More Chicken Soup & Other Folk Remedies

Preparation Guide a BARLEY Hippocrates, the father of medicine, felt that everyone should drink barley water daily to maintain good health. Barley is rich in iron and vitamin B. It is said to help prevent tooth decay and hair loss, improve fingernails and toenails, and help heal ulcers, diarrhea, and bronchial spasms. Pearl or pearled barley has been milled. During the mill- ing process, the double outer husk is removed, along with its nutrients. A less-refined version is pot or Scotch barley. Once it's gone through a less severe milling process, part of the bran layer remains, along with some of the nutrients. Hulled barley, with only the outer, inedible hull removed, is rich in dietary fiber, and has more iron, trace minerals, and four times the thiamine (B1) than pearled barley. It's available at some health food stores, as is Scotch barley. If you can't get either, you will be able to get pearl barley at your supermarket. BARLEY WATER: Boil 2 ounces of barley in 6 cups of water (distilled water if possible) until there's about half the water--3 cups--left in the pot. Strain. If necessary, add honey and lemon to taste. a coconut milk To get the milk in the easiest way possible, you need an ice pick or a screwdriver (Phillips, if possible), and a hammer. The coconut has three little black eyelike bald spots on it. Place the ice pick or screwdriver in the middle of one black spot, then hammer the end of it so that it pierces the coconut. Repeat the procedure with the other two black spots and then pour out the coconut milk. The hammer alone should then do the trick on the rest of the coconut. Watch your fingers! (Also watch your figure. Coconut meat is high in saturated fat.) a eyewash reminder: Always remove contact lenses before doing an eyewash. You'll need an eye cup (available at drugstores). Carefully pour just-boiled water over the cup to clean it. Then, without contaminating the rim or inside surfaces of the cup, fill it half full with whichever eyewash you've selected. Apply the cup tightly to the eye to prevent spillage, then tilt your head backward. Open your eyelid wide and rotate your eyeball to thoroughly wash the eye. Use the same procedure with the other eye. a GARLIC JUICE When a remedy calls for garlic juice, peel a clove of garlic, mince it finely onto a piece of cheesecloth, then squeeze the juice out of it. A garlic press will make the job easier. a GINGER TEA Peel or scrub a nub of fresh ginger and cut it into 3 to 5 quarter-size pieces. Pour just-boiled water over it and let it steep for five to ten minutes. If you want strong ginger tea, grate a piece of ginger, then steep it, strain it, and drink it. TV personality and chef Ainsley Harriott told us that he freezes ginger, making it easier to grate. a HERBAL BATH Besides offering a good relaxing time, the herbal bath can be extremely healing. The volatile oils of the herbs are activated by the heat of the water which also opens your pores, allowing for absorption of the herbs. As you enjoy the bath, you're inhaling the herbs (aromatherapy), which pass through the nervous system to the brain, benefiting both mind and body. HERBAL BATH DIRECTIONS: Simply take a handful of one or a combination of dried or fresh herbs and place them in the center of a white handkerchief. Secure the herbs in the handkerchief by turning it into a little knapsack. Toss the herb-filled knapsack into the tub and let the hot water fill the tub until it reaches the level you want. When the water cools enough for you to sit comfortably, do so. After your bath, open the handkerchief and spread the herbs out to dry. You can use them a couple times more. Instead of using drWilen, Joan is the author of 'More Chicken Soup & Other Folk Remedies' with ISBN 9780345440624 and ISBN 0345440625.