I didn't think so when I was younger and brasher, but now I certainly do -- Grandma Knows Best!

There's something about those forgotten ways of doing things, those handy tips in the era before supermarkets, and those herbal remedies before over-the-counter drugs became available -- that's so attractive to people today. They can help us lead lives that are healthier, happier, cleaner and certainly greener.

Can you make effective cough medicines at home? Can you clean those dirty tiles without adding toxic chemicals to the environment? How can i get rid of that headache without popping a pill? Find answers to these and more in this Grandma's Guide. And if you add some of your own grandma's tips, tricks and gentle remedies, I'll be thrilled!

Remember how granny never tok her temperature all the time? She didn't obsess about fever either. Here are some home remedies I've collected over the years --

*Take cool baths, fill a bath tub, submerge and lay down for five to ten minutes. Repeat as needed until the fever is down.

*Drink as much water as you can in order to replace fluid loss. It will also help to bring down body temperature.

*Rest as much as possible.

*Avoid suddenly changes in atmospheric temperatures.

*When you have fever do not take any supplement containing either iron or zinc. Taking iron causes great tension in a body that is fighting infection; and zinc is not absorbed by the body when you have fever.

*My Grabby always said, starve a fever and feed a cold. Many people believe that one should not eat solid foods until the fever is gone. You can replace the foods by drinking plenty of distilled water and/or juices.

*Oranges are excellent foods in all types of fever when the digestive power of the body is seriously hampered. The patient suffers from blood poisoning called toxemia, and the lack of saliva results in the coating of his tongue, often destroying his thirst for water as well as his desire for food. The agreeable flavour of orange juice helps greatly in overcoming these drawbacks. Orange juice provides energy, increases urinary output, and promotes body resistance against infections, thereby hastening recovery.

If these simple remedies do not work, try some of these Herbal Cures for fever.

• To immediately reduce high body temperature, boil powder of 2 to 3 tsp dry roasted fenugreek seeds. Strain the water and add a drop of ghee to it and drink. A tea made from fenugreek seeds is equal in value to quinine in reducing fevers. This tea should be taken twice daily. It is particularly valuable as a cleansing and soothing drink. Fenugreek seeds, when moistened with water, become slightly mucilaginous, and hence, the tea made from them has the power to dissolve a sticky substance like mucus.
• The juice or tender fresh leaves of neem leaves also effective in fevers. 1 tsp of the juice should be mixed with honey and should be taken twice a day. It works both as curative as well as preventive.
• Drink juice made out of sweet basil leaves twice or thrice a day. The leaves of holy basil are one of the most effective of several home remedies in the treatment of common fever. A decoction made of about twelve grams of these leaves, boiled in half a litre of water, should be administered twice daily with half a cup of milk, one teaspoon of sugar and a quarter teaspoon of powdered cardamom. This will bring down the temperature.
• Drink the juice of the leaves of tamarind with some turmeric powder and cold water to get rid of infections and fever.
• Prepare linden tea by boiling 1 tbsp of linden flower in 1 cup of water and drink it hot.
• Brew willow bark tea and drink it in small sips. Willow bark contains aspirin-related compounds.
• Crush 10 grams of raisins and ginger. Boil them in 200 ml of water till it reduces to 50 ml. Strain and drink this solution warm. The use of an extract from raisins is also beneficial in the treatment of common fever. This extract is prepared by soaking twenty-five raisins in half a cup of water and then crushing them in the same water. They are then strained and the skin is discarded. The raisin water thus prepared becomes a tonic. Half a teaspoon of lime juice added to the extract will enhance its taste and usefulness. It will act as a medicine in fevers, and should be taken twice daily.
• Bloodwort is one of the best known herbal remedies for fevers. A hot infusion of the herb prepared by steeping 15 gm of the herb in 250 ml of water should be taken twice daily. It will induce perspiration, which will, in turn, cool the fever and expel toxins.
• Another herb found beneficial in the treatment of fever is hog weed. It should be taken twice daily in the form of an infusion prepared by steeping 15 gm of the herb in 250 ml of water. It brings down temperature by inducing copious perspiration.
• A tea made from saffron is another effective home remedy for fever. This tea is prepared by putting half a teaspoon of saffron in 30 ml of boiling water. The patient should be given a teaspoon of this tea every hour till the temperature returns to normal.

But remember, don't treat fever at home if any of the following conditions apply --

*Fever above 103° in an adult.

