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When it comes to finding the right therapies for a healthy life, we have all the essential ingredients in our own homes. So have a natural spring clean and discover which fresh and fragrant items in your kitchen and bathroom cabinets can be turned to other uses
Centuries ago, we were apothecaries in own homes. We would regularly crush sweet smelling herbs underfoot to keep bugs and illness at bay. Women in particular had a wealth of knowledge about all sorts of remedies that were available simply by combining natural ingredients that were to hand in the home.
A natural Spring make-over
Until the 20th century women used what was around them to enhance their looks. This had its advantages - these days chemicals in modern products can be harsh and irritate our skin. We absorb about one kilogram of chemicals from cosmetics through our skin in a lifetime. So here's how you can make your own beauty products from what is readily available in your kitchen cupboard and fridge.
For tired or puffy eyes, make a compress by packing grated raw potato or cucumber in a piece of gauze. If you don't have gauze, just apply the vegetables slices straight over your closed eyelids, then lie back and rest for five minutes.
Avocados are rich in skin-nourishing oils and vitamin E. Enjoy eating half of one, and then use the other half to make a face pack. Mash it up with a little lemon juice to stop it going brown (lemon juice is great for the skin as well). The oil of the avocado penetrates the skin's outer layers to nourish the growth layer underneath. After using lemons in the kitchen Mediterranean women rub the inner surface over their elbows to soften and whiten the skin.
After a winter of central heating, dry itchy skin can be soothed by adding a couple of large handfuls of finely milled porridge oats to your bath (make sure you put a strainer over the plug when you let the water out). Oats are a traditional remedy for eczema, inflammation and sun damage. Camomile can be very soothing too - add two or three tea bags to your bath.
Almond oil makes the best hand and foot softener. Massage a few drops in daily. For a more intensive treatment add a tablespoon of almond oil to a tablespoon of honey. Honey is a natural moisturiser and hydrates skin wonderfully - just mix them together and apply the lotion thickly, and keep on overnight protected with cotton gloves with plastic bags secured over them. A popular honey is the Manuka honey, harvested in New Zealand - this is used in hospitals to heal infected skin and beat antibiotic-resistant bugs.
Natural medicine
Many natural remedies will already be in your cupboards and you probably haven't even realised yet.
One essential potion-in-a-bottle is tea-tree oil. It is a potent anti-bacterial that can be used for medicinal and home use. Use it topically to swab any cuts or bruises, or add a drop when shampooing to deter head-lice.
To banish Spring-sniffles or a late bout of flu, bruise a couple of cloves and add them to your favourite hot herbal tea, such as camomile or lemon and honey. Cloves have always had a reputation for strong anti-bacterial action, but this is now validated by research - a one per cent clove tincture is three or four times stronger in action than carbolic acid, which was used in the early days of surgery.
Keep lavender and mint plants growing in pots to add a delicious scent to your room. Whenever you feel a headache coming on, snip a couple of stalks of lavender and make an infusion by leaving them standing in boiling water for five minutes. Sip slowly. For a digestive aid after a rich meal do the same with mint.
Juicing fruits and vegetables is a great way to boost your nutritional protection. Using fresh produce, preferably organic, concoct whatever appeals to you and drink daily for the ultimate vitality kick. Use a blender for soft fruit such as banana and strawberries, or a juicer for hard vegetables and fruit such as carrot and apple. A little fresh ginger will add extra Spring-zing.
Feeling run down or anaemic after the winter? If you have a patch of weeds in your garden, Spring is the ideal time to harvest young nettle tops (wear gloves!). Chopped and cooked, with onion, like spinach and enjoyed with a small knob of butter, or made into soups you can boost your immune system. Nettles are particularly rich in vitamins A and C, calcium, magnesium, iron and chlorophyll.
Water is the most important health-aid you have in your home. It is the liquid of life that allows your body to balance itself and rid itself of toxins. Make sure you drink one-and-a-half to two litres daily.
A natural clean home
You don't always need anti-bacterial surface wipes and cleaning creams for a spring clean. Basic ingredients, such as lemon juice, vinegar and diluted bleach, can work a treat.
Lemon juice is a natural bleach. To remove fruit stains from clothes soak them for 30 minutes in lemon juice and then wash. It can also be used as a bleach for grubby wooden chopping boards and for cleaning brass and copper.
Soda water is great for emergency spills, like tea, coffee and red wine on carpets and clothes.
Vinegar melts down lime scale build-up on sinks, baths and taps. Soak some kitchen paper in distilled vinegar and leave it overnight, placed over the affected area with some cling film over the top to stop evaporation. The next morning you will be able to wipe the lime-scale away. Vinegar is also the ideal window cleaner. Dilute 25ml of white vinegar with half a litre of water and put in a spray bottle.
An open pot of bicarbonate of soda in the fridge will deal with nasty smells, even if it is fish that has gone off! It is also a brilliant abrasive cleaner on hard surfaces.
Suzannah Olivier's book The Detox Manual (Simon & Schuster) gives many other home health tips.
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