CREDIT CRUNCH CRUSADER.Byline: Siobhan McNally Before you shell out on expensive lotions from the chemist to cure a minor ailment, try one of these cheap homemade remedies your granny used to swear by to place great confidence in a person or thing; to trust implicitly as an authority. See also: Swear ... (1) MOUTH ULCERS Over the counter: Aloclair Ulcer Gel (pounds 3.29, Boots) Home remedy: Salt water Salt is a natural antiseptic so rinsing your mouth out with half a teaspoon of salt dissolved in a small glass of warm water several times a day can cure stinging ulcers. (2) UPSET TUMMY Over the counter: Alka-Seltzer Tablets (pounds 2.75, Boots) Home remedy: Can of flat Coke Coca-Cola was invented back in 1885 as a cure for dyspepsia dyspepsia: see indigestion. . Many swear it still works, but it's important to open a can and let it go flat for half an hour before drinking. (3) WASP STINGS Over the counter: Wasp-Eze Spray (pounds 5.78, Boots) Home remedy: Vinegar Wasp-sting venom is alkaline so its effects can be neutralised by dabbing on a cotton wool ball soaked in white vinegar. (4) INSECT BITES & SKIN RASHES Over the counter: Anthisan Cream (pounds 3.61, Boots) Home remedy: Bicarbonate of soda Mix up a paste of bicarb bicarb Noun short for bicarbonate of soda and water and apply to the skin to take the itch out of the bite or sting. You can add bicarb to a bath to relieve skin rashes from measles or prickly heat prickly heat (miliaria), inflammatory skin eruption due to obstruction of the sweat glands by keratin, the substance that forms the horny cells of the epidermis. too. (5) BAD BREATH Over the counter: Swissdent Extreme Mouth Spray (pounds 9.50, Boots) Home remedy: Parsley This herb contains an antiseptic which kills bacteria in the mouth. Chew a sprig of parsley to freshen your mouth after a meal, especially after eating lots of garlic. (6) CYSTITIS cystitis (sĭstī`tĭs), common acute or chronic inflammation of the urinary bladder. The disease occurs primarily in young women and frequently results from bacterial invasion of the urethra from the adjacent rectum, most commonly with Over the counter: Cystopurin Granules (pounds 4.97, Boots) Home remedy: Bicarbonate of soda As soon as an attack of cystitis starts, drink a tumbler full of warm water containing a teaspoon of bicarb every hour for three hours to reduce inflammation of the bladder. (7) TOOTHACHE Over the counter: Orajel Dental Gel (pounds 4.39, Boots) Home remedy: Cloves Put two whole cloves between the sore tooth and your cheek and chew them a little to release their juices to relieve the pain. (8) INDIGESTION Over the counter: Gaviscon Original Aniseed Relief (pounds 5.37, Boots) Home remedy: Bicarbonate of soda Bicarb is also an antacid so drinking a teaspoon of it dissolved in small glass of warm water relieves acid indigestion or heartburn. WHAT'S YOUR MONEY SAVING SECRET? Email your tips to readerpanel@mirror.co.uk. We pay pounds 10 for every one printed. |
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