Home Remedy and Household Tips Using Spices

Household tips using spices are listed below. Even though spices are mainly used for cooking, they are also extensively used in medicine.

household tips using spices For example, cinnamon extract which has strong antibacterial properties is used as a natural antiseptic. Stews and curries with large chunks of cinnamon sticks thrown in also can last longer without refrigeration because of this anti-bacterial property.

You will also find some cure for common illnesses in the kitchen, these household tips using spices are useful when the visit to the doctor is troublesome for minor discomfort.

Household tips using spices are good when you try to become one with nature without resorting to man made chemicals which can be harmful and maybe even poisonous.

Toothache (especially caused by a cavity or gum infection)
Take a piece of clove, pound it into powder or simply crush it, and place the paste on where it hurts in your mouth. You will feel a tingling feeling and after a while, the pain will ebb away. I know toothache worsens during the night, so prepare this simple remedy and pop it into your mouth before your bedtime.
To get rid of cooking odour
Sometimes the smell of cooking can be overpowering. To sweeten the smell of your kitchen, boil slowly clove, cinnamon and ginger in a saucepan for 20 minutes. Previous cooking odour will go away and your kitchen will smell nice and fresh. This is a good alternative to commercially bought air freshener which may contain harmful chemicals.
Minor cuts
If your child fall and scrapes her knees, or you accidentally cut your own finger while preparing food, get a piece of cinnamon, grate it against your stone mortar, paste the powder on the wound. It is said that the resulting scar would be less noticeable using this method.
Burns or hot oil splatter
Soy sauce is a quick and easy solution for burns caused by hot soup or splatter of hot oil. Simply drench affected area with soy sauce till the burning sensation go away. I know soy sauce is not a type of spice BUT this tip is so useful and effective, I feel obliged to share it with you. (I am talking from my own experience!). Apparently, using cold milk also works.
Get rid of ants and rice weevils
Ants and rice weevils hate the smell of garlic. Simply place slightly crushed garlic cloves inside your rice bin and around the edge of your kitchen floor or cabinet where ants are known to "patrol".
Ants also hate the smell of clove. Arrange a "fortress" of cloves around that bottle of honey on your kitchen countertop.
Have nice facial skin
There are some interesting household tips using spices in the beauty department. Rubbing turmeric on your face can work wonder. I know the resulting yellow face is pretty scary but this is an ancient tip from the Indian people. I am sure you have seen some Indian ladies with yellow face around and just look at the texture of their skin - flawless!
Make spice potpourri
Another nice smelling household tips using spices is to hang potpourri at strategic places around the house or in your car. Slice thinly a few handful of fragrant pandanus leaves. Mix with rose water and petals of bouganvillae. Toss in a few pods of cardamoms and star aniseed. Leave the mixture to dry in a lacy pouch. The resulting fragrance is heavenly!
Make nice pineapple jam
Toss in a stick of cinnamon into the mixture of drained pineapple pulp and sugar in a pot over slow fire (ratio pulp to sugar 2:1), stir non-stop till thicken, the pineapple jam you get will smell very good.
Treat depression and congested nose due to cold
Boil some cinnamon in water and add a teaspoon of honey for a warm drink. Add tea leaves if you want to. You could also spray the concoction like an air freshener (minus the honey).
Soothe really bad cough and chest pain
Get half an inch of "fire ginger" (Halia bara), pound and squeeze a drop or two of its juice, mix with a teaspoon of wild honey, consume twice a day. Halia bara is smaller in diameter, has a ring of red coat under its skin. Tastes hotter than normal ginger.
Soothe stomach wind
Too much hot spicy food can sometimes make your tummy full of wind. Prepare green tea with a slice of ginger. Drink slowly. Feel its magic work. An ointment prepared with menthol and nutmeg also works wonder. Rub on your stomach sparingly. Nutmeg ointment is available at the chemist. Also good for headache or travel sickness and sea sickness.
Reduce the swelling of mumps
This is one of the household tips using spices which I used on my son when he had mumps. The inflammation of thyroid glands at the side of the neck can be very painful and uncomfortable especially to young children. Mix a little water to tamarind pulp. Simply paste the wet tamarind pulp to affected area. I know it sounds gross, but tamarind is very cooling and soothing. Leave the paste till it dries.
Reduce the heat of chillie (this time, the spice IS the culprit)
Sometimes if you slice too many fresh chillies or handle too much dried ones, your fingers are in pain with burning sensation. To reduce this, wash rice grains in your usual rice cooker pot, the act of washing your hands in water mixed with rice soothes the burning sensation. Try it.
Eliminate the smell of garlic from your hands (this time, the spice IS also the culprit)
After chopping or handling garlic, your hands smell awful. To get rid of the smell is very simple - take a stainless steel knife or other stainless steel kitchen utensils and rub your hands against the blade as if you are washing the tool under running water at your sink. The bad smell magically will disappear.
I am digressing here but leftover water used for washing rice is a good fertilizer for your household plants.
Another use for leftover rice water (the third batch used for washing rice) is to treat acne.
Simply use the water to wash your face for three consecutive mornings. I like to think of it as a detox treatment. Beats beauty salons anytime ;-)
I hope you have gained some knowledge and would try some of the household tips using spices listed above. However, if the condition persists, go and see your doctor.