April Parker's "Wake the Dead Juice"

 My daughter-in-law shared her mother's recipe when I needed a clear throat...

Equal parts:
Minced garlic
Ginger Root
Horseradish
Apple cider vinegar
Lemon

Mix in the blender. Add a little cayenne pepper. Add a teaspoon of the mixture to a cup of hot water and a teaspoon of honey, and drink as tea. "It's very nasty but very effective."

Hot Honey

My sister's recipe, this is used for sore throats, strep throat, etc. When you can't stand it ANY LONGER, or to stave it off before it gets that bad...

1/2 tsp cayenne powder
1/2 tsp ground cloves
4 Tbsp honey (raw, local best)

Mix together and store at room temperature. We make a batch and keep it in a honey bottle and use as needed. The shelf life* is quite extended, but when honey crystallizes, melt gradually in a pan of heating water/double boiler style.

Instructions for use: Take 1/2 tsp hot honey - Let it sit at the back of your throat for as long as you can stand it, then swallow it.

(The original recipe called for garlic, and you could include powdered or granulated garlic if desired for additional potency, but still maintain shelf life*. Alternatively you could make a tea with hot honey and add fresh pressed garlic for added effectiveness.)

Homemade Deoderant

For original recipe* link I found on Pinterest, click on this pic from their site

I'm huge on prevention, and I've heard rumors about aluminum in deodorant, and the health problems being linked to it...so when I saw this recipe I decided to give it a try. I have been using this for several months now and I totally love it!

5-6 Tbsp coconut oil, in liquid form (warmed to below 76 degrees)
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup cornstarch or arrowroot powder
Optional - a few drops of essential oil of choice for scent (I have a rose oil...ahh!)

Mix together the dry ingredients, then stir in coconut oil until well blended, and kind of like a pomade. Store at room temperature in a lidded container.

When coconut oil warms below 76 degrees it becomes a liquid so in the summertime this deodorant will be a liquid so then I just dip my fingers into it and apply; but when it's cold, it's solid and I use a spoon to scrape some out. With my fingers I rub it into my arm pits where it melts on contact, then I rub the rest into my hands like a lotion. I have NEVER known it to stain anything!

*My original source made reference to another "original." I combined them both.

Cold Buster Tea

(From a fellow teacher, Tamara Hill, at the school where I work. We'll be trying this next time we need it; I've long known the health benefits of each of these components. Thankfully we've been very healthy this winter.)

I start with a base of chamomile tea (probably any herbal is fine, but this is a mild tasting one).  I make the tea with two tea bags in about 8-10 ounces of water. 

Then I add cinnamon and stir it in, this is a KEY INGREDIENT.  I read an article about cinnamon working as a natural nasal decongestant and antibiotic.  It clears up the drainage.  Add as much as you can handle--I usually do 3/4 TBS up to 1 TBS.  This is not for the faint-hearted, because the cinnamon makes it quite strong.  But better than suffering with a cold.

Next, add honey.  A good amount of honey.  I don't always measure, but I did once and put in about 1/4 cup, you could do a little less though, as that seemed a bit much, but close.  Honey is another key as I know there is something to the idea about being harvested by bees, coming from the flowers, it all helps.

Last, stir in lemon juice.  Again a good amount 1/4-1/3 cup is about what it ends up being. 

Drink this at the first signs of the cold to catch it early and continue twice a day, morning and evening.  I noticed on Sunday that I was sneezing and starting to blow my nose too much, so I made this at about 5:00 Sunday evening.  Within 15 minutes the runny nose had stopped.  I slept all night without blowing my nose, and have continued twice a day since.  I can feel I still have the cold, but my symptoms have been VERY light.  I have zero congestion, though I can feel it has tried to move into my lungs, there is really not much to move down into the lungs to block them up.  Seriously, the best thing I have found for a cold.  I hate cold medicine and hardly ever take it if I can and this totally makes it so I don't need it.  I have had one cold that was a real whopper that I didn't clear up with this, but I'd say 3 out of 4 colds I can kick with the tea.

Lung Strengthening Tea

From our friend Miriam, this tea has been used for tuberculosis patients. She used for chronic bronchitis it with great success.

This tea acts as an expectorant, cleaning out your lungs from the inside out.

3 cups water, boiled

Steep with 2 tbsp mullein tea leaves for 10 minutes

Sweeten with stevia (to taste, up to 3 drops per cup) to make it palatable.

(May make in huge batch, as needed.)

Plan on drinking 1-3 cups a day, as you can.

IMPORTANT NOTE: You will probably feel worse off for usually one to three days, but then it your health will begin to return, and your immune system will be tremendously boosted. (So plan accordingly, for some down time at the beginning.)

Vinegar Salt Water / Healing Lemon Salt

aka Natural Electrolyte Balancing Drink 

 

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp vinegar*

10-16 oz water

 

Mix together, and enjoy the benefits!  Adjust the ingredients to suit your taste.

 

This is also used as the brine for Summer Pickles, fresh cucumbers sliced and soaked in Vinegar Salt Brine until dinner. Mmmm!

 

(*Replace with lemon juice for healing properties when you are sick. When you have a cough, sore throat, etc, nothing is more soothing than lemon salt water!!)

Find the story of this "natural electrolyte balancer" at my memories blog: http://memoriesallmine.blogspot.com/2009/06/inspiration-natural-electrolyte.html

Remedy for Nausea - Ginger Tea

4 C water
2-inch piece of fresh ginger root
optional: honey and lemon slice


Peel the ginger root and slice it into thin slices. Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan. Once it is boiling, add the ginger. Cover it and reduce to a simmer for 15-20 minutes. Strain the tea. Add honey and lemon to taste.

Note: Keep in mind that if you are making ginger tea as a home remedy during cold and flu season, sweeteners are not recommended.

Got this recipe from about.com: http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/3/a/Ginger_Tea.htm

Printable version here.