ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE: Tea Tree Oil

Tea Tree Oil is a Medicine Cabinet Staple

Tea tree oil comes from the Tea Tree, and can be purchased at your local health food store. The leaves are boiled and then squeezed to obtain the oil. The Tea Tree is a fast grower so this magical oil is easily obtained.

The Tea Tree is not the same as the Tea Plant, which makes black tea and green tea; nor is Tea Tree Oil is to be ingested. It is a medicine cabinet staple to be used as a topical substance only.

Tea tree oil has several properties, none of which damage human tissue.

Anti-viral: Fights infectious disease

Antimicrobial: Low risk of skin irritation

Antiseptic: Fights bacteria in cuts, scrapes, and infections, dissolves pus

Anti-inflammatory: Penetrates deep tissue

Repairs skin: Stimulates the skin to build scar tissue

Anti-fungal: Kills fungal diseases

The Tea Tree was introduced to the Europeans by the people of the aborigines. They used these crushed leaves along with mud packs to fight infection. The leaves of the Tea Tree also created what is known as the magical healing waters in the local bodies of water. Fast forward to WW II. Foot fungus ran rampant until an Aboriginal medic put the pure oil on the soldier's feet. It cured them within days! In fact, it was so effective, that the soldiers eventually carried the oil in their first aid kits for all kinds of first aid uses.

Uses for tea tree oil:

Laundry: Add a few drops to help deodorize clothes while washing.

Cleaning: Add to cleaning solution to repel insects in the home.

Infections: Helps with pulmonary infections when the aroma is inhaled, cuts, scrapes, clods and flu.

SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE: Home Remedies For Canker Sores

Simplify Your Life

How can you simplify your life? Simplifying your life can be done in many ways. A couple of the major ways people are taking steps to simplification are through cleaning supplies, energy resources, and health. In the following sections, you will find ideas for canker sores that could very possibly be in your medicine cabinet, or kitchen at home.

What is a canker sore?

A canker sore is an oral ulcer. !!. No, really. It is an oral ulcer that is characterized by a break in the mucus membrane.
In other words, it is a little white sore in your mouth and it hurts a lot, but is not serious in nature.

 

 

Tea Tree Oil

Twice daily, use a cotton swab to add a couple drops of tea tree oil directly to the canker sore. After you are finished brushing your teeth is a good time.
Another solution is to add some tea tree oil drops to 1 cup of water, then swash around in in your mouth, but do not swallow.

Tea tree oil helps to prevent infection and control parasites. It is anti-viral: Fights infectious disease, antimicrobial: Low risk of skin irritation, antiseptic: Fights bacteria in cuts, scrapes, and in infections it dissolves pus, anti-inflammatory: Penetrates deep tissue, repairs skin: Stimulates the skin to build scar tissue, anti-fungal: Kills fungal diseases.

Hydrogen Peroxide and Baking Soda

2 ounces hydrogen peroxide
2 ounces water
5 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Mix up and then swish in your mouth for about a minute, use several times per day

Aloe Vera Juice

Mix some aloe vera juice or gel in water. Rinse several times per day. In fact, some alternative medicine physicians recommend swishing around and then swallowing it.

Onion

Apply raw onion directly to canker sore.

 

 

Plum Juice

Swash plum juice around mouth several times per day.

Calendula Tea or GoldenSeal

Allow tea to steep for several minutes. Use the tea as a mouthwash three or four times per day.

Myrrh

Two times per day, mix 200-300 mg of herbal extract or 4 ml of myrrh tincture with warm water and swish. You could also open a capsule to dab a little directly on the sore.
Powdered myrrh is useful for the treatment of mild inflammations of the mouth, and has been used traditionally.

Sage

Making a strong sage tea can help to treat inflammations of the mouth and throat. Use two teaspoons of dried herb per cup of boiling water, allow it to steep until cool, then gargle.
Caution: Do not drink too much of this tea. Sage contains a compound that may cause convulsions if taken in excessive quantities.

Mr. Clean, Mr. Clean! The Magic Eraser!

