Comments on: Backyard remedies

By: Doña Junta

Doña Junta — Mon, 05 May 2008 00:10:54 +0000

Ti de manzanilla, savila, 7 up, whenever we had a nose bleed she would make us lie down and put a banana peel on our forehead ?? for some reason it seemed to stop or at least we thought it did lol. Sore throats gargle with salt water n lemon or squeeze a half of cup of lime juice salt and tequila then drink it
Moms is always making some new remedio up but now someone got on top of marketing some of these remedios last time she had a white baggies that said Dona Remedios that you buy at the Hispanic tiendas and there is different kinds for different problems, that was too funny when I seen that though.

By: adriana

adriana — Fri, 02 May 2008 20:43:00 +0000

My grandma does something similar for earaches too, but I believe that she heats up some aloe or maybe it is geranium???

By: Isela

Isela — Fri, 02 May 2008 00:04:58 +0000

My abuela does almost the same thing whenever any of us grandchildren complain about an earache. She’ll take petals from her geranio (geranium) flowers; boil them, squeeze out excess water, and place them in your ear until the petal dries up. I think it works 100% and will defend it to the death

By: Vero

Vero — Thu, 01 May 2008 19:15:47 +0000

Ahh, but there’s nothing like my family’s cure for earaches. You make a cone out of a long piece of paper (newspaper or 11×14 printer paper will do). Stick the small end in your ear and light the other end with a match. Yes, a cone of fire. (Do it near the sink to avoid collateral damage.) The combustion sucks the air out of your ear and you can feel a relieving pop. My 40-year-old brother still swears by it. Of course, he’s hard of hearing in one ear. But for some other great home remedies, check out: http://sonmislocuras.com/2006/11/17/got-vapoh-roob/#more-47

By: sin vergüenza

sin vergüenza — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:27:35 +0000

My abuelita makes a tea with the bouganvillia that grows along the side of the house that she swears cures the common cold. I think it’s the brandy she adds at the end

By: Carmen

Carmen — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:42:53 +0000

manzanilla=check, savila=check, cola de caballo=check, basically all the teas=check, vicks=check gingerale or 7up=check- when i sprained my ankle and arm i remember my ma’ wrapping a piece of heated nopal sliced open and wrapped around injured area, next day i was walking and playing like nothing happened, she also used this for cuts and abrasions.

worst remedy my ma’ swears by, for any ailment you take a pound of liver (ewww yes liver!) boil it, then drink the water it boiled in – this is the reason i never would admit feeling sick, she even tried to trick me once by mixing it in hawain punch like i wouldn’t notice – the mere scent made makes me run!

By: Gustavo Arellano

Gustavo Arellano — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:56:30 +0000

I spoke about this very subject at a panel at the LA Times Festival of Books. My mom’s remedy: when we had gripa o catarro, she’d boil some tomatoes, put them in a plastic bag, and put our feet in said bags. Worked every time–and a Princeton amigo of mine confirmed its beneficial properties!

By: Chicana Skies

Chicana Skies — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:42:43 +0000

My mom used to put wet trapos on my stomach and forehead when I had a fever.
And of course, yerbabuena, and savila. I think its so interesting that these “home remedies” that are often ridiculed actually have scientific backing…it’s amazing how human beings learned to use the the plants around them, it is this wisdom passed down through the generations despite the lack of “knowledge” in a scientific sense…

By: Lokier

Lokier — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:31:21 +0000

What about the ‘set the newspaper funnel in your ear on fire’ remedy. Horrifying. I also remember my mom putting warm wet rags in my socks during the night when I was sick.

By: Beatriz

Beatriz — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:51:06 +0000

When I was 10 or 11 yrs old, my mom called grandma Mosqueda and asked what she should do because I was suffering with swollen tonsils, which somehow was connected to me having sleep apena. My mom boiled some red tomatoes and when they were warm enough for me to withstand the heat radiating from them, she placed them in plastic bags and wrapped them around the bottom of my feet with rags overnight. Sadly the next morning, I had forgotten about the tomatoes, but quickly realized it as I smashed the tomatoes walking towards the restroom! I remember it being such a gross feeling but that did not stop me from having to go and waiting for my mom to remove the tomatoes.

Whether it “cured” my swollen tonsils…who knows? I would have to ask my mom, considering not too long after I had them removed.