Curing Colds

For a heavy cold with a blocked nose, inhalations are best. Put your head over a bowl filled with boiling water to which a few drops of eucalyptus oil (available from your chemist) has been added. Cover your head and bowl completely with a towel and breathe deeply, lifting your head from time to time to get some fresh air. Do this for as long as you can and you will get some relief. For a blocked nose: Smelling salts are a great help in unblocking the nose.

For Swollen Ankles

To relieve a swollen ankle, chop some ivy leaves and secure around the ankle with a bandage, leaving for a few hours. If swelling persists or recurs consult a doctor. Sprained ankle must be kept elevated. No pressure must be put on it. Apply ice packs frequently during the next twenty-four hours. After this, strap the ankle with a bandage and get it back to normal by making little circles with the foot to begin with. The next exercise is to place your foot against the wall and press lightly. Strap your ankle well before trying to walk.

When a Bee or Wasp Stings

For a bee or wasp sting, wash the area with a mixture of one tablespoon of vinegar and half a glass of water. Then apply a slice of raw onion, which will ease the pain and reduce the swelling. The sting of a bee is barbed at the end (unlike that of a wasp which is pointed) so is always left in the wound with the poison flowing through it. The first thing to do after a person has been stung by a bee is to extract the sting with tweezers, being careful not to squeeze the tiny poison sack at the end of the sting. Next rub with ammonia, garlic or a leaf of a leek. To relieve a bee sting, apply a thick paste of salt and water over it and keep it in place with a bandage. A paste made of soda bicarbonate and water will also relieve the pain and swelling of a bee sting. For a wasp sting apply a paste of soda bicarbonate and vinegar or lemon juice. Another method is to bathe the wasp sting with vinegar. After cleaning it with vinegar, apply a slice of raw onion on the wasp sting. If the sting is in the mouth, suck a piece of ice.

To Cure Boils

To make an ointment for boils, mix together one dessertspoon each of honey, olive oil and flour. Beat the yolk of an egg and mix it with the other ingredients. Spread this on gauze and put it on the boil. Renew the application every six hours: it will draw out the core after the boil has broken.

Burns, Bites, Cuts etc.

Cabbage has many healing qualities. For burns, insect bites, swellings and cuts, cabbage acts as a mild disinfectant. Clean the leaves very carefully, press them with a medium-warm iron and apply to the affected area. Crushed cabbage leaves can also be used.

For sore throats

For sore throats, chop some cabbage leaves, put them in a pan, pour on boiling water, cover and leave to infuse for ten minutes. Strain the infusion and gargle with it. Repeat this operation every two hours.

Removing Adhesive Plaster From Skin

Tearing adhesive plaster from the skin won't be an agony if you first rub oil, baby oil or salad oil over the plaster. Marks left on the skin by adhesive plaster can be removed with nail-varnish remover