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Iranian home remedies for skin care
contents
- Making almond oil yourself
- Lemons against wrinkles
- Stillod against hair loss
- Turmeric
- Egg Oil Shampoo
The medicinal properties of many plants were known to the peoples of Iranian antiquity, as evidenced by the texts of the Avesta. The Avesta notes that Ahura Mazda Zarathustra gave ten thousand healing plants: "And I, Ahura Mazda, send him herbs that grow by hundreds and thousands and tens of thousands around Gaokerena." (Gaokerene or White Hom was the king of medicinal plants).
Making almond oil yourself. Image: PhotoSG - fotolia In Zoroastrianism, the ancient Iranian religious culture, which still exists today and shapes the essential norms and rites of everyday life, physical cleansing was of elementary importance. To this day, for example, it is considered an absolute affront to enter a flat with street shoes, just as visitors of the Persian kings had to take off their shoes and clean their bodies in front of the halls of Persepolis.
Iranian women as well as men pay more attention than Europeans to skin and body care. Kasif, so dirty, is also considered a sign of social neglect, dirty and clean at the same time describe moral behavior and the difference between civilized and barbaric.
Today, Iranian women still make cosmetics and remedies themselves with love. Almond oil, lemon juice, chickpea, turmeric and egg yolk are among the popular natural cosmetics.
Making almond oil yourself
Almonds are part of the Iranian culture. The almond tree comes from Asia; Although he came to ancient Europe, where the name "Greek nut" was established, but long before the Persian poets praised the beauty of almond blossom.
The almond tree is a rose plant, up to ten feet high and throws off its leaves in winter. Its drupes are green with a hairy surface and a pronounced furrow on the side. This mantle dries when the fruit is ripe and exposes the elongated-holey core. It contains one to two oval and pointed seeds. These almonds are either sweet or bitter. They only need to be collected from the ground, because in the summer, when they are ripe, they fall off the tree.
Almonds contain mineral salts, fats, proteins, vitamins and sugars. That is why they have an excellent dietary effect. The bitter almonds contain a far higher proportion of extremely toxic hydrocyanic acid and should therefore only be processed by pharmacists.
Almond oil is found today in the pharmaceutical industry, which it appreciates because of its laxative and refreshing effect.
Although fast food is also spreading in all the cities of the Middle East, it is frowned upon by the ubiquitous family celebrations of the Persians. An unspoken duty is the "snacks" between the main meals.
It does not matter if you visit Nouruz, the New Year, or if you get an unexpected visit - tea is immediately on the table for all present. The tea includes candies made from caramelized sugar, saffron, chopped pistachios, chocolate and dry biscuits that stick to the tongue, dissolve in the mouth and are washed down with the tea.
The Iranians enjoy these sweets in moderation, and the tarouf, the Iranian system of courtesy, does not include shoveling them in just as the host keeps offering them again and again.
In addition, everyone receives a small plate of healthy "snacks": cucumbers, oranges, apples and other fruit, plus a fruit knife and a bowl of roasted sunflower seeds, melon and pumpkin seeds. Removing these from the shell is an art that strikes European guests as hard as eating cross-legged. It is easier to consume the walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios and dried almonds, which have just been served and are already dissolved from the skin.
In the season, the Iranians also love the green, so immature drupes with soft kernels that they consume fresh. They call this delicacy Charshal, meaning "fatchen".
Almond trees grow abundantly in the country, so almond oil is part of every Iranian household. Like the Indian, Iranian food and medicine, healthy eating and personal care are closely related. Almond oil therefore has a special meaning, because on the one hand it tastes good and can be processed in desserts as well as for frying, on the other hand it is also suitable for external cosmetic and internal refreshing application.
Almond oil strengthens the hair and cleanses the skin when we apply it there. It also stimulates the bladder and the intestine and calms when coughing.
Instead of buying it in the supermarket, many Iranian women make it themselves today. For this we need above all an oil press and airtight vessels. We can use both sweet and bitter almonds, but sweet almonds are cheaper and also contain more oil when ripe, almost 50%.
We press the oil cold from the almonds, that is always below 75 degrees. This preserves the active ingredients. If the oil tastes or smells more intense, we will roast it before pressing.
We use a hand-operated oil press. But this must also be suitable for nut kernels. The almonds we do whole or hacked into it and squeeze them with a hand crank.
Already for a hundred milliliters of oil we need many almonds, so it's most worthwhile to squeeze your own oil if we have our own almond tree.
The effort to press itself, but worth it: The hand-pressed oil is particularly pure. The almond residue left over from pressing is ideal as a facial peeling, it can be ground into almond flour or processed into almond bran for skincare.
