Your grandma was onto something when she healed your sicknesses and scrapes with things she had in her kitchen.
Roughly 73 per cent of Canadians regularly use natural health products, such as herbal products, homeopathic medicine and vitamins, Health Canada says, and alternative treatments are increasingly accepted in doctors' offices, the New York Times reports.
So why use natural remedies? Well, these convenient, low-cost and gentle, natural antidotes have a long tradition of healing. They can also reduce dependence on harsh antibiotics, naturopath Loch S. Chandler points out in the video above.
"What we're trying to do with these natural antibacterial products is to minimize the use of antibiotics to save them for when the person really needs it," he says.
Herbs and spices and foods such as turmeric, Oregon grape, honey and goldenseal can remedy sicknesses and scrapes, the video adds. Many others can help to heal everything from rashes to arthritis symptoms.
However, physicians have seen an increase in natural remedies’ harmful reactions, particularly when mixed with prescription drugs, notes an article on Canada.com. Always alert a doctor when a serious side effect or illness presents itself.
SEE: Check out how to harness the healing powers of a few natural remedies in the gallery below:
