Recently in Home Remedies Category

Q. I have been using honey as an ointment to prevent and treat skin infections for years. Not only does it work for cuts and scrapes, but it also works on herpes cold sores, cutting down on the length and severity of the outbreak. It's truly a miracle cure! As far as I can tell, any kind of honey is effective. It's great stuff, and it tastes good, too. 

A. Your use of honey sounds like an old-fashioned remedy for hard-to-heal wounds. Before antibiotics, doctors and nurses applied sugar to wounds. Dr. Richard Knutson, an orthopedic surgeon in Greenville, MS, has had good experience using sugar on wounds. We have also heard from Dr. Ron Caless, a plastic surgeon in Columbia, SC, that medical grade honey speeds wound healing, provided the wound is clean and not infected. Keep in mind that a serious wound requires medical attention. 

Q. I have been plagued with nummular eczema for years. It does not respond to Benadryl, prednisone or any kind of topical cortisone ointment. 

I read in your column about some doctors in Japan who had people with eczema drink oolong tea to help their symptoms. So the last time I had an outbreak, I tried oolong tea and the results were amazing.   Within twenty-four hours, the itching and inflammation were gone. It took a couple of days, but the lesions disappeared and didn't leave scars.  

Why does oolong tea work so well? It is the best treatment for this awful skin condition I've ever seen!  

A. Nummular eczema consists of coin-shaped itchy red patches on the skin. Nobody knows what causes it, but the condition is aggravated by dry skin, stress, detergent and cold weather.  

A study (Arch. Dermatol. Jan. 2001) of more than 100 patients with a different kind of eczema (atopic dermatitis) showed that drinking a liter of oolong tea daily could markedly improve inflammation and itching. The researchers speculated that antioxidant polyphenols in tea have anti-allergic properties and calm the overactive immune response.    Some people have reported that their eczema improved when they took borage or flax seed oil orally. These dietary supplements are high in omega-3 fatty acids which also have anti-inflammatory activity.

Q. Have you ever heard of using castor oil for bruises? My mother-in-law swears by this remedy. Whenever one of my kids bumps a knee, she rubs castor oil on it and there is never a bruise.

A. Arnica and calendula are herbs that have long been used to relieve muscle aches and prevent bruises after minor injuries. Castor oil is used internally as a laxative, but many tell us it works externally for warts. Now we will add bruises to the list.

Q. I'm a 39-year-old woman in need of an herb that can decrease sex drive. I think you've written about this before, but I can't recall the herb you suggested. I'm in excellent health, taking only Flonase, Ortho Tri-Cyclen and an occasional Advil.  

A. In the past, we asked herb expert James Duke, Ph.D., who suggested an extract of chaste-tree berry (Vitex agnus-castus). Vitex has a progesterone-like effect.  

Q. I have high blood pressure (about 180/80) and my doctor has prescribed nearly everything he can think of. We have tried over a dozen different medicines, with unacceptable results or side effects. I am currently taking Diovan which makes my head and ears hurt. 

I go for a massage every few weeks because it makes me feel good. The woman who does them has suggested a remedy containing lots of flowers, including chrysanthemum and honeysuckle. She says it will work wonders for my blood pressure, but herbs scare me to death. Should I stop my medication and try this remedy?  

A. It isn't likely the flower remedy will replace your blood pressure medicine. Even though you are feeling frustrated about your difficulties with blood pressure treatments, tell your doctor about your trouble with Diovan. 

Put orange juice (8 oz? unspecified) and a diced banana or peach into a 16 oz jar, cap tightly and shake. Then add 1/3 cup raw rolled oats and 1 Tablespoon ground flax meal. Cap once again, shake, let sit for 15 or 20 minutes. The smoothie can be frozen and will stay cool for hours after coming out of the freezer. Julius reports that consuming this smoothie 5 days a week for a year lowered his cholesterol by 40 points.

There is now a prescription drug (Requip) to treat RLS (restless leg syndrome). The only problem is that some people fall asleep during the day. This could be risky if they are behind the wheel. As far as we can tell, there are no side effects to putting soap under the bottom sheet.

