Herbal Household Remedies

Sometimes, location matters.  if you have to live in the city, consider what this article has to say about 10 US cities:
Via: Allergy Asthma Blog

- Be Where It’s Safer For Your Asthma Or Allergy Attacks:

Are you the type of person who dreads the arrival of spring season because you are allergic to pollens? When you were a kid or now as an adult, do you usually suffer from asthma or allergic attacks?

If you belong to any of these two categories, then it is a must for you to know that there are states or cities in the country which are more allergy-prone than others.

Every year, the Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America (AAFA) publishes a list of the areas in the country which have the greatest risk for allergy prone individuals, as well as those who frequently suffer from asthma attacks.

Their basis is whether a city or state has a longer pollinating season; the level of traffic and factory smog; the possibility of mold growth in the air; the spore levels and the number of Board Certified Allergists per patient in the area.

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Via: TriCities

Q: I planted a small herb garden this year, and it is growing beautifully. Now that it’s growing, though, I don’t exactly know what to do. When do you harvest the herbs and how do you prepare them (cut, dice, chop, etc.) for eating? Actually, anything you can tell me would be greatly appreciated. Now I wonder why I even bothered to plant them!
– Linda,
Blountville, Tenn.

A: First of all, don’t regret planting the herb garden. If nothing else, the smells that some herbs give off are great, the colors are good and some even keeps bugs away.
But, foremost, you can do so much with the herbs in the kitchen. Remember, if you have a recipe that uses dry herbs, you have to use about twice as much fresh herbs.
This is because dry herbs are more concentrated due to being dried out. Fresh herbs can be dried or frozen and used later.

SOME TIPS ON GROWING HERBS
Don’t let space stop you from starting your own garden. Small crops like lettuces, strawberries, herbs and tomatoes grow very well in containers on your deck, patio, windowsill or even a fire-escape.
Talk to other gardeners in your area before getting started. Since you share similar sun and soil conditions, oftentimes what works for them is likely to work for you.
Herbs are great for beginners. Start with hearty herbs like rosemary, mint and thyme that can survive indoors or out year-round. More delicate herbs like basil prefer the great outdoors and lots of sunshine.
Plant prolific herbs like mint in containers to keep them from taking over your garden. This is a very important tip. Make sure if your container has holes in the bottom, you don’t put the pot directly on the ground. The roots will grown out the holes and still take over your garden.
Most herbs love sunlight, so whether you plant indoors or out, in a container or in the ground, make sure they get plenty of sun and water.

STORING FRESH HERBS
Almost all herbs can be saved, either by drying or freezing. It’s best to dry woody-stemmed and thick-leaved herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano or even mint. Hang them upside-down in bunches somewhere cool and dry, then strip off the leaves and keep them in an airtight jar.
Soft-leaved herbs like basil and parsley are best frozen: freeze leaves, with a little water, in ice-cube trays. Thaw them out in a colander before using.

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cardamom, cinnamon

• To relive indigestion, heartburn and even cramps in a tasty way, sprinkle a little cinnamon and cardamom on hot buttered raisin toast, chew thoroughly on every single bite, and only then swallow.

Via: ezinearticles.com

Apples can neutralize stomach acid.

According to some experts, Granny Smith and Braeburn apples are great acid neutralizers and those who prefer natural remedies might want to give them a try. Apples contain malic and tartaric acids which naturally neutralize stomach acids. This reduces stomach pressure, which lessens the likelihood of heartburn. History notes that people have used the natural antacids of apples for many years to relieve discomforts brought about by heartburn. Since apples are natural you can eat as many apples as you’d like without getting any adverse effects.

Apple cider vinegar is another good remedy.

Vinegar is also another popular homemade remedy for heartburn, especially the apple cider vinegar. You can take a couple of teaspoonfuls of this vinegar in a cup of water or in applesauce to experience an immediate healing effect. Vinegar adds to the bulk of the acid in the digestive system and aids in the digestion process.

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Via: Charlotte Alternative Medicine Examiner

If you spend a little too much time in the sun without properly shielding your delicate skin, there are a variety of all natural remedies to help heal and soothe the damaged areas.

