Kitchen Cabinet Cures

Remember the time when we were kids.. we always had grandmoms and moms fussing over us when we got a cold or loose motions or whatever..they always seem to have a cure for everything.. in their kitchens!. If you happened just to sneeze.. thats it.. they would rush off to the kitchen and cook up some concotion.. that what barely palatable.. but voila!.. it worked!

As adults, we never get those privileges. Now we wait 2-3 days (just like that.. doing nothing) for the cold to disappear.. then if it doesn't go away as scheduled.. pop in some OTC(over-the-counter) cold tablet.. wait.. wait.. fill the wastebasket to the rim with dirty tissues .. and then..finally.. heave a sigh of relief when it does go away.

Ever wondered what that good ole' home remedy contained..? that secret recipe passed down from mothers who got them from their mother's mothers' etc..?

Well in an effort to preserve these "kitchen cabinet cures" before they get lost forever.. i collected some and listed it down here for all to see.. here goes..

• Got a nasty cold?.. fret not..drink hot ginger tea every 2 hours.Or sample some hot veg/chicken soup (with extra pepper and ginger flakes). Hot milk with honey/ginger/pepper/turmeric also works well.
• Sore throat?... try salt water gargles and hot milk with turmeric.. works like magic.
• Boils bothering you?..make a paste of atta (wheat four) and milk and apply it regularly. Also, use a hot iron  on a hanky and press the hanky on the boil (the heat dissolves the boil).
• Loose motions?.. make a paste of poppy seeds and sugar and swallow it (don't try tasting it!).
• Burnt yourself while cooking a meal?...place a raw potato peel on the burn.
• Wound /cuuts?..apply haldi (turmeric powder).
• Burping troubles/ Excess Gas?..try a mixture of saunf (fenel), rock salt and jeera in water. also massage the abdomen and apply a hot water bottle to the area.
• Acidity?.. time tested recipe- buttermilk; also..banana.
• Had a meal that you suspect will make you throw up soon?.. no problem .. chew on some cardamon pods.. my mom swears by this.. she carries a box a cardamons on every trip.
• Cramps?.. Place the affected part on a iron/steel object!.. I really don't know how this works .. but it does// try it yourself..
• Hives?.. rub a brass ashtray on the part (as bizzare as it sounds it works!).. also kokum water.. applied on the part.
• Joint Pains?.. mash freshly cooked hot rice into a poultice and massage on the part.(superficial moist heat therapy).
• Toothache?.. dip a cotton ball into clove oil and apply on the part (only on the affected part). Also alum works just as well.
• Prickly heat?.. sandalwood paste in milk works llike magic.
• And this really tops my list of bizzare home remedies..a juice made of maize leaves can cure kidney stones!.. and my aunt swears by it!. and so do some doctors too!