43 Remedies from My Childhood that Still Work Today

Often my grandmother’s remedies worked faster and more effectively than conventional treatments. These lost remedies can treat and improve a variety of conditions. Whether you have a headache, stomachache, or sore throat, you can quickly find something around the house to relieve pain.

Lost Remedies From Our Grandfathers:

Vinegar Socks

If you have high fever, just soak your socks in vinegar.

Keep them on your feet for about 20 minutes, and refresh them every half hour until the temperature begins to drop. You can use regular or apple vinegar.

Salt Socks

Salt is used not only to flavor food but also for healing purposes. Heat a handful of salt in a pan until it gets very hot.

Put the salt in a towel, and then put it on your chest and hold it until it is cold. You can also take a handful of it and put it in a basin.

Pour hot water over it, and then keep your feet in there for at least 10 minutes.

Don’t wipe your feet off; just put on some socks and get under some blankets as soon as possible.

Related: Baking Soda – 112 Uses

Polenta

You can wrap hot polenta in a piece of gauze and put it on your chest close to your neck.

It’s best if you do this in the evenings before going to bed.

Nut Shells Tea

If you have a bad cough, you could always make tea from nut shells.

You can put around five ounces in a pot and boil it.

Onion Tea

Yes, the taste is awful, but you drink it because you need it, not for pleasure. Just take a big onion and boil it well.

Leave it covered for a couple of minutes, and when is not too hot, just drink it in a big gulp.

Sodoul

My favorite dessert when I was a kid and had a cold was Sodoul. You need an egg, milk, and either sugar or honey. These three ingredients make a wonderful remedy for any sore throat, and it is actually very tasty. Bring the milk to a boil, rub the yolk with sugar or honey, pour the hot liquid over it, and drink. After the second cup, you won’t remember the pain.

Black Radish

Wash a black radish, make a hole in it, and put a teaspoon of sugar in it. Put in next to a heat source, such as a cooker or a radiator. After a couple of hours, a syrup will form that you can drink to soothe your throat.

Pine Syrup

If you have a sore throat, a couple of teaspoons of pine syrup will alleviate the pain.

Rinse 1 cup needles, then finely chop in a food processor. Bring 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water, 2 tablespoons corn syrup and a pinch of salt to a boil in a saucepan, whisking, then boil 1 minute without stirring. Remove from the heat, add the needles and steep 2 to 3 hours. Strain the syrup and refrigerate up to a month. It tastes great in cocktails! (Source)

Salt Water

If you have a bad cough you can gargle with salt water or with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Or you can mix vinegar, honey, and warm water and drink it.

Cabbage Leaves

Cabbage is renowned for its anti-inflammatory properties. You can also use Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, or green salad. These plants accelerate toxin elimination from the organism and protects tissues from cold. You need two or three leafs of cabbage softened in boiled water or brushed with a little oil; put them around the neck, and cover them with a towel or a scarf. Keep them there for a couple of hours.

Potato Slices

You can treat headaches or migraines with potato slices. You need two or three slices of raw potato that you just put on your forehead and keep in place with a scarf. If the pain is still there after a while, then you should drink warm potato juice. You grate the raw potato, you squeeze it, and afterwards you drink about a quarter of a glass three times a day. The potato has anti-hemorrhagic and anti-anemic qualities, vitamin A, vitamin K, sulfur (an element that combats excess oil), and vitamin C.

Horseradish

Horseradish is a good remedy for sinusitis. Wrap up two to three teaspoons of grated horseradish, and apply to the root of the nose or forehead. Keep it up until a burning sensation occurs on the skin. Horseradish applied externally can cause skin redness and irritation. Protect the skin with a moisturizer applied at least a quarter of an hour before in a thick layer. 

Walnut Leaves

Due to the disinfectant, astringent, and healing properties, walnut leaves are used to treat skin problems. A rash can be removed with a decoction prepared from 30–40 grams of green walnut leaves per liter of water. Boil the leaves for fifteen minutes on high heat, then leave it to cool down, strain it, and afterwards wash the injured skin using a piece of clean gauze soaked in the decoction.