* A compress dipped in a homemade cooling mix will help calm the sting. Try a mixture of 1 part skim milk or 1 part baking soda with 4 parts cold water.

* Make a mixture of equal parts cornstarch and water and apply directly to the skin.

* Use raw vegetable slices to cool and soothe. Apply thin slices of cold cucumbers, potatoes or apples to the affected area.

* Boil lettuce in water. Strain and refrigerate the water for several hours. Later, use cotton balls to blot the cooled water onto the burned skin.

* Apply plain, cold yogurt to the skin and then rinse it off with a cool shower.

* Apply calamine or calendula oil to calm the burning sensation, reduce inflammation and promote skin healing.

* Natural aloe vera has soothing properties that cool on contact and aids in the healing process.

* Comfrey contains allantoin, an active ingredient that stimulates cell regeneration. It is available as a juice and a lotion.

* Green tea bags can be applied to the eyelids to reduce swelling and inflammation associated with overexposure to the sun.

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Caraway

• Here is a tee made from caraway seeds that will not only prevent heartburn and acid indigestion, but also, if taken warm, will help relieve uterine cramps, promote breast milk secretion in nursing mothers and help clear away mucus from the back of the throat.  You may even give small amounts of this tea to infants with intestinal gas problems.  Here is the recipe:
  Bring 2 cups of water to a boil.  Add 4 tsp of slightly pounded caraway seeds.  Let simmer for 5  minutes on the stove, then take off the stove and let sit for another 15 minutes.  A little honey may be added to sweeten the taste.  Drink a cup with every meal to improve the digestion of food.

carrot, pineapple

• Drinking carrot juice usually give you a boost of energy right away, probably due to the high sugar content in carrots. But equal parts of carrot and pineapple juice even make a good energy drink for those with hypoglycemia.

honey, green beans, peppermint

• Yet another great use for honey:  Directly applied to herpes lesions, bedsores or shingles, honey heals these within a very short time.
• A pod tea of green beans works well as a remedy for herpes, cold sores, blackheads, acne and skin afflictions of a similar nature.  Wash the face or afflicted parts morning, noon and night with the tea.
• Peppermint is antiviral, strongly so.  Therefore it can be used to inhibit the further progress of herpes virus.  Drink two cups of warm peppermint tea during the periods when the virus is most active.

Yes, everybody is talking about it, and yes, there are indeed herbal remedies that will help you preventing being infected by any flu virus.

1. Vitamin D:  It seems as though an insufficient level of vitamin D make you very vulnerable to flu viruses, be they ordinary flu or swine flu.  Stock up on vitamin D quickly, therefore.
2. Sambucol, a syrup made mainly from black elderberries and echinacea, is a good way to treat flu, or boost your immune system when you feel the very first symptoms of flu.  This, too, it an item you might wish to stock up on.  Black elderberries are very good antioxidants.
3. Omega-3 oils helps the body to remain healthy, and to improve your vitamin D levels.  Animal-based omega-3 oil is preferable.
4. Stock up on items such as face masks, a steam inhaler, latex gloves, hand sanitizer, and other such items that help preventing infections.

Here is a rather longish article that basically warns again a swine flu panic, and gives you good advice on what to do at the very end, which is what I will paste here.  While I agree with the authors that it is not a good idea to get vaccinated, I hope that their call to calmness will not lull you into safety and make you postpone taking still necessary precautions.  If you do not stock up on supplies now, you might not be able to anymore in a few months, either because they are out of stock, or they have gotten too expensive for you to afford them anymore.

Anyway, here is the end of the article:

Via: agoracosmopolitan.com

For now, my point is that there are always going to be threats of flu pandemics, real or created, and there will always be potentially toxic vaccines that are peddled as the solution. But you can break free of that whole drug-solution trap by following some natural health principles.

I have not caught a flu in over two decades, and you can avoid it too, without getting vaccinated, by following these simple guidelines, which will keep your immune system in optimal working order so that you’re far less likely to acquire the infection to begin with.

