Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Russian Folk Remedies

In February, I blogged about Russian cold remedies; come summer, let’s talk about cures for hot-weather ailments.

  • Russians put sour cream on everything—why not sunburned skin? I tried this after a few too many hours in the sun on Memorial Day. Sour cream won’t cure your sunburn, but it will soothe crispy skin. Make sure to use very cold sour cream, and smear on a thin layer. Wait 20 minutes or so, until most of it is absorbed, then gently wash off the rest. You can also use yogurt and buttermilk.

  • For tired, sore or bloodshot eyes, try the tea bag remedy. Brew some tea using tea bags (Lipton is perfectly okay for this). Remove the tea bags and let them cool, then carefully squeeze out the extra moisture. Lie down or sit back, and place a tea bag over each eye. Apply for…well, for as long as you want. This will feel very soothing and pleasant—it’s the world’s cheapest spa treatment.

Other Russian remedies:

For cooling down in hot weather—drink hot green tea, just like they do in Central Asia. 

For hangovers—drink pickle juice.

For stress and anxiety—valerian root drops and water.

For fuller hair—wash it with raw egg yolks.

2 comments:

Adina said...

I heard about putting yogurt on sunburned skin,so I guess sour cream works too!

Anna said...

LOL. I put sour cream on my sister when she was little and got sun burned. She didn't like it, but it did cool the skin and provide entertainment for me. As for green tea in hot weather... any tea (actual tea, not a tisane) would work. A tasty option is a mix of equal parts green and black tea, sugar and lemon to taste. from what I hear, a teapot of this (like 2 cups) would be enough to sustain you all day.

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