Old-Time Home Remedies That Deserve a Comeback
There are some seriously impressive medicines out there today that will cure just about anything that ails you. Sometimes, however, you don’t need all that. Sometimes, you just need a good old-fashioned homemade remedy.
And sure, people use to do a lot of weird stuff back in the day (you’ll never believe how people use to cure sprained ankles). But, there are a few tried-and-true classic things that doctors (and Mama) would still recommend you try today. Here are five home remedies worthy of a mainstream comeback.
Sore throat: gargling with salt water
Gargling with salt water has long been hailed as a miracle for sore throats. And it turns out, medical professionals agree that it really can work magic.
"You’re creating a high-salt barrier and you’re pulling out a lot of fluids from the tissues in the throat area, so you’re washing the virus out,” Sorana Segal-Maurer, MD, explained to WebMD. “The salt functions as a magnet for water. It’s good for symptomatic relief. And you end up swallowing some of it, so it’s sort of helping you with dehydration as well.” Though it won’t cure an infection, Segal-Maurer explained it could at the very least improve your symptoms.
Itchy skin: oatmeal baths
If you suffer from dry, itchy skin, or may even have gotten into a bit of poison ivy, then it’s time to hop in a nice, relaxing oatmeal bath. But, this isn’t any old oatmeal. As WebMD explained, you must use colloidal oatmeal instead.
This type, the site noted, binds to the skin and helps to hold moisturizer in while fighting inflammation at the same time. To make an oatmeal bath start with lukewarm water, add in one cup of the oats and soak for 10 to 15 minutes and pat dry.
Coughs: hot tea with honey
A spot of honey in tea can do wonders for soothing your mind after a stressful day, but according to the Mayo Clinic, that honey can also help soothe a nasty cough too. As the Mayo Clinic noted, one study showed that honey was “as effective as a common cough suppressant ingredient, dextromethorphan, in typical over-the-counter doses. Since honey is low-cost and widely available, it might be worth a try.”
Warts: duct tape
Have a wart? Go grab dad’s Duct Tape from the garage. As it turns out, that silver sticky tape can help clean up your wart fast.
Though it won’t cure the virus that caused the wart, Healthline reported, it will stop it from spreading. And, each time you change the tape you’ll slowly peel off a layer of the wart until it’s gone for good.
“The duct tape adheres to the top layer of the wart. When you tear the tape off, a layer of the wart will often come off with it,” Healthline wrote. “This may be less painful than remedies like freezing. Additionally, it uses fewer chemicals than over-the-counter oral treatments and is more cost-effective than laser treatment.”
WATCH: Classic Chicken and Dumplings
Cold: chicken soup
Chicken soup is good for not only the soul, but it could be good for an upper respiratory infection too. According to a study published in the medical journal Chest, chicken soup might have anti-inflammatory effects, which can help reduce recovery times. The researchers focused on what effect chicken soup had on neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, CNN reported. The researchers found that the movement of neutrophils was reduced when combined with chicken soup. This, they theorized, could cause an anti-inflammatory effect and alleviate cold symptoms. Either way, it’s delicious, so who really cares?