Kitchen Cure Alls

Next time you feel a little achy, tired or sick, try heading for your cupboards instead of the medicine cabinet. Your kitchen is packed with simple and effective remedies for many of your common ailments. So, before you hightail it to your drugstore, give these natural home remedies a try. You’ve got nothing to lose except feeling lousy.

Oh, Honey

Honey is packed with antioxidant and antibacterial properties, making it a powerful ally in the fight against sore throats and coughs. Simply stir 2 teaspoons of honey into warm water or herbal tea and sip every 2 or 3 hours.

Ginger Snap!

Just punished your poor body with a killer workout and want to be able to walk tomorrow? Minimizing muscle pain is a snap. Take a hit of ginger. Studies show that consuming 2 grams (about 2 teaspoons) of raw ginger after exercise experienced 25% less post workout pain. Antioxidants called gingerols are credited for this muscle soothing miracle. Long touted for it’s anti-nauseant properties, ginger, like ibuprofen, inflammation reducing properties. Don’t want to have it raw? Try it in your tea, with your sushi or in your baking. Yum!

Kiwi Cure

Can’t sleep? Try a Kiwi. A Taiwanese study revealed that women (who are more likely to suffer from insomnia than men) fell asleep an average of 14 minutes sooner and had a better sleep quality than those who didn’t sink their teeth into this fuzzy fruit. Researchers suspect they may owe these results to the natural sugars in Kiwi, which boost levels of serotonin - a well known for a sleep inducing neurotransmitter.

Pumpkin Power

Sufferers of migraines rejoice! Relief is arms reach away. Pumpkin seeds are loaded with magnesium, a mineral whose deficiency is common among migraine sufferers. Low levels of magnesium may increase constriction of blood vessels surrounding the brain - hence, the jackhammer headaches. To reap the rewards of these powerful little pepitas, nosh about 1/4 cup of green seeds. You can also add them to salads or smoothies.

The Cherry On Top

Feeling the effects of your trip abroad? Fight jet lag with tart cherries - not to be confused with sweet cherries - are loaded with melatonin, a hormone that resets your sleep cycle and helps you feel sleepy when it gets dark and energetic when the sun comes up. Eat a handful of dried tart cherries the day of your flight. Alternatively, you can drink a glass of 100% tart cherry juice. Follow suit after dark for the first few days at your destination..

Full of Beans

Ah yes - burning, belching, beautiful heartburn. Those deep-fried pickles may have seemed like a good idea at the time, but now you’re paying for it. Don’t rush for the Pepto quite yet. Try some beans. Not only are beans good for your heart, they are high in fibre, which will also help regulate your digestive tract and move food out of your stomach faster. This in turn will help fight gastroesophageal disease, like heartburn.