Natural home remedies are often helpful, particularly with minor pains and sickness. There are many advantages to using a natural home remedy. Home remedies are inexpensive and convenient. They are available without a prescription and have almost no side effects. You probably have many of the recommended remedies on hand in your kitchen pantry or bathroom. What’s more, with natural home remedies you can avoid the chemical irritants, preservatives and allergens you might find in drugstore items. Instead of running to the doctor for minor pains and health complaints, relief is often close at hand with a natural home remedy.
These natural home remedies are suggested for poison ivy, acne, sunburn, sores and scrapes, motion sickness, diarrhea, food poisoning, hangovers, colds and congestion, cold symptoms and allergy, toothache relief, fever blisters, backache, and headaches.
We have lots of choices when it comes to health care. Here are some tried and true home remedies that families have used over the years. Just remember that these natural home remedies aren’t miracle cures. And they aren’t meant to take the place of the advice and treatment prescribed by your health-care professional.
Medical practice is always changing. My friend recently completed paramedic training. At the graduation ceremony, the speaker said, “Half of everything you’ve learned in class will be proven wrong in ten years. The problem is, we don’t know which half.” Here we share some of our favorite natural home remedies, which have been used successfully for many years. They’ll help cure what ails you.
1. Natural Home Remedy for Poison Ivy
Over-the-counter Benadryl, taken by mouth, will stop the itching. These products are available for children, too. To soothe the skin, spray mineral water on it. Spring water that is rich in minerals will relieve the pain of rashes and burns. The minerals work to reduce inflammation.
2. Natural Home Remedy for Acne
Make a paste from a low-dose aspirin crushed with a teaspoon of water. Many acne medicines have salicylic acid as the active ingredient, just like aspirin. This aspirin paste is also useful to reduce the pain and swelling of mosquito bites.
Eczema and psoriasis are patches of dry, flaky skin. For mild cases, apply olive oil to the affected area and keep it moist.
Tea
3. Natural Home Remedy for Sunburn
Here is a well-known remedy that my mother used many times. Soak a soft towel in cool tea, and apply it to the skin. The phytonutrients in tea will sooth the inflamed blood vessels.
4. Natural Home Remedy for Sores and Scrapes
After you’ve cleaned the sore and applied antiseptic, it helps to keep the wound moist with petroleum jelly and a bandage. This keeps water trapped on the skin, to minimize scarring and encourage healthy collagen growth.
Ginger
5. Natural Home Remedy for Motion Sickness
Ginger is useful to calm the stomach. It is more effective than Dramamine and does not cause drowsiness. Mix a half teaspoon of ginger powder in a glass of water and drink. Ginger snaps, ginger ale and, my favorite, candied ginger can all help with mild nausea.
6. Natural Home Remedy for Upset Stomach
For an upset stomach due to morning sickness or a flu bug. The main ingredients in purchased nausea remedies are mostly sugars. You can use the juice from a can of fruit instead. Flat soda will also relive indigestion and nausea. Calcium tablets are also excellent for this.
7. Natural Home Remedy for Diarrhea
Natural health practitioners suggest a tea made from dried pomegranate peel. Oak bark from health food stores will also work well when boiled as tea. Both pomegranate and oak bark have tannins that help the stomach and reduce irritation.
8. Natural Home Remedy for Food Poisoning
For a mild upset stomach when food poisoning is suspected, take black tea and a few pieces of burned toast. Tannic acid in the tea and charcoal in the toast will neutralize the toxins. Naturally, when the symptoms are serious, you’ll want to take the patient to the hospital.
9. Natural Home Remedy for Hangovers
There are as many proposed cures for hangover as there are alcoholic drinks. Many people get some relief with a cup of tomato juice and a splash of Tabasco sauce. It stimulates the liver and replaces the antioxidants that alcohol depletes.
Vapor Tent
10. Natural Home Remedy for Colds and Congestion
Vitamin C has long been suggested for colds. Boil slices of fresh grapefruit, skin and all. Mix honey into the water and drink it like a tea. Besides the vitamin C, there are flavonoids in grapefruit rind.
Congestion and bronchitis. Use a medicated vapor rub, like Vicks, on the chest when you are congested. You can also try using a spoonful of vapor rub in a pot of hot water. Breath in the vapors to relieve congestion. You can make a tent by using a towel or a paper bag over your head to direct the vapors. Take care that the hot steam does not burn you.
11. Natural Home Remedy for Colds and Allergy
Relieve the sinus and nasal congestion by using a nasal wash. A teaspoon of salt in a cup of water can be squirted into the nose with a syringe. You can also purchase a saline solution ready-made from the pharmacy.
The symptoms of seasonal allergies, itchy eyes, runny nose and sneezing, can be relieved by a herbal supplement called butterbur. It works as well as popular antihistamines without making you drowsy.
12. Natural Home Remedy for Toothache Relief
The favorite natural home remedy is putting a clove on the aching tooth. If you don’t have a clove in your spice cabinet, the pharmacy has clove extract. A dab placed on the tooth for a few minutes will relive pain until you can get to a dentist.
13. Natural Home Remedy for Fever Blisters
Fever blisters, also called cold sores, are caused by a virus. They can be reduced by taking the amino acid L-lysine by mouth. L-lysine is also suggested for other viral problems, like herpes and shingles. L-lysine is widely available in grocery stores and pharmacies. Follow your doctor’s recommendation on this.
14. Natural Home Remedy for Backaches
Here’s a quick natural home remedy for backaches and sore muscles. You can make an easy ice pack by freezing water in a paper cup. Then tear an inch of paper off the top, and apply the ice to the skin while holding the cup. A bag of frozen peas rolled in a towel also makes a quick ice pack. Tart cherry juice is used by professional athletes for the antioxidants that repair sore muscles. Athletes also use gentle exercises to keep the blood flowing to the sore muscle, reduce inflammation and encourage healing.
Back pain. Use cushioned shoe inserts or wear running sneakers to relieve back pain. Also try to improve your driving posture. Sit up straight and close to the wheel, so that you don’t have to stretch forward. Better posture at the computer will also help back pain.
15. Natural Home Remedy for Headaches
It sounds curious, but a good foot rub can relieve your headache. A footbath with Epson salts or mustard powder will improve circulation and relieve headache. An ice pack in a towel under your neck can also help the headache.