What foods do you use as health remedies?
I recently discovered inadvertently that honey helps with snoring. My husband says my snoring has diminished by 85%. On the internet, I found some comments that appear to validate this remedy. I eat honey with my Fage yogurt (ymmm!). BTW, I found that yogurt - which I eat just b/c I love it and it's a good source of calcium - also seems to have helped with reflux issues.
I recently read that apple cider and cranberry juice are useful remedies for bladder infections.
Can anyone validate the honey, yogurt, apple cider and cranberry experiences. Also, what relatively common foods do you use to treat some maladies?
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31 Comments:
cranberry for bladder issues definately I take cranberry capsules daily on a dr's recomendations. also garlic is a mild antibiotic, ginger for nausea, fennel tea is great for colicy babies and mild upset tummys in adults. honey is also a good topical antibiotic for wounds. there are thousands of others, its a fascinating subject actually.
huneybumper at 1:14PM on 07/19/09
Bananas for an upset stomach. Ginger candy as well. I find that eating yogurt while taking antibiotics can be useful as a prevention for feminine troubles I will not name here.
I've tried raw honey for allergies, but I don't think it worked for me (I think I have a different allergy than it's supposed to be used for). I have used it on cuts/burns instead of Neosporin and it's worked just as well as the antibiotic cream.
gingercookiewithlime at 3:16PM on 07/19/09
Whenever I came down with the flu growing up, my mom always gave me watered down ginger ale (then diet, once it was invented). It was the only liquid I could ingest and have stay down with an upset stomach.
To this day, I can't do ginger ale without thinking that I'm drinking medicine!
conky at 3:16PM on 07/19/09
Hot lemonade with a teaspoon of honey works wonders on a sore throat. Ginger and peppermint are both very good for nausea. I swear kimchi chigae (soup) has healing properties. I rarely had colds when I lived in Korea, and it really helped clean out the sinuses.
yankeesgal at 3:41PM on 07/19/09
Yes, definitely cranberry juice for making urine acidic and helping your bladder flush bacteria. Drink unsweetened for optimum benefit (found in health food stores or the organic section of your grocery). Cut it with plain water, if you must, otherwise, hold your nose and chug it straight.
Agree with above posters that ginger is a stomach-soother. I gave a friend ginger candy to eat while undergoing chemo. You can make ginger tea for colds or upset tummies by boiling chopped ginger root in water, straining. Sweeten with sugar if necessary, add a splash of lemon juice.
Gargling hot salt water is an old trick for cold prevention. When your throat feels scratchy or your ears are closing up and you think you're getting a cold, make a concentrated solution of saltwater -- maybe 1 tablespoon to a cup. Dissolve it. Gargle as long as you can, deep in your throat. Spit out. Repeat.
zucchini at 4:48PM on 07/19/09
@gingercookiewithlime - For the allergy thing, you have to be eating local raw honey (e.g. for NYC you have to get NY city (which means pretty much, illegal rooftop-style) honey, not upstate - it's got to be really localized) and start months before allergy season. Theory is that it gets your body accustomed to the allergens before they arrive...for this reason I've never been able to try it because making a commitment to eating honey every day for months has never seemed possible.
I have never had this ginger tea method fail me in breaking fevers w/ chills: cut up a piece of ginger the size of your thumb and steep 20 minutes in hot water, drink the tea as hot as you can stand, and get under all the covers you've got. You'll fall asleep and wake up an hour or so later bathed in sweat and fever-free (or at least on its way out).
producestories at 4:51PM on 07/19/09
85%??!! lol, did he acutally measure the decible? or was it more like a guess?
i remember my parents used to give me some concoction of milk, garlic, and honey...maybe some other stuff too, i dont remember. this was for various flu and respiratory ailments i think. what i do remember is that it tasted awful and gave me horrendous breath
gypsykid at 4:55PM on 07/19/09
i drink coffee or a coke if i feel a headache coming on.
anything caffeinated, actually.
seems to help.
andshewas at 4:58PM on 07/19/09
Chicken Soup - colds, flu, etc.
Cranberry Juice - UTI's.
Bay Leaf brewed in water- colick in babies.
Chamomile tea - Better than xanax!
