Natural Food Remedies: Treat and Prevent Common Problems with These Foods
The following are some natural food remedies you can find in your kitchen to help treat and prevent a number of health problems:
Almonds
Almonds are high in protein and healthy fats. Adding these nuts to your diet can offer many benefits, including reducing inflammation, boosting the immune system, increasing energy levels, promoting healthy skin and even losing weight when taken in moderation. If you have a headache, eat 15 to 30 almonds which contain the same compound, salicylate, found in aspirin. To treat indigestion eat six almonds and chew each one 30 times and to help prevent hemorrhoids eat three almonds a day.
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Apples
According to research, eating three apples per week can significantly help in the prevention of certain diseases. They are high in fiber and are a good source of vitamins and minerals. One University study found that those who ate apples regularly had fewer colds. Eating two apples a day may help lower cholesterol and high blood pressure. If you have pinkeye, make a poultice with grated apples and place over your eyelid for 30 minutes. To relieve constipation, eat a couple of apples and you should see results soon.
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Bananas
This tasty and nutritious food can be used for many natural remedies. At night, mash up an overly ripe banana, apply to blemishes or skin sores, cover with gauze, tape in place and gently wash off in the morning. For warts and bruises, apply the inside of the peel to the affected area, secure with tape and leave on for a few hours. For poison ivy, rub the inside of a banana peel over the area and repeat every hour as needed using a fresh peel each time. Bananas are high in potassium and eating one or two per day can help prevent leg cramps and lower high blood pressure. Eating a banana daily can also help provide relief from allergies and hay fever, if you are not allergic to bananas.
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Carrots
This wonderful vegetable has more benefits than helping vision. Eating carrots may also lower cholesterol, relieve heartburn and help one stop smoking. For earaches and weeping wounds, mash up a few cooked carrots, place in a piece of cheesecloth and hold against the affected ear or wound for 15 minutes. For blisters that have been punctured, apply mashed carrots directly to the site for 15 to 20 minutes. To soothe a sore throat, prepare a poultice with grated carrots and apply to your throat.
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Cranberries
Cranberries are a natural antiseptic and can help fight minor urinary tract infections. Besides drinking plenty of water, drink 6 ounces of cranberry juice without added sugar (at room temperature) three times per day. To relieve hemorrhoid pain, blend 1/4 cup of cranberries, place 1 tablespoon in a piece of cheesecloth, insert the cloth into the rectum, remove after one hour and repeat.
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Cucumbers
The cucumber is another food to help lower blood pressure. Cucumbers can also benefit women going through menopause because of the hormones they contain. Other remedies include relieving eye inflammation, treating acne and cooling a sunburn. Place a freshly sliced cucumber on each eyelid for 15 minutes to relieve inflammation. Juice a cucumber, apply to acne, leave on for 15 minutes and wash off with lukewarm water two times a day. Cut a cucumber into thin slices and lightly wipe them over the skin in a circular motion to soothe a sunburn.
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Figs
Besides being an excellent food for relieving constipation figs are also a good remedy for treating boils, warts and toothaches. To treat a boil, roast a fresh fig, cut in half, lay the inner part on the boil, secure with tape, leave on for two hours, warm up the other half and repeat. To get rid of a wart, crush a ripe fig and place the mushy content directly on the wart for 30 minutes each day. To treat an aching tooth while waiting to see a dentist, cut a ripe fig in half, squeeze out the juice and apply to the tooth. Repeat every 15 minutes as needed.
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Lemons
The following are some of the many natural remedies lemons have to offer. To stop a cough, add the juice from one lemon, 2 tablespoons of honey and three whole cloves to a cup of hot water, mix and drink every three hours as needed. To treat a sore throat, drink a cup of hot water with the juice from a lemon every four hours as needed. To get rid of hiccups, bite into a lemon wedge sprinkled with bitters. For insect stings, mix equal parts of lemon juice and vinegar and dab on the affected site every five minutes as needed. For aching feet, soak them in hot water for 15 minutes then massage your feet with lemon juice. For corns, apply the inside of a lemon peel on top of the corn, secure with tape and leave on overnight.
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Oats
Numerous studies have proven the beneficial effects of oats on cholesterol levels and cardiovascular health when eating one bowl of hot or cold oatmeal a day. Oats are also a great remedy for treating dry and itchy skin. In a blender, grind 1 cup of oats into a powder, add to warm bath water and soak for 20 to 30 minutes. You can also add water to the powdered oats to form a paste, apply to pimples, leave on until it dries and wash off with lukewarm water.
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Onions
Onions are another natural food that can treat many problems. For athlete’s foot, massage onion juice into the affected area and rinse off with lukewarm water after 10 minutes three times a day. If you have laryngitis, mix 2 teaspoons of onion juice with 1 teaspoon of honey and take every three hours. To remove a stubborn splinter, apply a slice of onion over the site, secure with tape and leave on overnight. In the morning the splinter should be gone. For a small, minor burn (after running cool water or applying a cool compress for five minutes), place a fresh slice of onion over the burn. If you feel a bruise coming on, apply a poultice of grated onion and salt.
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Potatoes
To help in the treatment of mastitis, apply a cold poultice of grated potatoes to the breast, place a towel over the poultice and leave on for 10 to 15 minutes four to five times a day to reduce inflammation. You can also place a poultice on your forehead to help relieve a headache. To relax strained and tired eyes, lay a thin slice of potato over each eyelid for 20 minutes. To treat indigestion, squeeze the juice from raw grated potatoes through a cheesecloth, add 1 tablespoon of juice to a half cup of warm water and drink slowly. Reduce swelling and heal hemorrhoids by cutting a raw potato in the shape of a bullet and inserting it into your rectum.
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Strawberries
The last on this list of natural food remedies is the strawberry. According to Chinese medicine practitioners, eating strawberries can help prevent or relieve dizzy spells and treat infertility. To help whiten teeth, remove tarter and heal sore gums, cut a strawberry in half, rub on your teeth and gums for a few seconds and rinse with warm water after 15 to 30 minutes. Like almonds, strawberries also contain salicylates which can help get rid of a headache.
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References
Joan Wilen and Lydia Wilen, Bottom Line’s Healing Remedies (2006)
Uncommon Cures for Everyday Ailments (from the editors of Bottom Line/Health) 2006
The World’s Healthiest Foods: https://whfoods.com/
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