It's Easy Being Green

Here’s another timely set of home remedies I pulled from the Reader’s Digest book Homemade.  It’s also cold and flu season and if you’re like me, you hate pouring money into over the counter medicinal products that may or may not work and cost a ton of money.  Try some of these quick fixes to relieve your symptoms.  If you like these recipes then you might want to consider picking up the book for your library.  It’s chock-full of recipes from meals to drinks to desserts to home remedies for whatever may be ailing you.

Homemade Chest Rub – It really is quick and easy to make this rub.  Rub the mixture onto your chest, cover with a piece of flannel and then top off with a hot pad.

Ingredients:  – 30 drops massage oil or carrier oil like almond, jojoba or avocado oil

- 5 to 10 drops eucalyptus or wintergreen essential oil

1)  In a small bowl mix the oil and the essential oil together until combined.  Rub the mixture into your chest.  Cover with the flannel and heating pad and get comfy as the essence opens up your chest.

Cough Suppressant Tea – If you know how to grow any herbs in  your home garden, sage should be one of your first choices.  Not only is it great on chicken and other dishes, it also makes a wonderful cough suppressing tea.

Ingredients:  – 4 fresh sage leaves or 1tsp. dried leaves from your spice cupboard

- boiling water

1)  In a standard sized cup, steep the sage leaves in boiled water for at least 20 minutes.  If you leave it sit longer more of the goodness will release from the leaves.  Strain and drink the tea hot or cold.

Throat Spray – I bet you didn’t know you had a natural throat antiseptic and pain killer sitting in your spice cabinet.  Well, you do and it’s also pretty simple to make.  You’ll wonder why you didn’t know about this before you always bought that awful bottle of throat spray at the drug store.

Ingredients:   – 8 oz. spray bottle

- 1 Tbsp. cayenne pepper

- Enough water to fill the bottle

1)  In a clean spray bottle, combine the cayenne pepper and the water.  Shake the mixture well and spray into the back of your throat.  It will numb your throat and you can also use it as a gargle.  Just make sure not to splash it into your eyes because you migth have another problem to deal with if you do.

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