The Best Household Natural Remedies
Posted on 28 February 2010
There are some things we should always keep at home to treat ailments naturally. Here are 6 of the best Remedies that you can get from common household products and you will probably have some lying around the kitchen.
Honey - Did you know honey can fight over 60 different types of bacteria and was used to sterilise wounds over 2,000 years ago. If you are looking for honey to fight bacteria and be used as a remedy keep some Manuka honey on hand, this stuff comes from the Manuka bush in New Zealand as it is twice as effective as ordinary honey in fighting infection.
Peppermint - Apparently the worlds oldest medicine (as old as 10,000 years). Pretty impressive stuff and for good reason. Peppermint is extremely soothing especially for the digestive system and even works to fight bacteria and is known to combat e-coli. I like keeping a jar full of dried peppermint around to infuse as a tea.
Neem - This is a little known herb but it is very popular in India where it is known as “The Village Pharmacy” as it is a real jack of all trades in terms of its health giving qualities. It has the following properties:
- Antibacterial
- Antiviral
- Antifungal
- Antiseptic
So it pretty much touches on all bases. If you can find some Neem Oil it can be diluted with water and used as an ointment or even added to your bath or hand soaps for everyday use.
“Divine Tree,” “Heal All,” “Nature’s Drugstore,” “Village Pharmacy” and “Panacea for all diseases.”
Tea Tree Oil - Originally from the native shrubs of Australia Tea Tree has made quite a name for itself. Aborigines used it as an antibacterial ointment for a variety of ailments. If you can keep a small amount of Tea Tree Oil around it can be used in a similar fashion to Neem but is more useful in regards to cuts, grazes or infections due to its powerful antibacterial properties. As well as this you can use it to clean the household. Word of caution though as to not go overboard, tea tree oil is extremely effective and sometimes too effective so apply it in small amounts at first and see how your skin reacts…..
Vinegar - Especially Apple Cider Vinegar is amazing stuff. Long known to have healing qualities even as far back as biblical times, more recently though it has been used in the first world war to treat wounds.
Hippocrates, often dubbed the father of modern medicine, is known to have prescribed vinegar during the C4th BC
The reason it works as an antibacterial is that it is very acidic: A standard ACV from the supermarket can kill 99 per cent of bacteria and 8o per cent of germs. Pretty impressive for something totally natural. I love Vinegar and use it daily as a tea or even diluted with some water and drunk as a refreshing drink.
Comment by Tracey
28 February 2010
Careful not to overdo it with neem oil either! It is also commonly used as a pesticide and a flea treatment for dogs and cats!
@ Tracey: Thanks for this tip, I have heard Neem is best used as a topical ointment. Definitely should not be eating the stuff….
Comment by Greg
1 March 2010
Honey is great for building up resistance to environmental allergens as well. Just be sure to get locally grown honey and it’ll do the trick.
@ Greg: I can attest to this myself. I used to suffer from horrible bouts of Hay Fever, eating high quality Honey routinely seems to have done the trick for me….
Comment by David
1 March 2010
My mom was an MD for 30 years and became a naturapath, and many times a pediatrician would tell someone that their little kid needed tubes in their ears from chronic ear infections. Mom gives them a $6 of Neem oil and month later the doctor says, “Not sure what you are doing, but keep it up, I have never seen this issue go away like that.”
Great article
@ David: Thanks for the comment. Never knew Neem oil could be used to treat ear infections. Thanks for the encouragement and your post is especially cool as I myself am training to become a Naturopathic Doctor…..
Comment by Jen-JensFitnessTips.com
1 March 2010
Great info!! I’ve heard the same about peppermint..pretty cool. Awesome facts!
Jen
Comment by Adam | SEE
2 March 2010
@David Just offering this anecdotally…As an undergrad, I helped with a grad student’s research comparing rates of later life mental illness for children with tubes and children without.
The rates of mental illness in children with tubes was significantly higher than the rates for children without tubes. Made me nervous about ear tubes.
Good to hear about an alternative parents can explore and discuss with physicians.
Comment by IPBrian
2 March 2010
It is always fascinating to me, the power of natural medicine. My wife is always trying to get me to take peppermint tea for digestive issues. I should probably listen more.
Comment by Aprilette
21 March 2010
I just ran across your blog and it’s very informative.You have such amazing facts about simple stuff that people should know which are quite useful like the honey and vinegar,both being anti-bacterial.I have always used tea tree oil and sometimes it’s a bit expensive,so at least I have two alternatives,honey and vinegar if my tea tree oil runs out.Thanks for such a great post!