For those of you who have read some of my past posts, I am very much an advocate of natural home remedies for some of our everyday ailments. So today and I am going to deliver two more discoveries that I hope you will find as helpful as I have.
Turmeric
I have done a fair amount of research on turmeric but I have not really had the opportunity to try it out. I purchased a large pouch of turmeric from our local Asian food market and it had been waiting in my kitchen cabinet, just waiting to be of use. This weekend, it’s time finally came.
My daughter is in first grade and like most young elementary school students; she and her classmates seem to trade virus quite regularly. Since she started school, her father and I seem to always be getting over or coming down with a cold. This makes it hard for the body to rebound as quickly, and back in June her father developed bronchitis because of it.
Fast forward to this past weekend, and once again, my household is battling a cold. And just as it did before, I could tell that it was going to lead to a case of bronchitis for my boyfriend. So… I looked up some info about what exactly turmeric can do. Aside from being a powerful anti-inflammatory and pain reliever; specifically when it comes to bronchitis, it helps to move the mucus out of the lungs. My research says to mix a teaspoon of powder to milk to make Golden Milk, but my boyfriend cannot have milk, so we used water instead. After mixing the turmeric with one teaspoon of hot water, we let it sit for a while and then he proceeded to drink it. Now, I will be honest with you. It did not taste good. He was able to drink it down, but it wasn’t a pleasant experience.
Now, the day before, he had been coughing every three to five minutes, with mucus and having a hard time talking because he felt out of breath. An hour after drinking this tea, his cough had diminished to once every 15 minutes or so, with mucus, but he could speak normally and his chest no longer burned when he coughed.
The next day, I added a teaspoon of turmeric, cinnamon, honey and a couple of dashes of black pepper. The effects were the same. Better actually. He had improved drastically from the day before. Giving him turmeric tea every day until his cold clears up is a welcome change from having to take him to the doctor or worse the emergency room, so that they can load him up with steroids, inhalers and prophylactic antibiotics. I have nothing against these measures, but if you can fix some things simply at home without risking antibiotic resistance, I think it’s a good idea.
Red Raspberry Leaf
I discovered red raspberry leaf as a solution to a heavy, prolonged menstrual cycle. Fibroid tumors can cause women’s monthly cycles to be especially unpleasant with painful cramps and heavy, extended bleeding. Being a female who falls in this category, I was searching for some relief; and I discovered red raspberry leaf. It research and found that many women will this herbal remedy in capsule or tea form during their second and third trimesters of pregnancy. The reason they do this is because the red raspberry leaf tones the uterus, so that the contractions for delivery are far more productive, labor is shorter and deliveries are faster.
With this same thought in mind, toning the uterus for easier cycles seems logical. So, I purchased the red raspberry leaf in capsule form and took two capsules on the first day of my cycle many months ago. I noticed an immediate difference in the severity of my cramps and the length of my cycle. I was extremely pleased. But suffice it to say, after a few months, I found myself having, what I would call, monstrous menstrual cycles. So, as it approached this month, I decided to really put the red raspberry leaf to the test. From the first day, I took two capsules and did so every day for four days. It was like night and day. For the entire duration, I only need to take pain medication for cramps once. I was not riddled with headaches or overly fatigued. My flow was not extremely heavy leading to accidents and more than frequent trips to the rest room and it has only lasted for five days, not ten days.
Ok. It goes without saying, but I will say, I am not a medical professional and anyone should consult their physician before taking natural remedies. Especially if taking medication for various other chronic illness.
But if you’re healthy and having some issues like these, I really think it would be worth a try. These two natural remedies cannot be any worse than what the multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical companies are peddling.
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