ARE NATURAL REMEDIES FOR YOU?

Are natural remedies helpful or just time consuming? The popularity of herbal remedies is rapidly causing traditional medical practitioners to recognise the useful properties of the hundreds of thousands of known herbs that are able to heal and prevent many human and animal illnesses, as well as enhancing mental attitude, appearance, and performance.  

Many centuries of experimentation by many cultures, including Indian herbal medicine (Ayurvedic), Chinese herbal medicine, and Western herbal medicine, have led to a variety of uses for plants, either singularly or in compounds. Herbal remedies can encompass anything from teas to complex preparations of herbal compounds used in hospitals or clinics.

Your home may already contain some of the following herbs as food:  

* Chamomile Tea - Soothes nervous tension and helps relieve digestive problems  

* Peppermint - Beneficial for digestion and digestive problems

* Cinnamon - Lowers blood sugar and cholesterol levels

* Ginger - Reduces blood clotting risk and prevents motion sickness  

* Turmeric - Powerful anti-inflammatory for arthritis and depression

* Garlic - Reduces cholesterol and is a natural antibiotic

While traditional medicine is extremely useful for diagnosing and treating emergencies, traumas, and surgeries, it is rarely adequate for preventing disease. Due to the ever-increasing cost of medicine, the increasing waiting times for doctor appointments and the difficulty of obtaining prescriptions from doctors, more and more people are turning to natural remedies.

As with conventional medicines, natural remedies are not always safe and may cause unwanted side effects. There can be criticism in the medical world that natural medicines have not been correctly tested by approved medical regulators. However, a large number of the population have been using herbals, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids for many years with very positive results. Everyone has a different system so I wouldn't invest in any expensive herbal solutions without testing it works for your body.

Herbal products can be used by adult, child, and pet to treat countless medical conditions ranging from colds, to arthritis, to skin care, menopause, and an endless list of others.   You may find your answer in one of the many natural herbal remedies.  The recipes below have helped me greatly.

INSOMNIA: Ginger turmeric tea

I get insomnia in waves and this normally helps out. I only drink it during that phase but there is no harm in drinking it often, as it's a great anti-inflammatory for other things.

What to add:

+ Grated raw turmeric, not the dried powder

+ Grated raw ginger

+ Black pepper, which helps activate the turmeric

+ Cinnamon to taste

+ Honey

Pour boiling water in the cup to make the tea. Drink it in the evening after dinner.

IMMUNITY: Bone broth a/k/a broth

If you feel like you are coming down with a cold or feeling weary, boil up some roasted chicken bones for a few hours to get a nice broth. This can be used for soups or can be consumed on it's own as a healthy tonic.

What to add:

+ Chicken bones (veggies can ignore the chicken)

+ Onions

+ Garlic

+ Carrots

+ Celery

+ Cabbage

+ Any veggies will do

Let chicken, onions, garlic simmer for a few hours on low eat

Add veggies/herbs in the last 30 mins

Strain everything into glass containers and spoon off any fat at the end.

SKIN PROBLEMS: Many options

If you have burns, use aloe vera (that one seems widely accepted)

+ If you have red, chapped skin, try to put some cooled chamomile tea bags on, instead of cortisone cream.

+ Garlic for fungal skin infections as it has ajoene, an antifungal chemical. The downside is that garlic is pungent (but are many skin creams anyway!)

+ Colloidal silver is another new natural solution. It is often mixed with aloe vera and has antibacterial and antiseptic effects on the skin.

Personally, I have found that some remedies work and do not work for me, whether traditional or natural medicine. It all depends on my symptoms. Being open to trying a different solutions can yield better results. It's always worth a try!