Chocolates can cure cough, cloves can heal the cuts, and pencil can help you get rid of the headache. Taken aback? Well, most of us are ignorant of the fact that there are several minor ailments that can be cured with unexpected household ingredients and objects. Next time when you experience pain in your feet or get stressed with traffic-packed travel, try your hand at these bizarre remedies.
1. Yogurt for Bad Breath
As per the revelations of a research, yogurt has some live bacteria that create a detrimental environment for the stink-causing bacteria and reduce their growth.
When you wake up in the morning, bad breath can often linger even after you long have brushed your teeth. To help fight off the bad breath, it is good to get into the habit of having yogurt for breakfast every day.
2. Lemon Balm Tea for Cold Sores
The antiviral properties of lemon balm tea cure cold sores resulted due to a type of herpes virus. To prepare lemon tea, what all you need to do is brew 2-4 tablespoons of lemon balm herb in a cup of boiling water. Then, allow it to cool. Dab a cotton ball in this tea and apply on the cold sores several times a day.
3. Olive Oil for Eczema
Olive oil is crammed with antioxidants that decrease the inflammation caused due to eczema. Direct application of this oil on the affected area not only relieves the burning sensation, but also prevents the appearance of brown spots and wrinkles. Moreover, it thwarts the drying of the skin.
What makes olive oil so great is the fact that its natural competition will help to restore moisture to your skin. This moisture will keep your skin from drying up and cracking and further intensifying the pain from a flare-up. Just be sure that when you apply it, you only use a couple of drops. Be sure to gently massage it into your skin too. This will keep your skin from feeling greasy and uncomfortable.
4. Vegetable Oil for Brittle Nails
If brittle nails are confiscating the beauty of your supple hands, give them a treat of vegetable oil. Rub vegetable oil to your hands and nails before hitting the hay, and cover them with a plastic wrap. It will allow the oil to penetrate the nails and skin of your hands, and prevents them from getting dried.
5. Ice Cream for Pizza Burn
Have you ever thought what an ice cream can do besides satisfying your sweet tooth? It sounds crazy but a spoonful of ice cream relieves your inflamed mouth after eating having a hot pizza. Gulping frozen yogurt, putting an ice cube or swigging a cold drink can also soothe the scorching sensation to some extent.
The coolness of the icecream will allow your tongue to find relief from the burn. In addition to that, you can help contain the spread of an infection. It will also help to speed up the healing process as well.
6. Vodka for Foot Odor
If stinky feet are the reason of your embarrassment, wipe them with vodka. Vodka comprises of alcohol which has antiseptic properties. It creates an unfavorable environment for the odor-causing bacteria and fungus, thereby, destroying them. Just soak a washcloth in vodka, and rub it on the smelly feet, in order to purge the stench.
7. Cinnamon or Peppermint Gum for the Stress of a Traffic-packed Travel
If driving to your office leaves you exhausted? A cinnamon or peppermint gum will take away your fatigue. Surprised? A research study has found that chewing cinnamon or peppermint gum while driving through traffic-packed areas reduces your annoyance by 25% and augments your alertness by 30%. And if you don’t like candy or gum, install cinnamon or peppermint aromatherapy diffusers in your car.
Chewing gum can also come in handy for when your travels take you up into the air. When you are in an airplane, the increase of altitude pressure can cause your ears to “pop”. When you chew gum, you can help to relieve this pressure from your ears as you encourage your jaw to open and close. This method works great for young children as well as they will often be bothered by the pain of the altitude pressure than adults would be.
8. Tennis Ball for Achy Feet
Standing on your feet for long hours may cause soreness and ache in the feet. Give the tennis ball a try to take away your pain. Put a tennis ball beneath your foot. Roll it forth and back many times, giving special focus to the aching areas. Rolling them on a bottle of frozen water can also give you relief from the throbbing pain.
9. Listerine for Blisters
Listerine can be used for drying out blisters. Sounds bizarre? Soak a cotton ball in Listerine and apply it on the blisters thrice a day until you feel relieved. The antiseptic properties of this mouthwash help speed up the healing process.
10. iPod for High Blood Pressure
Listen to your favorite music on iPod while breathing slowly, for lowering your blood pressure. A research has found that 30 minutes of the right tunes on the daily basis can reduce your hypertension considerably which, in turn, brings your BP down.
11. Baking Soda for UTIs
Mix ¼ teaspoon of baking soda with 8 ounces of water. Drink this solution as soon as you notice the initial symptoms of urinary tract infections. Baking soda turns the environment of the bladder more alkaline which inhibits the multiplication of bacteria.
