Fever is a condition when the body temperature rises above the normal values. There are various factors which leads to fever, common amongst them are cold and cough, infections, tiredness, worries, tension etc.

In children, fever is mostly caused due to viral infections. Children tend to develop higher temperatures during activities like playing, but this is not fever because their set-point is normal. Elderly patients may have a decreased ability to generate body heat during a fever, so even a low-grade fever can have serious underlying causes in geriatrics.

When a patient has or is suspected of having a fever, that person's body temperature is measured using a thermometer. At a first glance, fever is present if:-

Rectal temperature (in the anus) or otic temperature (in the ear) is at, or higher than 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit)

Oral temperature (in the mouth) is at, or higher than 37.5 degrees Celsius (99.5 degrees Fahrenheit)

Axillary temperature (in the armpit) is at, or higher than 37.2 degrees Celsius (99 degrees Fahrenheit)

In women, temperature differs at various points in the menstrual cycle, but this should not be mistaken as fever. It is generally observed that temperature increases after meals, and psychological factors (like the first day in the hospital) also influence body temperature. Fevers may be useful to some extent since they allow the body to reach high temperatures. This will bring an unbearable environment for certain pathogens. White blood cells also rapidly proliferate due to the suitable environment and can also help fight off the harmful pathogens and microbes that invaded the body.

Home Remedies for Fever

The following are some commonly used home remedies that are very effective in the treatment of fevers.

Take seven to eight tulsi leaves (Ocimum sanctum, basil) and three to four black peppercorns. Chew on them together. Both these herbs have good properties to allay fevers. This is one of the useful home remedies for fever.

Prepare a tea of the tulsi leaves and drink it three to four times the day you have fever. Your fever will be gone the next day. This is one of the good natural remedy for fever.

Take a teaspoonful of honey. Add in that two or three drops of ginger juice. Drink this juice. This will help the fever to resolve itself fast. This is one of the effective home remedy for fever.

Another effective fever treatment is while making tea, add half a teaspoonful of cinnamon powder, two big cardamoms and two teaspoonfuls of ginger powder. Boil this well and drink this tea. This is an excellent decoction for fighting fevers.

Drink lots of water in the daytime. This is needed to replenish the lost water content in the body. The water that you drink must necessarily be boiled, and not filtered through water purification systems. This is one of the efficient fever cure.

Drink a glassful of milk. It is better if the milk is frothy. You can make the milk froth in this manner. Take two glasses, and fill one of them with warm milk. Then lift this glass and drop the milk from it so that it falls directly into the second glass in a steady stream. Then lift the second glass likewise. Continue this several times till the milk becomes frothy. This is an effective home remedies for fever.

Consume a teaspoonful amount of the Triphala choorna in the night before going to bed. This choorna has good antipyretic properties. This is one of the

Natural remedy for fever - Perspiration remedy is a very highly recommended therapy in normal fevers and it always works wonders. You do not have to do anything special for it. Just take a warm blanket and sleep in the night. You will feel warm and will sweat. Do not remove the blanket even if you sweat. Let the body sweat as much as it does. You may have to drink a couple of glasses of water in the night. You will find that the temperature of the body comes down to normal in the morning and the fever is gone. This remedy works because the sweat takes away the toxins inside the body. The more you sweat, the faster will be the cure.

In a bowl mix about four or five caps full of vinegar and about two cups of luke warm water. Soak washed cloth or towel in mixture and wring out .Wrap cloths around lower legs. You will see that the fever vanishes in sometime. This is one of the best home remedy for fever.

Lie down on a bed, take some potatoes peel them and cut them into slices, you can put them on your fore head, chest stomach and where ever else you want, this remedy will definitely help in bringing down the temperature.

Crush 2 large garlic cloves and add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Then warm this mixture and apply it under the sole of each foot, remember to wrap the foot with a plastic. Let it work for the whole night and also for an hour after you feel the fever is gone. The garlic penetrates the skin and has the quality of destroying what ever bacteria or viral infection the body was trying to fight. This is one of the important fever home remedies.

