Lydia Willen
Due to the very respectable response (over 5,000 views) to my previous article, “UWS Sidewalk Medicine Boxes: Safe and Natural Treatments from Bubby’s and Other Experts,”I produced a sequel (pun intended) where I again encourage you to pop into your local fruit and veggie stand to look for specific produce that can cure your ailments, or tasty treats that can help prevent you from getting sick in the first place.
You may be thinking, “Who is qualified to tell me what to eat? She doesn’t have a ‘Dr.’ in front of her name or an ‘MD’ after her.” That’s true. My sister, Johnny, and I grew up on home remedies that my grandmother (Bubby) brought back from “back home.” Those remedies worked…most of the time…and were non-addictive, inexpensive, and had no side effects.
And Bubby’s remedies inspired us. My sister and I became New Age and Old Age health researchers and cure collectors. This was long before the Internet became everyone’s health consultant. We interviewed homeopaths and integrative medicine doctors — those who combine conventional treatments with complementary and alternative medicine — and reviewed their published papers. They confirmed that everything we recommended was, if not effective, then at least safe.
“Chicken Soup and Other Home Remedies” This was our first book and many more have followed, filled with input from our readers and from viewers and listeners of the TV and radio shows we appeared on.
Now we know the who, why and how, it’s time to figure out what.
Peeling Scratch Remover
Apply the inside of a banana peel to a bruise or scrape and bandage it in place. Change the peel every four hours. This will reduce pain, discolouration and speed up healing.
Whether or not you use banana peels for medical purposes, the banana itself is a beneficial fruit. If you are taking diuretics, which can cause excessive potassium loss from your body and lead to leg cramps, eat a banana or two every day and talk to your doctor about stopping chemical diuretics and switching to natural ones.
Natural Diuretic
For occasional mild fluid retention and bloating (which can occur in menstruating women), try one or more of the suggestions below. If you have ongoing problems, be sure to consult with your healthcare professional for guidance. If this is an infrequent symptom, choose vegetables and fruits that are easy to eat and that you find appealing.
- First, grab a scallion. (Sorry, comedic writer that I was, I couldn’t resist that line.) It’s similar to a scallion but a little milder than a spring onion and can be eaten raw in salads or used in soups and stews.
- Eat a slice of watermelon first thing in the morning and don’t eat anything else for at least two hours.
- Eat celery raw in salads or cooked in soups. Its high water content, fiber content and low calorie content make it a smart snack to keep your mouth thirsty.
Native Americans used the foods they grew to stay healthy. Corn silk from the corn harvest served as a cure-all for urinary problems. It is believed that corn silk has a diuretic effect, flushing toxins and bacteria from the urinary tract and preventing and curing urinary tract infections.
From now through September, corn will be lining the shelves of your local fruit and vegetable stands. Pick the youngest corn, the one with the fewest brown silk threads sticking out. Peel the corn and remove the silk. Take a handful of corn silk and steep it in 3 cups of boiling water for 5 minutes. Strain and drink the tea throughout the day. Corn silk can be stored in a glass jar, just do not put it in the refrigerator.
I’m lying down trying to sleep but I can’t sleep.
If you suffer from occasional insomnia, this remedy may bring you to tears. Finely chop a yellow onion and place it in a jar with a lid. Place the jar on your nightstand. When you get into bed and have trouble falling asleep, remove the lid and take two deep sniffs of the onion. Replace the jar, lie on your back, and think beautiful thoughts. You should fall asleep within 10 to 15 minutes. When my sister and I spoke about this treatment on television, we sang the words to a token song to help viewers remember. The lion sleeps tonight“Smell the onions, smell the yellow onions, and you’ll sleep well tonight.” How many people have sung that?
Moisturizing is wise
The late Dallas beauty guru Paul Namast frequently recommended green Thompson seedless grapes as a moisturizer. He recommended cutting a grape in half and gently pressing it onto your face and neck. Make sure the grape juice gets to the corners of your mouth, paying special attention to the area around your eyes. According to Namast, it’s effective at removing crow’s feet and small cracks around the mouth. Leave it on for about 20 minutes, then rinse with warm water and pat dry.
Thompson Seedless Grapes are in season now, from late summer through fall. The grapes can be frozen for storage.
Got a cold? Try garlic
Of course, you know that when you have a cold, you drink chicken soup, but don’t forget to add some chopped garlic.
Here is another garlic remedy for colds:
In Russia, garlic was known as Russian penicillin. It has been reported that ingesting garlic has actually cured colds (and friends) within a few hours, sometimes even a day. Place a peeled garlic clove between your cheek and teeth. Do not chew. From time to time, smash the clove with your teeth to get some garlic juice out. Replace the clove every 3-4 hours. The allicin in garlic is great for thinning mucus and killing bacteria. It’s no wonder that garlic is in so many over-the-counter cold remedies.
Next to this remedy, we should not forget the breath fresheners, which are also available at any fruit shop.
- Lick the lemon, if it’s too strong squeeze some lemon juice and add a little honey to rinse your mouth before swallowing.
- Biting into the peel of an orange
- Chew on a sprig of parsley. Parsley is rich in chlorophyll, which acts as a powerful odor eliminator.
Suffer from Gout? Eat Bing Cherries All Year Round
In part 1, Bing cherries were introduced as a remedy for gout. Cherry season is coming to an end, so if your fruit store still has cherries left, buy some and freeze them. Here’s how to do it: Remove the stems, wash them well and dry them. Then remove the seeds. If you don’t have a cherry pitter, use the brute force method by holding the cherry between the fingers of both hands and splitting it in half. Then remove the seeds. Or, use the small end of a chopstick against the hole in the stem and push the seeds out of the cherry. Then freeze them: Spread the cherry flesh onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet and place the sheet in the freezer for 2 hours. Then transfer the frozen cherries into a freezer-safe bag or container and return to the freezer to thaw whenever you like.
Again, I will list my closest fruit shops, and also the ones Judy left in the comments section.
- Northwest corner of Broadway and 70th Street
- Northwest corner of 72and Broadway Street
- West side of Broadway between 73rd and 74th Streets
- Southwest corner of 68th Street and Columbus Avenue
- Southeast corner of 90Number Street and Broadway across from Chase Bank
We hope you’ll add your favorite stands to the list.
Read the original article: UWS Sidewalk Medicine Box: Safe, Natural Treatments from Bubbies and Other Experts
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