12. Sugar for Hiccups
Next time when hiccups drive you mad, swallow a teaspoon of sugar. It is believed that sugar modifies those muscles that triggers the diaphragm’s muscles to contract and causes hiccups.
Note – Don’t take more than a teaspoon of sugar as too much consumption of sugar adversely affects your health.
13. Apple for Whiter Teeth
Crunchy veggies and fruits have cleansing action on the enamel of your tooth. When you chew them, they remove the yellow tint from your teeth. Apple is one of those fruits that not only keep you healthy, but also does wonders to teeth. The malic acid in apples dissolves the stains and makes your teeth whiter.
14. Pencil for Headache
What you do when you feel anxious or stressed? Well, most of the people clench their teeth and jaw which, in turn, put a strain on the muscle that joins your jaw and temples. This causes headache. A pencil can relieve your headache. Just put a pencil in between your teeth. Don’t bite it. It will relax the jaw muscle, thus, reducing the pain.
15. Lemons or Olives for Motion Sickness
Motion sickness triggers the excessive production of saliva which makes you feel nauseated. As you experience the symptoms of motion sickness, eat a couple of olives. The tannins in olives alleviate the queasiness by drying out your mouth. You can also suck on a lemon for quick relief.
16. Papaya for Smoother Skin
Since decades papaya is known to increase the eyesight. But it’s surprising to know that it can make your skin smoother, softer and more glowing. Peel a papaya and grind 2 tablespoons of its pulp in a food processor. Add dry oatmeal (1 tablespoon) to it. Apply this paste on the dry skin. Wipe off with a washcloth after 10-15 minutes. The enzyme papain present in papaya prevents acne breakout by dissolving dead skin cells.
17. Licorice for Corns and Calluses
The estrogen-like substances in licorice soften the hard and rough skin of corns and calluses. Take some licorice sticks and grind them. Mix this powder with petroleum jelly (½ teaspoon). Gently apply the paste on the affected areas of your feet.
18. Cloves for Cuts
Cloves are used to relieve tooth pain, but have you ever heard that they are also effective in healing the cuts? In order to prevent infection, sprinkle some clove powder on the cut. Alternatively, apply clove oil which is rich in eugenol i.e. a pain-relieving and antiseptic chemical.
19. Chocolates for Cough
Besides satiating the cravings of your sweet tooth, dark chocolates can give you respite from hacking cough. 2 ounces of dark chocolates contain that much of Theobromine as found in OTC cough medicines. This compound represses those nerves that are responsible for the cough reflex. So, that’s a good reason to devour chocolates.
20. Duct Tape for Warts
As per a study, wrapping the warts with duct tape removes them in a better way. First cleanse the area. Cut a slightly bigger duct tape than the size of the wart. Cover the area with this duct tape. Remove the tape after every 3 days. With the help of a nail file or pumice stone, remove the dead skin. Repeat the procedure until you get rid of warts.
21. Meat Tenderizer Powder for Sting
Mix water and meat tenderizer powder to prepare a paste. Apply it on the bee or wasp stings. This remedy will neutralize the venom, reduce the inflammation and ease the pain.
22. Toothpaste for Bug Bites
Dab a small quantity of toothpaste on the insect bite. The cooling effect of the peppermint oil in the toothpaste will diminish the pain and inflammation.
In addition to making an insect bite sting a little less, toothpaste can help clear up the infected area as well. If you have got a bit that turns into a pimple, toothpaste can help to dry it out. In order for this to work, however, you do need to use opaque white mint toothpaste, not the gel kind.
To get it to work, you simply need to apply the toothpaste on the infected area until it drys up. One of the best times to do this is before you go to bed so that the toothpaste can work its magic overnight. The toothpaste will help to dry out the infected area quicker and the mint will help it to heal up just as fast too.
23. Beets for Constipation
Take some fresh beets and steam them. Eat them when you are constipated. Don’t drain the leftover water. Instead, drink it. This water, being affluent in vitamins, helps your body get rid of obstructions in the colon.
Note – Next day your urine or stool will appear to be red, due to the intake of beets, so don’t panic.
It may seem strange to some, but there are so many things right around your home that can make common ailments, aches, and pains not as annoying as they once were. Before you rush over to the doctore the next time you have an ache, be sure to give one of these life hacks a shot first. We hope that you have found our list of natural home remedies to be helpful to you and your family.
Are there any home remedies that you have tried in your own life that you find to be beneficial? Share them with us below. Also, if you have tried one of the remedies listed above, tell us what you think about them and how they have worked for you!
