5 Amazing Health Benefits, Uses of Oak Gall | Manjakani

 

 

Oak gall called masikai in Tamil and manjakani in Malaysia is a very popular herb. Especially in Tamil Nadu, you will find oak galls in all the homes that have new born babies. It is called "Mazhupal" in Hindi. It's botanical name is quercus infectoria. The way manjakani is formed is very interesting. Manjakani is produced when the leaves of the oak tree are attacked by a certain kind of insect. This causes the leaves to produce round hard balls around the insects, that have small protrusions on the sides called oat gall| manjakani. The insects leave after 5 to 6 months from the nuts. Oat galls are dried and sold all over the world. I buy oak galls from the country drug stores and stock it always. Especially when my son was younger, I have never been without oak gall in the house. Oak gall can be used for both adults and elders. Oak galls are inexpensive and it stores well, especially if sun dried well after purchasing it from the shop. It cures all the infections in the mouth and I can confidently say oak gall is the best for treating any infection in the mouth. In Malaysia, manjakani is especially known for it's use in tightening vaginal muscles. Usually women face this problem after child birth, especially women who have given normal birth. A simple homemade wash made with manjakani will tighten the vaginal muscles, especially if used along with kegel exercise. Manjakani has astringent properties which makes it so very effective in home remedies .

 

 MANJAKANI HEALTH BENEFITS:

1. Manjakanni | Oak Gall for vaginal tightening:

                   Take a liter of water in a pan and boil it. Pound 2 manjakani in a mortar and pestle and add to the boiling water. Let it boil till the color changes. Switch off, cool and strain and use it as a wash. Strat using it immediately after the pregnancy along with kegel exercise for best results. Manjakani gel is very famous in Malaysia for tightening vaginal muscles, but this simple homemade wash is also very effective.

2. Manjakani | Oak Gall for mouth ulcers:

              Manjakani are excellent for treating ulcers inside the mouth. Manjakani has high astringent properties and it is this quality that heals mouth ulcers very quickly. Some people have small ulcers that are white in color on both sides of their mouth. This oak gall paste is a good remedy for that. This paste can be safely used for small children too. When you apply this paste, it has a slightly bitter and astringent taste. Try applying this paste for few days continuously, to get relief. To make this paste, soak oak gall in water for some time. This will make it easier to rub into a paste. Rub the oak gall on a sandalwood stone along with little water till you get a thick paste. Apply this paste on the affected area. You will be surprised, how quickly mouth ulcers heal with this remedy.

3. Manjakani | Oak Gall for babies:

               As I have mentioned before manjaknai  is also used for treating babies. I religiously followed this ritual for my son. Weekly once, we use it rub oak gall in a the sandalwood stone along with haritaki, nutmeg and vasambu which is burnt to get a paste and feed it to the babies. We call it urai marundhu in Tamil, I will do an elaborate post on this very soon. This keeps them from falling sick and keeps the babies healthy. This is a tradition that has been followed in all the homes here for many years.

4. Manjakani | Oak Gall mouth wash:

              A mouth wash made with oak gall will treat ulcers in the mouth very effectively. To make the mouth wash, Powder the manjakani in a mortar and pestle. Take around a tsp of the powdered manjakani and boil it along with little water. Let the water come to lukewarm temperature and then use it as a mouth rinse. This mouth rinse will treat mouth odor, mouth ulcers very effectively. The rest can be stored in the refrigerator and used everyday.

5. Manjakani antiseptic wash:

            When manjakani is boiled with water and used to wash wounds and scrapes, it heals them them faster. I feel it is much better than commercial brands like dettol.  But try to wash the wound with this rinse, both morning and night for best results.