Hot Home Remedies
We've all heard of home remedies for various ailments. We may even have tried one or two because Mom swore by them. As usual, she was right. Sara Altshul O'Donnell, alternative medicine editor of Prevention magazine and author of The Woman's Book of Healing Herbs, joins CBS This Morning to detail some of the more popular and surprising home remedies for the ailments that tend to hit during the dog days of summer.
Here are some remedies that have stood the test of time. They've been passed down from one generation to another because they work.
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Immediately apply baking soda to the affected area and it will take the sting away. It contains an alkaline substance that neutralizes acidic substances like insect venom. It works best if you leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes.
If possible, you want to try preventing bug bites by using natural oils like citronella. It keeps bugs away and you won't smell like DDT.
If you do get bitten, use Tobasco sauce. It will produce a counter irritation that will take your mind off the pain and take the itch away.
Raw onion is good if you're on a picnic when you're bit. Place it on a bug bite to help remove venom. Better to smell like an onion than to itch.
Ginger has been proven to remove motion sickness without the dry mouth that Dramamine causes. You can take either ginger candy, which is crystallized ginger, or drink ginger tea. You only need a small piece of candy, about an inch long.
Swimmer's ear is a fungus that grows when water stays in the ear. Make an ear drop of half peroxide and half rubbing alcohol and drop it into the infected ear. It can be done immediately after a swim to avoid getting it.
If you get swimmer's ear anyway, put a couple of drops of garlic ol into your ear.
When you're out in the summer and playing active sports, you may be prone to getting blisters on your feet. Give them a milk bath. Saturate a cotton ball or washcloth with cool milk and apply it to the blister within the first 24 hours and it will relieve the inflammation and pain. Milk has a protein that may also promote healing. Cleopatra was famous for her milk baths and her soft skin.
Tea tree oil is an essential oil from Australia. It is a marvelous anti-fungal treatment and an antiseptic for sunburn and acne.
You could also try taking four or five cloves of garlic and mashing them up. Pour hot water over it and let it cool. Soak for 15 to 20 minutes. Yes, your feet will smell, but the lemon juice help.
You can also make a strong ginger tea using an ounce of ginger root to a cup of boiling water. Let it simmer for 20 minutes and then cool. Apply it to a cotton ball and put it on the affected area.
Use skullcap. This common herb related to mint has properties that relieve itching and calm anxiety. For a child, mix 1/4 teaspoon of skullcap in water. For a grownup, use up to twice that depending on body weight.
If you know you have been exposed to poison oak or ivy, use rubbing alcohol or vodka. Both absorb the oils that cling to your skin and may prevent the skin from breaking out.
If you are doing more walking or sports than normal and get a muscle cramp, eat a banana. When you sweat, you lose potassium. By eating a banana, you replace the lost potassium that caused the cramp.
For more information on alternative medicine please visit Prevention magazine's Healthy Ideas Web site.
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