# Home Remedies and Cures



## Poetic Device

Since this is the time of year that everyone gets a cold or what have you, I thought that it would be interesting and fun to see what kind of home-made remedies and sickness/ailment cures different cultures and countries have.  For example, I was raised with the treatment of honeycombs for sinus problems.  You would take about of teaspoon of honey and comb and chew the comb as if it was gum until it dissolved in your mouth.


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## Sallyb36

I'm sure that everyone knows about the hot toddy remedy my Nan always gave us, hot milk with a teaspoon of honey and a drop of whisky.


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## french4beth

While I was pregnant (and trying to avoid non-essential medication), a nurse suggested the following to ease cold and/or sinus infection symptoms: hot water, with fresh lemon juice, and honey. If you have a post-nasal drip that is causing a bad sore throat and/or persistent coughing, although it tastes horrible, you can add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the hot liquid - works like a charm!  

I also like chamomile tea to ease cold/flu symptoms (but be careful if you have allergies).

I have also had a lot of success with homeopathic remedies for both myself & my children; for example, there are fantastic tablets (& eardrops) made by a well-known homeopathic manufacturer that can easily clear up earache symptoms if taken at the first onset of symptoms (I can't post a commercial website here).  

Besides, most modern medicines are derived from home remedies - why not go right to the source, and skip the potentially unpleasant side effects?

Cranberry juice and/or supplements are excellent for helping treat symptoms of urinary tract infections.

And for hiccups: to cure them, take a big mouthful of water, bend over, and swallow while you are upside down and bent over. Works every time!


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## Ana Raquel

In my family an herbal tea of malvavisco (altaea officinalis), llantén (plantago major), fennel seeds, and eucalyptus.

I wrote two Latin names because I don't know their English name.


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## french4beth

Ana Raquel said:


> In my family an herbal tea of
> malvavisco (altaea officinalis) *marshmallow root*,
> llantén (plantago major) *common plaintain*,
> fennel seeds, and eucalyptus.
> 
> I wrote two Latin names because I don't know their English name.


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## sarcie

I am all for herbal remedies for pretty much everything with two exceptions - sinus problems and headaches. For the former, I use a preventative, which I was more than a little peeved to discover the doctor here in Germany would only prescribe me 1 bottle at a time (they're stingy with their prescriptions here!). For the latter, I have tried the various natural alternatives pushed at me in the chemist's but if you're working and you get a headache, it needs to be gone in 5 mins. maximum and the remedy needs to do this - and not only if taken in conjunction with bed rest  
For general feelings of "bleuch", however, I resort to my nana's favourite, hot whiskey (jamey, hot water, slice of lemon with cloves stuck in it, drop of sugar). It's medicinal, I tell you!


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## Poetic Device

Ana Raquel said:


> In my family an herbal tea of malvavisco (altaea officinalis), llantén (plantago major), fennel seeds, and eucalyptus.
> 
> I wrote two Latin names because I don't know their English name.


 
What is this for?


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## Bran Muffin

my bachi's remedy for headaches was to smash another part of the body. this way you didn't think about your headache.


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## Poetic Device

What is a bachi?


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## Etcetera

When I happen to catch a cold, I usually make sure that I can spend a day at home and that I have enough green tea with jasmine and honey and lemon. And no nasty pills - they don't work with me.


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## Ana Raquel

Thanks *French4beth* for the translation!

*french4beth*Quote:
Originally Posted by Ana Raquel 
In my family an herbal tea of 
malvavisco (altaea officinalis) *marshmallow root*, 
llantén (plantago major) *common plaintain*, 
fennel seeds, and eucalyptus.



Poetic Device said:


> What is this for?


for bronchial and cough problems. I forgot to say it.


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## whattheflock

I believe in science and grannies, mixed together. I guess that would be "scinnies", or "grience", I don't know...
Science says that it's not the cold that gets you sick, but the stupid viruseses and bacteria. Fine. But I still wear an extra sweater just in case my body gets sick because of the outside temperature. 
I also like to mix and match between the all-powerful Nyquil and the old remedies. I especially like to mix and match home remedies: the thing about drinking lots of clear liquids and drinking tea for colds and coughs, I decided that you can comply with both advices by combining the clear liquids (vodka, gin, rum and tequila) and make a Long Island Ice *TEA*, and kill your viruses with ethanol.
So far it hasn't worked, but I've been having a good time.