Q. Several months ago I went to my neurologist for my yearly physical and told him about a problem I had with my legs "jumping" at night and waking me up. He gave me the technical name for it and wrote me a prescription for Mirapex. I then told him I had read in your column about putting a bar of soap in the bed, so he told me to try the soap and fill the prescription if it didn't work. I still have the unfilled prescription sitting on my bathroom vanity. When we went on a trip to Yellowstone, I took my soap along and slept fine every night we were gone.

A. This home remedy mystifies us, but we have heard from many readers like you. The risk of unwrapping a fresh bar of soap and putting it under the bottom sheet where the legs will be is almost zero. The cost is far less than a prescription. Positive responses from other readers experimenting with Ivory soap remedy:

“A while back I wrote to complain that the bar of soap under the bottom sheet quit working for my restless legs. (It was great at first.) Then I got to thinking, it worked before, so why not now? That bar of soap had been there for six months, so I replaced it. The result: no more restless legs. A few times that I had symptoms, I put my feet on the soap and the sensations went away in about two minutes.

“My husband was having severe leg cramps at night. Without telling him, I placed a soap bar under his sheets for two nights before he noticed. It worked! He’s had no more cramps. We still can't believe it! “

“I have had severe leg cramps for years. When I read about putting a bar of soap in bed, I got a bar of Ivory and put it under the bottom sheet near my legs. It’s been a month since I did that, and I have not had one leg cramp.

Q. I want to thank you for saving me from a most embarrassing situation. I am president of a small corporation and we were making a pitch to an important client. I had been suffering from a cold for about a week and blowing my nose a lot before this critical meeting. Fifteen minutes before we were to start our presentation, I blew my nose and immediately developed a nasty nosebleed.

No matter what I tried to do to stop the bleeding, nothing worked. Then I remembered reading in your column about putting cold keys down the back of the neck. By this point I was desperate and figured I had nothing to lose. Within seconds the bleeding stopped. I don't know how this trick works, but I sure am grateful!

A. We do not know how it works, either. But so many readers have written about their success, we are sure that this technique does work at least some of the time. Putting a large, cold metal key or ring of keys down the back of the neck to stop a nosebleed is a folk remedy that seems to have come to this country from Europe a long time ago.

Another reader writes, "I read your column a year ago about stopping a nosebleed by dropping keys down the person's back. This past Christmas, with the whole family gathered, my sister got a nosebleed. I had been waiting for some time to try this remedy, so I got my mom's car keys and dropped them down my sister's back. The nosebleed she'd had for about five minutes was gone instantly. The cold shock made her really tense up, which might be why it worked.

Here's another take on the same remedy! I have read with interest your columns reporting keys as a solution for nosebleeds. I've been reading A Princess Remembers:The Memoirs of the Maharani of Jaipur, an autobiography by Gayatri Devi. In talking about palace guests whom she particularly admired as a child of 11 (in the early 1930s), she describes: "...the especially thrilling Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., the great swashbuckling film star. Later he came to Cooch Behar on a shoot and I had an even more unexpected bit of luck. My nose began to bleed and (he) looked after me and put a key down my back to stop the bleeding."; I've never had nosebleeds but can't help being intrigued by this lore.

People use all sorts of remedies for bee or wasp stings. Some swear by tobacco juice, but that is getting hard to come by as the habit of chewing tobacco is fading (along with cigarette smoking). Others prefer mud or baking soda. One of our favorites combines vinegar and baking soda as a foaming paste to be slathered on the sting. Here's another option. Q. I was cleaning up my flowerbeds for fall when a wasp flew up and stung me on the cheek. Not only did it hurt, I feared it might swell up so my eye would shut. I remembered you writing something about a cut onion, so I sliced the end off an onion and held it on the sting for about 20 minutes. It took the pain away quickly, and the site did not swell up either. Thanks for the remedy. A. Thanks for the report. According to Eric Block, PhD, an expert in onion chemistry, there are enzymes in fresh-cut onion that help break down the compounds in a sting that cause inflammation.

