Who else could provide the most effective home remedies for all kinds of ailments? Grandmothers, of course!
When confronting an annoying minor health issue, such as a cold or sunburn, we often overlook the simplest yet incredibly effective home remedies and completely natural solutions. People have always suffered from colds but all the cold and flu drinks appeared only recently. How did they survive before? With home remedies, of course! Well, let’s ask our Grandmas and great Grandmothers about it!
Colds
- Chicken soup! We have all heard it but we keep forgetting about it. Chicken soup is a fantastic remedy for colds as it is full of healthy juices and mild anti-inflammatory substances which help you fight the cold off. It’s easy on your stomach and will give you a lot of strength. Make sure to put lots of veggies in as well (carrots, celery, parsley, leek – be creative!). Eat it nice and hot. And as much as you want!
- Aloe Vera with Honey and Cocoa. Aloe Vera is one of the most popular home remedies used today. Take a fresh leaf of Aloe Vera and cut it open. Scrape the jelly looking inside of the leaf out and mix with honey and cocoa. Take a teaspoon of your homemade syrup every couple of hours. Aloe Vera is extremely bitter so honey and cocoa will make it taste nice. Fantastic for coughs and sore throats as well as simply giving your body a boost of healthy energy!
Sore Throat
- See point 1 about Colds – Aloe Vera, Honey and Cocoa.
- Gargling Sea Salt or Apple Cider Vinegar mixed with warm water. Don’t make the mix too strong, usually, half a teaspoon of salt dissolved in a glass of water does the trick. With Apple Cider Vinegar, a tablespoon of vinegar in a glass of water works great! Don’t forget to gargle thoroughly and every couple of hours!
Stuffy Blocked Nose
- Nasal Irrigations are fantastic for stuffy noses. Nasal irrigation, or nasal lavage or nasal douche, is a personal hygiene practice in which the nasal cavity is washed to flush out excess mucus and debris from the nose and sinuses. Pour a saline solution into one nostril. As it flows through your nasal cavity into the other nostril, it washes out mucus and allergens. May feel a bit unpleasant but works miracles.
- Saline Rinse Recipe. One of the most effective home remedies for stuffy blocked nose. You will need:
- Pickling or canning salt-containing no iodine, anti-caking agents or preservatives (these can be irritating to the nasal lining)
- Baking soda
- 8 ounces (1 cup) of lukewarm distilled or boiled water
Preparation
In a clean container, mix 3 heaping teaspoons of iodide-free salt with 1 rounded teaspoon of baking soda and store in a small airtight container. Add 1 teaspoon of the mixture to 8 ounces (1 cup) of lukewarm distilled or boiled water. Use less dry ingredients to make a weaker solution if burning or stinging is experienced. For children, use a half-teaspoon with 4 ounces of water. Using a soft rubber ear bulb syringe, infant nasal bulb or a commercial nasal saline rinse product from your drug store, use the rinse by following these steps:
- Draw up saline into the bulb. Tilt your head downward over a sink (or in the shower) and rotate to the left. Squeeze approximately 4 ounces of solution gently into the right (top) nostril. Breathe normally through your mouth. In a few seconds, the solution should come out through your left nostril. Rotate your head and repeat the process on the left side.
- Adjust your head position as needed so the solution does not go down the back of your throat or into your ears.
- Blow your nose very gently to prevent the solution from going into your ear and causing discomfort.
- After using the rinse, you may continue using your prescribed nasal medications as normal. You may notice that they work better.
Do not use sinus rinses if your nasal passageway is severely blocked. As with any medical product, be sure to speak to your doctor about using sinus rinses and stop using if you experience pain, nosebleeds or other problems.
Sunburns
- Milk or Yoghurt Compress is something that may not smell like your usual body lotion but is far more effective if you have caught the sun and now look a little bit like a tomato. Proteins in milk or fatty yoghurt have an anti-inflammatory and soothing effect and help your skin recover after an impressive dose of the summer UV rays. You can mix the milk/yoghurt with a bit of water and ice cubes and soak a face cloth in the ice-cold mix. Place the cloth on the sunburn and enjoy the feeling! As the cloth gets warmer, you may wish to soak it in your icy dairy lotion once again.
- Fresh Aloe Vera Leaf placed on the burnt area will help you heal quicker and easier.
Nausea
- Fresh Ginger is something you definitely need if you suffer from nausea. Put a few slices of ginger in a mug and pour boiling water over them. Let the ginger steep in the mug for about 3-5 minutes and it’s ready! You may wish to add a little bit of honey or brown sugar to make the infusion even tastier.
Urinary Tract Infections
- Cranberry Juice can significantly help to ease the discomfort and decrease the risks of getting a UTI in the first place. A glass of fresh cranberry juice a day can help to change the pH in the bladder and make it less friendly to bacterial growth.
- Fresh Dill and Oak Bark infusion. Put a bunch of fresh dill and oak bark into a pan and add boiling water. Let the infusion steep for about 20 minutes and drink a glass every couple of hours. Oak bark doesn’t taste very nice as it is rather bitter, so a couple of tablespoons are enough for a 1-liter Once again, you may add a bit of brown sugar or honey to improve the taste.
Bug and Mosquito Bites
- Ice Cubes help big time against the itching! Simply rub an ice cube over the bite for a few minutes to feel much better!
- Aloe Vera is also great for bites and swellings, you may wish to mix fresh Aloe Vera juice with ice and apply the mixture onto the bite.
Fever
- Cool Compresses. Bringing the body temperature down can often be difficult and a cold compress on the forehead will help here. Just soak a face cloth in cold water and put it on the forehead or under your armpits, it works really well though doesn’t always feel very pleasant. Make sure to monitor the body temperature and always call your doctor if it is too high or if you are struggling to bring it down yourself!
Cough
- A teaspoon of pure honey before bedtime may reduce coughs and help you have a good night sleep.
- See point 1 about Aloe Vera, Honey, and Cocoa.
Burns
- Aloe Vera. Run the burn under cold water for a couple of minutes, cut the Aloe Vera leaf open and apply the jelly onto the burn. You may wish to keep the cool compress on the burn for a while to help it heal quicker.
Eczema and Rough Skin
- Oatmeal is a brilliant moisturizer and has amazing anti-inflammatory properties for itchy skin conditions. Make a poultice of ¼ cup ground oatmeal and milk and apply to rough spots and leave for a few minutes. You can also use it on your body parts where the skin is always a bit rough such as elbows, knees, and heels to make your skin nice and smooth.
If you know some other effective grandma’s home remedies, feel free to share them in the comments below!
References:
This is a good site.
If someone reading this tries only one thing from this list, I hope it’s nasal irrigation. It makes dealing with a cold so much easier. You know that horrible feeling of having mucus stuck up in your sinuses and you can blow it out? Just wash it out with a neti pot (I recommend the squeeze bottle instead of the actual tea pot looking thing). It’s almost like you’re not even sick, for a little while at least until your head refills itself with mucus, lol…