Herbal Household Remedies

Well, I guess “not drinking beer” is the first “natural cure for summer ailments” and many other ailments too, but other than that flaw, I think this article is interesting and informative. Enjoy.

Via: The Daily Times

ADVICE FROM THE DOCTOR By Dr. Victor Gong • August 13, 2008 Thinking of summer joys: Sun tans, sand castles, beer and crabs on the boardwalk. You may also recall the health calamities of sunburn, mosquito bites and ear infections. Fortunately, you can minimize the season’s downside with natural treatments. You probably have most of them in your kitchen or medicine cabinet; the others are easy to find in health-food stores.

Bee stings. Slice an onion in half (it doesn’t matter what kind), and rub it over the bite. Onions contain an enzyme that breaks down prostaglandins, compounds that cause pain and inflammation.

Insect bites. Don’t scratch, try baking soda. Mix one tablespoon of baking soda with enough water to make a paste and apply it to the bites. Keep mosquitoes and other hungry pests away by dabbing lemon-scented citronella oil on your skin and clothing.

Motion sickness. Ginger, taken as tea or in capsules, relieves nausea in kids and adults. Unlike over-the-counter drugs for motion sickness, it doesn’t cause drowsiness. To make the tea, slice a two-inch piece of fresh ginger root. In a large covered pot, bring a quart of water to a boil. Add the ginger; simmer for l5 minutes. Sweeten the tea with sugar or honey, if desired. Drink one cup about a half-hour before you set off on your trip. Take the rest with you in a water bottle in case you need it. Prefer pills? Take two, 250-milligram ginger capsules before you leave, then two capsules every four hours if queasiness persists.

Athlete’s foot. The fungus that causes this condition thrives when feet are warm and sweaty. Kill the culprit and soothe the itch with tea-tree oil, derived from the leaves of a tree that grows only in Australia. Some people are allergic to this, so test your sensitivity. Put a drop of the oil on your forearm; if there’s no redness or inflammation after a few minutes, it’s safe to apply a small amount of the oil to the affected areas twice a day. Don’t use it if your skin is severely broken.

Poison ivy. Relax in an oatmeal bath. You can buy Aveeno, a special colloidal oatmeal, at the drugstore, but the rolled oats you have in your kitchen work just as well. One cup of uncooked oats in a pair of panty hose; knot the top. Add this to a bathtub filled with warm water; soak in the tub for 20 minutes.

Sunburn. Help skin heal with aloe vera. The best products contain l00 percent aloe; buy a gel or a cream with it at the top of the ingredient list. Mix it with the oil from a vitamin-E capsule, which eases inflammation and promotes healing. Don’t use anything on a blistering sunburn; it might make things worse.

Indigestion. If that hot dog you ate at the baseball game didn’t agree with you, drink one cup of chamomile or fennel tea to calm your stomach. Chamomile tea bags are widely available. To make fennel tea, steep one-half teaspoon of crushed funnel seed in one cup of boiled water for l0 minutes.

Swimmer’s ear. Prevent this painful bacterial infection by wearing earplugs when swimming. But if your ears do get wet, don’t fret. Place a few drops of diluted vinegar (one-part vinegar to one-part rubbing alcohol) in each ear. Keep your head tilted for a few seconds so the solution stays in the ear canal.

Via: Best Syndication

Hair loss is one of the most serious problems that men face on their entire lives. When the first signs of balding ensue, men make it their serious business to look for the best possible treatment there is in the market—and there are several to choose from. But which of these products are really effective? And which ones would be able to deliver their promised results at a given period of time?

Before looking for a hair loss product that would best suit your type of alopecia, it is best to consult a physician who knows the science of hair restoration. And it is also imperative to ask which medicines would give the fastest results at a certain budget.

(…)

4. Natural Remedies

Blood circulation is an important part on having healthy hair. That
is why, majority of the natural remedies for hair loss are meant to
improve the circulatory system. The following are the most popular
natural treatments for alopecia:

Rosemary - allows blood to absorb nutrients and carry them to the hair follicles.

Ginkgo - reduces blood platelet stickiness and it also dilates the blood vessels.

Horsetail - has silica which is an important factor in keeping healthy nails and hair.

Prickly ash - promotes normal blood circulation especially to the extremities.

Echinacea - boosts the immune system

Oat extracts - maintains hormonal balance.

Hair loss need not be endured anymore - there is hope for those who
seek them. It’s only a matter of choosing which treatment would best
suit any particular patient.

cucumber, oatmeal

• Aching feet can be soothed with a mush of cucumber. Cut up several large cucumbers, whip them into a thick mush in a blender and refrigerate the mush until cold. Find two pans that accommodate your feet, one each, put the mush in the pans and put your bare feet in the mush, squishing it between your toes. Relax and enjoy the soothing cooling sensation.
• If your feet are hot, tired and aching and you long for a hot treatment instead, cook up a large pot of oatmeal, make the consistency soupy. Stick your feet in the pan while the oatmeal is still as hot as you can tolerate it and let your feet soak for an hour. Do not discard the oatmeal solution after using it, it can be used several times if reheated.