Hiccups are rarely serious, but they certainly can be annoying. There are dozens of remedies from holding your breath to drinking water from the far side of a glass. This is one we have been talking about since 1976. It's simple and easy. Q. My father has been plagued with hiccups at all hours of the day or night. His physician gave him samples of medications to try, but none worked. A friend of mine told me many years ago that a teaspoon of sugar stops hiccups. This is the only remedy that has worked. It is immediate and can last for hours. Sugar packets are easy to carry, too. A. We found this simple remedy published in the New England Journal of Medicine (Dec. 23, 1971) and have been recommending it ever since. Anyone who has prolonged hiccups, however, should have a diagnostic workup to rule out a serious medical condition.

Almost all antiperspirants contain aluminum, in one form or another. It is hard to say at this time whether we absorb any of that aluminum into our systems and even if we did, whether it would be harmful. Nonetheless, some people prefer to minimize their exposure. Here’s an interesting alternative: Q.Thank you so much for writing about using vinegar and water on underarms. I have had a problem with smelly underarms most of my life and have tried almost every product on the market. Nothing really stopped the odor. When I read about vinegar, I gave it a try. It has been a miracle. I can now go out in the heat, exercise and go through the day without smelling at all. It is amazing and cheap. A. Thanks for the testimonial. We heard this from another reader: “I had chemo treatment for breast cancer in 2002 and found that all antiperspirants caused redness and irritation. My doctor advised me not to use any deodorant, but that did not suit me. I tried plain white vinegar, and it worked so well I’ve kept it up ever since.�? Diluted vinegar should be applied only to unbroken skin (not after shaving), or it will sting. If it causes any rash or other reaction, it should be discontinued immediately.

Turmeric and its most active ingredient curcumin have gotten attention for their anti-inflammatory properties. We have heard from readers that this yellow spice used in curry powder and mustard can help alleviate arthritis pain. One reader offered the following experience. “After reading about turmeric in your column, I started using one teaspoon in my scrambled eggs each morning. My arthritis has greatly improved, and I have far less pain when I walk. “I work in my yard every few weeks, weeding, hoeing, mowing and pruning. Usually I am sore for days after this work. But this last time, since I started taking turmeric, I had no soreness the next day.�? Investigators are also studying the potential role of curcumin against cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, psoriasis and cystic fibrosis. Putting turmeric powder on cereal (as one reader did) or in scrambled eggs might taste a tad strange. One woman told us that she takes turmeric pills instead and they relieved her arthritis pain. When she stopped temporarily, the pain returned. She resumed taking turmeric pills and the pain disappeared.

One of the strangest remedies we have ever heard of involves sauerkraut juice against canker sores. Take a tablespoon of sauerkraut juice in your mouth and swish it around morning and night, then swallow it. Do this twice a day and the canker sores should go away. We first heard about using sauerkraut juice to treat canker sores from D.W. in Garland, Texas. His mother had been a dental assistant in the 1930s. Since then we have heard from many people that it can provide rapid relief. One physician who benefited personally arranged for analytical testing of sauerkraut juice and discovered a number of active compounds that may be responsible for its healing properties.

Recipe 1 cup applesauce 1 cup coarse, unprocessed bran 3/4 cup prune juice Mix all the ingredients together. They will turn into a pasty, stiff glop about the consistency of peanut butter. After mixing, it should be kept refrigerated. Take one or two tablespoons daily and wash it down with a full eight ounces of water.

A reader offered the following suggestion for getting rid of nail fungus: “I cured my toenail fungus using a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and Listerine. I combined them in a quart jar with a screw-on lid and used a clean paintbrush to apply the liquid to the affected toes morning and night. “Then I put my socks on to keep it acting a while longer and protect the bed sheets at night. The fungus took about three months to clear up. It is slow growing, but is also slow to cure. I hope this helps someone else.�? The herbal ingredients in Listerine may have anti-fungal properties, but home remedies rarely come with specific guidelines. This reader combined a couple of favorite remedies. Many people have reported success soaking infected nails in one part vinegar to two parts water. Others got good results soaking their toes in Listerine. Such remedies won’t work for everyone and take several months to produce results.

We have heard from several readers that Listerine can be helpful in preventing lice infestations. We recently received this testimonial from a reader:

"The best way to prevent head lice is old-fashioned Listerine Antiseptic Mouthrinse. We were in the Army 33 years and moved a lot, but my kids never got lice.