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## Lavinia.dNP

When we had a headache due to staying too much in the sun, our Sicilian granny would put a folded napkin on the top of our head and press a glass of water upside-down (without spilling it) upon it saying a sort of Sicilian prayer that none of us understood.

I had it done once or twice and if my memory is good, it worked, maybe because of the water that passed through the napkin and cooled the head slightly, I don't know.


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## zaigucis

french4beth said:


> hot water, with fresh lemon juice, and honey.


 
I drink it too, but not when I am sick (I dont remember when i was), but sometimes, just like tea  

I am not supporting that medicene, that will make you well in one day, when you are sick. And antibiotics, in my opinion, is poison. More you drink, more you get sick, because your immunity become weak.


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## Etcetera

I've been having headaches (very strong sometimes) pretty often in the last three years - that is, after I entered the University. I used to take various medicines - first it was something rather 'mild', then stronger and stronger. But then I realised that I take too many pills and start to find other ways to struggle with headaches. My absolutely favourite one (has never betrayed me yet) - a cup or two of hot jasmine green tea with lemon and honey. I drink it very quickly, and it helps!


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## emma42

According to some female PE teachers in the 1970s, "A good run around the hockey field" was the cure for menstrual pains.  So much more effective than a good run to the cake shop.


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## la reine victoria

As soon as my father felt a cold coming on he would boil some onions, add butter and pepper and eat them.  It always seemed to work.

One of my mother's headache remedies was to soak a face cloth in vinegar and lay it across my forehead.  It was very soothing.

For a blocked nose/sinus problems, put some Friars' Balsam or eucalyptus oil in a bowl of very hot water.  With a towel draped over your head, lean over the bowl and enclose it in your towel "tent".  *CAREFULLY* inhale the steam and *TAKE CARE* not to knock the bowl over. 

An old lady I knew used to tie a cabbage leaf round her arthritic knee - she swore it reduced the swelling and pain.  




LRV


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## la reine victoria

emma42 said:


> According to some female PE teachers in the 1970s, "A good run around the hockey field" was the cure for menstrual pains. So much more effective than a good run to the cake shop.


 



Strangely enough that worked for me, Emma. It was only when I gave up hockey (when I left school), and took less exercise, that my period pains were noticeably worse.

(I know you'd rather have run to the CAKE shop. Mmmm! ) 



LRV


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## Bonjules

HOLA,
on a cold, dreary, depressing day I consider a cup of hot buttered rum
(rum, hot water, sugar, butter, cloves) a definite home remedy.


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## Bonjules

la reine victoria said:


> As soon as my father felt a cold coming on he would boil some onions, add butter and pepper and eat them. It always seemed to work.
> .
> LRV


Cayenne pepper, of course (with its activ ingerdient capsaicin) is 
reported to have multiple uses, benefitting the digestive and circulatory
systems, among others. Its most dramatic use, I find is in clearing out stopped-up sinuses in no time (like chinese mustard -mmmmhhh)


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## .   1

The only home remedy that springs to my mind is inhaling warm salty water to cure sinus problems.
This idea came to me from my surfing days when I would be tumbled around under waves and have my sinus repeatedly filled with sea water which left me with a wonderful clean and clear feeling in my sinus.
As I am now a little old to go back into the ocean too often I took my remedy to the bathroom.
I have a cup of water that has about as much salt as the ocean. Too much salt burns and too little salt burns. When the water can go up the nostrils with no burning the mix is correct.
I then place the cup under my nose and slowly suck the salt water up both nostrils and pinch my nose shut.
I then tilt my head back and blow air slowly through the salt water in my sinus for a few seconds. I then lean down into the basin and violently blow the salt water out of first one nostril and then the other. I usually repeat the procedure to make sure that all of the gunk comes out. I am left with free breathing and less of a pressure feeling in my sinus.
This works for allergies and hayfever and to recover from the gummed up feeling after catching a cold.
I also do it whenever I have to go to the city and breath the grey air full of pollution.

