Friendship's Day to you all!!

Today, I would be sharing with you a simple face mask recipe made from oats. The oats which we eat are equally good for our skin. They provide smoothness and suppleness to the skin. 

• Mix a handful of oats in honey and use it to cleanse your skin. 
• Indulge in oat bath. Put a handful of oats in a muslin or cheesecloth and tie it. Put the cloth under running water in the bath tub. The water would turn milky in texture. After filling your tub, you can use the cheesecloth as a sponge to cleanse your body. 
• Prepare a face mask of oats by grounding them and mixing them with milk. 

Voila! Your skin would turn soft as a baby's bottom. Go on and enjoy these face masks.

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How to do a parlor facial at home?

Tired of visiting parlor every time for every small service or just feel like enjoying an indulgence this afternoon. Well, then let me just instruct you through a home facial course which will give you the exact results which you get from the parlor. Keep all your things handy. So, lets see what all things you will need for a facial session:

• A big roll of cotton
• A clean wash cloth
• A glass full of pure water
• A bottle of cold cream 
• A face pack (mix it at the time when you are ready to put it on)
• A scrub (if you need)
• A face wash
• A small pot filled with boiling water (for taking steam)
• A towel

Method:

• Wash your face thoroughly.
• Steam your face for 5-10 minutes to open your pores.
• Immediately after taking steam, take a little cold cream and massage it into your face using upward circular motions like you do in a facial massage. 
• Keep on massaging for 30 minutes. Keep on taking little cream at intervals and add little water as the cream dries on your face and keep on massaging. 
• After massaging your face, let it stay on for about 5 minutes and wash off with the wet cotton pad. 
• You can scrub your face after the massage. Or, follow the massage with a clay mask. 
• Finish the facial with splashes of cold water. Moisturize your face if you feel your skin is dry. 
• Remember not to forget you neck and upper chest while doing the facial.

Some tips to remember:

• Do facial once or twice in a fortnight. Frequent facials are not good for skin.
• Be very gentle during the facials. You can use shea butter or cocoa butter as a base for facial instead of a cold cream. 
• Feeling like being more indulgent: Go to a supermarket and hunt for a facial massage cream with anti-aging and rejuvenating properties and a pearl or gold face mask. 
• A nice twist to your cream: Grind rose petals and add them to your cream for that extra kick.

READ MORE - How to do a parlor facial at home?

Acne: Home Remedies

Yesterday, I talked about how to take care of your skin and keep hygiene for preventing more acne outbreaks. Today, I would like to talk about some effective home remedies for acne. Hope these will be helpful for you. 

• Lemon juice is one of the best bets. It kills the bacteria in the acne and also reduces the oil production on the skin. In fact, all the citrus fruit family is great for acne. Oranges, strawberries, raspberries; take a slice of them every time you eat a fruit and rub it over your face and other affected parts of the body and keep it on till it dries off. Wash with very cold water so that it gives some relief from any burning or tingling sensation. 
• When I talked about lemon, tomato is the next follow up. Tomato juice is also equally effective for acne.
• Remember one thing: Whenever you feel a tingling sensation after you apply any herbal or other product, it is a proof that it is working. If it starts irritating the skin or causes change in skin color, then it is probably time to get rid of the product or remedy.
• Onion Juice and Ginger Juice is another great remedy for acne. Extract onion juice or ginger juice or cut a slice of onion or ginger and apply it on the affected parts. Wash off with cool water. You can even mix both of them.
• To reduce any burning sensation or inflammation, use cooled tea bags and chilled cucumber slices. They provide a lot of relaxation. You can also apply sandalwood paste. It cools the skin and is an antiseptic. Mint juice is also very useful in dealing with the acne.
• Mix 3/4th part of sandalwood and 1/4th part of turmeric. Make a paste with any fruit juice or mint juice and apply to the affected parts.
• How could I forget aloevera gel. Plant an aloe at home and reap its benefits. The gel straight from the plant is great for acne.
• Do not forget to use pomegranates. They too give you a lovely acne free skin.

The basic lesson is that use anything which will keep your face clean and reduce the oil production on the skin. You can also use something which will provide a cooling sensation or relief to the acne.

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Beauty Uses of Beetroot

Beetroot is one vegetable which you might hate or love to eat but it sure is good or rather great for your whole body. Since the vegetable is rich in iron, a daily glass of juice relieves you of anemia and helps building a strong immune system. 

This vegetable is also a natural dye so mix the regular henna powder in beetroot juice for an auburn tinge in your hair. And, it is completely chemical free so your hair remains as healthy and beautiful as always. 

Finally, using beetroot juice as a mask gives your complexion a pinkish tinge. So, next time you are whipping a clay mask or any fruit mask, be sure to include a little of beetroot juice or grated beetroot. The results would be visible clearly on a fair skin.Not only that, a regular usage of beetroot helps your skin become flawless as it feeds your skin iron and other vitamins through the pores. All the dark spots and blemishes are gone in a month if you use the mask 5-7 times a week.

