By Marianne Graff
Photo credit: freepik
Spices and Natural Ingredients Often Found in your Kitchen Cupboard that Could replace many things in your Medicine Cabinet in a Pinch
When we moved to Mexico, I thought getting the medicines my son and I needed would be easy to buy.
After all, Mexico is still in North America. It couldn’t be as bad as when we moved to China.
I had checked with our doctors in Canada before we left for Mexico, and they confirmed that our brands were available in Mexico.
Turns out the brands and types of medicines we needed was no longer available in Mexico. The government had issued a ban on certain bans due to corruption and bribes or some sort of shady and unfair contract deals in the past, so the brands we used were not available and I only found out once we arrived in Mexico.
The problem was that the other brand name alternatives available in Mexico were not the same and did not work as well for us.
And all the brands suggested to us were very expensive compared to what we were paying in Canada for our medicines and healthcare.
Also, getting any of my son’s medicines refilled required a monthy visit to a specialist in another city, which added considerably to the cost of our monthly healthcare, doubling it.
I quickly turned to alternative holistic practitioners, but they were very expensive as well.
So then I turned to the Internet and joined natural health and wellness groups on Telegram and sourced out my own natural health care options, and DIY remedies. I have always been a big fan of natural cures.
Below are some of our top tips for healthy alternatives to reasons people often use allopathic medicines and and beauty products normally found in a pharmacy.
Note and disclaimer: I am not a doctor. I am not giving medical advice. I am just sharing what I have researched and have tried that worked very well for my son and I.
How to Replace things in your Medicine Cabinet with Natural Remedies From your Kitchen Cupboard
You can find a number of first aid treatments in a pinch – literally- from your spice collection.
Cayenne Pepper to the Rescue: a First Aid Go-To
To stop bleeding from cuts and scrapes, we use cayenne pepper. Cayenne pepper contains capsaicin, a natural compound that can help stop bleeding by constricting blood vessels quickly.
It has the added advantage of dulling pain.
A pinch under the tongue can treat and stop shock. Many vets use this (e.g. if an animal is hit by a car and stunned or goes into shock, it’s a quick natural emergency aid until expert transportation and treatment can be secured).
Cayenne pepper boosts your immune system and is often included in many natural cold remedies and teas because it soothes sore throats.
Castor Oil to Relieve Joint Pain and Give Long Lasting Rehydration of Skin
I swear by pure castor oil to reduce inflammation in joints.
I have used it on my knees and feet and instantly noticed I could move more freely, without pain or cracking sounds. And the pain and stiffness relief was long lasting.
Castor oil has no odour, is naturally anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and soaks in quickly without leaving a greasy feeling .
It is famous for being a powerful laxative ( put a few drops in warm water- but not too much!)
I also use it for many other ills and ailments.
Castor oil also magically relieves dry skin and heals heel cracks.
It’s great as a face moisturizer at night, and visibly and immediately reduces wrinkles on the face when applied at night before bed. There is a reason it’s called ‘nature’s botox’ by some holistic pracitioners!
It doesn’t clog pores in case you are worried about that and is known as an excellent acne treatment.
I also use it to soothe sunburns and take the itch out of mosquito bites have been absolutely amazed that such a simple, odourless, easy and cheap natural solution like Castor Oil, which is considered a noxious weed in Mexico, would solve these problems for me. Perhaps this oil would work for you too!
Good Dental Hygiene-Whole Cloves
A natural mouth remedy for toothaches and to make your mouth feel completely clean, chew on whole cloves. It doesn’t seem like a dark hard clove seed pod and stem would clean your teeth, but give it a try before judging it. It has a numbing effect and feels a bit scratchy but I find this satisfying, like it’s really scrubbing my teeth as I chew. My mouth always feels really clean afterward.
Clove oil can be used for toothaches because it numbs topically. It is wonderful as a topical pain killer after insect and bee stings too, because of its numbing and anti-inflammatory effects. Handy to have on a hike.
Toothpaste and Shampoo Substitute- Coconut Oil
Another easy to find natural remedy is coconut oil as toothpaste or shampoo. We use it in a pinch when we run out of our usual natural toothpaste or can’t find a decent toothpaste we think tastes good when in a foreign country.
Coconut oil seems to be available in most countries in the world, and a little goes a very long way, and it never goes rancid, so it’s worth the money. We swish a tiny amount around in our mouths for 30 seconds to clean and whiten our teeth too.
I have used coconut oil and mashed rice as an exfoliant and skin cleaner. It makes scars and age spots fade too, and had a whitening effect on my skin.
