Your Kitchen Is a Medicine Chest

By Michele D. Baker 

Did you know your pantry or kitchen cabinets are all part of your medicine chest? Many common problems can be remedied easily at home: here’s an A-Z guide. Be sure to consult your doctor or pharmacist in case herbal or home remedies interact with your prescription medications, and remember, these remedies shouldn’t replace professional medical attention.

Arthritis – Parsley tea: pour a cup of boiling water over 1 teaspoon of fresh chopped parsley. Let it infuse, strain, and sip throughout the day. 

Bad Breath – Mouth rinse: combine ½ Tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1 Tablespoon ground cloves, and 1 Tablespoon of ground nutmeg in a bowl. Add ½ cup of sweet sherry or dry vermouth, pour into an airtight bottle, and allow to steep 3 days. Strain and rebottle. Add a few drops to a glass of water and rinse the mouth. 

Bloating – Before breakfast, take 1 teaspoon cider vinegar and 1-2 teaspoons honey in a glass of warm water. 

Bruises – Eat fresh pineapple or drink fresh pineapple juice. 

Chapped lips – Lip balm: Mix 5 Tablespoons almond oil with 1 Tablespoon of beeswax. 

Chest congestion – Inhaler: Add peppermint oil and eucalyptus oil to a bowl of boiling water. Drape a towel over your head and lean over the bowl. Inhale the steam for about 5 minutes. (Do not use on sensitive skin.) 

Cold sores – Compress: apply witch hazel with a cotton swab or press a wet tea bag against the sore (tannins will reduce the inflammation). 

Related: The 5 Best Foods to Eat When You Have a Cold

Common cold – Infusion: To a cup of boiling water, add 1-2 peeled, crushed garlic cloves; juice of 1 lemon + ½ of the grated rind; a pinch of cayenne pepper; ½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger; and 1-2 Tablespoons honey. Allow to steep and drink (including the solids). Rest as much as possible. 

Diarrhea – Eat well-cooked, salted rice and drink the water it was cooked in. Drink plenty of liquids. 

Fatigue – Infusion: Pour 1 cup boiling water over 1 teaspoon rosemary leaves, infuse for 30 minutes, and strain. Drink ¼ cup warm upon waking and at bedtime. 

Image courtesy of Unsplash

Flatulence –

1. Drink a mug of hot milk with cinnamon.

2. Eat a dill pickle and 1 teaspoon of pickle brine. 

Gut Health / Microbiome –

1. Eat sauerkraut, pickled anything (cucumbers, carrots, green beans, onions...) kimchi, or other fermented foods.

2. Eat yogurt with active cultures.

Hay fever – 3-4 months before hay fever season, start taking 1 Tablespoon local honey 3 times a day. 

Headaches –

1. Eat 10-12 almonds instead of aspirin.

2. For a migraine, sit with the feet in a bowl of cool water.

3. For tension headache, combine ¼ cup almond oil, 20 drops rosemary oil, 20 drops lavender oil, and 30 drops of peppermint oil. Mix and massage on the temples. Also massage the fleshy area between your thumb and index finger. 

High cholesterol – Eat oatmeal for breakfast daily. Regularly drink a hot “tea” made with cinnamon and honey. 

Indigestion and gas –

1. Cook with plenty of rosemary, bay leaf, thyme, sage and marjoram when cooking.

2. Fennel seed tea also helps.

3. Try chewing fresh basil leaves or mint leaves. 

4. See "gut health / microbiome"

Insect bites –

1. Raw onion draws out the pain.

2. Wet a regular aspirin pill and place on the sting (the acid helps neutralize the poison). 

Insomnia – Drink chamomile tea. 

Nausea – Infusion: ½ teaspoon grated ginger in a cup of boiling water; strain and drink. (Also helps carsickness.) 

Perspiration –

1. Create powdered deodorant by mixing ½ cup baking soda, ½ cup cornstarch, and a few drops of essential oils (try lavender or cinnamon). Mix in a glass jar. Sprinkle on a damp cloth and pat to apply.

2. For liquid deodorant, combine ¼ cup each: witch hazel, aloe vera gel, and mineral water. Add 1 teaspoon vegetable glycerin and a few drops of essential oils (optional). Store in a spray bottle (shake to blend before using.) 

Sinus blockage – Onion is a natural decongestant. Slice and cover with 1-2 Tablespoons sugar and leave for 30 minutes until juice forms. Take 1 teaspoon of the juice each hour. 

Sore Throat –

1. Eat a finely chopped onion mixed with honey.

2. Gargle 5-6 times with a (warm-to-hot) strong saltwater solution, about 1-2 teaspoons per mug of hot water.

Stomach upset – simmer 1 teaspoon honey and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in water for 20 minutes. Cool and sip slowly. 

Sunburn (also kitchen burns) – Run cold water over the affected part (or a cool shower) for 10 minutes. Spread with aloe vera gel. (Burns that swell or blister quickly, blacken, or become numb are more serious. See a doctor.) 

Toothache – While waiting for the dentist:

1. Soak a cotton ball in the juice of a grated raw onion and press.

2. Apply organic clove oil to the gums to calm irritation.

3. Chew a garlic clove.