Optimize your vitamin D levels. As I’ve previously reported, optimizing your vitamin D levels is one of the absolute best strategies for avoiding infections of ALL kinds, and vitamin D deficiency is likely the TRUE culprit behind the seasonality of the flu — not the flu virus itself.

This is probably the single most important and least expensive action you can take. I would STRONGLY urge you to have your vitamin D level monitored to confirm your levels are therapeutic at 50-70 ng. ml and done by a reliable vitamin D lab like Lab Corp.

For readers who are in the U.S., we [original writers of the article] hope to launch a vitamin D testing service through Lab Corp that allows you to have your vitamin D levels checked at your local blood drawing facility, and relatively inexpensively. We hope to offer this service by June 2009.

If you are coming down with flu like symptoms and have not been on vitamin D you can take doses of 50,000 units a day for three days to treat the acute infection. Some researchers like Dr. Cannell, believe the dose could even be as high as 1000 units per pound of body weight for three days.

However, most of Dr. Cannell’s work was with seasonal and not pandemic flu. If your body has never been exposed to the antigens there is chance that the vitamin D might not work. However the best bet is to maintain healthy levels of vitamin D around 60 ng/ml.

BUT to keep this in perspective the regular flu, not the swine flu, has killed 13,000 in the US since January. But there is strong support that these types of figures are grossly exaggerated to increase vaccine sales. However, the fact remains that the regular flu at this point in time is FAR more dangerous than the swine flu and were you worried about the regular flu before the media started talking this up?

Avoid Sugar and Processed Foods. Sugar decreases the function of your immune system almost immediately, and as you likely know, a strong immune system is key to fighting off viruses and other illness. Be aware that sugar is present in foods you may not suspect, like ketchup and fruit juice.

Get Enough Rest. Just like it becomes harder for you to get your daily tasks done if you’re tired, if your body is overly fatigued it will be harder for it to fight the flu. Be sure to check out my article Guide to a Good Night’s Sleep for some great tips to help you get quality rest.

Have Effective Tools to Address Stress . We all face some stress every day, but if stress becomes overwhelming then your body will be less able to fight off the flu and other illness.

(…)

Exercise. When you exercise, you increase your circulation and your blood flow throughout your body. The components of your immune system are also better circulated, which means your immune system has a better chance of finding an illness before it spreads. You can review my exercise guidelines for some great tips on how to get started.

Take a good source of animal based omega-3 fats like Krill Oil. Increase your intake of healthy and essential fats like the omega-3 found in krill oil, which is crucial for maintaining health. It is also vitally important to avoid damaged omega-6 oils that are trans fats and in processed foods as it will seriously damage your immune response.

– Wash Your Hands. Washing your hands will decrease your likelihood of spreading a virus to your nose, mouth or other people. Be sure you don’t use antibacterial soap for this — antibacterial soaps are completely unnecessary, and they cause far more harm than good. Instead, identify a simple chemical-free soap that you can switch your family to.

– Eat Garlic Regularly. Garlic works like a broad-spectrum antibiotic against bacteria, virus, and protozoa in the body. And unlike with antibiotics, no resistance can be built up so it is an absolutely safe product to use. However, if you are allergic or don’t enjoy garlic it would be best to avoid as it will likely cause more harm than good.

– Avoid Hospitals and Vaccines. In this particular case, I’d also recommend you stay away from hospitals unless you’re having an emergency, as hospitals are prime breeding grounds for infections of all kinds, and could be one of the likeliest places you could be exposed to this new bug. Vaccines will not be available for six months at the minimum but when available they will be ineffective and can lead to crippling paralysis like Guillain-Barré Syndrome just as it did in the 70s.

Via: Detroit Holistic Health Examiner

Try some preventative and natural remedies to cure spring allergies this year. Spring is often the kick off to beginning allergy season for many people. While there are many over the counter and prescription medications to control allergy symptoms, there are many natural cures that can effectively and safely cure spring allergies.

