Mama's Home Remedies: Discover Time-Tested Secrets of Good Health and the Pleasures of Natural Living

by Svetlana Konnikova

  A friend of mine has two sons who were born five years apart. Both suffered a harsh form of exudative diathesis from one month old up to four years old. Skin rashes developed behind their ears in the form of wet, blistered eczema. When the blisters burst, they left small, bleeding wounds. It took several weeks for these wounds to dry and heal.

  Then two to three weeks later the condition reappeared. The two boys suffered this diathesis for four years with antiseptic baths and time being the only remedies.

  Children with diathesis need special care and attention

  r 1. Use only natural fabrics such as cotton blankets and diapers for your baby.

  r 2. Cloth should be soft and able to “breathe.”

  r 3. Use a mild, unscented natural soap to wash anything that comes in contact with your child.

  r 4. Detect food products that provoke alergic reactions in your child and exclude them.

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  r 5. If your child is food sensitive, introduce foods one at a time, every week in turns, to detect more easily which one prompts an al ergic reaction.

  r 6. I believe that it is helpful to substitute organic buttermilk or organic kefir as an alternative to milk. When your child is three months old, give him homemade vegetable puree. Consult a physician specializing in the treatment of al ergies if a reaction occurs.

  r 7. Every child requires individualized treatment based on his or her al ergies and environment.

  r 8. Give your child a massage. It wil make him/her stronger to fight diseases.

  r 9. Give your child a seated bath twice a day with chamomile or calendula (pot marigold). Put one tablespoon of chamomile flowers or calendula into a cup. Add boiling water. Infuse for 10

  minutes. Then pass it through strainer or nylon sieve and pour this liquid into the bath water.

  r 10. Make a pink bath. Add one tiny pinch of potassium permanganate to the warm bath water to create a pale rose color. It is an excel ent antiseptic and keeps a child’s skin clean and healthy. r 11. Combine one teaspoon each of chamomile, calendula, and oak bark with one quart of boiling water. Let steep for 10 minutes, filter, and pour into a warm bath. Bathe your child for 15 minutes. r 12. Combine a pinch of potassium permanganate and boric acid with two cups of warm water. Soak a swatch of soft cotton in this light pink liquid and apply as a compress to wet eczema.

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  Allergy and colds

  Children prone to allergic reactions often get sick with colds. Prepare them to fight it.

  r 13. Combine one quart of water with one teaspoon of sea salt, five drops of iodine, and two to three tablespoons of vodka. Soak a swatch of soft cotton in this lotion to rub on your child once in the morning during the cold seasons of the year. Later bathe the child in a warm bath. The lotion wil nourish your child’s skin and help him/her to fight al ergy and colds.

  Here are folk remedies that heal skin rashes and improve metabolism. r 14. Mince one teaspoon dandelion root and combine with one cup boiling water in a glass jar. Seal and cover with a warm fabric. Steep for one to five hours, filter into a pitcher, and store in a cool place. Take two tablespoons three to four times a day 30

  minutes before meals.

  r 15. Mince one tablespoon burdock root and combine with ½ quart boiling water in a large glass jar. Seal and cover with flannel or wool fabric to keep it warm. Steep for one to five hours, filter into a pitcher, and store in a cool place. Warm and drink ½

  cup three to four times a day. This is a strong blood purifier and effective cleanser for children and adults, especially when excess toxins create skin problems, arthritic pains, and digestive sluggishness.

  r 16. Use the infusion in #15 to treat skin rashes, sores, and infections external y by applying a burdock compress to the affected area. r 17. Give your child several glasses of spring water to drink every day. Add a slice of organic lemon, apple or quince to make it more appealing. This helps to fight al ergic reactions associated with Ourselves, Our Children, Allergens, and Happy Cells @ 115

  colds or food allergies. Quince juice can help rid the system of toxins and is also effective when applied externally to skin disorders.

  r 18. Add two cups of boiling water to one tablespoon of dried agrimony leaves. Infuse for 8–10 minutes. Strain and pour into a glass jar. Use this infusion to wash sores, wounds, eczema or soak a sterile pad in the infusion and apply to the affected area. This herb provides an effective treatment for children suffering from diathesis and eczema.

