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Arthritis comes in various forms; however, it is invariably painful. The standard medical strategy is to take some sort of pain medicine (usually non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NASDs) that might bring about a number of side effects, including stomach discomfort. Thankfully, there are a few natural, organic strategies to arthritis pain managing. Here are some of them.

White Willow

Willow bark – in particular the white willow – has been used to alleviate pain and inflammation for decades, even hundreds of years. It has a substance labeled salicin, which is the foundation for aspirin. White willow can be taken as a tea and in supplement form, preferably with food.

Stinging Nettle

This relentless weed may provide considerable pain relief for arthritis patients. You may use it topically or consume it internally. If you are using it topically, you take advantage of stinging nettles’ sting, putting the plant onto the area of the body that is experiencing arthritis pain.
Cooking and eating stinging nettle (the sting goes away when it’s cooked) like vegetables could also help. Stinging nettles contain significant amounts of the mineral boron, which is said to help the bones and joints retain calcium.

Red Pepper or Capsicum

The heat from red pepper comes from a substance known as capsaicin, and it is this very same compound that helps alleviate arthritis pain. Capsaicin acts as an endorphin trigger – endorphins are the body’s all natural pain medication. If you love spicy foods, add some red pepper to your regular eating plan in the form of hot pepper sauce, or by including ground red pepper to foods.
Red pepper may also be used topically. Red pepper/capsaicin creams can be purchased in many drug stores, but make sure you wash your hands after applying it, or wear gloves when applying. You wouldn’t like to have it in your eyes!

Foods and Spices

There are many food items and spices you can add into your meals for arthritis relief. Here are some of them.

Ginger – Drinking a cup of ginger tea daily has been said to help arthritis pain. It works as an anti-inflammatory, alleviating the discomfort and swelling associated with arthritis.

Turmeric – This yellowish spice is often added to curries, rice pilafs, and other recipes. Its benefits act like the ones from ginger. Turmeric may also be taken in capsules.

Oregano – Along with featuring anti-inflammatory properties, oregano is also reputed to be an antioxidant. Spread it freely on your pizzas, include it with your spaghetti sauce, or blend it directly into meatloaf. Oregano may be added to many Greek and Italian dishes.

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The problems with antibiotics and antibiotic-resistant bacteria have received a great deal of interest recently. The issue is that bacteria, having been subjected to antibiotics for so long, have created a resistance to the medications. The sad truth is that bacterial infections that used to yield very easily to antibiotics have become more severe, possibly even lethal.

Remarkably, however, herbs that have antibiotic properties seem to elude the bacterial “learning process” and as a result do not seem to create resistant bacteria. Antibiotic herbs can be used in the home for minor infections and as antiseptics to stop infections. Here are some of the more useful antibiotic herbal remedies.

Fresh Garlic
This smelly yet effective herb is an antibiotic giant. It’s also widely accessible and economical. You could even grow it yourself.

How Should it be Used?
Garlic is most effective when applied internally. It can be converted to ear drops and applied to combat ear infections; simmered in broth or water, it makes a therapeutic broth that performs especially well for upper respiratory infections. Fresh garlic can be minced and combined with all kinds of foods, from noodles to salad. Many natural health practitioners believe that garlic is most beneficial when used raw – as juice, minced, or crushed.

Echinacea
No doubt you’ve heard about this herb – it’s all over the place during cold and flu season, and for good reason. Echinacea is a powerful antibiotic and, in the case of colds and flu, anti-viral. It also will work as an antiseptic on cuts and also to remedy sore throats.

How Should it be Used?
Tea produced from Echinacea’s roots and aerial parts is not particularly tasty, however it can be drunk. This kind of tea can also be used as a wash for superficial cuts and scrapes. Echinacea tincture, diluted in warm water, makes a really good sore throat remedy.

