Natural Remedies Your Grandmother Swore By Remember the days of old when Grandmother strapped a warm mustard pack to our congested chests
when we had a cold? Or used a warmed tea bag to rid pink eye
Maglia Felipe Melo , a clove of garlic to stop an earache, or prepared a mixture of chaparral and olive oil as a cure for itchy skin? I do.Distances
between townships, limited funds, and the lack of readily available medical
professionals and facilities all dictated that a woman be not only a wife,
mother, and housekeeper, but doctor as well. Folklore healing practices,
curative uses of herbs, and other medicinal "family secrets" were stealthily
guarded and passed down from one generation to the next.Of course, some of
yesteryear's touted cures were not truly cures at all. Superstition and myth
"remedies," without any practical application, crept into the mix. Little by
little and through the years, suspicion as to the validity of any natural,
herbal remedy began to take root.For instance, witch doctor type practices such
as hanging herbs that resembled tears around a child's neck to help him cut
teeth. "Reading" tea leaves to foretell future love interests
Maglia Marcelo Brozovic , and assertions like placing certain spices under the pillow would improve memory, prejudiced many toward the genuine curative
uses of herbs. That is why some modern day practitioners regard the medicinal
use of herbs as "quackery;" nothing more than old-wives tales. There are,
however, a growing number of otherwise conventional medical professionals who
acknowledge what Grandmother knew all along. Natural, herbal remedies as a means
to maintain good health and cure certain diseases are valid. Nature's drug store
is making a comeback.And why should that be surprising? After all, we -- like
plants -- are organic. It is the synthetic drugs used today that were formulated
to mimic their natural counterparts, and not the other way around. In days of
old, there was no other way to treat illness and discomfort, help heal wounds,
or cure bodily dysfunctions than with natural means.It was while living in tune
with nature and studying wildlife that early man learned of the medicinal
"powers" of herbs. Animals bitten by a poisonous snake survived after chewing
snakeroot, a wounded bear rolled in mud to better heal and escape infection, and
old, rheumatoid deer eased their misery and made joints more limber by resting
under the therapeutic rays of the sun. Nature's well worked out plan for good
health and freedom from disease is observed in animals. It is people who have
strayed from nature's medicine chest to create man-made remedies -- some of
which are less effective, costly, and riddled with negative side-effects.By
working with
Maglia Yuto Nagatomo , and not against nature, we increase our chance of a more healthy life, while decreasing our risk of disease and premature bodily
limitations and dysfunctions.A wealth of healing resources is there for the
taking, if we but open our eyes to the possibilities available.To highlight this
fact, let's take a look at the multiple medicinal uses of just one herb,
commonly regarded as a noxious or disposable weed.Sometimes found intercropped
with corn and wheat in the Midwest United States, common burdock grows wild and
vies for the sun and nutrients of the soil. Though routinely overlooked as a
native weed, it nevertheless has the potential to gift the bearer greater health
and ease skin afflictions when harvested for its root.In the herbal world,
burdock is unsurpassed as a blood purifier. It is also the "king" of herbs in
treating chronic skin problems such as eczema, acne, psoriasis, boils,
syphilitic sores, and canker sores.Make a medicinal tea by bringing 1 quart of
water to a boil. Reduce heat. Add 4 teaspoons cut, dried burdock root. Cover and
simmer for 7 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep for 2 hours. Drink a
minimum of 2 cups a day on an empty stomach
Maglia Tommaso Berni , or more if problem persists. This concoction can also be made in a larger quantity and used topically to wash affected skin areas
as needed.Mixed with catnip and made into a tea, burdock root is effective in
clearing up stubborn kidney and gallstones. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add
2 tablespoons of chopped or cut fresh or dried burdock root. Reduce heat and
simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add 3 teaspoons chopped or cut fresh or
dried catnip leaf, and let steep for 1 ?? hours, then strain.For each cup, add 1
teaspoon lemon juice and ?? teaspoon pure maple syrup or blackstrap molasses (to
sweeten). Drink slowly. Follow with 1 tablespoon of pure virgin olive oil 10
minutes later.Repeat this regimen 3 times a day. The tea helps to sooth
irritated tissues, and helps break up or partially dissolve the stones. The
olive oil acts as a lubricant to expel them from the body more easily. Important
to the success of this remedy; digest no greasy, fried foods, soft drinks,
refined carbohydrates (such as white flour or white sugar products), red meat,
or poultry during the course of this treatment.Well-known lecturer, author and
medical anthropologist, John Heinerman, Ph. D., of Salt Lake City
Maglia Ivan Perisic , Utah, recommends the following: take the last cup of tea and spoonful of oil at night before retiring. Sleep on the right side, and
prop a pillow under the armpit. Heinerman says this posture seems to expedite
the removal of the stones from the body.Burdock root ground to a powder, when
combined with dried red clover and dandelion root and packed in gel capsules,
can help clear up acne and blemishes. Take two a day -- morning and evening.
Besides an aid in clearing problem skin when combined with burdock, red clover
is also famous as an alternative cancer treatment, and is a natural blood
thinner. Dandelion root was hailed as a miracle cure for warts and liver spot
remover by the late Will Greer, who portrayed Grandpa Walton on "The Waltons".
In addition, Britain's licensed medical herbalist, Dr. David Potterton noted
that the high insulin content in dandelion root makes it a good sugar
substi.
