Amazing Benefits of Cashew in Tuberculosis

Among all of the nuts and seeds, most of our favorite nut is cashew. It not only delicious but also has several health benefits. However, recently it has been found that cashew has a very impactful benefit in curing tuberculosis patients. Apart from this, it also helps in curing pneumonia, tooth decay, acne and many more. So, today in this article we will tell you some amazing benefits of cashew in tuberculosis.

Before, going into the depth let’s know a little about what is tuberculosis? it’s symptoms and treatment.

What is Tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis is also known as TB. It is an infection that usually attacks your lungs. It can also spread to other parts of your body, including your brain and spine. TB is caused by a type of bacteria known as mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is a dangerous disease. Usually, at first it is not easily identified, so it is very important to pay special attention to its symptoms.

About six to seven crore people in the world suffer from this disease and 2 to 3 million people die every year. Approximately out of hundred, two patients die in every three months and about forty thousand people infected every day.

How it Happens?

It spreads from one human to another through the air. This bacteria enter the body by breath. When a patient coughs, sneezes, talks or spits, very small drops of mucus and sputum spread in the air, the bacteria present in them stay in the air for several hours and enters to the body of another person which cause disease.

Types of Tuberculosis.

There are two types of TB, latent TB and Active TB.

Latent Tuberculosis.

In this type you do not found any symptoms of TB in the body. However, bacteria is present in inactive form. It will not spread and the person will not feel any sickness. It can identified through blood or skin test. So, it is advice to start the treatment as early as possible before the bacteria gets active.

Active Tuberculosis.

In active TB, you may face several signs and symptoms. Germs can be easily spread through sneezing, coughing. Treatment is needed or else it can cause a huge damage.

Read Now: Guidelines for Varicose Veins According To ICD 10

Symptoms.

There may be other symptoms of tuberculosis. If you have any symptoms or have these symptoms at the same time, you should go for a checkup and consult with the doctor. If you have latent TB then you may have no symptoms, but there are some visible symptoms of active TB those are listed below ;

• Cough that lasts for more than 3 weeks.
• Bloody cough.
• Chest pain.
• Always feel tired.
• Feeling cold.
• Fever.
• Sweat at night.
• Loss of appetite.
• Weight Loss.
• Weakness.
• Feeling giddy.

Tuberculosis

Causes of Tuberculosis.

• Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria that spread from one person to another through microscopic droplets released into the air. This can happen when a person infected with an active form of tuberculosis cough, speaking, sneezing, spitting, laughing or singing.
• Although tuberculosis is contagious, it is not easy to catch. You are more likely to receive tuberculosis from someone you live or work with a stranger. You need to be in touch with an infected person for a long time to became infected.
• Another major cause of TB is HIV. A person suffering from HIV already suppresses the immune system, making it difficult for the body to control TB bacteria. So, people suffering from HIV are sometimes more likely to develop TB and those are not HIV positive then the progression may have the latent active disease.
• Drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis are observed when the antibiotic fails to kill all the bacteria that target it. Bacteria that survive become resistant to a particular drug. There are some TB bacteria which  developed resistance to the most commonly used medicine, such as isoniazid and rifampin.

Risk Factors of Tuberculosis.

You may be more likely to have TB due to the following risk factors;

• If a friend, colleague or a family member has active TB and you are part of a group then it is more likely to spread TB.
• While working in a hospital or nursing home and not maintaining proper hygiene.
• Having HIV.
• Diabetes.
• Suffering from severe kidney disease.
• You are a health care worker for patients with high risk of TB.
• Head and neck cancer.
• Treating cancer squamous chemotherapy.
• Low body weight and poor nutrition.
• Medicines for organ transplant.
• Some medicines to treat rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease and psoriasis.
• When you consume alcohol and smoke regularly.

Read Now: What Are The Mysteries Behind Healthy Eating Habits?

Diagnosis.

There may be both skin and blood tests along with some other clinical trials to confirm tuberculosis.

Skin Test.

Skin Test

Doctor injects a small amount of fluid into the skin of your lower hand. After 2 or 3 days, doctor will check for swelling in your arm. If the result is positive, you probably have TB. But sometimes you may also get a false result. So always consult with your doctor for exact result.