"Teachers asked me why my children didn't get lice when all the others did. I used to put Listerine on their hair and scalp a week before school started and also put a tablespoon of Listerine in the rinse water when I washed the clothes and sheets. You have to be careful to keep the mouthwash out of eyes."

Another reader writes:

“My quick remedy to prevent this problem is Listerine. I have tried it and am convinced that it works. Put Listerine mouthwash in a spray bottle and spray it all over a child's head. It will smell strong until it dries and then there is no smell. Do not rinse the hair. My child even slept in the same bed with another youngster who was later discovered to have lice. My child was unaffected. I spray their hair every Sunday night before the school week starts on Monday. I think you will find that it helps.�?

Listerine Antiseptic Mouthwash contains essential oils including thymol, eucalyptol, menthol and methyl salicylate. It also has 26.9 percent alcohol, which may kill lice. An expert in lice treatment confided to us that alcohol does seem to be toxic to lice, so that may partially explain your success. Breathing in the mist may not be safe, so anyone who tries this technique should be extra cautious to protect a child's face from the aerosol spray.

A horse lover shared the following formula she used on the mane and tail of her filly: 1/3 Listerine (original formula) 1/3 baby oil and 1/3 water Put in a spray bottle, shake well and spray it on. This is quite similar to the formula recommended for dogs’ itchy hot spots. The herbal oils in Listerine may have some antifungal or antibacterial activity. Chronic itching may be the result of an allergic reaction. Changing to a hypoallergenic dog food is sometimes helpful.

A gentleman called in to our public radio show with an amazing story about Listerine mixed with baby oil. His veterinarian had recommended this combination for relieving itchy spots on his Dobermans and horses. He found that it worked and tried it for his own dandruff. He told us that it gets rid of dandruff in two to three days. Listerine contains a number of essential oils (thymol, eucalyptol, menthol, methyl salicylate) that may have anti-fungal activity. Since dandruff appears to be caused in part by fungus (yeast), it stands to reason that a fungus fighter could provide some benefit. The caller did not tell us the precise ratio of Listerine to baby oil so if you want to try it you will have to experiment.

Here’s a remedy that goes back generations. We can’t explain or vouch for it…but it has been popular for a long time to promote regularity. A reader shared the following : “I have always had problems with regularity and recently I read that a teaspoon of lemon juice and one teaspoon of honey mixed in 8 ounces of warm water can act as a cure for constipation. I tried it and it worked. “I now drink a cup of this concoction every day. I do not use the honey, because I like the tartness of the lemon. I brush my teeth immediately just in case the lemon would affect my enamel.�? Brushing your teeth is probably prudent, but rinse your mouth with water and wait at least ten minutes before brushing. Lemon juice can soften enamel temporarily and the scrubbing motion of a toothbrush at that time could damage it.

Flaxseed is rich in soluble fiber. One reader has found a way to utilize this property to prevent constipation: “I purchase flaxseed in bulk at a health food store for about $1.50 per pound. I put three quarts of water on to boil, add two tablespoons of flax seed and simmer for fifteen minutes. Then I cool it and strain it into containers. (It makes just over two quarts.) With two ounces in my orange juice every morning, I am more than satisfied.�? Other readers have also pointed out that flaxseed is an ingredient in Uncle Sam's Laxative Cereal, which may also be a helpful approach to constipation.

Research on duct tape was published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine (Oct. 2002). Parents were told to cover the wart with a piece of duct tape for six days. If it fell off, they were to replace it. At the end of the six days, they removed the tape, soaked the wart in warm water and then filed it down with an emery board. The duct tape was replaced the following day and the process was repeated for two months or until the wart disappeared. In this study, 85 percent of the children treated with duct tape were cured. Most warts disappeared within the first month. In fact, the study found that duct tape worked better than freezing warts off.

Warts are extremely susceptible to home remedies, and many have been developed for this common condition. One of our favorites is readily available at any grocery store. Tape a small piece of banana skin (with the fleshy side towards the wart) over the wart at bedtime. Leave it on overnight. Some people report that warts given this treatment daily disappear within weeks. One reader wrote: "My insurance company paid $600 for a dermatologist to burn warts off my fingers (three treatments). Such pain! When I heard that you could rub the inside of a banana peel on warts I started treating my fingers. A month later my fingers are smooth and pain-free at no cost."

