I got a sore throat right after Christmas up until today because I gargled with apple cider vinegar for 1 1/2 days (1 teaspoon : 1 cup water - then swallow some so it gets to the yucky parts of throat) and voila!! Sore throat gone!! I'm kissable again!!

Please share your good ones for all of us.

I thought my mom was the only person on the planet who did that

My Dad swears by this stuff called 'Power Soup'. Its made from Chinese herbs, fungi, stock and brandy. You feel flushed from drinking it and its apparently good for everything from the flu to improving your 'yang'.

Personally, I think garlic tablets (or a half-clove a day if you're not fussy about your breath) is a great all-round thing for your blood and for staving off colds.

You're kissable again...but you smell like vinegar.

I've found zinc tablets work very well for colds and throat problems. It's not exactly a home remedy unless you grow your own zinc, but it works for me. I'm a big fan of massive amounts of orange juice when I start to feel sick.

ginger and honey is what is always perscribed in my family for EVERYTHING.
Sore throat: ginger and honey
Body aches: ginger and honey
viral cold: ginger and honey
sinus infection: ginger and honey.

Actually I had a boyfriend with a bad bad case of mono. My mom made him a big batch of her (must be fresh) ginger and honey. He took it and really did start feeling better.

Also what's real good for you is fish oils. My mom always adds these oily fish eggs to her meals...you can hardly taste them....and she has some of the nicest skin and hair.

I've got a few here:

- take echinacea the moment you start to feel ill (if you wait it won't work)
- drink 1 liter of cranberry juice (non-diluted) a day if you feel a urinary tract infection coming on (cranberry tablets also work)
- I'll second the zinc recommendation
- I had a sore throat in China over x-mas and got Silver Ion - at the first spray I noticed strep bubbles, but the silver ion made it go away without anti-biotics. Don't know how easy this is to get though
- tea tree oil for pimples
- ground daikon (Japanese radish) for heart burn / upset stomach

Liz

Hm, old thread but I recently tried one given to me by a student from China. It's for helping a cough:

Boil a pear in some water and after you turn off the heat, add some honey. Drink the liquid (toss the pear).

Hard to say if it works but hot drinks with honey can't really hurt. I think it tastes good too.

For sore muscles.

Boil some mint leaves and pour out water mix leaves with mustard powder put in cloth apply to sore area. It works.

I also put this in another thread but thought it a good idea to put it here too.

A no-drugs remedy for TOOTH-ACHE... When tooth-ache starts you know that it is going to last for days or weeks on end until you can get to a decent dentist. You don't want to have to pop drugs constantly.

SOLUTION!! Lodge a whole Clove next to the gum near the offending tooth and against the cheek. It dulls the pain instantly and works for at least a day, although I usually change for a new one at about 12 hours because it starts to get a bit soggy by then. The clove will stay lodged quite well the entire time and I usually forget it is there - even while eating!!

In my little bottle of Nurofen / Ibuprofen I always have a small stash of whole cloves especially for tooth ache. I have heard that you can also use clove oil but I don't know how long one application lasts - I dare say it would last much less than a simple clove and costs a hell of a lot more.

In my family the usual remedy for eveything (bar broken limbs) is a brisk walk by the sea, preferably on a cold, wet, windy day. I cannot count the number of times I've been bundled into the car wrapped in 10 layers of waterproofs and sporting a pair of wellies..............YUK!

Back to useful remedies though......

Lemon and honey for colds and sore throats (my dad swears by the addition of some whisky!)

Yes, the cloves work well for toothache as they numb your mouth.

In Algeria they make a tisane from vervane (they just call it 'Tizanna') which they use for a multitude of ills. It seems to bring on a fever, so is usually taken at night to 'sweat out' a cold, fever or infection.

When I got quite ill in Algeria with a strange flu thing, my mother-in-law dipped some paper in olive oil, set light to it and made me inhale the fumes..........!

For head-colds and congestion you can get a bowl of boiling water, put a towel over your head and inhale the steam....

Another GREAT, GREAT remedy for urine infections is baking soda/bicarbonate of soda. Mix a tablespoon or two with a glass of water, then down it. It's one of the worst tastes ever, but really does work and is such a relief!! Keep drinking it every 2 hours until you feel better.

To prevent hangovers, take a couple of vitamin B pills after drinking but before going to sleep, along with a glass or two of water.

Everyone in my family seem to be Ginger & Garlic fanatics. Its sickening, cause all the food now tastes of ginger!

Sore Throt & Cough- Lemon and honey
Migraines- sex. YES, it works!!

Too funny...I just discovered Apple Cider Vinegar and have been preaching it ever since!

Chemical-prescribing medical doctors scare me. Yay alternative medicine!

quote:

Originally posted by Ewan:
Everyone in my family seem to be Ginger & Garlic fanatics. Its sickening, cause all the food now tastes of ginger!

*snickering* And he thinks he will get away from all that Ginger and Garlic in India and SEA.