Goldenseal
The golden yellow hue of Goldenseal’s roots gives it its name, and these roots are the components that are made use of medicinally. Goldenseal is effective topically and internally; nevertheless, it is such an efficient antibiotic that it can affect intestinal flora, and shouldn’t be used internally for over a couple of weeks at a time.

How Should it be Used?
Infused in boiling water and cooled, Goldenseal can be used as a rather helpful eye wash for infections in and near the eye. Such an infusion also makes a great wash for cuts and scrapes, and can also be applied to surgical wounds, particularly on household pets.

Ginger
Were you aware that ginger can work as an antibiotic? It is reputed to be effective against E. coli and Salmonella, both of which are food-borne bacteria that cause considerable illness in people. It has even been shown to treat and heal ulcers.

How Should it be Used?
Ginger may be made into a tea using the fresh root or the dried and ground root. The fresh root is relatively cheap, and a drink can be easily created by gently simmering ginger pieces in water and sipping the end result, sweetened with natural honey. You can even eat candied ginger to help treat ulcers and fight infections.

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Fungal infections affect a great number of folks, and they’re not just unpleasant; they can be stubborn to clear up, as well. The subject of fungal infections generally and yeast infections specifically has gotten a lot of focus lately, and as fungal infections seem less responsive to conventional treatments, herbal solutions are being looked into. Thankfully, there are some very effective herbs and natural treatments for fungal infections. Here are some of them.

Apple Cider Vinegar

While a bit pungent, apple cider vinegar is actually a powerful antifungal. For athlete’s foot, you can soak your feet in a diluted apple cider vinegar solution a few times every day, and/or you can “paint” the area affected with a cotton ball or swab soaked in apple cider vinegar.

For internal infections, apple cider vinegar may be ingested several times a day. It’s strong stuff – you will likely want to dilute it with water and sweeten it with raw honey or stevia sweetener, but avoid sugar sweetening. Sugar is said to worsen yeast infections, since yeast flourish on it.

Sources also indicate that diluted apple cider vinegar can also be used as a douche to cure vaginal yeast infections.

Look for raw, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar, as it has the most active constituents.

Garlic

Again with a stinky remedy! Garlic may be odorous, but it’s known as a great fungus fighter. Used internally, garlic may help cure yeast and fungal infections in the body. For vaginal yeast infections, a peeled garlic clove may be inserted into the vagina and left all night, and the process done again (with a fresh garlic clove) each night for about one week, or until signs and symptoms diminish.

Rub a cut garlic clove over athlete’s foot a few times each day for topical treatment.

Echinacea

For more than just colds and flu, a German study has shown that Echinacea is a highly effective anti-fungal. Used internally, Echinacea will help clear up yeast infections and prevents their recurrence.

Goldenseal

The yellow root from this plant contains berberine, which isn’t only an anti-biotic but an anti-fungal too. A diluted tea produced from the roots may be used as a douche or foot-soak for athlete’s foot, or the diluted tincture could be used similarly. It can also be used internally, but not for more than three weeks or so (after that, it may impact intestinal tract bacteria).

Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE)

This somewhat debatable anti-fungal treatment is alleged to be quite powerful. It’s debatable because the active constituents have not been completely determined, nevertheless it’s been shown to be quite effective at treating fungal infections, both topically and internally.

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On the subject of giving herbs to our children, many of us are uncertain and anxious. After all, kid’s physiques are smaller than ours, so how can you understand the proper dosage? And aren’t there all sorts of horror stories about children having horrible reactions to herbs? Combined with these worries are doctors and pediatricians who frequently discourage the use of herbs in children.

To begin with, to answer the title question – are herbs safe for kids? The short response is yes. The longer response is it depends upon the herb and the issue the little one is having. Next are some brief guidelines on giving herbs to kids.

Give Less if You’re Unsure
If you are unsure of a dose, give the least possible dosage. You may alter the dosage to suit your child’s bodyweight – the adult dosage is generally for a 150-pound adult, so a 25-pound youngster would get 1/6th the dose. But, if you are not sure, err on the side of a smaller amount. Remember, less is often more with regards to herbal remedies.

