In times of pain and discomfort, painkillers and ointments are often the go-to option for most patients.
But when you’ve run out, or conventional medicines aren’t working, it might be time to turn to some extreme home remedies.
While many home remedies – like treating a cough with ginger, honey and lemon – are completely run-of-the-mill, others can be rather unusual. We’ve rounded up some of the weirdest home remedies that work surprisingly well.
Listerine
Sure, this mouthwash can work wonders at keeping plaque at bay and freshening your breath – but did you know you can also use it on other areas of your body than your mouth? Some people swear by it as a foot bath ingredient: simply soak your feet in Listerine for around 10-15 minutes every day and you could see improvements to your feet’s blisters; it’s also been known to help with fungal nail infections.
Yoghurt
Yoghurt isn’t just tasty: it can also help keep bad breath at bay. The “good” live-bacteria in yoghurt has been shown to suppress the “bad” bacteria that causes bad breath by creating an unhealthy environment in which they’re unable to flourish. Make sure it’s sugar-free yoghurt though, as this will help both your breath and your teeth.
Yoghurt has other uses too. If you’re suffering from constipation, yoghurt could help ease your digestive distress – again, thanks to that good bacteria. It’s also known to be a good way to soothe the pain of vaginal yeast infections or thrush.
Vodka
Save the good stuff for your cocktail cupboard. But if you’ve got the end of a cheap bottle of vodka sitting at the back of your cabinet, use it on your feet instead. Soak a flannel in vodka, wipe your sweaty feet with it and test the results. You should notice a significant drop in the levels of stinkiness coming from your toes.
Pencils
Perhaps the weirdest home remedy on this list: pencils really do have the power to ease headaches. Often headaches can be caused when you hold tension in your jaw or clench your teeth together. Biting a pencil stops you from doing this and helps you relax your muscles. Just don’t bite down too hard, or you won’t get the taste of lead out of your mouth.
Sugar
A spoonful of sugar… helps the hiccups go away, apparently. Swallowing dry sugar is supposed to affect your nerve endings, and helps stop the spasms in your diaphragm that cause hiccups. Again, show restraint here: consuming too much sugar does have serious health risks. But on occasion, it can bring you relief from hiccups quickly too.
Do you live by any unusual home remedies?