June 2008
Home remedies that work
Eating artichokes for low libido. Standing on your head while drinking a glass of water for hiccups. Rubbing a radish on your
skin for warts.
While people swear by their favorite home remedies, most—including the three described above—remain unproved. Every now and then, however, a piece of folklore is scientifically validated. Sometimes that happens because a supposed cure rings true to a researcher, who decides to put it to the test. In other cases, personal experience—or a particularly persuasive grandmother—motivates a researcher to take a promising remedy out of the kitchen and into the lab.
In recent years, a handful of such cures have held up under the microscope.
This article first appeared in the June 2008 issue of Consumer Reports on Health.
While people swear by their favorite home remedies, most—including the three described above—remain unproved. Every now and then, however, a piece of folklore is scientifically validated. Sometimes that happens because a supposed cure rings true to a researcher, who decides to put it to the test. In other cases, personal experience—or a particularly persuasive grandmother—motivates a researcher to take a promising remedy out of the kitchen and into the lab.
In recent years, a handful of such cures have held up under the microscope.
This article first appeared in the June 2008 issue of Consumer Reports on Health.
