Mama's Home Remedies: Discover Time-Tested Secrets of Good Health and the Pleasures of Natural Livin, Svetlana Konnikova [classic fiction .TXT] 📗

from an article, “The Life That Is Costing Hundreds of Billions of Dollars,” published by a health organization in New Zealand.9 “This is why the medical and research establishments are not in the least interested in prevention (practically all diseases are preventable).”

Preventive care is the solution to disease. It can keep us healthy and free of illnesses. We can do it! We just have to learn how to do it. How can we begin to think differently about how we maintain our healthy bodies and help prevent serious illness? First, get smart! Keep up to date on the latest research on alternative health measures. We must equip ourselves with this powerful tool. With knowledge we can provide first aid and preventive healthcare in our own homes for ourselves and our families and avoid spending a fortune on doctor visits and drugstore prescriptions. Greek mythology tells us that Apollo, the god of prophesy, music, and healing, equated the medicinal worth of the common garden radish to that of gold, rapeseed to silver, and turnip to lead. Apollo later fathered a son, Asclepiad (Roman, Aesculapius), who is known to us now as the ancient Greek god of medicine and healing.

Aesculapius in Roman mythology is a god of healing. His name became synonymous with “doctor” or “healer” in an ironically playful way. Aesculapius 28 ^ Mama’s Home Remedies

or Asclepiad is known as the god of healing who became so skilled that he attempted to resurrect the dead, thus angering Zeus, who struck him dead with a thunderbolt.

The medical profession has adopted his symbol, a staff entwined by a snake.

I know some great American and European doctors who not only employ the use of well-known antibiotics and other drugs under their strict supervision, but they also prescribe and make their own healing herbal remedies. They garnered these natural remedies from centuries of wisdom, proven by generations of healers in Europe, Asia, and North and South America. They know that their patients rely on their knowledge and attitude. Good doctors are compelled to gain victory over disease.

Popping an over-the-counter pain tablet may provide temporary relief from a simple headache, but most of these drugs will not provide relief for migraine headaches—and loading up on chemicals over long periods of time does the body little good. Why not try a natural remedy instead?

Not everyone knows that most of us have in our kitchens a well-stocked

“apothecary.” Even today the common garden radish, swede, and turnip are valued in folk medicine for their healing properties.

R 1. One tablespoon of garden radish juice, squeezed from the root and taken three times, is helpful in decreasing coughs and soothing a hoarse voice. It is useful in treating dysfunctions of the liver and gal bladder, including the formation of stones in the kidneys and liver.

R 2. Garden radish juice makes an excel ent massage emol ient in the treatment of rheumatism and colds.

R 3. Although in most cases not as effective as radish juice, the juice of a turnip mixed with honey settles a cough.

R 4. Cooked and pulverized turnip root used as a plaster helps heal gout in the foot.

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R 5. A plaster of washed, fresh cabbage leaves applied to the forehead and temples relieves headaches.

R 6. Try the same plaster to soothe a burn, bruise, or external abrasions. R 7. Systematical y chew sauerkraut to make weak gums stronger. R 8. A wart rubbed with the fresh juice of sour apples over 10 days wil darken, decrease in size, and then disappear.

R 9. One tablespoon each of rum, glycerin, and lemon juice mixed and rubbed into the scalp strengthens the hair.

R 10. A cotton pad soaked in the freshly squeezed juice of two to three garlic cloves or one cut garlic clove rubbed onto the affected area treats skin disorders, including eczema and balding. Garlic acts as an effective antiseptic, antibacterial, and antifungal healer for other infected skin conditions such as acne.

R 11. Drink ½ cup of freshly squeezed cabbage juice 30 minutes before breakfast, lunch, and dinner for three to four weeks to help with weight loss.

R 12. A freshly grated beet, mixed with one tablespoon sour cream, is used to treat acne and purulent (festering) pimples by applying to the affected area for five minutes.

R 13. Strong black coffee made with freshly ground coffee beans can be used as a hand bath and to treat nail fungus.

R 14. Painful corns can be treated by rubbing them with fresh tomato slices for 15 minutes a day for two weeks.

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In your kitchen you will most likely find a vegetable that sailors have used for ages to treat burns, stomach ailments, and scurvy while navigating the high seas—the potato.

Potato ( Solanum) is a perennial plant. In many countries it is “second bread.” It is almost impossible to find another plant that is so similar to the simple bread we eat every day. As a main food product, the potato is also one of the favorites in “people’s medicine,” and it can usually be found right in our pantries.

Potato is a diuretic, and if cooked, can successfully treat respiratory diseases. The following remedies are best when used with organic potatoes. R 15. Cook two to three potatoes in water. Drain. Dice