Natural Beauty & Health Benefits: Mustard Oil

 

For as long as I can remember, I have always been interested in the concept of using natural ingredients as remedies to a list of ailments. It started from my own parents who used to make us drink aloe vera juice straight from the pot after they’d boiled it. It was said to cure and help our stomach. Apart from that, I’ve always grown up and known about the natural benefits of lemon, honey, ginger, salt and various other unknown herbal concoctions from the Chinese and Pacific cultures.

For many years, I have suffered from a very bad and consistent cough which is related to allergy/partial bronchial problems. It’s especially worse when I’m down with the cold or virus. The coughing can get so bad that most times I’m unable to get a good night’s sleep. The best I’ve done is to rub Vicks Vapo rub on my chest or either inhale it after putting some of it in hot water.

During my visits to Bangladesh, I observed the women using a number of unique ingredients (unique to the Indian sub-continent) to create their own special beauty and health remedies. The use of Mustard Oil was one example. They use mustard oil a lot in their cooking. The Mustard oil is particularly popular in Eastern India and Bangadesh, where it flavors fish curries and mashed vegetable bhartas. They also, however,  use it a lot as a massage oil.

Today’s article will look at the benefit of Mustard Oil and how it’s especially helped relieve my chronic coughing problem.

 

At night, my coughing can get really bad at any time but it seems worse in Bangladesh which can get very dusty. I can decide to take an allergy tablet which will relieve the coughing to some degree. Wouldn’t it be better to use something natural? One night, my husband decided to rub some of the mustard oil on my chest. Surprisingly, I found that I stopped coughing almost instantly and was able to sleep very well throughout the rest of the night.

After a few weeks of applying the mustard oil to warm my chest and throat, I was still so surprised at how it controlled my bad cough. I decided to do a little research about the mustard oil to find more a about its benefits. Here’s what I found:

“Application of mustard oil during the winter season helps in keeping the body warm. Regular massage of mustard oil can also provide relief to arthritis patients. Further, mustard oil can also be used as a natural remedy to treat common cold, cough and body ache”

 

Other benefits include:

  • Reduces the level of cholesterol in the body, therefore, reducing the possibilities of heart disease
  • Can prevent diseases like insomnia and cancer
  • Eases joint pain
  • Relieves respiratory infections
  • Improves quality of hair, prevents dandruff and hair loss
  • Hair growth
  • Relieves headache
  • Makes teeth  stronger
  • Relieves toothache
  • Treats dry skin especially during the winter season
  • Makes dry lips softer
  • Treats bacterial skin infections
  • Relieves Constipation
  • Cures for Nasal Blockage
  • Heals Minor Cuts and Wounds as like an antiseptic cream
  • Cures Ear Pain as an alternative to eardrops