NATURAL MEDICINES IN YOUR KITCHEN

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Home Remedies, A.K.A. Old Wives' Remedies

“You know what they call alternative medicine that's been proved to work? - Medicine.”

― Tim Minchin

What do you do to get better when your body has minor health problems, pop a pill or go for a home remedy?

Home remedies are also known as old wives’ remedies. Some people call it alternative medicine. As interesting as it sounds, they actually have been around forever. Well, think about our great-great-grandparents, for example. I am talking about a time period when there were no pills—imagine a world with no Advil or Tums. What do you think that they had done to get over their illnesses and health problems? 

We all know the answer. Their best helper was the nature. That is why home remedies are also called as old wives’ remedies. Every herb, spice, vegetable, fruit, seed, tree, leaf, even animal produce in Mother Nature has a good purpose that works for our body.

The question is: how much or how often do we consult our good Mother Nature to feel better when we have health problems? Do we actually know what to do or how to use those herbs and everything else that come from Mother Nature? 

It may seem EASIER to take a medicine rather than dealing with home remedies. I can understand this part. However, it is a fact that sometimes Mother Nature has a better solution than the modern medicine for our health issues. Or, some of us simply may prefer natural methods rather than drugs, right? Whatever your reason might be, I listed a bunch of remedies below. You may or may not know about them before. Nevertheless, learn something new here or simply refresh your memory, and of course, enjoy! 😌

Walnut water for weight loss

I recently found about this. My colleague suggested the walnut water remedy and said that it is good for weight loss and bunch of other things. I dug in the subject a little more and found out that it is worth trying even if the purpose is just to stay healthy. It is easy to prepare and certainly has no harm to try.

Preparation: Soak a whole walnut (without the shell) in a normal size glass of water overnight (at least six hours). It should be at room temperature, so do not use cold water or refrigerate the water with walnut in it at all. By the time you get up, the color of the water will change. Drink it with empty stomach in the morning. The water will taste ‘walnuty.’ Eat the walnut pieces after you drink the water.

How does it work? As you know walnut has protein, which is absorbed by water when soaked. This is pretty much the main idea behind the whole walnut water remedy. Turns out walnut water keeps you fuller during the day and speeds up fat burning. 

Some of the other benefits that I’ve found out: Lowers cholesterol, helps constipation, reduces cravings for sweet, provides some amount of daily omega-3 fat intake as well as vitamin E which is good for hair, skin and nails, and slows down signs of aging.

Mint & lemon tea for tummy problems

This is mom’s remedy. 😊 If you throw up for any reason, go for a cup of mint & lemon tea to sooth your stomach.

Ingredients: A whole lemon, dry mint (you may use fresh mint if you like), a little water, and a saucepan or small kettle to make the tea

Preparation: Squeeze the lemon and pour the lemon juice into a kettle or saucepan. Add two teaspoons of dry mint (or 7-8 fresh mint leaves) and enough water to make a cup of tea. Mix the whole ingredients with a spoon and bring it to boil. Make sure the kettle or saucepan has a cover over when making the tea to keep the essentials in. Let it rest for 3-4 minutes. Pour it into a cup by using a tea strainer. If the taste is too sharp, you may use a bit of natural honey, but no sugar. I personally suggest drinking it plain.

Lemon by itself

For cracked heels: Rub half of a lemon or simply apply squeezed lemon juice onto the cracked area of your heels. Do this either 15 minutes before showering or rinse your heels after 15 minutes.

For dry hands: Rub a few drops of lemon juice generously onto your hands (it will feel sticky, so rinse your hands after five minutes). 

Yellowish or discolored nails: Rub each of your fingernails with half of a lemon. I suggest using the lemon itself rather than squeezed lemon juice.

Shiny hair: A bit of lemon juice gives hair a nice shine. Just rub your hair with lemon juice, but avoid the scalp area. Go easy on lemon juice so that the hair won't look too sticky.

Milk with ground black pepper as a natural antibiotic

This one is from a friend of mine. This remedy is especially good when you have cold or flu and/or cough. I tried it once, and I should let you know that the taste is quite interesting. I didn't mind the weird combination of milk and black pepper taste.

Please use caution if you have lactose or spice sensitivity.

Ingredients: A glass (or mug) of milk, one teaspoon of ground black pepper and a saucepan.

Preparation: Pour milk into a saucepan, add black pepper, and set the burner to low heat. Start heating up the milk and keep stirring it until it is done. Turn off the burner a little before the milk starts boiling. You should drink it slowly. It is hot and spicy, so be careful. If it tastes too bad you can add natural honey.

Also, I suggest stirring it with a spoon as you sip it because then the black pepper will settle at the bottom of the mug and will make it way too spicy as you near the end of the milk.

I believe this combination clears up the germs inside the body especially if you have a bad cough.

Baking soda for whiter teeth

Baking soda is known as a natural bleacher for many things, i.e. clothes, stains, surfaces, and even teeth. I am not a smoker, so I am not sure if baking soda would work on stains on your teeth caused by smoking, but I do know it helps reduce the yellowish stains of coffee and tea. It is easy to apply—just like brushing your teeth with toothpaste. You will be using baking soda paste instead of toothpaste. That is it. 

