If you have ever been to Pakistan and never heard of these Totkas, you have missed something big. Every culture is unique about itself, and it becomes its identity.
The food and culture of the Subcontinent, the advancement of Europe, the harmony and zealousness of the Chinese and much more. If you are living in Pakistan or have been here, you will realize very tiny things make the Pakistani Nation a big nation by heart. Long before the “hacks” entered the universal dictionary, people in the subcontinent used a lot of ancient wisdom to solve daily problems.
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As we have inherited this thing, Totkas are more effective when you don’t want to for medication. Totka is a family remedy that is widely promoted, sometimes lightly, and often surprisingly effective. Long before the “breakthrough” entered the universal dictionary, people in the Indian subcontinent used a lot of ancient wisdom to solve daily problems.
They are good medicines on the earth and medicines spread by those who live on the planet.
Totkay ranges from pragmatism (boil garlic; sprinkle with salt and turmeric to kill ants) to dark (place eggshells around your house to avoid lizards; dip cloves in lemon to prevent dengue fever). Lemon, turmeric and ginger are the sacred trilogies of many diseases, while drinking ghee stimulates childbirth, and Asafetida solution can treat flatulence. Travellers can watch businessmen peddling “creepy” common illnesses on local buses and trains, while social gatherings usually feature kind-hearted elderly people distributing life tips. In Pakistan, you only need to express (or show signs of disease), and Totkas will roll in.
The Urdu word “Totka” is derived from Sanskrit and was first used in a book called Suhagan Nama (“Song of Married Women”), published in 1683. “Totka means treating anything negative or evil,” said Seda Nussin Ali, who has taught Urdu in Karachi school for 28 years. Totka is synonymous with tona, both related to black magic and witchcraft. In contemporary Urdu, as South Asians gradually get rid of these customs, we began to use the term “herbal”, almost like healing or magic. ”
Totka talked about the memories of Pakistanis of their old selves. The person in charge of these treatments is usually the grandmother, who lives in the shadow of division or war or both. Sharing productivity is a relic of his flexibility and wit. During rampant political turmoil or imminent famine, Totka is a powerful gateway to the healing world: not a substitute, but medicine itself.
For many of his “patients”, Totka is an affordable alternative to traditional medicine. They are good medicines on the earth and medicines spread by those who live on the planet. My friend said: “I have always believed in Totkay since I was a kid.”
Zubaida Tariq is Martha Stewart of Pakistan and has played a role in joining Totka since the late 1990s, so the most famous name is Zubaida Appa (“Big Sister” in Urdu). Her career started with 6,500 cooking shows in 50 years. During the spread, he shared live broadcast skills on national television.
Aba Tokai concluded in the last interview: “Totka is where the standard family system is located. We grew up looking at the warm honey, Agwen (Crimean seeds), and ginger coughing, the lemon juice on the temples can cure headaches, people don’t know the name of the drug. “.
Zubeida Appa became famous in the late 1990s for her recipes, home remedies or totkas. She is considered a cooking teacher, and thousands of people learn to cook by watching performances.
To commemorate the deceased idol, we have compiled a list of the most famous Totkas. Here are useful Zubaida Appa home remedies.
First is, Mix two tablespoons of egg white, a few drops of lemon juice and olive oil. After cleansing your face, apply the mask for 5-7 minutes. Rinse with water. You can use this mask once a month.
Heat half a cup of mustard oil and half a teaspoon of beeswax in a frying pan until the wax melts. A creamy, air-tight texture will form in the jar. Before bed, wash your feet, apply beeswax and mustard cream, and then put on socks. The next morning, wash your feet and massage them with moisturizing lotion.
Dry the leaves of the imago tree in the shade, and then put the dried leaves in a cupboard, cabinet or even a suitcase. Please change the sheets after a few months. Neem leaves will help keep insects away.
Squeeze the lemon juice, then rub your hands with the lemon zest. After that, wash your hands with soap and dry them. Finally, apply hand sanitiser or cold cream to your hands. Another simple remedy is to massage your hands with toothpaste for a few minutes and then wash them off.
If your hair feels dull and dry, sprinkle it on your hair and style it with some milk. You will see that the hair will become smoother. Mix one egg, one teaspoon of olive/coconut/mustard oil and two tablespoons of yoghurt. Apply it to your hair for half an hour once a month, then wash it with shampoo.
Mix 2 tablespoons of yoghurt with three drops of white vinegar. Apply yoghurt to your face to avoid getting into your eyes. Leave it on the face for 10 minutes, then wash it off. The mask and the mask are the same and perform the same job.
Before going to bed three times a week, apply almond or olive oil to your neck. Mix one tablespoon of yoghurt with a small amount of yeast, then gently massage your neck for ten minutes. Take a shower twice a month (once every two weeks). After multiple applications, you will get positive results.
Dr Bilquis Sheikh is a registered homoeopathic physician, certified alternative medicine practitioner and Pakistani herbalist, bridging the gap between the medical community and Tokai. Born in a small village in Chitral in the far north of Pakistan, limited visits to doctors aroused Dr Sheik’s passion for physiotherapy. She explained: “If you have a fracture and are only 12 hours away from the nearest doctor, go to the kitchen or do it with willow branches. All of our women are kitchen doctors. Totka is our genes.”
More than one million subscribers follow her YouTube channel because she solves many problems, from hormonal imbalance to natural hair straightening such as coffee, yoghurt and borax. The three-minute tooth whitening process includes clove powder (an antiseptic, she explained), garlic powder (sulfur content erodes dental plaque), ginger powder (to prevent bleeding gums) and salt (as an abrasive to remove scale and Eliminate lousy breath).
