Derek Clontz

Home remedies you can trust

20 fascinating folk remedies worth reading about, listed alphabetically

Excerpted from 99 Folk Remedies You Must Try, by Derek Clontz (4-Page Media, Inc. Alachua, Florida. Copyright ©1997-2008. All rights reserved.)

1. General Antiseptic. Australian tea tree oil is about the best you can get. Safe and highly effective when applied topically to wounds. Don’t take internally.
2. Anxiety. The Polynesian herb kava kava promotes relaxation and has a profound anti-anxiety effect.
1,700 home remedies for 176 illnesses and afflictions at HerbNews.org

FREE GUIDE: 1,700 home remedies for 176 illnesses and afflictions at HerbNews.org

3. Asthma. Cover thin onion slices with honey and allow to set overnight. When ready for use, scrape honey from onion with a spoon or butter knife. 1 tsp. three times a day is said to do the trick.

4. Athlete’s Foot. Soak feet in apple cider vinegar. Pat dry. Soak cotton balls in the vinegar and place between toes. Put on socks and leave overnight. Repeat as necessary for cure.

5. Bad Breath. Stop your complaining and chew a sprig or two of parsley as needed. It contains more odor-stopping chlorophyll than any other herb. Parsley is inexpensive and available everywhere. Cinnamon works wonders, too. Get it fresh or in gum that contains REAL cinnamon, not the artificially-flavored kind.

6. Blood Sugar Problems (diabetes). An ordinary onion’s ability to lower blood sugar levels is said to be every bit as good as that of at least two widely-prescribed prescription drugs. Add a cup or so to your diet daily.

7. Burns. Make an aloe vera salve for fast healing. Add six large stalks aloe to a pint of water. Heat. Simmer. Strain. Apply as needed.
8. Cancer Prevention. Make garlic a part of your diet. Your grandmother knew the power of “the stinking rose.” And exciting research suggests that it contains powerful compounds that help prevent cancer.
Question about herbs and your health? Write to me.

Derek Clontz: Question about herbs and your health? Write to me.

9. Cold Sores. Grind the dry rind of a pomegranate and add 2 tbsp. to 1-1/2 cups water. Boil, then reduce to a simmer until half the liquid has evaporated. Strain and refrigerate. Apply to cold sores as a wash, as needed.

10. Constipation. Before bedtime, stir 2 tbsp. black strap molasses into a glass of milk or juice. Drink.

11. Dizziness. What is arguably the oldest and most extensively used herb in the world, ginkgo biloba is highly recommended. Claimed by many to stop ringing in the ears, boost concentration, improve memory, thwart impotence, reduce leg pain, improve eye health, and reduce risk of heart attack.

12. Eyewash. Judging from multi-million sales of commercial preparations, strained, red eyes are an enormous problem. Make your own preparation by adding 1 tsp. eyebright to a cup of boiling water. Steep 10 to 15 minutes. Strain WELL and cool. Use as needed.

13. Fever. Ginger tea breaks fevers and loosens sinus and lung congestion. Grate two tbsp. fresh ginger, add to two cups boiling water and cover for 30 minutes. Drink one cup while warm. Repeat as needed.

14. Gas. Make a dill infusion using 2 tsp. bruised dill seeds per cup of boiling water. Steep 10 minutes, strain. Drink up to 3 cups a day.

15. Gum Disease. Add enough water to 1 tsp. myrrh to make a paste. Apply to gums. Before bed is best.

16. Headache. Make a delicious and invigorating peppermint tea at onset of headache. One good recipe: Chop one cup fresh peppermint. Add two cups boiling water. Steep 5 minutes. Sweeten with honey or brown sugar. Add lemon if you like.

17. High Blood Pressure. One or two tbsp. olive oil daily can bring high blood pressure under control. Also good: The South American Rain Forest herb una de gato (cat’s claw).

18. Liver Disease. Make tonic by mixing 1-1/2 tbsp. blessed thistle in 1-1/2 cups of vodka. Let stand two weeks in sealed jar. Shake once or twice a day. Strain. Place in clean jar. Add 1 tsp. of the extract to 4 oz. water. Take on empty stomach as needed.

19. Nosebleed. Soak a cotton ball in white vinegar and gently stuff into bleeding nostril or nostrils.

20. Sore Throat. Add the juice of one lemon to a cup of hot water. Sweeten with two tsp. honey and drink. An old – and super – standby, apple cider vinegar, works wonders, too. Add two tsp. to glass of warm water and gargle until glass is empty. Don’t swallow. Repeat as needed.