Slice the potato into 6 or 7 round slices and soak these slices in the vinegar for approximately 10 minutes. Place the vinegar slices across the forehead and place the washcloth on top. Ask the person to lie down, during this treatment. The results will be obtained in about 20 minutes. This is one of the effective fever remedy.

Smear the peanut butter over your forehead and neck (if you have the long hair it is best to put it up in elastic.)Then you must soak the paper towel in the milk until it is dripping wet. Lie down with the towel under your head and place the paper towel over your face. Close your eyes and breathe in the milky smell. Lie down until the milk dries up or until your fever stops. Wash the peanut butter and milk from your face and hair.

Boil some water and after it is boiled you can either make tea and add lemon/honey and sugar and drink this on regular basis.

Tie half onion on each bare foot. This helps in bringing down the temperature.

First put on several layers of clothes. And make hot water ready in a bucket. Put your feet into that for approximately 20 minutes, and you will see that you start sweating. This will help in bringing your fever down.

Another good home remedy for fever is to apply mixture of lime and olive oil all over the body right from head to toe. It really works.

After soaking a pair of socks in white vinegar, wear them; also cover yourself with a blanket and lie down. This helps in bringing down the body temperature within an hour.

If the fever is not severe, lie on a bed and completely cover yourself with a blanket for 20 minutes. Crush and powder 10 grams of raisins and ginger. Boil them in 200 ml of water till the original content gets reduced to 50 ml. Strain and drink this solution when it is warm.

Drink tea made of fenugreek seeds twice in a day. It is very beneficial as a cleansing and soothing drink. It is specifically helpful in dissolving mucus.

Another useful home treatment is tea made from saffron. Prepare this tea by putting half a teaspoon of saffron in 30 ml of boiling water. Give a tsp of this tea to the patient every hour till the temperature returns to normal. This is one of the important home remedies for fever.

Orange is the most ideal fruit in all types of fever. It gives instant energy, increases urinary output, and increases body resistance against infections. It is especially effective when the digestive power of the body is seriously hampered.

Diet for fever - Extract fresh juice of apricots in a cup and mix it with one tea-spoon of glucose or honey which is quite good for fevers. It quenches the thirst and eliminates the waste products from the body. It also supplies vitamins and minerals to the body. The eyes, stomach, liver, heart, and nerves are toned up by this treatment.

The juice of grapefruit is valuable in all fevers. Helpful in quenching thirst, it is also helpful in removing the burning sensation produced by the fever. Half a glass of grapefruit juice with half a glass of water is advisable.

One of the useful home remedies for fever is the extract prepared from raisins which is quite helpful in the treatment of common fever. You can make this extract by soaking twenty-five raisins in half a cup of water and crushing them in the same water. Strain the potion and discard the skin. The raisin water thus prepared is used as a tonic. Add half a teaspoon of limejuice to the extract for enhancing its usefulness. For better results take this twice in a day.

These are some things you must do to avoid fevers:-

(i) Eat lots of green leafy vegetables. They will regulate the digestion process and will help in the removal of the toxins from the body.

(ii) Fruits are good in fevers. Eat them in good amounts. Apples are by far the best fruits to be had in fevers.

Take seven to eight leaves of tulsi daily and chew them.

You can even chew three to four pieces of black pepper.

After finishing lunch or dinner, take a spoonful of honey mixed with ginger syrup. Repeat this three to four times in a day by licking this mixture.

Drink lots of liquid as much as possible during the day time.

Wash the fruits and vegetables properly and then consume it.

Drink pure water and to avoid the chances always boil the water, strain through a clean piece of cloth and then store it for proper use.

Add one tea-spoon of cinnamon in a cup of tea with two pieces of cardamom and drink this tea.

Prepare a tea using tulsi leaves and drink on a regular basis.

(i) Do not consume any outside eatables, however hygienic the place may seem to be. When having a fever, eat only home-cooked food.

(ii) Do not eat anything that is oily or excessively spicy. Constipation must be avoided in fevers at all costs.

(iii) Avoid consumption of chocolates, ice-creams and also anything that is cold etc.