Home Remedy Cure-Alls

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Courtesy of Prevention Magazine...

 

Mosquito Bites

 

Rub liquid laundry detergent on the spot and let dry. The liquid soothes the skin, dries the bite to reduce irritation, and seals the area from outside irritants.

 

Dry, Tired Eyes

 

Infuse a bag of chamomile tea in 4 to 6 ounces hot water, cool in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, then apply as a compress on eyes for 10 minutes, until it comes to room temp. Chamomile has a mild anti-inflammatory effect.

 

ad Breath

 

Drink up to 14 cup pure aloe vera gel dissolved in about half a cup of water or apple juice. Aloe vera contains an anti-inflammatory compound called B-sitosterol that soothes acid indigestion, a common cause of bad breath. But go easy; in large doses, aloe vera can work like a laxative.

Nasal Congestion

 

Irrigate the nose with contact lens saline solution, using a Neti Pot. Or try: putting a few drops of eucalyptus oil on the floor of a hot, running shower and inhaling the steam that accumulates. (Note: The room may be too hot for children.)

 

ess-Than-White Teeth

 

Combine 12 teaspoon baking soda with 1 or 2 drops of peroxide. Brush on, let sit for a few minutes, then rinse (don't swallow) and ta-da--enjoy your once-again pearly whites. Baking soda serves as a safe, light bleach. A baking soda and salt mixture can also restore the shine of dingy teeth (dip a wet toothbrush into 14 teaspoon soda and sprinkle with up to 18 teaspoon salt) as effectively as it polishes your pots and pans. However, the peroxide recipe is safer for people on no-salt diets.

Mild Heartburn

 

Combine 1 teaspoon powdered glutamine, an amino acid, to fuel gastrointestinal tract cells and cool inflammation; 1 capsule to introduce good bacteria to the gut; and 1 teaspoon herbal marshmallow or slippery elm powder to coat and soothe the digestive system. (The ingredients are available at health food stores.) Mix with 6 to 8 ounces yogurt or applesauce (to get everything down) and take one or two times a day for 8 to 10 weeks.

 

Restless Legs Syndrome

 

Drink a 6-ounce glass of tonic water each night before bed until symptoms go away. Tonic water contains quinine, which stops repeated muscle contractions.

 

Charley Horse

 

Use your thumb to apply pressure to the middle of the calf for 30 seconds. "When you release, the cramp should have subsided."

 

Corns

 

Soak the area for 10 to 15 minutes and then apply an exfoliating scrub of water and either salt or brown sugar (3 parts sugar/salt to 1 part water). This will remove dead skin.

 

Headaches

 

Try do-it-yourself acupressure. Feel along your trapezius, the large muscle that runs from the high point of both shoulders and joins your neck. Use your thumbs and index and middle fingers to squeeze the muscle just below where it attaches to both sides of your neck. You'll be releasing "trigger points," tiny muscle spasms that can cause neck tension and are a common cause of headaches. Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute--or have a friend do it for you. Or try: massaging one or two drops of peppermint (Mentha piperita) oil into the same trigger points and the lower neck. "Peppermint oil relaxes muscles in spasm."

Sore Throat

 

Mix together a clove bud, which is antiseptic and fights infection, with 14 teaspoon powdered ginger (or 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger) and 18 teaspoon cinnamon--the latter two because of their anti-inflammatory properties. Infuse the tea in 2 cups boiling water, and for every cup, stir in 2 teaspoons soothing and sweet raw honey. Sip throughout the day until your throat settles down.

 

Dandruff

 

Douse it with a cup of antioxidant-packed green tea, which will naturally exfoliate dry flakes without dehydrating skin. Steep two bags of green tea in 1 cup hot water for 20 minutes to overnight. Once it has cooled, massage the strong tea into your scalp.

 

Pimples

 

Treat them with tea tree oil and witch hazel, both of which have antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. As soon as you feel a pimple forming, dot either tonic on the area twice a day for 2 or 3 days. "Never use rubbing alcohol because that only dries out and irritates skin without having any effect on the bacteria that cause acne."

 

Sunburn

 

Take a lukewarm bath with 1 cup added ground oatmeal (grind it with a mortar and pestle; instant oatmeal works fine), 1 cup whole milk, 2 tablespoons honey, and 2 tablespoons aloe vera gel. Oatmeal is anti-inflammatory, honey is antiseptic, milk's proteins and fats soothe skin, and aloe numbs pain. "Afterward, moisturize with a cream containing hydrating shea butter and aloe."

Diarrhea

 

Drink a cup of chamomile tea. The herb has an antispasmodic effect that stops contractions in the lower intestine.

 

Flatulence

 

Sip 1 cup hot water steeped with 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, which stifle the enzymatic action that causes gas.

 

Warts

 

Clean the area. Then cut a piece of duct tape to a size slightly bigger than the wart. Apply the duct tape to the site and rub into place. Every 3 days, remove the tape and file down dead skin with a pumice stone or nail file. Repeat until the wart disappears. Chemicals in the tape suffocate and kill the wart. Studies show this method works as well as other treatments.

 

 

 

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