.,,


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## la reine victoria

Does anyone still use leeches to get rid of bruises?

I remember when I used to visit my brother in Munich I always saw leeches on display in the pharmacy windows.    I can't remember if they were for hire or purchase.  







LRV


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## whattheflock

There are some instances of strange diseases that cause ecchymosis or hematomas that also affect the nerve endings of the skin and cause continuous pain (horribly enough, some reports indicate that the pain follows the patient down even into the unconscious state, so that sedation is no escape). And the doctors use leeches to help. I have seen this only once in the years I've worked in a Pediatric hospital.


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## la reine victoria

Sounds absolutely horrible, Whattheflock. Did the leeches actually ease the pain?






LRV


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## AcrophobicPixie

Hot lemonaid apparently works wonders when you have a cold. Fresh, homemade is best, but from a mix works in a pinch. Tastes kinda weird, but you get used to it.


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## whattheflock

la reine victoria said:


> Sounds absolutely horrible, Whattheflock. Did the leeches actually ease the pain?
> 
> LRV



I don't really know. In my work as an En-Sp interpreter, I only have very limited contact with the cases.
The idea was to relieve the extra pressure created by the infiltrated blood on the nerve endings of the surrounding tissue, hoping to ease all the extra sensation. I hope it did help for a while. 
Unfortunately, the end result of the illness was terminal.


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## Trina

la reine victoria said:


> Sounds absolutely horrible, Whattheflock. Did the leeches actually ease the pain?LRV



I haven't actually intentionally tried leeches for any ailment, but over the years, I have had at least 50 of the little _(and then after taking my blood, not so little)_ suckers attach themselves to me. Whether or not they ease any pain, I cannot say, but whereever they latch on, that spot is itchy for about a fortnight.

My treatment for colds, flu: chicken soup, as much bed rest as possible and garlic & horseradish tablets.


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## Kajjo

french4beth said:


> Besides, most modern medicines are derived from home remedies - why not go right to the source, and skip the potentially unpleasant side effects?


First, most modern medicines are _not _derived from home remedies. There are _some_ popular examples for home remedies turned into medicines (e.g. aspirin from willow extracts), but the vast majority of modern pharmaca is discovered by tedious and expensive research. Nowadays, traditional remedies of African tribes or traditional Chinese medicine are analysed with the aim of turning them into medicines -- but this is a very limited case-by-case scenario, which in singles instances turns out to be very effective, in many other cases to be useless.

Secondly, _if a modern medicine is based on a home remedy, _note: if_, _then the modern medicine does not at all have more side-effects than the home remedy. In contrary, if there is an active substance in a home remedy, and modern research identifies this compound and produces it in pure form, then this pure medicine will have less side-effects, because all the other, non-active ingredients are absent.

Thirdly, nature offers the strongest poisons and toxins. It is a entirely wrong notion that "natural extracts" have less side-effects. In contrary, a typical natural extract contains thousands of substances, of which only a few are active against the disease you want to treat. All the other substances may also have some effect or other -- what you call side-effects. 

Fourthly, personally, I like several home remedies, particularly if they contain only typical food ingredients that are known not to do any harm. However, most home remedies only treat the _symptoms_ rather than the _disease_. For many every-day ailments like flu and cold that is fine and probably healthier than taking real medicines, because the body will win the fight with his own weapons anyway.



> And for hiccups: to cure them, take a big mouthful of water, bend over, and swallow while you are upside down and bent over.


Hiccups are cured by _any procedure_ that makes you concentrate very hard on a certain task. Whether you try to remember what you had for dinner four days ago or swallow water upside-down. 

