Herbal Household Remedies

chives, ginger, peppermint, pumpkin, squash, watermelon

• If your headaches are due to sinus congestion when you have a cold or flu, a tea made of ginger and chives may give you relief within 20 minutes or less:  chop 1-1/2 tbsps of chives and shred 1/2 tsp of ginger root finely, and add to 1 cup of boiling water.  Cover with a flat plate and let steep for 30 minutes, then strain.  Drink while still lukewarm.
• Likewise, peppermint tea will relieve the pressure of migraines and headaches.  Bring to a boil 1 pint of water, remove from heat,  Then add 2 tbsps of mint, fresh or dried, and let steep for 50 minutes, covered.  Strain and drink cool.  In addition, relief can be achieved by rubbing a little bit of Peppermint Oil - 4 oz. - EssOil on either side of the temples and towards the back of the neck.
• Freshly scraped pulp of pumpkin or yellow or orange squash can be applied to forehead and temples.  Its cooling effect will relieve splitting headaches.  The same pulp can be applied to the side of the face, neck and throat to relive neuralgia.
• If you have a watermelon handy, tie the thick rind around your forehead and temples to relive severe headaches and migraines.

corncob, mustard, pumpkin, squash

• Corncob tea can be used to treat gout.  After removing (or eating) the corn from 2-3 fresh cobs, cover with enough water to cover the cobs by 2 inches.  On low heat, cook for an hour, strain, cool.  Drink 2-3 cups a day until the problems subside, then reduce to only one cup per day.  Keep refrigerated what you do not use right away.
• Grandma’s Old Time Mustard Plaster still helps for a variety of disorders, gout among them: Mash leaves and stems of fresh mustard plant into a pulp.  Coat the surface of the skin with petroleum jelly (Crisco lard or Vaseline) before applying the pulp to prevent serious blisters or raising welts on the skin.  Bind into place with gauze and adhesive tape and keep on for several hours or overnight for best results.
• The seeds of pumpkin and squash can be used to treat gout, too. Crush a handful of seeds and add them to a quart of boiling water, turn heat to low, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and let steep for an additional half hour, then strain.  Until the desired relief is obtained, drink several cups of the tea each day, as needed.

basil, pumpkin / squash

• Basil tea is a multi-purpose healing tea. To reduce fever, inhale the steam from hot basil tea by placing your head over a bowl filled with the hot tea, and cover your head with a heavy towel while doing so. To make the tea, use fresh basil leaves and unground seed: Bring 2 pints of water to a boil, add 15 basil seeds. Cover, reduce heat, and let simmer slowly for 45 minutes. Remove from head and add 1-1/2 handfuls of fresh or half-dried basil, steep for another 25 minutes.
• Tea made of pumpkin or squash leaves or equal parts for both reduce fever, too: Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil, snip in a couple of double handfuls of pumpkin and/ or squash leaves with a pair of shears or scissors. Cover, remove from heat, let steep for 35 minutes, then drink a cup of the tea every couple of hours. The same tea also helps to fight diarrhea.