Home remedies often get a bad rap for being ineffective, even dangerous at times—and some of them really do deserve their terrible reputation!
But plenty of home remedies aren’t just easy, quick fixes. Many of them are just as good as something you might spend tons of money on at your local pharmacy.
Prevention did some digging and talked to a few medical experts to see which of these so-called “remedies” really worked and which ones you shouldn’t waste your time on.
Here are the best at-home remedies you should take more seriously:
- Eliminate Dandruff: To get rid of dandruff quickly, you really just need a product with salicylic acid in it to slough off the dead skin. Marie Jhin, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in San Francisco, suggests using crushed aspirin to get the job done. Simply add 1 tablespoon of crushed aspirin to your regular shampoo, gently massage it into your scalp, and leave the mixture on for 5-10 minutes before rinsing.
- Remove Warts: Doctors believe that you can essentially kill warts with duct tape. They theorize that the airtight environment combined with the adhesiveness of duct tape is toxic to warts. Try sticking a piece of duct tape to the affected area and change it every 6 days for about 2 months, or until the wart disappears.
- Calm Motion Sickness: When you start feeling that first wave of motion sickness, you’ll also begin salivating. According to Stephen Hanauer, MD, a professor of gastroenterology and hepatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, the bitter tannins found in lemons (and olives) dry the mouth and ease nausea.
- Heal Cracked Heels: Even the most powerful moisturizer can’t actually heal the cracks in your heels. The skin literally needs to be brought back together, and what better to get the job done than glue? Jhin suggests soaking your feet in warm water for a few minutes, applying moisturizer after, and dabbing just a bit of Krazy glue on the cracks. It should only take one application before you start noticing the cracks healing.
- Soothe A Sore Throat: Believe it or not, you really can soothe a sore throat with a cup of warm sage tea. According to a study in the European Journal of Medical Research, a spray containing 15% sage offered significant relief of soreness within just 2 hours, compared to the placebo. You can easily make your own sage tea by pouring 1 cup of almost-boiling water over 2 tablespoons of fresh sage or 1 tablespoon of dried sage. Cover and steep the tea for about 10-15 minutes, strain, and enjoy!
Do you have any great home remedies to add to the list? If so, tell us in the comments!
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