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July 04, 2015

5 Healing Pantry Essentials That Relieve Most Minor Health Conditions

Most of us deal with minor ailments time to time and our first reaction may be to head to the drugstore to find something to cure our woe(s). But that’s only because we’ve been accustomed to living in a society that teaches us chemical-based cures are the best (and only) way to relieve minor and even more major ailments. However, consider that hundreds of years ago, people didn’t have a CVS, Walmart, Duane Read, or other drugstores and supercenters that sold boxes and elixers promising to cure the symptoms of our ailments; people used to rely on real foods, herbs, and drinks to do this.

In efforts to go back to our roots in how we view healing, it’s time we pretend that chemicals didn’t exist. What can we use instead that won’t just cover up the symptoms of a health issue, but also relieve it at the root cause while benefiting other areas of the body at the same time?

Below are five ingredients you can use to keep in your pantry that are economical and treat a number of ailments, starting with some of the minor ones but branching out to larger, more serious health ailments too. Keep these on hand and never let your pantry be without them. Reach for these instead of harmful chemicals the body doesn’t understand, desire, or benefit from in the long run …

1. Tumeric


Turmeric is a spicy, savory root like ginger too that has been used for hundreds of years as a cough suppressant, mucous expeller, headache aid, and wound reliever. It can be applied topically, juiced with, used in a smoothie, grated onto food, or used to make an easy tea. Turmeric is also being studied for its incredible abilities to relieve inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract, and has been linked to reducing the risks of cancer due to the way it fights inflammation. Turmeric root can be found near ginger at your produce department; yet be warned, it’s a little pricey, so don’t shy away from the powdered kind on the spice aisle. If you buy powdered turmeric, however, be sure you choose an organic brand since they’re irradiated (produced with harmful chemicals or harsh treatment) and you can be sure you’re getting a more potent product for your money.

2. Coconut Oil


Possibly one of the most well-known and loved miracle products that is nothing more than pure oil from one of nature’s most miraculous foods, coconut oil is an excellent oil to choose to relieve yeast infections, sugar cravings (which can benefit you from suffering sugar addictions that lead to a host of health problems), it aids in digestion and helps with inflammation in the digestive tract, can be used as a beauty product, relieves rashes and dry skin, can be stirred into coffee in the morning for a natural energy aid, used to cook with instead of oils that lead to inflammation, and can be used on your hair and nails to prevent breakage and dryness. Coconut oil (extra virgin and cold-pressed, preferably organic and non-GMO) can also be used as a natural laxative instead of harsh chemical-based options.

3. Apple Cider Vinegar


Another powerful anti-inflammatory star used for hundreds of years is apple cider vinegar … nature’s alkaline hero for fighting digestive upset, headaches, joint pain, and possibly more serious issues like cancer. Many people cringe at the idea of drinking vinegar, but how is this worse than drinking cough syrups with a host of chemicals, sugars, and scary ingredients we don’t even recognize? Let’s get real with healing and choose nature’s elixers instead. Made of fermented cultures that heal the body, raw apple cider vinegar contains good bacteria and stimulates the growth of good bacteria within the digestive system to improve immune health, mood health, and digestive heath all in one. See some tasty ways to make it into a “shot” here, and try adding this to your mornings right before you down your cup of coffee!

4. Essential Oils (food grade, 100 percent pure)


Essential oils are full of goodness! Many such as peppermint, tea tree, ginger, and four thieves (also called four knives or healing shield) have been used internally, not just externally for cleaning. Peppermint oil relieves upset stomachs, headaches, and can relieve anxiety (seriously, try it!) while four thieves and tea tree oil improve immunity, ward off bacteria and yeasts, and aid in natural cleansing. Ginger is a natural digestion and pain aid, and even others like sage and oregano oil come with benefits for the mood, digestive, and to assist with pain, and cleansing. A tiny drop can be used in hot water to make an instant tea, and these are often just as potent (or more) than herbal teas on the market. They key is to buy food-grade essential oil that is 100 percent pure so you are taking in a safe option. Others may contain, or be processed with, toxic oils and other harsh agents not safe for ingestion.

5. Ginger, fresh or powdered

And finally, ginger root, the ingredient so many people already love and use, should always be found in your pantry. You can keep whole ginger root in the pantry for about a week, but ground ginger is fine to store up to six months. Fresh ginger can be kept in the fridge in the crisper after this if you don’t use it all up before then; just be sure when you purchase it that the root is hard and not soft, which may indicate it’s aging and will be more prone to mold quicker once you get it home. Ginger should always look lighter in color, not dark and muddy which indicates a sign of age. Use it grated as a tea, in cooking, in smoothies, juice with it (lovely with lemon and cucumber), or use the powdered ginger in a variety of smoothies, healthy desserts, in a tea, or onto ethnic dishes of all kinds.

These natural ingredients aren’t only easy to find and afford, but can also be used in cooking, desserts, and more. Explore our recipes to see how to use them in your dishes, but don’t forget how wonderful the are in their abilities to do more than just flavor your food. You’ll learn to use these instead of chemicals the more that you reach for them instead of a topical treatment or expensive product that really does the body no good. Over time, you’ll be on your way to a more natural home and healthier body, not to mention a better health care budget too!

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