There are some wellness concerns that aren’t worth the bother of getting treatment for, but can still be a real pain in the backside. However, whether it’s smelly feet, sunburn or constipation, there are complementary remedies you can use right in the comfort of your own kitchen. This is according to Premila Veramoothea, author of A Pharmacy In Your Kitchen, who has alternative remedies for everything from bed-wetting to haemorrhoids.
According to Veramoothea, who has qualifications in homeopathy, aromatherapy, ayurveda, reiki, reflexology and home-care, ‘The book is a reference guide and must be kept in every kitchen for the simple reason that most of the remedies are found in the kitchen. It is therefore directed towards caregivers responsible for the care of children, adults, aged parents or even themselves.’
She explains, ‘These remedies are inexpensive, effective and have fewer or no side-effects. Best of all, it can also be sourced from your kitchen. Most home remedies are based in the knowledge that most natural food like fruit, vegetables, cereal, grains, spices, seeds and nuts as well as other natural substances possess many medicinal virtues. The living proof is that our ancestors, who used natural remedies, lived happier, healthier and longer lives than the present generation.’
So here are a few niggling ailments, as described in A Pharmacy In Your Kitchen, and the remedies you already have in your kitchen cupboards:
1. Smelly feet – Boil three teabags in 500ml water and soak your feet for 20 minutes.
2. Gas and bloating – Add caraway seeds and/or parsley to your meals, especially to foods known to cause gas. Alternatively, chew on fennel seeds or make them into tea.
3. Constipation – Snack on grapes or apples, squeeze lemon juice into warm water first thing in the morning, or swallow a teaspoon of linseeds with water before each meal. For the abdominal pain, sip on ginger tea.
4. Diarrhoea – For the cramps and abdominal pain, drink ginger tea. For the diarrhoea itself, try butter milk.
5. Heartburn – Snack on fresh or dried bananas, or drink camomile tea or Aloe Vera juice.
6. Insect bites and stings – Soak cotton wool in mouthwash and apply to the affected area. Otherwise, apply tea tree oil, or crushed aspirin and a few drops of water, to the sting. This works for bee stings, spider bites, flea bites and mite bites.
7. Sunburn – Apply a cloth soaked in milk to the burn area, or else try a piece of raw cucumber or potato.