Marj’s Home Remedies

A faithful reader, my daughter Suzanna, plagued with a recurrent sinus infection, asked me to jot down all my home remedies, the secrets to why when everyone else is down with a cold, the flu, sinusitis, arthritis, or any other malady, do I remain basically healthy. A couple of years ago when other ancients succumbed to bad cases of the flu that, in those my age and even a decade younger, segued into pneumonia and hospitalization, I did have a light case of flu. I attributed that to working too hard and paying to little attention to the first sniffle.

 I’ve told her of my solution. Here it is. Summer colds and “walking” pneumonia are no fun. I’ve published it several times, but there are always people who missed it, clipped but misfiled it, or thought it too simple to work against anything as aggressive as a virus. Try it, people, and file this in your most often used recipe book under Beverages.

1. MAGIC POTION,
Antibacterial and antiviral solution
Makes +/- 1 cup
1 Tablespoon whole cloves
1 stick cinnamon
2 cups water
Place the above in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Cook covered -- preferably with a glass lid until the water turns quite brown.  Remove from heat. When it cools enough, transfer to a glass jar that has a lid.

This keeps on my kitchen counter for several weeks,  but it’s best to re-pasteurize it occasionally and/or refrigerate it. Given time, especially in summer, it will mold. Then you can only toss it and start over with more cloves, cinnamon and water.

Cold and Flu seasons: 1 to 2 Tablespoons Magic Potion in hot lemonade. Sip a mug of this several times a day even if you don’t think you’ve been exposed to the germs.

Sinus congestion:  1 to 2 Tablespoons of Magic Potion in one cup hot water. Sweeten with honey. Add a slice or two of lemon. Push your spoon against the lemon to release he juice. Sip. Take 5,000 I.U. Vitamin A.  Also place hot moist packs on the outside of the sinuses giving you trouble; this will help liquefy the matter stuffing up your sinuses.
Sore Throat:  Gargle with Magic Potion as hot as tolerable. Let some run down your throat, too.  Repeat several times a day until the sore throat is gone. Do it one more time to catch any lingering bacteria or viruses.

 Arthritis: 1. Avoid nightshade family vegetables: Peppers, potatoes, and eggplant.  
2. Take niacinamide capsules as well as a multivitamin that contains all eleven of   the B vitamins. 3. Do not take aspirin. It only makes the arthritis worse over time because it impedes the metabolizing of calcium. 4. Do get plenty of magnesium. Almonds are a good source of each. Calcium and magnesium support each other. Calcium alone causes constipation and calcium spurs.