Tag: home remedy

Home Made Eucalyptus Rub For Sore Joints

Eucalyptus Soothing Rub

Eucalyptus globulus can be used to make a home-made remedy which can be used externally as a massage oil to soothe aching muscles and joints,  rheumatic aches and pains, or to rub on tired feet. “Herbs For Health And Beauty”, by Margaret Roberts, Lowry Publishers, South Africa, 1986, recommends the use of eucalyptus leaves infused in oil to relieve aches and pains.

Simply take  half a dozen freshly picked eucalyptus leaves, put them in a jar, and cover with cooking oil, such as grape seed oil, or olive oil.  Let steep in a warm place for three days.  Drain, and your massage oil is ready to use.

If you live in Australia, where gum trees are indigenous natives, you will have many varieties of gum to experiment with.  The lemon-scented gum has a beautiful fragrance which is carried through in a home made oil infusion such as is used in this method above.

Eucalyptus Inhalation From Gum Leaves: Eucalyptus leaves, or gum leaves,  can be used fresh off the tree to make a hot inhalation for the relief of colds, flu, and other bronchial complaints.  Simply put a handful of fresh eucalyptus leaves into a bowl, pour hot water over, and your steam inhalation is ready.  I have used this steam inhalation many times to relieve conditions such as croup and other bronchial ailments, in combination with homeopathic remedies.  For young children, it is often a help just make the eucalyptus steam inhalation up, and to leave it in the child’s room at night.  Make sure that your children cannot reach the inhalation, and make sure that it is not too hot, just in case of spillage.

It is a while since I used eucalyptus gum leaves to make an inhalation, or to leave in a bowl in a room to treat an illness.  I often used a branch of leaves and simmered these in a pot of water for about ten minutes.  The pot can be left on the stove with the lid off, and the heat turned off.  The eucalyptus vapours will travel through the house.   This is a lovely technique for cleansing the house of anything negative.

Personally, I find herbs infused in oil to be very potent:  The active ingredients in the herbs are made more potent by soaking them in oils or water.  They will work homeopathically – the more these oils are diluted, the stronger the effect of the active ingredients will become.  So use just a little of your home-made eucalyptus oil at first, to try out its effect.  There is no danger of toxicity, used externally,  if the directions above are followed. If you find you cannot tolerate diluted eucalyptus oil,  made in this way from fresh leaves,  simply wash it off the skin.

Vinegar as a Treatment for Athlete’s Foot

Athlete’s Foot Home Remedy

Athlete’s foot is a fungal infection which many people find difficult to get rid of.

Apple Cider Vinegar can be helpful in curing athlete’s foot. Of course, any type of vinegar will work, but it is better to use apple cider vinegar because of the nutrient value in apple cider vinegar.

Apple cider vinegar words well as a mild fungicide, and is effective in treating athlete’s foot in many cases.

Apple Cider Vinegar is an Acidity-Alkalinity Regulator:

As well as killing bacteria and inhibiting fungal infections, apple cider vinegar has the effect of restoring the natural pH level, that is, the acidity versus alkalinity ratio, to normal after using soap.  Soap and shampoos are very alkaline, and alkalinity also favours the growth of unhelpful organisms such as the athlete’s foot fungus.  So using vinegar after bathing with soap helps to deter athlete’s foot.

Real Apple cider vinegar is the best type of vinegar to use, as this is made with apples which have a healing effect on the physical body.  If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, ordinary malt vinegar will do.

Athlete’s foot likes moist, warm conditions, so keeping your shoes on all the time is not the best thing to get rid of your athlete’s foot.  Taking your shoes off at every opportunity, walking barefeet along clean grass, or along the beach, will benefit the health of your feet.

Dry the Feet Carefully after bathing.  Any moisture will prevent the healing of the athlete’s foot condition.

Other helpful suggestions for athlete’s foot might be:

Drink Herbal Teas  made with dandelion root, echinacea, nettles, burdock and peppermint.  Any combination of these herbal teas will strengthen your immune system if you use these regularly instead of standard tea or coffee.

Tea Tree Oil ,  Melissa Officinalis, can often clear up athlete’s foot.  You can still use your vinegar treatment after showering or washing with soap.  Just apply a dab or two to the affected area before putting on your shoes.  Apply another dab or two to the affected areas several times during the day.

You can also use the oils of lavender, thyme, marjoram, or even eucalyptus to treat athlete’s foot and  help prevent infection.

Once you have cured the athlete’s foot, keep using a  herbal oil such as those mentioned above, and keep using  the vinegar treatment after bathing.  This will  help prevent reinfection.

The Candida Diet is helpful in treating many cases of athlete’s foot.  Candida, or yeast infection, can causre conditions such as athlete’s foot and types of eczema.  Basically, avoid sugar, dairy products except for butter and ghee, wheat and products which contain any wheat,  and all fermented foods until you are better. 

Number One things to avoid with candida:  You must exclude any  bread,  alcohol,  vinegars, sauces, or anything which has sugar or yeast in them. 

Secondly, avoid all foods which are sweetened.

Thirdly, avoid dairy milk, cheese and yoghurt until you are better.  Also avoid soy milk, as this is sweetened and has yeasts in it because of the drawn out process used to make it.  Avoid soy proteins such as tempeh and tofu, as these are fermented foods.  Whole, or ground soy beans are ok. See my post on the candida diet for more suggestions.