Remedies To Try & Myths Debunked
Nothing makes you feel more like a magical witch doctor than when you heal yourself with a natural remedy. While some homemade potions are proven to work, many others won’t work their magic. Before you try to heal a wound with butter, find out which remedies are myths we’ve busted.
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1. Cumin, Carom, & Fennel Are Flatulence Relievers
Feeling bloated and gassy after you eat? Stop the toots by sprinkling cumin, carom, or fennel seeds into your meal. These spices and herbs have digestive enzymes that help soothe gastrointestinal symptoms. You can also try sipping a teaspoon of the roasted ingredients in warm water right after a meal.
2. Basil Prevents Acid Reflux
If you tend to suffer from symptoms of acid reflux, try chewing on basil leaves after a meal. Basil not only works for indigestion but it also helps the body absorb nutrients and prevent ulcers. The healthy herb is recommended for many of its benefits, especially as a digestif.
3. Chicken Soup For A Cold
In fact, any clear broth soup full of vegetables, herbs, and protein will help aid a cold because it’s full of nutrition your body needs to recover. Your weakened body needs antioxidants to help fight the illness and replenish its vitamins and minerals. The anti-inflammatory effects of homemade chicken soup will soothe symptoms like a stuffy nose and a sore throat.
4. Steam Soothes A Headache
Steam will often relieve a sinus headache because it opens up the nasal passages and flushes them out. Adding essential oils like eucalyptus or peppermint could also speed up the process and add to a soothing experience.
5. Ginger For Nausea
Ginger has been the natural remedy to treat nausea for centuries and it works. Ginger can soothe an upset stomach and sometimes other painful symptoms as well. It contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and works best steeped in hot water.
6. Lavender For Anxiety
Not only does lavender look pretty and smell wonderful but it can also reduce your anxiety. Lavender can work as a calming aid in a couple of ways. You can sip on it as tea or breathe it in to relieve stress. It’s a good idea to infuse lavender oil in your office or sleep with dried flowers near your pillow to help you snooze.
7. Gargle Salt To Soothe Sore Throat
When you gargle about a ½ teaspoon of salt in warm water it can help relieve your sore throat. Adding a ¼ teaspoon of ground turmeric could relieve the pain even more as it kills the bacteria. Use the gargle throughout the day to enhance its effectiveness.
8. Tulsi Juice Cough Treatment
Tulsi juice is often referred to as “holy basil” juice for a reason. It contains vitamins A, C, and K, and other immunity boosters like magnesium and iron. Mixed with honey and garlic juice, you can create a cough potion that actually works. A mouthful of the concoction can help soothe a dry throat and a nasty cough.
9. Baking Soda & Lemon Juice Deodorant
Although it won’t work as a powerful antiperspirant, it will freshen up your pits. Applying a mixture of baking soda and lemon juice under your arms will reduce the smells of body odor. Baking soda is used to absorb smells and the lemon juice adds a citrus scent that lasts. Many recipes for home cleaners also include these odor eating ingredients.
10. Cranberry Juice For UTIs
Drinking pure cranberry juice not only relieves painful symptoms but it can also help prevent a urinary tract infection from coming back. Cranberries contain antibacterial substances that stop bacteria from sticking to your bladder walls. If you suffer from recurring UTIs, try adding cranberry juice to your daily diet.
While we wish all home remedies worked like magic, there are some old wives’ tales that just won’t work.
1. Raw Steak On A Black Eye
The reason why raw steak was once recommended was likely because it’s soft and stays cold for a while. A frozen steak will soothe a black eye just as well as an ice pack. Instead of risking an eye infection with the bacteria from a slab of raw meat, try some ice in a towel.
2. Apple Cider Vinegar For Warts
Apple cider vinegar is great for many things, but warts aren’t one of them. The idea that the acid in the vinegar will burn away a wart is inaccurate and there’s no scientific proof. The vinegar can sometimes cause a skin burn as a reaction without minimizing the wart.
3. Toothpaste On A Zit
Putting a blob of toothpaste on a pimple might dry it out a bit, but it could have the opposite results that you want. The ingredients in a typical toothpaste like alcohol and menthol are harsh on skin and could irritate it, causing the area to become more red than it already was.
4. Egg White Burn Treatment
If you burn yourself while making breakfast, don’t go to the egg carton for treatment. This old wives’ tale might actually be more harmful than soothing. Eggs could contain bacteria like salmonella which could cause a bacterial infection since a burn makes it easier to seep into your skin.
5. Warm Milk Helps You Sleep
The warm milk myth–– busted! Science has shown that you'd have to drink at least a gallon to get any of the sleepiness effects from the tryptophan in milk. A mug of warm milk before bed might work for some people because any warm creamy drink can feel calming.
6. Drink Milk For Poison Control
Milk seems to be the home remedy for all your problems but it’s really best for cereal. It’s been said that you should drink milk if you accidentally consume poison. Milk, and no other beverage, will magically dissolve the poison, it won’t do much at all.
7. Whisky For A Toothache
Irish mothers might argue this statement but whisky isn’t medicine for a toothache. It doesn’t stop the pain if you rub it on a sore tooth. What could stop the pain is if you drink enough of it to make you tipsy, but ibuprofen is a better idea.
8. Butter For Burns
Save the butter for your toast, it’s not a safe aid for skin burns. Slathering butter on a burn could cause infection and it coats the wound so that it can’t properly breathe. Greasing your injuries with perishable food items is never recommended.
9. Super Glue To Seal A Cut
When using Super Glue, stick to crafts. Although it might close up a small cut, glue is made from ingredients that could cause infection or an allergic reaction. Glue isn’t a good medical replacement and you shouldn’t put it on an open wound.
10. Feed A Cold, Starve A Fever
Not true! Your body always needs nutrients, especially when it’s under attack by an illness. You should always feed a cold and a fever with healthy foods that will help your body recover. Eating ingredients with high antioxidants and vitamin C will aid your immune system.
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