*Fever of 101° if you're over age 60.

*Fever above 102° in a child (or if the child is vomiting or convulsing or has a headache).

*Any fever in a baby under three months old.

*Any fever if you have a chronic illness such as diabetes, heart disease or lung disease.

*Fever that lingers more than three days.

*Fever accompanied by a rash, severe headache, stiff neck, confusion, back pain or painful urination.

Lavender -- most Grandmas love it, and with good reason. There's lots more to this purple bloom than its sweet fragrance. Lavender has been described as the mother or grandmother of all essential oils since it is able to tackle so many jobs at once. It can cool fevers, soothe insect bites or stings, prevent scarring, be put in facial saunas for acne, heal boils, abscesses and bruises, and be used to reduce inflammation. It may also be used in a shallow bath to relieve the burning symptoms of cystitis (five to ten drops of lavender in a sitz bath, basin or tub of water you can sit in). Did you know --

*As an herb, lavender has been in documented use for over 2,500 years!

*In ancient times lavender was used for mummification and perfume by the Egyptians, Phoenicians, and peoples of Arabia.

*In Medieval and Renaissance Europe, washerwomen were known as "lavenders" and they used lavender to scent drawers and dried the laundry on lavender bushes.

*Charles VI of France demanded lavender filled pillows wherever he went!

*Queen Victoria used a lavender deodorant...

Therapeutic Uses Lavender oil is indispensable in your first aid cabinet, where it ought to be stored away from light and heat. Repeated success stories with lavender oil (when there has been no reddening or blistering of the skin) after burns and scalds from boiling water, hot oil or steam, are legion. Lavender oil may be used neat (without blending with a base oil) over burn injuries. Hold the burn or scald under cool running water, dab dry, and smooth lavender essential oil all over it. If the burn is serious repeat the treatment periodically and keep it covered with a gauze bandage till you can show it to your doctor. There are recipes which blend aloe vera gel or St. Johns wort oil with lavender oil, but lavender works like a charm on its own.

Lavender was an integral part of old fashioned infirmarian’s gardens. The 12th century Benedictine abbess St. Hildegard von Bingen had a recipe for migraine that involved making a tincture of lavender with vodka or brandy to rub over the temples. Lavender was part of her healing repertoire in many skin conditions, including scabies.

Research indicates lavender oil fragrance has a beneficial effect on sleep, but the effects are mild. Lavender oil appears to have anti-fungal activity.

Lavender for the mind and spirit Lavender smells so wonderful, while working hard on many different levels. Therapists who work with essential oils for mind, mood and personality disorders use it to support treatments for anxiety, fear, irritability, mood swings, emotional burn out and shock. The nursing profession uses lavender more for its sedative and calming qualities than its anti-infectious ones.

Lavender in a bath just before bedtime would relax tense muscles and create an oasis of peace. A few drops of lavender on your pillow, a sachet of dried lavender or lavender scented sheets were traditionally used to induce a pleasant sleep. For centuries, clothes, especially bed linen used to be given a final rinse in lavender water or hung over lavender bushes to dry. In Keats’ poem, ‘The Eve of St. Agnes’, the young girl “slept azure lidded in blanched linen, smooth, lavender’d.”

Serious sleep disturbances may require other essential oils like clary sage or valerian, but ordinarystress is easily treated with lavender.

Since aromatherapy treats the emotions and spirit as well as the body, lavender is one of the oils used to balance the heart ‘chakra’ for compassion and receptiveness.

If you wish to be truly luxurious, a few drops of lavender on a handkerchief added to your washing just before the final tumble dry would impart a subtle, relaxing scent.

http://www.copperwiki.org/index.php/Lavender?utm_source=geetanjali_hubpages&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=invite

And

The Fragrant Pharmacy, Valerie Ann Worwood

Grandmas invariably have their own remedies for everything, including acne. Mine used to make me apply a paste of gramflour with a pinch of turmeric to clear my skin. Here are some other kitchen remedies for zits that work --

*Apply aloe vera can be applied in liquid or gel form to the face. It will remove excess oil from the skin. To make it more effective, add aloe vera to ground orange peel.

*Using a cotton ball, apply apple cider vinegar to pimples and leave on overnight. It also known to balance the ph levels of the skin.

*Use one teaspoon of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of lemon juice to make a paste. Apply this to the acne affected area.

*Apply fresh mint juice every night to the affected areas.