This is really broad and I'm blanking a bit due to it.  I'm also tend to go for pharmaceauticals, as they often work better and even if it's the same natural product, it's purified and concentrated.

 

I like coconut oil for itchy, skin irritations.  I find it works well when I have a psoriasis spot on my scalp that has the horrible burning, itchy, hot feeling.

 

Bleach baths have helped me out quite a bit with chronic skin infections.  Not sure if that fits within a 'home remedy' or not.  Baking soda, vinegar, or epsom salts can also help.  It's a bit hard to judge what exactly is what I need the most though, sometimes picking the wrong one can also make things worse.

 

Wine is a go good to :)  I've tried OTC muscle relaxers and they didn't do a thing.  Wine or some time of alcohol in a hot drink works way better than the pills.

 

A stronger alcohol for mouth pain.  My wisdom teeth can cause a fair amount of swelling, probably because I'm predisposed to it.  Less than an ounce swished on the area numbs it, makes the swelling go down a bit within a short period of time.  We'll see in a while if my new medication will prevent this.  I use it at home, and while it's purified it's also natural.

 

 

Tea tree oil for cuts, bug bites, zits. I'm all out right now. It has a potent smell. My hormones have changed and I used to get more acne. Tea tree soap helped. It's a natural antibacterial/ antiseptic (and it smells like it- best diluted or mixed with other natural scents). I actually have some tea tree skin spray that keeps mosquitos away. Vinegar is good for lots of things- mosquito bites, digestive upsets. I found out that my skin reacts to aloe of all things- it's supposed to be the opposite.

Aloe works for me Kimmio, but I'm allergic to tea tree oil :)

Kimmio, I've used tea tree oil for getting rid of warts, but not ever for cuts, I will try that.

 

chemgal - it is broad, I wasn't looking for any specific remedy, but was hoping people would post any and all home remedies they find works for them.  I've used baking soda and epsom salts - actually use epsom salts every couple of days.

 

 

crushed rhubarb leaves for bee or wasp stings. Takes the sting right away.

 

Sage on a cut stops the bleeding. They use this on puppies when they crop their tails. It does stop bleeding.

For a deeper cut, you'd probably want to get some polysporin (and/ or go for stitches if necessary) just in case the tea tree's not strong enough. I'm not a doctor! I can tell if the cut's minor enough on myself.

It works for warts too, and toenail fungus, I'm told (which I've never had). And athletes foot. This is kind of gross- but has anyone ever had a corn on one of their toe joints? It's not 'cauliflowerish' like a wart- it's a corn. I'm pretty sure it's from my feet rubbing against the tops of tight, slightly pointy shoes over time. Do you get rid of it the same way as warts? Tea tree didn't work. If there is a natural remedy I'll try it before trying compound W or something- maybe a doctor can burn or lance it off but I'd rather not go in to the doctors office for that- I actually feel sorry for them when they've got to do gross stuff like that if it's simple enough to handle myself!

I think I remember you saying that before. It is pretty potent so I'm not surprised. Aloe allergy does kind of surprise me. It's just been in the last couple of years I noticed a reaction- to two different 'organic' products containing high concentrations of aloe. One was an almost pure aloe gel and the other was a lotion of a different brand. It could have been a reaction to something else in it but there was nothing suspect that isn't in other lotions I use with no reaction- just high concentrations of aloe. It gave me an itchy red rash exactly on the areas I applied it- not bumpy, like a mild sunburn, ironically- that went away after a few hours, maybe a day I think (I can't remember- it faded like a sunburn kind of except you could see where the product touched my skin and almost a border where it stopped- an uncommon reaction for me), when I washed it off stopped using it.

I use aloe straight from the plant if available - for cuts, rashes, burns and really bothersome bug bites. Sometimes though I use the pure stuff from the drugstore.

 

The weirdest home fix I've probably used the most is sugar.  You know how often little ones fall and bite their tongue or lip and you can't see exactly what is damged because of the blood?  A spoonful of sugar works like a miracle.  The kid stops howling because they are distracted by the sweet treat - they work the stuff around as they lick it off their lips - the sugar amkes the blood colt.  Voila - all is well.

 

My son works his corns off with sanpaper - a bit every other day until (he says) it is gone.  I haven't actually checked back to see for myself!

 

 

Baking soda for bee or hornet stings.

Wet tea bags on tired, itchy, or irritated eyes

Pressure, then a bandaid for minor cuts

Cold (a bag of frozen peas or corn) for bruises or jammed fingers

Cold running water immediately on minor burns (touch the burner while cooking - stick that finger under the tap for a few minutes)

Vicks for chest colds

Chicken soup for colds

BRAT diet (bananas, rice, apple sauce, toast) for upset stomach/diareah

Warm politice for a boil

Warm bath (with or without salt) for aching muscles

Steam for head colds

Rest, warm blanket, hugs, stories (for children)

 

What do you put in your poultice, seeler?

