Category Home Science

• Tin-can massage

A cold, unopened 375-ml drink can makes a great back massager, no matter what it’s filled with. To help loosen muscle tissue and spur blood flow to the area, stand against the wall with the can on its side, wedged between your back and the wall. Then move from side to side to make the can roll. This impromptu massager does an especially good job of relaxing the muscles next to the shoulder blades and lower down the back.

• A back support for drivers

To make a lower back support to use while you are driving, fold a medium-sized bath towel lengthways, then roll it up; the roll should be about 30cm long. Cut the leg of an old pair of pantihose to fit the width of the rolled-up towel then slip the towel inside. Tuck the makeshift cushion between the small of your back and the car seat and you should be able to ride in comfort, with a back-friendly posture.

• A mustard plaster for muscle aches

To give this favourite old pain remedy a go, combine powdered mustard seed and plain flour in a bowl (1 part mustard seed to 2 parts flour) and slowly stir in water to make a paste. Spread the mixture on one side of a 30-cm square of cheesecloth and fold. Now place the plaster on the ache, securing it with a bandage or slipping it under a tight, dark T-shirt. Leave the plaster on for no more than 20-30 minutes at a time. If any skin irritation occurs, remove the plaster immediately.

• Painful leg cramp relievers

Standing barefoot on a cold floor decreases blood flow and could help to relax tightened leg muscles, so if you’re hit with painful leg cramps in the middle of the night, get out of bed and stand on a cold floor.

• Quinine for cramping

To prevent cramps, make a glass of tonic water part of your total daily water intake (about 2 litres a day). Quinine, from the bark of the South American cinchona tree, is the only drug that has actually proven to be effective for leg cramps, but its serious side effects, including irregular heartbeat, put neat quinine on the prescription -only list. What you can buy instead is tonic water — so-called because it is flavoured with small doses of quinine.

• More curry = less arthritis pain

Turmeric, one of the principal spices in curry powder, is as medicinal as it is culinary. The active ingredient in turmeric, called curcumin, has been shown in clinical trials to reduce swelling associated with arthritis. If you find curries too spicy, use powdered turmeric as a seasoning, sprinkling it over meat, eggs and dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach.

• Eat and drink ginger

Incorporating ginger into your diet may bring some relief from rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritic pain. Take 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger or 6 teaspoons fresh ginger once a day, either in food or tea.

• Eye can see clearly now

Carrots, celery, kale and parsley can all contribute to the trouble-free operation of your eyes. Either juices the vegetables to make an eye-boosting drink or puree to make a cold soup. The ideal proportions are 2 parts carrots, 2 parts kale, 1 part celery and 1 part parsley. For the best results, consume 2 cups (500ml) of juice or soup a day. Vary the mix by incorporating spinach, tomatoes and melons.

• Tea for two

We’re talking about puffy eyes. Take two cool, wet tea bags, place them on tired or swollen eyes and lie down for 15-20 minutes as the tea soothes and refreshes. Green tea is ideal for these mini-compresses, but black and herbal teas work well, too. Some herbalists also claim that tea-bag compresses speed the healing of a black eye.

• Don’t dry your eyes

Dry eyes are so common that over-the-counter remedies for this ailment abound. What are the causes? Everything from pollution and smoke to age. A good cure is to leave packaged remedies at the chemist’s and eat a banana instead. Bananas are rich in potassium, which helps to control the balance of sodium and the release of fluid in your cells.

• Help lower blood pressure with bananas

Slice a banana into your breakfast cereal in the morning to get a potassium-laden boost to help counteract high blood pressure. Maintaining healthy blood pressure is important for eyes, too.

• Let’s ‘ear it for mullein and garlic!

Paired with garlic, mullein (Verbascurn thapsus) makes soothing drops for an earache that you can keep on hand in the fridge. In a sterilized jar, combine 1 crushed clove garlic with 2 table-spoons dried or fresh mullein flower (crushed if fresh) and 1/2 cup (120ml) olive oil. Screw the lid on tightly and shake to blend. Store in a cool, dark place, shaking the jar daily. After two weeks, strain the oil into another jar and store it in the fridge. To treat an earache, bring the oil to room temperature or hold the jar under warm running water. With a sterile eyedropper, add 2-3 drops to the ear, and then gently massage the ear to help the oil to move through the ear canal. Caution: do not use eardrops if you suspect you may have a perforated eardrum.

• Stop gum disease

If your gums are swollen and brushing your teeth has just made them bleed, it may be because the 10-second cleaning you’ve been giving them isn’t enough. Gum disease, or gingivitis, is the first sign of periodontal disease — the major reason adults lose their teeth. But don’t despair, in addition to brushing for longer than those 10 seconds, try this easy solution. Mix bicarbonate of soda with a little water and then massage it with your fingers along the gumline, then brush. You’ll clean, polish, neutralize acidic bacterial waste and deodorize, all in one go.

• Homemade breath freshener

To make a mouthwash, pour 1 cup (250ml) water into a saucepan and add 1 tablespoon cardamom seeds and 1 tablespoon whole cloves. If you like, add a few mint leaves and sugar to improve the taste. Bring to the boil, remove from heat and let steep for 3-4 hours. Strain the solution into a bottle and gargle as needed.

• Brown stains on teeth?

If your teeth are stained by coffee, tea, red wine or cigarettes, simply supplement whitening toothpaste with a dash of bicarbonate of soda and you’ll find that many of those stains will disappear. Load up your toothbrush with toothpaste, then dip it into the bicarb and brush.