  r 19. To four cups boiling water, add one tablespoon licorice root, 1½

  tablespoons dandelion root, and 1½ tablespoons burdock root. Steep for 30 minutes and strain. Children may take two to four ounces twice a day. Adults may take 8–16 ounces twice a day, in the morning and in the evening.

  r 20. To ½ quart of boiling water, add one teaspoon each of elecampane root, gentian herb, and yarrow and steep for 30 minutes. Take one tablespoon three times a day for one to two months before meals.

  r 21. Prepare this natural medicine, using the same method as in

  #18. Add the water to ½ tablespoon diced licorice root and ½

  tablespoon diced heartsease. Drink up to one cup a day. Always remember to complement al treatments with fresh organic fruit or vegetable salads after dinner.

  r 22. To one quart of boiling water, add one teaspoon heartsease (aerial parts) and one teaspoon chamomile flowers and steep for two hours covered with a towel to keep it warm. Strain and drink. Children may take only ⅓ of this infusion; adults may drink three times a day.

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  All allergic conditions

  Internal use:

  r 23. Make strawberry liquor (for age one and up). Combine eight ounces of dried or fresh strawberries with one pint of water and one tablespoon of honey or unrefined sugar in a saucepan. Stir constantly over medium heat until dissolved. Boil it to reduce by half, cool, and pour into a dark glass bottle. Seal with a cork stopper. Do not use a screw-capped lid because liquors and syrups ferment in closed bottles and can explode. Children may take one teaspoon two or three times a day.

  r 24. Make a chamomile infusion. Add eight ounces boiling water to one tablespoon chamomile flowers. Steep in a glass pitcher for 20

  minutes. Take one tablespoon three to four times daily.

  r 25. Try a peppermint infusion. Add one tablespoon peppermint leaves to ½ cup boiling water. Cover and steep for 20 minutes. Take one tablespoon three times a day.

  r 26. To make a simple calendula (pot marigold) infusion, add one tablespoon calendula flowers to four ounces boiling water. Steep for one hour. Take one tablespoon two to three times daily. r 27. Eggshel powder. Carefuly and thoroughly wash three to four eggs (organic/free-range chicken eggs). Boil them for 10 minutes. Cool and peel eggshel from membrane, then grind into powder in glass, stone, or ceramic bowl. Use a mortar and pestle. Never use a metal bowl. Before you give one pinch of eggshell powder to your child, add five drops of natural lemon juice.

  ^ A baby six months to one year old takes ¼ teaspoon of

  eggshel powder.

  ^ A child 1–1½ years old takes ⅓ teaspoon.

  ^ Children from 1½–2 years take ½ teaspoon.

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  The eggshell powder healing process is a long one, but there is another benefit; it contains a significant amount of calcium. In any case, it can be taken from several weeks to a month until the allergy is eliminated, but even over time the method is harmless.

  r 28. Young nettle usualy bears juicy leaves in April or May, depending on its geographical location. Cut the upper 10 inches of nettle stem with leaves. Wash wel and dice, then place the pieces in a one-quart glass jar fil ed to the top with cold boiled water. Leave it to infuse for eight hours. Give a child this infusion blended with various juices or compotes of fresh cherries, cranberries, or gooseberries. This effective and tasty treat
ment cleans al ergens from the blood and calms the digestive and nervous systems.

  I believe in miracles! Herbal baths effectively treat almost all allergic reactions that you or your children might have. As I mentioned earlier, a bath with a tiny addition of potassium permanganate has effectively treated many generations of children.

  Herbal infusions positively affect the skin and the whole body through it. If you use the appropriate herbs in the correct dosage, a bath with an herbal addition is a true blessing. It wil restore the normal function of the skin and destroy pathogenic microbes. It helps rid the body of toxins. Herbal baths can soothe a child’s and an adult’s nervous system.