I've done the running under cool water for minor kitchen burns and I believe it really makes a difference.

I was drinking lemon, natural honey, and ginger in hot water when I had my cold and it made me feel better.

poultice - milk and something?????????????

Best treatment for warts bar none is duct tape. 

Sore throat -- gargle with salt water

 

Asthma acting up -- share breath with my sweetie

 

Eyelash/dirt in eye -- irrigate under tap

 

Dandruff -- a mixture of cooking oil & lemon juice poured over my hair and let to set

 

Migraine aura -- go to sleep :3 (only once was i treated by a friend by him massaging my temples with some sort of mint oil...still don't know why it worked, whether it was just the oil or the love...)

Really? Never heard of that. What do you do, leave it on for awhile, or when you rip the tape off the wart comes with it (eww, ouch!) ?

I believe it works because the duct tape, (left on for 6 days or more) triggers an immune response that kills the wart. You are suppose to change the tape every 6 days until the wart is gone. Warts just seems to disappear. I think duct tape works better than other tape becasue it stays on better and seals the wart and the are around it.

 http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/duct-tape-an-effective-wart-remover-pediatricians-say-1.326490

 

 

Generally I think it is the moist heat that does the job - so I would probably try a face cloth wrung out of hot water and held in place for a bit.  I've known people to use a tea bag (again hot water; wrung out).  It can be wrapped in a piece of gauze or cotton cloth and taped in place.  A bread poultice would work the same - a crust of homemade bread, hot water squeased until it doesn't drip, wrapped in cloth and taped over the infected area. 

 

I grew up in a small community 20 miles from the nearest doctor.  No money; no transportation.   My mother looked after many health care problems that we would now consult with a doctor about.   I think maybe dry mustard (added to the bread), or boiled onions were sometimes used.    At least it seemed we were doing something.  I think it was the moisture and heat, rather than the medium, that helped.

 

 

Chemguy did the duct tape thing.  He did leave it one for days.  It didn't kill the warts, but it worked really well for exposing the roots so that one treatment at the doctors office and then they were gone.  Normally, with what he had it would have taken multiple treatments at the doctor's office.  The duct tape did way more than what the OTC wart treatment did.

 

Black tea for a migraine is another one that I use.

 

Sitting outside in cold air for croup.

I tried many home varieties for warts (including duct tape) and none of them worked (neither did the OTC wart removers).  Then I was recommended to try tea tree oil.  It worked wonderfully well, and warts never returned.

 

I think my mom used bread in the poltice too, and I am imagine milk ???  Perhaps I am getting her poltice mixed up with her french toast recipe LOL!.

 

Thinking, seeler, of those who lived miles from doctors and health care and had to rely on their own medications and remedies in times of illness and injury.

 

 

 

lol@Beloved. Best one today.

Sorry. I hadn't checked this thread in a few days. Thanks for the info about duct tape. I had a small wart on my finger that kept coming back after using Compound W or something like that, so I had to get it removed at the doctor's office with dry ice. I had a small wart on my foot once, too (yuck, sorry) that went away all by itself...??? I have no idea why. I could feel it there at first, a slight annoyance, but it didn't hurt and I forgot about it and it disappeared. I think all I did was keep my feet clean and wear socks. I find usually skin related foot problems happen to me more in the summer (sweat, dirt, bare feet in shoes) and go away in fall/ winter. This is the first time I've had a corn (yuck again).

i'm remembering as a kid i use to have something on the bottom of my feet (heel?) that looked like a thumb-tack sized & shape bit of skin that was pale or yellow and had a kind of tiny hole in the middle.  when i had them, they occurred singly.

 

strange

 

like my parents said that i had orthopedic struts to give my feet arches at one time -- i have no memory of them

 

what parents will do for their children

I had to wear leg/ foot braces, then orthopedic shoes, then these plastic/ foam braces at night- I especially hated wearing those in the summer. . I remember them all. I hated it but I am now grateful. Kind of natural remedies, I suppose. Naturally inspired. Before foam, plastic, plaster, formed metal- people made splints out of sticks and wood.

* a mix of tea-tree, lavender and frankincense essential oils in a base of good quality olive oil or almond oil for minor cuts/scrapes/burns - it sooths the itching as cuts and the like heal.  I also find it helps the itch/burning sensation I get in my old surgical scars.

* apple-cider vinegar on sunburns - I find it takes some of the sting out and does seem to help the sunburn heal faster.

*Fresh aloe-vera gel on sunburns - does wonders for my tendency to rapidly go from red to blistered-and-peeling.

* oatmeal or oat-bran in the bath water - also good for soothing sunburn, rash and hives.  I don't recommend getting it in one's hair though, it's an absolute nightmare to get it out again.

* syrup made with honey, ginger, lemon-juice and a little cayenne pepper for coughs and sore throat.  It even tastes reasonable.

* a very thick paste of instant coffee on cold-sores - stings like heck going on but it kills the itching and helps take down the swelling in the blisters.