Not all illnesses or health concerns immediately require a visit to the doctor. For instance, the common cold or cough you experience during cold weather can be easily treated at home. There’s nothing wrong with trying out home remedies first as long as you don’t take it too far. In fact, many people prefer to be treated at home. Over years of relying on home remedies, a lot of unusual treatments or solutions have accumulated. Some of these are just word of mouth and may even cause adverse effects. However, there are those that are, in fact, effective. Here are twelve bizarre home remedies that actually work.
1. Vinegar for cuticle infections
Vinegar has natural antibacterial properties so you should not be surprised if it works in treating those cuticle infections your get after a painful visit to the salon. Make a solution of warm water and vinegar then dip your fingers in it for 15 minutes every day until the infection is gone.
2. Cloves for cuts
To promote healing and to prevent cuts from getting infected, just sprinkle some powdered cloves on them. The oil in cloves is rich in eugenol which can act as a painkiller and antiseptic.
3. Peppermint essential oil for anxiety and stress
Always keep some peppermint essential oil in hand to sniff whenever work or life in general is stressing you out. Research suggests that participants who sniff on the feel-good scent of peppermint oil reported 20% less anxiety and 25% less frustration.
4. Meat tenderizer for bee stings
Bee or wasp stings will most definitely cause discomfort and cause a large inflammation in the affected area because of the venom the sting contains. After removing the stinger, apply a paste of meat tenderizer powder and water on the sting. It will neutralize the venom thereby reducing inflammation and easing the pain.
5. Chocolate for cough
One of the main components of cough medicine is theobromine. Theobromine is responsible for suppressing the nerves that cause cough reflex. Two ounces of dark chocolate contains just about the same amount of theobromine as most over the counter cough medicines do. That’s why eating dark chocolate can cause relief as it calms the cough reflex nerves.
6. Pencil for headaches
Stress and anxiety can cause people to unconsciously clench their jaw. This can then lead to tension headache. For relief, gently hold a pencil between your teeth. Don’t bite it. This will relax your jaw muscles thereby easing the headache.
7. Acupressure for bodily pains
Acupressure is an alternative medicine technique derived from acupuncture that you can do by yourself. There are various acupressure points on the body that you can hold to relieve yourself of certain symptoms like bodily pains. For instance, apply pressure on the spot between your thumb and index finger by holding it between your other hand’s forefinger and thumb to relieve headaches and toothaches.
8. Sugar for hiccups
Swallow a spoonful of dry sugar to immediately stop hiccups. The grainy texture of sugar can cause the nerves responsible for the diaphragm to contract spasmodically to relax.
9. Apple for whiter teeth
Crunchy fruits and vegetables can get all around your teeth when you chew on them. Because of the gentle malic acid in apples, chewing on it can help cleanse and dissolve the stains on your teeth without damaging your teeth’s enamel.
10. Vinegar for swimmer’s ear
Because swimmer’s ear involves only the outer auditory canal, it can be safely treated at home. Dilute white vinegar with an equal amount of distilled water then use an eyedropper to put 3 drops of the solution in the affected ear 3 times every day until the symptoms disappear. The antibacterial property of vinegar works in treating swimmer’s ear.
11. Tea bags for burns
One of the easiest ways to soothe minor to moderate kitchen burns is by applying a cool, wet tea bag directly on the burn.
12. Toothpaste for bug bites
You can relieve the pain and itch of bug bites by applying a small dab of toothpaste on the area. Since it’s the peppermint oil in toothpaste that brings about relief, peppermint oil will work just as well if not better.
