How to Brew a Laxative Tea

Laxative teas are a simple, natural way to aid your normal bowel function. Here are a few to try at home.

Instructions

Licorice Root Laxative Tea

1

Add 1 tbsp. broken licorice root (a good mild laxative) per each cup boiling water.

2

Boil uncovered for 1 hour and then remove from heat, cool and strain.

3

Add apple, grape or other fruit juice to dilute tea if it is too strong.

4

Drink 1 cup in the morning and 1 at night.

Barley Brew Laxative Tea

5

Combine 1/4 cup organic pearl barley, 1/4 cup organic figs, 2 tbsp. licorice root, 1/4 cup organic raisins and 10 cups water in a non-aluminum pot.

6

Cover and simmer until liquid is reduced by half (this takes about 8 hours).

7

Strain and drink 1/2 cup in the morning or at night.

Buckthorn Bark Laxative Tea

8

Add 2 tbsp. each of nettles, Oregon graperoot and plantain, followed by 1 tbsp. peppermint leaves to 6 cups of boiling water.

9

Remove from heat.

10

Cover and let stand for 30 minutes.

11

Add 2 tbsp. buckthorn bark, cover and let stand for an hour or 2.

12

Strain and drink in moderation. The tea may be reheated, but do not boil.

How to Do a Liver and Gallbladder Flush Fast

This particular fast is based on European folk medicine and is still used in health spas and hospitals to cleanse and revitalize two of your body's most essential cleansing tools--the liver and the gall bladder. We recommend that you read "How to Understand a Liver and Gall Bladder Flush" and consult your doctor before beginning this fast.

Instructions

1

Abstain from all solid foods for the first 2 days of the fast and drink organic apple juice, warmed with cinnamon sticks in it. Also drink dandelion root and dried dandelion leaf tea, made by simmering the 2 ingredients in water for 20 minutes.

2

Drink both drinks, 2 hours apart, for a total of 7 drinks each day.

3

Follow this general schedule with your drinks: 8 a.m.: 1/2 cup warm apple juice with 1/2 cup dandelion tea, together; 10 a.m.: 2 cup plain apple juice with 1/2 cup water; 12 noon: 1 cup tea and 1 cup apple juice, together; 2 p.m.: 2 cup juice, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup fresh pressed beet juice; 4 p.m.: 2 cup apple juice, 1/2 cup water; 6 p.m.: 1 cup apple juice, 1 cup tea, together; 8 p.m.: 2 cup apple juice. Continue this schedule for 2 to 4 days.

4

Take an internal bath on the last day of your fast before you begin the final step. This is optional, but recommended.

5

Begin to end your fast about 3 hours before you go to sleep by completing the following procedure.

6

Soak a 12-inch square of cloth, cotton or wool flannel fabric is best, with castor oil, and prepare either a heating pad or a hot water bottle.

7

Drink 1/4 tsp. Epsom salt dissolved in 1/3 cup warm water to dilate your gall bladder and liver ducts in preparation for the olive oil cocktail. You can chew orange or lemon rind if the Epsom salt bothers you.

8

Drink a blended combination of 1/3 cup cold pressed olive oil, 1/4 cup cream, 1/3 cup hot apple juice and 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice.

9

Get into bed lying on your right side. Place the castor oil cloth, with the heating pad over it (use old towels to avoid a mess), over your liver and gall bladder area (on your right side, just under your rib cage). Leave it there for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

10

Remove the hot pack and castor oil cloth and drink the same Epsom salt drink that you drank earlier.

11

Rest easy. Drink some fresh-squeezed orange or lemon juice. And by the next day you should notice various sized pebbles in your eliminations, ranging in color from bright green to dark brown--gall stones formed by rancid fats in your diet.

12

Break your fast by avoiding fried foods, oils, and fats. Eat oranges, pineapple, grapefruit and berries in the morning; a leafy green for lunch; fresh soup, salad and steamed vegetables for dinner. Continue this general type of diet for a few days after your fast.

How to Reduce Cold Sores Naturally

No cure exists for herpes simplex type I virus, which causes cold sores, but here are some natural ways to stimulate blisters to heal quickly.

Instructions

1

Take supplements that inhibit viral growth at the first sign of an outbreak. Try 500 to 1,000 mg daily of the amino acid L-lysine. Antioxidant vitamins and 50 to 100 mg of zinc per day may also help.

2

Boost your immune system. Take echinacea and goldenseal and make sure you get 5,000 mg vitamin C daily. Get plenty of rest and reduce stress.

3

Treat the cold sore topically. Dab tea tree oil, a natural antiseptic, at either full or half strength directly on blisters several times a day.

4

Promote healing by avoiding foods that contain arginine, another amino acid that suppresses lysine; nuts, dairy products, meat, seeds, oats, peanuts and corn all contain arginine. Limit citrus and other acidic fruits because they can irritate blisters.

How to Treat a Yeast Infection Naturally

Vaginal yeast infections are caused by an overgrowth of Candida albicans, a fungus that normally lives in your body. Certain conditions can create an environment for the fungus to proliferate, and some of the common symptoms are a cheesy white discharge, irritation, intense burning and itching, and redness in the area.

