Home Remedies from Around the World Part 2

Here are a few more tips I learned from my students over the past couple of months while discussing health care.

Home Stomachache Remedies

 

Stomachaches plague both the young and old.  Perhaps we eat the wrong food or catch a nasty bug.  Maybe we are just stressed out.  Regardless, dealing with a stomachache can be quite the challenge.  My students had great suggestions on the best home practices.

 

Ethiopia ~ When I have a stomachache, I use lemon, sugar, and water, mix it together and I drink it.  I eat a little ginger.

Guatemala ~ When I have a stomachache, I drink lemon juice and tea for the pain.

Eritrea ~ When I have a stomachache, I drink lemon water and I change my food.  I make rice to eat.

Sudan ~ When I have a stomachache, I take a little walk.  I take a nap.  I drink tea from a tree root.

Ukraine ~ If we have a stomachache, we lie down and then do massage.

So I really did have to look up why lemon (a definitively acidic fruit) would help an upset stomach, and apparently a little lemon juice can go a long way in helping the stomach clear out any leftover irritants.  It gives the stomach the extra acidity to heal itself.

Home Headache Remedies

 

Headaches, too, are ever present and affect us all.  A debilitating headache could potentially affect a person for several days.  There are often so many triggers too, from dehydration and hunger to lack of sleep or a sinus infection.  Here are the best ideas my students gave me.

 

Ukraine ~ When I have a headache, I try to relax and put a cloth with mint oil on my forehead.

El Salvador ~  When you have a headache, put a cloth on your forehead.  Drink chamomile tea.  Use lavender oil.  Drink ginger tea.

Sudan ~ When I have a headache, I take a shower with cool water and sleep.  I also eat onion, tomato, and red peppers.

 

Although my research could give me some insight into the herbal remedies my students suggested, I was not able to find as much information on the vegetable-based remedies as I had hoped.

Peppermint oil in fact helps stop migraines.  Ginger has been used for headache treatments for over 2000 years.  Chamomile relaxes the body and relieves stress, and there may also be benefits to lavender oil.

When it came to the vegetables, this is what I learned.  Veggies high in water content such as cucumbers and tomatoes can help with hydration and relieve headaches.

Hot peppers, on the other hand, can help with congestion as we sweat, cough, and cry while eating them (haha!).  Since some headaches can be caused by sinus congestion, this could be a useful remedy.

There was, however, no mention of onions.  I suppose they could also have high water content and if hot enough could help clear out congestion.

Overall I have found the suggestions of my students very intriguing and definitely worth trying. So bring on the spicy salads and lemon ginger tea!

Written by Heather Glidewell, ESL Instructor

Home Remedies from Around the World Part 1

This past month we have been talking about health care with our students. In my upper level English class, we discussed some home remedies that my students use. I learned so much from them!

 

Home Burn Remedies

From cooking mishaps to fun in the summer sun, we all have burns sometimes.  Here are a few of the responses I received from my students on the best ways to take care of them.

El Salvador ~ When I get a burn, I use aloe vera on my burn. I put tomato on it and then I feel better. I put cold water on the burn. I use honey and put on the burn.
Iraq ~ When I burn my hand, I will put tomato paste on a burn.
Venezuela ~ When I have a burn, I put onion on it, I rinse in a lot of cold water, or I put a slice of potato on it.

So naturally I had to look up the benefits of putting a tomato slice on a burn, and sure enough there is a chemical called lycopene in tomatoes that reduces the heat from a burn and helps relieve the pain. Additionally honey has antiseptic properties for burns, and potato slices, especially the peel of a potato, will hold a lot of water and keep a burn from drying out too fast. Finally onion juice, too, has natural pain relievers.

 

Home Cough Remedies

 

The cold season is finally winding down, but allergy season is making its presence known, so my students gladly gave me ideas to help with coughing.

Guatemala ~ When I have cough, I drink hot water with honey and ginger.
Ukraine ~ When I have a cough, I drink tea with honey, ginger, and lemon.
Ethiopia ~ I drink milk with honey and garlic. I mix garlic and milk together. I boil for a few minutes and after that drink I feel better.
Eritrea ~ When I have a cough, I drink warm water. I drink lemon with tea. I take vitamin C; for example, lemon, tomatoes, or an orange. We have to drink hot water early in the morning.

 

The remedy that surprised me most here was the garlic and honey milk. Although both garlic and honey are said to have benefits for colds and coughs, I do not know if I could stomach warm garlic milk. I might have to stick to the other suggestions.

 

 

Catch me next time when I discuss even more home remedies!

Written by Heather Glidewell, ESL Instructor