  Rejuvenating baths for children and adults include such dried herbs and plants as chamomile (flowers), thyme or wild

  Key:

  marjoram (aerial parts), nettle (aerial parts,

  roots), oats (grain), horsetail (aerial parts),

  Children up to 15 years

  strawberry (leaves), and rose hips (berries).

  old: ½ pound of herbs

  A special tonic/herbal series of bath

  to one gallon of cold

  therapies: six to eight baths for 10–20 minwater and ½ pound of utes each will restore, nourish, and support

  herbs for a decoction.

  the entire body and protect it from germs and

  Adults: two gallons

  allergens. Bath time should be no longer than

  of cold water and 1½

  15–20 minutes. When you take an herbal bath,

  pounds of herbs.

  do not use any soap. It will destroy the medicinal

  properties of the herbs.

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  For each of the following herbal bath recipes, use two to five ounces of each herb. Boil the mixture for 10–15 minutes. Steep for 30 minutes, strain, pour into the bathtub, and add water as needed.

  r 29. Chamomile, nettle, oats (blossoming), heartsease, and thyme. r 30. Rose petals and leaves of black currant and strawberry. r 31. Nettle, birch leaves, heartsease, and wild marjoram. r 32. Horsetail, nettle, oats and rose hips, in equal proportions up to 100 grams or about four ounces.

  Rejuvenating baths for children

  r 33. Dice two ounces juniper twigs and add to one quart cold water. Steep for one hour and then boil for 15 minutes. Strain and relax in a warm bath before a night’s sleep. Take a series of 12 baths for the best results.

  r 34. In a cotton bag, mix four tablespoons oak bark, one tablespoon wild marjoram, one tablespoon yarrow flowers, one tablespoon pine twigs with needles, one tablespoon heartsease flowers and stems, one pound black currant leaves, one pound wheat bran, and one pound rye flowers. Place the bag in a large pot of water (up to 10 gal ons). Simmer for 45 minutes. Use al this decoction for one bath.

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  r 35. Mix one tablespoon each chamomile flowers and thyme; 1½

  tablespoons each wild marjoram, oak leaves, black currant leaves, and sage leaves; two tablespoons each burdock root and pine buds; one pound wheat siftings or bran; and ½ pound rye flowers. Boil 25 minutes in two gal ons of water. Strain and pour into a bathtub. Add warm water as needed. Bathe for 15

  minutes. This infusion helps to treat diathesis, and children with weakened immune systems who are readily exposed to infectious ailments in schools and other public places.

  r 36. Mix one tablespoon birch leaves, two tablespoons wild marjoram, and three tablespoons nettle leaves. The method of preparation is the same as in #35. r 37. Mix five tablespoons chamomile, three tablespoons black currant leaves, and two tablespoons thyme. The method of preparation is the same as in #35. This composition of herbs is a strong disinfectant. It helps to calm and restore the nervous system and stimulates the metabolism.

  r 38. Combine two tablespoons wild marjoram, five tablespoons nettle leaves, four tablespoons each chamomile and horsetail. The method of preparation is the same as in #35.

  Such herbs as lemon balm, borage, echinacea, evening primrose, ginseng, nettles, and aromatherapy oils melissa and chamomile can be used too as a treatment of allergies.

  We do not have to go far from the houses we live in to suffer from allergies. Some common household allergens include dust, pet dander, aquarium fish food, cleaning products—the list is seemingly endless. 120 ^ Mama’s Home Remedies

  So what can we do? Move to the moon? Travel to Venus? Shut ourselves into a sterile box? The first thing we do is relax. The answer lies in natural remedies. It could be acupuncture; fresh air; medicinal herbs, plants, and trees; or spending time in Nature that cures our ills.

  Our attitudes can also play a big part in how we perceive our suffering. Try the following suggestions to alleviate a grim outlook: r 39. Sing merry, melodic songs to yourself and to your children. r 40. Sing songs together with your children. Singing is a pleasant natural treatment for al ergy too. Our skin cel s are good listeners because our skin is a “buffer” between the human body and the surrounding world. They absorb good and bad influences like parched earth absorbs water. Our mil ions of body cel s protect us from irritants (invaders), but if we fail to take care of them, they cannot defend us from il nesses.

