Definition
Home remedies are forms of treatment or cures for illnesses and diseases. These remedies are made from common, usually inexpensive ingredients found in the home or garden.
History
Western medicine depends primarily on prescribed or over-the-counter medications to treat or cure disease. Historically, however, women (especially) in the home employed various herbs or foods to treat illness. By trial and error, some remedies worked effectively, while others did not. Those that successfully cured illnesses were passed through generations as accepted treatments for common ailments.
Some home remedies, such as chicken soup for an upper respiratory illness or
the common
cold, have become traditions, and studies have demonstrated a
scientific basis to explain their success. For example, researchers published
findings in the October, 2000 issue of Chest, the journal of the
American College of Chest Physicians. They detailed how eating chicken soup
stopped neutrophil migration, providing a mild anti-inflammatory
response that suppressed cold symptoms. Other home remedies also have scientific
rationale and include willow bark powder for headache. Willow bark contains
salicin, a substance later compounded into acetylsalicylic acid or
aspirin, which inhibits the production of prostaglandins, providing analgesic relief of pain and
fever.
General Types
One type of home remedy comes from the use of herbs grown in kitchen gardens or in containers in small living spaces. These herbs can be harvested as medicinals, flavorings, insect repellant, or room deodorants. Herbs that might be grown for medicinal use include lavender, yarrow, sage, bee balm, and flowering thyme.
Herbs can be processed in different ways to make them useful home remedies.
They may be used to make infusions, decoctions, or tinctures for illnesses.
Various teas, for example, can be steeped for ten to twenty minutes to become an
infusion for the relief of indigestion or nausea, to use as an antiseptic foot
soak, or to perfume a bath or pillow to manage insomnia.
Drinking tea has historically been a preventive measure and a restorative option
for health. The intense level of polyphenols or catechins in green tea acts as an
antioxidant to promote health and support the immune system against disease. Other
forms of home remedies include poultices, ointments, salves, elixirs, tonics, and
aromatics. Food in whole form, dried, or juiced can offer treatment to specific
ailments.
Home Remedies and Infections
Some home remedies seem to make common sense. For example, garlic has been used
for more than three thousand years as a home remedy for various ailments. Allicin,
one of about one hundred chemicals found in garlic, provides natural antibiotic, antiviral, and antifungal benefits. Garlic powder can be used in a foot soak to kill
the fungus of athlete’s foot, can be used to treat oral thrush, and can be
included in many recipes to add flavor yet also to destroy harmful bacteria in the
stomach.
Salt water, a safe and inexpensive home remedy, can be used as an effective antibiotic because many types of bacteria cannot live in a salty environment. Gargling with salt water to relieve a sore throat or toothache can be a valuable approach at home. Salt water can also be used as a topical treatment.
Echinacea has long been considered an effective home remedy for colds, earache, sore throats, and flu. The action of echinacea is antibiotic, antifungal, and antiviral and is believed to boost the immune system. Research in 2005 by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine did not confirm the effectiveness of echinacea at a low dose, but studies continue about this popular herbal remedy.
The use of camphor, eucalyptus, and menthol, such as in vapor rubs, has been
found to display antifungal properties. A study at Michigan State College of
Nursing concluded that nail bed fungus can be treated effectively by application
of a vapor rub compound used twice daily. Thyme oil is also touted as an effective
home remedy for fungal infections of the nails.
Other home remedies for infections include Melaleuca alternifolia or Austrian tea tree oil, goldenseal, pau d’arco bark made into tea, oil of oregano, and manuka honey. Future studies of home remedies may prove them useful in treating infections.
Impact
At a time when medications are too expensive for most budgets and which come with undesired side effects, home remedies are becoming more and more attractive to many in mainstream society. Consumers are seeking less costly, safe alternatives to treat illnesses and to manage diseases. Many people are uninsured, have high deductibles on their health insurance policies, or have experienced adverse reactions to traditional pharmaceuticals. People from all walks of life have returned to time-tested approaches to disease treatment and health promotion. They have decided that the home and garden remedy approach to treating illness makes sense, and the price is right. Many health care providers, too, support the use of safe home remedies.
One should be cautious, however, before using home remedies, especially if one has a complicated illness or is taking medicines (prescribed or over the counter) that might interact with a home remedy. One should always consult with a health care provider before using home remedies to determine their usefulness and safeness in treatment.
Bibliography
Freeman, Lyn. Mosby’s Complementary and Alternative Medicine: A Research-Based Approach. 2d ed. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby, 2004.
Micozzi, Marc S., ed. Fundamentals of Complementary and Integrative Medicine. 3d ed. St. Louis, Mo.: Saunders/Elsevier, 2006.
Rennard, Barbara O., et al. “Chicken Soup Inhibits Neutrophil Chemotaxis in Vitro” Chest 118, no. 4 (2000): 1150-1157. Also available at http://chestjournal.chestpubs.org/content/118/4/1150.full.pdf+html.
Trivieri, Larry, Jr., and John W. Anderson, eds. Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide. 2d ed. Berkeley, Calif.: Ten Speed Press, 2002.
White, Martha, et al. Traditional Home Remedies. Dublin, N.H.: Yankee, 1997.
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