Before we head on to telling you everything about the home remedies for jaundice, it is important for you to have an overview of the disease, what causes it, types of it and more. This would lead to a better understanding, and then you would know how to get relief with home remedies for jaundice. Please read on and be well-informed.
Jaundice- An Overview
Mostly when there is discolouration of the skin, which looks yellow to pale and the mucous membranes too, and even when the whites of your eyes have turned yellow- jaundice is denoted. This is because; there is an increase in the amounts of bilirubin in your blood.
What is BILIRUBIN?
Bilirubin is a by-product of the Red Blood Cells which are produced daily. In most cases, it would be the liver which would metabolise and excrete bilirubin, and this forms bile. However, when there is a disruption of the bilirubin production, it can lead to the cause of jaundice. Talking about causes, here are some of them!
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What Causes Jaundice?
The causes of jaundice are many. And it is very important or helpful that you understand each of them as well.
Pre-hepatic
This is before bile is made in the liver. In such cases there would be a high rate of destruction and the breakdown of red blood cells, also known as hemolysis, in the body. This overwhelms the liver’s ability and strength to successfully remove the high levels of whatever bilirubin is formed in the blood and from the bloodstream too. Some examples to quote here which happen when the red blood cells breakdown are;
- Malaria
- Sickle cell disease
- Spherocytosis
- Thalassemia
- G6PD or glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency to name a few, and even sometimes autoimmune disorders and causes by other toxins and drugs too.
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Hepatic
This is a problem that happens within the liver. In such cases, the disease is caused when the liver has an excess of biliribuin in it and does not have the power to flush it out or excrete it well. Some of them examples here to quote would be;
- Hepatitis which can be alcohol related or commonly through virals
- Cirrhosis of the liver
- Toxins
- Drugs
- Crigler-Najjar syndrome and
- Gilbert’s syndrome, and cancer too.
Post-hepatic
This happens when there is a lot of bile made in the liver. When there is an interruption of bilirubin on normal levels where drainage is concerned, as a form of bile and from the liver into the intestines within the body. Some of the causes for this interruption would be;
- When there are gallstones found in the bile ducts
- When there is bile duct carcinoma
- When there is pancreatic and gallbladder carcinoma
- When there is cancer
- When there is a stricture on bile ducts
- When there is presence of cholangitis
- When there are congenital malformations and
- When there are pancreatic issues. It can also happen with parasites, and to pregnant women, or newborns as well. Coming to that point, you may notice a lot of home remedies for jaundice in newborns, but we would ask you to consult a specialist first, before using any of the home remedies for jaundice in newborns; you do not want to take a chance.
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Jaundice in newborns
Before using any of the home remedies for jaundice in newborns, we must first understand how jaundice in newborns is caused. It is not harmful as a condition as such, but just an excess amount of bilirubin in the little one’s liver. Medical evaluation is thus needed when your newborn suffers from jaundice.
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Signs and Symptoms of Jaundice?
For newborns, one has to check the following signs;
- Poor feeding intake
- Lethargy
- Muscle tone change
- Crying high pitched
- Seizures
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Some of the tests that are done would be;
- Blood tests
- Urinalysis
- Imaging
- Computerized tomography (CT) scan
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- Cholescintigraphy (HIDA scan)
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)
- A liver biopsy
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For newborns, there is phototherapy used where the baby is exposed to special colored lights. In very rare cases would there be the need for blood transfusions, which will help bring down the levels of elevated bilirubin in the liver.
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For both adults and babies, surgeries are rare and only directed by the doctor if needed.
At home you can use home remedies for jaundice in adults
The main aim of using home remedies for jaundice in adults is to help manage the medical condition and also the underlying cause of jaundice too. There are various measures though, which have to be borne in mind.
1 .Mix barley powder with a glass of water and a teaspoon of honey. This should be drunk thrice a day
2. You can add a teaspoon of tulsi leaves to a glass of radish juice and have it for two weeks, twice a day.
3. A teaspoon of aloe vera gel with a pinch of ginger powder and black salt should be consumed for ten days on an empty stomach each morning.
4. Karela should be mashed and its juice should be drunk- half a cup- early morning for ten days everyday
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5. The juice of a tomato would be best to have, with a dash of pepper and salt for taste and on an empty stomach for ten days every morning.
6. There are plenty of potent compounds in radish which would induce hunger pangs and bring smoother bowel movements. Some radish leaves should be juiced up well and sieved. Half a litre of this juice should be consumed for ten days every morning, without fail.
7. Papaya leaves would also be one of the best home remedies for jaundice in adults. You would need to juice up two to three large papaya leaves and add a tablespoon of honey to it, and drunk everyday for ten days.
8. Sugarcane is a yummy way to defeat jaundice, and it helps with proper liver functioning and digesting of foods too. All of this will help the individual recover from jaundice faster. Add a dash of lime to the juice and drink it thrice a day.
9. Amla is very rick in vitamin C and this fruit should be consumed daily to alleviate the signs and symptoms of jaundice.
