Fun With Herbal Remedies

First, always make sure you have read the same information on a few different sources. Since herbal cures are not always listed on what are typically considered "reputable sites," you want to cross reference your results. There are many authoritative books in libraries and bookstores but, on the internet, it’s a little more scattered. You have to be more careful about where you get your information from. Also, you want to use common sense. If it doesn’t sound right, it’s best to go with your instinct.

Whenever I do a search on herbal remedies, or natural cures, I always see the word, “alternative” associated with it. This boggles my mind because, to me, it seems as if the drug companies that make all of these synthetic, designer drugs are the ones producing “alternatives.” The cures that come from nature are just that, natural. Herbal remedies have been around for years and years, not those other drugs you buy for exorbitant prices at drug stores.

Now, mind you, I don’t mind modern medicine at all. I think its done wonders in helping people and, I myself, have benefited greatly from the advancements of modern medicine. For instance, when I gave birth to my daughter, I gladly welcomed any type of modern medicine that was injected into my IV. I’m not sure an herb would have provided the relief I was looking for at that time.

As a rule, when I do get sick, or have some type of ailment, I usually look on the internet, or, in one of the many books I have for something I can do immediately, that will help relieve or, cure my problem naturally. I tend to use the doctor as a last resort. It just depends.

It’s impossible to cover all of the herbal remedies that are out there but, I wanted to share with you some that I have personally used and, what the results were. Many of you probably have used some yourself but, didn’t really think of it as an herbal remedy.

Cranberry, for instance, is commonly used when someone is having problems with their kidneys. It prevents the spread of bacteria. I have experienced quite a few kidney infections in my time so; I know what the pain feels like. Drinking cranberry juice really does work. You want to find actual cranberry juice, however. The cocktails typically just have a bunch of sugar. They work but, you have to drink so much more and all that sugar can cause other problems.

Garlic is my favorite. I get excited over garlic. I do love the taste on various foods and yes, the smell is bad but, totally worth taking when you are sick. This is natures antibiotic. It kills just about anything in your system, any nasty “bug,” or mild infection. Garlic also helps you in other ways. It’s good for your urinary system as well as your immune system. It also assists your circulatory system.

I have had great results with garlic. When you go to school or work, especially during cold seasons, you run into people that are sick all the time. Taking garlic on a regular basis and increasing dosage, when you know you’ve been around sick people really does prevent you from getting sick. If you’re sick already, it fights off whatever is in your body. Always keeps some on hand.

Now, you can take garlic tabs. Those work well. The best way to take garlic is, eating actual garlic. I take a clove and mince it. I then, carefully throw it in the back of my mouth and wash it down with water immediately. If you want, you can put it in your food too. The more you mince it, the more surface area you expose and the faster it moves in your system.

I have also taken milk thistle. It comes in a capsule. I’ve also seen it in a liquid. It is best known for protecting the liver and ridding it from toxins. My interest in taking it stems from all the alcohol I’ve consumed over my life time. Now, I can’t tell you for certain if my liver is all better now but, I can say, cutting back on alcohol to a minimum, is most certainly a good idea.

According to various sources, it’s not certain whether milk thistle will improve your liver, if it has already been diseased from alcohol abuse. So, if you already have cirrhosis, it is possible that it will not help you. You want to take it as a preventive measure.

If you have taken a lot of acetaminophen over the years, it’s highly recommended that you take milk thistle. Acetaminophen or, Tylenol is very bad for your liver and can cause damage.

Peppermint is great for babies and calming their tummies. I was told this by several relatives. I have to say, when I was pregnant, I tried reading all the baby books but, I got so fed up with the advice, and I became paranoid. I finally just said, “I’ll figure it out. I’ll just ask the people I know that are mommies.” It’s worked out great so far.

I put a peppermint candy in the bottom of a bottle, with room temp water and gave that to my baby girl when she was feeling ill and spewing on me. It really seemed to calm her and worked out great for me.

Safflower is said to help with balancing cholesterol, nourish your gallbladder, and nourish your respiratory system. I purchased safflower oil for the purposes of a remedy for asthma. You use the oil for something called, “oil pulling.”

If you don’t know what this is, I’ll explain. Various oils help with various conditions and you can use these oils for “pulling” in order to relieve you of your complaint. Most all oils can be used to assist with allergy problems. I have asthma so, I decided to try the Safflower for the “pulling.”

What you do is take a small amount of oil and put it in your mouth. Then you swish it in your mouth, pulling the oil through your teeth, which basically means, getting a really good suction feel. You want to do this for several minutes. Upon spitting out the oil, you want it to look completely white.

There are two theories as to why this works. One is a belief that the oil is “pulling” out toxins from the membranes found in the mouth, which I think is absolutely absurd. The more plausible reason this works is because, the oil is easily absorbed in the body, mostly under the tongue and, in this case, the Safflower, gets in the body and helps nourish the respiratory system.

Of course, there is always the third option, the placebo effect. It seems to help me so; I continue to use this method. It also has a nice side effect people really enjoy. It cleans your teeth like no other.

There are a few more that I have used. There are literally hundreds of herbs that can be used for various things. Research is really the key to finding success with herbal remedies.