Lemons against wrinkles
Lemons are omnipresent in Iran, and the Iranians know about their medicinal properties. In contrast to Germany, there are also sweet lemons in Iran.
The lemon tree is the jack of all trades among the medicinal and food plants. He comes originally from India, in ancient times, the rulers of Persia took him in their paradaghs (paradise garden), and the fragrance of the lemon blossom was considered a greeting of ethereal beings.
Lemons for skin care. Image: Alena Ozerova - fotolia Citric acid stimulates appetite, itching and helping digestion. Lemon juice has an antiseptic effect, in an emergency it helps to disinfect the skin and throat in case of minor injuries, as well as mucosal inflammations, mouth rot or angina.
It prevents the vitamin deficiency, it lowers the blood sugar, prevents inflammation, urges the urine, dissolves cramps, cleanses the blood, drives the sweat, inhibits flatulence, helps against diarrhea, cold, increased blood fat, fever, gout and gallstones, against Migraine and inflamed tonsils, for heart problems and nerve pain. Lemon juice helps against sunburn, brightens freckles and perfectly cleanses the pores. Lemon peel has an antiseptic effect on chronic bronchitis and inflammation of the genitals,
The Iranians also know lemon as a remedy for wrinkles We make a facial mask from olive oil, lemon juice and egg yolk. All together we put in a bowl and stir it. In there we grate cucumber and crushed fresh mint. The cucumber softens the skin, the mint prevents inflammation, and the lemon cleanses the skin.
Such a face mask not only works against wrinkles, it also helps against acne.
Stillod against hair loss
Nochod, the chickpea is widespread in Iran as a food and at the same time a proven remedy for hair loss.
Chickpea is a legume of the hot and dry regions of the Middle East and North Africa. From Morocco to Pakistan, Israel and the Arab countries, as well as much of Iran, peas are the staple of everyday dishes - from Arab-Persian chickpea hummus to Ash, a stew of chick-peas and mutton. This is especially common in Azerbeidjan, both in the same name as in the eponymous state
Chickpea contains two substances that prevent hair loss, namely vitamin B-6 and zinc.
Hair loss, together with fatigue and disturbance of concentration, may indicate iron deficiency, and chickpeas contain iron to a great extent - 100 grams of legumes provide 6.5 mg of it, and the "wonder pea" also contains vitamin C, which helps the body gain iron to process.
Chickpea also contains folic acid. Those who lack it are easily irritable, suffer from depression, anemia and run the risk of getting heart and circulation. 100 grams of chickpeas contain 333 micrograms of this acid. Pregnant women, in particular, should eat chickpea, because folic acid is necessary to form and divide the cells thus promoting the growth of the placenta and fetus.
Chickpea can be applied externally, as a face mask or shampoo - or internally. Processed into hummus, the valuable substances enter the body, massaged into the scalp (for hair loss) or applied to the face (against acne), they penetrate into the skin.
Hummus, chickpea porridge is as much food as a cure. He has a low glycemic index. That is, the porridge raises blood sugar levels, but slowly, keeping them stable for longer, and as a result, we feel saturated for a long time, unlike foods with a high glycemic index, such as mashed potatoes. Through this we get a quick energy kick, when it dies down but cravings.
Chickpeas also provide fiber that keeps blood sugar and cholesterol within limits. These fibers prevent food cravings because they delay gastric emptying. 30 grams of fiber daily causes us to lose weight, and 100 grams of chickpeas already contain 17 grams.
To prepare hummus, we take for two persons 200 g of dried chickpeas, 500 ml vegetable stock, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 3 tbsp olive oil, garlic and chilli, 10 black olives and 4 stems of parsley, with salt and black pepper.
We soften the peas in cold water for 24 hours. Then we cook them together with the broth for about 45 minutes until the chickpeas are firm. We add lemon juice such as olive oil, peeled garlic clove, and puree the peas, either in an electric blender or with an ordinary potato masher.
The parsley we chop either very small, the best is a roll knife or drappieren them on the finished puree.
For Ash we need as basic ingredients lamb or mutton with tubular bones, so best of the hax, also dried chickpeas. This can come potatoes and various Sabzi, the Iranian term for herbs.
The Sabzi, however, eat the Iranians raw from an extra plate. This must include coarse parsley like mint, usually also the green parts of spring onions and tarragon. The Azerbeidjans love raw and peeled onions to the Ash, many Iranians refuse, however, because the onions lead to an intense mouth and body odor.