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Dr Bilquis was born in Chitral, a beautiful city in northern Pakistan, in August 1972. Dr Bilquis is naturally inclined to herbs and their properties. In 2005, she received a PhD in Alternative Medicine (AMD) from Sri Lanka. With continuous research and interest in herbal medicine, she became the best herbal therapist in Pakistan. His research work continues to develop in the industry. BSM launched Kreations Naturalize in 2009; the company produces various types of herbal products. Dr Bilquis has appeared on many TV shows and provides health and beauty advice to women. Here are some of the popular Home Remedies by her:
Mix a pinch of boron powder and a pinch of sugar in a teaspoon of lemon juice. Place the mixture in an empty bottle for five days. Later on, on the fifth day, apply the solution to the blackheads on the face, which will be removed soon.
To reduce belly fat, Dr Bilquis made some excellent suggestions. Take a raw papaya and cut it into small cubes (without removing the skin). Now, drink a cup of vinegar (approximately), half a teaspoon of ground black salt (kala namak), and a tablespoon of ground fennel seeds (one teaspoon). After that, mix them to come up with a solution. Now put the papaya cubes and vinegar mixture into the jar and keep it closed for a week. After a week, it will turn into kimchi. Eat a cube the next day after a meal and see the magic.
Dr Bilquis talked about some tips for removing acne; here, we introduce the best. Put 2 to 3 dried basil leaves in a cup of boiling water. Let it stand for 20 minutes, and it will form a paste. After 20 minutes, the water temperature will return to normal, and the paste will be ready for use. Use cotton to apply the paste to the pimples. It will clear acne quickly.
Facial hair is a severe problem for women. I can’t believe that the products on the market will work. Dr Bilquis removed facial hair very effectively in a TV show. You can use Totka to remove hair from your face.
Dry and weak hair is a common problem that girls worry about. Tonic, again and again, the result is still zero. Why don’t you consider Dr Bilquis Sheikh’s suggestion? The famous Chinese medicine doctor has an effective solution to solve the problem. You can use natural herbs, as recommended by Dr Bilquis, to control hair loss and dry hair.
Get five beauty secrets from Dr Bilquis Sheikh, a famous herbal therapist in Pakistan. Dr Bilquis recommends health and beauty tips that are particularly beneficial to girls. He appears on many TV shows when he answers people’s questions and provides solutions. So far, she has recommended hundreds of techniques that are very effective for girls and women in different environments.
Self-diagnosis and self-administration have become our national habits. This is not surprising given the lack of access to primary medical care in many sectors of the country.
Even in cities with many clinics, hospitals and private laboratories, we don’t see a doctor for the first time when we are sick. Sometimes it makes sense. Grandma enough to solve minor problems, such as the common cold.
The drugs we take have side effects. It’s best to be careful and let yourself know. Over time, overuse of antibiotics puts you at risk because bacteria can develop resistance to them.
However, once we have this small amount of information, we begin to think that we are experts in health and medicine, which is the disaster’s source. We take the wrong medicine without a prescription based on experience or the needs or unwanted advice of current and knowledgeable supporters.
Most of this “knowledge” is based on a myth we heard in the past: cold or sour food can cause a sore throat. Some foods contain Garam Taseer, as well as foods from Thandi Taseer (starting from the question because I genuinely believe in that). Eating yoghurt and fish together can produce vitiligo.
I still have to wait at least an hour before taking a bath after a meal because I have been deeply instilled in my mind since I was a child. Taking a bath immediately after a meal makes people feel sick. I don’t know how to do it, but my uncle said so.
Over the years, this “knowledge” has added prescriptions that people don’t remember, what we hear on TV, and what we read on the Internet. As evidence of the success of many recipes of saints and homoeopathy, Dadi Ky Totky and all kinds of drugs piled up, we think we can improve ourselves (doctor, put headphones in your pocket, very thankful).
Our preventive measure is to stay away from cold food in winter. Our treatment methods include mixing alternative and homoeopathic medicines, which can cause severe damage inside us until we are finally submerged and take the inevitable medical journey.
Pain and pain are usually ignored until they are exhausted. Until tooth decay is filled, dental health is not valued. Do you exercise? Isn’t it just about losing weight?
However, apart from all myths, everyone has heard another ancient saying. One of the few: prevention is better than cure.
To avoid everything from heart disease to cancer to joint pain, a healthy diet and exercise are the two most recommended things. Even if you don’t use fancy equipment to exercise in the gym, walking is better for your health than a bag full of pills and herbal tea.
And even though we have healthy habits, when facing a severe illness, it is better to go to the doctor (which is cheaper in the long run) than to consult Hakeem and Pirs or raid your home medicine cabinet.
Totkay appears as a panacea or fashion trend in the West. There will be more next. However, as a bastion of the turbulent history of the Indian subcontinent, they are a century-old scam that extends to a tiny part, providing medical services and realizing natural self-care. They were and are still affordable dressings that can help heal problems in life.
Although their attacks sound creepy, Totkas are here and play a vital role in shaping our identity. When we share a Totka, we celebrate the connection with our heritage.
Let us know what you think of Pakistani Totkas, share your thoughts in the comment box:
Since 2017, Saba Ghani has been serving as the talented and dedicated chief content writer for Pakistan Tour and Travel & EMHI Solutions. With her exceptional writing skills and in-depth knowledge of the travel industry, she has been instrumental in crafting engaging and informative content that captivates the audience. You can catch her at [email protected] or Twitter
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