23 Home Remedies From The Spice Rack
17 Comments 
Assorted Herbs & Spices
- Allspice: Relieves muscle aches and pains. First grind Allspice into a powder then add water to make a paste. Spread on a strip of clean muslin and apply to sore area.
- Anise: Helps congestion from allergies, colds or flu, and settle upset stomach with gas. Make a tea by steeping 1 teaspoon of anise seeds in 1 cup of boiling water. Strain before drinking. Also chew a couple anise seeds as needed for bad breath.
- Basil: For relief of cough, make a tea of dried basil (1 teaspoon) per 1 cup boiling water. Steep then strain, add a spoonful of honey then drink. Fresh basil leaves can also help with warts.
- Bay Leaves: Helps with dandruff. Make a rinse by crushing a handful of bay leaves to one liter water (first brought to boiling then removed from heat). Cover and steep for 20 minutes. Strain and cool. Apply to hair and leave for 45 minutes to 60 minutes. Rinse clean.
- Black Ground Pepper: Stops bleeding, sprinkle a generous amount on a cut and voila! pain free (see Stop Bleeding With Ground Black Pepper).
- Caraway Seeds: Chew on a few seeds to help with flatulence. You can also make a tea by steeping 1 tsp seeds per cup of boiling water. Strain before drinking.
- Cardamom: Digestive aid, brew a tea with 1 teaspoon cardamom and 1 cup boiling water. Steep. Drink tea with meals.
- Cayenne Pepper: Sprinkle a pinch of Cayenne Pepper on meals to clear sinuses. A gargle made with water and cayenne pepper can help with sore throats. Also a natural appetite suppressant and increases metabolism. Sprinkle cayenne pepper on a toothbrush or add to a glass of water to gargle/rinse mouth–helps prevent gum disease and speeds up healing gingivitis (also see Gingivitis Home Treatments & Tips). For toothaches, make a paste with cayenne pepper and water, apply to sore area.
- Celery Seed: Relief from fluid retention: Make a diuretic tea by roughly crushing 1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed and steep in 1 cup boiling water (20 minutes). If you’re menstruating late, this infusion can be used to bring on menstruation. Also helps with high blood pressure and anxiety.
- Cinnamon: Mix 1/2 tsp of cinnamon to coffee or tea to help raise good cholesterol levels. Arthritis pain: try 1/2 tsp cinnamon mixed with 1 tsp honey. To help with heavy menstruating, add a bit of cinnamon to tea, coffee or sprinkle on foods.
- Cloves: Chew one clove for bad breath. For toothache pain, rest a clove against the sore area until pain goes away. You can also chew on a 3 or 4 cloves to relieve nausea. To relieve a sore throat, slowly chew on a few cloves.
- Coriander: Boil one teaspoon of coriander seeds in 1 cup of water, drink. Helps with high cholesterol.
- Cumin: Boil 1 cup of water with a teaspoon of cumin seeds, simmer for a few seconds. Strain and cool. Drink for cold relief.
- Dill Seed: Try swallowing a teaspoon of dill seed to stop hiccups. Also see this tip for hiccup relief: How To Stop Hiccups. Mask bad breath by eating a bit of dill seed.
- Fennel Seeds: Chew a couple fennel seeds for bad breath. For stomach cramp relief, you can brew a tea by steeping 1 teaspoon seeds per cup of boiling water. Strain before drinking. Crush seeds slightly when making tea and is good for flatulence.
- Garlic Powder: Mosquito Repellent: Make a garlic powder and water paste. Apply to pulse points, behind knees, on shoes and ankles and a dab or two on your cheeks or somewhere on your face and neck–-keep out of eyes. See How to Prevent Mosquito Bites for more ideas.
- Ginger: Brew a tea with 1/2 teaspoon ginger per cup of boiling water. Strain before drinking. Helps with nausea (also see 12 Home Remedies for Nausea). If you have fresh ginger on hand, chewing a bit is more effective than ginger tea. For headache relief, make a paste of ground ginger and water, apply to temple area, also see this headache soother: Home Remedy: Headache Soother Sachets. Mix 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger with 1 teaspoon of honey for cough relief. Drink tea to fight motion sickness (or chew on a fresh piece). Can also help with heartburn.
- Mustard Powder: To relieve congestion, mix 1 tablespoon of mustard powder with 1 liter of hot water then soak feet. Mustard plasters have been traditionally used for treating coughs, colds and the flu.
- Mint (peppermint or spearmint): Brew a tea with 1 1/2 teaspoons dried mint per cup of boiling water. Strain before drinking. Helps with stomach aches and cramps.
- Sage: Control hot flashes (caused by menopause) by drinking sage tea three times a day. Boil 1/2 teaspoon sage per 1 cup boiling water. Steep (10 minutes), strain and drink.
- Salt: Canker sore remedy: Apply salt directly to the sore or rinse your mouth a couple times a day with a strong salt water solution–stings. See Home Remedies For Canker Sores for more remedies. For mosquito bite relief, make a salt and water paste then apply to bite area (see Over 40 Mosquito Bite Itch Relief Tips).
- Thyme: Sooth a cough with thyme tea. Brew 1 tablespoon dried thyme in 1 cup boiling water. Strain then drink (for sore throats, gargle with this tea). Helps relieve gas and stomach cramps. Brew a tea with 1 tsp dried thyme per 1 cup boiling water. Strain before drinking.
- Turmeric: Fever relief: Mix 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder with 1 cup of warmed milk, add a teaspoon of honey.
Note: These are simply home remedies I’ve collected, they’re not professional medical advice. Be aware that some spices and herbs may conflict with prescribed medicines–always check with a doctor before treating yourself with any method.