There are so many uses for vinegar it boggles the mind. An otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat specialist) recommended rinsing the ear with the following solution: one part vinegar to five parts tepid water. He suggested putting drops in the ear three times a day. Toenail fungus can be unsightly. Try soaking the infected nails for at least fifteen to thirty minutes daily. The recipe: one part vinegar to two parts warm water. Allow six weeks to see a cure. It worked for Joe!

This home remedy has gotten us into a lot of trouble.

In recent years lice have seemingly become resistant to over-the-counter lice shampoos, which has left families desperate for relief.

One mother wrote that a pediatric dermatologist, Neil Prose, M.D., at Duke University Medical Center, had suggested smearing the hair and scalp with petroleum jelly at bedtime, covering with a shower cap, and removing the Vaseline in the morning.

The lice were gone, but removing the Vaseline was easier said than done!

We were inundated with complaints from parents upset about the difficulty of this chore. Suggestions for removal ranged from Dawn dishwashing liquid to Wisk laundry detergent to cornstarch and Goop (used by auto mechanics to clean hands).

An easier solution to recalcitrant lice may be HairClean 1-2-3. It contains essential oils of coconut, ylang-ylang, and anise.

One dermatologist in Key West, Florida, told her colleagues, "The lice were running off their heads like clowns out of a Volkswagen!" *

• "New Development in Head Lice Treatment." Dr. Greene's House Calls: Pediatric News. May 1998.

Anyone who has ever had to give a talk in front of a large audience knows that anxiety can be paralyzing.

One woman had to give up a career as a musician because her stage fright was incapacitating. Even after years of therapy and practicing relaxation techniques, she was unable to perform in public.

On her own she discovered the value of valerian.

She takes it the evening before an engagement so she can sleep, and then she takes a "booster" dose accompanied by fifteen minutes of meditation just before she plays.

The People's Pharmacy® radio show is made possible in part by Redex Industries, makers of Udder Cream, Udderly Smooth Hand and Body Lotion, and the new COUNTRY CREAM.aids for dry, chapped skin.

800-345-7339 . The website is:

http://www.uddercream.com

Sweaty hands can be embarrassing, and sweaty feet can lead to foot odor and increase the risk of athlete's foot.

One dermatologist we consulted offered the following home remedy: Boil five tea bags in a quart of water for five minutes. When the solution cools, soak your hands or feet for twenty to thirty minutes nightly.

Tea contains tannic acid, which is also found in commercial products such as Ivy Dry, Zilactol, and Zilactin. The astringent properties of tannic acid are thought to be partly responsible for its antiperspirant action.

There are so many wart remedies it is hard to know where to start or stop. Castor oil applications are highly recommended by our readers. But one of the few treatments that have actually been tested is taking Tagamet.

This research has been published in numerous dermatological journals. We consider this a "home remedy" because it is a novel use for this popular heartburn medicine.

One study found that more than 80 percent of treated patients had a significant response, though it did take six to eight weeks to see improvement.* The dose was 30 mg/kg/day.

Other studies have not had such success. Flat warts seem to respond better than raised ones.

How Tagamet might work remains elusive, though one theory has it the drug modifies the immune system so the body attacks the virus that causes warts.

• Glass, A. T., and B. A. Solomon. "Cimetidine Therapy for Recalcitrant Warts in Adults." Arch. Dermatol. 1996; 132:680Ã?682.

We roared with laughter when we read the letter from a woman who told us that her uncle's little terrier had cured his long-standing case of athlete's foot.

Every evening when he got home, he would take off his shoes and socks, put his feet up, and read the newspaper. The dog would run to him and lick his feet all over in affectionate greeting.

In a few months, he realized that the athlete's foot that had plagued him was no longer a problem.

Dog saliva does have some antimicrobial properties. Dutch researchers have identified compounds in human saliva called histatins that have antifungal activity. Canine saliva may also have similar properties.

Do not try this remedy if the skin is broken, however, since dogs can carry bacteria in their mouths.

This home remedy for arthritis pain has generated almost as much mail as the gin and raisins. One newspaper column reader related that her grandmother had been using it as long ago as 1945.

