Official Poll: What's your favorite/most useful natural remedy?

[Support]

Whenever a person is feeling sick, he/she usually resort to buying Over-The-Counter (OTC) medicines and balms. But with us being self-sufficient-selves, we always opt to use something homemade or natural.

Please take a minute to complete this poll and tell us what's your favorite/most useful natural remedy. After voting, you can reply to this thread and expand on your reason.

If your answer isn't listed, you can vote for "Others" and reply to this thread with your answers.

 

[Denim Deb]

I don't have a lot of natural remedies since I don't really take meds. But one thing I have found very useful is to take a handful of birch leaves, simmer them for 5-10 minutes in a cup of water, then strain. If I get poison ivy, it helps tremendously w/the itching.

 

[Support]

Thanks for sharing that @Denim Deb.

Where are all the other peeps?

Tagging @frustratedearthmother @Beekissed @Hinotori @modern_pioneer @pinkfox @Britesea

 

[Beekissed]

My favorite one of late has been castor oil. Useful for so, so, so many things that we have taken to keeping several bottles of the stuff on hand. It's a topical anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antibacterial, antimicrobial. It's a one stop treatment for scale mites in chickens, working long after you can no longer see the oil, helping the leg to grow new and healthy scales and helping the old, affected scales slough off.

It's wonderful for my arthritis pain and can ease the pain within a half hour and last for days instead of hours, unlike the PO pain meds. Also doesn't make me drowsy or loggy like PO pain meds.

It's great for dry and split open feet, causing the old skin to slough and showing new, fresh and smooth skin to appear...my ol' Ma's feet have never looked better and I've tried keeping her feet healthy for several winters now with soaks and the application of numerous emollients...but nothing has worked like castor oil.

Wound dressing...castor oil is great for dressing a wound that you mean to leave open to air, as on dogs or chickens. Slap some castor oil on it and forget it, not only does it heal quickly but it also regrows hair and feathers at record speed. Even faster than NuStock and that's saying a lot.

Hair...use it on hair as a hot oil treatment and causes my hair to shine like the sun, grow longer and thicker and stay stronger. Also seems to restore more color to my greying hair, so that the brown is richer and more evident and the grey is brighter and less dull.

When I get new chickens in the flock I give them each a dose of oral castor oil, slather it into their scales and around their vents, then I dust them with sulfur or lime in case they are hiding any carry on bugs. That's my whole program for introducing new birds to the flock and it's worked like a charm.

I haven't scratched the surface for all the useful purposes for castor oil ~haven't used it yet for its intended purpose of laxative, but as time goes along I'm sure I'll find many more. Any time something stumps me, I always say, "Put some castor oil on it and see what happens" and we are most often amazed at what happens.

That's my favorite natural remedy for the past few years...can't say enough good about castor oil.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/a...28/castor-oil-to-treat-health-conditions.aspx

 

[Hinotori]

Thanks for sharing that @Denim Deb.

Where are all the other peeps?

Tagging @frustratedearthmother @Beekissed @Hinotori @modern_pioneer @pinkfox @Britesea

Was sick and have been busy. Haven't been able to check in here as much.

 

[Britesea]

I like using plantain salve for insect bites, nettle stings, anything that itches.

 

[Hinotori]

Plantain works well for stings. Vinegar works well for nettle stings. Especially when in shorts and sandles, you walked 20 feet through what you thought was just grass and comfrey, only to learn it was mostly nettles that had come up. I had some quality time with a gallon of vinegar to stop that pain.

 

[Britesea]

Never tried vinegar for that. I harvest nettle regularly for tea and invariably I get a few stings, so next time I will try the vinegar. ACV or does any type work?

 

[Support]

My favorite one of late has been castor oil. Useful for so, so, so many things that we have taken to keeping several bottles of the stuff on hand. It's a topical anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antibacterial, antimicrobial. It's a one stop treatment for scale mites in chickens, working long after you can no longer see the oil, helping the leg to grow new and healthy scales and helping the old, affected scales slough off.

It's wonderful for my arthritis pain and can ease the pain within a half hour and last for days instead of hours, unlike the PO pain meds. Also doesn't make me drowsy or loggy like PO pain meds.

It's great for dry and split open feet, causing the old skin to slough and showing new, fresh and smooth skin to appear...my ol' Ma's feet have never looked better and I've tried keeping her feet healthy for several winters now with soaks and the application of numerous emollients...but nothing has worked like castor oil.

Wound dressing...castor oil is great for dressing a wound that you mean to leave open to air, as on dogs or chickens. Slap some castor oil on it and forget it, not only does it heal quickly but it also regrows hair and feathers at record speed. Even faster than NuStock and that's saying a lot.

Hair...use it on hair as a hot oil treatment and causes my hair to shine like the sun, grow longer and thicker and stay stronger. Also seems to restore more color to my greying hair, so that the brown is richer and more evident and the grey is brighter and less dull.

When I get new chickens in the flock I give them each a dose of oral castor oil, slather it into their scales and around their vents, then I dust them with sulfur or lime in case they are hiding any carry on bugs. That's my whole program for introducing new birds to the flock and it's worked like a charm.

I haven't scratched the surface for all the useful purposes for castor oil ~haven't used it yet for its intended purpose of laxative, but as time goes along I'm sure I'll find many more. Any time something stumps me, I always say, "Put some castor oil on it and see what happens" and we are most often amazed at what happens.

That's my favorite natural remedy for the past few years...can't say enough good about castor oil.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/a...28/castor-oil-to-treat-health-conditions.aspx

Never knew castor oil had soooo many uses. Thanks for sharing this!

 

[Support]

Was sick and have been busy. Haven't been able to check in here as much.

Hope you are feeling better now @Hinotori