7 Home Remedies that Cure Minor Ailments

By ciki on April 30, 2012 in Alternative Meds, Dailys, General Health

My old nanny used to come up with the most bizarre cures for my “many ailments”, or so I thought. Growing up as a kid, I used to think the old lady a little barmy.. but now, I really have to think twice. Recently I came across 7 home remedies that work, that reminded me of good old nanny. Who would have thought that the old nutter was really actually pretty sane anyway?

Here are the 7 home remedies that cure minor ailments, that reminded me of her:

Ginger and Lime Juice to remove White Spots

When we were little, constantly playing in the sun, perspiring and then jumping into the pool was something that brought about white spots on our faces. These were probably some minor fungal skin infections and my nanny had the perfect remedy for it. She used pulp up young ginger, have the resulting ginger juice mixed with lemon juice and then rubbed it on the white spots. As ginger juice is known to increase the flow of blood to the white patches and improving the condition of your skin these white spots rapidly improved. Of course this was later followed up with some topical antifungal cream from the pharmacy that cleared it right up.

Olives for Motion Sickness

During motion sickness, one of the phenomenon that occurs, includes increased salivation, which is the body’s way of protecting the teeth from the high doses of acid accompanied by vomit. Olives which contain tannins, when released in the mouth, work to dry saliva—first eliminating the symptom and then the body’s instinct to follow suit. However, the treatment is only effective during the early stages of nausea, when the salivation changes first appear.

Oatmeal to Soothe Eczema

Use oatmeal as a paste or pour it into a bath, and then soak the affected area for at least 15 minutes. In addition to reducing inflammation, oats are thought to have an antihistamine effect, thus soothing the eczema and reducing the redness and irritation.

Yogurt to Cure Bad Breath

The neutralizing powers of yogurt and other probiotics are great for bad breath. Yogurt has a neutralizing effect on the acid that resides anywhere between the mouth and the stomach, including the back of the throat and the esophagus. While yogurt can get rid of bad breath that results from acid reflux, it won’t have any real effect on bad breath that is the product of gum, liver or lung disease.

A Spoonful of Sugar to Cure Hiccups

Don’t do this too often or you will end up getting fat/diabetic but, a spoonful of sugar really is an effective cure for hiccups! In a trial, test subjects was given one teaspoon of white granulated sugar to swallow dry, and for 19 of the 20 hiccup patients, the cure was immediate.. go figure! Actually sugar is probably acting in the mouth to modify the nervous impulses that would otherwise tell the muscles in the diaphragm to contract spasmodically. Or, you could try scaring the hell out of the person with hiccups. The scare may shock the hic out of them!

Apply Salt to Stop the Itch in Mosquito Bites

This seemed to be the quickest of all home remedies for mosquito bites. Simply moisten the bite area and then rub table salt on the affected area. Itching should cease immediately. Or another favourite nanny remedy was to apply Apple Cider Vinegar and rubbing it directly on the mosquito bites. Other quick fixes we used to employ also involved using toothpaste or Calamine lotion, which instantly took the edge off the itch.

Gargle Salt Water for a Sore Throat

This was my old nanny’s favourite and one which I hated because it always made me gag. A sore throat is an inflammatory response of the infected tissues, and the salt helps draw out the excess fluid to temporarily decrease swelling and the pain it causes. Salt is also a natural disinfectant. When I was a kid with a sore throat, she made me gargle warm salt water. Most remedies call for a ratio of 1 tablespoon salt to a glass of of water, but it’s always better to opt for more salt rather than less. It works but…oh gross! 😉

So these were my fondest memories of childhood fixes and pick me ups for Minor Ailments. What are yours?