See www.herbnews.org to find out how 1,765 herbs are used for 176 illnesses.

Medical Advisory
If you are seriously ill or think you might be, please, don’t be foolish. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before diagnosing and treating yourself or changing your diet in any significant way. The information presented here is for informational purposes and historical perspective. Publisher makes no claims nor accepts responsibility for the efficacy or appropriateness of any home remedies.

  1. Yeah and even though it tastes bad, gargling with warm salt water will get rid of that sore throat instantly. Works for me everytime.

  2. I had chronic gastrits related to my Hiv infection, in 2001 i used all meds the best there is to treat the problem and nothing worked. I researched and found that a sea weed called kelp would heal the ulcers. What is does is that it makes the ulcer walls to be slippery and the ulcer causing bacteria, can not stick and in the same process the wound heals and the bacteria a have nothing to feed on and eventually die. I now manage my health with herbs and water, and watch what i eat. I confess as all who believe and have proof that toxic drugs have minimal benefit with high costs & side effects for the body. Whereas herbs have high benefits for the whole body and almost no negative side effect. It does teach me that people before us lived long health lives because there where no pharmaceuticals driving profit instead of health.
    I can’t imagine where i would be if it was not for the herbs our ancestors used. this is someting the whole family can afford, and use but because herbs have permanent healing properties, no drug company will promote their powerful gifts from God. Pharmaceuticals are sponsoring doctors schools/ univerties/ reaserches with the aim of promoting one of their creation – toxic drugs. Out breaks of any king come along with a drug, why not a herb if indeed it is with the interest of people’s health at heart. I am currenlt managing holistically my Hiv and Aids illness with herbs. I wont change that.

  3. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELPFUL WEBSITE.

    I TRULY APPRECIATE YOUR WONDERFUL WISDOM.

    LOVE AND LIGHT

    SHERRY

  4. This is very good, basic, and important information. Given the current economic situation, (which will be worsening after the new year), it is wise to have these remedies in stock. It will also do a lot to lower health care expenses.

  5. Derek – You forgot some very important home remedies that have been tried out by the scientific community and have proven effective through long term studies. Here are just a few that have been studied and documented by long term studies:

    1. Australian Tea Tree Oil is not only the
    best antiseptic but it is also kills
    viruses and fungi. It is also used by
    Australian dentists to stop periodental
    disease. So put three to four capfuls
    of Australian Tea Tree Oil in your daily
    mouthwash!

    2. L-Lysine tablets when taken orally
    (three tablets 3 times daily) for about
    three to four days straight will get rid
    of cold sores.

    3. The combination of 5-HTP and
    St. John’s Wort (two capsules of
    5-HTP (called Serotonin) and two
    tablets of St. John’s Wort together
    twice daily (in the morning and before
    going to bed) acts the same way as
    SSRI’s (selective serotonin re-uptake
    inhibitors), i.e. Paxil, Zoloft, in
    eradicating migraine headaches
    WITHOUT the harsh side-effects of
    theses drugs and is much cheaper!

    4. Magnesium pills taken daily actually
    helps minimize the number of
    migraine headaches. Scientific studies
    have shown that when people start
    to have the onset of migraine head-
    aches, their magnesium levels start
    to plummet!

    5. Feverfew, is one herb that has been
    proven in scientifice long-term
    studies to actually cut the duration if
    not stop all together the onset of a
    a migraine headache. AND FINALLY

    6. Black Cohosh, a herb long used by
    many Native Americans and endorsed
    By the American Society of Obstetrics
    and Gynecologists; is a “gold mine”
    for those women who suffer the
    symptoms and problems associated
    with menopause. Black Cohosh is
    safe to use as it does not have any
    long-term usage side effects that
    hormone therapy patches have,
    namely, the continual usage of long-
    term usage of hormone therapy
    patches can lead to an increase of
    dementia.

  6. Yes, organic food is very expensive but so essential to a healthy lifestyle. Thanks for these great remedies. It’s amazing how powerful and healing so many things are that we often have in our cupboards…wish conventional doctors would acknowledge this before they prescribe a whole bunch of toxic drugs, especially antibiotics.

  7. These are great tips.
    I try were possible to always use alternatives to harmful chemicals.
    Food on the other hand is too expensive to change for some families..