Strange Brew

Have you ever noticed that all of the old remedies taught to you by your mother, grandmother, great-grandmother (or the fathers) and so forth work better than any over-the-counter product you can buy?

Well if you are saying "No" right now, then you need to get in touch with your roots child!

I was just thinking about this today as I read this prevention.com article entitled: 19 Bizarre Home Cures That Really Work.

One of the ones that stood out from this to me was about Duct tape. You know we have all made the joking generalization at times that Duct tape works for everything.

In fact a popular saying is, "There are only two things you need in life, Duct Tape and WD40. If doesn't move and should, use WD40. If it moves and shouldn't use the Duct Tape." lol It's funny but in a lot of ways kind of true! :) So just when I thought I knew all of the uses for the stuff, besides the obvious ones, we find:

Home cure: Duct tape

Use it for: Warts

Yes, this really does work! Covering warts with duct tape eliminates them better than freezing them off, according to a study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. In the study, the duct tape eliminated 85% of the warts after 2 months, compared with 60% with the freezing method.

To use duct tape safely, clean the area. Then cut a piece of duct tape to a size slightly bigger than the wart. Apply the duct tape to the site and rub into place. Every 3 days, remove the tape and file down dead skin with a pumice stone or nail file. Repeat until the wart disappears. Chemicals in the tape suffocate and kill the wart.

Can you believe it??

If anyone has a wart, please give this a try, or I will if I get one anytime in the future. I must know the outcome of this "home remedy".

Other natural remedies that I have been taught throughout my life are:

1. Hiccups - A spoonful of sugar. This one works. Of course the 9 swallows of water works too, but either way, give em a try. Beats getting the Bejezzuz scared out of ya.

2. Ringworm - Once my nephew had a ringworm, and my Mom used a Green Walnut on it. She simply opened it up, and placed one of the sides of the unripe pod over the ringworm, worked like magic.

3. Zits, Burns, Irritations, Cuts - Anything related to skin is solved easily with a pinch off the ol' Aloe Vera plant. You can get the stuff from the store, but nothing works quite as great as the leaf itself. The plants are very easy to grow, so even if you don't have a green thumb, you can still most likely grow an Aloe Vera plant. It's worth it!

4. Coughs/Colds - Mom always has her "remedy" made up for this, which consists of "Old Charter Bourbon Whiskey", Glycerin (preferably vegetable glycerin) which is a lung healer, rock candy or honey/lemon etc... something to sweeten the bite of the Old Charter. It really does help... or you'll end up drunk, whichever comes first. ;)

What are some natural remedies that have been passed on to you from your elders, or that you have learned in your life that truly work? Why not share and pass along a bit of wisdom. We could save a bit at the Pharmacy to boot!