I am going to walk you through step by step.

Ingredients: A teaspoon of baking soda, two-three teaspoons of water, a small container or cup and a toothbrush.

Preparation: Mix water and baking soda in a small container or cup until it forms a paste. Make sure it is not too watery so that it will stick onto toothbrush. Brush your teeth with this paste in a circular motion at least for three minutes. The taste may not be very pleasant for some of you. I wouldn’t worry about it that much though. Focus on the result. You just have to stand it for a few minutes, then go ahead and rinse your mouth and toothbrush. 

Applying this remedy only once may not be enough. I suggest doing this once every other day for a week to ten days and after that probably like once or twice a week to get a visible result. It is better if you keep doing this on a regular basis. You will see your teeth will get whiter and also shiny as you keep applying the baking soda remedy.

Teabag bath for an eye sty (a.k.a. “stye”)

When I was a kid, I used to get an eye sty all the time because I was always outside playing and running around. I remember my father used to soak a huge piece of cotton ball in a glass of brewed black tea and put it on my eyes to clear up the eye sty. Now we have teabags, and it makes the job much easier.

The idea behind the whole “teabag bath for eye sty” is the fact that regular tea has antioxidant properties. It sterilizes the affected area. Same goes for green tea as well. So for this remedy, you can use regular black tea or green tea.

Ingredients: A teabag and a glass or mug of hot water

Preparation: Boil some water in a kettle. Brew the teabag in hot water just like you are making regular tea for yourself and keep it there for about 5-6 minutes. Take the teabag out and take out the excessive liquid off the teabag. Make sure your hands are clean before you touch the teabag. Keep it on a clean plate or paper towel no longer than 10 minutes so that it will cool off. Don’t let it dry. Lie down or lay your head down somewhere comfortably. Put the teabag on the affected eye and make sure the teabag is touching the part where the sty is. Keep it there for 8-10 minutes. You can turn the other side of the teabag after 5 minutes.

Gargle with salt and lemon juice for a sore throat

This remedy may not work if you have had a sore throat for over a day or more. You should try this remedy as soon as you feel like you are having a sore throat. Once germs move down the throat the remedy may not work. I have tried this quite a few times before and it almost always has worked. 

Ingredients: Half a teaspoon of table salt, enough freshly squeezed lemon juice and a glass or mug

Preparation: Mix salt and lemon juice in a glass or mug until salt is dissolved in lemon juice. Simply take enough of this mixture into your mouth to gargle your throat. This remedy is a bacteria-killer. It will clear up your throat. You can spit it out in the bathroom (don’t do it in your kitchen—keep your kitchen germ-free). Repeat until you finish the mixture. Apply this remedy three times a day for a couple of days. After that if you still have a sore throat you should see a doctor because probably it is getting worse and your body needs something much stronger.

Carob molasses to stimulate hair & nail growth

Carob is an amazing food that has been around since the ancient times, and it has so many benefits for health. If you want to stimulate hair growth and also have longer and healthier nails, all you need to do is to consume carob molasses twice a day: one teaspoon in the morning 10-15 minutes before breakfast and one teaspoon at night preferably two hours after dinner.

Be patient and don’t expect a miracle overnight. Give yourself 15 to 30 days to see visible results and be persistent. You can buy carob molasses from most international food stores (especially Middle Eastern) and online shopping sites. 

I personally suggest consuming carob molasses on a regular basis because it is simply great for overall health. I consume carob molasses twice a day myself, not only for hair or nail growth, but also for other great health benefits. I already published an article on carob, so feel free to read more about carob and its amazing health benefits.

Rosemary tea for better digestion

This remedy is easy to make, fairly inexpensive and enjoyable for a relaxing evening. If you have constipation rosemary tea will be very helpful or simply use it for better digestion.

Ingredients: Dry rosemary, water, kettle or saucepan

Preparation: Boil enough water to make a cup of tea in a kettle or saucepan. Add one tablespoon of rosemary, cover the kettle or saucepan and let it rest for 8-10 minutes. Pour rosemary tea in a mug or glass by using a tea strainer. Don’t let it completely cool off. You should drink it when it is almost like warm to hot. 

My list ends here for now. Sure, there are soooo many home remedies that I did not put down here. My main purpose was to pick the ones that are the least known. I might update this article whenever I find something new. 

Feel free to leave a comment below if you ever tried these remedies and let us know how they worked. If you have a good home remedy, you are more than welcome to share with us.

My blog has no boundaries. I share any information I find and topics on daily life. Stay tuned for more. See you next time.

DISCLAIMER: These home remedies have no medical purpose behind or at least not that I know. I simply shared what I know from my own experiences and searches. I am not an expert on this topic. If your symptoms are severe consult your doctor and seek medical assistance. Also, any known or unknown allergies or sensitivity that you may have to any of these remedies or ingredients listed above is and will be your own responsibility to consider.