Kajjo


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## Luke Warm

The best home remedy I know of is kombucha. For those of you who don't know about it, it's a mushroom sort of thing (but not a mushroom) that you float on top of sugared green tea. Depending on the amount of tea and the size of the kombucha, it's ready to drink in a matter of days. I drank about 2 cups a day (less than 0.5 L) from this past winter until just recently and didn't get sick once... felt something coming on a couple of times, but never got sick. I stopped because it's a hastle making the tea (in advance so it can cool) and disinfecting the containers and bottles with boiling water all the time, and, lo and behold, a week later I had a cold. Coincidence? Maybe, but I am tending towards thinking the stuff works. Apparently it's quite commonly drunk by the Chinese. It isn't to be recommended for people with immune difficiency diseases as keeping the whole operation completely sanitary can be problematic. I've also seen it sold in cans, but I've read that it's ineffective unless it's a live culture. I've also seen it sold in some cafes but at ridiculous prices, and frankly I can't imagine it having the same affect as if drunk every day. If you're willing to put in the effort, I recommend giving it a try. There's plenty of info on the internet.
I've also tried umkaloabo root with less clear results. People swear by it, but I can't say for sure whether it really works. Plus it's expensive.
I've also read that a shot of apple vinegar every day is pretty healthy, but I've also read that it has no medicinal value. Ginger-lemon-honey tea tastes like it should do some good-- at least it tastes good! I have a friend who makes the spiciest soup imaginable at the first sign of a cold. That kills EVERYTHING... including your stomach and the rest of your intestinal tract as you'll realize the next day. Oiy!


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## Bonjules

la reine victoria said:


> Sounds absolutely horrible, Whattheflock. Did the leeches actually ease the pain?
> quote]
> Leeches have been used successfully in Arthritis pain since they
> don't only elaborate potent anticoagulant (hirudin, similar to heparin)
> but also local anesthetic substances -which is why you don't notice
> their 'bite'.
> actually treatment with maggots (blow fly) has been even more
> successful for debridement of nasty, nonhealing wounds, particularly in patients with poor vascularity (like diabetics). Sometimes
> the healing is amazing - maggots and leeches were used extensively
> up to well into the last century.
> 
> a word about modern pills vs 'home remedies':
> There are some types of (modern) medicines that are truly a blessing
> like for high blood pressure and mod. cholesterol treatment (antibiotics, the heroes of the last century, are turning out to be a very mixed bag; HIV, however has become very treatable).
> But by and large the somewhat cynical statement that the reputation of doctors ist based on giving you a pill ( and taking subsequent credit
> for the improvement) for something that would have gotten better anyway also has a lot of truth.
> We have made very little progress on medical treatment of severe, chronic and debilitating diseases.
> This should warm the hearts of those who swear by chicken soup (it is great, isn't it) and chamomile tea.


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## heidita

Do you suffer from cramps in you legs?

One banana in the morning before breakfast (or instead of). Works wonders!
Passed on to  me by my mother in law.


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## Bonjules

heidita said:


> Do you suffer from cramps in you legs?
> 
> One banana in the morning before breakfast (or instead of). Works wonders!


This, if it indeed works, might have to do with potassium ( of which bananas have a lot), important in cellular metabolism/functioning of muscle.

I don't know if the following classifies as a 'home remedy', but you got it
at home and it is a remedy.
Baking soda. If after eating too much or while tense (never a good idea!) 
you got a 'sour stomach', 1/2 teaspoon in a glass of water works quick
at less than a penny a hit(compare that to the cost of alka-seltzer, which is basically the same thing at a hefty price).
I take a sip of plain water after, since the esophagus is a ph neutral place
(unless you have constant ,severe reflux) and exposing it to long periods of
'alkaline' - I'm not sure it is a good idea or if it has been investigated.
It is also the simplest 'whitener' for your coffee, tea or tobacco(yuk)-
stained teeth!


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## Poetic Device

Is there a home remedy for something like strep or any other bacterial illness?


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## .   1

Poetic Device said:


> Is there a home remedy for something like strep or any other bacterial illness?


Honey is legendary and a mob in Ballina N.S.W. have processed melaleuca honey with the additional health benefits of melaleuca oil.
I believe that they have released creams and unguents but the most effective way is to buy melaleuca or 'manuka' honey from a health food shop and apply it directly to the problem area. It is non irritating but you will need to cover it to keep it on and protect clothing from honey.
It is easy to give to kids and when taken internally it will kill bacteria on contact but this is generally limited to the throat and trachea.
Good luck

Robert


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## Lavinia.dNP

My own remedy for flu :

As soon as I start feeling the first symptoms, I run 6 miles in the park, even in winter, and believe it or not, the next day I feel better.