Turmeric is also good for controlling Chron’s and IBS per newsletter that I received on healthcare.
Thanks for the information, I have sensitivities to gluten which causes problems of IBS etc for me. Good to know about Tumeric. When I can afford it, I get curcumin (from tumeric) for my fibromyalgia pain.
Mint helps in digestion.Tumeric heals sores and ulcers.Ginger is good for aches and pains,cough,colds and flu.Cumin helps in digestion.Thanks for all the tips.
for minor burns: crack open a raw egg. put egg in a saucer to use for anything- take the very thin lining which is attached to the egg shell peel it away and apply the moist side- the side that was touching the egg, apply that directly to the burn and leave it on. Absolutly instant relief and the membrane helps in quick healing. if membrane dries up after a few hours remove with gentle warm water, dab burn dry and reapply more fresh membrane. I got this remdy from my mother and I can’t beleive how quickly the pain is taken away.
Mint. Is also good if you put it in a salad or in chicken or meet. It’s like ” BEANO”.. And it taster better.lol lol..
Ive tried most of the remedies on here and they’ve worked wonders for me, Ive also tried an unusual 1 that an old friend told me about for anxiety and over all dealing with stress. ( I deal with way too much crap for a 26 year old. lol )
If you have roses and a lemon and a bit of daisy flower and lavander mix it up and make a tea, 1 tea spoon of the crushed dried rose bud, lemon zest, daisy blossom and lavander, it actually works, and yes Im a guy…. no laughing please.
Its not a herb, but for hiccups, a tablespoon of peanut butter will cure them pesky hiccups instantly.
Oil of Oregano – the purest form the better – cures colds and a billion other things.
I ground a tablespoon of Chia (minus the pet) seeds and put in a glass of water and drink it down – this takes away migraines and is a great source of Omega Oils.
Cayenne pepper stops the bleeding almost instantly also. It’s also good for blood pressure.
PARSLEY HELPES WITH CONSTIPATION: SIMMER FRESH PARSLEY FOR 15 MINUTES, LET IT COOL AND DRINK. YOU CAN ALSO DRINK IT STILL WARM. IT IS A DELICIOUS DRINK WITHOUT EITHER SALE OR SUGAR. KEEP A JAR IN THE FRIDGE, I SOFTENS THE CONTENTS OF THE LOWER BOWEL.
FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE THIS REALLY DOES WORK. BEETROOT! TAKE YOUR BP BEFORE EATING OR DRINKING BEETROOT, THEN TAKE IT AFTERWARDS AND SEE THE DIFFERENCE! MY DOCTOR THANKED ME FOR TELLING HIM ABOUT THIS.
Wow! Why do we use so many drugs/medicine in our culture again? I am excited to try some of these in the future. Thank you all!
What a neat website!
Turmeric powder, applied to a wound or bleeding area, generally stops bleeding almost immediately.
HELPPPPPPPPPP GRANDSON GOT POISING IVY EVERYWHERE EVEN IN PLACE HE DONT WANT TALK ABOUT. BEEN TO THE DOCTER GOT A SHOT MEDINCE NOTHING WORKING. OLD WISE TALE I HEARD ONCE IF U GET A FLOWER FROM WHERE THE POISIN IVY GROWN RUB IT ON U IT WORK BUT HE GET THIS IN THE AIR AND I NEVER FIND A FLOWER NEXT TO ANY ANYWHERE . HELPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
Turmeric also has some amazing properties (like most of these spices) – including strong anti-cancer agents, and being high in iron.
Add a pinch of turmeric to just about anything you cook, though being careful not to add too much for it will taste bitter, to give your food a boost in nutrients as well as beneficial properties.
I add turmeric to rice, fried mushrooms, porridge, scrambled eggs – just about anything that wont be damaged by making the colour a little more yellow.
Tea tree oil will sooth the inflammation of poison ivy or oak better than anything else I can think of. Once there is some relief, use colloidal oatmeal bath to help the skin start to repair the scours/damage. Zinc helps a little, but the itchiness persists and that is what spreads it. Keep hands extremely clean cuz the liquid under the nails spreads it to other areas. Rub very gently with a cloth that goes straight to washer if necessary.
Clove oil from a dropper on a sore tooth or gum area brings instant, but temporary relief. Vitamin E on sore gums repeated twice a day can do wonders.
Lavender really does help sooth stress and great for a spray for bed linens to aid in sleep.
Echinacia is a must, either tea or capsule form, when feeling like a bug is settling onto your system. It works well on head aches, flu, and many illnesses if caught early.
Sounds cruel, but honey with a bit of Tabasco sauce does amazing things to provide relief to a sore or scratchy throat. The hot sauce with the honey is not bad as it sounds, but highly recommended.
“Wow! Why do we use so many drugs/medicine in our culture again?” Eh, because big pharma thought about copying natures cures to make a profit? Even worse, big pharma and politics deny people the cure of nature now because otherwise they can’t earn a dime.
All the living beings need is nature. No chemicals, no artificial fluff that doesn’t work and that has to many side-effects. Nature gives the real deal. The body is made by nature, so nurture it with nature and it will heal and get stronger time and time again.
Another tip I got from my mum, was to use bicarbonate of soda and luke warm water, to relieve nappy rash from the outside…………bathe the affected area in the mixture, using a clean muslin cloth n pat dry. It helps the pain and blisters, also there are A & P powders to put on baby’s tongue, to decrease inside acid………….Wonderful cure.
The bicarbonate & water bathe can be used on sunburn and most nettle stings etc…………I have used it on mild burns, but not where the skin is broken, as a really bad burn is best left to the experts.