Easy recipes you can make with ingredients from your kitchen.
Colds & Fever
Peel an Onion. Chemicals released by cutting an onion attract water, that’s why you cry. Try cutting a large onion and lean over to allow it to clear your sinuses.
Apple Cider Vinegar with Cayenne pepper and a pinch of salt in hot water several times a day as a tea helps clear and soothe irritated tissues during colds.
Honey and Lemon have been used for centuries to help with the common cold. Take hot, 1 tablespoon of each several times a day in hot water as a tea. If you add your favorite alcohol it becomes the famous Hot Toddy that was used by households before cold remedies became popular.
Garlic and Ginger Tea has also been used for centuries as a cold remedy. Chop 2 medium cloves of garlic and several slices of fresh ginger to a pot of filtered water and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. You can also add Honey and Lemon for an extra boost. Drink 2 to 4 cups a day.
Don’t let your nasal passages dry out. This allows tiny cracks in your defense system. Rinse with a Netty Pot, or Saline solution. Or go surfing and take a couple on the head. ;0) Then moisturize delicate nasal tissue with oils to keep a healthy barrier of defense. Our Wild Fern Oils are amazing, and help clear your sinuses.
Stick to juices when sick, avoid milk as it adds to mucus build-up. Eat Oranges or Grapefruit for a boost of Vitamin C.
Chicken Soup has been clinically proven to help with colds. They’re not sure if it’s the steam that helps clear your sinuses or if there is something in the soup that slows down the immune cells activated by the cold. Either way, I still make Chicken Soup when sick.
Steam it up in the shower to release congestion. Or use a vaporizer to add moisture to the environment. Try adding a few drops of essential oils such as Lavender, Thyme, or Eucalyptus for an added boost.
A simple Saltwater gargle is incredibly effective to relieve a dry scratchy throat. Use several times a day with warm filtered water.
Fresh Peppermint tea has many decongestant properties and will help reduce a fever. Don’t forget the Lemon and Honey!
Fresh Eucalyptus, Tyme, and Rosemary tea are said to help to clear congestion and help to ward off a secondary infection in the lungs.
Chamomile tea has soothing properties that will help to promote sleep. It also has antiseptic properties to aid in reducing fever and warding off colds.
Eat Pineapple to break down mucous during colds.
Burns
Immediately after a burn, run the affected area under cool, not cold water until the burning stops. The cool water reduces swelling and takes the heat out of the burn.
Do Not apply Ice as this can do more damage. And NEVER use butter! It can cause infections.
Aloe Vera has been the hero of burns for centuries. Simply break off a piece and rub directly on burns. It’s cooling, antiseptic properties soothe immediately. Try keeping a piece in the freezer for added relief.
White Vinegar is said to relieve the pain associated with burns, apply with a cotton ball. You may choose to dilute with water. Test a small area first.
Headaches
Long-lasting or intense headaches can be a sign of serious problems. Seek help if you need it. Follow your gut instincts. Alcohol and nicotine exacerbate headaches. Avoid them.
Coffee and Asprin are a common remedy. Take 2 aspirin with a large cup of coffee. The effects last for several hours, and also helps with hangovers.
Reflexology or foot massage is a known headache reliever. This follows the theory, that each spot on the bottom of your feet is associated with different parts of your body. This is why we apply our St. John’s Wort oil to the bottom of our feet. See the chart below.
Use Peppermint Oil or Lavender Oil. Rub on the temples, it relieves headaches very well for me. It is my go-to headache remedy. If that doesn’t work, I use St. John’s Wort Oil on the afflicted area, that always works.
Fresh sliced Ginger can also help. Make a tea and drink lots. Or you can also simply chew a piece of fresh Ginger root.
Peppermint, Spearmint, Chamomile, Rose Hips, and Lemon Balm are all herbs to help with headaches. Use fresh herbs to make a tea, or drink these flavored teas. You can also put the steeped herbs in a bowl with boiling water and use the steam by putting a towel over your head and the bowl. Be Careful!
A warm compress on your neck can help to relieve tension headaches. Or for a throbbing headache, apply cold to your temples. This cools the artery heading to the brain and eases the discomfort.
If you suffer from frequent headaches you may want to plant Feverfew, and Lemon Balm. Both have been used for centuries for headaches.
Muscle Cramps
Overworking muscles is a part of everyone’s lives. But unexplained extremity pain could be warning signs of a bigger issue. Seek medical attention immediately if something doesn’t feel right.
If you just overdid it in the garden, yard or pretended you were in high school again playing sports, you can try these home remedies.
First, applying cold to a sore muscle can help relieve discomfort and reduce inflammation upon injury. When I was a medic with the Volunteer Fire Department we were taught to ICE IT! But only use for 15 to 30 minutes at a time. Once the inflammation goes down, after the initial injury, heat will help. Wet heat such as a soak in the tub, or hot wet compresses (Towels) works well. Again only use for 20 to 30 minutes and then let your muscles rest for at least an hour and a half before reapplying heat.
Epsom Salt bath. Soak in a warm tub of Epsom salts. Frequently.
Stretch.
You can try equal parts of Vinegar and water heated up and then soak towels as a hot compress.
Drink A LOT of water.
Eat Bananas, its said the potassium helps leg cramps.
Drink Pickle juice. Riders in the Tour de France bicycle races drink Pickle Juice in the last legs of their race to keep from cramping up on the long ride.
My Mother swears by putting a Bar of Soap under the mattress to keep leg cramps at bay when sleeping. She uses Ivory.
No, I’m not kidding.
I hope you got something here you can apply to your life today. For more, join our fun community