Candied Ginger - chew a piece and settle the stomach.
Coke Syrup - settles the stomach.
therealchiffonade at 5:36PM on 07/19/09
I used to use cranberry juice for bladder infections, but my Dr. said that it was all a myth, he said that it actually makes it worse because of all the acid in it. I don't, I haven't had a bladder infection in a long time and if I do get one I will still drink it. Well the other stuff I use the booze, garlic, lemon, honey, chamomile tea, raw ginger, clear chicken broth /pho, hot and sour soup,
pjracz10 at 5:43PM on 07/19/09
Honey/lemon and aloe to alliviate a cold...
Coconut water or kiwi juice to releive constipation...
Lemongrass tea or chamomile/linden tea to calm nerves and aids in sleeping...
Spearmint tea or papaya enzyme tablets to aid in digestion...
Pineapple juice to help relief inflammation...
Madelyn
KarmaFreeCooking
MadelynRodriguez at 5:45PM on 07/19/09
i use to teach cooking classes with the food-as-remedy tie in. the most popular was one i did in the throes of winter called "Cooking to Beat the Cold(s)". it featured soups with ingredients that are rumored to have qualities that stave off cold and flu viri and/or build immunity such as Ginger-Shiitake Hot and Sour Soup, Kale and Potato Stew with Astragulus, Lentil Chile with Red Wine.
whether there's anything to it or not, ingredients go way farther than simple nutrition. your ability to fine-tune your health with a well-stocked medicine pantry is a godsend.
kikihellman at 7:39PM on 07/19/09
@pjracz10 - 1000mg vitamin C per day keeps away UTIs, but cranberry definitely helps when they're coming on. I had a doc once tell me I should go on a permanent low-dose antibiotic to avoid them, and when I balked, he suggested the vitamin C as an alternative. It worked just as well for me.
producestories at 7:41PM on 07/19/09
There are so many natural food cures... where to start?! I recently found that broccoli is great for curing eczema, among other things! My blog has tons of these types of natural cures
rawfoods at 8:50PM on 07/19/09
Chamomile tea for sleep is my contribution...It really works. Oh yes, one more thing..... chocolate cures everything
thegoch at 9:43PM on 07/19/09
@producestories - Yes, I know about how the raw honey thing works. But as I found out I'm not allergic to flowers or pollen just dust and cats.
gingercookiewithlime at 10:55PM on 07/19/09
@thegooch -- i agree, chocolate cures everything, especially those clear skin and small behind problems.
cybercita at 11:29PM on 07/19/09
Lemon slices muddled with honey for relief from just about any respiratory ailment.
It's about the only "medication" I will take for anything if I can help it.
I also like ginger for when I feel crummy, especially when its cold out since it warms you right up. Lots of ginger in good chicken soup = prevention of all kinds of sicknesses, IMO.
Yogurt for GI problems. Keeps the pipes running like clockwork.
Chocolate for emotional ailments!
fuuchan at 12:03AM on 07/20/09
citrus for colds. grapefruit for weight loss (my own weird interpretation of thyroid meds, but really for the amount of time and work involved in prepping and eating a grapefruit, its not a bad hunger-deterent). wasabi for stuffed nose. ginger ale and saltines for upset tummy. chocolate for that time of the month blues. warm water and iodized salt as disinfectant. for my husband, mocha cappuccino drink in the supermarket for sluggishness (massive dose of K).
blizcheetah at 12:23AM on 07/20/09
oh! i forgot.... skin applications, though... not as food. corn starch to increase clotting factor, baking soda water paste for mosquito bites, cinnamon for its anti-infection properties.
blizcheetah at 12:29AM on 07/20/09
Organic apple cider vinegar works amazingly well for arthritic inflammation, and reasonably well for allergies. It also helps with insomnia. A great source for more natural remedies is at earthclinic.com.
smallkitchen at 7:06AM on 07/20/09
garlic ... and fresh parsley for really bad colds/everything -- i once had a terrible cold that lingered for weeks .... took everything... nothing seemed to help.
i usually make my great grandmother's recipe for pasta with garlic and parsley and take it up a notch: take as much garlic as you can stand, chop it up, a large handful or bunch of italian parsley, chopped, put this in a bowl, sprinke some salt and generous drizzle of olive oil... boil the pasta,
(i like medium shells) right before it's done, take a couple ladle fulls of the water and mix with the parsley-garlic mixture.... drain your pasta and use this as a sauce, i like it very soupy.... because that liquid is the thing that's going to cure you. of course, hot pepper and a good pecorino helps....
it WILL cure what's ailing you.... i promise.
pooch at 9:17AM on 07/20/09
*Chicken soup for just about any illness, for comfort and some nutrition.
