Whether you have an upset stomach, rash or even a cold, you can find a solution right in your kitchen!Don't say no just yet; some home remedies are simply old wives' tales that actually do work. But never forget that this is only for several conditions and does not apply for all health issues. This is maybe the most prominent mistake people make: We look for an alternative "natural" approach for almost everything. Now let's go ahead and look into home remedies that actually work. After reading this article about home remedies, you will learn how to relieve migraines, clear skin, settle an upset stomach, stop the itch of a rash and prevent bloating.Let's start with an interesting and useful example.I am sure that most of you feel tired and burned out with no energy. If you are feeling tired, try a piece of cinnamon or peppermint gum; it may instantly perk you right up. Research carried out at Wheeling Jesuit University found that participants who chewed one of these flavored gums increased their alertness by 30 percent. There you go: increased energy but no fancy vitamins, and at almost no cost - and of course no prescription!Are you having issues with bad breath?And are you familiar with aloe vera gel? If your answer is yes to both of these, then don't wait: drink up to one-quarter cup of pure aloe vera gel dissolved in about half a cup of water or apple juice. The popular aloe plant contains an anti- inflammatory compound called B-sitosterol that helps to soothe acid indigestion, which is one of the major causes of bad breath. But don't go fast; in large doses aloe vera can work as a laxative as well. Due to its popularity in recent years and growing market, aloe vera was discredited by several news articles. We still do not have a strong conclusion about its side effects, but we are clear that it really does work. Are you suffering from migraines? If you are prone to headaches or suffer regularly from migraines, give this sweet-smelling solution a try: peppermint essential oil. Rub a few dabs of the oil onto your temples and leave on for 15 to 30 minutes.Peppermint's anti-inflammatory properties will soothe your nerves. Besides the peppermint oil, there are other solutions at home for migraines that you should consider. These include a very low-fat diet, vitamin B, butterbur products and acupuncture. Butterbur-based remedies are considered the best and safest to date for the treatment of headaches. According to research published in Neurology Journal, 68 percent of participants who used a butterbur product experienced a drop of 50 percent in their migraine episodes. In addition, research in Belgium found that 60 percent of people who took 400 milligrams of vitamin B2 everyday had 50 percent fewer migraine attacks. Belly bloating is a terrible condition that can even cause difficulty buttoning up one's pants. Bloating actually occurs due to fatty meals that couldn't be broken down in the gastrointestinal system.Dandelion is found to help get rid of excess water trapped in the body and stimulate bile to break up fatty meals. So, dandelion tea has two important properties: On the one hand it is a mild diuretic, while on the other it stimulates ingestion enzymes. Try drinking one cup per day to feel the difference. A second option for bloating is ginger iced tea with mint and lemon.This tea is a strong anti-inflammatory remedy that will not only help bloating but also get rid of the unwanted effects of food that cause inflammation.Let's continue with the magical peppermint!As it is used for migraines, it can also be used to treat other bodily pains. If you have back pain, you can try to alleviate it with a peppermint-ice massage. Massages alone, or with peppermint-oil menthol and ice, are all scientifically proven pain relievers.To quickly create peppermint ice, freeze a mixture of water and two drops of peppermint oil in each segment of an ice tray. Once the ice hardens, remove the ice and have someone massage the frozen mixture directly onto your back. Don't forget that you can do the same for other painful parts of your body. Something you refrain from using more than required in your diet is salt. But science has shown that it is also useful as a remedy! Salt can be used for sinus congestion and sore throats. When you mix salt into water at a stronger concentration than the salt water in our bodies, it will help to draw fluids out of the tissue. For a sore throat, dissolve half a teaspoon of non-iodized salt in a glass of water and simply gargle with it. To flush out your sinuses, fill a clean squeeze bottle or a neti pot with the solution, lean over a sink and squeeze or pour it into your nostril. Make sure you only use sterile bottled or tap water that has previously been boiled. It was recently reported that at least two people died after cleaning their sinuses using unfiltered tap water which contained an infective microbe. Another option for sore throats is something you all know: honey!If you are suffering from a sore throat or persistent cough, don't hesitate to make this quick syrup with honey. Mix one-quarter teaspoon of cayenne pepper, one teaspoon of vinegar, two tablespoons of water and one tablespoon of honey. I personally use this formula and can confirm that it really works, especially for persistent coughs.Q&A for other scientifically proven remedies:Q: How do I treat tired or dry eyes?A: Infuse a bag of chamomile tea in a glass of hot water (boiled and set aside to cool while infusing), cool it in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, then apply as a compress with cotton pads on your eyes for 10 minutes until it warms up to room temperature. Chamomile is a flower with a mild anti-inflammatory effect. 1- What can I use to treat diarrhea? Well, almost everyone has a cure for diarrhea that doesn't work the way you want it to. Instead of taking advices from everyone else, take my advice and drink a cup of chamomile tea.This herb has an antispasmodic effect that stops contractions in the lower intestine and an anti-inflammatory effect as discussed above. 2- How can I treat motion sickness? It is a bad experience, I know.Most of the prescribed medications for motion sickness cause dizziness and fatigue instead of alleviating your condition. Motion sickness is mostly accompanied by increased salivation, which is the body's way of protecting teeth from stomach acid in the event of vomiting. All types of olives contain tannins, which help to dry the mouth out, so eating a few can eliminate the ex- cess saliva. Treating that symptom can reduce nausea and keep the body from vomiting.It may not take away your postural feelings but at least will stop you from turning inside out. 3- What should I do if my hiccups don't go away once they've started? Most of the time, hiccups make people nervous if they don't stop. Again this is a condition that a lot of people around you will advise you on. You try to hold your breath, drink cold water and maybe count to 10 but they won't go away!It seems that a spoonful of sugar does more than any other suggestion. Swallowing a teaspoon of sugar gets rid of hiccups by stimulating the vagus nerve, which makes the body forget to hiccup.Just like giving candy to a child to stop their non-stop speaking, the vagus nerve is silenced with sugar. This is a cranial nerve that conveys sensory information about the organs to the brain.When swallowing sugar, distracts it and discloses to the brain that something more important than hiccupping has come up so the diaphragm spasms stop. 4- What can I do if a bee or nonpoisonous bug bites me? If I tell you to use a meat tenderizer for this you may think I have gone crazy. A special meat tenderizer and enzyme that breaks down proteins, known as papain, is found in the juice of unripe papaya fruits. Besides degrading proteins in meat, papain can also break down toxins from bug bites and reduce the itching. Do note, however, you should only use papain on mosquito bites, bee stings, and nonpoisonous spider bites and not to break down other toxins or other species, otherwise it may cause fatal health issues.Essential elements of 'natural' medicineThere are so many other home remedies that work, but try to stick to the ones that are scientifically proven or doctor-advised.Home remedies are essential elements of "natural" medicine. They may be cheap and fast acting, work just as well as a prescription fix, and may be right in your home. To date, home remedies have often been passed down from one generation to the next, and will continue because people will always pass along something they have found to work successfully.When the remedies are tested by the standards of modern medicine, some of them have been found to have active ingredients, and many of our modern medicines were originally made from plants, like aspirin, based on white willow bark or digitalis, from foxglove.But take heed: Just because something is natural doesn't always mean it is safe or that it really works. People might feel that such remedies work, but placebos prove that this is not the case. Luckily, in today's world you can control just about anything online, and it would be great to do this check for home remedies too before using them. Keeping the balance of thought between home remedies and modern medical therapies is the key to using such remedies successfully and safely.