Head-to-Toe Healthy

March 5, 2008— -- Home remedies are a staple of natural medicine. They are cheap and fast, often work just as well as a drugstore fix, and may be as near as your spice cabinet, refrigerator or laundry room. To update your arsenal, we asked seven experts to share their latest discoveries, from headache panaceas to simple solutions for stiff backs, indigestion, charley horses and more. Here are their surprising, patient-tested contributions.

Infuse a bag of chamomile tea in 4 to 6 ounces hot water, cool in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, then apply as a compress on eyes for 10 minutes, until it comes to room temperature. Chamomile has a mild anti-inflammatory effect.

The Expert: Paul S. Anderson, ND, associate professor of naturopathic medicine at Bastyr University

Drink up to 1/4 cup pure aloe vera gel dissolved in about half a cup of water or apple juice. Aloe vera contains an anti-inflammatory compound called B-sitosterol that soothes acid indigestion, a common cause of bad breath.

But go easy; in large doses, aloe vera can work as a laxative.

The Expert: New York-based herbalist Letha Hadady, DAc, author of Healthy Beauty

For more health tips, check out the latest issue of Prevention, on shelves now!

Irrigate the nose with contact lens saline solution, using a Neti Pot. Or try putting a few drops of eucalyptus oil on the floor of a hot, running shower and inhaling the steam that accumulates. (Note: The room may be too hot for children.)

The Expert: Benjamin Kligler, MD, MPH, research director at the Continuum Center for Health and Healing in New York City