While we were growing up in Brooklyn, our mother had a folk remedy for almost everything when we got sick.
And if she didn't, our grandmother did.
Folk remedies don't work for everyone, but they are worth a try. They are usually inexpensive, easy to follow,
time-tested and safe (the hundreds of remedies in our books have all been doctor-approved). Only the
effective remedies are passed down from generation to generation -- the rest are left behind.
Everyone knows about prunes for constipation and cranberry juice for urinary-tract infections. Here are some
of our lesser-known favorites...
ARTHRITIS
If you are plagued by morning stiffness, put a sleeping bag on your bed and zip yourself in for the night. Your
own body heat will be trapped in the sleeping bag and will be evenly distributed.
This seems to be much safer than using an electric blanket or a heating pad and more effective in terms of
ease of movement in the morning.
COMMON COLDS
Garlic, with its chemical compound allicin, is a natural antibiotic with antiviral, antifungal and antiseptic
properties. It can also act as a decongestant and an expectorant.
So, when you have a cold, what is even better than chicken soup? Chicken soup with a clove of minced raw
garlic.
GOUT
The classic folk remedy for gout is to eat four ounces of fresh Bing cherries daily. If cherries are not in season,
drink bottled cherry juice or buy cherry-juice concentrate (at health-food stores) and have one tablespoon
three
times a day.
You can also eat frozen or canned cherries.
While you're at it, add strawberries to your shopping list. They neutralize uric acid, a buildup of which causes
this condition.
HANGOVER
To ease the symptoms of a hangover, cut a wedge of lemon and rub it on your armpits. As outrageous as this
sounds, it works.
The doctor hired by our publisher to review each remedy in our book wrote in the margin, Great remedy.
HAY FEVER
To relieve runny nose, sneezing and itchy, red eyes, chew a one-inch square of honeycomb. Swallow the
honey and continue chewing the waxy gum for about 10 minutes, then spit it out.
Buy honeycomb that was collected in your local area so that it contains the same pollen that is causing your
symptoms.
Most health-food stores carry honeycomb. Check the packaging to be sure that it is from your part of the
country.
To help immunize yourself, chew a one-inch square of honeycomb daily, starting a month or two before
hay-fever season.
Caution: If you are allergic to honey, do not use this remedy.
HEADACHE
Peel a long, wide (one- to two-inch) strip of lemon rind. Rub the inside of the peel (pith) on your temples. Put
the rind across your forehead, securing it in place with a bandage or a handkerchief.
While we were on a television show, the host told us he had a three-day-old headache. Nothing he tried had
worked. We put the rind on him and, 20 minutes later, his headache was gone.
INDIGESTION AND GAS
Prepare ginger tea by covering one tablespoon of fresh gingerroot with one cup of just-boiled water. Let it
steep for 10 minutes. Strain and drink after a gassy and/or fatty meal. It helps digestion and helps get rid of
the
gas.
Keep gingerroot in the freezer to make it easier to grate. If the ginger is not frozen, simply cut three or four
quarter-sized pieces of the fresh root for your tea. If you don't have fresh ginger, mix one-half teaspoon of
ginger powder in one cup of hot water. It is effective but doesn't taste as good.
INSOMNIA
For occasional sleeplessness, cut a yellow onion into chunks, and put them in a covered jar on your
night-stand.
When you are tossing and turning, uncover the jar and take a deep whiff of the onion. Close the jar, lie back
and think lovely thoughts. You should be asleep within 15 minutes.
In the morning, discard the onion. Do not use the same one night after night.
LEG CRAMPS
Some people wake up at night with leg cramps. Others get them after exercising. In either case, put a piece of
silverware -- a spoon is safest -- right on the cramp. The spoon does not have to be sterling -- stainless steel
is fine.
Another cramp remedy: Pinch your philtrum -- the area between your nose and upper lip -- until the cramp is
gone. It usually takes a few seconds. Use this remedy when you don't have a piece of silverware handy.
SORE THROAT
Mix two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in one glass of warm water. Gargle a mouthful, spit it out, then
swallow a mouthful. Keep doing this until you finish the glass. Repeat the entire process every hour. Within
three to four hours, the sore throat is usually history.
Additional help: Drink pineapple juice. It contains healing enzymes that soothe irritated throat tissues and may
help them heal more quickly.
STY
As soon as you feel a sty coming on, rub the area a few times with a gold ring. The gold may prevent it from
becoming one of those atrocious, full-blown infections that can linger for a week or more.
A few years ago, Joan woke up with a sty on each eye. We were scheduled to do a TV show that day. She took
a gold ring and rubbed her lids. By the time we arrived at the studio, both of her eyes were fine.
Doctor-Approved Folk Remedies That Work
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