Granny’s cure

GP Dr Rob Hicks reckons it’s always worth trying cheap and natural cures that our mothers and grandmothers have used.

“They are readily available and generally harmless so they’re worth a try if it’s convenient for you,” he says. “Understandably there are going to be times when it’s not convenient to mash up a banana and apply it to your skin.”

Here’s a round-up of Hicks’s favourite old-fashioned fixes.

GINGER

If stomach cramps and travel sickness are blighting your belly, reach for your spice rack. “Ginger is rare as an old wives’ remedy in that there is actually research around its anti-inflammatory benefits,” says Hicks. “It has been used to treat morning sickness, travel sickness as well as nausea, as it’s thought that the ginger oils relax the stomach muscles, which in turn help ease the symptoms.”

CABBAGE LEAVES

Eau d’cold cabbage leaf might not be your scent of choice but the whiffy greens can lift breast tenderness and period pain.

“Cabbage leaves can be very helpful in relieving breast tenderness after you’ve had a child,” says Hicks. “They can also be effective in easing period pain. You can put the cooled leaves in your bra or apply them directly on your stomach.”

BANANAS

“If you have a headache, mash up a bit of ripe banana peel and apply it to the area affected – as long as it isn’t in your hair!” says Hicks. “Alternatively, place chilled banana peel on the painful area.”

BICARBONATE OF SODA

If you’re struck by a spell of cystitis, raid your kitchen cupboard for a tub of trusty bicarbonate of soda. “To help with cystitis, just add half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda to a pint of water and drink it,” says Hicks. “It’s thought that the bicarbonate of soda reduces the acidity in the urine, which will then ease the symptoms of cystitis.”

APPLES

Get to the core of your tummy aches by munching on an apple. “Apples are great for relieving diarrhoea,” says Hicks. “All you do is cut up or grate an apple and leave it for 20 minutes so that it goes brown, then eat it.”

OATMEAL

Many products designed for dry, itchy skin use oatmeal as an ingredient. “You can add some oatmeal to a piece of muslin cloth made into a bag, then add it to a bath or you can dab that straight onto your body,” says Hicks.

* Old Fashioned Remedies: From Arsenic To Gin, Doctor Rob Hicks is published by Remember When, €21.50.