** I am not a medical expert, nor is this official medical advice. This content is for informational purposes only. If you have a serious condition or problem, contact a medical professional. Remember to always do your own research before trying any natural remedies.
Cold, Flu, Cough, and Congestion
- Echinacea can be taken as a supplement, in a tincture, or brewed into a tea to help reduce cold symptoms in the beginning stages of a cold. It should not be taken for more than 10 days at a time.
- Elderberry has been shown to help reduce symptoms such as fever, headache, cough, sore throat, fatigue, and body ache. It works best when taken within 24-28 hours of initial symptoms. You can drink it as a tea or as a syrup. Do not eat raw elderberries, however; they are poisonous.
- A classic remedy for decongesting is to drink warm liquids, such as herbal teas or soup broths. (Some of the best teas include ginger, licorice root, and anise.) This helps to thin mucus, making it easier to expel and less likely to hang around and cause more problems. You can also bring a pot of water to a boil and breathe the steam with a towel draped over your head. To make it even more effective, you can steep herbs such as eucalyptus, thyme, rosemary or peppermint leaves.
Nausea, Diarrhea, and Constipation
- Ginger is a classic when it comes to nausea relief. It can be taken as ginger tea, ginger bread, ginger snaps, crystalized ginger, or in many other forms. Avoid ginger ale, though, unless it has real ginger content—most ginger ales are only made with ginger flavoring, and the high amounts of sugar will only upset your stomach further.
- Leaves from the bilberry plant can help with diarrhea, as they contain tannins which help to ease symptoms of diarrhea.
- Taking senna laxatives is a common treatment for constipation. Senna is an herb derived from the leaves of the plant (though sometimes the fruit is also used). It is only recommended for short-term use.
Small cuts and scrapes
- For your paper cuts and scraped knees, consider applying a couple drops of tea tree oil to the wound (either directly or with a cotton ball) as it has antibacterial and antiseptic properties.
Headache
- Feverfew flowers, fresh or dried, can make a tea that will help soothe your headache. Feverfew relaxes tension, which helps to ease the pressure that may be causing your headache.
- Lavender also has soothing effects, and drinking lavender tea, taking a lavender bath, or using lavender essential oil as aromatherapy can help to ease the pain of a headache.
Bug bites
- The popular burn reliever aloe vera can also help to stop the itching from bug bites that are all too common in the summer. You can find the gel in a store and apply it to the itchy bumps, or if you have an aloe plant (they make great household pets), simply cut one of the leaves close to the base and split open to get the gel out. However, if you have any kind of insect bite (especially from a tick) and it develops and unusual rash, or you start to feel ill or feverish, contact a medical professional right away. Insects can carry a variety of diseases, some life-threatening.
By Jessica Edington