Kitchen Remedies for Aches and Pain

As a child of the sixties and growing up with my Grandmother, I believed she could work miracles. And over the years, I learned that she indeed could. Whenever someone in the family had a tummy ache or any kind of pain, she’d simply walk into the kitchen for the perfect remedy, or to our garden where we grew vegetables and herbs. Then she’d come back with a delicious concoction. I mean, imagine whining about a stomach ache and being given something delicious to eat or drink as a remedy? In fact, I often pretended I had some sort of pain just so I could enjoy some of her “medicine”.

And thanks to the non-availability of processed/packaged food, I guess we led much healthier lives.

Today, it is with pride that I present the following home remedies for pain. You probably have all of these ingredients on your kitchen shelf. If you’re already using these, you’re a champ. If not, time to start. I know there are millions of home remedies for various things, but I picked the most common ones.

Thing is, pain is….well….a pain! And taking over the counter or prescription medication often does more harm than good. At least for me, it churns up my tummy and leaves me wondering if it wouldn’t have been better to just tolerate the pain instead of making multiple trips to the loo.

Natural is always better—I know you’ll agree—so go for these kitchen remedies before you run to the pharmacy. Definitely worth a try! If nothing else, all of these are great for your overall health.

Here are nine divine kitchen remedies for pain

Ginger

Ah, one of my most favorite cooking ingredients and such a champ! Ginger is excellent for muscle pain, among other things. Think ginger tea for colds, relief from body odor (yes!) and relief from muscle pain. That’s one teaspoon of dried ginger or two teaspoons of chopped ginger in your food daily.

Ginger has “gingerols” that turn off the production of the hormones that trigger pain.

Cloves

Used as mouth fresheners and flavor, cloves are also great as a toothache remedy. They relieve gum inflammation. Adding cloves to your diet also promotes blood sugar stability and therefore, heart health, slowing down the production of cholesterol.

Clove has eugenol, a powerful anesthetic.

Garlic

Apart from being a food seasoning hero, garlic works like magic on earaches. Just two drops of garlic oil in the ear, or simply placing one clove garlic in the ear zaps earache.

Garlic’s active ingredients are germanium, selenium, and sulfur compounds that have the ability to kill a huge range of pain causing bacteria.

Cherries

If you suffer from Joint pains and headaches, include cherries in your diet. They help get rid of arthritic pain and chronic headaches. Usually medication for these are known for their terrible side effects. With cherries, there are none—only benefits.

The lovely red color in cherries is from anthocyanins, which are anti-inflammatory and many times stronger than ibuprofen, aspirin and similar painkillers. These anthocyanins switch off the enzymes that trigger tissue inflammation, preventing and treating pain.

Yogurt

Yogurt is a summer must-have for its multiple health benefits. But did you know that yogurt also makes PMS much more bearable? All you need is two cups a day.

Yogurt has calcium which calms your nervous system and prevents painful symptoms even if your hormones object. And we know how those hormones can be!

Salt

Most people claim they cannot live without salt. And now, another reason to think salt. Foot pain. Soak your feet in a warm salt water bath to cure painful infections. Salt is anti-bacterial and kills the germs causing the infection. Just twenty minutes will do. Enjoy the treatment and read a book or listen to some music.

Water

This superhero simply washes away pain. Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day to flush out histamine, which is the main culprit that triggers pain in injured tissues. Water also builds the cartilage that cushions our bones, joints and the spine’s soft discs. Keep your tissues happy with enough water and they’ll do their job like they were meant to do.

Honey

Tasty yes. Also therapeutic. Mouth sores? Heal them with honey. Apply on the ulcers four times a day. The enzymes in honey relieve inflammation and destroy viruses, speeding up the healing process. Quicker than medication, you’ll notice.

Tomato juice

Very good for overall health especially when homemade. Leg cramps? Drink tomato juice.  Cramps are usually caused by potassium deficiency and tomato’s rich in potassium. It is also good for pumping up the iron in your body if you are anemic.

So there you have it. That’s not the end though, because that kitchen shelf is pure magic.

Which of these kitchen remedies have you tried?

♥

Disclaimer: The information in this post does not substitute medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It is purely for information purposes. Do consult your doctor for medical advice, diagnosis and treatment.