Over the last few years, I’ve transitioned our family to a natural lifestyle. By making simple, sustainable changes to our habits, my family’s health is better than ever.

Natural remedies have played an important part in this journey. I regularly use herbs, essential oils and supplements to prevent and treat illness and other ailments in my family. They’re also used to boost energy, lift our moods and soothe tension.

Incorporating these modalities into your life doesn’t have to be complicated. After years of learning about alternative healthcare and putting it into practice, I’ve been able to simplify my routine so that it seems like second nature.

After all, living a more natural lifestyle should be more…natural.

To simplify things when we were just starting out with natural remedies (and so my husband would have a cheat-sheet if I was ever sick or the kids were when I was not at home), I put together a quick reference for natural remedies we used most often in our house.

Natural Remedy Cheat Sheet

Acne

Dab tea tree essential oil onto acne for a quick-healing spot treatment. (Find 100% pure essential oils here.)

Dab frankincense essential oil onto acne scars to reduce appearance.

Bruises

Apply multipurpose herbal healing ointment to the bruise a few times a day.

Burns

Apply 100% pure lavender essential oil to a fresh burn to ease pain and speed healing. (Find it here.)

Apply a layer of herbal healing ointment to reduce pain and inflammation.

Chest congestion

Whip up some homemade vapor rub and use a few times a day and apply before bed.

Coughs

Cramps

Drink a few cups of herbal tea for menstrual pain and cramps.

Cuts

Sprinkle on yarrow flowers before applying pressure to quickly stop bleeding. (Find organic dried yarrow here.)

Wash fresh cuts with a strong calendula infusion (how to make an infusion) to prevent infection and soothe skin.

Diaper rash

Make a multipurpose healing ointment and apply at every diaper change.

Apply a drop of pure lavender essential oil to speed healing. Dilute in a tablespoon of coconut oil. (Find 100% pure lavender EO here and organic coconut oil here.)

Diarrhea

Drink a strongly-brewed cup of peppermint tea. (Find organic dried peppermint leaves here.)

Dilute a drop of peppermint essential oil in a tablespoon of coconut oil and rub on the lower abdomen. (Find pure peppermint EO here . )

) Brew a cup of red raspberry leaf and lemon balm tea. Use ½ teaspoon of each herb. Drink throughout the day to stay hydrated, soothe the stomach and stop diarrhea. (Find these bulk herbs here.)

Headaches

Have a glass of water; you might be dehydrated.

Apply peppermint oil to your forehead and feet. Dilute with a little coconut oil first.

Layer one drop lavender essential oil and one drop frankincense essential oil on the temples and forehead. (If peppermint doesn’t work or you don’t have any.)

Insomnia/trouble sleeping/crazy kids

Give kiddos a cup of sleepy tea an hour or two before bed. Lemon balm soothes the nervous system.

Apply a drop of lavender essential oil to the bottoms of feet. Add a drop to the pillow as well.

If lavender doesn’t work, mix a drop of vetiver essential oil with a drop of a citrus essential oil. Apply to the back of the neck.

Nose bleeds

Roll half a square of toilet paper so that it resembles a tampon (for lack of a better description), roll in herbal healing ointment and insert gently into the bleeding nostril. (We use this remedy quite often.)

Owies

Gently clean with herbal bar soap and water.

Apply a layer of herbal healing ointment every few hours.

Rashes

Add one drop each of lavender and tea tree essential oils to a tablespoon of coconut oil. Apply to the rash every few hours.

Sore or scratchy throat

Rub a drop or two of lemon essential oil on the throat.

Drink a cup of marshmallow root tea. Add a little raw honey, too (don’t use raw honey under 1 year of age).

Upset tummies

Have a cup of lemon balm and red raspberry leaf tea – steep ½ teaspoon of each.

Dilute a drop of peppermint essential oil in a tablespoon of coconut oil and rub on the abdomen.

Yeast

Apply anti-fungal coconut oil to affected area several times a day.

Add probiotics to the diet. If possible, apply the probiotic, like homemade yogurt, to the affected area.

This list is by no means a comprehensive natural remedy guide, but rather a quick cheat sheet for the person who wants to use natural remedies for common issues, but doesn’t want to dig through an herbal remedy book every time something comes up. Feel free to print it off (using the print button at the end of this article) so you have your most-used remedies in one place! You can use this list for your own family and add or take away from it so that it’s most useful for you.

What would you add to the list?

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