10. Lemons have a lot of anti inflammatory properties in them, which helps treat jaundice successfully. Lemons are also known to stop the obstructive flow in the bile ducts, and thereby it makes for very effective home remedies for jaundice in adults. The juice of two lemons with water should be mixed and drunk at least four time a day to protect the cells from any further damage in the liver.
11. If you like almonds, you can have eight pieces of them, along with two dates and five pieces of cardamom. Soak all of them overnight and peel them the next morning. Paste them together and add some butter and sugar to them. This should be consumed many times in a day.
12. Haldi is one agent that should be mixed to a glass of warm water and drunk four to five times a day.
13. If you can get snake gourd leaves, take ten of them and boil them in a cup of water. Allow the water to cool and then take fifteen coriander seeds and boil it in a litre of water. Mix it with the water of the leaves, strain it and have this mixture four to five times a day.
14. The leaves of indian aloe vera should be pulped into paste, mixed with a pinch of salt and ginger, and then consumed once a day, for ten days.
15. A cup of beetroot juice should be mixed with a cup of lime juice and drunk three times a day for ten days.
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16. The juice of the bark of jaundice berry should be consumed- just a teaspoon- twice a day
17. Chamomile tea is anti-inflammatory and should be consumed twice a day for ten days as a preventative measure.
18. Roasted alum should be added along with a pinch of black pepper and to a glass of fresh buttermilk, and had thrice a day for ten days
19. Ripe bananas should be pasted with honey and eaten thrice a day for ten days
20. Carrot juice should be drunk thrice to five times a day to cure the symptoms of jaundice.
Also keep in mind the below following points:
- One has to drink a lot of water and fluids, and take a lot of rest. This has to be maintained, no matter what.
- One should completely stop drinking alcohol until told otherwise by the doctor
- For babies suffering from newborn jaundice, you as a caregiver should have the baby sleeping near a very ventilated and a well-lit window, few times in a day. This will help bring down the levels of elevated bilirubin in the little one’s body.
- The newborn needs to continue breastfeeding and enough milk should be given to him or her, until told otherwise by the doctor.
Other medical treatments would depend on the cause of the type of jaundice one has. Some of them would be:
- Supportive care
- IV fluids if dehydration is noticed
- Medicines would be given if there is pain, vomiting and nausea, a dose of antibiotics and antiviral medicines would be administered too.
- Blood transfusions only when need be.
- Steroids would be given only if the doctor deems so
- Chemo and radiation only if the doctor deems so
What about surgery?
Surgery would be performed only in certain cases of congenital malformations, cancer and conditions that are obstructive. In some cases, a liver transplant would be needed.
Once again, there is nothing to panic about.. There should also be a follow-up done, with the doctor. But before this disease happens, let’s take a look at how to prevent the same.
How to Prevent Jaundice
- Cut down on the use of alcohol which leads to cirrhosis, alcoholic hepatitis and even pancreatitis as well.
- Hepatitis A and B vaccinations should be taken
- Before malaria is on a high risk region, the right medications as per given by the doctor should be taken
- High risk behaviours should be avoided. For example, the use of condoms when having sex is a must, and the use of IV drug use should be stopped at once.
- Eat and drink at places where the hygiene levels are good, because you can contract jaundice from contaminated foods and water- hepatitis A for example.
- There are certain medications that can cause hemolysis. Consult your doctor before popping pills.
Now let’s take a look at some of the holistic and home based home remedies for jaundice in adults. However, please do check with your doctor first and then go ahead to use these treatments.
Ayurvedic Jaundice Treatment
In ayurveda, the treatment of this disease would involve making peace with the energies of the body that have been aggravated. Herbs would be used here by holistic experts that helps stimulate the working and the functions of the liver, and it also helps make the bile flow higher and pour more into the bile duct too.
- For this, one has to make sure they do not consume too much oily, spicy, hot and heavy foods, and non-vegetarian food. Mostly a strict vegetarian diet should be consumed.
- Refined flours should be avoided at all costs.
- Polished white rice too would be off the plate
- Mustard oil and seeds are a big NO.
- Avoid consuming peas and asafoetida
- Big NO to preserved and canned foods, pastries, cakes and chocolates, alcoholic drinks and sodas too.
What you should have
You should have a lot of whole wheat flour, and brown rice as much as possible. Pre-boiled rice would be good to consume, and so would be fruits such as bananas and mangoes too. You can even have spinach and tomatoes, potatoes and amla, grapes and lemons, radish and dried dates, almonds and raisins, and cardamom as well.
Other things to keep in mind:
You should also control your stress levels, hypertension, anger, and avoid being restless, working long hours under the sun too or near the gas or anything that emanates heat as well.
So that was all about ayurvedic home remedies for jaundice in adults.
We thus come to an end on this mini guide on home remedies for jaundice in adults ,home remedies for jaundice in newborns et al. Do write in and let us know how you treat jaundice at home and how you prevent the same. We would love to hear from you.
Disclaimer: While we spoke at length about jaundice, causes, treatment, home remedies and more, we are not certified to give you medical help. This would be only from a certified doctor and his words would take precedence over what is given here as information, or anywhere online.