Blood Test.

Blood Test

These tests will show you whether your infection is latent or active. If you get a positive skin or blood test, your doctor will tell you the type of TB you have and then what necessary treatment needs to do.

Chest X-Ray or CT Scan.

Chest X-ray

These types of tests conducted to see changes in your lungs, whether you have a phlegm. Acid-fast bacillus (AFB) tests for TB bacteria in your spit is conducted to check which mucus forms that occurs when you cough.

Treatment.

Your treatment will depend on how serious your infection is. Whatever the type, it’s important to complete the cycle of medicines, even if you feel better. If you leave your medicine course in the mid-way, the bacteria can become resistant to these drugs.

If you have latent TB, your doctor will prescribe medicine to kill bacteria so that the infection is no longer active. You can be given isoniazid, rifapentine, or rifampin, either alone or combined. You have to take drugs for 9 months. If you notice any symptoms of active TB, contact your doctor immediately.

If you are someone who has active TB, a combination of drugs is prescribed. The most common are Ethambutol, Isoniazid, Pyrazinamide and Rifampin. You will be directed to take the medicine for 6 to 12 months.

Some people don’t follow the medicine dose properly and do not complete the medicine coarse. Which later make the TB bacteria resistance against those medicines. If you are someone among those, who has resistant TB, your doctor can give you one or more different medicines. You may have to take them for more than 30 months, and they can cause more serious side effects. So, always keep in touch with your doctor to avoid any side effects.

Home Remedies To Cure Tuberculosis.

• Mix 200 grams of honey, 200 grams of misri (sugar candy), 100 grams of cow ghee all together. Take this 1 tsp medicine within frequent intervals in a day.
• Drink half cup of onion juice every morning and evening in empty stomach.
• Banana strengthens immunity. Take a ripe banana, mash it with a cup of coconut water along with half cup of curd and a teaspoon of honey. Take it twice a day.
• Add a little salt and honey to fresh orange juice and drink it every morning and evening. Orange strengthens immunity as well as helps in cleaning the phlegm from the lungs.
• Sharifa is also extremely beneficial for the treatment of TB. The pulp of the sharifa should be removed and eaten.
• Walnuts give strength to TB patients, increase their immunity and also help in early recovery.

Apart from these, recent studies proved the benefits of cashew in tuberculosis. So, now let’s know how cashew is beneficial for tuberculosis?

Read Now: Incredible Health Benefits and Side Effects of Coconut

Benefits of Cashew in Tuberculosis.

When it comes to nuts without cashew it’s incomplete. It has several health benefits. Among those one is tuberculosis.

In a research it has been found that, cashew contains anacardic acid, a primary active component of the cashew shell extract. It is a natural compound which not only helps to treat various medical conditions but also helps in treating infection abscess.

This acid is a mixture of full saturated, monoene, diene, and triene forms of anacardic acid and it exhibited antimicrobial activity against three different Gram Positive bacterial species (MRSA, Staphylococcus pyogenes, and Staphylococcus agalactiae).

In research it has been found that this anacardic acid slows down the growth of Gram Positive bacteria to the lowest concentration i.e. one-eight of the minimum inhibitory concentration.⁽¹⁾

So, the bacteria which cause Tuberculosis is Gram Positive bacteria, thus, in recent studies it is found that cashew nut has this property which can help in killing the bacteria that cause TB which entered in the human body. However, more researches are still going on.

So, cashew has amazing benefits in tuberculosis but readers should also make sure that cashew are not a cure for any disease. It can be consumed to prevent disease and stay healthy.

Bottom Line.

The most important step you can take to protect yourself and others from TB is to finish the entire course of medicine. When you stop treatment early or skip the dose, then there is a chance to develop mutations in bacteria that allow them to survive against even the most powerful TB drugs. We hope that this article has given you enough knowledge regarding TB along with benefits of cashew for tuberculosis patient.

Was this article helpful? Then assist others by sharing this post with your family, and friends. Also, give us your valuable feedback.

+7 Sources