natural remedies

10 Useful Herbal Remedies

by Karen Brooks on April 5, 2010

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Are you interested in learning more about herbal remedies? Or becoming a practitioner? Here are ten of the most useful remedies.

Goutwort
Parts used: the herb in the form of a poultice or liquid extract
Uses (1) useful for dealing with sciatica and general aching joints
(2) good on inflamed areas (poultice)

Guarana
Parts used: the crushed seed
Uses: (1) helps with diarrhea
(2) good for headaches
(3) useful for dealing with lumbago and rheumatism

Honeysuckle
Parts used: the dried flowers and leaves in the form of a syrup or decoction
Uses: (1) laxative
(2) helps with asthma

Horehound
Parts used: the herb in the form of an infusion, powder, syrup, juice or tea
Uses: (1) helps with coughs and asthma
(2) tonic
(3) good for colds (tea)

Horseradish
Parts used: the root in the form of a fluid extract, syrup, juice or infusion
Uses: (1) diuretic
(2) helps clear lung and urinary infections
(3) good for gout and rheumatism
Warning: over-use of this remedy can cause blistering of the skin. It is not suitable for people with thyroid problems

Hound’s tongue
Parts used: herb in the form of a decoction, ointment or pills
Uses: (1) eases pain
(2) good for colds and coughs
(3) useful in preventing diarrhea

Houseleek
Parts used: the leaves in their natural form (fresh but bruised), as a juice or a poultice
Uses: (1) cure for corns and warts (juice)
(2) useful for burns and scalds (poultice)

Jacob’s ladder
Parts used: the herb in the form of an infusion
Uses: (1) expectorant (removes fluid from bronchi etc.)
(2) helps with fevers

Knapweed, Greater
Parts used: the root and seeds in the form of a decoction or ointment
Uses: (1) tonic
(2) good for catarrh
(3) helps with bruises and sores (ointment)

Kola nuts
Parts used: the seeds in the form of a tincture, powder, solid/fluid extract
Uses: (1) tonic
(2) helps with diarrhea
(3) useful for those who are alcohol dependent

Does this interest you? The Institute of Natural Healing is now offering a herbal course that will give you the opportunity to earn a Diploma in Herbal Medicine. Just click here http://www.inst.org/herbal/become.htm

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Remedies For Natural Health

by Karen Brooks on February 16, 2010

In recent years, natural health remedies have become increasingly popular. More and more, people are looking for natural ways of healing themselves of common everyday ailments, occasional non-serious illnesses, and some serious diseases. Natural health remedies or alternative medical practices usually focus on healing the cause of the problem instead of simply alleviating the symptoms.

Natural health remedies tend to use old-world or ancient methods of healing. These include, Naturopathy, homeopathy, acupuncture, herbal medicine, hydrotherapy, and ayurvedic medicine. Attention to a person’s mental and emotional well being is also attended to, along with a proper nutritious diet, and a healthy exercise regimen.

The non-invasive manners of healing are really appealing to people because many times natural health remedies allow people to administer treatment to themselves. This gives them a comforting sense of control and comfort that you sometimes do not get when following Western medication. It is only for extremely serious medical problems that natural health remedies need to be administered and guided by a licensed practitioner of the various methods of alternative medicine.

Commonly used and self-administered or practiced for non-serious everyday illness or problems, here are two natural health remedies you can start with to see if alternative medicine is something that will work well for you, and your lifestyle:

1. Heartburn
Many times, heartburn is a result of the food that we eat and how we eat. If we eat incredibly spicy food, food cooked in too much oil, eat too much, or eat late at night, then heartburn an occur. Because natural health remedies believe in treating the cause of the problem, the first recommendation is to stop unhealthy eating practices and stop eating unhealthy foods. Next, instead of treating your symptoms of discomfort by using antacids, two spoonfuls of apple cider vinegar is recommended instead. The apple cider vinegar will help break down any toxins in your stomach and intestines, and help flush out these toxins, alleviating your symptoms and tackling the cause.

2. Constipation
Like heartburn, this is often caused by the foods you eat. However, it can also be caused by mental or emotional stress which manifests itself physically. Some people’s bodies are so sensitive to stress, that when it happens, the body manifests it somehow to signal to the person that it is not well. So instead of trying to rid yourself of constipation by gulping down laxatives, try drinking two extra glasses of water each day, and having extra servings of green leafy vegetables and fiber rich fruits. These should help sweep and flush out your system. You can also drink three teaspoons of olive oil mixed three tablespoons of lemon juice and half a cup of water. Finally, relax yourself. Do something you enjoy like read a book or sleep. You should wake up feeling much better, and with a problem solved!

These common ailments are two things many of us live with or simply pop pills to alleviate. Constantly taking medication for small problems such as these can wreak havoc on our liver and kidneys, and will be detrimental in the long run. More natural health remedies are better for our body, and for our long term health.

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The Use of Acupuncture in Alternative Medicine

July 5, 2009

Acupuncture is always associated with needles and rightly so, but needles tend to have a negative connotation. This is because our encounters with needles seem to mean that the nurse sticks one in (and it hurts) and then injects you with something or takes some blood out. Seems pretty negative and even though we know [...]

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