Vegetables You Didn’t Know You Could Turn Into Remedies

We’ve all heard the saying, “Let food be thy medicine,” by Hippocrates, a Greek physician known as, ‘The Father of Medicine.’ He believed food had healing properties because he had healed thousands of people with it. Not only is it important to eat the right foods, but when you do get sick, instead of reaching for traditional medication which can have terrible side effects, make a remedy from the ingredients in your kitchen cupboard, here are some of them.

Cabbage

Cabbage is rich in nutrients such as vitamins A, K, magnesium, potassium, and folate. Research suggests that it’s good for fighting digestion problems, heart conditions, and type 2 diabetes. Cabbage is also good for pain relief and inflammation. You can incorporate cabbage into your diet in several ways including salads, soups, and casseroles, but if you find yourself with a joint injury, wrap it up with some cabbage for pain relief and restore your joints back to full health, here’s how:

Remove the outer leaves and wash the rest.
Pat the leaves dry with kitchen paper.
Lay the leaves out on a chopping board and use a rolling pin to gently roll over the leaves to release the juices.
Once the leaves have become flexible, wrap them around the affected area, cover them with cling film, and leave them for an hour. Depending on the location of the injury, you may need to elevate the body part. Do this two to three times per day, you can leave it on overnight.

Potatoes

Potatoes are an effective treatment for wounds because they contain phenolic and anthocyanins acids which accelerate the healing process.

Peel a raw potato, wash it, and slice it according to the size of the injury.
Place the potato slices over the injury and hold them in place with a piece of cling film. Leave it for an hour and do this two to three times per day, you can also leave it on overnight.

Garlic

Garlic makes a delightful and flavorful addition to most meals, but it also has several healing properties and is known to protect the body against flu viruses, reduce blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease. Garlic is full of nutrients such as vitamins B6, and C, selenium, manganese, iron, and zinc. But if you’re suffering from a toothache, what you need is the allicin found in garlic because it fights infection and kills pain. To relieve a toothache, you can either chew garlic or turn it into a paste. Here’s how:

Peel a clove of garlic and gently chew on it.
Leave the chewed piece of garlic on the affected tooth.
To make a garlic paste, use the back of a spoon, or a mortar to crush the garlic.
Add a pinch of salt and combine it together.
Use a cotton swab or a clean finger to apply the mixture to the affected tooth.

Cucumbers

We all know that cucumbers are good for puffy eyes, and reducing under-eye bags but what many people are unaware of is that it’s also an effective remedy for sunburn. Cucumbers are rich in anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidants which help heal, soothe, and hydrate burnt skin:

Wash the cucumber and slice it up according to the size of the burn.
Lay the cucumbers on the burn, wrap the area with cling film, and leave it for 15 minutes.
Remove the cucumber and apply moisturizer.
Continue doing this until the burn is completely healed.

Ginger

Ginger has many health benefits, but one of the most well-known is that it does wonders for sore throat. During the winter months, a lot of people are plagued with throat infections, and an effective treatment is a ginger. Ginger is an anti-inflammatory and provides pain relief. It also contains antimicrobial properties which can help fight the viral or bacterial infections that cause sore throats. To relieve a sore throat, you can chew ginger or make it into tea. Here’s how:

Wash a thumb-sized piece of ginger and peel it.
Chew on the ginger until the flavor is gone.
Spit out the remains and keep doing this until your sore throat is healed.
To make ginger tea, boil water and pour it into a cup.
Wash a thumb-sized piece of ginger, keep the skin on, and cut it into slices.
Put the ginger into the hot water.
Add a teaspoon of honey.
Squeeze the juice of one lemon into the tea.
Let the tea rest for 15 minutes and then drink.
Drink the tea three times a day until you feel better.

Celery

Celery is a nutritional powerhouse containing vitamins A, C, K, folate, and potassium. It is also loaded with antioxidants such as flavonoids, bergapten, and lunular, all of which protect the body against the oxidative stress linked to cancer. Research also suggests it prevents Alzheimer’s disease and keeps blood pressure stable. You can add celery to your salads, but you get the most benefits from juicing it.

Cut the stalks off two bunches of celery and wash them thoroughly.
Juice the celery and drink immediately. If there is any leftover, store it in the fridge for the next day.
Drink celery juice once a day.

Beetroot

Beetroot is packed with essential nutrients such as vitamin C, iron, potassium, and manganese. It is associated with numerous health benefits including, lower blood pressure, and an improved digestive system, and it’s known to contain anti-cancer fighting properties such as caffeic acid, kaempferol, and rutin. There are several ways to incorporate beetroot into your diet, but juicing it provides the most benefits:

Wash the beets with a vegetable scrubbing brush.
Chop the ends off the beets and slice them so they are small enough to feed through the juicer.
Juice the beets and drink immediately. If there is any leftover, store it in the fridge for the next day.
Drink beetroot juice once a day.

Final Thought

It’s important to mention that although food contains healing properties, never self-diagnose because there might be something more sinister going on that you’re not aware of. Pain in your body is often a warning that everything is not in working order; therefore, your first step should be to book an appointment with your healthcare practitioner before applying a homemade remedy.

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