Sitopaladi churna contains cane sugar, Indian thorny bamboo, long pepper, cardamom, and cinnamon.
A classic ayurvedic remedy that leverages the power of five simple ingredients – that’s sitopaladi churna for you. Sweet and slightly pungent, this time-tested formulation is used in ayurveda to tackle a range of health conditions. If this ayurvedic remedy has caught your attention, we have the lowdown on all its health benefits for you.
1. Tackles Respiratory Problems
Sitopaladi churna has also traditionally been used to manage fever associated with flu, congestion, and other respiratory illnesses.
Ayurveda uses sitopaladi churna for a range of respiratory disorders from cold, chest congestion, and flu to pneumonia, bronchitis, and tuberculosis. This expectorant helps loosen and expel kapha or phlegm. Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties also help rein in respiratory infections.1 2
Sitopaladi churna’s ability to soothe a cough is especially worth noting. Ayurveda categorizes coughs into 5 categories: vata (dry cough with little mucus); pitta (cough with moderate, sticky mucus); kapha (cough with heavy mucus and congestion), ksataja (cough due to a chest injury); and ksaya (cough due to a chronic disease like TB). And sitopaladi churna is a versatile remedy that is recommended for all these kinds. Depending on the nature of the cough, it may be mixed with honey, water, or ghee or given alongside other herbal formulations. Animal studies confirm its ability to tackle cough. The anti-tussive activity of this medication is attributed to its ability to impact the central nervous system and suppress a cough.3 This mild remedy is considered safe enough for children as well.
2. Fights Allergies
While your immune system protects you from toxins, it may sometimes overreact against what it perceives as allergens. The result is an allergic reaction. Sitopaladi churna is used in ayurveda to treat allergies. And research validates this traditional use. So how does it work? In people prone to allergies, the immune system responds to an allergen such as dust, pollen, dander etc. by releasing a chemical known as histamine. This is responsible for symptoms like watery eyes, running nose, or scratchy throat you experience during an allergic reaction. Animal studies show that sitopaladi churna has antihistaminic activity and can help you tackle allergies.4 5 It inhibits the release of inflammatory mediators from mast cells in our body and stabilizes them. This, in turn, helps curb those classic allergy symptoms.6
3. Improves Digestion And Appetite
Sitopaladi churna is valued in ayurveda for tackling digestive problems. According to ayurveda, proper digestion has a critical role in preventing disease and maintaining health as improper digestion generates “ama” or toxins. The element of fire or “agni,” which is present in 13 different forms within the body, is responsible for digestion and metabolism.7 8 9 Sitopaladi churna is believed to enhance the digestive fire, improve appetite, as well as purge ama. Its carminative action may help with problems like gas and bloating.
4. Counters Free Radicals Damage And Inflammation
Sitopaladi churna has potent antioxidant properties that may help fight the damaging effects of free radicals. Free radicals are made by your body as it produces energy from food. They are also generated via external agents such as cigarette smoke, environmental pollution, toxins, alcohol, processed foods etc. Free radicals can damage your DNA and cells and are implicated in the aging process as well as a wide range of diseases like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.10 Sitopaladi churna may counter this thanks to its antioxidant capacity.11 Animal studies also show that sitopaladi churna can fight chronic inflammation, which is again detrimental to your body, by inhibiting the release of inflammatory mediators in the body.12 This dual action means that sitopaladi churna can work to boost your general health and well-being.
5. May Improve Anemia
Anemia can leave you short of breath, tired, irritable, cold, and dizzy. And iron deficiency is the most common cause of this condition.13 While supplements are typically used to correct nutritional deficiencies that lie at the root of anemia, ayurvedic remedies like sitopaladi churna can help too. In one study, adolescent children were put on an ayurvedic treatment plan that included sitopaladi churna and another ayurvedic formulation known as sootshekhar rasa. Sootshekhar rasa is a herbo-mineral preparation that contains copper, mercury, silver, bhringraj, cinnamon, ginger etc. This combination was found to be effective in improving nutritional anemia. How does it work? The researchers attributed it to the formulation’s ability to enhance the absorption of iron by the body.14
6. May Help With A Migraine
Migraine is a common health condition, affecting around 1 in 5 women and around 1 in 15 men. They usually begin in early adulthood. One study imposed an ayurvedic treatment plan on subjects that included taking sitopaladi churna and four other medicinal formulations, namely narikel lavan, sootshekhar rasa, rason vati and godanti mishran, along with lifestyle changes which incorporated a healthy diet, exercise, and sufficient sleep. This resulted in a marked reduction of migraine frequency and pain intensity in 70.5% of the patients.15
7. May Help Fight Diabetes
Sitopaladi churna may have the potential to help you manage diabetes. Your digestive system typically breaks down carbs into sugar which then enters the blood and causes an increase in blood sugar. Complex carbohydrates need to be broken down by the digestive enzyme amylase and other secondary enzymes before they are absorbed. In vitro studies show that sitopaladi churna has strong α-amylase inhibition activity. Amylase inhibitors are essentially substances that can help prevent the body from absorbing these starches, thus fending off that spike in blood sugar after meals and controlling postprandial hypoglycemia. Further animal and human studies will help establish sitopaladi churna’s role as a natural treatment option for diabetes.16
Sitopaladu churna is not known to have any major side effects and is considered safe for children and pregnant women. Some experts suggest that you don’t take it on an empty stomach, especially if you are prone to gastric problems. Your safest bet is to consult an ayurvedic practitioner and take the remedy only in prescribed doses.
References
