To say that one has a fever is to evoke a number of feelings, as “having a fever” can be taken to mean you are suffering from one or a combination of many ailments. However what is commonly taken to be fever carries the symptoms of a general ache or soreness in the afflicted joints, high temperature, loss of appetite and excessive production of saliva and phlegm.

Ayurvedic Causes of Fever

Fever develops in the body following disruption to one of the doshas or energy fields within the body’s system. It is easily repaired but must be done so quickly so as to stop the spread of the damage to other parts of the body.

Some causes of Dosha disruption

• Injection

• Insect or other such bites

• External injury

• General infection

Also by-products caused by ailments such as pleurisy, jaundice, illnesses concerned with the bronchial area, measles and influenza can also produce enough negative toxins to invoke a fever that can disturb dosha.

Ayurvedic Remedies for Fever

One of many Ayurvedic remedies is a twice daily dose of a raisin and ginger mixture.

You take a tablespoon of each and crush before mixing them together and adding them to a bowl of water for an hour. Then put the mixture into a saucepan and boil, drinking it whilst still warm, but not hot. This is a simple but very good way to revitalize the fever ridden body.

Dietary considerations when curing fever

When the internal systems have been compromised sufficiently for a fever to emerge and take hold it is vital that the patient has a balanced but carefully planned diet to aid recovery until it is reached.

For the first day of illness the sufferer should be troubled by having to digest food, thus giving the digestive system a chance to rest before repair. And so solid foods should be forsaken for a spell of 24 hours or so.

Whilst getting plenty of rest the sufferers should only be replenished by warm juices, vegetable juices and liquidized food.

After this initial period the patient should be gradually be re-introduced to solid foods by following a fruit diet for a period of 2 to 3 days.

Raw fruit is a wondrous purifier of the body and when ingested can soon dispel toxins (amas) with its variety of sweet, bitter, cool, soothing juices, tastes and textures.

Fruit appropriate as fever remedies

• Pineapple

• Peach

• Melon

• Grape

• Pear

• Apple

• Orange, particularly important due to its rich nutrient of vitamin c which strengthens resistance to further infection.

Foods to avoid

• Sweets

• Ice cream

• Sugar and its assorted by-products

• Flour and associated produce

All these foodstuffs build up fats and saturated acidity that eventually build up into Ama which disrupts the three main dhosas in the body and prevents them from functioning properly.

The importance of turmeric in Ayurvedic treatments

In Ayurvedic the spice of Turmeric is known as “The great internal healer” and is used in both the prevention and cure of diseases such as fever.

It is at its most potent and as such you will get the best results when turmeric is added to warm water or milk and is drunk. Though it can also be added to cooking to form a tasty and vital nutrient

To rebalance and revitalized the dhosas it is advisable to follow a healthy, balanced diet whilst avoiding stress. When all this balanced and added together only then can the body be fit enough to recover from a fever.