*Fennel seed boiled is perfect for Colic and also is added to cooking
cabbage to halt a resulting gassy stomach.
*Camomile Tea is perfect for a stomach ache.
*Pure Herbal Peppermint Tea [ 2-3 cups ] will remove all stomach gas.
*Hair soaked with olive oil and plastic wrapped and heat blown for an hour will restore moisture and luster. Be sure to shampoo afterwards.
*To stop lactating, a natural procedure is to use fresh cabbage leaves in
bra cups for two weeks while using a bit of Sage on foods 2 or 3 times.a
day.No shots.no medicine etc and lactation will stop. Absolutely tried and true formula. This is from an ob/gyn doctor in 2003!
*For babies that are ill with colds or flu needing clear fluids,
use Jello powder dissolved in water and given to baby all thru the day.. This is an excellent hydration method, much better than water or juice. This is from a pediatrician.
* For times when a bit of alcohol is needed Brandy is always the best, because it is not a hard liquor but burned wine. Very medicinal and delicious.
Moonmist at 9:57AM on 07/20/09
Butter two slices of bread, lay on sliced of yellow or white onion, salt and pepper then consume for head colds.
BobbieAnne at 10:58AM on 07/20/09
Cranberry is a preventative measure for UTIs, not a cure. Go to your dr when you get a UTI - untreated, they can turn into kidney infections, which can land you in a hospital. I'm all for staying out of the dr's office if you can, but some stuff just needs to be taken care of medically.
I had strep throat 15+ times by the time I was about 13 years old. The last time I had it, we decided that going to the dr's office was kind of useless because I would just get it again later and never learn to fight it if I just kept taking antibiotics. Lots of fluids, gargling with hydrogen peroxide (diluted!!) and then again with salt water solution throughout the day, and drinking - of all things - orange juice with tabasco stirred in ... I never got strep again.
joyyy at 11:48AM on 07/20/09
Boil dried red dates for iron deficiency. Add honey if you like. Old chinese medicine recipe.
bigfatmouth at 10:31PM on 07/20/09
yuck, bigfatmouth. i will stick to dried apricots.
blizcheetah at 12:29AM on 07/21/09
Whiskey and rock candy with a wool sock tied around your throat over night has been known to cure a sore throat.
Poultrygeist at 6:54AM on 07/21/09
Thanks for all the fabulous food-health remedies. Adding to Moonmist's olive oil and hair:
*For dry hair, I use a bit of olive oil rubbed in my scalp daily, brush it out, but do not rinse. It's not v. greasy that long b/c it gets absorbed.
*For dry skin, especially after swimming, I use a slight amount of olive oil all over.
*For daily dry facial treatment (especially aging skin): olive oil after washing my face. To my great surprise, turns out it smooths out wrinkles for the day!
I figure that if I can consume olive oil internally, I can use it externally, too. Turns out the Greeks bathed in it, and Sophia Loren uses it. I use the best - cold press, organic, etc. off the grocery shelf, Whole Foods home brand. So it's great...and cheap!
Ruffles1 at 7:15AM on 07/21/09
@gingercookiewith lime - I don't want to think about what you'd have to eat to build up immunity to cat dander!
producestories at 8:34AM on 07/21/09
Yogurt, inside and out. Eaten for GI problems and when on antibiotics, and as a facial and hair masque when my skin gets scaly in the winter.
And like many other posters, I drink several cupsful of broth with smashed up fresh garlic, fresh ground black pepper, and sambal paste when I feel a cold coming on. It doesn't always prevent a cold, but it is very soothing and stops my coughing for a while.
Kerosena at 2:53PM on 07/22/09