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Thursday, April 7, 2011

Easy, Peasy, Home Remedies

By Cary Bryson

Look around your kitchen when you have a few extra minutes.  Take a quick inventory of the items that are way in the back of your refrigerator, cupboards, or shelves.  There may be a lot of items in there you are not even aware of.  You may not know it, but the majority of these items may be used for things other than cooking.  That is right.  You may have your very own do-it-yourself pharmacy.  Follow me with this.  I do not have any eye of newt tinctures.  I do have a few easy home remedies that I use on myself and my children when an ailment strikes.
Remedies for Constipation
Figs and prunes always work well.  Rhubarb stewed with honey will also have the same effect.  My favorite is strawberries.  Strawberries have a mild laxative effect and are very useful when constipation is due to prescription medications, excessive meat, or fat in the diet (p.222).

Remedies for Diarrhea
A slightly unripe banana has pectin that oxidizes and works the same as Pepto Bismol.  Blueberries can be added to oatmeal and both are great for diarrhea (p.223).  The oldest remedy for diarrhea is rice pudding.  Make your own with 1 1/2 cups of milk, pinch of salt, 6 tablespoons of brown sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla, 2-4 eggs, grated lemon rind, and 2 cups of cooked white rice.  Add all ingredients and mix well.  Spread mixture into a buttered baking dish and bake for one hour at 350 degrees.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.  Enjoy.

Remedy for Congestion
Fill up your bathroom sink with hot water.  Add 3-5 drops of eucalyptus oil.  Drape a towel over your head and bend over the sink.  Breathe the vapors for about 5 minutes. You will feel your sinuses opening up.  The vapors will travel to your chest and open up your bronchial tubes.  Repeat as needed.

Remedies for Ear Aches
You can make your own garlic oil drops or buy it.  If you make your own, crush a clove of garlic and let it rest in warm olive oil for 15 minutes.  Strain the liquid.  Soak a cotton ball in liquid and place inside the earlobe or drop the oil inside of ear and let it rest for 15 minutes.  One teaspoon of warm almond oil can be dropped inside of the ear (p.231).

Home remedies are becoming more popular today with minimul side effects compared to antibiotics.  Remember when you were little and the remedies your parents or grandparents gave you when you were feeling ill.  They did not rush you to the doctor’s office.  They devised a horrible tasting tea, rubbed your entire body with Vick’s, and made you stay in bed for days it seemed.   

If you are wondering where to purchase certain items like the eucalyptus oil I mentioned.  Back to Nature in Indiana has a wide variety of herbs.  Also, Glicks Market on Rte. 286 towards Clymer, is owned and operated by the Amish.  They also have a nice variety that is less expensive than Back to Nature.  I have included a few good books that can be found on Amazon.com.   



Sources:
The New Guide to Remedies. Paragon Publishing. IHE, UK. 2005. 221-236.


15 comments:

  1. Cary,
    Great Blog! I love rice pudding, I add golden raisins to mine it helps increase the vitamins and fiber. I had to make some after reading your rough draft.

    Don Findley

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  2. Cary,
    Like Don, I have to go and make some rice pudding! Great info and thanks for sharing about Glick's, I had no idea that they sold this stuff!
    Alisha O

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  3. Cary,
    I loved the pictures that you put in here. I did not know that there was so many home remedies. Thank you for sharing all the information. Next time I have some problems I will have to refer back to this! Good job.

    -Kendra McCracken

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  4. I had an ear ache last month when I was sick, and I suffered for days with it. I never knew garlic oil would help relieve the pain; then again, I never researched about it, I just simply suffered! Thanks for the advice, Nice Blog Cary!
    -Katie

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  5. Great post , I never knew so many things at home could help when not feeling up to par. I will definitely check that book out because I am now curious what else I have in my house does things like this.

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  6. Cary,
    Great information. My boyfriend is always congested so I might have to go get some eucalyptus oil and try that. Nice job.
    Samantha

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  7. Cary,
    I loved you blog! You have so much information to offer. I am as old as dirt and I never realized how much can be done with things that we already have at home. Bravo.
    I am especially happy to learn how to make rice pudding. lol It sounds delicious.
    Again, Great Job!

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  8. Cary,
    This is a great topic to talk about. Many people may not want to go into the doctor or may not enjoy going to the doctor's office, and these remedies are great ways to help yourself feel better. Also, its a lot cheaper to use the remedies than go to the doctor.
    I really liked your introduction. It captured my attention and made me want to read more. When I started reading the next paragraph, though, I got a little confused. Even though you titled the paragraph, "Remedies for Constipation", my eyes seemed to skip over that part and just start reading the paragraph. As I read, I didn't know what the paragraph was until I looked back up at the title. I think "constipation" or "remedy for constipation" should have been added in the beginning as part of the writing. It would have made it a lot easier to understand, also. I think with all of the paragraphs, there should have been some mention of what the remedy was for than to just have gone into talking about the remedy.
    The citations were really good. They were used in the correct way and you used the information in your writing in a very cohesive way. I really liked that you did a post of remedies that can be made. It reminds me of cooking ingredients that can be used as cleaning products, and makes me want to look up those recipes.
    Thanks for your post.

    Kristen Mummert

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  9. Cary,
    When I read your rough draft I loved this blog. I love reading about home remedies and finding our knew ones. It is amazing that things laying around your house can cure your ailment and you do not even know.

    Melissa Stickney

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  10. Thank you everyone for your kind words. Kristen, I am not sure what you mean about titles? Each remedy has a bolded title as Remedies/Remedy for....? Maybe you didn't see them?

    Cary Bryson

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  11. Cary, Great blog, it was very interesting. I found it so amazing that these things have so many different purposes
    Christina Chinchock

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  12. Cary you had a really good post. I have never made a home remedy myself but I have used remedies that my mom made. I have always wanted to try new things to see how they really work and you gave some great suggestions. Thank you.
    Melissa Cunningham

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  13. Cary,
    You did great job on your home remedies. I remember my father blowing cigar smoke in my ears for an earache. It seemed to work back then, but never tried on my kids cause we don't smoke. I may have to try your remedy instead!!

    Suzanna Harmening

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  14. Cary,

    I think it is great you support alternatives to the medicines people use way to often to cure some of the most simplest afflictions. I didn't know of these home remedies before I read your post and now that I do, I may tell others to use them as well. I personally don't do much on terms of treating myself. I quit taking any drugs in 2005 just because I didn't want to use them and I haven't looked back yet. In the past 6 years, I have barely needed anything for the problems I have had, and even for those minor problems I don't take anything. I should keep a list of remedies such as these handy in case I ever do decide I need something to treat one of my ailments.

    Great Post,
    Richard Jordan

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  15. Cary,

    You did a great job with your blog post. I really enjoy reading and finding out new home remedies to try. Members of my family are also believers in home remedies. When I was younger and had a cough, my grandmother would mix white pepper with honey and give me a tablespoon full to slowly swallow. It was a good remedy to reduce the frequency of coughing. Thanks for your topic.

    Jennifer Samios

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