Ayurvedic First-Aid Kit

Must-haves for small cuts, boils, aches and pains at home

10% off when bought together.

Five remedies to keep in the cupboard: an antiseptic powder, a balm and an oil for aches and a blocked nose, a traditional ointment for cracked heels and small sores, and a tablet for back and joint pain.

In this combo

• Septicure (25 g) — Antiseptic powder. Turmeric, alum and camphor in one jar: dust it on clean skin for boils, pimples and minor cuts and scrapes. Turmeric is antimicrobial, and alum stops small bleeds.
• Balm (10 g) — Headache & blocked nose. Menthol and eucalyptus for a blocked nose, camphor and turpentine for a stiff back or aching joints, and clove oil for a sore tooth: the little jar for everyday aches.
• Burnt Cream (10 g) — Cracked heels & small sores. A traditional mineral ointment in an oil-and-beeswax base for small cuts, boils and cracked heels, with camphor to soothe itching and stinging. On small areas, for a few days at most.
• Aspain (30 mL) — Muscle aches & strains. A light, fast-absorbing oil for aching muscles, a stiff neck or a strain after exercise: menthol cools while camphor and wintergreen warm, dulling pain where it sits.
• D.A. Pyrine Tablet (100 Tab) — Back & joint pain. Ayurveda's classical Vata-pain tablet, with purified Kuchla, Suranjan and Rasna, for low-back pain, sciatica, nerve pain and body ache after an injury. To be taken under medical supervision, as the pack says.

Cautions

Burnt Cream contains lead compounds: use it on small areas for short periods only, and never on children, in pregnancy or on burns. Cool a burn under running water for 20 minutes, and see a doctor if it is larger than your palm, deep or blistering. D.A. Pyrine is for adults, under medical supervision only, and not in pregnancy. Balm and Aspain are for external use only; keep them away from children's faces. See a doctor for deep, dirty or spreading wounds.