Top Five Herbal Remedies Found in Most Kitchens
Simple Herbs Used Everyday that have Hidden Medicinal Qualities
Sep 25, 2009
Natural remedies and herbal medicine don't involve pharmacies or elaborate potions and elixirs. It can be as simple as choosing the right foods and herbs to include in dinner. Here is a selection of medicinal plants that are already found in many kitchens.
Ginger
Fresh ginger root is useful for a huge variety of ailments. The most potent, perhaps, and most frequently studied, are its nausea fighting properties. Regardless of the source of nausea, ginger is almost guaranteed to help — including being supremely effective in treating or preventing motion sickness. But there is so much more, as well. It is also a good anti-inflammatory, may helps lower cholesterol, and reduce the risk of blood clots (and thus may help prevent both heart disease and strokes). One study even suggests it may prevent Alzheimer's.
It can be added to the food to give it a delightfully tangy, mildly spicy edge; or, it can be grated and steeped as a pleasantly warming tea. Of course, supplement pills are also available, but fresh is more effective and much more tasty.
Peppermint
Similarly to ginger, peppermint's best known and best studied properties are fighting nausea, indigestion, and other stomach discomforts. It has even shown positive effects for Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS. Lesser known but just as helpful, is peppermint's use to relieve headaches. Peppermint tea or a dab of peppermint oil to the temples can provide surprising relief for most headaches, no matter the cause. It is also wonderfully cooling on a hot summer day!
Garlic
Garlic is antibiotic, antiviral and antifungal, useful for treating almost any kind of infection. It also greatly enhances immune system health when consumed fresh and raw or nearly-raw. Because it helps to prevent clotting, it can be useful for treating many types of circulatory issues, like heart disease, strokes, and high blood pressure. It even shows promise for normalizing blood sugar levels, thus providing benefit for those with diabetes. It also contains potent antioxidants, which protect the body from free radical damage.
Chamomile
Many people have chamomile in their kitchens, in the form of teabags. More than just a pleasant drink, chamomile has a lovely variety of natural remedy properties.
Like both ginger and peppermint, it is quite useful for stomach upset and nausea. It is also very soothing and calming, and provides help with insomnia and other sleeping problems. And as if all that wasn't enough, it is a powerful anti-inflammatory and speeds the body's healing process. It is frequently used as a wash for rashes and irritated skin, and even eye problems, like pink-eye.
Oats
Often overlooked, simple oats have a number of healing properties. It is almost unparalleled for soothing itchy skin, regardless of the cause; it can be soaked in a bit of water and applied as a sort of paste, or added to a bath. It is said that this also helps with arthritis and rheumatism. Cooked oats help regulate the digestive system and soothe the nerves, and recent studies have shown that cooked oat bran reduces high cholesterol.
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