Throughout history all tribes, peoples and nations have developed their culture and knowledge legacy more or less separately, accordingly to their beliefs, geographical location, clime and political history. However, there is one thing they all have in common: their respect for nature and its powers. Not surprisingly, countries or continents which have the greatest amount of herbal remedies recorded are those which have remained for a long time what western society calls exotic or ‘archaic’. There is no doubt that European countries have had their fair share of natural cures, but what many are interested in today are Oriental countries such as China, India, even Russia. Also, African and Amerindian cultures have made major contributions to our global treasure of pure, safe and natural solutions to health problems.
Russia – remedies from the Siberian taiga – the peasants’ hundreds of years of knowledge Stomach ulcer - boil 1 teaspoonful of ginger root in 1l of water for about 30 minutes. Separate the liquid from the root. You can add some honey to improve its taste. Drink 3-4 glasses a day.
- mix 1 glass of aloe juice (this plant has very juicy leaves) with 3/4 glass of honey and ¾ olive oil; put this mixture in a bottle and immediately put a stopper on. Steep this bottle in slow-boiling water for about 3 hours. After it becomes cold, keep it in the refrigerator. Take one spoonful of this mixture each morning, before breakfast, after shaking the bottle. This mixture will go off in a week.
Anemia – boil equal quantities of leaves and stalk of motherwort, also called lion’s ear (Leonorus cardiaca) and chicory root for about 10 minutes. Drink one glass of this tisane 3 times a day for a few months.
Sweating feet – boil 2 spoonfuls of ground oak bark in 250 ml of water for about 20 minutes. Separate the liquid from the bark, by using a piece of gauze. Wash your feet with half of this liquid each day. Use the other half to rinse your socks. Asthma - boil ½ kg of pine needles and cones in 4l of water; put the mixture while still very hot in a basin and inhale the hot steam with a large towel over your head for about 15 minutes. Do this every day. This remedy has cured lots of asthma sufferers.
- every asthma sufferer should drink large quantities of bilberry tea: boil dry bilberry fruits and leaves in water for about 10 minutes. Drink up to 10 cups of this tea each day, without any sweetener.
India – Ayourveda, the science of life
Cold & Flu- slowly fry in a pan 10-12 teaspoonfuls of washed and beaten basil leaves, along with 1 teaspoonfuls of ginger, until the leaves become soft. Add 250 ml of water and a teaspoonful of honey.
- mix one teaspoonful of each of the following: cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, black pepper, nutlet and clove. Add 3 teaspoonfuls of unrefined sugar and beat it until it becomes a fine powder. Take one teaspoonfuls mixed with honey, twice a day.
- boil 1 teaspoonful of cinnamon in 250 ml of water until the level of the water lowers to half of the original height.
Digestive problems - boil 20 basil leaves in 250 ml of water and drink the liquid when being lukewarm
- wash a few mint leaves, put them in a bowl, add a pinch of salt and 1-2 teaspoonfuls of lemon juice, 1 teaspoonful of coriander, a pinch of cumin seeds powder, and a little bit of water. Stir the mixture until it has the texture of a paste. Take one teaspoonfuls of this mixture twice a day, before meals or during them.
Nausea – fry ½ spoonful of clove, add 1 teaspoonfuls of honey; take this mixture whenever you have this symptom.
Italy (more specifically - Tuscany) shows us how to prevent colds Nutlets, garlic and onions can kill flu bacteria! It has been demonstrated that as long as these 3 ingredients are eaten together and while still fresh, added to soups or tomato sauces. Here’s one recipe which contains these ingredients, a recipe which will surely protect you from any kind of respiratory and infectious diseases:
Ingredients: - 400g tomatoes, 1 pepper, 10 black olives, 1 spoonful of olives oil, iodated salt, 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 5 teaspoonfuls of nutlet.
Preparation: mix the tomatoes and the peppers in a blender. This sauce is then mixed with the chopped olives and chopped onions and garlic. Finally, add the nutlet. Serve with cream.
But despite what they might promise on the packaging, you might also be only too aware that unfortunately many of these products fail miserably to live up to their hype.
In fact, this might well be the very reason for the increase in popularity in recent years of more unusual bad breath treatments and solutions, such as herbal preparations and home concoctions. More and more people are now turning their back on traditional oral hygiene products in favor of more unusual methods.
And a quick look at some of the comments and posts on various online bad breath support forums would seem to suggest that some people are indeed finding some success using less conventional methods of treatment.
It's easy to understand the appeal of finding a really good natural cure for bad breath. For a start, it means you're not subecting your body to any harsh chemicals or medications which may prove to be habit-forming at a later date.
And they're also often much cheaper than many expensive over-the-counter-products, the costs of which can soon mount up when you have to keep using them on a regular basis just to keep your smelly breath at bay.
One particular way in which some people are attempting to cure bad breath naturally is through the use of foods.
Generally speaking, there are 3 main categories of foods which some people suggest can help to eliminate halitosis. These are:
1. Fiber-rich crunchy fruit and vegetables - eating crunchy fruit and veggies such as apples, carrots and celery can help to stimulate the production of saliva in your mouth. This is especially important from a bad breath point of view as a dry mouth is one of the factors that can cause your mouth to smell.
You may not be aware, but the number one cause of bad breath is bacteria that you have in your mouth. When aggravated, these bacteria can multiply in excessive numbers and it's this that frequently leads to bad breath.
And one of the things that these bacteria absolutely love is a dry environment. Therefore, keeping your mouth moist is one of the ways you can keep these bacteria in check.
And this is why it's so important to keep yourself properly hydrated by drinking a sufficient amount of still, unflavored water every day. Many health experts recommend that you should consume about 8 glasses a day for optimum health benefits.
2. Foods high in vitamin C - fruits such as berries and citrus fruits which have high vitamin C levels can help prevent you developing gum disease and gingivitis, which are also two things which can contribute to halitosis.
And as an extra bonus, as well as helping to minimize any rotten stenchs coming from your mouth, vitamin C is also a very powerful antioxidant and can help to protect the cells of your body from the damaging effects of harmful free radicals.
3. Yoghurt containing live cultures - a recent dental study found that eating a serving of yoghurt with active cultures every day can help to reduce the amount of odor-causing sulphur dioxide in a person's mouth.
Lower incidences of gum diease and plaque build up were also reported among the study's participants.
Well, the jury might still out on whether these foods can with absolute certainty help to cure bad breath. However, if conventional treatments have not provided you with much success in the past, then you may well want to give them a shot.
After all, you've really got nothing to lose - except your bad breath, that is!
Both Alexandru Tandrau & Jason Davidson are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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