17 home remedies for bites, aches and burns

Home remedies are a staple of natural medicine. They are cheap and fast, often work just as well as a drugstore fix, and may be as near as your spice cabinet, refrigerator or laundry room. To update your arsenal, “Prevention” magazine asked seven experts to share their latest discoveries, from headache panaceas to simple solutions for stiff backs, indigestion, charley horses and more. 

Bad breath

• Drink up to 1/4 cup pure aloe vera gel dissolved in about half a cup of water or apple juice. Aloe vera contains an anti-inflammatory compound called B-sitosterol that soothes acid indigestion, a common cause of bad breath. But go easy; in large doses, aloe vera can work like a laxative. 
  
  
• The expert: New York–based herbalist Letha Hadady, D.Ac.,author of “Healthy Beauty”

Dry, tired eyes

• Infuse a bag of chamomile tea in 4 to 6 ounces hot water, cool in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, and then apply as a compress on eyes for 10 minutes, until the bag comes to room temperature. Chamomile has a mild anti-inflammatory effect.

• The expert: Paul S. Anderson, N.D., associate professor of naturopathic medicine at Bastyr University

Nasal congestion

• Irrigate the nose with contact lens saline solution using a neti pot.
  
  
• Or try putting a few drops of eucalyptus oil on the floor of a hot, running shower and inhaling the steam that accumulates. (Note: The room may be too hot for children.)
  
  
• The expert: Benjamin Kligler, M.D., M.P.H., research director at the Continuum Center for Health and Healing in New York City

Less-than-white teeth

• Combine 1/2 teaspoon baking soda with 1 or 2 drops of peroxide. Brush on, let sit for a few minutes, then rinse (don’t swallow) and ta-da! — enjoy your once-again pearly whites.
  
  
• Baking soda serves as a safe, light bleach. A baking soda-and-salt mixture can also restore the shine of dingy teeth (dip a wet toothbrush into 1/4 teaspoon soda and sprinkle with up to 1/8 teaspoon salt) as effectively as it polishes your pots and pans. However, the peroxide recipe is safer for people on no-salt diets. 
  
  
• The expert: Letha Hadady, D.Ac.

Mild heartburn

• Combine 1 teaspoon powdered glutamine, an amino acid, to fuel gastrointestinal tract cells and cool inflammation; 1 capsule L. Acidophilus to introduce good bacteria to the gut; and 1 teaspoon herbal marshmallow or slippery elm powder to coat and soothe the digestive system. (The ingredients are available at health food stores.)
  
  
• Mix with 6 to 8 ounces yogurt or applesauce (to get everything down) and take one or two times a day for 8 to 10 weeks.
  
  
• The expert: Paul S. Anderson, N.D.
  

Mosquito bites

• Rub liquid laundry detergent on the spot and let dry.

• The liquid soothes the skin, dries the bite to reduce irritation, and seals the area from outside irritants.
  
  
• The expert: Paul Lyons, M.D., associate professor of family and community medicine at Temple University School of Medicine

Restless leg syndrome

• Drink a 6-ounce glass of tonic water each night before bed until symptoms go away. Tonic water contains quinine, which stops repeated muscle contractions.
  
  
• The expert: Paul Lyons, M.D.

Corns

• Soak the area for 10 to 15 minutes and then apply an exfoliating scrub of water and either salt or brown sugar (3 parts sugar/salt to 1 part water). This will remove dead skin. 
  
  
• The expert: Doris Day, M.D., clinical assistant professor of dermatology at New York University Medical Center

Charley horse

• Use your thumb to apply pressure to the middle of the calf for 30 seconds. When you release, the cramp should have subsided.
  
  
• The expert: Ben E. Benjamin, Ph.D., author of “Listen to Your Pain”

Headaches

• Try do-it-yourself acupressure. Feel along your trapezius, the large muscle that runs from the high point of both shoulders and joins your neck. Use your thumbs and index and middle fingers to squeeze the muscle just below where it attaches to both sides of your neck. You’ll be releasing “trigger points,” tiny muscle spasms that can cause neck tension and are a common cause of headaches. Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute — or have a friend do it for you.
  
• Or try massaging one or two drops of peppermint (Mentha piperita) oil into the same trigger points and the lower neck. Peppermint oil relaxes muscles in spasm.
  
  
• The expert: Benjamin Kligler, M.D., M.P.H.

Sore throat

• Mix together a clove bud, which is antiseptic and fights infection, with ¼ teaspoon powdered ginger (or 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger) and 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon — the latter two because of their anti-inflammatory properties.

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