Home Remedies - Are they better than antibiotics?

The pharmaceutical industry is flourishing today and with every passing day new drugs and medicines are being discovered. With the help of medicine and science people have over the years found cures to various fatal diseases like plague, cholera and pneumonia. In this day and age, just how effective are home remedies? Moreover, how many people still follow them?

Health is important to everyone. Good health allows us to go about our day without any problems and perform to the best of our abilities. When we are suffering from some ailments and health problem our body is usually weak and incapable of performing some of the basic functions. There are number of home remedies that are still being followed through out the world. Be it the fact that they’ve been time and again proved effective or simply the need to hold on to the past, these remedies are still widely used in many homes. Cough syrup is usually the last thing people want to give to a child when suffering from chest congestion; they usually opt for milder options. Antibiotics apply a great deal of load on the human body. They usually suppress the symptoms instead of actually curing the problem. This is the opposite effect most home remedies have. Ayurveda, homeopathy and herbal remedies usually find the root cause of the health problem and aim to nip it in the bud. When we suffer from indigestion a common remedy suggested is drinking mint water. Mint water has a cooling effect on the stomach and washes out all the bacteria that are irritating the stomach lining. Similarly, warm water with lime and honey or ginger tea clears the blockages in the respiratory tract and allows us to breathe properly again. Neem has antiseptic properties and kills the bacteria causing dandruff on the scalp. Cod liver oil has a cooling effect on the stomach and helps in strengthening the immunity system and bones. It’s usually given to patients recovering from diseases like jaundice. Herbal remedies don’t harm the body as they are made of natural ingredients. They rarely cause side effects and can be given to any age group. However they are known to have adverse effects when taken with certain other medication or food items. It’s a common known fact that you shouldn’t consume onions when on homeopathic medication. These remedies take a longer time to cure diseases as well. 

Whether or not these Home remedies actually work, they still remain popular amongst the masses. Nowadays many pharmaceutical companies are finding ways to incorporate these remedies into the drugs they manufacture. As a result many herbal medicines and Natural supplements are now available in the market. Medicines containing ingredients like cod liver oil, mint, ginseng, etc are now being introduced into the markets. These medicines give you the best of both worlds and have become increasingly popular.