* It’s important to check the pollen count every day so you can take preventative action. If the pollen count is high, it’s probably not the best day to do yard work. Plan your activities around the pollen count whenever possible.
* Pollen counts are highest between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m., so try to remain indoors as much as possible during that time of morning.
* Keep windows closed during spring allergy season to keep pollen from blowing into your house. Don’t hang dry your clothing outside, and change your sheets as often as possible.
* Shower and change your clothes when you return home after being outside. Pollen can rub off your clothing and cling to furniture and carpeting, so throw your clothing into the washing machine as soon as possible.
* Run your air conditioner and air filters to absorb the pollen from the air in your home. Don’t use window or attic fans, which can bring more pollen into the home.
* Take natural supplements to strengthen your immunity. MSM has antiallergic properties which can be more effective than antihistamines. Look for natural anti-allergy supplements which are a combination of herbs, enzymes, and nutrients which are designed to fight acute allergy attacks.
* Avoid mucus producing foods such as dairy products. Also avoid sugar, wheat and white rice.

If you are an allergy sufferer, consider trying a few preventative measures and natural remedies to control, or possibly cure, your spring allergies. Besides feeling better, you can also avoid the worries of taking over the counter or prescription medications and the side effects those medications can bring.

barley, fennel, peppermint

A tea brewed from these ingredients will calm hyperactive children if given in 1-cup amounts, when cool:

Cook some barley in plenty of water.  Strain and save the water.  Bring 1 pint of the barley water to a boil and add fennel seed and parsley, 1.5 tsp each, then let simmer for 5 minutes on reduced heat. Then steep for exactly 20 minutes.  Let cool and keep refridgerated.

catnip, chamomile

• A cup of hot tea brewed from catnip willensure a good night’s sleep for everyone who suffers from nervousness or hyperactivity, although I would not give it to children. To brew catnip tea, at a teaspoon of fresh or dried catnip to 1.5 cups of water that boiled and was taken from the stove.  Let steep for about 20 minutes.  You can add honey if you wish.
• You can also brew a nice chamomile tea to help yourself calm down.  Add 2 tsp of fresh or dried flower in 1 pint of water for about 40 minutes and drink 1-2 cups per day.  For a lasting effect, do this for 2 weeks.

lettuce, potato

• Mix half of a cut lettuce leaf with 8-10 oz of ice water until you have a green puree that resembles milk shake in consistency.  Drink slowly to treat acid indigestion.
• If you do not handle spicy foods well, chew a small piece of raw potato, approximately the size of your thumb, for a while before swallowing it.  Relief will come within a minute or two.

I blogged about this before, and am thinking that it doesn;t hurt to have this too on here.  Honey and cinnamon are indeed a good combination.

Via: Gather

I don’t know if this is true or not, but it sounds reasonable.

Cinnamon and Honey ~ Bet the drug companies won’t like this one getting around. ~

Facts on Honey and Cinnamon: It is found that a mixture of honey and cinnamon cures most diseases.Honey is produced in most of the countries of the world. Scientists of today also accept honey as a “Ram Ban” (very effective) medicine or all kinds of diseases.

Honey can be used without any side effects for any kind of diseases.

Today’s science says that even though honey is sweet, if taken in the right dosage as a medicine, it does not harm diabetic patients.Weekly World News, a magazine in Canada, in its issue dated 17 January,1995 has given the following list of diseases that can be cured by honey and cinnamon as researched by western scientists:

HEART DISEASES
ARTHRITIS
BLADDER INFECTIONS
CHOLESTEROL
COLDS
UPSET STOMACH
GAS
IMMUNE SYSTEM
INDIGESTION
INFLUENZA
LONGEVITY
PIMPLES
SKIN INFECTIONS
WEIGHT LOSS
CANCER
FATIGUE
BAD BREATH
HEARING LOSS

Read the different recipes and applications here

anise, cinnamon, cardamom

• Anise tea serves many purposes. and can be brewed from about 7 tsp of anise seed, added to a quart of boiling water. Then let the tea simmer down to 1.5 pints. Strain. Drink 2 cups of the strained tea once or twice daily to get rid of heartburn.
• Believe it or not, there is a very tasty way of relieving heartburn, acid indigestion, and even cramps: Sprinkle a little cinnamon and cardamom on hot buttered raisin toast, chew thoroughly on every single bite, and only then swallow.