  When we practice a proper diet and lifestyle and take time out to soak in an herbal bath, our skin cells react positively to our good actions. We may not notice that sometimes we begin to sing as our head rests on a bath pillow. Our skin cells thank us for keeping them clean, healthy, and free from illnesses. Our skin cells even smile at us. You find that hard to believe? Come to the mirror and take a good look at your children or at yourself after a cleansing, relaxing, or invigorating herbal bath. You can see how the herbs and water and quiet time have removed the lines of stress from your face and how your skin glows with a renewed radiance. You are happy with the way you look! Your children look rested and refreshed, squeaky clean, and content. Do you remember the fairy tale of the wicked queen with the magic mirror?

  “You are the fairest one of all,” the mirror told the wicked queen. Then one day she became old and ugly because she did not want to do anything good—she did not even want to take a healthy and wholesome herbal bath.

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  Do not wait until “one day.” Fill your bathtub with pre-washed fresh petals of red damask rose and breathe in a delicate smell of this most sensuous of flowers, praised by poets and artists for centuries as a symbol of beauty and love. According to Greek myth, Three Graces gave the rose charm, brightness, and joy; the goddess of love, Aphrodite, gave beauty; the god of wine, Dionysus, added sweet nectar to create an enchant- ing scent. The wind god, Zephyr, blew the clouds especially for her, the Queen of Flowers, so she could open her petals to the sun and blossom under a flow of the radiant rays of the rising sun.

  Long ago ancient Romans also told the world how the red rose got its color. When Jupiter caught Venus bathing naked, she was confused and blushed, and the white rose turned red in her reflection. The Persians created another legend telling that the rose was a great inspiration for a nightingale. The bird began to sing when roses first blossomed, and overcome by their strong aroma a nightingale dropped to the earth. Its spilled blood stained the white rose petals and turned them red. Since ancient times, the rose was praised not only for its beauty and aroma but also for its medicinal properties. Pliny listed more than 32 remedies made from roses. Avicenna highly valued rose in his practice and was the first to make rose water. Russian Empress Catherine the Great loved roses very much and made her own rose water, which she added in combination with rose petals to her baths for her joy and to cleanse and tone her skin and prevent wrinkles. Probably she knew well that both the leaves and petals of roses clear from the body toxins and heat which produce rashes, itch, and inflammatory problems.

  So again, don’t wait until “one day.”

  Mix your special herbal bath now, add pre-washed fresh petals of the red rose, and slide d
own into the bath water. Rest your head on a pillow and let the herbs do their wondrous work of removing harmful toxins from your skin cells and soothing your spirit. While you are relaxing and listening to beautiful music, you can read this Russian folk tale about one amazing scarlet flower which brought love and happiness to one young girl. I told it to my children in my own interpretation and they liked it very much.

 

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  Once upon a time in a far-away land lived one

  very successful merchant. He traveled many

  times a year to all parts of the world to sell his goods. He also brought home nice gifts to his three daughters from

  his travels.

  This time he was going to leave for a long journey into a country no one had ever heard of. Before his departure, the merchant came to his three daughters to say goodbye and asked them what gifts they would like him to bring from his voyage. The first daughter, Pasha, asked him to bring her a gold crown. The second daughter, Dasha, wanted a crystal mirror, and the third and youngest daughter, Masha, asked modestly for a little scarlet flower.

  The merchant left for his voyage. As soon as his journey began, he easily found a beautiful golden crown for his older daughter and a fine crystal mirror for his second daughter. However, he couldn’t find anywhere the gift for his youngest daughter, the scarlet flower. He was looking everywhere and couldn’t find it until he entered a beautiful emerald green forest. He kept walking, and the forest’s narrow path brought him to a magnificent white palace built right in the center of the forest. He walked inside through the tall wrought-iron black with gold gate and found himself in the spacious courtyard with a blooming flowerbed in the middle of it. On the top of the flowerbed he saw a beautiful flower growing there. He had never seen a similar one anywhere.