The meat is boiled together with the chickpeas to a broth and simmer for at least one and a half hours at low heat. Then we take the bone out and crush the unvaporated broth with the chickpeas to a pulp.
The Iranians eat the ash with a lot of thin pita bread, so that they stroke the porridge with the spoon. The unripe and raw herbs take them by hand and chew them together with the stew.
Externally, chickpea can be applied as a "shampoo" on the scalp. We also add chickpeas for this, about 100 grams for a rinse, and if soaked after about 24 hours, boil them with water for about an hour. Then we purée them with a few tablespoons of olive oil and prepare a paste similar to hummus. We massage the finished mixture into the scalp and leave it there for about fifteen minutes.
The Iranians also mix Nochod with an open egg, add henna powder and rub the mixture in the hair. They leave the mass to work for about 15 minutes before rinsing it off.
Turmeric
Turmeric, known in this country as turmeric or turmeric, comes from South Asia and is mainly used in Indian cuisine. It serves as a spice for soups and sauces, in addition to its unobtrusive taste, the Indians love it mainly because of the yellow color, which they also use to color textiles.
Turmeric or turmeric. Image: Printemps - fotolia Turmeric is one of the most important spices in Indian curries and so refines rice and meat dishes. In Iran, turmeric is common in food, especially in Balushistan, the province on the border with Pakistan.
Turmeric is related to ginger and contains curcumin in the stems of the plant. From this the yellow color is won.
With turmeric, the seed pods divided into three compartments are of interest, but the rhizome with its various egg-shaped yellow tubers. On the underside of the rhizome countless small roots grow, and at the top, the leaf scars show.
Turmeric has been known in Indian and Iranian medicine for many centuries and is considered primarily as a poison neutralizer. What reads like miracle beliefs have been scientifically proven in recent decades: turmeric has an intense effect on the gallbladder, it increases the production of secretions, liquefies them and detoxifies the liver. It relieves spasms in liver colic and helps to eliminate bladder stones.
Turmeric inhibits inflammation, it promotes digestion and calms the stomach. It prevents heart disease and probably hinders the proliferation of cancer cells, because it acts on the cell membranes: namely, curuma binds to the blood fat. Turmeric may be effective against rheumatism and arthritis.
The Iranians swear by Turmeric to prevent diseases of the heart and recommend to dissolve 1 to 2 tablespoons of turmeric in lukewarm water twice a week.
Turmeric can be found in mustard preparations, curry powder and cheese, but also as a ready-to-use powder, which we add directly to dishes.
Turmeric also use the Iranians to prevent so-called crow's feet, so wrinkles in the corners of the eyes.
To do this, we make a paste in which we mix the turmeric with a little water until the powder gets a mushy consistency. We can make the paste smoother by adding oil, and the Iranians prefer olive oil.
With this paste, we cover both eye sockets about half a centimeter thick, while leaving the eyes free so that we can open and close them unhindered and wear the mask in each of a circle that encloses the eyebrows and reaches to the temple. This paste is allowed to act for about 30 minutes.
We can repeat this procedure regularly, approximately every two weeks.
Egg Oil Shampoo
Egg yolk contains proteins that rebuild brittle and splintered hair, providing firm shiny hair. In 100 grams of egg yolk are about 16.1 grams of protein proteins.
Egg yolk as an effective hair care. Image: JPC-PROD - fotolia However, we should beware of too much of a good thing. Hair that is sufficiently supplied with proteins and is neither dull nor dry is damaged by too much protein.
For an ice-shampoo we need an egg, in addition an egg yolk, 1 tsp honey and 1 lemon. We stir the egg with the yolk, add the honey, squeeze out the lemon and mix with the mass. We do not need a blender, a fork is enough, but we should stir constantly and until a uniform mass is created.
We massage this shampoo with the fingertips into the scalp and hair roots. It is recommended to moisten the hair slightly before. We let the shampoo soak for at least five minutes and then rinse it with warm water. It should not be hot, because the egg then clots, it must not be cold, because otherwise the sugar does not dissolve.
Another shampoo is egg yolk and olive oil. We mix two egg yolks with 2 tablespoons olive oil in a glass of warm water in a bowl. Again, the water must not be hot so that the yolk does not stagnate. The mixture is then pureed with a blender until a uniform liquid is formed.
We wash our hair without using any other shampoo and knead the "egg oil" in the hair, from the beginning to the hair ends. For long hair, we massage the conditioner especially in the hair tips. After a few minutes we wash out the egg oil. (Somayeh Khaleseh Ranjbar translated into German by Dr. Utz Anhalt)