I just did it yesterday, and today I'm feeling definitely better.

Of course I don't do that if I have fever, but when I feel my nose obstructed and the first cough, I just run and everything opens.

Maybe that's because of the intense breathing, or the cold air. I don't know how it works, but it's amazing.

Did anyone else experience the same, or am I the only crazy person who does that?


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## Venezuelan_sweetie

Why is this poll closed?

Hmmm... Anyway, here go my 2 cents.

In my homeland, people seem to just grab something from the yard, boil it, serve it in a coup and, "Listo!": the ilnesss is gone.

The most used remedies are:
-For a cold: *Honey*, *lemon*, *hot water*, and *herbs*, and I mean *all kind* *of herbs*. I'm sorry since I don't know the names of them in English (nor Latin), but in Spanish, the ones we use the most are: _malojillo, orégano orejón, cayena, llantén (plantago major --common plaintain_, as said above), and I've even heard of people sipping their nice *cannabis tea*, mixed with *some other herbs* and *rum*!  How they can show up to work the next morning, still remains a mystery to me...

-For a sore throat: A spoonful of *lemon juice*, *honey* and *rum*. Also, we use a spoonful of *hot milk*, *melted butter* (or olive oil) and a few drops of *rum*. Sounds disgusting (it is, indeed), but it works wonders!

-For a neverending cough: A tea of *ginger* + a herb we call *culantro* (or _cilantro de monte_). It tastes like the stinkiest decomposed material you could ever imagine, but it is almost magical. Also, there's grannie's supereffective homemade jelly: throw *aloe vera *leaves, *purple onions*, halfcup of *lemon juice* (orange works too), *garlic *cloves, 1/2 liter of *water* and all the *honey* you can into a blender, and when it's done, you'll have the finest home remedy ever. Take two huge spoonfuls three times a day, and you'll get rid of that cough. And, of your appetite...

-For a hangover: Ah, we have thousands of those. The most popular one is a good *chicken consommé with egg*, but don't ask me if it works.

There are much more than these, but if I keep on I'll never stop typing...


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## Sallyb36

emma42 said:


> According to some female PE teachers in the 1970s, "A good run around the hockey field" was the cure for menstrual pains.  So much more effective than a good run to the cake shop.



Emma, you had the same PE teachers as me!  *A good run *around the hockey field cured everything according to them!!


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## Lavinia.dNP

Sallyb36 said:


> Emma, you had the same PE teachers as me! *A good run *around the hockey field cured everything according to them!!


 
I confirm : a good 6 mile run cures many things (I have experienced it with the first symptoms of flu)


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## Sallyb36

I always thought it worked well, first of all because you were too tired to be worried about any other symptoms. I suppose the sweating would help with cold symptoms, and the stretching would help with the cramping stomach symptoms.


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## Bran Muffin

What do you do then when you go to stop?  You will not only be exhausted but also cold as hell.  Doesn't seem to be thought through all the way, Ladies.


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## Etcetera

Sallyb36 said:


> Emma, you had the same PE teachers as me! *A good run *around the hockey field cured everything according to them!!


Don't know about hockey fields (and I've never heard of such a strange method!) but I had caught cold last week. With all the tests to pass and a Christmas party at work, I only dreamt of passing all that and let myself spend three days at home, lying in warm bed and drinking hot tea with lemon and honey. And know what? As soon as I passed my last test, I was in excellent health again! It wasn't fair!


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## Lavinia.dNP

Bran Muffin said:


> What do you do then when you go to stop? You will not only be exhausted but also cold as hell. Doesn't seem to be thought through all the way, Ladies.


 
In order to avoid the post-jogging cold problem, I just run all the way back home and do the stretching in my living room. Very simple!