Instructions

1

Eat yogurt. It contains helpful bacteria (live cultures, including acidophilus and bifidus) that destroy yeast. It also works when applied topically. Insert some into the vagina using a finger or plastic tampon applicator. Use only plain yogurt with active cultures.

2

Take lactobacillus/acidophilus supplements. Use according to the directions on the bottle.

3

Douche with a solution of 1 to 3 tbsp. vinegar in a quart of water. Repeat once a day while having symptoms, but no longer than a week.

4

Decrease or eliminate sugar and sugary foods. Sugar promotes yeast growth.

5

Use a garlic clove as a suppository. Garlic contains a natural anti-fungal agent. Peel a fresh clove, wrap it in gauze and insert it into the vagina.

6

Try gentian violet. It's a traditional remedy for yeast and other infections, and can be found in pharmacies. Swab the area with it once or twice a day. Make sure to use a thick pad - it stains everything.

7

Use an herbal douche. Combine equal amounts of sage, raspberry and comfrey with 1/4 part goldenseal. This can be combined with cider vinegar.

8

Use an over-the-counter yeast infection remedy. Apply as directed.

How to Use St. John's Wort

St. John's wort has been used for centuries to treat a variety of illnesses, including respiratory problems, dysentery, worms, jaundice and gastrointestinal disorders. Its most popular use today is to treat mild to moderate depression, and in fact, it is the best-selling anti-depressant in Germany.

Instructions

1

Choose a St. John's wort product that says it has a standardized 0.3 percent hypericin content. The higher the hypericin content, the higher the potency will be per milligram.

2

Make sure you buy a brand that has a standardized concentration. Since herbs are unregulated, this is a way of ensuring you are getting a quality product.

3

Buy St. John's wort in capsules, as a tincture or as a tea. Use according to product directions.

4

Take at least 900mg a day. That is the amount usually needed to be effective. The usual dose is 300mg capsules, taken three times per day.

5

Use sunscreen when taking St. John's wort. It has the potential to increase photosensitivity, although studies have found side effects to be rare.

6

Don't expect an instant cure when taking St. John's wort. It works more slowly than prescription medication, so you may need to take it for several weeks before noticing the benefits.

How to Do Self-Hypnosis

You are getting very sleepy....

Instructions

1

Recognize that to be hypnotized is to enter a trance state. You will be very focused, but will also be aware of what is happening around you.

2

Sit in a comfortable chair or recline on a couch in a quiet place. Be sure that your clothes are loose and comfortable and the temperature is not too warm or cool.

3

Turn down the lights so that it's not too bright. It doesn't need to be dark.

4

Relax. You can have your eyes open or closed, whichever is most comfortable for you.

5

Let yourself go loose. Feel every muscle go limp. Feel your mind slow down. Good.

6

Breathe deeply and hold it. Feel all of your stress and worries sucked from your body and your head into your lungs. Blow them out slowly and watch them swirl away from you.

7

Notice the different colors of each concern. See them float away and dissolve in the air. You are feeling more and relaxed with every breath.

8

Feel your heart. It is strong and slow. You can feel it beating, slowly, slowly. Each time you exhale, your body relaxes more. You are calm and safe. You can feel your heart. It's beating so slowly.

9

Feel your toes. They feel empty and light. They want to float away. That lightness is spreading up your legs, through your hips and into your back. Your body is so empty. You can see through it.

10

Feel your arms. They feel empty. Your shoulders are empty. Your neck is empty. Your head is floating, weightless. You feel so calm.

11

Feel liquid begin to fill your body through your navel. It's deep blue. It feels cool and comfortable. Watch it fill up your body. Cool blue. When you are full, you will feel calm and completely at ease.

12

Now open your eyes and sit up. Your cool, blue feeling will stay with you.

How to Find Alternative and Holistic Practitioners

Government and medical research institutions have poured millions of dollars into studies on promising complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). You'll still need to check with your doctor, but here's how to find legitimate CAM professionals.

Instructions

1

Ask your doctor for a referral. You may face possibly well-warranted skepticism. Also ask friends, family, nutritionists or physical therapists for recommendations. Some alternative-medicine professional organizations have CAM referral services.

2

Find out what your health plan covers; many costly CAM treatments are not. While more insurers include chiropractic treatments in their plan, far fewer cover acupuncture, let alone Ayurvedic medicine or homeopathy.

3

Do some detective work at state and local departments of health and consumer affairs, which increasingly have licensing and accreditation requirements for alternative practitioners. Ask about practitioners' educational background and training, and if any formal complaints have ever been filed against them. Inquire if any scientific research supports specific treatments you may be considering. Search for existing study results at the National Institutes of Health Web site (clinicaltrials.gov).

4

Check qualifications if possible, despite the patchy regulations on CAM. For example, acupuncturists must be licensed in more than 35 states, but might also be called registered or certified, or doctors of acupuncture or Oriental medicine.

5

Consider applying to be part of a clinical trial or study if money is an issue. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is the federal government's lead agency devoted to supporting research; learn about trial participation at www.nccam.nih.gov/clinicaltrials.