- Don’t let these horror stories spoil your sleep
- How can a natural acid really cure you?
- The remedies for an ageing body perhaps?
As anybody who has read to a child will know, the world of the nursery rhyme is a dark place.
Remember the one about the farmer’s wife? No?
Well it’s a shocker.
Apparently the crazed old bint had a habit of chopping the tails off visually impaired rodents.
‘Did you ever see such a thing in your life as 3 blind mice?’
Well, no I haven’t actually. And if I did, I’d call in the specialists and leave out the crazy knife antics altogether.
Rarely am I allowed to use really sharp knives as I have a habit of losing them in amongst the detritus of my food preparation area and only discovering them as I sift through the peelings… ouch!
So don’t take any knife wielding tips from me…
…But if you’re that way inclined… and I’m not one to judge… then you should keep some cinnamon handy.
You’d be surprised at how it can be used (apart from in an apple pie that is!)
A quick and natural way to heal a cut
This week, one of my readers revealed a powerful little remedy for minor cuts!
She writes: ‘I took the top off my little finger with a very sharp potato peeler. It was possible to see all the capillaries where they were sliced through.
My son, who was at catering college, came and put some cinnamon powder into an eggcup and stuck my finger into it.’
At this point you might think – aha, her son’s at college! She’s been caught out by a hilarious student prank.
But no. She continues: ‘A thick crust formed, which fell off in a few days, to leave my finger healthy… albeit a bit shorter! It has now recovered completely with no sign of the accident. I have now used this remedy on all sorts of cuts and grazes, on all ages, and it has never failed to work.’
Great little tip. Thanks for that, I now have a special pot of this aromatic spice next to the worktop just for such eventualities.
And perhaps I’ve got something that could help another nursery rhyme victim…
A vinegar cure for Jack’s head
Another famous nursery rhyme goes like this:
Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water
Jack fell down and broke his crown
And Jill came tumbling after.
Up got Jack, and home did trot
As fast as he could caper
He went to bed and bound his head
With vinegar and brown paper.
This one always freaked me out as a child. What kind of friend or sister WAS this Jill woman?
Surely Jack required urgent medical attention and painkillers, not a splash of vinegar!
Of course, little Ray Collins grew up, became a writer, and discovered that vinegar is actually a great natural treatment for injuries, bruises and burns.
In combination with honey it is also a very good remedy for inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, asthma and hay fever… all of which I covered in one of my books.
Okay, onto another nursery rhyme horror…
A cause of childhood anxiety!
Ever heard this rhyme?
Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home,
Your house is on fire and your children are gone,
All except one and that’s little Anne,
For she crept under the frying pan.
Of course you have. Horrible isn’t it?
And so is this:
Hush-a-bye Baby, on the tree top,
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock.
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall,
And down will come baby, cradle and all.
Both of those kept my tiny toddler self awake in terror. What’s was wrong with people in the olden days for heaven’s sake?
Well I remember reading an article by the BBC that explained why all of these childhood rhymes were so morbid and frightening because they were based upon major events such as plagues, wars and taxes and were designed to prepare children for the horrors of life!
Blimey, I thought Tufty the road crossing squirrel was bad enough, now that I know the songs of my crib were based upon such malevolence it’s a wonder I turned out as pleasant as I am (no comments required, thank you!).
These days my night terrors are all down to technical problems on my website, of which there have been a few recently (for which I am sorry, but hope everything is back in order now!).
Technology and I are like warring ex-lovers.
But if you struggle from anxiety and night sweats…perhaps menopause related or otherwise… here’s a natural remedy to try…
A tea to beat the night sweats
Herbal teas have long been used to help in natural health.
In the last twenty years medical science has begun to revisit some of the traditional health teas to see what benefits they actually confer, and the results are quite interesting.
According to a 2005 study at the, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, sage reduces severe hot flushes by 60% compared with a placebo.
To make sage tea here’s what you do…
Take ten fresh leaves, or one and a half teaspoons of the dried stuff (fresh is better). Pour hot water over the leaves and add a spoon or two of honey to sweeten it. Drink this about an hour before you go to bed.
Black Cohosh is another popular herb for anxiety, hot flushes, and night sweats. In terms of rigorous medical testing, the jury is still out, but there’s plenty of anecdotal testimony.
By the way, if you’re worried about problems like the menopause, I can refer you to an expert in women’s health matters.
Her name is Caroline Torres, and if you haven’t read her stuff yet, you should – it’s shocking, funny, and very revealing about what works and what doesn’t.
She also recommends something called Dong Quai. She writes: ‘In one study from 2003, 55 postmenopausal women who were given dong quai and chamomile instead of HRT had an 80% reduction in hot flushes after a month.
There is a caution to this one though as it does thin the blood, so avoid it if you’re taking warfarin or other clotting control drugs. Other than that, it sounds like a good bet to me.
