Selfsufficientish.com

Inspired by the Given a tip by an NHS nurse thread in eco parenting I thought I'd start this thread.

Ok - I'll start then.
1. A friend recommended a daily dose of cider vinegar tablets helps to keep colds at bay. I usually have at least two bad colds in a winter. I've been taking the tablets since the start of this year and so far haven't had a cold (touch wood).

Zoe

2. honey for diarrhoea, 5ml every 3 hours for children, 10 for adults plus the same after each runny stool
3. honey for skin problems, apply and leave,cover with a dressing if it's an open wound.
4. honey for facial skin problems, apply and leave for up to an hour like a facepack. remove with witch hazel/teatree suspended in inert oil
5. cider vinegar for dandruff, make a rinse for your hair with 1:8 cider vinegar and water, use on final rinse.

6. Lemon and/or ginger tea for tummy trouble (or just smelling some ginger if you can't keep anything down).
7. Mint tea for same.
8. Hot lemon and honey (with medicinal brandy) for colds - much nicer than lemsip and must be better for you cos it's a real lemon not some powder from a packet.
9. Sleeeeeep, for just about anything. V v natural!

7 Aloe Vera for burns (you missed yourself there Mrs Fibble! lol)

8. Aloe vera gel for bites,
9. Bee propolis acts an anti-biotic, very effective,
10. Garlic - Also good to use instead of an anti-biotic, (capsules best as its more concentrated and no garlic breath)
11. Lavender - smell it for headaches,

12. A drop of peppermint EO in a tsp of oil, massaged externally where you feel the effects of a cramping stomach (clockwise) or heartburn.

13. A neat drop of lavender EO IMMEDIATELY when you get an insect bite or sting (doesn´t seem to work so well if you don´t get it quickly)

14. Vinegar for nettle stings
15. Vinegar for wasp stings
16. Bicarbonate of soda for bee stings

Lynne

Yoghurt is wonderful for the gut generally but especially if you're taking antibiotics or have a yeast infection. Can also be used topically on yeast infections.

Thyme tea really helps coughs and sore throats. 6 yo DD asks for it at the merest hint of a croak. Infuse fresh thyme then add as much honey as you like - seems like there's no such thing as too much! She didn't drink more than a mouthful of the cup I made her last night though, got distracted, and she ended up off today with a cold and sore throat, so next time it's going down with a funnel!

Again at the first hint of earache I put a drop or two of lavender oil on cotton wool - the only time I didn't do this DD went on to have a full blown ear infection resulting in a burst ear drum; I can't claim that as conclusive proof that this works miracles but it certainly feels like it.

I use a water spray with a few drops each of lavender oil, tea tree oil and citronella oil as an anti-head lice measure and douse DD liberally each morning once I've done her hair. She also smells gorgeous!

Egg white painted onto nappy rash worked brilliantly on DD. The albumen seals the sore skin so it doesn't get irritated by more, er, nappy contents, and so it can heal.

22. (I think) yarrow tea for treating fevers.

23. Colloidal silver for bites, stings, sore throats, cuts, any infection inside or out (we make our own, so I think that would count as a natural remedy?)

24. Sage tea for sore throats (and I second the recommendation for thyme too :) )

25. chamomile tea for fretful / hyped up / over excited / nervous / frightened kids and partners that can't sleep

26. whole clove placed pressed against a sore tooth or mouth ulcer will numb the area (and I've been told is also antiseptic).

27. Eating garlic repels insects, (might be worth convincing your nearest and dearest to do the same)

Tea tree oil for toenail fungus.

Raw honey for wounds.

Gargling with hot, salt water for sore throats.

Baking soda for brushing teeth.

Baking soda for deodorant. Pat on damp underarms. (Don't rub, it makes it too abrasive.)

Vinegar for hair rinse.

Baking soda in bath water. Softens water and has a calming effect.

Pure rose oil on a cotton ball in the ear for earaches.

Echinacea - grow it in your flower beds cos it looks pretty and then dry to use in teas for colds and flu treatments.

Camomile - I know someone has posted about a calming tea made from it - but you can also use a cold camomile tea for bathing sore eyes and hay-fevery watery eyes.

A bouquet garni made from sage and rosemary or eucalyptus if you can grow / get it - hang it over the bath tap as you are running the hot water and it is a giant steam bath for blocked noses and tight chests when you have a cold or for ashma / hay fever sufferers.

A hankie with some drops of lavender oil to help me sleep - I tuck it under my nose in bed. Or a little bag with dried hop flowers. Or (beware veggies) eating pork trotters! It's the gelatin in them that helps insomniacs. I also read that drinking water with a bit of vinegar and honey helps, but I can't testify about that as I am having (bits of) trotter all the time!