Maralyn Fisher, 76, a retired boutique owner who lives in Manhattan, suffers periodic bouts of nausea. Whenever she feels the queasiness coming on, she pops a ginger mint into her mouth and waits for it to ebb. It almost always does. “I don’t like taking a lot of standard medicines,” says Fisher, who keeps the candies in her purse and at her bedside. “I believe in it because it works.”
Pandemic fears have made them even more attractive. A recent
survey conducted by the health technology company DrFirst found that consumers
are increasingly turning to at-home treatments to avoid going to a hospital
emergency room.
“They are easy to get, many people believe natural is safer,
and they feel comfortable using them,” says D. Craig Hopp, deputy director of
the division of extramural research at the National Center for Complementary
and Integrative Health (NCCIH), part of the National Institutes of Health.
“They are very popular. People take these things thinking they will work, and
many of them do.”
While home remedies and other nontraditional approaches are
not typically regarded as mainstream, natural plant-based therapies have long
been dominant in many developing countries and enjoyed heavy use historically,
especially during earlier pandemics.
“Once upon a time, this is all there was,” Hopp says. “All
you had to treat your illness was whatever you had around you. Nature was your
medicine cabinet. Some stuck, some didn’t. The ones that stuck did so for a
reason. Over time, we have applied science to figure out how and why they work.
For some, we have solid evidence; for others, we don’t.”
Even when proof is scant or nonexistent, many people still
believe in them, citing positive anecdotal experiences. Many, for example,
believe in the wonders of hot chicken soup to ease cold and flu symptoms. Some
research suggests that a steaming bowl of chicken soup curbs neutrophils (white
blood cells that proliferate during an infection). But it also tastes good and
makes you feel better.
“It’s a warm liquid so it probably loosens up mucous
membranes and lessens the congestion,” says Katherine Zeratsky, a registered
dietitian at the Mayo Clinic.
Here are several popular home remedies, and what the science
says:
Ginger. It has been used for thousands of years to treat or
reduce the risk of a variety of ills and is a well-established anti-nausea
agent, including for morning sickness and the side effects of chemotherapy.
Even eating the cookies seems to work. “When my wife was pregnant, she carried
ginger snaps with her and they helped,” Hopp says.
Peppermint. Peppermint has been touted as a treatment for
irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and other digestive problems, and some people
apply it to the skin for headaches, muscle aches, joint pain and itching. In
aromatherapy, peppermint oil is promoted for treating coughs and colds,
reducing pain, improving mental function and reducing stress according to
NCCIH. Some research suggests that peppermint does help relieve IBS symptoms.
Other evidence finds that, applied topically, it might help ease tension
headaches.
Olive Reid, a semiretired academic administrator at the
University of Maryland, has used it for 25 years to stop her migraines. With
the onset of an aura — sensory disturbances such as light flashes that presage
a migraine — she douses the oil on a tissue and inhales it. Some research
supports this. “I feel the impact immediately,” she says. “Within minutes, it’s
gone.” But don’t get it in your eyes. “It stings,” Reid says.
Lavender oil. Lavender oil is popular in aroma therapy to
treat anxiety, but research has been inconclusive, according to the NCCIH.
Lavender taken orally might help with anxiety and depression, but studies are
limited, the NCCIH says. At least one study suggests the odor of lavender
repels insects. “Deer won’t eat it, so maybe there is something about the
scent,” Hopp says. (I use lavender scented skin lotion, shampoo and
conditioner, and it seems to keep the bugs away.)
Ice/Heat. With an acute injury — an ankle sprain for example
— use an ice pack before reaching for a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory such as
ibuprofen. Ice reduces swelling and inflammation during the first 48 hours
after an injury. Use heat — a heating pad, hot bath or hot tub — for chronic
conditions to relax and loosen tissues, and stimulate blood flow to the area.
Never use heat on an acute injury; it will worsen the swelling.
Honey. A cup of warm tea or warm lemon water sweetened with
two teaspoons of honey can ease a persistent cough, according to the Mayo
Clinic Book of Home Remedies. “Honey is great for a cough, cold or sore
throat,” Hopp says. Do not give honey to children younger than 1 year old
because of the risk of infant botulism.
Turmeric. Turmeric is a plant in the ginger family native to
Southeast Asia and used in various dishes. It has been promoted for arthritis,
digestive disorders, respiratory infections, allergies, depression and liver
disease, among others. (Curcumin, which gives turmeric its yellow color, is a
major component of turmeric, and the activities of turmeric are commonly
attributed to curcumin.) The NCCIH says curcumin is difficult to study, because
it is unstable, so its health effects remain uncertain. “We can’t find any
clear evidence that it has benefit,” Hopp says. “In this case, the marketing is
ahead of the science.”
Cinnamon. This popular spice has been promoted as a diabetes
treatment to lower blood sugar. While there have been numerous studies, they
have been difficult to interpret because there are many varieties of the spice,
according to NCCIH. One 2019 review of 18 studies in diabetics found cinnamon
reduces blood sugar, but has little effect on hemoglobin A1C, which measures
blood sugar over time. Also, some of the studies didn’t specify the type of
cinnamon used, and others were low quality for other reasons, according to
NCCIH.
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