Seven everyday items from honey to ginger and oats that can cure your illnesses from eczema to constipation
GPs are now being advised not to offer drugs to patients for illnesses such as hard-to-shift colds or coughs, and are instead encouraging the use of honey and over-the-counter medicines
GOT an annoying cough you can’t seem to shift?
Rather than trouble your doctor, a trip to your kitchen cupboard might be enough.
New guidance from Public Health England will tell GPs not to offer drugs to patients in most cases and instead encourage them to try honey or over-the-counter medicines.
Costly antibiotics often make little difference anyway.
Coughs aren’t the only ailment you can cure using culinary staples.
Amy Jones reveals the remedies you might find nestling next to your baked beans.
Cherries for gout
According to a 2016 survey, cherries – whether sour or sweet, red or black, in extract form, as a juice or raw – are potentially a remedy for many gout sufferers.
It is recommended you have three handfuls of cherries over a two-day period to help counteract uric acid in the blood.
Ginger tea for heartburn
Ginger has been used as a folk remedy for heartburn for centuries, as it is a natural stomach soother and can help reduce the production of acid in our bodies.
To make ginger tea, steep raw ginger root, dried ginger root or ginger tea bags in boiling water. But wait for the tea to cool to tepid before drinking or you risk inflaming your heartburn.
Milk for PMS
Sick of PMS mood swings and feeling lethargic? Grab a glass of milk.
It is thought women with PMS have lower blood calcium levels than those without and it is recommended adults consume about 1,000mg of calcium a day.
Milk is one of the best dairy products to include calcium, so down a glass of the white stuff to ease your irritability.
Peppermint oil for IBS
Peppermint has an antispasmodic effect on the gastrointestinal tract that can help to relieve gas and bloating.
It can also calm stomach cramps, soothe indigestion and ease irritable bowl syndrome. Opt for peppermint tea instead of your usual English breakfast cuppa to help soothe IBS.
Cider vinegar for joint pain
Many people have claimed apple cider vinegar’s antioxidant beta carotene and acetic acid content produces miraculous effects in easing arthritis pain.
It is best consumed by mixing two teaspoons with a glass of water and consuming as a drink – but too much is dangerous. Add a dollop of honey to counteract the sour taste.
Rhubarb for constipation
Rhubarb is a natural laxative, so it is good to indulge in the occasional crumble. It improves appetite, relieves stomach pain and can help treat intestinal parasites so your digestive system is kept healthy.
Porridge for eczema
Trials suggest oatmeal relieves eczema symptoms by reducing inflammation and normalising skin pH levels. Try whizzing some porridge oats in a food processor and place them into a sock.
Hold it under the tap while running the bath and the water will take on a milky appearance, helping the skin when you hop in.
Sage for hot flushes
It tastes great with onions in the stuffing for your Sunday roast . . . but sage also has some remarkable properties that significantly decrease hot flushes in menopausal women.
According to the website Herb Wisdom, sage reduces sweating when given as a dried extract or as an infusion. It credits “the presence of volatile oil . . . for most of its therapeutic properties”.
Coconut oil for thrush
Coconut oil’s anti-fungal properties can help clear up that annoying yeast infection.
For oral thrush, melt the coconut oil in the microwave. When it is cool enough, swirl it around the mouth for 30 seconds then spit out.
For a skin infection, treat the affected area by applying the oil straight from the jar, rubbing it in as you would a cream.
Licorice for cold sores
Serving as an anti-inflammatory and an immune booster due to the glycyrrhizic acid it contains, the licorice root is thought to have the ability to heal cold sores.
Or you can pick up licorice powder in health shops. Mix it with water or petroleum jelly and apply directly to sores.
Bananas for verucas
Got a stubborn verruca on your foot that won’t seem to go? Try rubbing banana skin on it.
The sticky layer inside the peel which stops it going rotten has antiviral properties.
Tape the skin of an overripe banana to the verruca and it should reduce the size and fight the infection.
MOST READ IN HEALTH
Lavender oil for migraines
In a study of lavender therapy published in the Journal of Herbal Medicine, after a three-month period participants reported a reduction in the frequency and severity of their migraines.
Apply the oil to the temples for relief from the debilitating headaches or simply add a couple of drops to boiling water and inhale the vapours. Lavender can help combat stress too.
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