Home cures sound almost … quaint … in these days of high tech medicine and technology. But back in the caves a million or so years ago, our ancestors relied upon home cures to repair that mastodon wound and the saber toothed tiger bite. So there's nothing suspicious about these kinds of natural remedies.
What's even more amazing, is that many of the ingredients our grandmothers used as natural home cures are used in today's 'modern' medicines. But why pay for expensive drugs with their awful side effects when we can buy those same ingredients for a fraction of the cost in any supermarket. Even better is if we grow those substances in an organic garden next to our kitchen.
A Home Cure For Constipation
The sluggishness and bloating of constipation is uncomfortable, but chronic constipation has very serious health implications. A healthy person will have several bowel movements each day – preferably shortly after eating a meal.
Generally, the causes of constipation are:
A lack of water …
Not enough exercise …
Insufficient fiber …
It's obvious that a simple home cure program is simply to drink lots of good water and go for a walk every day. Water today often has problems and we will talk about how to find pure and healthy water in many articles on this blog, but drinking 10-12 cups per day is a wise health move for everyone.
When it comes to fiber, don't think about a fiber supplement. Instead, think about fiber food, which is always superior:
Choose whole grains over processed ones. Whole grain brown rice is an excellent source of fiber food – polished white rice is not. Genuine whole grain breads will do much more for your constipation than white bread will ever do.
Eat a minimum of 5 servings of fruit and vegetables – especially those with the skin included. For instance, if you choose mashed potatoes, leave the skin instead of peeling then. An apple skin has tons of healthy fiber. And instead of five servings – eat double that amount.
Dried fruit is a classic source of constipation relief. Prunes are the best known, but figs, raisins, dates – or my personal favorite, dried cranberries – work wonderfully well. Soak your fruit in warm water for at least two hours before you eat in, and be sure to drink the juice.
Castor bean oil has been a home cure for decades. Castor oil stimulates the bowels in the same way an enema will, so try 2-4 teaspoons of this tasteless oil.
Heartburn Cures & An Indigestion Remedy
The power of ginger roots as heartburn cures and an indigestion remedy is legendary. Ginger has been known as a digestive aid for centuries and it is a powerful home cure for heartburn, nausea, gas, indigestion, stomach cramping and diarrhea. Whew! Quite an impressive list for an innocent looking, funny root.
Ginger can be eaten (it's delicious!) or used in cooking. Note, however, that the fresher the ginger, the more powerful its effects. Or you can make a cup of ginger tea by soaking a small piece of ginger in boiling water, for about three minutes. Add a dab of honey or small amount of stevia as a sweetener.
As a side effect, ginger is well known as a motion sickness remedy or for motion sickness prevention. As a kid I took Dramamine – lots of Dramamine – every time my family went on a car trip. The problem was that I immediately went to sleep. My parents might have loved this, but I surely didn't. :-)
Ginger can be used for both nausea and heartburn. Eat a small piece of ginger to relieve your discomfort. Either fresh or pickled ginger should work equally well.
Cures For Cold Sores & Fever Blister Cures
These miserable and unsightly sores are a form of herpes and they really don't like anything acidic or astringent. Two effective home remedies are lemon and vinegar. I've never had any of these sores (lucky me!) but friends tell me that they almost always know when a sort is about to appear and in this case, taping a slice of lemon over the spot will almost always stop the darned thing in its tracks. Change the lemon slice every few hours and generally the itching will disappear. Yeah, yeah, I know – walking around with lemon taped near your mouth looks weird – but not as awful as a crusty, ugly sore.
If you just can't stand the tape, then squeeze some lemon into a bottle and spray or dab it on your face every hour or so. You can use real apple cider vinegar in the same way. Be warned, though, that this might not be as effective since the vinegar or lemon tends to evaporate.
Don't use these remedies on an open sore! They might work – but they can be painful and screams of agony will frighten the neighbors. Once you have sores, you can drink either lemon juice or vinegar in water several time a day to encourage them to depart.
Look, you can always go to the doctor if your home cures don't work. So why not save money and do your body a favor by avoiding heavy duty drugs, if possible?
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