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## Noel Acevedo

For colds:  just as they were starting you would make a strong and very hot cup or mug of tea. Add one shot of dark rum, juice of one lemon and sweeten with honey.  You drink just before going to bed.  You either sweat the cold or sleep like a baby.  

Noel



Poetic Device said:


> Since this is the time of year that everyone gets a cold or what have you, I thought that it would be interesting and fun to see what kind of home-made remedies and sickness/ailment cures different cultures and countries have. For example, I was raised with the treatment of honeycombs for sinus problems. You would take about of teaspoon of honey and comb and chew the comb as if it was gum until it dissolved in your mouth.


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## Bilma

Noel Acevedo said:


> For colds: just as they were starting you would make a strong and very hot cup or mug of tea. Add one shot of dark rum, juice of one lemon and sweeten with honey. You drink just before going to bed. You either sweat the cold or sleep like a baby.
> 
> Noel


 


I remembered I prepared that for  my dad once when he was getting a cold. The cold was gone but his stomach was in bad shape!!!


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## Venezuelan_sweetie

Bilma said:


> I remembered I prepared that for my dad once when he was getting a cold. The cold was gone but his stomach was in bad shape!!!


Poor dad.    Speaking of which I just remembered my father's old recipe for a stomachache!

He used to serve himself a glass of soda (it *had to be* Coke), add pure lemon juice to it, and drink it very quickly.  It was like a "Cuba libre" without alcohol!

Somehow, it worked!  He said it was more effective than any store-bought stuff for it.  Now he's old and can't drink either Coke or lemon, he's always complaining about "those chemical things you give me to lie to my stomach! I want my Coke!!"


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## Amityville

How many of these remedies rely on the placebo effect I wonder ? VS, (please forgive the abbreviation) my granny used coke to clean the toilet, worked wonders, killed all known germs ! (I'm sorry no double blind was done so we'll never know if it worked because the toilet _believed_ it worked)
I am not making fun of placebos, their efficacy is renowned. The only thing is you mustn't think too hard about them.
Has anyone tried the whole baked onion in the ear - a known cure for earache but it's embarrassing at work.


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## Venezuelan_sweetie

Amityville said:


> How many of these remedies rely on the placebo effect I wonder ? VS, (please forgive the abbreviation) my granny used coke to clean the toilet, worked wonders, killed all known germs ! (I'm sorry no double blind was done so we'll never know if it worked because the toilet _believed_ it worked)
> I am not making fun of placebos, their efficacy is renowned. The only thing is you mustn't think too hard about them.
> Has anyone tried the whole baked onion in the ear - a known cure for earache but it's embarrassing at work.


The remedy you suggest sounds quite funny! There are some even funnier choices, down here.

I must say: many home remedies in my homeland are based upon culturally-bound placebos. My people is very supersticious, you know? I mean, when you blend South American aborigins, African coutryside slaves, and European sailors, all together in a tropical jungle, you might get a very interesting mingle of beliefs and remedies...  

However, regarding the coke thing, 'daddy' used to say it was just like "Alka-Seltzer" (or any other "seltzer"), except for the nicest flavour, and with lemon, which was supposed to balance his stomach's Ph -don't ask me where the heck he took that one from.


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## Renaissance Woman

Ok here are some more wierd ones... My parents are from Mexico (my dad from a _very _small town) and I don't know how common this is in Mexico, but if someone had an earache due to a cold, my parents would roll a newspaper into the shape of a funnel, insert the small end into the ear canal and light the end on fire. The point being that the flame was supposed to "suck" the air out of your ear (I believe it did work most of the time)

-Next, If you had a fever, my parents would slice onions and tomatoes and saute them in butter, then place the hot sliced onions and tomatoes on the soles of our feet. Wrap them in towels and cover out feet in plastic bags. WIerd huh?

