Natural first-aid kit: get fast relief from 14 common ailments with these effective remedies - Consumer guide: how to be an educated consumer

Natural Health, April, 2003 by Rapaport Karlson

THERE ARE SOME THINGS NO well-stocked home should be without: Band-Aids, tweezers, and ice packs--as well as aloe vera, ginger, and bananas. With these last three items on hand, you'll have effective remedies for burns, nausea, and splinters, respectively.

Natural remedies are not only better for your health than conventional first-aid products, but they also work quickly and are a snap to use. We'll show you which natural remedies our experts say you should keep at home to prepare for minor emergencies. Fortunately, many of the remedies we describe in this guide remain potent for a year or more, so you can plan ahead and have them ready for the times when you need them.

Athlete's Foot

What It Is: This fungal infection usually starts between your toes and spreads to the soles of your feet, making your skin itchy and sore and often causing it to crack and peel.

How to Get Fast Relief: Tea tree essential oil (Melaleuca alternifolia) has potent anti-fungal properties, making it an excellent remedy for athlete's foot, explains Stephanie Marohn, the Sebastopol, Calif.-based author of Natural Medicine First Aid Remedies (Hampton Roads Publishing, 2001). In a small bowl, mix 3 drops of tea tree oil and 1/4 teaspoon of a carrier oil like olive oil, and use a cotton ball to dab the entire solution on clean, dry feet. It may sting, Marohn warns. Repeat twice a day until the itching stops, usually in a day or two, she says. But to banish the fungus completely, continue to apply the mixture once daily for three months. The spores imbed themselves deep in your skin where they can live a long time, so the infection may recur if you don't stick with the treatment.

What's the Proof: Researchers have studied tea tree oil's beneficial properties for at least 80 years. One study published last year in the Australasian Journal of Dermatology found that a tea tree oil solution applied for four weeks cured 64 percent of patients with athlete's foot, while only 31 percent of the patients who received a placebo treatment were cured of the infection.

How to Store It: Keep tea tree oil in an airtight dark-glass bottle in a dry, cool, dark place, where it will last at least two years, and sometimes longer, Marohn says.

Bruises

What They Are: A bump or fall can teat or rupture small blood vessels under your skin, leaking blood into surrounding tissue and causing black-and-blue discoloration.

How to Get Fast Relief: The experts that we consulted agree that the homeopathic remedy Arnica is the number one remedy for bruises. Homeopathic remedies contain minute amounts of natural substances that are thought to trigger the body to heal itself. You'll find Arnica at natural food stores and some drugstores. As soon as possible after an injury occurs, take one oral dose of the 30C potency. Continue taking it up to three times a day until the bruise fades, usually two to three days, says Jamey Wallace, N.D., a naturopathic physician and assistant clinical professor at the Bastyr Center for Natural Health, a clinic in Seattle. He adds that you may be able to reduce the severity of a bruise if you take Arnica quickly enough.

What's the Proof: Although many holistic practitioners prescribe Arnica, few clinical studies have been conducted on the remedy. Researchers theorize that it reduces blood vessel inflammation and increases circulation.

How to Store It: Light, heat, moisture, and strong odors (like those of essential oils) contaminate homeopathic remedies, so keep Arnica in a dresser or desk drawer. Arnica will stay potent until the expiration date if you store it properly. If you haven't used the remedy in a month or more, tap the bottle against your hand about 10 times to reactivate it.

Burns

What They Are: A burn is tissue damage caused by chemicals, electricity, fire, heat, or sun.

How to Get Fast Relief: "One of the best remedies for burns is aloe vera gel," says Earl Mindell, Ph.D., a registered pharmacist in Beverly Hills, Calif., and author of Dr. Earl Mindell's Natural Remedies for 101 Ailments (Basic Health Publications, 2002).

Used by Cleopatra to treat burns more than 2,000 years ago, aloe (Aloe vera) relieves pain, speeds healing time, and even prevents blisters and scarring. Although high-quality gels are sold at natural food stores, some of our experts say it's best to use a live aloe plant. It not only provides the effective gel, but it's also cheap and easy to use: To release the clear, viscous gel, simply break off one dagger-shaped leaf and split it open. Apply the gel directly to your burn once or twice a day and cover it lightly with a bandage until the burn heals. You'll experience instant pain relief, but it may take more than a week for the burn to heal completely.

What's the Proof: Aloe vera has a long history as a healing plant, and research shows that it has a dramatic ability to heal wounds and burns. One small clinical study in Thailand found that patients who applied fresh aloe vera gel to a moderate burn healed in 12 days, while those who used petroleum jelly took 18 days to heal.