Herbal Household Remedies

banana, basil, black or green tea

• a poultice of ripe banana peel, applied to the back of the neck and to the forehead, will relieve even severe headaches or migraines.
• incredible relief from headaches can be achieved with a solution of dried basil and Witch Hazel Tincture 2 fl. Oz., used as a compress and applied to forehead and temples:  Refrigerate the Witch Hazel Tincture. Heat 1 cup of water, add a level tsp of ground dried basil and let steep for about 10 minutes. Strain, and let cool.  When cool, add 2 tbsp of the cold Witch Hazel Tincture, and use this solution for your compresses.
• Since both black and green teas contain caffeine, a very strong cup of tea - 2 teabags of black tea added to 1 cup of boiling water and let steep for 20 minutes, then drunk while still warm - will help you recover from severe headaches and migraines quickly because the caffeine calms the pain by restricting the blood vessels in you head.
• For a caffeine free alternative, an intensive chamomile tea treatment also helps you to get rid of migraines and severe headaches, but it will take longer.  For about 2 weeks, drink a lot of this relaxing tea:  Steep 2 tbsps of flowers ( fresh or dried) in 1 pint of boiling water for about 40 minutes, then strain.  You can sweeten is with maple syrup.  Drink 1-2 cups at a time.

Via: NaturalNews

Drinking as little as three-quarters of a cup of this one tea each day may cut the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease by as much as 71 percent, according to a new study conducted by researchers from the National Neuroscience Institute in Singapore and published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disorder that disrupts movement and balance.

Researchers examined the incidence of Parkinson’s disease in 63,257 Chinese women and men, and compared it to their intake of various beverages as determined by in-person questionnaires. The researchers found that higher caffeine intake was associated with a 45 percent lower risk of Parkinson’s disease.

Even after they adjusted for this effect, however, the researchers found that those who drank 23 or more cups of black tea each month (less than one per day) still had a 71 percent lower risk of Parkinson’s disease than those who drank less.

“Black tea, a caffeine-containing beverage, showed an inverse association with Parkinson’s disease risk that was not confounded by total caffeine intake or tobacco smoking,” the authors wrote. “[This suggests that] ingredients of black tea other than caffeine appear to be responsible for the beverage’s inverse association with Parkinson’s disease.”

Full Report

sage, tea leaves

• To help grayness fade away again, mix 2 heaping tbsp each of dried sage and tea (either black or orange pekoe) in a heavy ceramic mixing bowl. Fill half full of boiling water, cover, then put in the oven for a couple of hours at 275F. You can also place the bowl in a large pan of boiling water on the stove top for several hours. Remove, stir well, strain. Rub a small quantity of the infusion into the roots of the hair 4-5 times a week until the gray begins to fade, then for maintenance only once or twice a week.