- of course there was the "hierba buena" tea (tea made from a minty plant that grew in our back yard)

-and finally I have come up with my own wierd cure...
for hangovers, I like to drink pickle juice. It never makes me sick and it tastes cool and refreshing


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## Bilma

Renaissance Woman said:


> Ok here are some more wierd ones... My parents are from Mexico (my dad from a _very _small town) and I don't know how common this is in Mexico, but if someone had an earache due to a cold, my parents would roll a newspaper into the shape of a funnel, insert the small end into the ear canal and light the end on fire. The point being that the flame was supposed to "suck" the air out of your ear (I believe it did work most of the time)
> 
> -Next, If you had a fever, my parents would slice onions and tomatoes and saute them in butter, then place the hot sliced onions and tomatoes on the soles of our feet. Wrap them in towels and cover out feet in plastic bags. WIerd huh?
> 
> - of course there was the "hierba buena" tea (tea made from a minty plant that grew in our back yard)
> 
> -and finally I have come up with my own wierd cure...
> for hangovers, I like to drink pickle juice. It never makes me sick and it tastes cool and refreshing


 

For earache my mom used to put a cigarette in my hear. The smoke had some kind of magic.! I guess it is similar of the newspaper trick


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## Venezuelan_sweetie

Girls, I had never heard of that...

However, Moxa cigars were sort of popular down here as an efficient therapy against different illnesses, years ago. Has anybody heard of that?


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## Renaissance Woman

never heard of Moxa cigars, but it's conforting to know that my upbringing was as strange as I thought it was!


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## Trina

Renaissance Woman said:


> [...]If you had a fever, my parents would slice onions and tomatoes and saute them in butter, then place the hot sliced onions and tomatoes on the soles of our feet. Wrap them in towels and cover out feet in plastic bags. WIerd huh?[...]


Yes, but it reminded me of another...
A friend of the family suffered a mild heart attack. When the ambulance arrived to pick up the patient, they discovered him lying naked in the bath, his chest covered in raw sliced potatoes. (_apparently_ an old Italian remedy?)


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## TRG

Etcetera said:


> I've been having headaches (very strong sometimes) pretty often in the last three years - that is, after I entered the University. I used to take various medicines - first it was something rather 'mild', then stronger and stronger. But then I realised that I take too many pills and start to find other ways to struggle with headaches. My absolutely favourite one (has never betrayed me yet) - a cup or two of hot jasmine green tea with lemon and honey. I drink it very quickly, and it helps!


 
When I was young, I used to get severe headaches and my younger daughter has evidently inherited this. I don't get really bad headaches anymore now that I'm older (59), but when I do get one I treat it with a hot corn bag. My wife makes the corn bags which consists of a cloth sack (actually a sack within a sack) filled with 1 to 2 pounds (about a kilo) of shelled corn, the kind you would feed to animals. You throw this in the microwave for about 2 minutes and it stays hot for a good long while. I lay down in a dark room and put the corn bag on my face or forehead. Works great for me. If this doesn't work, I guess you'll just have to work on getting older!


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## Luke Warm

TRG said:


> When I was young, I used to get severe headaches and my younger daughter has evidently inherited this. I don't get really bad headaches anymore now that I'm older (59), but when I do get one I treat it with a hot corn bag. My wife makes the corn bags which consists of a cloth sack (actually a sack within a sack) filled with 1 to 2 pounds (about a kilo) of shelled corn, the kind you would feed to animals. You throw this in the microwave for about 2 minutes and it stays hot for a good long while. I lay down in a dark room and put the corn bag on my face or forehead. Works great for me. If this doesn't work, I guess you'll just have to work on getting older!


 
I've seen the same thing done with cherry pits (stones) and also with hemp seeds, though I imagine many various beans and seeds will work. Basically anything that will hold the heat.  But cherry pits do maintainthe heat a long time.


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## Bonjules

Luke Warm said:


> I've seen the same thing done with cherry pits (stones) and also with hemp seeds, though I imagine many various beans and seeds will work. Basically anything that will hold the heat. But cherry pits do maintainthe heat a long time.


 
I agree. It seems that any carbohydrate/starch containing plant is also a good heat retainer. Must have to do with the molecular structure. For joint pains (chronic) or arthritis also. My favorite (from my grandmother): A well cooked potato, squeezed ito the shape you want for optimal contact ( initially, you might have to put an insulating layer in between, lest you might burn yourself). If you do it in a clean sock, you can eat the potato when you are done!


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