wacky remedies

When I was younger I had a planter's wart on the bottom of my foot and wanted to get rid of it. I heard about a remedy that sounded downright bizarre, but decided to try it nonetheless. (I'm renowned for my gullibility. In fact, my husband often refers to me as a 'guppy' because I always take the bait - believing practically anything anyone tells me.)

The remedy was to peel a potato under the light of a full moon, and to bury the potato skin in the ground. That's it. The wart was supposed to be gone a short time after that - I don't remember exactly how long... a week, perhaps. At any rate, I did it, not expecting much in terms of results - because it was hard to imagine - even for me- that this could possibly work... Turns out it did, though. No idea how or why. But there it is.

So I thought I'd post a few other home remedies that are supposed to work quite well. (However, if you're going to try them, use common sense... Don't try to fix anything yourself that needs a doctor's attention.)

Earache - Crush garlic in warm (not hot) olive oil. Using a cotton ball gently drip a few drops of the mixture into your ear. I've tried this and it's very helpful. Makes you smell like you're making a salad in your ear... but, hey, if it helps with the pain who cares?

Burns - Lavender oil. Apply directly to (mild) burns. It immediately takes the sting out.

Scars - Vitamin E.

Dandruff - Rinse with apple cider vinegar. (Never tried this, but heard it works well - just don't get it in your eyes because it will sting.)

Motion sickness - Eat olives. (Never tried this one either, but the tannin in olives helps eliminate the saliva that triggers nausea.. so it makes sense.)

Nausea - Chamomile tea or Ginger.

Sore throat - Salt water gargle.

Eczema - Oatmeal ground into a paste.

Bad breath - Parsley or yogurt.

Warts - Duct tape. Seriously.

Full circle back to warts... I had a wart on my arm and this actually worked. Cover just the area with the wart with duct tape. (Don't cover the surrounding skin, just the wart.) Leave it covered for 3 weeks. (You can put fresh tape on if it starts getting grungy or comes off in the shower. Just cover it immediately again. The idea is to stop any air from getting to the wart - you're basically suffocating it.)