Birgit Frohn: “Home remedies are a very good choice for self-treatment!”
Birgit Frohn: “Home remedies are a very good choice for self-treatment!”
Interview with human biologist and medical author Birgit Frohn
"When it comes to health, the aspect of naturalness and gentleness is becoming more and more important to society; people do not want to chemically 'suppress' their complaints, but rather support their organism in healing itself. This is where tried and tested home remedies, which have been passed down from generation to generation for centuries, play an important role. They offer us a simple and inexpensive way to take our healing into our own hands." Human biologist and medical journalist Birgit Frohn , author of the compact guide "The Little Book of Home Remedies" , therefore considers the traditional applications and remedies from grandmother's wealth of experience to be a good choice for everyday complaints and illnesses."
It has become fashionable again to draw on the wealth of experience of grandmothers. How is this “comeback” of home remedies coming about?
Birgit Frohn: First and foremost because more and more people are taking action to maintain and restore their health: they treat simple ailments themselves. Natural remedies are the most popular. In this respect, grandma's home remedies are exactly the right choice for self-treatment: in addition to being natural, they are usually gentle, relatively inexpensive, and we often know some of them from childhood and trust them.
With your new guide, you have set out to bring the good old home remedies of yesteryear back into the spotlight. What motivated you to do this, and what is the great potential of this healing knowledge?
Birgit Frohn: What motivated me to do this is precisely the great potential of traditional home remedies: the old traditional folk healing knowledge is timelessly relevant and very valuable for us today too. Because it is based on natural remedies that have been proven for centuries and can be used easily and at any time.
What is special about using home remedies for everyday ailments as opposed to other alternative treatment methods?
Birgit Frohn: Using home remedies is easy and does not require any special prior knowledge. Nor is it necessary to go to the doctor or therapist: you can very well take care of your health yourself using home remedies.
For some home remedies, you only need to reach into the kitchen cupboard or spice rack, as many remedies are both food and medicine. What examples can you give us here?
Birgit Frohn: Quark, garlic and onions are the most important ingredients here. When applied externally, quark has an anti-inflammatory effect, reduces fever and relieves pain. Garlic helps with various infections thanks to its antibacterial effect and is used for earaches, among other things. And onions are real all-rounders: their essential oils are antispasmodic and expectorant, which is why onions are used for all respiratory diseases. They also have disinfectant and detoxifying properties. I would also like to mention honey and salt: honey is considered a valuable natural antibiotic, and simple table salt is good for full and foot baths as well as nasal and gargle rinses.
Not everything that grandmother knew or did was useful or successful. Do you know of any “home remedies” or “healing methods” that we should avoid today?
Birgit Frohn: Yes, for example treating open burns with honey. Such serious injuries definitely need to be treated by a doctor to avoid serious consequences.
Even though home remedies are mostly of natural origin, their use requires special care. What should you pay particular attention to?
Birgit Frohn: It must always be taken into account that the independent use of home remedies can never and must not replace a visit to the doctor in the case of serious illnesses. That is why my book always lists when medical help is absolutely necessary. Incidentally, these limits of self-treatment also apply to other therapy methods.
Which home remedies do you know from your own grandmother, and which of them do you still use yourself?
Birgit Frohn: I am a big fan of head steam baths with camomile flowers and nasal rinses for the onset of a cold or for existing colds. This always helps me a lot. I also like to use warm foot baths frequently, for colds and menstrual pain, among other things.
Book tip:
Birgit Frohn: The little book of home remedies. Tried and tested knowledge for everyday complaints from A to Z. Compact guide. Mankau Verlag 2015, paperback, 11.5 x 16.5 cm, 127 pages, 7.99 euros / 8.20 euros, ISBN 978-3-86374-264-5.
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