You wake up one day with a sore throat and your head hurts. What is the home remedy you use to feel better?

Some people make their own healing medicine. For example, tea with honey, or a shot of liquor to help sweat their cold out. The creativity that goes into making a good remedy originates from what you have around your house at the time. Once you have that one remedy that works, you will always use it.

There is no scientific way to judge if a “home remedy” works; only the person who created it can judge its effectiveness. There are some traditional home remedies that we do unknowingly.

“If you have an upset stomach, you should drink some Sprite,” suggests James Whetstone a senior at UTSA. Or if you have the flu, make sure you take extra vitamin C to boost your immune system.

Whitney Pitts, a junior at UTSA, suggests making ice pops with lemon juice, honey and some cayenne pepper for a sore throat. The ice pops are effective because the cayenne pepper can help clear the sinuses.

A common ingredient, honey, is good for a sore throat because it coats the vocal cords by soothing them with warmth. A shot of liquor may sound silly, but it can help. The liquor causes your temperature to rise, making you sweat. Many people believe you can sweat out an illness.

However, home remedies are not just for when you’re sick. There are also remedies for skincare, such as eating avocado for your skin, or applying brown sugar and honey to your acne.

Garlic is also a great acne treatment because of its anti-bacterial qualities; you just mush the garlic then blot it on the acne spot. Almond oil can be used for dry skin as a night moisturizer. The almonds are good for the skin because they contain vitamin E which promotes healthy skin and hair.

Dry hair? Use mayonnaise as a mask on the hair for hydration. Hang nails can be very painful. Soaking your nails in olive oil a couple times a week helps moisturize them without weakening them.

A home remedy is something we put together for our own good. Remedies can either be passed down from generation to generation or just discovered. Regardless of how they came about, home remedies are often a cheap and effective solution.