Remedies From Mother Nature

Healing with plants was the first form of medicine used by humans. The practice continues to this day. Natural remedies can be used to support patients while they undergo treatment with modern medicine or they can be used as the primary treatment of choice.

Garlic

• Eat garlic regularly to keep your cholesterol in check and prevent cardiovascular disease. Garlic is also said to reduce the risk for tumors and blood clots. Garlic is considered to be nature's antibiotic because it fights off infections. The active bacterial ingredient in garlic is allicin. To use allicin to treat infections, chop or crush a clove of garlic and wait about 10 minutes for the allicin to be activated. Eat the garlic raw. Cooking is said to reduce some of the beneficial effects of garlic. Garlic is readily available in raw form or in supplements that can be purchased at the grocery store.

Milk Thistle

• Heal and support your liver with the herb milk thistle. The active ingredient in milk thistle is silymarin. It has been used in clinical studies for the treatment of liver disease and is used in hospitals to treat mushroom poisoning. Milk thistle is a natural remedy that has gained respect from the allopathic medical community because of its ability to protect and heal the liver.

St. John's Wort

• Get relief from depression and anxiety with St. John's wort. This herb has become popular in the past decade as an alternative to prescription depression medications. It is available in pill form or can be ingested as a tea. Several studies have been undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of St. John's wort for treating anxiety and depression, but results have been inconclusive. If taken as a depression remedy, it should be consumed daily for at least six weeks before evaluating its effectiveness.

Aloe Vera

• Soothe your burns and scrapes with aloe vera. This plant is nature's first aid gel. Applying aloe gel almost instantly relieves the pain of burns, including sunburn. It has antibacterial properties that work to prevent infection in cuts. Aloe vera gel can be purchased at health food stores. It can also sometimes be found in displays with sun tanning products. You can also buy aloe plants in pots or grow them in your yard so you will have fresh gel whenever you need it. Just snip off a leaf and squeeze the gel onto your burn.