The Magic Eraser from Mr. Clean!  My friend told me it was good, but I did not realize how good.  They are expensive.  Very expensive, but she swore by them...

I paid over $2.50 for a package of 2 Magic Erasers.  The directions tell you to run it under water, and then squeeze it three times to "activate" the Magic Eraser.  The first experiment was some silverware that did not come clean in the dishwasher.  You know how the crud gets baked on and you need to do some serious scrubbing to get it off?  Well, the Magic Eraser took it off pronto.  I was kind of impressed.

Next I used it on the counter tops.  There was nasty sticky goo all over the counter, and again it took it off with no scrubbing.  My confidence grew, and I used the Magic Eraser on some glasses that I was having trouble with.  There were bumps on there, I don't know what it was from, but even when I hand washed them the ick would not come off.  Also, the hard water made them look horrible- again even though I hand washed them after they came out of the dishwasher.  The Magic Eraser took all this off.  ALL of it.  I love those glasses, and now they look new!

For Christmas I received an electric skillet.  I cannot use SOS pads on it, and as a result it has gotten nasty already.  Again, the Magic Eraser was holding up its end of the bargain.  The final test was my glass cake pan.  I have not been successful in getting this thoroughly clean for well over a year.  After I was finished with it, it looks new.  Seriously, it looks new.

As hideously expensive as these Magic Erasers are, they are super fantastic.  They have removed guilt that plagued me regarding my kitchen utensils.  I am very happy I bought them- and will buy them again, challenging their use every step of the way!


UPDATE:  So after I posted this, I did a little research on this item, because I was so intrigued by it.  Very interesting!  It is the foam that works so hard for us, and it is actually an insulating foam for soundproofing!  It wasn't until the last few years that it was discovered to have cleaning qualities!  The name of the foam is melamine foam.  In order to learn more, check it out!

Couponing

So...the big wave of couponing has hit us and now it is very fashionable to save money for normal folks.  Many of us grew up this way, and some of us lost our way...I didn't necessarily grow up cutting coupons, but I did grow up in a conservative household in which we were taught to be frugal, save money, go out to eat and get what is on sale, buy a case of canned veggies during a great sale... can at home with fruits and veggies when picked out of the field/orchard.  Yes, I said PICKED.  As I am told, we took a family vacation once to California, visiting a cherry "farm"- and we picked and picked.  I only know this because of a picture showing proof of a small child- perhaps 5 years old with silky blond hair pulled into a tail flowing down the middle of my back...and we ate those canned cherries for years.  I don't ever remember going into the basement and not having canned cherries on the shelf.  It has become one of my favorites from my childhood.


Inspired by television, of course, I have been trying my hand at the couponing.  I am not very good at it, but I realize it takes practice.  I can tell you though, that I have the nicest razor I have ever had and I could actually afford some shower lotion, which I did not even look at before because of the cost!  So, I am feeling more pampered which gives inspiration.  I am mostly excited, though, about the fantastic deals that I have been experiencing at Menards! 

Keep in mind when starting out that the coupon websites cannot give you every good deal out there, so you need to keep an eye out for great deals, too.  Are you overwhelmed?  Begin with just the free stuff to get you started.  There are many websites that will give you shopping lists.  Also, know that getting into the rebate arena requires a "start-up cost".  Thus far I am in about $400 at one store in rebates- and keep in mind the rebates are not necessarily for cash.  They are for store credit- however, once your startup costs are invested, you should be able to do a lot with the same money, over and over.

My latest excursion has left me feeling a little deflated, I tried to focus on groceries.  I did make some mistakes that cost me money, which is especially annoying if you are trying a product that you normally wouldn't buy.  I found previously that going to a self check-out relieved some of the pressure, but this time it only made it worse.  I did manage to save 25% of my bill, which is good, but again some of the items purchased I would not have normally bought.  So, this is the last lesson I learned, at first purchase groceries that you would normally need.  If you don't normally buy the frozen chicken tenders, $1 off of their $5 price tag will not save you money.

Good luck!