Home Remedies That Have Been Around Forever Given a Scientific Nod
Posted: Saturday, December 03, 2011
by The Old Gray Mare
www.DressYourHorse.com
I’m a believer in home remedies and have been since my mother administered my meds. To this day I seek and use healthy, natural ingredients. Over the years, I have formed some deeply engrained ideas about pharmaceuticals and their effect on the body. For this reason, I have numerous body-friendly remedies that work for me.
I am sharing these home remedies because they promise benefit. No harm to try them if necessary. Perhaps you’ll agree.
Take one spoonful of Honey to quiet a nasty cough in the middle of the night when popular cough suppressors don’t work. Honey is especially good for the older folks during colds (unless diabetes is present) – Honey is high in sugar so beware if you have diabetes. Use honey to coat and soothe the throat. It can be used repeatedly.
Use liquid dish soap if you want to suppress recent contact with poison ivy and forego the itch and blisters. Wash the area with the dish soap within two hours and eliminate getting the rash. Volunteers in a study used Dial dishwashing soap, but presumably any of the dishwashing soaps are effective.
Drink tart cherry juice to ward off gout, relieve sore muscles or relieve arthritis pain. The juice apparently acts as an anti-inflammatory agent and readily reduces inflammation. The tart cherry juice is also higher in antioxidants.
Mix half and half baby shampoo and warm water to clean eyelids from blepharitis. This is a common eye condition causing crusty or scaly eyelids that also itch and appear red. The mixture gets rid of bacteria and any bodily secretions and oil. Simply mix up fresh two times a day and gentle rub along lids for about one minute. Rinse.
Smear on mentholated ointments (for instance, Vicks VapoRub) to toenails. First wipe nails that have fungus infections with white vinegar to neutralize the area and then apply the VapoRub generously. This application is deemed to be more effective than over-the-counter products or drugs. Cover feet with white socks at bedtime.
Use witch hazel as an astringent to tighten skin and obtain relief from inflammations. Did you know that witch hazel is the main ingredient in hemorrhoid pads? The witch hazel works even more efficiently when chilled.
Take ginger to reduce motion sickness or even nausea. Studies have concluded that using 1 gram of ginger before a surgical procedure can great reduce nausea and vomiting during the 24-hour period after surgery. A large concentrated study funded by the National Cancer Institute confirmed that taking one-quarter of a teaspoon of ginger daily for three days before chemotherapy cut nausea by 40 percent. Smaller amounts of ginger were more effective than larger amounts.
Gargle daily with tap water, nothing added, to cut colds and respiratory infections. This water gargling will also work to relieve cold symptoms during a cold. The effect of the gargling reduced bronchial irritation. Users of tap water will find that this is effective in soothing and cleansing a sore throat. I have grown up with this remedy and seldom get colds – I use warm water and, when I’m already sick, I add a sprinkle of salt.
Dab milk of magnesia drops on canker sores inside your mouth. The relief is temporary and will not heal. To increase effectiveness, mix half water and half peroxide and dab on sore, then apply the milk of magnesia.
Make a mouthwash mixing equal amounts of milk of magnesia and Benadryl. This will coat the tissues in the mouth and around the tongue and will also relieve pain. Swish in the mouth for one minute; spit out.
Drink cranberry juice to help a bladder infection. The cranberry juice will not heal a bladder infection but does aid in preventing the condition. Cranberry juice should never be taken with any blood thinners like Coumadin, Plavix or Aspirin – this combination can lead to bleeding.
Author’s note: If you are prone to canker sores, there is a link to toothpaste that contains sodium lauryl sulfate. This ingredient in toothpaste causes irritation to gum tissue, per the Mayo Clinic. Find a paste without this chemical (Biotene or Tom’s).
I also learned while doing my article, that cranberry juice (not the sugary kind but the real juice) is helpful to keep bacteria from attaching to bladder walls. Antibiotics are more effective; however, they kill bacteria and cause antibiotic resistance in the bloodstream.
Old Timers and my parents used some of these ingredients for many years. The fact that these remedies are still around today in 2011 means that they must have been effective all along. I’ve tried some and will try others if it becomes necessary. Seems logical to me anyway. Never hurts to know about them.
The Old Gray Mare writes for www.DressYourHorse.com and her blog sites.
This Article has been viewed 225 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Excellent listing and enumeration. And stuff I did not know. That's what is valuable. This is an excellent article.Hi Christofer. Thanks for reading and the welcome comment.
Hope you and loved ones have a great holiday season and go into New Years happy, healthy, and prosperous. Hope you enjoy all of the best throughout the year.
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.