A home remedy is basically anything you can use at home that doesn't require a prescription. You probably have many of the ingredients in your cupboards already: bicarbonate of soda, for example (use it in place of talcum powder to neutralize body or foot odour), mustard (add it to a warm footbath to ease a headache) or tea bags (hold a wet one against a mouth ulcer to relieve the sting). Some, such as arnica ointment, are sold in health-food shops; others, like camomile tea, are sold insupermarkets.
In current medical practise, traditional healing techniques are sometimes neglected but, by and large, they have not been forgotten. Physiotherapists use the same hot and cold treatments that were popular among Native American tribes - treatments that often work better than drugs but with none of the side effects.
A cut from a kitchen knife may heal faster when you apply antiseptic ointment. But did you know that coating it with honey does just the same thing and work even more quickly?
Molly Hopkins, a 60 year-old landscape designer, discovered first-hand that alternative treatments can work better than conventional medicine. 'I used to get sinus infections every time a caught a cold and then I had to take antibiotics,' she says. A friend, who's a family doctor, told her to start taking echinacea at the first sign of sniffles. 'I haven't had a serious cold since - and no sinus infections at all,' she says.
Most of us use traditional cures for minor aches and pains, but doctors at top research institutions are beginning to realize that they can also help with serious health problems. Take diabetes, for example. Millions of people need to have daily injections or oral drugs to keep their blood sugar levels stable. But people who eat a clove of garlic every day, may be able to lower their blood sugar naturally, and with it, their doses of medicine.
Depression is another condition that often requires medication, but studies show that the herb St John's Wort may be as effective as drugs for mild to moderate cases.
Many of the most popular home remedies, such as yoghurt for fungal infections or camomile tea for insomnia, have been used for generations. Others - what you might call 'future traditions' that will be passed on to our children and grandchildren - are being developed all the time.
- Creams containing the herb arnica, help bruises to heal faster and with less pain because they contain natural painkilling and anti-inflammatory compounds.
- A blend of honey and yoghurt creates a natural bleach that can help to lighten the brown liver spots that commonly appear on the backs of our hands as we age.
- Researchers at one US childrens hospital recently found that duct tape, that do-it-all household standby, can make warts disappear in just a few days.
So don't you think that it's time that you discovered the power of natural home remedies, and just why they are enjoying such a surge in popularity today?