Mood Management with Whole Flax Seeds
We use whole flax seeds for a variety of reasons, and when my son eats meals with flax seeds, I have noticed how well it help him almost instantly to regulate his emotions.
The omega 3 fatty acids help him- and me- feel happier, and better able to cope with life’s ups and downs, an effect that has been scientifically proven.
The most common way to take flax seeds is to add them to bread, muffins, pancakes, or sprinkle them on top of yogurt or salads.
However, we simply usually drink them. If you add water to a spoonful of seeds, they become slippery and slide down the throat easily. They are tasteless unless you chew them, which releases a mild and slightly nutty flavour.
I always add a few tablespoons to our homemade pizza dough, and it makes the dough easier to work with and gives it a nice and almost crunchy texture. They add a bit of flavour but this doesn’t overpower other ingredients like tomato sauce or basil or oregano.
Immune System Support and Digestive Aid: Cinnamon
Cinnamon is great as a boost for the immune system, to protect against colds and flus.
It is known to assist with the regulation of blood sugars, reduce the risk of insulin resistance.
It’s also helpful in weight loss and is often used to promote healthy teeth and good dental hygiene.
Lower Blood Pressure and Calm Heart Palpitations with Lemon in Warm Water
I started using slices of lemon in hot water, or a drop of lemon oil in hot water instead of tea to calm my heart when it felt like it was racing or palpitating and it helped enormously. I had to do something since my usual high blood pressure medicine was not available in Mexico and the alternatives weren’t working well for me.
Sitting while drinking this has a very calming effect that helps emotionally as well, and assists with meditation which also is surprisingly effective to lover your heart rate. At least it works for me. I am not giving medical advice as I am not a doctor.
The Doctors at Vinmek International Hospital wrote on their website that currently, there are many scientific studies that have shown that lemon juice or orange juice contains a fair amount of vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, riboflavin, and other phytonutrients that have a beneficial effect on people with high blood pressure.
You can buy lemons in bulk when they are in season and freeze them. It must makes them juicier. And throw those squeezed lemons back into the freezer and pull them out when you need to de-grease your stove top and get under the rings and in the cracks around the burners. Lemons are natural mild disinfecting and can be used like natural scrubbies. They cut the grease and grime beautifully, leaving a fresh scent to your entire kitchen.
Soothe Sore Throats and Boost your Immune System with Honey
Lemon with honey is always a treat, and particularly good for stopping coughs,soothing sore throats, to boost the immune system if we have been around a lot of sick people, and for soothing minor cuts and minor scalds.
It is naturally antibacterial and anti-inflammatory and soothes, and clinical studies have proved it has healing qualities as well.
Honey never goes bad, so it’s great to have in your cupboard as a backup sweetener and health booster.
Facial Scrub, Energy Booster and Blood Pressure Management Using Sea Salt
I believe we have all been duped. I was told not to have salt when I started to have high blood pressure, and indeed I felt my blood pressure skyrocket when I ate foods with table salt, soy sauce or processed foods and sauce (BBQ sauce was the worst!).
In Mexico, there was a supply chain issue and none of the pharmacies in my city had the blood pressure medicine I needed in stock. I felt my blood pressure soaring within hours of not taking my usual medicine and was desperate to find a quick and easy alternative.
But following the suggestion of a knowledgeable holistic health practitioner I know, I tried drinking warm water with fine natural sea salt when I felt my blood pressure pounding.
To my amazement, it reduced it.
Every time.
It is just iodized salt, or table salt, that has a nasty effect on the body.
Now, I am not a doctor and am not giving medical advice, but I encourage you to do your own research into this.
Not only did it help quiet my raging blood pressure, but it boosted my energy. Research and anecdotal evidence confirms this: salty drinks help boost your energy when you are hot and tired more than sugary sweet drinks. By adding some fine sea salt to sweet lemonade, you create your own energy drink that rehydrates and revitalizes your energy at the same time. In Thailand they will sprinkle salt and sugary and a pinch of hot red chili flakes on freshly cut fruit to get this same effect. I especially love it on fresh pineapple chunks.
Sea Salt is also great as a natural facial scrub once a week, leaving your face feeling soft and pores cleaned and tightened.
Facial Exfoliator and Morning Energy Drink Using Rice
I discovered a secret while living in China, a secret that my Chinese friends were hesitant to tell me because they felt it was too rural.
They often skip breakfast and just drink water that has had rice soaking in it all night. Usually, they don’t wash out the rice pot from the night before, and just add water and let it sit overnight. This has the unappealing name of ‘fermented rice water’, but it doesn’t taste like anything fermented, just like mild water with a rice flavour.
