Grandma's Cures

United States
February 13, 2007 6:08pm CST
I got this as an email from a friend. It had a lot of great ideas. Did You Know that drinking two glasses of Gatorade can relieve headache pain almost immediately-- without the unpleasant side effects caused by traditional "pain relievers." Did you know that Colgate toothpaste makes an excellent salve for burns. Before you head to the drugstore for a high-priced inhaler filled with mysterious chemicals, try chewing on a couple of curiously strong Altoids peppermints. They'll clear up your stuffed nose. Achy muscles from a bout of the flu? Mix 1 Tablespoon of horseradish in 1 cup of olive oil. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes, then apply it as a massage oil, for instant relief for aching muscles. Just mix 1/4 cup of vinegar with 1/4 cup of honey and take 1 tablespoon six times a day. The vinegar kills the bacteria. Cure urinary tract infections with Alka-Seltzer. Just dissolve two tablets in a glass of water and drink it at the onset of the symptoms. Alka-Seltzer begins eliminating urinary tract infections almost instantly-- even though the product was never been advertised for this use. Honey remedy for skin blemishes .. Cover the blemish with a dab of honey and place a Band-Aid over it. Honey kills the bacteria, keeps the skin sterile, and speeds healing. Works overnight. Listerine therapy for toenail fungus. Get rid of unsightly toenail fungus by soaking your toes in Listerine mouthwash. The powerful antiseptic leaves your toenails looking healthy again. Easy eyeglass protection... To prevent the screws in eyeglasses from loosening, apply a small drop of Maybelline Crystal Clear nail polish to the threads of the screws before tightening them. Cleaning liquid that doubles as bug killer ... If menacing bees, wasps, hornets, or yellow jackets get in your home and you can't find the insecticide, try a spray of Formula 409. Insects drop to the ground instantly. Smart splinter remover .just pour a drop of Elmer's Glue-All over the splinter, let dry, and peel the dried glue off the skin. The splinter sticks to the dried glue. Hunt's tomato paste boil cure ...cover the boil with Hunt's tomato paste as a compress. The acids from the tomatoes soothe the pain and bring the boil to a head. Balm for broken blisters... To disinfect a broken blister, dab on a few drops of Listerine .a powerful antiseptic. Vinegar to heal bruises ... Soak a cotton ball in white vinegar and apply it to the bruise for 1 hour. The vinegar reduces the blueness and speeds up the healing process. Kills fleas instantly...Dawn dish washing liquid does the trick. Add a few drops to your dog's bath and shampoo the animal thoroughly. Rinse well to avoid skin irritations. Good-bye fleas. Rainy day cure for dog odor ...Next time your dog comes in from the rain, simply wipe down the animal with Bounce or any dryer sheet, instantly making your dog smell springtime fresh. Eliminate ear mites .All it takes is a few drops of Wesson corn oil in your cat's ear...Massage it in, then clean with a cotton ball. Repeat daily for 3 days. The oil soothes the cat's skin, smothers the mites, and accelerates healing. Quaker Oats for fast pain relief... It's not for breakfast any more! Mix 2 cups of Quaker Oats and 1 cup of water in a bowl and warm in the microwave for 1 minute, cool slightly, and apply the mixture to your hands for soothing relief from arthritis pain.
19 people like this
46 responses
@GardenGerty (157546)
• United States
14 Feb 07
Breathe horseradish vapors for a cold and congestion. Apply meat tenderizer to bee stings, or mud works as well. Do you suppose fabric softner sheets will make my long haired cat smell springtime fresh? Lavender oil mixed with tea tree oil will, and will repel fleas, too. I think it is sad that we think we have to have specialized remedies for everything and forget these handy dandy cures. Thanks for posting.
5 people like this
@tammyr (5946)
• Etowah, Tennessee
19 Feb 07
I have used tea tree oil for hot spots and loss of hair from scratching fleas and it helps.
