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Natural remedies for common conditions

Toothache
Vanilla extract rubbed on the gums can help.

Cure a headache
Try watermelon juice. Fresh juice is best. Aim for 2 glasses a day.

Calm bites and stings
Infuse cider vinegar with sprigs of rosemary or thyme and apply to the spot.

Relieve coughing
Sprinkle 1 tsp of turmeric into a bowl of boiling water and stir. Breathe in the steam for several minutes

Reduce stress
Sunflower seeds and alfalfa can help.

Sore neck
Fill a sock with a cup of uncooked rice and tie a knot in the end. Heat in the microwave for 30-60 seconds on a medium heat. Apply for 5-10 mins.

Restful sleep
Add 1 tsp honey to a late-night herbal tea (try valerian, available in health shops) or in warm milk to ensure that you wake rested.

Puffy eyes
Spritz eyes with water. Put thick slices of raw potato on eyelids. Leave for 10 mins.

Herbal mouthwash
Mix 1 tsp each of dried rosemary, dried mint and fennel seeds with 2-3 cups of boiling water. Steep for 15-20 mins, cool, cover and store in the fridge for 3-5 days

Get off to sleep
Have half a turkey and lettuce sandwich made with wholemeal bread before bed. High levels of the chemical trytophan, which is found in turkey, is thought to increase feel-good serotonin levels and aid sleep.

Lower a temperature
Add 1 tsp dried sage to a cup, pour over boiling water and steep for 5 mins. Drink several times a day.

Reduce a fever
Crush 10g raisins with 10g freshly sliced ginger and mix with 200ml water. Stand for an hour, then boil to reduce by 3 quarters. Drink once or twice a day until fever reduces.

Burned your tounge?
Immediately sprinkle granulated sugar on it - the sugar absorbs the heat.

Indigestion
Finish meals with 125ml of fresh pineapple juice to combat indigestion.

Natural anti-inflamatory and analgesic
Mash papaya and apply directly to the wound

For sprains and bruises
Mould a bag of frozen peas around the body part. Wrap the bags in a tea towel to prevent ice burn.

Ease cystitis
Okra (lady's fingers) and spinach can both be useful against cystitis. Eat lightly cooked and pulped.

Wrist and ankle sprains
Smear olive oil around the sprain and apply whisked egg yolk. Wrap in cotton wool and bandage at once.

For a cold
Make chicken soup, including onions, sage and garlic. Have a bowl or cup twice a day while you have a cold.

Sore gums
Cut a ripe fig in half and hold it between your cheek and sore gum for 10 mins.

Easy breathing
Place some fresh thyme in a bowl and add boiling water. Then cover your head with a towel and breathe in the fumes.

Sore throats
Add 1/2 peeled onion to a jar of honey, close tightly and leave for at least three days. Take a teaspoon every few hours next time you have a sore throat.

Reduce arthritis
Mix carrot and lemon juice in equal amounts and take a tbsp every day.

Suppress the appetite
Drink 150ml celery juice before every meal.

Menopause
Drink 100ml beetroot juice twice a day to relieve symptoms

Stop bleeding
Hold a piece of fresh bread (wholemeal or white) over a cut, apply mild pressure and wait for the bleeding to stop.

Stomach bug
Spend 2 days on the BRAT diet - bananas, rice, apples (lightly cooked) and toast.

Fight the blues
Put a handful of basil leaves in a teapot and pour boiling water over. Steep for 10mins. Drink a cup 2-3 times a day to ease depression.

Anti-wrinkle mask
Mix together 2 tbsp plain yogurt, 1/2 tbsp honey and 1/2 tbsp lemon juice. Add the liquid from 3 vitamin-capsules. Apply to the face, leave for 10 mins and rinse off.

Reduce swelling of most insect bites and stings
Aloe vera is simple to grow on a window sill for easy access. Simply apply the leaves' cooling gel directly to the area. Alternatively, buy aloe vera gel from a health shop.

Immune-booster
Process carrot, beetroot, gooseberries, a pinch of rock salt and some fresh garlic in a juicer or liquidiser. It doesn't taste as strange as it sounds!

Cold sores
Wrap ice in a tea towel and apply to the area for 10 mins.

Revive cold feet
Soak feet in a basin of warm water with 1/2 cup of salt, dissolved in it for 15 mins. Afterwards, massage it with damp salt.

Lower cholesterol
Extract the juice of 2 cloves of garlic by crushing in a pestle and mortar. Drink a spoonful every day.

Improve your mood
Have a few cashew nuts, raw or slightly warmed, each day.

Combat jet lag
The day before you fly, eat high-protein meals (meat/fish/pulses) for breakfast and lunch, and a carbohydrate meal (pasta/rice) for dinner. The protein in these meals stimulates the body to produce catecholamines, which mirror the body's naturally 'awake' daytime state.

Relieve acid build-up
Chew thoroughly on a celery stick.

Soothe bites and stings
Smooth on tomato juice.

Minimise swelling
Add 1 tsp cayenne pepper to a cup of apple cider vinegar and simmer for 15 mins. Cool to hand-hot. Soak a cloth in the vinegar, wring out the excess and hold the compress on the affected area.

Lessen snoring
A couple of sips of olive oil before bed coats the inside of the mouth.