Other Remedies That Our Forefathers Used For:

Skin Irritations

• For irritated skin due to shaving, you can make chamomile tea. Allow it to cool down, filter it, then refrigerate it. Using a cotton ball, rub the irritated spots for about 10 minutes.
• If the skin irritation is a result of chickenpox, you can take a warm bath with oatmeal to soothe and reduce the desire to scratch.

Stings

• If a bee stings you, just put parsley, honey, or salt on the spot.
• In cases where the stings are more severe, bandage the place with a poultice made from onions, leeks, or raw cabbage.
• Apply fresh plantain leaves, basil, sage, or rattle. Make sure you crush them well to release the active substances.

Burns

• To treat burns, chop an onion and gently rub it on the affected area. The substances emitted from the onion layers can work wonders on the burned area.
• Cut a potato and put the slices on the burn.
• Use the inside of a banana peel or even toothpaste on the burn.
• Also try putting a raw beaten egg on it (this creates a kind of coating that neutralizes the burned skin), or rub buckthorn oil on it.
• To relive the pain and stop the formation of blisters, you can grate a carrot and apply it as a poultice.

Cuts, Scratches, and Bruises

• For minor cuts and scratches, wash the place with marigold oil, and rub the affected area with the inside of a banana peel.
• To heal a bruise, put soaked bread in vinegar or wine and rub the spot with it.

Conjunctivitis

• To treat conjunctivitis, put a few drops of cabbage juice in your eyes. Also, boil 2 tablespoons of crushed fennel seeds in five glasses of water, wait for it to cool down, filter it, and wash your eyes a couple of times a day. You can do the same thing with chamomile Furthermore, add some drops of castor oil or a few drops of egg white.

Toothaches

• Clove oil is a well-known treatment for toothaches. Soak a cotton ball in clove oil, and press it on the painful area. It also relieves pain to chew two or three cloves.

• Another natural remedy is garlic. Take a clove, and press it onto the tooth. Garlic juice is a natural anesthetic that acts swiftly and effectively. If you get used to eating raw garlic every morning, your teeth will strengthen and will not be so sensitive to cold or sweet foods.

• Onions have the same properties as garlic and are excellent for strengthening teeth. Chew for three minutes a day, and you will avoid pain.

• Lemon is an important source of vitamin C but also a good remedy for teeth that are affected by improper nutrition. Wash your mouth with the lemon juice in the morning, as soon as you wake up. Bacteria and plaque will be removed, and you will have clean teeth and fresh breath.

• Take a glass of lukewarm water and add half a teaspoon of salt. Rinse your mouth with this solution every few hours.

• Put some oregano leaves in a cup of boiling water, keep them there for five minutes, and then leave it to cool to an infusion. Then make a gargle.

• Prepare a paste of black pepper and basil leaves, and apply on the painful area.

Corns

• Boil hawthorn root in water until it turns brown. Put your feet in that water as hot as you can take it. Do this daily for two weeks. The result will be seen after a few days.

Calcium Deficiency

• Mix 1 teaspoon sesame mills mixed with honey and a few drops of lemon. Take it every morning for 20 days out of each month. Do this for at least three months.

Sunburn

• Dissolve baking soda in water, and apply it with the help of a compress to the affected area. Also, you can take a warm bath in the tub, adding half a cup. After the bath, let the water dry on your skin; do not use a towel. Baking soda is refreshing and helps to rehydrate skin.
• Gently rub the affected areas with slices of watermelon. They are soft and will smooth the area affected by sunburn.
• Mix 20–25 drops of lavender oil in a cup of water, and pour the mixture over the affected area.
• Mix the juice of three lemons with two cups of cold water, and apply it to the sunburn. The lemon will cool the burn, will act as a disinfectant, and will help the regeneration of the skin.
• Make compresses with milk, and apply them on the affected area for 20 minutes, repeating the process every two hours; then remove the milk from the skin. The fat contained in milk is very helpful for burns. You can also mix one cup of skim milk, four cups of cold water, and some ice cubes, blend it, and afterwards apply it on the affected area with a compress.
• Cover the affected area with cooking oil, and sprinkle ginger oil over it so that you can facilitate the healing process.
• Apply peppermint oil on the affected area. You can also make a mint tea to wash the affected area.
• Grate a potato, and apply it on the affected area. The starch will cool and smooth the area.

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