Herbal Treatments Aimed at Kids May or May Not Work
There are controversial studies concerning the effectiveness of herbs in a number of children’s remedies. However, remedies and blends marketed specifically for children are generally harmless.
There are herbs that are typically considered harmless for kids, and are still very useful. This is a list of a few of these herbs.

* Chamomile – Peter Rabbit’s mother was correct – chamomile tea does help calm the nerves. As long as your son or daughter doesn’t have a ragweed allergy (the chamomile flower is related to ragweed), this soothing tea can be consumed at regular strength by young kids. You may also brew up some chamomile tea and mix small quantities of it in the little one’s ordinary drinks during the day to help relax nerves and anxiety. Several children enjoy chamomile sweetened with a bit of honey or stevia sweetener.

* Mints – Peppermint and spearmint are safe herbs that are good for kids. For one thing, peppermint and spearmint taste good and can help flavor other teas that may not taste as good. Mint teas may help soothe digestion and they are very safe for children. Once again, honey and stevia make very good sweeteners.

* Lemon Balm – This lemony herb produces a scrumptious drink, hot or iced. It’s very safe, but additionally quite effective – it’s antiviral and will help soothe and calm. It promotes sleep too. It is an herb that can be brewed into a drink and consumed through the day, or it can be prepared hot and enjoyed with honey.

* Fennel – This well regarded solution for colic in babies is considered a safe herb for youngsters. Brewed into a tea, fennel seeds help digestion and soothe the stomach. It has been proven in scientific studies to be as good as commercial gas relief drops. It tastes rather like licorice and produces a pleasant tea.

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Allergies can produce great discomfort. In the US alone, approximately 28 million people suffer from hay fever, which doesn’t include all the people who are allergic to pet dander, dust, foods, and bee stings.

Allergies are the consequence of an immune response gone crazy. Things like dust, pollen, dust mites, and so forth are not harmful like pathogens. However, in the allergic person, these substances produce an intense immune system response. From debilitating to a simple annoyance, allergy symptoms aren’t any fun.

Thankfully, there’s a position for natural treatments in allergy management. The following are some natural approaches that might help lessen allergy symptoms. (Note: the natural treatments discussed below are not intended to be used to treat or prevent anaphylaxis, a deadly form of allergic reaction that’s a medical emergency.)

1. Ginkgo
Ginkgo for Memory: Interestingly, Ginkgo consists of a number of elements that inhibit a chemical made by the body during an allergic response: platelet-activating factor, or PAF. When your body produces PAF in response to an allergen, the PAF initiates a chain of events that cause allergic symptoms and inflammation. Suppressing the PAF means that the allergic response doesn’t get to finish its cycle. It’s like breaking the link in a chain.

Ginkgo is normally sold in standardized extract form. Herbalists suggest 60 to 240 milligrams every day, however no greater than that. Ginkgo is low in unwanted side effects but full of effectiveness.

2. Garlic
Garlic includes a compound called quercetin, which can actually be used as a supplement (more on that below). Various other foods have quercetin, too, but garlic has high levels of this compound. Quercetin is reported to slow down inflammatory reactions, such as those found in allergic responses. Onions, as well, have a significant amount of quercetin.

3. Enzymatic Therapy
Enzymes – or just a lack of them – are implicated in the progression of allergies. At their very fundamental level, allergens are proteins, and particular enzymes can break down proteins before they can incite an allergic reaction. Enzymes can be taken in supplement form; however, they may have digestive system side effects. However, numerous allergy sufferers realize that the side effects are greatly reduced when the enzymes are consumed with food.

4. Quercetin
Quercetin supplements are frequently suggested as a treatment for allergies. As noted above, certain foods contain quercetin, too. This is another factor for a nutritious diet, since the foods that have the most quercetin are those foods that are some of the healthiest: garlic, onions, apples, red wine (moderately!), and citrus fruits – for starters.

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