You can even include a glass of beetroot juice in your daily diet. It surely will improve your skin and hair from inside as it carries all the vitamins and minerals necessary for beautiful skin and hair.

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Night Time Skin Care Routine

Are you one of the people who believe in an elaborate anti-aging skin care routine at night to counter all the damages done to skin in the day? Or, are you the one who believes that skin has the ability to heal itself if left to itself? I, for sure, belong to the second category. I have incredible faith in my skin and its healing powers. I believe that night time skin care routine should consist of just one thing and that is cleansing. Removing make up or cleaning your face of all the pollution and dirt is important. Applying a mix of chemicals on your face really is not a good idea as it loads the skin with a lot of baggage and might block the pores and hinder in the self-cleaning or detox process of the skin. So, why not try to leave your skin just nude and let it enjoy the freshness of itself whole night. Anyhow in the morning, one has no other option but to apply layers of chemicals on the face to prevent drying, tanning, make up, et cetera. 

There is a downside to leaving your skin nude in the night. Your skin might feel tight after cleansing. Well, if it is not too uncomfortable, try ignoring it and go to sleep. Your skin would feel fine by morning. And, in some days, you will fall in love with the idea of leaving your skin as it is. If you are uncomfortable with the tightness in your skin, you can resort to applying a drop of your favorite oil (coconut oil, olive oil, almond oil, jojoba oil or any other). It will nourish your skin from inside. So, next time you go to sleep, try this new night time skin care routine and see how your skin feels in the morning. 

Follow certain tips to complement with this skin care routine:

• Get an undisturbed sleep.
• Maintain a regular routine.
• Do not cover your face while sleeping with the blanket.
• Keep a window open in the room to allow fresh air in the room. Fresh air is good for skin.
• Wake up in the morning and do some face exercises.
• Instead of washing your face in the morning, try simply wiping your face clean with a wash cloth. You can even cleanse your face with raw milk.

I am sure your skin will feel as great as mine. And, the best thing is that you will face less breakouts if you follow this routine.

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Rice Water for Skin, Hair and Health

The craze of using rice water is catching up very fast. If you have not yet heard of it, rice water is highly beneficial for certain health issues and also in taking care of the skin and hair. Let us first see the health benefits:

• instantly energizes the body due to the high concentration of carbohydrates
• provides instant relief from diarrhea
• has been used successfully to treat gastroenteritis
• prevents cancer
• controls high blood pressure
• helps in preventing Alzheimer's disease
• reduces the body temperature or internal heat of the body
• prevents constipation

In short, I would say it provides all the health benefits that eating rice would provide. But, more than that, rice water has been used as a face wash and a hair wash.

• Washing your face with rice water makes your skin very soft and it also helps in improving the complexion
• Is a great substitute for toner and firms up your skin
• Helps in reducing the size of the pores on your skin
• Washing your hair with rice water brings shine in the hair and helps to keep it healthy. Follow up with cold water rinse.
• Use rice water as part of your face, body and hair masks and scrubs
• Use rice water for having bath or pour rice water in the tub or bucket
• Powdered rice grains are also used as body scrub and they make your skin extra soft

How to make rice water?

I have read at many places that the water used to wash rice prior to cooking is rice water. But, that is not the actual rice water. You may collect it but it will not give you the full benefits. Instead, you should boil the rice in more water than usual quantity you use so that the rice does not absorb all the water and strain the extra water. This water is the actual rice water which is full of nutritional benefits. You may drink it or let it cool to use as a face wash or a hair wash. You may even garnish it with various spices and herbs. Read this article for step by step instruction on how to cook rice water.

Watch the video to learn how you can use rice water in various ways. But, make sure you cook the rice water the proper way.

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Benefits of Pineapple for Skin

We have talked about so many fruits which are good for skin. Today, I would be talking about Pineapple. Like papaya, pineapple is great for anti-aging skin care. Following are some tips to use pineapple for your skin:

• Extract pineapple juice and apply with a cotton ball on your face. Do not let it stay more than 5 minutes. It is rich in Alpha-Hydroxy Acids which slows down the aging process. 
• You can mash a very ripe pineapple and apply it on your face. Same precautions go for it too.You can add honey to pineapple or you can even add any other ingredients you feel like.
• Cut a slice of pineapple and use it as a loofah to scrub your body while taking a shower.
• Rub slices of pineapple on rough areas of the skin or on dark spots and blemishes to reduce them. But, always take care to wash off after 5 minutes. If you keep pineapple more than 5 minutes, the acids in the fruit would burn your skin.
• Applying pineapple is one of the best home remedies for wrinkles, moles and warts.
• Drink pineapple juice as frequently as possible or eat pineapple everyday. It is as good for health as much for skin. It helps with heart and kidney problems, has protein digesting enzyme, has proved beneficial for women suffering from irregular and painful periods and is an effective remedy for sore throats and colds.

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