• United States
14 Feb 07
I only knew about 4 of the tips the rest I never herad before Thanks alot
5 people like this
@TerryZ (22076)
• United States
14 Feb 07
Wow girl thats some good information. I can see how some of things would work. So I will save this and I just might need it. Much appreciated.
@Shaun72 (15959)
• Palatka, Florida
14 Feb 07
I want to try the one of Urinary tract. I have had this more then once. These sound great thanks for this list
• Philippines
14 Feb 07
It is good for you to have shared so much of your knowledge on all these points. This Is surely very helpful for most of us who encounter this area for discussion you have posted. Thank you very much.
5 people like this
• United States
14 Feb 07
WOW thanks for these. I have copied and pasted for future needs. I absolutely LOVE these old remedies! They almost always work and they are so much chaper and healthier than madern medicine.
4 people like this
• United States
14 Feb 07
They are great ideas...glad I could share them with you.
3 people like this
@ajithlal (14716)
• India
14 Feb 07
Thanks for the great ideas. It is really good to known about the old remedies. Yeah I too agree taht they are very cheap and healthier than morder medicines and most of them does not contain any side effects also.
@loved1 (5328)
• United States
14 Feb 07
"Just mix 1/4 cup of vinegar with 1/4 cup of honey and take 1 tablespoon six times a day. The vinegar kills the bacteria." What was this supposed to cure? I reread this several times and can't figure it out. These were some very good ideas. I hate taking medicine for every little thing. I think the older generation had the right idea.
3 people like this
@tammyr (5946)
• Etowah, Tennessee
19 Feb 07
I think it is like a tonic to keep you healthy.My BF swears by honey and will get some every time he feels under the weather and take a teaspoon 2x a day.
1 person likes this
• United States
14 Feb 07
Yeah, I was wondering that too. Honey also kills bacteria.
2 people like this
@Meljep (1666)
• United States
14 Feb 07
It's amazing what you can do with natural things. Sometimes this stuff works better than the synthetic/scientific remedies. Thanks for posting this!
• United States
14 Feb 07
Thanks for the hints from Grandma. Here are a few more that work. If constipated, on an empty stomach take 1 tsp of lemon juice with 1 tsp of olive oil If your eyes ach, lay down and put a sliced cold cumcumber on the eye lids If your glass fog, rub it with a sliced raw potatoe
3 people like this
• United States
14 Feb 07
Never heard of the potatoe one. interesting.
@suedarr (2382)
• Canada
14 Feb 07
My Oma's favourite cure-all was a shot of Brandy before going to bed. And she lived a very full 93 years!!! She didn't slow down until about two months before she passed on. Also her philosophy in life was everything is good in moderation. Loved the list you posted. Thank you!
3 people like this
@mysiraylon (1102)
• United States
14 Feb 07
We should therefore say thank you to your friend for this email ... very informative. We all neglect small things in what we are using everyday. This message you have shared to us will be a big reminder nowadays.
3 people like this
@Melda1 (44)
• Canada
14 Feb 07
My granma always taught me that if you have a gum or tooth infection, gargle with sea salt and warm water. A tablespoon of sea salt added into a cup of warm (not hot) water and well mixed, would help cure your infection if you gargled with it. Further, if you had an serious inflammation around a tooth, crushing an Aspirin and rubbing it around the effected area would both reduce swelling and help prevent the infection from travelling. If you have chronically dry hair, a half cup of mayonnaise combed through hair after washing will not just give it softness but shine. Granma always said comb the mayonnaise through and put a shower hat on and wait 15 minutes then rinse. Thank you to all the granma's for their words of wisdom.
• Australia
25 Feb 07
Whoa, crushed aspirin on the gum can give you an aspirin burn. Wouldn't recommend it. Won't do much for stopping the infection from travelling either. Inflammation around a tooth is usually either from decay, or from gum disease. If it's decay, you're definitely looking at seeing a dentist to get this sorted out. In the mean time, you can try having aspirin in the normal way, providing you're not allergic to it. That can help the inflammation without burning the gum/mucosa area. But basically, without the dentist, it isn't going to get fixed. If it's gum disease, it's caused by bacteria sitting around the gumline, setting up the infection in the gum area. Forget the aspirin. Toothbrush required here!
