By Laura Lamun

Autumn’s colors are astounding, and the cold nights are surprising! I slept outside after a wonderful outdoor party on Saturday night, only to wake up shivering as frost covered my sleeping bag by 6 am. I created a perfect opportunity to catch a cold. Luckily, years and years of working with natural foods and products have taught me to get very PRO-active about maintaining my health. I went home the next morning and took a Letting Go ginger bath to warm away the chill, drank a bunch of water, took 5000 mg of vitamin C and went to bed. I was nearly fine the next day, ate some good raw food and lots of garlic, drank more water and pumped in more vitamin C. Plus, I told my body, as the commander of all my cells, that I would not accept getting sick. I asked for extra regiments of illness-fighting cells to come to our rescue and keep us well. This extra care and change in attitude has worked for me time and time again.

A positive approach, good natural medicines, and some vital education are what you need to take your health into your hands – and Nature wants to help. Our Earth provides us with many perfect herbs, minerals and foods, as well as experts who have written about them, for your research. In order to spark your interest for keeping your own health, I offer some of MY favorite natural remedies, and suggestions for using them wisely. Remember, these ideas are in no way meant to take the place of proper medical attention, and in case of a real emergency or poisoning you should seek professional medical help immediately. Common sense is a big part of natural remedying, as is utilizing the forces and gifts of nature with respect and gratitude. Enjoy Nature’s finest remedies!

Sidebar<<I recommend essential oils all the time because they are potent medicines that smell great. As inhalants, their medicine is simply taken in through their scent, whose molecules stimulate the olfactory nerve to send messages to the brain to change brain and blood chemistry accordingly. This makes for a rapid change in condition, which can be great in panic attacks, depression and other disharmony you want to recover from quickly. Because they are so strong, essential oils must be used with care, diluted before using on the skin (except for lavender) and used in MINUTE quantities if ever taken internally.>>

Nausea, Gas, Indigestion, Motion Sickness:

Ginger tea, peppermint tea and crystallized ginger give great relief, as well as dabbing a  finger on top of peppermint essential oil vial and swirling it in drinking water for a very minimal concentration that gives quick relief. Inhaling from peppermint vial may even help enough. Rubbing gently on the stomach clockwise can move gas and make you feel lots better. Ginger capsules are as effective as Dramamine for motion sickness – take 2 before traveling and 2 hours later. Umeboshi paste is also great for digestive distress – ½ tsp. in water. Peppermint gum can even bring relief.

Bee & Wasp Stings: Wet baking soda or Letting Go bath salt with alcohol, water, or witch hazel to make a paste - apply to sting. Cabbage leaves (dipped in boiling water to wilt), will pull poisons out and help pain when used as a poultice over the sting. Vinegar can reduce pain and neutralize wasp venom as well.

For Insomnia, to Calm Nerves & Relieve Stress:

Inhale from lavender essential oil vial, put 1 drop on pillow, 5 drops in bathwater, or 1 drop on a tissue by bedside. Smelling clove essential oil also works great for middle of the night waking. For minds that won’t quiet, take the homeopathic Ignatia Amara. Drinking Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime or Tension Tamer teas can soothe nerves so you can sleep. Any hot bath can promote sleep, as the cooling down process stimulates deeper sleep. Nutmeg or clove powder in warm milk or soymilk can help, too.

Constipation/Diarrhea:

Both kinds of disorders are helped by 1 tsp vinegar and 1 tsp honey in water, ginger tea, good amounts of water with lemon, and dipping into a cold pool or river. A ginger bath will also help release toxins and relieve elimination. 1 tsp. carob powder in 1 cup of water is a tasty diarrhea remedy for children and adults.

Headaches:

Inhale deeply peppermint and lavender essential oils, alternate hot and cold compresses, rub analgesic salve on temples, forehead, neck, wherever it helps, use feverfew capsules or extract, drink a strong cup of coffee, and drink lots of water in case of dehydration.

Hangovers:

Eating 10 fresh strawberries is a Chinese food cure. Honey takes alcohol out of the system faster so eat 1 teaspoon before bed and upon arising. B vitamins and Emergen-C packets can help immensely, boiling banana peel for your tea water is a great treatment, and mandarin oranges can be eaten for help, too. Peppermint tea or oil in water can greatly reduce nausea.

Sore Throat:

Gargle with warm water with 1 tsp. salt in it, or 1 drop tea tree essential oil

or 10 drops grapefruit seed extract. Pineapple juice is great for a sore throat, as is

gargling with a couple drops of any hot sauce in warm water. Chewing a clove can help.

Using Little Moon’s Clear Breeze mist as a throat spray works great.

Burns:

Always cool a burn first with very cold water, milk or beer, and then use lavender oil (undiluted) wheat germ oil, or an opened vit. E capsule on the skin.  Sliced potato, grated carrot, tofu or cucumber slices make great burn remedies, as does aloe vera gel kept in the ‘fridge.

Cold & Flus:

The moment you feel low or chilled, take action with lots of extra vitamin C, hot

baths (Letting Go ginger bath is the best!), lots of garlic & spicy foods, and more water than you think you need in a day. Lemon water helps thin mucous and makes moving through a cold faster and easier. Sucking on a small piece of osha root is great for warding off illness, and helping with coughs or sore throats. Making a tea of cinnamon, clove and ginger powder is great for heating up the body’s core and preventing colds. Yarrow and peppermint combined in a tea can help break a fever. Wearing a scarf around your lower back (up high on waist) to keep the kidneys warm, can totally ward off a cold.

Bleeding:

When bleeding is severe always seek medical attention, but for minor nosebleeds and other minor trauma, a pinch of cayenne in water will help slow bleeding. Ice compresses, a glass of very cold water, or snuffing vinegar diluted in water can stop a nosebleed.

Food Poisoning:

Ginger tea, peppermint tea, & peppermint oil in water as for nausea, vinegar & honey 1 tbsp each in warm water every 2 hours, or 1 tsp. green clay in water every 2-3 hours

will help immensely. Miso soup is a specific remedy for food poisoning recovery, once nausea subsides, followed by the BRAT diet – bananas, rice, applesauce and toast as some of the best recovery foods. Lemon juice in water replaces electrolytes.

Exhaustion:

Essential oils give instant relief for driving alertness and as a pick-me-up anytime – smell eucalyptus, peppermint, rosemary, lemon, or grapefruit. A glass of grape juice with a pinch of cayenne is a trucker’s remedy for wakeful driving. Doing a handstand against a wall for 1 minute can provide 3 hours of extra energy. Emergen-C straight out of the packet or in water is helpful, as is a dab of peppermint oil on the tongue. Deep breathing relieves exhaustion, as does an orgasm! Aren’t natural remedies fun?!