Torturous fight against dengue fever
Arecent bout of dengue forced me to stay in bed and experience the big and bitter world of home remedies.
Sudden shivering at night announced the arrival of the dreaded fever. Body ache, nausea and weakness were enough to confine me to bed for a week.
The dwindling count of platelets soon became a hot topic of discussion and cause of concern in the house. The count was announced as though we were talking of the fluctuating Sensex. The sudden rise and fall were welcomed with elation and panic.
I became a guinea pig for numerous concoctions to enhance the much sought after platelet count. The humble papaya leaves drink was the first to test my patience. Infusion prepared by boiling the leaves in water for an hour made for a repulsive drink. I had to gulp it down with a pinch of salt.
My wife, an ardent follower of WhatsApp gyan, was quick to procure giloy (Tinospora Cordifolia), an Ayurvedic herb also known as heart-leaved moonseed, from a nearby house. Once again an insipid drink was fixed for me in the evening. Gulping down a glass full of the bitter drink was no mean feat but I had to swallow it only for the sake of the muchcoveted platelets.
With no improvement in my condition the next day, the lady of the house ordered the driver to get us goat milk. The driver managed to fetch the elixir from a nearby village. The milk arrived but the recently passed out graduate of home remedies, my wife, ordered me to consume it raw to derive maximum benefit. My taste buds and olfactory cells were numb as I downed the goat milk in one go.
Hearing about my illness, my mother arrived on the third day with freshly ground turmeric powder. She announced: Turmeric can cure everything and what turmeric can’t cure is incurable. So it was time for me to sip the turmeric latte without showing any sign of resistance, with a cold towel over my head.
Our gardener, on his weekly visit to tend to the kitchen garden, was not to be left behind. “Madam, why don’t you administer him the divine mixture of cinnamon, basil leaves and ginger boiled in water? It will take care of the indigestion.”
My wife was quick to pocket the precious nugget of information and another steel flask was assigned to the bedside table, full to capacity. Already nauseous, the liquid refused to enter my alimentary canal.
Though numerous concoctions based on suggestions by all and sundry were pushed down my throat with unfailing regularity, the only thing I managed to sip on comfortably was the fresh lemon juice.
The fever subsided in a week and platelet count surpassed my bank balance and expectations by a big margin after consuming plenty of kiwifruit, copious amount of coconut water besides the insipid infusions in the name of treatment.
Everyone heaved a sigh of relief as I finally held my favourite cup of coffee, denied for nearly 10 days by self-proclaimed experts in home remedies.
I BECAME A GUINEA PIG FOR NUMEROUS CONCOCTIONS TO ENHANCE THE MUCH SOUGHT AFTER PLATELET COUNT