Country Remedies

Horny Goat Weed or Barrenwort?

Introducing Epimedium

Epimedium is a genus of plants comprising some 50 or more species. Two species are found around the mediterranean, where they are known by names such as Bishop’s Hat, Fairy Wings or, less poetically, Barrenwort. The genus is far more abundant in Asia, where the majority of the species are found. In China, Epimedium was long ago given the name Horny Goat Weed (Yin Yang Hao). As the legend has it, a goatherd noticed that eating the plant caused his male goats to become very excitable; Epimedium entered the Chinese pharmacopeia as a male libido enhancer, and remains popular as such to this day.

Dandelion sap for warts

John Wesley was an 18^th Century Anglican priest who founded Methodism in England, Ireland and North America. He was a leader in the issues of social justice, and took a keen interest in the health of the poor. This interest led to him publishing a book of inexpensive and traditional remedies.

It is from this book that we read of a cure for warts that remains popular to this day.

Peppermint oil and irritable bowel syndrome

Peppermint oil has long been well regarded for its stomach soothing properties. So much so that In 1833, oil of peppermint was even thought be “a more or less advantageous remedy for cholera.” An enormous quantity, some 700 pounds of it, was imported to Germany from France in just one month alone (1).

ADD / ADHD: Where the country is the remedy

ADHD is a funny diagnosis. There is a lot of agreement on the symptoms, as used in, for example, the DSM-IV and ICD-10 diagnostic criteria. The causes of the condition, however, are not a matter of agreement. Wikipedia has a good overview of the competing theories.

Whether you agree with the use of stimulant medications for ADD or not – which the science says are safe – people with ADD/ADHD often come up with their own coping mechanisms in addition to, or instead of, drugs.

Recent research offers another option for the attention challenged; one that is entirely non-pharmaceutical.

Echinacea for colds and flu

Echinacea. Its the first thing that many people take when they feel a cold coming on. Many people even take it throughout the winter months to prevent a cold from starting. So what evidence is there for the use of this popular herb as a cold remedy?

Chilli pepper: It works for chickens

Folk wisdom in countries like Mexico, where people love to eat hot and spicy food, is that chilli can ward off illness. There may be some truth to that, at least for chickens. Adding capsaicin, the spicy component of chilli peppers, to chicken feed increased resistance to Salmonella.

Preventing a cold

The idea that cold weather, and exposure to cold weather, has been around for centuries.

Celsus, in the 1st Century AD, wrote:

“Winter provokes headache, coughs, and all the affections which attack the throat, and the sides of the chest and lungs.”

We all know to wrap up warm before going outside in the cold, but can simply getting cold cause a cold?

Remedies for the common cold

Colds cannot be cured. The common cold is caused by a virus, and usually just needs to run its course. However, there are things one can do to treat the symptoms of a cold, and get through it as unscathed as possible. If you really can’t get, or don’t want, antihistamines (to treat the itching, watery eyes, runny noses or tickly throat), decongestants (to relieve a stuffy nose, blocked sinuses and sinus headaches), or cough suppressants (to relieve a cough that keeps you awake at night), here are some other things to try. These remedies are categorized from most likely to least likely to work.

Honey

Honey is a traditional treatment for infected wounds. It even has antibiotic properties and can be used to treat antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. It is so effective, in fact, that wound care specialists in the UK will routinely use honey dressings. Dioscorides in 50 AD described the use of honey as “good for all rotten and hollow ulcers.” It clears infection from a wound, draws fluid out and promotes the production of new skin.

Salt in Your Sock

Dr Lillian Beard gave this excellent talk on her book “Salt in Your Sock and Other Tried-and-True Home Remedies.”

Beard, an associate clinical professor at the George Washington University School of Medicine and the medical contributor on ABC-TV’s “Good Morning Washington,” compiled hundreds of family recipes for wellness from her patients and colleagues during a 30-year period of practicing medicine.