• United States
14 Feb 07
Here's a few more I picked up Drink a can of gingerale a 1/2 hour or so before you take a boat ride. Ginger has calming effect on your stomach and will prevent motion sickness. The next time you get a speck in you eye, try gently taking your upper eyelash and pulling it down below your bottom eyelash. This forces the eye to tear and usually flushes away anything it in. If you want to remember a dream after you wake, stay still and keep your eyes closed and remember as much as you can before getting up. Moving around will cause the memory of your dream to fade faster. Warm milk may make you sleepy, but that's because of carbohydrates. It doesn't have to be warm and it doesn't even have to be milk to make you tired.
3 people like this
@AnnaB87 (761)
• United States
14 Feb 07
Thanks for all these tips. Some I have heard of some I have not. It is good to learn more alternatives as the chemicals in everything I think may really be the cause of so many people taking so much medicine. I have even heard that if you take one medicince then you have to take another one in order to relieve the symptons of the first medicine, makes you wonder why even take the first one if you have to use another medicine to counter act the symptons of the first one. Alernatives I think will help people spend less on medical care in the long run, and may even keep people healthier.
@neon2000 (2756)
• Philippines
14 Feb 07
Your post is really useful and informative. Thank you for posting a good discussion like this. I appreciate it.
2 people like this
@Melda1 (44)
• Canada
14 Feb 07
Thank you so much for this post, such great advice. As our world increasingly becomes more complex, its good to know their are other people with common sense who are trying to be frugal too.
1 person likes this
@donglory (677)
• Ghana
14 Feb 07
wow i need a medicine for my stomachace
2 people like this
• United States
19 Feb 07
great tips and i have one to add for those of you who have kids like me that like to use markers on themselves for drawings and such you can forget the scubbings now get a bottle of sunscreen and some cotton balls it will all come off and not leave any traces my mother saved me many times with this one
2 people like this
• United States
19 Feb 07
Thanks for the tip Penny. I will pass it on to my kids. Grandkids get into the markers and love to adorn themselves.
1 person likes this
@Rosy001 (363)
• South Africa
14 Feb 07
dont you always find it amazing how the elder generation had all these natural/herbal cures that they used and if mentioned today, ppl just laugh and think they nuts. back home we use a lot of Dutch remedies as apposed to prescribed medication. For earache we use Sweet oil, for tummy ache we use camphorated oil, for heartburn or indigestion it's a product called balsam vitae. then you have leaves that they place on ones head to rid of fevers or cloves on the teeth to ease tooth ache. amazing, we take so much for granted!
@tammyr (5946)
• Etowah, Tennessee
14 Feb 07
Here's a tip for the Castor oil: If you pour the correct dose in a glass of orange juice and then drink them together you can not taste the Castor oil! It really works. Everyone says how awful it is but my grandma told me to do this when I took it to bring on labor(by doctors orders ONLY) and I did not even taste it. Try it next time and see yourself1
2 people like this
@Rosy001 (363)
• South Africa
27 Feb 07
thanks for the tip! i'll remember for next time...
• United States
19 Feb 07
Great tips. Many have forgotten or do not realize that the old cures are the best.
2 people like this
@carissa765 (1097)
• United States
14 Feb 07
I knew of only one of these remedies, the tometoe paste for boils... I have hydridonitis.. A condition that causes several boils a month under my arms. There are several more cures for this: White vinegar and a paper sack, black salve, egg skin, bacon fat.. and the list goes on. I have heard of so many remedies for this, and hardly any of them work. The one I haven't tried is the one you mentioned. I will have to try all of it. Thank you for all of these.
2 people like this
@tammyr (5946)
• Etowah, Tennessee
15 Feb 07
I used a piece of bread wet with peroxide and placed it on a boil.I put a bandage over to hold in place and let set overnight. The next day the boil was come to a head. A friend of mine also tried it and it worked for her too. Try it it REALLY does work.
1 person likes this