Purchase Certo in the canning section of your local grocery. It is a thickening agent used to make jams and jellies. Certo contains pectin, a natural ingredient found in the cell walls of plants.

There are two recipes: Take 2 teaspoons of Certo in 3 ounces of grape juice three times a day. As the pain disappears, this can be reduced to 1 teaspoon in juice twice a day.

An alternate approach is to use 1 tablespoon of Certo in 8 ounces of grape juice once daily.

A listener to our radio show called in the following recipe his Philippine-American girlfriend taught him. He says eating this chicken once a week keeps colds away. We don't know about that, but it might keep everyone else away as well, which could be good protection against infection:

Chicken Adobo

6 pcs. Chicken 1 cup soy sauce 1 cup white vinegar 6" piece fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced thin 1 tablespoon minced garlic 2 or 3 tablespoons brown sugar

Combine all ingredients in a casserole and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 5 minutes.

The meat tenderizer trick was our very first home remedy in the original edition of The People's Pharmacy®.* We stumbled across it in the Journal of the American Medical Association.**

Dr. Harry L. Arnold of the American Health Institute suggested mixing 1/4 teaspoon of tenderizer with 1 teaspoon of water to make a paste. Smearing this on a bee or wasp sting relieves the pain.

A variation was suggested by a lifeguard in Hawaii who had to deal with insect and jellyfish stings. He used a paste of meat tenderizer and vinegar and claimed it was magical.

• Graedon, Joe. The People's Pharmacy®. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1976; p. 54.

** Arnold, [Harry L.] "Immediate Treatment of Insect Stings." JAMA 1972; 220:585.

We discovered this technique in the book Dermatology: Diagnosis and Treatment* and have been using it ever since we wrote it up in the first edition of "The People's Pharmacy®."

Moderate itching (the sort of thing you get from a mosquito bite or mild case of poison ivy without blisters) often responds to a hot water application. The water needs to be hot enough to be slightly uncomfortable but not so hot that it burns (120-130 degrees Fahrenheit).

If you let the hot water tap run for a few minutes this should be about right. A few seconds' exposure is all you need to produce several hours of relief.

*Sulzberger, M. B., et al. Dermatology: Diagnosis and Treatment. Chicago: Yearbook, 1961; p. 94

We love this remedy and use it whenever we feel a cold coming on.It came to us from a radio listener in the hills of West Virginia but originated with her grandmother in India.

Grind about half an inch of fresh ginger root into a paste and place in a mug. Add boiling water and "steep" for several minutes. Strain the clear liquid into another mug, sweeten, and sip. Our symptoms start to subside within about twenty minutes.

We drink this in the morning and evening, and our cold usually gets better by the second day.

We have received more mail about this "raisin remedy" than any other home remedy we have written about.

We don't know how it got started or why it works, but many readers swear it relieves arthritis pain.

Ingredients: golden raisins and gin.

Empty the raisins into a bowl and pour in just enough gin to cover the raisins. Allow the gin to evaporate (about one week) and then place the moist raisins in a jar with a lid.

Eat nine raisins a day. They go well on cereal!

We have received numerous solutions for flatulence, but this one seems the most popular.

A physician's wife wrote to tell us that her husband's serious gas problem was solved when he followed this advice from a Hungarian masseuse: 1 tablespoon of flaxseed powder in a glass of juice twice a day, together with two capsules of fennel seed two or three times a day.

Others have reported good results following a cup of fennel seed tea two or three times daily. To make fennel seed tea, slightly crush a teaspoon of fennel seeds and pour boiling water over them.

Vaginal dryness is a common problem after menopause or certain cancer treatments. Finding an acceptable sexual lubricant can be a challenge.

We heard from one couple who used an old-fashioned moisturizing hand lotion called Corn Huskers for twenty-five years. They said it is slippery but not greasy and stays where you put it.

Corn Huskers contains guar gum and algin as well as glycerin, an ingredient also found in personal lubricants such as Replens, Astroglide, Maxilube, or K-Y Jelly.

Asthma can be a serious disease that requires medical management, not home remedies. But we mentioned in the first edition of "The People's Pharmacy®" that if you are caught without medicine, a couple of cups of strong coffee may help open airways.

