For nearly a century, we have been relying modern medicine to cure diseases and illnesses that have been killing or seriously disabling us as a society. And while modern medicine has been able to greatly improve people’s lives and even save them when they were severely sick, they weren’t always around to help heal people.
While modern medicine has been able to create modern miracles, generations before were using natural resources to heal their ailments. While they might not have understood, scientifically, what was healing them, they understood what worked and what didn’t.
These natural sources even provided the basis of what modern medicine is made of. It opened the door and through analyzing these remedies found in nature, we are able to understand how to concentrate those factors, creating the medicine we know today.
Natural Healers
These natural remedies have been used to fight infection since before the creation of penicillin in 1928. Including these foods regularly into your diet can assist you in protecting your body from all kinds of illnesses. Theses are the 17 foods you should be eating to fight infection in your body.
Allspice
A spice that is used often in Caribbean cuisine, allspice has antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal properties. It can fight disease causing free radicals in your body, and they fight food borne pathogens like E. coli, salmonella, and listeria.
Asparagus
Consuming asparagus boosts the white blood cell count in your system. Like allspice, it is able to fight bacteria like E.coli and salmonella, as well as staphylococcus otherwise known as a staph infection which can be deadly for some people if not treated.
Basil
This herb arrived in the west from India over 2000 years ago, bringing with it its ability to fight bacteria. The leaves of this aromatic plant can be used in cooking, or you can even apply basil oil directly to wounds to help with disinfection and healing.
Bearberry
This plant grows in Europe, Asia, and North America and can be used to treat urinary and intestinal infections with the compounds it contains. It is available in capsule and in tinctures as it’s not so great to eat raw.
Blueberries
This superfood contains compounds that counter E.coli infections, as well as tannins that inhibit bacterial growth and prevent bacteria sticking to the cell walls in the urinary tract.
Cherries
Black cherry juice works to block bacterial activity that leads to the formation of dental plaque, which helps to prevent gum disease.
Cranberries
This native to North America has components in it that prevent E.coli bacteria from taking hold in the urinary tract. It is the most effective if it’s consumed in a concentrated extract or in undiluted juice.
Echinacea
This remedy favourited by Native Americans is taken as a tincture. The tincture fights bacteria by increasing the white blood cell count in our system, strengthening our immune system.
Eucalyptus
The leaves of this Australian tree contain eucalyptol, an antibacterial used as an inhalation to treat respiratory infections or rubbed on wounds to prevent infections.
Garlic
Garlic is a staple in most cuisines or it can be taken in capsule form. It contains the antibacterial compound allicin, which can ward off potentially fatal diseases and prevent sepsis in wounds.
Goldenseal
Used by Native Americans to treat infections, this plant contains the alkaloid berberine, which boosts the immune system and attacks bacteria.
Green Tea
Used for centuries by Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners, it contains polyphenols that stop bacteria from multiplying by disrupting their metabolism.
Honey
Honey can be used to treat infections in wounds, with the most powerful variety being Manuka Honey. It is commonly used by the Maori people of New Zealand and can be used to fight antibiotic resistant Staphylococcus.
Oregano
This herb is easy to grow and is full of essential oils that possess antibacterial properties. Over the counter oregano oil can be used to treat infections in wounds.
Pomegranate
The juice of the pomegranate can prevent infections of the mouth and gums, while the rind can be used in an ointment that kills staphylococcus microbes.
Tea Tree Oil
Used externally, the oil from this Australian tree can prevent skin and wound infections and has strong antimicrobial properties.
Nature has provided us with ways to heal ourselves long before modern medicine came around. By incorporating these foods, or supplementing your medicine routine with them, you increase your chances of living a long, healthy life.
SOURCE: http://www.rd.com/health/conditions/natural-antibiotics/