I tried it to see if it worked, and it did. I was amazed that it seemed to give me as much energy as a cup of coffee and that the energy boost was even and lasted throughout the day, without a sharp spike and then a crash like caffeine produces. It has the added bonus of making you not feel hungry for hours.
The Chinese women I knew also used rice as a facial. They used cooked, moistened rice on their faces as a natural exfoliant and skin whitener since it makes scars and dark marks fade away, and reduces wrinkles.
I make my own by mixing rice extract with coconut oil for a creamy smooth mixture. The rice liquid first soaks into your skin and then dries as you rub it, rubbing off dead skin as you rub it off your skin.
It leaves the skin feeling soft and tighter, and I noticed a reduction in my wrinkles and a lightening of my sun freckles even after the first application. I use it on my hands and stretch marks too. It’s really simple and smells so nice, and I like the squeaky clean and tightened and toned skin feeling this concotion produces.
Ear Wax Issues Can Be Resolved with Olive Oil
Olive oil is my favourite to cook with and to use as a dressing and compliment to so many foods, but did you know it is the best thing to treat a build up of ear wax caused by dry weather?
Just put a drop or two on your inner ear lobe (not poking inside with a Q tip or anything invasive) and let it trickle in and do its magic.
In a day or two your ears will pop and you will be able to hear better again as the wax softens and the body is able to move it out.
I have tried many other oils to see if they work as well ( coconut oil, castor oil) but olive oil was the best by far.
Reduce Inflammation and Tumors, Get Rid of Parasites, and more with Moringa
This plant has many names: the miracle tree, the ben oil tree, the horseradish tree and the drunmstick tree. It’s been a part of traditional medicine lore for centuries. If you are lucky to live in a hot area, Moringa seeds offer many health benefits and preventative powers too.
Here in Mexico Moringa seeds are easy to find in open markets.
Women over the age of 50 often chew them all day long to help manage issues caused by changes in hormones.
It appears to help thyroid functioning.
Moringa prevents hair loss and heals skin quickly.
It is deeply penetrating and reduces inflammation has been used with success in treating inner ears well and reduces edema.
The leaves also contain a high amount of quercitin which is a known anti-parasitic.
Some believe that all illness stems from having parasites. There is also some evidence that extracts of moringa leaf, bark, and other parts of the plant may have properties that can kill cancer cells due to the presence of niazimicin, a compound that suppresses the development of cancer cells.
Many other essential compounds are found in the moringa plant as well, including Vitamin A, Vitamin B1 (thiamine), Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), Vitamin B3 (niacin), Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, a wide variety of phytoconstituents viz.
flavonoids, saponins, sterols, anthraquinones, tannins and terpenoids.
Moninga has shown it can reduce cholesterol and in addition to all the benefits listed above,
it possesses antidiabetic, antibacterial, antihypertensive and other
activities of medicinal use.
There has been a call by academics for more studies of this versatile plant in order to identify, quantify and detail all the healing properties of this plant.
True Leaf Market believes in the health benefits of Moringa oleifera so much that they offer free seed samples, claiming they want to share this plant with the world because of its medicinal use, Moringa has also been labeled a ‘miracle tree’ having antifungal, antiviral, antidepressant, and anti-inflammatory properties.”
The seeds have a very sweet taste, like candies.And on that sweet note, I will end this article!
Photo credit from the True Leaf Market website.
Sources
Kahn, M. Yadav, S, and Banerje, S. “Review Article on the Effects of Morninga on Central Nervous System” J Young Pharm, 2021; 13(4) : 315-319
Karthik, K. “What Cayenne Pepper Does to your Body“. Medicinenet.com. 5 Feb 2024. https://www.medicinenet.com/what_cayenne_pepper_does_to_your_body/article.htm
Leonard, J. “5 Foods to Boost Your Mood“. N.D. Vive Counselling.https://www.vivecounselling.com/blogpost/5-foods-to-boost-your-mood/
Meeks, S. “Why is Moringa Good for You?” Medical News Today. 23 Jan 2023. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319916
Vinmek International Hospital. “Should People With High Blood Pressure Drink Lemon and Orange Juice?“N.D. https://www.vinmec.com/eng/article/should-people-with-high-blood-pressure-drink-lemon-and-orange-juice-en
Williams, J. “12 Evidence Based Health Benefits of Cinnamon“. 16 Mar. 2023. Good Food.com. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/health/nutrition/health-benefits-cinnamon