Eight Practical Folk Remedies from a Health Expert
External Application Formulas:
Child's Fever — Mung Bean Flour Paste Applied to the Soles of the Feet. When a child occasionally has a fever, taking them to the hospital involves long queues and the risk of cross-infection, which might worsen their condition. Moreover, parents are often hesitant to give their children medication indiscriminately. Elderly Master Wen says that some simple folk methods can be quite effective.
Mix raw mung bean flour with egg white to form a dough, shape it into small flat cakes, and apply them to the depressions on the soles of the child's feet. Leave them on for a day or two to reduce the fever. Alternatively, use bird's nest mixed with egg white to make the paste and apply it to the child's navel to also treat mild fevers.
Child's Diarrhea — Jujube Paste Applied to the Navel. Besides fever, children are also prone to diarrhea. In such cases, you can remove the pits from some black jujubes, mash them into a paste, and apply it to the navel. It can be effective overnight. If the child has a stomach ache, make a paste with pepper, add a little vinegar, form it into a small cake, and apply it to the navel.
Child's Bumps — Sesame Oil Can Reduce Swelling. It's inevitable for children to bump into things. When a bump appears on the head, applying sesame oil around the area can reduce the swelling. Sesame oil has the effect of promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis.
Sore Throat — Crushed Garlic Applied to the Hegu Acupoint. Many people get a sore throat when they catch a cold. This is where garlic comes in. Crush fresh garlic and apply it to the Hegu acupoint (the webbing between the thumb and index finger) on both hands. Leave it on for 15-20 minutes, and the sore throat will significantly improve. Do not leave it on for too long, as it can easily cause blisters.
Dietary Therapy Formulas:
Mild Cold — Cabbage Dumplings with Scallions and Ginger. For a mild cold, you can drink some cabbage dumpling water to relieve symptoms.
Wash the cabbage core, cut it into small pieces, and add chopped scallions and ginger. Boil them together in water. When the cabbage is almost cooked, drain the liquid and drink it. From a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective, a cold is caused by excessive internal heat. Cabbage helps to release the exterior, while scallions and ginger are warm in nature and help induce sweating. Once you sweat, the cold will improve significantly.
Chronic Arthritis in Cold Weather — Try Hawthorn and Tribulus Pills. When winter comes, many people suffer from flare-ups of chronic arthritis, which can be extremely painful. In addition to regular exercise, massage, and acupuncture, you can try a simple remedy.
Take an appropriate amount of hawthorn pulp (without pits) and white tribulus (available at Chinese medicine shops). Steam them separately, then mash them into a paste once cooked. Mix the pastes together and form them into small pills (3-5 grams each). Take three to five pills daily. After a period of time, it may prove to be effective.
Preventive Formulas:
Preventing Heatiness from Eating Meat — Drink Licorice Water. "Meat generates heat, and fish generates phlegm." Some people tend to get 'heatiness' after eating meat. Based on his own experience and book knowledge, Elderly Master Wen has summarized some methods to try when consuming meat.
Beef, mutton, and dog meat are warm in nature and can easily cause heatiness. However, drinking a cup of licorice water can prevent this. Licorice is known as the "great harmonizer" in the world of herbal medicine. It can be used as an adjunct to other herbs and has the effects of moistening the lungs to stop coughing and clearing heat and toxins. Note that the licorice water should be consumed cold. If you know you will be eating beef, mutton, or dog meat, steep a cup of it beforehand. By the time the meal is over, the water will be cool and ready to be drunk in one go.
Preventing Stroke — Drink Licorice and Mulberry Twig Water Daily. Elderly Master Wen drinks licorice and mulberry twig water every day. Licorice clears heat and toxins, while mulberry twig helps to relax the meridians, promote circulation, and prevent numbness in the hands and feet. Drinking it long-term can help prevent stroke.
External Application and Dietary Therapy Are Indeed Effective
In many cases, external application of medicine is an excellent treatment method—it's effective, safe, and convenient. The methods mentioned by Wen Yuxian, such as applying medicine to the Yongquan acupoint on the sole of the foot to draw heat down to treat fever and mouth sores, or applying a paste to the navel to stop diarrhea, are common and effective methods. External application for pain relief is also very common, for example, for headaches and toothaches, there are specific acupoints and medicines for external application.
Dietary therapy is also a very good treatment method. For instance, a cold caused by wind-cold is indeed suitable for drinking cabbage dumpling soup. At the same time, it is not suitable for wind-heat cold, which is characterized by high fever and sore throat.
There Are Precautions When Using Folk Remedies
The word "folk" (偏) in "folk remedy" (偏方) has sparked endless controversy. Are folk remedies good or not? How should one approach them:
Many folk remedies have been passed down because they are indeed effective. The saying "A single folk remedy can stump a famous physician" is a testament to this.
— Doctor's reminder: The general public often lacks comprehensive medical knowledge and may misuse remedies or delay proper treatment. It is advisable to handle simple situations on your own, but for more complex cases, seek medical attention promptly.
"Folk remedies" are also called "proven remedies," as they are accumulated from the experience of the common people. A folk remedy may not work for everyone, but if it works for some, that is sufficient.
If it doesn't work, try other methods quickly.
— Experience from netizen "Rural Doctor Alliance".