Do you still do what granny advised to cure your ills and head for the grocery cupboard for a natural solution rather than risk the side-effects of something from the medicine cabinet? You’re not alone. The recent boom in back-to-basics home-cleaning techniques is being mirrored in a renewed interest in old-fashioned home remedies.
A new book out this week offers hundreds of traditional remedies, and some new simple solutions, to our common complaints. They have been compiled by a panel of American doctors and specialists who think there might be something in them. But bear in mind that it’s mainly word of mouth that supports these cures, not hard research.
ACNE: vinegar, lemon juice or toothpaste
The acids in vinegar and lemon, when applied with cotton wool, can help to cleanse pores. Some people have reported that applying toothpaste, especially overnight, seems to work well.
Advertisement
BACK PAIN: ice, heat and cling film
When back pain strikes, apply an ice pack wrapped in a towel to the painful area several times a day for up to 20 minutes. After two days, change to “moist heat”. Dip a towel in warm water, wring out and apply; wrap it to the body with cling film and keep it warm with a padded hot water bottle (be careful not to burn yourself). Whereas the ice blocks the pain signals, moist heat reduces painful spasms by increasing blood flow.
Advertisement
DIARRHOEA: blackberry and raspberry tea
Raspberries are rich in astringent tannins that may reduce intestinal inflammation and block the absorption of toxins. Raspberry or blackberry-leaf tea is also said to be effective, but should be avoided in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. You can make your own tea with leaves and fresh fruits. Drink one cup several times a day, between meals.
EYE IRRITATION: bananas
Eating a banana every day may help to avoid eye dryness — the main cause of irritation, redness and itch. Bananas are rich in potassium, which plays a role in salt balance and the release of fluid in your cells.
Advertisement
FATIGUE: potato juice
Cut an unpeeled potato in slices in the evening and leave the pieces in water overnight. The juice, drunk in the morning, is rich in potassium. Some natural healers maintain that potassium deficiencies are common in people with fatigue.
FEELING DOWN: writing
On a piece of paper write about the events that are affecting your mood. Some researchers believe that writing about your feelings for 20 minutes a day improves your psychological wellbeing after just four days.
Advertisement
FEET (SMELLY!) tea baths
Simmer two teabags in 500ml of water for 15 minutes and then dilute the tea with two litres of water. Soaking smelly feet daily for 30 minutes decreases odour because the tannic acid in black tea kills bacteria and closes the pores that release sweat.
Advertisement
HEADACHE: vinegar-soaked scarf
Wrap a scarf or necktie around your head to the point where you can feel pressure. This reduces blood flow to the scalp and stops the blood vessels in the scalp dilating — one of the commonest causes of headache. You can also try soaking the scarf or tie in vinegar, a traditional remedy.
INSOMNIA: chicken or banana
If you have trouble getting to sleep, a small portion of turkey, chicken or a banana before going to bed may help. These foods contain tryptophan, which helps the body to make the natural chemical serotonin, which calms us down.
MEMORY: listening to music
Some research has indicated that music can improve your ability to concentrate and helps you remember what you have learnt.
PERIOD PAIN: exercise
It may be the last thing you feel like doing if you have menstrual pain, but walking, running, swimming or cycling may help. Exercise inhibits prostaglandin, a hormone linked to cramps, and boosts the release of natural painkilling endorphins in the body.
SUNBURN: cucumber, potato and vinegar
Gently rubbing the burnt area with sliced cucumber or potato may cool the burn and help to reduce swelling. Applying white or cider vinegar, or putting it in your bathwater, may also help to ease pain and inflammation.
TOOTHACHE: cloves, or ginger and cayenne pepper paste
Clove oil, which has been used for toothache since 1800, contains eugenol, a local anaesthetic and antibacterial agent. Dabbing with clove oil or putting whole cloves on your tooth may help. It is supposedly possible to get similar effects with a paste made of powdered ginger, cayenne pepper and water; apply with a cotton bud.
WARTS: garlic
Some people swear that freshly crushed garlic applied to a wart and covered with a bandage causes the wart to blister and to fall off in a week. The garlic should be changed every day and should not be applied to the surrounding healthy skin. Some herbalists also suggest that eating raw garlic or taking three garlic capsules a day can help the immune system to fight the wart-causing virus.
WRINKLES: papaya and milk
Papayas are full of enzymes that seem to strip away the very top layers of skin, thus lessening the appearance of wrinkles. Wash and peel a papaya, then mix two tablespoons of the pulp with one tablespoon of dry oatmeal and apply the mixture to the skin for ten minutes. Milk applied with a clean flannel may also reduce the wrinkles; it contains alpha-hydroxy acids which clear away dead cells on the surface of the skin.
Extracted from Reader’s Digest 1,001 Home Remedies, to be published on June 30 at £24.99 © Reader’s Digest Association Limited 2005. It is also available from Times Books First at, £19.99 plus p&p. Phone 0870 1608080 or visit www.timesonline.co.uk/booksfirst
Compiled by Miguel Sancho
FAVOURITE REMEDY?
Do you have any home-made tips for curing common ailments, or salves for general aches and pains? If so, we’d love to hear from you and we’ll try to publish the best ones.
Send your remedies to Fran Yeoman, Body&Soul, The Times, 1 Pennington Street, London E98 1TT,or by e-mail to body&soul@thetimes.co.uk