Everyone experiences coughs, upset stomachs and colds at one time or another. There are isles of medications available at the store, but did you know that there are plenty of old-fashioned home remedies that work just as well? Maybe your grandmother was right-simple is better.
The next time you need a quick cure to help with a cough, cold or headache, try one of these natural home remedies instead of reaching in the medicine cabinet.
Colds: With the winter weather approaching, the common cold is one of the most common ailments around. You can spend a bundle on cold medicines that will leave you fuzzy-headed, or you can try taking Vitamin C. To help ease the cold symptoms, start taking a Vitamin C supplement the moment you know that you have an impending cold. When you start sneezing or feel that scratchy throat, you can take 500 mg of Vitamin C several times a day. This will help the severity and the duration of your cold and will help feel better faster. Another great natural remedy is an herb called echinacea. This can help treat cold symptoms at the onset of the cold (it will not help prevent the cold). This should not be taken by children and should not be taken more than 10 days. Also, you can rely on hot fluids during your cold. That hot tea and chicken soup your grandma always tried to give you really does work. Why? Well, because the hot temperatures provide a natural way to soothe a sore throat and can act as a decongestant.
Cough: Okay, raise your hand if you love the taste of cough medicine. No takers? That is because as a general rule, cough medicine that is effective taste terrible and leaves you feeling sleepy. The next time you have a cough that you want to get rid of, try sucking on hard candies or suckers. You can also alleviate the coughing by drinking hot tea with honey. The hot tea will act as a decongestant, while the honey will coat and soothe the throat. You can also try licorice root, which can be purchased at health food stores. This natural remedy comes in powder form and can be taken with boiling water or tea. Never take licorice root in excess.
Headache: Headaches are never fun. At worst, they will leave you curled in your bed in the dark. When you have a tension headache, you are not stuck with taking aspirin. In fact, there are several home remedies that work just as well. Try massage. It is true that a self-massage on your temples, scalp and believe it or not, the web of your fingers (try between your thumb and first finger), can help relax and lessen the symptoms of a headache. An ice pack or a cold washcloth on the back of your neck or placed on your forehead can also help you headache. Tiger Balm (which is a strong menthol) is a cream that you can buy at health food stores. When you rub it on your temples, it is known to lessen the severity of a headache.
Heartburn: No one likes getting heartburn. There are plenty of over the counter medications to help your heartburn, but there are just as many effective and less expensive old-fashioned home remedies that work. Did you know that chewing gum could help alleviate the worst case of heartburn? This is because when you chew gum, your mouth produces more saliva. This helps wash the acid back down where it should be in the first place. Another effective and easy method of combating heartburn is to sit or stand up and loosen your clothes. When you have just eaten a big bowl of greasy chili and you lie down, you are forcing the acid up your esophagus. When you sit up, the acid goes back down. You can loosen you clothes, too. If you are wearing your tight pants, they won’t help!
Upset Stomach: Much of what you can do to combat heartburn can be done to help with an upset stomach. You can also give ginger, peppermint and chamomile a try with your stomach is feeling sour. If you are having motion sickness, you can also try to take powdered ginger or use sea bands, which can be purchased at any pharmacy. Real ginger ale also works well for a stomach that is not feeling so well.
As you can see, perhaps your grandmother was right about simple home remedies. There are many ways you can help combat colds and other ailments without using expensive medications. The next time you are not feeling well, try one of these old-fashioned home remedies.
