Being an advocate of home remedies show I am not one for rushing off to the doctor’s anytime we feel a slight discomfort. I am all for trying out some simple things that actually work. There are some home remedies (sometimes strange and weird) just waiting for us to discover.
I remember a vacation in the village a long time ago. Then, one of my biggest challenges was how to get rid of that irritating eczema on my skin. It comes, it goes. It was now at the ‘comes’ stage. A friend asked me to pluck some leaves growing around the compound. He crushed the leaves and rubbed the juice on the eczema around my neck area. A few days later, the skin around the area got so dry I could peel off the the eczema exposing brand new skin sans eczema underneath. The Strange part of that eczema treatment is, somebody has to apply the juice of that plant on your skin. It won’t work if you do it yourself. Seriously, I tried it on a few eczema patches just above my elbow. Nothing happened.
Okay, we are not talking eczema here though. Just some home remedies you can definitely do on your own. And, I’m not sending you the village. Most of them are just around the corner
Smelly Feet? Use Vodka
Medically known as bromodosis, smelly feet is one of those affliction that is perfectly designed to compromise your carefully cultivated image. Imagine going to one of those houses where you have to remove your shoes before getting in?
It is caused by bacteria growing on the feet during the day. Those with smelly feet have stories to tell about how washing the feet thoroughly doesn’t seem to alleviate the condition. So, it is not a question of hygiene. But the fact it affects men more than ladies is a clear attempt by nature to entrench the wrong notion that men are generally unhygienic.
Forget all those creams and chemicals in the market promising you the world. Drink your vodka (if you are a vodka man); soak a clean cloth with some of it, and swipe your feet with it. The high alcoholic content of vodka kills the bacteria by its drying action. And by the way, if you are not a vodka person, just buy it as part of your first aid kit.
Lemon For Morning Sickness
One of the joys of being a woman is getting pregnant. One of the miseries of being pregnant is morning sickness. Morning sickness in pregnant women can range from zero to very severe. So severe that some have to call in sick because they can’t function normally. And sometimes it is not advisable to take over-the-counter drugs to revive the sickness. They can be harmful to the foetus. Lemons can be very helpful in relieving it. So, having fresh lemon in the freeze during the your pregnancy is a pretty good idea.
The refreshing citrus scent of of the fruit is known to work wonders on that feeling of nausea linked with morning sickness.
Simple Home Remedy for Acne
Acne, the bane of youths and the one thing standing in the way of having a flawless skin. There are several medications in the market to help out. We all tried them with varying degrees of success. Some times nothing works. When those fancy creams work, it is all down to the salicylic acid present in them. The humble aspirin lying on your shelf contains a large dose of a similar substance. Known as acetylsalicyclic acid, it can do miracles for your acne in about an hour.
Simply crush the pill in a bowl or suitable container. Mix it with just enough water to turn it into a paste. And just like that you have made an acne cream. Apply the paste on the acne and leave it there. Wash it off when it is too dry to remain on the skin.
Use Onions For Earaches
Earaches can be very frightening especially for kids. The pain is nestled so deep inside a hole on the side your head. Your wonder what is going on, or might this be the early stage of permanent damage to your ear? Imagine not listening to those nice uplifting songs in church every Sunday.
Most times, earaches are caused by fluids trapped inside causing infection. Only a few people know about the antiseptic properties of onions. As far as they know, onions is only good to be eaten. And they wished it never stings the eyes while being cut. To make an ear disinfectant with onions is easy. Just boil it until it is soft. When it is cold enough to hold, squeeze out the juice into a container. About 3 drops of the warm juice in the affected ear is enough to bring relieve fast. Use a medicine dropper to apply the onions juice.
A thought at the back of my mind: wished I could just go back in time and learn a few tricks about how our ancestors successfully fought diseases at home. You know, before the advent of modern medicine. I could make a lot of money selling the recipe of these ancient home remedies.
The concluding part of this piece is tomorrow. In the mean time, I would be glad to know of some exotic home remedies your use.