We later heard from a young woman who forgot to take her asthma medicine with her on her honeymoon. A walk on the beach left her wheezing, but she remembered this remedy and it saved the day.

More recently, we heard from someone who was stuck at 30,000 feet on an airplane. The asthma medicine was packed in a carry-on bag that had been checked by the flight attendant. Coffee once again came to the rescue.

Two or three cups can provide short-term benefit. Caffeine is very similar to a tried-and-true asthma medicine called theophylline.

Thanks to Nell Heard and Wendall Dean for this contribution. Wendall is a wood-carver and scroller. His carving buddies always keep a packet of black pepper on hand for times when they cut themselves on sharp tools.

Nell, her sister, and brother-in-law Wendall were traveling through Yellowstone in an RV. One evening a mug fell out of a cupboard and gashed Wendall's head. The cut was long but not deep, and Wendall asked Nell to put pepper on it. The bleeding stopped almost instantly, and the cut healed with barely a scar.

You may want to keep some black pepper handy in the kitchen and take a packet of pepper on your next camping trip. Not only does the bleeding stop quickly, the wound heals cleanly with little scarring.

This is one of the most bizarre discoveries we have ever heard about.

A scientist noticed that when he got up out of his chair after watching a football game, his arthritis pain was greatly diminished.

During the course of the game he had consumed a six-pack of diet soda containing aspartame. Putting two and two together, he thought this artificial sweetener might have contributed to his relief.

He organized a placebo-controlled trial involving aspartame (aka Equal, NutraSweet) and confirmed that doses of 76 to 152 mg did indeed provide pain relief, roughly comparable to anti-inflammatory agents.

This research was published in the very respectable scientific journal, Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.*

*Edmundson, A. B., and C. V. Manion. "Treatment of Osteoarthritis with Aspartame." Clin. Pharmacol. Ther. 1998; 63:580-593.

When we read about this treatment for alopecia areata in the Archives of Dermatology (November 1998) we were astounded.

The Scottish dermatologists stated that "Cedarwood, lavender, thyme, and rosemary oils have hair growth-promoting properties. These oils have been anecdotally used to treat alopecia [baldness] for more than 100 years." *

They actually studied a less common condition called alopecia areata, a patchy kind of baldness thought to be related to an autoimmune disorder.

Patients were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. One group received the following recipe:

"Thyme vulgaris (2 drops, 88 mg), Lavandula angustifolia (3 drops, 108 mg), Rosmarinus officinalis (3 drops, 114 mg), and Cedrus atlantica (2 drops, 94 mg). These oils were mixed in a carrier oil, which was a combination of jojoba, 3 ml, and grapeseed, 20 ml, oils ... The oils were massaged into the scalp for a minimum of 2 minutes. A warm towel was then wrapped around the head to aid absorption of the oils. Patients were advised to use this technique every night." **

The results were impressive. Of those who applied aromatherapeutic oils, 44 percent had improvement after seven months, compared to 15 percent in the control group.

*Hay, Isabelle C., et al. "Randomized Trial of Aromatherapy: Successful Treatment for Alopecia Areata." Arch. Dermatol. 1998; 134:1349

** Ibid

This is one of the tastiest and most unusual home remedies we have ever collected.

Donald Agar had suffered from Crohn's disease for many years. Diarrhea was a constant problem. By accident he discovered that Archway Coconut Macaroon cookies helped control the diarrhea better than any medicine he had taken.

Lots of people have written to tell us that eating coconut macaroons has stopped their diarrhea.

This is the essence of home remedies. The discovery relied on serendipity, but Donald also paid attention to how his body responded.We cannot promise that these cookies will work for everyone with serious diarrhea, but for some people they seem to be amazingly helpful. And for mild diarrhea, there is no reason not to try.

Here is another doctor-recommended home remedy. Russell Copelan, M.D., wrote about this one in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.*

He suggests adhering a tiny piece of salicylic acid plaster (the kind used to treat warts) over a small splinter for twelve hours.

Within a few days the splinter should have worked its way out or moved close enough to the surface for you to easily remove it.

*Copelan, Russell. "Chemical Removal of Splinters Without Epidermal Toxic Effects." J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. 1989; 20:697-698.