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Have you ever wondered which home remedies actually work? Today I’ll share with you my top 5 favorite natural remedies for common ailments.
When you become ill, your persistent parents will typically teach you how to use home remedies.
Even so, they stick in the back of your head for years to come. And later on, you might find yourself mixing up a questionable concoction your mom told you to drink when you had the flu.
5 Effective Natural Remedies For Common Ailments
Use Flax Seeds for Constipation
Constipation affects nearly 4.5 million people in America. Constipation is irritating, uncomfortable and, in some cases, can be quite painful.
Issues with being regular can be brought on by various factors, such as poor diets, dehydration (eat these to stay hydrated), medications, and low physical activity levels. Most people reach for laxative pills, detox teas, or powders to help them get back to normal.
Rather than spending money on expensive pills and powders, try opting for Flax Seeds! They’re inexpensive, can be bought in bulk and you can add them into just about anything.
Flax Seeds work to fight constipation because, like most seeds, they contain natural oils that help lubricate the intestines.
They are high in fiber, boasting 1.1 grams per tablespoon, which adds bulk to your stools and lets it pass more quickly through your intestines.
You can sprinkle them on salads, mix them in cereals or add them into baking for an additional boost.
Mint Can Help With Bloating
Going hand-in-hand with constipation, bloating is yet another issue that many people suffer from.
Bloating has almost been normalized in recent years. And while it is okay to bloat to a certain extent, extreme bloating can be a sign of more a serious underlying issue.
Diverticulitis, ovarian cancer, and bacterial overgrowth are all issues that can cause seriously uncomfortable bloating.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) can also cause very extreme amounts of bloating that can be painful and affect your day-to-day life.
If you have been noticing repeated, uncomfortable bloating, it is recommended that you see your doctor. To help combat the pain and discomfort of bloating of all sorts, add mint into your diet.
Whether it be mint tea or mint leaves added into salads or sandwiches, the soothing effects of these refreshing leaves will help reduce the amount of bloating and the painful side effects brought on by bloating.
It works by killing the bacteria that cause bloating and relaxing the muscles in your intestine to ease digestion.
Did You Know Cherries Can Help You Sleep Better?
A whopping 20% of North Americans have suffered from insomnia at some point in their lives. The number of those suffering from insomnia is rapidly climbing.
That’s most likely due to the amount of time most people spend exposed to blue light. What’s blue light? The light that’s given off by our smartphones, computers, televisions, and pretty much all other electronics on the market.
Insomnia can be difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, and waking up too early in the morning. Sleep is extremely important for our health for proper hormone levels, productivity, and stress management.
For more serious cases of insomnia, sleeping pills will be prescribed to regulate sleeping patterns. However, for less severe cases, you can find a cure in the kitchen.
Cherries are high in melatonin, a hormone that is also created by our bodies to naturally regulate our sleep schedules. By eating just one handful of cherries before bed or drinking one cup of tart cherry juice, melatonin will be released into your system, causing you to feel relaxed and ready to hit the hay.
Gargle With Warm Salt Water for Sore Throat
While there, unfortunately, is not yet a cure for the common cold, there are some home remedies to help reduce the symptoms.
If you ever experience a sore throat or an itchy cough, instead of reaching for unpleasant-tasting cough syrups, turn on the kettle.
By gargling with warm salt water, you can moisturize your irritated throat and disinfect the area if you are suffering from an infection such as strep throat.
All you need is to dissolve ½ teaspoon of salt into one cup of warm water, and gargle, spit, repeat.
If you are experiencing an unpleasant tickle from a lot of coughing, add in 1 tablespoon of honey to the mix and repeat the same sequence. The honey will coat your throat and soothe the scratch.
Try Lavender and Peppermint Essential Oils for Headaches
Headache pain comes on a spectrum of bearable-but-annoying, to feeling like you just got hit in the head with a hammer. Headaches can be brought on by stress, dehydration, allergies, and lack of sleep.
When times get tough, it’s easy to reach for common painkillers as a solution. However, most of these drugs are often overused and can bring along a slew of health complications.
Next time you get a headache, reach for essential oils. Peppermint and lavender oil are two oils that are most commonly used to treat headaches.
By rubbing peppermint oil on your temples, you will increase blood flow to your forehead and soothe muscle contractions. Make sure you use the peppermint oils in combination with a carrier oil and be careful not to touch your eyes.
Lavender oil works best when rubbed on the temples to cure migraine headaches. Dilute the oils with coconut or olive oil and apply normally.
There you have it. Next time you’re faced with a problem, whether it be a sore throat or a bloated belly, reach out to these natural remedies for common ailments instead of medicine.
Helen Sanders is the chief editor at HealthAmbition.com. Established in 2012, Health Ambition has grown rapidly in recent years. Our goal is to provide easy-to-understand health and nutrition advice that makes a real impact. We pride ourselves on making sure our actionable advice can be followed by regular people with busy lives