Kitchen Remedies

Ten Simple Do-It-Yourself Cures

By: Celine Todd
Published August 22, 2010

If you can’t find a remedy for what ails you in your medicine cabinet, you might want to check your kitchen cabinet before running out to the drug store.  As Hippocrates famously stated, “Let food be they medicine.”  Practitioners of Eastern and Western medicine alike acknowledge the potential healing power of pantry items. For minor ailments, aches, or annoyances, home remedies can at times be just as effective as drugs, with fewer potential side effects.  Plus, most kitchen cures are easier on your wallet than drug store purchases.

Read on to discover ten simple do-it-yourself cures that can be found in a typical well-stocked kitchen.

Problem:  Toothache
Kitchen Cure:  Cloves
If your tooth is throbbing and the dentist’s office is closed, seek temporary relief from ground cloves.  Cloves will numb your gums and help to fight any infections that might be lurking beneath your teeth. 

Simply add a few drops of water to 1/8 teaspoon of ground cloves and stir to make a thick paste.  Pack the paste on your sore gum for 10 minutes, then spit it out and rinse.  Repeat this process as needed until your toothache is resolved, or your dentist is available.

Problem:  Sore Throat
Kitchen Cure:  Honey, Lemon & Cayenne Pepper
A sore throat is typically caused by inflamed tissues in the throat, which make it uncomfortable and difficult to swallow.  Relieve inflammation and soothe your throat with a mixture of honey, lemon, and cayenne pepper.  The lemon will contract inflamed tissues while providing vitamin C, the honey will soothe and disinfect an irritated throat, and the cayenne pepper will stimulate circulation. 

Fill a tablespoon halfway with honey, then fill the other half with lemon juice.  Sprinkle 1/8 of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper on top.  Enjoy!  You may find it helpful to swallow this spoonful every few hours.

Problem:  Urinary Tract Infection
Kitchen Cure:  Cranberry Juice
This isn’t just an old wives’ tale.  Multiple clinical trials have shown that cranberry juice is an effective treatment for urinary tract infections (UTIs).   Some physicians even believe it to be as effective as antibiotics. 

Drink a cup of 100 percent cranberry juice – or 1 tablespoon of cranberry concentrate dissolved in a cup of water – at the first sign of a UTI.  Have three or more cups throughout the day until symptoms subside. It’s important to choose a natural cranberry juice without added sugars, which can actually encourage the growth of bacteria.  Of course, if you don’t see an improvement after 48 hours, you should visit your doctor.

Problem:  Indigestion
Kitchen Cure:  Ginger & Salt

If you’re planning to have a favorite food – perhaps a steak and cheese sub piled high with peppers – that you know tends to cause indigestion, head off the discomfort by taking ginger and salt before you dig in.

Grate an inch or so of fresh, peeled ginger.  Mix a few pinches of ginger with a few pinches of sea salt and rub together to make a paste.  Chew on this mixture for a minute or two, then swallow it.  Have a glass of warm water, then eat your meal.  (You’ll want to eat within 10 or 15 minutes of swallowing the ginger and salt, or you might experience a burning sensation.)

Problem:  Headache
Kitchen Cure:  Peppermint Extract
Most bakers have a bottle of peppermint extract in their kitchen cabinet, and it turns out that this ingredient can do more than add a refreshingly sweet taste to desserts.  Several small clinical trials have shown that peppermint extract is a reliable headache cure.

Fill a small bowl with ice-cold water and add five drops of peppermint extract. Dip a cloth into the bowl, wring out excess water, and apply the cold compress to your forehead for 15 minutes. Or, add several drops of peppermint extract to a cloth and place it in the corner of your shower.  Turn on the hot water and feel the relief of the minty steam.

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