Last updated on August 21, 2024 by Dr. Subashri Thanigaivel
Introduction
The sun has come out of its den. Although it is not scorching, the mornings are a bit sweaty. When the sun hits a hardcore, you will feel that burning sensation on your skin and go behind the cooling and de-tanning agents.
We are so cautious about the external skin protection but how much care do we put on the internal burning?
Zero!
The modern day humans worry little about the inner body.
Do you remember how many times you swallowed a pill only after looking at its composition?
Again, a big Zero!
This unthoughtful approach you take in your life is piling up a big tower of internal injuries which is known as “Inflammation”. Inflammation is the root cause of many lifestyle disorders, syndromes and diseases.
The “millennial lifestyle” in society forces you to adopt certain habits. These bad habits are planting the chronic severities across your body and as a result, you get heart attack at the age of 30+, diabetes when you are in 20s and young girls attain puberty even before they reach the age 10.
We, humans, gather this internal inflammation by consuming the chemicals through all the forms. The food you swiggy, modern vitamin supplements you take and the carbonated health drinks you consume are all having chemicals in the name of “added preservatives”.
Even the chemicals you take in the form of medicines with or without a doctor’s prescription leads to internal inflammation.
Why?
The primary role of the antibody in those medicines is to create immunity. The antibiotic pain killers you intake should not leave a toxic residue in your body. But they leave toxic chemicals in your body which leads to adverse side effects. Dr. Hegde, a renowned cardiologist has explained the adverse side effects of “English Medicines with evident research information.
So what to do if you fall ill?
Herbal medicine is the answer because they don’t cause adverse damages.
Wondering how?
In overseas medicine, scientists build the drug from scratch. It is like manufacturing an artificial chemical which is harmful by all means.
But herbs are born with inert magical healing properties. (One more reason to save forest and mother earth). Therefore go behind medicines that don’t heal one part of your body by damaging other organs — AKA Ayurvedic medicine.
The chemicals or synthetic molecules don’t have a secondary metabolite in their compound molecule. So the primary metabolite, the chemical which is acting on the body results in adverse effects that starts your internal inflammation slowly.
But in Ayurveda, the herbs taken from forest have secondary metabolites within them. So they neutralize the after-effects of the primary metabolite. So they are able to promote a speedy recovery and focus on building immunity to prevent all the internal inflammation.
Here is one such natural anti-inflammatory herb that Ayurveda can offer us and the name is Shallaki. It is the best natural anti-inflammatory drug.
Shallaki
Shallaki, a herb, coming from the state of Punjab, is known as the Indian frankincense.
As winter is still in pursuit, many of you might still experience cramps in nerves and stiffness in joints. This results from less lubrication in your joints. If you are a Vata body type, you will know about those crackling sounds you hear in your joints whenever you move from a static position.
Shallaki or Salai is the ancient Indian Ayurvedic herb that can manage joint pain, prevent Arthritis and also improves your joint mobility.
Benefits of Shallaki are not limited only to Arthritis. It can help in many other conditions too. The Punjabi herb is brave and courageous against many adverse conditions just like the Sikhs from there.
Other than helping with joints, it can boost your immunity. When immune is down, it affects your respiratory system because germs can transmit in air.
Shallaki benefits are unlimited because of its great medicinal property.
Shallaki herb resembles just like the Sikhs. In the military the Sikhs built a great strong border to protect our mother land. Shallaki herb does the same by setting up a strong firewall for our body.
History about Shallaki
You already know it is from Punjab but some species of Shallaki are also native to Africa. They are also found in the regions of Pakistan too. The leaves resemble the Neem tree leaves.
Shallaki has its own many names in different languages, Hindi, Tamil, Sanskrit, common name and scientific names. The herb has a proliferation of benefits and is profound.
Botanical Name – Boswellia serrata
Tamil Name – Paranginavani
English Name – Indian Frankincense
Sanskrit Name – Shallaki
Let us read more about the efficacy of the Indian Frankincense and its benefits.
Benefits Of Shallaki
Shallaki is the one-man army against many illnesses that results out of the bad lifestyle we are following in this millennial generation.
If you are from the IT industry, millennial generation, you live in insomnia condition, eat only junk food and consume caffeine, coke and pepsi like water. You also keep running behind that mechanical life without knowing why. To keep all this madness under your sleeves you rely on the chemicals to get temporary boost at the cost of permanent damage to your body.
For people like you, Shallaki, its benefits are the fairy godmother. Shallaki is a herb and herbs are food, and food is the best medicine. The uses of the Shallaki, the boswellia serrata is infinite.
To put the advantages of Shallaki in common terms,
1.Natural immunity builder
2.Herbal anti-inflammatory drug
That is all your body needs. Build immunity and keep resisting the internal inflammation.
Shallaki Benefits in Joints
Arthritis is an autoimmune condition. You can manage the joint pain with the help of Shallaki. Using the herb to treat any kind of Arthritis is a common practice in the Ayurveda and Herbal medicine. Joint pains can be controlled only by a healthy lifestyle and diet. Shallaki can benefit you if you have joint pains.
The inflamed joints when it comes in contact with the herb cannot win against its medical properties. The extracts of the herb removes the tenderness, inflammation, redness in the joints and improves the lubrication.
Shallaki Benefits In Lungs
The herb Shallaki gives benefits ranging from easing your airway passage organs to boosting your immune system. When your respiratory system is healthy, your body has a natural strength.
When your body guard is down, your windpipe can catch infections. Your breathing passage contracts and leads to illness related to breathing and can cause many inflammatory diseases. The extracts from the plant Boswellia Serrata can improve your leukotrienes(a sister molecule of WBC) that can restore your bronchial muscles to the optimal shape.
This compound molecule reduces coughing, eases the shortness of breaths and thereby manages the asthmatic condition. Shallaki contains boswellia acid which can act against these onset diseases by preventing inflammation.
Shallaki Benefits in Skin
Many of the content around the internet claims that Shallaki benefits in skin treatments like preventing wrinkles, acne and aging, but there is no sufficient evidence. Although during the radiation treatment for cancer or other diseases, Ayurvedic health expertise use extracts of Shallaki in the form of cream to reduce the skin redness and other side effects.
The boswellia acid in Shallaki contains anti-inflammatory properties so they can inhibit the cancer cells affecting your DNA. NCI has research reports which shows that the usage of the extracts from Shallaki combats the enzyme that destroys the DNA cell.
How to intake Shallaki ?
Shallaki plus tablets are available in the market. The best way to leverage all the benefits from Shallaki is to intake them in the combination with other Ayurvedic herbs like Haridra, Guduchi, Amalaki, Tribulus terrestris and Vitex negundo.
You cannot consume the herb as since the useful part is in the consistency of gum-resin. It needs to be purified before consuming and then they can be taken in the form of tablets.
Conclusion
Shallaki benefits are unknown and untold. Not only Shallaki, but many herbs and their exceptional medicinal qualities are also hidden.
Herbs grow in the forest, under many rigid climatic conditions withstanding so much pressure. They build those magical healing properties within them by fighting all these.
The best benefits of Shallaki can be understood by consuming them in the form supplements, decoction and various other forms.
Spread the word about Shallaki and its benefits. Good things need to be supported and promoted by commoners like you.
