Folk wisdom

My grandmother used to give home remedies for common disorders.

Where I live, several prominant restaurants have teamed up with the large, well-known hospital here to highlight their healthier choices. Many of these restaurants also have take out menus with highlighted menu areas to show where they have consulted with the hospital regarding the nutritional content and that the hospital recommends the meal as a healthy choice to make.

This is actually something that I think about when I look at the menus. If a certain item sounds appetizing and has the hospital highlight or *asterix* then I am more inclined to chose it.

I love the whole idea of 'food as medicine.' Now restaurants in California are taking it to a whole new level.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/02/19/travel/20immune.php?page=2

Have been to similar restaurant's in New York's Chinatown. Certainly more enjoyable than swallowing a half dozen pills every day ... Has anyone else found a restaurant in their area that does something similar?

Whenever a family member or friend is down with a cold or whatever, homemade chicken soup seems to be the miracle cure. The American Medical Association issued a report, several years back, to the effect that there was a "magical" property in chicken soup (although they probably didn't call it that).

Fresh ginger tea and hot lemon water are among my favorite tonics. Ginger tea is both an antioxidant and energizing. Hot lemon water helps maintain liver health.

I've never heard of garlic wine and can't imagine trying to drink it down! However, there are so many old-fashioned cures across many cultures that seem to work better than anything you can buy over the counter!

Not sure if this falls under the umbrella of alternative, but when I have a cold, my wonderful mother-in-law, who is from Vietnam always makes me drink her homemade garlic wine. The first time I tried it, I have to admit I was a skeptic. It's in a tea jar that she keeps in her pantry and frankly, it's not the best-smelling stuff. My husband laughed at me while I choked it down. The next day though, I started to feel better. No kidding. A few days later, I was feeling like myself.

Her other remedy -- eating rose hips when you have a cold. I've heard Rose Hips contain Vitamin C. While I've nibbled on a few just for curiosity sake, I can't vouch for them bringing me out of a winter funk.

What else is working for you?