Natural Homemade Remedies That Really Work.

The first thing to remember about natural homemade remedies is that they are natural and homemade and they can save you a great deal of money. The clue really is in the name with this one.

And that these natural remedies have been around for a whole lot longer than anything you can now buy over the counter. Whenever we feel sick, or down, or have a tumble or fall it is all too easy to reach for the traditional option of the medicine cabinet or visit the doctor or chemists shop but is it really necessary?

We might just have the perfect natural homemade/homegrown remedy for what ails us at our fingertips, or at least in our own back gardens and yards. Not only are homegrown remedies far more natural than the shop bought varieties but they are a whole lot cheaper too and available at any time of the day or night. You can have a pharmacy, quite literally, at your fingertips.

Saving money in these hard times is never going to be a bad thing. Natural remedies have been around for thousands of years and a great many of our modern day medicines are derived from plants that our ancestors knew and used. Here are twenty of the best homegrown natural remedies that I have personally tried and tested and can say with some degree of certainty that they really do work. I hope you find all of the following information as useful as I have over the years.

1. How to Reduce the pain and swelling caused by arthritis and rheumatism.

Simply mix equal amounts of freshly squeezed lemon and carrot juice, store in an airtight glass container in a cool dry place and take a tablespoonful once a day in the morning before eating any food.

Make a fresh batch of this juice every two weeks. If you are one of those people who has found that citrus aggravates your condition then try making a tea using fresh ginger root or rosemary.

2. How to lower your cholesterol levels.

Crush a whole bulb of fresh garlic in a mortar and pestle and then rub the mash through a fine sieve to produce an oily liquid. Store this liquid in the fridge, make sure to keep it in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid if you don’t want everything else in the fridge to smell like garlic! Drink a tablespoonful of this liquid every day. Wash it down with a slice of bread or toast to take away the taste quickly. This mixture will last for about three months if kept in the fridge, so you can make up a large batch if you find it works for you. A food processor will speed up things if you are making a large batch of this remedy.

3.To relieve the pain of a sore throat.

Put half of a peeled white onion into a jar of runny honey and leave for at least a week. Take a teaspoon of this mixture every few hours whenever you have a sore throat. I have kept a jar of this for six months in the fridge and it still tasted fine and, what's more important, still worked.

4. When you want to give your immune system a boost.

Put equal quantities of fresh green gooseberries, boiled red beetroot and raw carrot into a container. Add a few cloves of fresh garlic and a pinch of sea salt. If you have a food processor blitz the mixture until it is smooth and liquidised, you can do this by hand but it takes forever! Drink slightly chilled and always use up the mixture daily. Brazil nuts are another great immune boosting food, eat a small handful daily to keep bugs at bay.

5. Feeling a little down, got the blues?

Pick a large handful of fresh basil leaves, wash and then place them in a teapot. Pour on hot water and leave to brew for ten minutes. Have a couple of cups of this tea three or four times a day and you’ll soon be feeling better. Good quality dark chocolate, over seventy percent cocoa, can also have a very good effect on your mood, eat a couple of squares whenever you are feeling a little down.

6.To lower a high temperature.

Add a heaped teaspoonful of dried sage leaves, (the fresh ones don't seem to work as well for some reason) and a handful of sliced fresh ginger root to half a pint of cold water. Allow to stand for an hour then boil until the mixture reduces by around three quarters. Drink this mixture twice a day until your temperature comes down.

7. Menopause.

Drink beetroot juice twice a day and eat a small handful of raw cashew nuts daily. Add a tablespoonful of extra virgin olive oil to your food every day, uncooked olive oil is best for heating the oil can destroy some of its health-giving properties. Olive oil makes a wonderful salad dressing.

8. Unblock a stuffy nose.

Place a crushed garlic clove, four crushed black peppercorns and a large handful of fresh thyme leaves into a bowl. Pour on boiling water, cover your head with a towel and breath in the fumes from the bowl for about ten minutes.

9. Upset stomach.

Follow the BRAT diet for two days. Eat only Bananas, boiled white Rice, poached apples and lightly toasted white bread. It is pretty boring but it really does work.

10. Relieve an annoying cough.

Sprinkle two teaspoonfuls of dried turmeric into a small bowl of boiling water and stir well. Breath in the steam for twenty minutes and follow with a spoonful of honey. This is really helpful the last thing at night as it can help you get a good nights sleep.Turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory and helps to reduce swelling in the throat.

11. Reduce pain and swelling produced by insect stings and bites.

Tear aloe vera leaves in half and apply to the affected area. If you don’t have any aloe vera then use an infusion of equal parts cider vinegar and fresh rosemary leaves. Tomato juice also works really well, apply it directly to the sting or bite and cover with a loose bandage or clean tea towel and leave on for at least fifteen minutes for maximum effect.

12. Relieve the pain of a toothache.

Rub a few drops of good quality vanilla extract onto the gums near a toothache. Don’t use vanilla essence as it does nothing at all. You can buy vanilla extract at most supermarkets, it does cost a bit more but is well worth the extra expense as a health remedy or in baking. The taste difference between the two products is amazing. Once you have tried good quality vanilla you will never go back to the cheaper variety.

13.To reduce stress levels.

Mix together raw cashew nuts, sunflower seeds and alfalfa sprouts and add to a tossed green salad. Wash it down with a glass of cranberry juice and a couple of squares of chocolate. Sit back and feel all of the days' stresses and strains flowing out of your body like a tidal wave.

14.To ease cystitis.

In a small saucepan cook a handful of fresh spinach leaves, some chopped onion and celery and a couple of okra in a little water. Simmer for about twenty minutes then blitz in a food processor or push through a sieve. Eat twice a day until the symptoms clear. Make sure to drink at least six glasses of water a day too. Don't be alarmed if this treatment turns your urine bright green, it's a normal reaction.

15. Cold sores.

At the first sign of the tell-tale tingling feeling wrap some ice in a thin cotton tea towel and hold against the lip for at least twenty minutes. Repeat two or three times and you should be able to stop the cold sore developing.

16. A headache

Blend together one ripe banana, some fresh watermelon juice and a few drops of Tabasco sauce. Sit back and rub a cut lime on your forehead as you sip your smoothie.

17. Reduce swelling.

Place a cup of cider vinegar and two teaspoons of cayenne pepper into a small saucepan and simmer for twenty minutes. Soak a clean towel in the hand-hot liquid, wring it out and then wrap it around the affected area. Refresh every five minutes and keep the compress on for at least thirty minutes. If the swelling is in the leg elevate the limb to help with the reduction.

18. Puffy eyes.

Lie back and place two cold used tea bags over the eyes, after twenty minutes you’ll look bright-eyed again. Cucumber slices work really well too.

19. Indigestion.

Drink a small glass of water to which you have added a level teaspoonful of bicarbonate of soda. You should sip this mixture slowly for best effects. It does taste pretty awful but it does really work.

20. Insomnia.

Eat a slice of granary or wholemeal bread just before bedtime and drink a cup of camomile tea sweetened with a teaspoon of honey. Place a bag of dried lavender under your pillow to help you drift off to sleep naturally.

Drying your own fresh herbs to use in your natural remedies couldn't be easier, it is so much cheaper than buying them. Simply pick a bunch, tie them together with some twine and hang them up on a nice warm, sunny wall. If the weather turns wet bring them inside and hang them near your stove top, or in a warm spare room.

Keep herbs of one type in one bunch, don't mix them as they can take differing amounts of time to dry. If you use these natural homemade remedies, you will find that they work and they will save you money as well.