better
health
STOM ACH UPSET
Take the advice of an old Hungarian
grandmother who lent her tried-and-true
cure for a sick stomach to the book
Folk
Remedies Around the World.
She
prescribed alternating chamomile and
peppermint tea and sipping them
interchangeably about every hour until
you feel better. Barron says the active
ingredient in chamomile relaxes stomach
muscles and may relieve cramping,
intestinal spasms, and pain, while the
menthol in peppermint has pain-killing
properties and promotes relaxation.
MUSCLE ACHES
The use of cayenne as both spice and
medicine originated in Latin America, and
clinical studies have shown it can ease sore
muscles. Cayenne contains capsaicin, which
works by overstimulating nerves, decreasing
their ability to carry pain signals.
To use this potent spice, buy some capsules
of cayenne from a natural food store and
follow package directions. Or buy an
over-the-counter cream that contains
capsaicin. You may feel a burning or itching
sensation the first few times you use the
cream, but this typically goes away.
From plant to pharm acy
Traditional folk remedies have often proven to be fertile ground for drugmakers, who
identify the active ingredients then develop a process for manufacturing them under
standardized conditions. Some common drugs that began as fok cures include:
► PSEUDOEPHEDRINE
Ephedra sinica,
the plant from which
t f s
sold- and alleigy-
symptom fighter comes, has been used in China for over
2
/jos years.
► CODEINE
Papaver somniferum,
otherwise known as the (Ms
jj^p®|pi=
5
fe
is the
origin of several powerful painkillers, including codeine.
► DIGOXIN
Digitalis purpurea,
or foxglove, is extremely poisonous as a plant, but
it has compounds that are used in making heart failure drugs such as digoxin.
NASAL CONGESTION
The next time you have a stuffy nose, try this
old Russian remedy: In a bowl, juice one clove
of garlic with a garlic press, add a half
teaspoon honey, and squeeze out the inside
of one aloe vera leaf. Then soak two cotton
balls in the mixture and insert them loosely
into your nostrils for about five minutes.
Here’s why it works: Garlic has powerful
antibacterial properties (it was used to fight
soldiers’ infections in World War II when no
antibiotics were handy). Honey also is
antibacterial and works as an astringent.
The aloe moisturizes sore nasal tissue. Take
note: Steel yourself for this remedy, because
the smell of raw garlic juice can be a little
hard to handle, says herbalist Jon Barron,
author of
Miracle Doctor.
232 NOVEMBER 2009
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