What Is A Home Remedy?

Home Remedies - Facts or Quacks?

Myths and legends often have their basis in a grain of truth. So I wondered if home remedies, alternative treatments, and folklore cures might also be based on truth. First, let's try to define the phrase home remedy.

There's No Place Like Home

The name itself proclaims that a home remedy is, well, a remedy that's administered at home! Prescription drugs are often given at home as remedies, so we need to dig a little deeper. When you think of home remedy, don't you think of some sort of cure or treatment that's outside mainstream modern medicine? Me too. Let's take a look at some choices.

The Holistic View

The dictionary defined holistic medicine as an approach to medical care that emphasizes the study of all aspects of a person's health, including physical, psychological, social, economic, and cultural factors. The holistic definition is very broad and could apply to many medical approaches.

Peaches & Herbs?

Many people associate herbs with home remedies. The definition for herbal remedy is a plant, or plant part, or an extract or mixture of these used to prevent, alleviate, or cure disease called also herbal medicine. That sounds like a good definition, although home remedies tend to encompass more than herbal remedies. What's next?

Folk Medicine

Folk medicine is defined as traditional medicine especially as practiced by people isolated from modern medical services, and usually involving the use of plant-derived remedies on an empirical basis. Now we're getting somewhere! The old-timers practiced medicine not based entirely on plants when modern medicine wasn't available. Let's dig a little deeper into the dictionary.

Home At Last

Finally we find the dictionary's definition of home remedy: a simply prepared medication or tonic often of unproven effectiveness administered without prescription or professional supervision. So - it is a remedy prepared outside the realm of modern medicine, it's not limited to herbs, but unproven effectiveness? I disagree. I can prove that some of the simplest home remedies have led to some of our greatest medical breakthroughs (but that's another article).

Is That Your Final Answer?

Based on the research above, let's agree to define a home remedy as follows:

An experienced-based or even accidental remedy or cure prepared by common folk from herbs, plants, or other available ingredients when modern medical help was unavailable (or hadn't been devised yet).

That's my answer, and I'm sticking to it!

Doug Smith is a Chemical Engineer and the webmaster of http://www.SuperHomeRemedies.com. You get free & natural remedies for fungus, lice, acid reflux, cold sores, yeast & more. Stay up to date with our Natural Remedies News

Copyright 2005 by Doug Smith. You may reuse this copyrighted article provided no content is changed - other than line length - and the author's box is intact. All links must be active hyperlinks or made active.

---

Back Pain, Joint Pain, Knee Pain, Arthritis and a Host of Other Pain Ailments You Never Have To Suff

"The smallest pain in our little finger gives us more... Read More

Aromatherapy ? Part II: Mind and Emotions

The Sense of Smell forms the greater part of our... Read More

Discover The Missing Key to Improving Your Health

Do you know the top ten causes for death? You... Read More

Lavender : The Purple Panacea

Lavender is wholly spent with us, for to perfume linen,... Read More

Herbs Can Heal You or Save Your Life

A historyHerbs have been used for hundreds of years before... Read More

Aromatherapy

Although the word aromatherapy has not been around forever, the... Read More

Skin Cancer Cured By Curaderm, The Revolutionary New Treatment for Skin Cancer

Curaderm is the most eagerly awaited cancer treatment solution in... Read More

Gout Pain Relief With Cherry Power - How To Ease Pain By Eating Fruit

We can all learn something new every day! And good... Read More

Illness - What Can We do About it?

Illness concerns everyone. How can we approach it? And what... Read More

Migraine Headaches And Chronic Pain: Essential Oil Of Lavender, A Natural Remedy

If you suffer migraines or chronic headaches, you are not... Read More

Maintaining Healthy Vision Naturally

The training of our eye doctors in this country is... Read More

Eucalyptus Oil for Colds and Flu

Recently I came down with a cold, flu, and some... Read More

Ive Given Away Control of My Life To Doctors?and Now I Want It Back.

But How Realistic Is It For You To Start Managing... Read More

With A Little Help From Our Friends

The quality of one's life to a large extent is... Read More

Top Ten Reasons Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy Works

Studies and research show natural HRT really works. By using... Read More

Just The Tea FAQs: Health Benefits (Part I)

Hands up all those who can't get through the day... Read More

Hypnosis Way of General Indications of Deceit

When the subject is changed, he's in a better, more... Read More

The Chevreul Pendulum - A Tool for Accessing Your Subconscious About Your Pain

The Chevreul pendulum is a simple device for communicating with... Read More

Hypnotherapy in the Treatment of Phantom Pain

Much of what goes on in our bodies is controlled... Read More

Check Your Colon Transient Time

Many doctors and others in the health field may tell... Read More

Arthritis Relief and Your Diet

Arthritis affects more than 40 million Americans and is referred... Read More

Therapeutic Massage Goes Main Stream

Have you ever bumped your knee or elbow? What was... Read More

Alternative Health Treatments for People Who Give Too Much

Being a modern traveler, you probably get onto an airplane... Read More

Holistic Health

Holistic Health involves natural treatment options like holistic health nutrition,... Read More

How Toxic Is Your Home?

We like to think of our homes as being a... Read More

Is Alternative Medicine Proven to Work?

The most common objection to alternative medicine from conventional physicians... Read More

Will This Years Flu Paralyze The US And Canada?

According to the Associated Press on August 26th, the US... Read More

Feng Shui for Your Health and Vitality

How many of us wake up in the morning feeling... Read More

Six Smoothie Recipes for Constipation and Acne Relief

I recommend drinking a morning smoothie if you have constipation... Read More

Hypnosis

HYPNOSIS is a state of induced but conscious sleep through... Read More

Honey! Natural Treatment for Gum Disease

There is quite a bit of talk going on about... Read More

Benefits of Alternative Medicine

With the growing number of people being affected by newly... Read More

Oral Chelation ? What Can It Do For You? (Part 2)

Intravenous chelation therapy was more popular than oral chelation initially.... Read More