• Salt water rinse for toothaches

Swishing warm salt water around your mouth can relieve toothache in the short term. Use 2-3 teaspoons salt in 1 cup (250ml) warm water.

• Running hot and cold

To help cure a tension headache (caused by contractions in the head and neck muscles and brought on by — among other things — stress, anxiety and lack of sleep) without using painkillers, dip a face washer in hot water, wring it out and fold it into a compress. Now place it on your forehead or the back of your neck to relax tight muscles. To ease a vascular headache (including migraine and cluster headaches, and stemming from the contraction and expansion of blood vessels in a particular area of the head), follow the same procedure, but use cold water, which constricts the blood vessels and reduces blood flow, taking the pressure off a painful head.

• A cup of coffee to cure headache

One clinical trial from the US found that caffeine, which reduces the swelling of blood vessels, was found to reduce both the intensity and frequency of headaches. Subjects in one group were given caffeine alone; 58 per cent reported complete relief. Subjects in the other group were given caffeine in combination with ibuprofen, an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory, and 71 per cent saw their symptoms disappear. The reason coffee works is it’s high in caffeine.

• Sinus headache self-massage

Use your middle fingers to massage points on your face just opposite your nostrils —that is, on your cheeks at the level of the tip of your nose. Massage in clockwise circles for 2-3 minutes.

• Head-to-toe headache remedy

Blood drawn to the lower body will reduce pressure in the blood vessels of the head. What could be lower than your feet? To help soothe a throbbing vascular headache, soak your feet in a small tub filled with hot water mixed with mustard powder. After half an hour or so, remove your feet from the water, dry them and you should feel better.

• Sip ginger tea

Ginger works especially well for treating migraines, and can help to alleviate the nausea as well as the pain. Make a tea by pouring 3 cups (750ml) boiling water over 2 table-spoons freshly grated ginger. Steep 4-5 minutes, then strain through a small sieve into a teacup. Ginger tea bags are also available, but they lack the punch of fresh ginger-root tea.

• inhale eucalyptus vapours

If you’re lucky enough to have access to dried Eucalyptus globulus, just boil the crumbled leaves and let them steep for 4-5 hours and strain out the bits of leaf before heating the liquid for inhalation. (Or, add 5-10 drops commercial eucalyptus oil to the steaming water.) Place the bowl at the edge of a table, sit down, bend your head over the bowl and put the towel over your head to form a tent. Breathe the vapours for about 10 minutes, taking care not to get too close to the steam. Your lungs may clear and you’ll get a facial as a bonus.

• Bronchitis double dose

The head-clearing pungency of freshly grated horseradish paired with the acidic aroma of lemon helps to dissolve mucus in the sinuses and bronchial tubes. To make your own cough medicine, grate a peeled horseradish root into a bowl (or cheat and use prepared horseradish) and transfer 2 tablespoons grated horseradish to a small bowl. Add 1/4 cup (60ml) lemon juice and stir well. Take 1/2 teaspoon of the mixture two or three times a day. The expectorant action should set up a cough after each dose, helping to rid your lungs of mucus.

• Loosen mucus with mullein

Mullein (Verbascurn thapsus), a longtime folk remedy for respiratory ailments, contains saponins that loosen phlegm and promote expectoration. It also contains gelatinous mucilage that soothes the mucous membranes. To make mullein tea, steep 2 teaspoons dried mullein leaves in 1 cup (250ml) just-boiled water for 10 minutes. Drink the tea up to three times a day to ease bronchial distress.

• Elecampane the expectorant

Buy elecampane tea or liquid extract, sweeten the tea with honey and drink 1-2 cups (250-500ml) a day to stimulate the lungs’ natural ‘housecleaning’ mechanism. The active principle in elecampane (Inula helenium) is alantolactone, a proven expectorant. Use of elecampane dates back to some of the earliest European settlers in the Americas, who used it to treat the symptoms of asthma, whooping cough, pneumonia and tuberculosis.

• Camomile’s two faces

For an allergy-fighting tea, pour 1 cup (250ml) boiling water over 2-3 teaspoons crushed flower heads of German camomile, steep for 10 minutes, strain and drink three to four times daily. Caution: while camomile is a traditional hay-fever fighter, it can aggravate symptoms in anyone who is allergic to ragweed, a camomile cousin. For everyone else, the azulene content in camomile has anti-inflammatory properties that have led complementary therapists worldwide to prescribe camomile preparations for respiratory tract infections and allergies.

• Remove mould to help quell sniffles

If you have a sudden case of the sniffles that won’t go away and you don’t have allergies (or a cold), you may unknowingly be living with mould. Check for spots in the bathroom or beneath windows subject to condensation, and kill mould instantly with a 50:50 mixture of bleach and water. Spray it directly onto the offensive spots and let it sit. The mould should be stopped in its tracks within minutes, along with (hopefully) your runny nose.

• Nettle and hay fever

If you have access to fresh stinging nettle (it’s a common garden weed), wear gloves when harvesting and washing the leaves (the plant’s not called stinging nettle for nothing). Add 1 cup (120g) tightly packed leaves to 6 cups (1.5 litres) boiling water. Lower the heat and simmer until the water turns green, then strain through a fine sieve into a large teapot. During the hay fever season, drink a cup of nettle tea in the morning and one in the evening, sweetening it with honey, if you like. Studies have yet to definitively confirm the efficacy of European stinging nettle for treating hay fever, but legions of people swear by nettle’s powers to ease runny noses and watery eyes.

Rich in calcium and silica, nettle tea also makes a useful tonic for anaemia and rheumatic problems. It’s thought to be a good detox remedy and has traditionally been used to treat skin conditions such as eczema.