Natural Treatments Many people think that we are taking too many pharmaceutical products and it certainly is the case that we are taking more than we ever have done before in history. Our generation has forgotten many of the natural treatments that our grandparents (or even further back) took for normal On the other hand, many of the pharmaceutical cures on the market are manufactured from natural things such as plants, but are more highly concentrated. A pharmacist also has access to plants from other countries and can mix plant extracts to enhance the efficacy of the final product. Notwithstanding all that, many people still believe that we have gone too far and should attempt to redress the balance at least a little. I live in Thailand now and a day does not pass when my wife says something like: 'Old people eat this for medicine. Old style remedy for good blood' - or good heart or beautiful skin. I have no medical training so I am not qualified to say whether these old style solutions work or not, but I have collected a few them in this article out of interest and if you find them interesting too, you could do some more research yourself. You can buy most of these items and ask for more information from health food stores and if you like the effects, you could attempt to grow them in your backyard. Zinc or at least items containing zinc are believed to cure colds. Zinc is easily obtained from quality chocolate, watermelon seeds and sesame seeds, so next time you feel like a snack, try these instead. Cranberries are well-known for helping sort out urinary tract infections (UTI's). Women suffer more from UTI's than men, but it would be worth having a bag or dried cranberries in the cupboard or a litre of unsweetened cranberry juice in the fridge. Aloe Vera is universally known to heal skin concerns and dried aloe vera is said to make a tea that lowers blood pressure. If the climate is correct, everyone ought to have a plant or two in the backyard. Garlic is known to help clean the blood and cut down on the danger of heart disease. I know lots of people who consume two or three raw small, hazelnut-sized bulbs of garlic a day. St. John's Wort is said to cure depression, although you would have to research how the plant is prepared. Citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruit are good for curing the common cold, something that the pharmaceutical industry admits by having nearly all of its cold cures taste of lemon. White vinegar will cure feet soaked in it of foot rot, toe fungus, athletes' foot and the like.
Cinnamon is an old, traditional remedy for high blood pressure and is easy to take on cakes and puddings. Cinnamon tea is delicious too. Grape seeds are said to be a remedy for prostate issues, although not prostate cancer. Ginger tea is an old aid to digestion and banishes wind. The list goes on and it just;y takes a little homework to find more time-honoured solutions. Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a number of subjects, but is now involved with natural cures for prostate cancer. If you want to know more go to What is the Treatment for Prostate Cancer?