Find Relief for Common Ailments with Herbs
Instead of picking up OTC medicines or visiting a GP for common ailments, you can treat yourself at home with medicinal herbs that can cure simple health disorders.
Medicinal herbs provide natural and safe remedies for several common health conditions. The healing power of herbs is well-known. Here are ways you can use them:
- Thyme or ajwain is good for cough, congestion, sore throat or bronchitis. Make thyme tea with one teaspoon dried thyme and have thrice daily.
- Herbs that relieve gas and bloating include fennel, caraway or dill seeds. Drink a cup of tea made from these after your meal to get relief.
- Keep ginger handy to relieve nausea, dizziness, morning sickness, motion sickness, indigestion and arthritis. Ginger tea gives relief for these conditions. Fresh ginger juice mixed with a cup of fenugreek decoction and honey is good for treating asthma. Blend two teaspoons ginger powder with one teaspoon of turmeric powder with water and apply this warm paste on any part of your body where you have pain.
- Chamomile is good for allergies, relieving anxiety and stress, indigestion, irritable bowel syndrome and eczema.
- Garlic is helpful for arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes and cancer. A homemade mixture of one teaspoon crushed fresh garlic, one cup tomato juice, one-fourth teaspoon red chili powder and one teaspoon lemon juice is good for sinus. Drink the warm mixture slowly. Garlic oil relieves earache.
- Curcumin, present in turmeric, can prevent or destroy cancer cells of several types. Curcumin has anti-inflammatory properties and eases arthritic pain. Turmeric is anti-bacterial and antiseptic and used for skin conditions. It is added to milk with pepper and consumed for colds and coughs. Drinking a cup of warm milk with turmeric and saffron controls internal bleeding.
- Black pepper is included in various cough and cold remedies.
- Green tea has cancer prevention properties, especially lung, breast, stomach and skin cancers. It is good for weight loss.
- Rub the pulp of lemon over bruise several times for relief. A glass of warm water with lemon juice and honey first thing in the morning helps in weight loss and controls acidity. Lemon juice is good for constipation. Washing your mouth with diluted lime juice clears bad breath.
- Capsicum is helpful for arthritis, shingles, muscle pain, etc.
- Aloe vera helps deal with acne, burns, insect bites and other skin conditions. Drinking aloe vera juice thrice daily controls hemorrhoids. For menstrual cramps have a tablespoon of aloe vera gel with two pinches of black pepper thrice a day.
- Coffee is good for asthma and fatigue
- Fenugreek seeds are good for diabetes and hyperacidity.
- Treat acne and blackheads with grated cucumber, applying it over the face, eyes and neck and washing off after fifteen minutes.
- Clove oil applied over teeth relieves toothache. Rub a mixture of ground cloves with sesame oil and rub over the back to get relief from backache.
- Warm a betel leaf and place on the affected area with a layer of castor oil for relief from boils.
- A decoction or juice made with basil leaves with honey relieves cough.
The list of medicinal herbs is exhaustive. Calendula, evening primrose, rosemary, lavender, eucalyptus, passion flower, tea tree, parsley, ginseng, cranberry, blackberry, raspberry, apple, cocoa, mushroom, pomegranate, flaxseed, peppermint, licorice, etc., all have medicinal properties and are used by people from various cultures as home remedies for different ailments.
