Dehydration is a very serious condition we all need to watch out for especially during these upcoming hot summers days. It is important to keep your body hydrated as well as keeping your children from suffering from dehydration. Dehydration is much more common in elderly persons and children as they are at higher risk from bodily changes. Medical conditions and environmental conditions are 2 other big factors to keep in mind when preventing dehydration. If you or a family member is suffering from dehydration it is very important to do everything you can to rehydrate yourself or the family member or friend suffering from dehydration. Here are a few natural home remedies to help cure anyone suffering from this thirsty condition.
1. This may not be “your cup of tea”, however this great natural dehydration remedy can help work wonders. I remember using this once as a kid. I had to choke it down and did not like it much since I was not much for lactose products like milk, let alone this nasty mix of buttermilk and ginger. However this can be a very effective home remedy for patients suffering dehydration and is both safe for children, adults and the elderly. However if using this treatment it is not a one shot deal. You must drink this a cup of this 3 to 4 times a day, depending on your body weight and size. This is a tricky one to get kids to drink a few times a day but even twice a day will help immensely. For this mixture you will want to mix in a 1/2 a teaspoon of dry ginger powder into 1 cup of buttermilk and as my mother would say, “Down the hatch!”.
2. Another unusual but effective home remedy for treating dehydration is to eat green bananas. It is suggested to eat one green banana every hour to four hours until your rid yourself of the symptoms of dehydration. This remedy is much more easy to get elderly and children to follow but as you know some kids just don’t like those darn bananas! If they don’t want to try this route you can always threaten to give them the ginger buttermilk combo suggested further up in this article. Although it is known to avoid most fruits and fruit juices during dehydration due to the high sugar content bananas are an exception. This is because they contain high amounts of potassium and potassium is a vital nutrient needed to restore your body during depletion, dehydration and diarrhea. Diarrhea is not a pleasant thought to begin with, but any symptoms such as vomiting or diarrhea will only worsen the dehydration by a thousand times. So it is very important to take care of the symptoms of not just dehydration but the causes of dehydration. Green bananas are suggested over regular bananas because of their freshness they contain much higher dosages of potassium and even more water.
3. The last home remedy I am going to touch on in the article is not one I have had personal experience with but when asked a close friend she was insistent that this is the home remedy her grandmother and family swears upon during loved ones suffering through dehydration. So from one friend to another, here is another home remedy that can hopefully work wonders for your family and friends too. I was told to mix up a powder combination of the following spices and ingest this powder every 3 to 4 hours or sooner if you can handle it but not to be too overdone. Being a dry powder I questioned this method however, when I asked my friend she replied, “Well you obviously wash it down with a bit of water!”. So here it is passed on like an old story teller tale or a wives myth. Mix 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon edible gum, 1 teaspoon cardamon powder and a single tablespoon of raw poppy seeds in a morter and pestle style bowl and crushing tool to refine the ingredients to a powder. This technique is used by ancient shamans and tribal medicine men. This has been passed along from our elders to us and we still use this common technique today as for the remedy itself you will have to believe this ancient mixture and give it a go for yourself.
Remember dehydration is a very serious condition and if you or someone you know is suffering from dehydration it should not be taken lightly. If the symptoms are very serious you should seek medical attention immediately. These remedies are only to be used after a attending a hospital or doctor during treatment for dehydration and should not be used as your first opinion in any serious case. Although, if you feel like maybe you just got a little too much sun you could turn to a ginger buttermilk shake for a bizarre boost to rehydrate your body!
