For most of human history, “natural remedies” weren’t alternative at all—they were the foundation of health. Families and communities relied on herbs, roots, teas, poultices, fasting, and spiritual practices handed down through generations. These were not called “old wives’ tales”—they were simply common sense.
The turning point came in the 1800s, when “scientific medicine” rose in influence. With the discoveries of anesthesia, vaccines, and later antibiotics, a new form of medicine gained prestige. Medical associations, largely male-led, worked hard to establish authority and discredit traditional community-based healing. The phrase “old wives’ tales” became a dismissal—used to suggest that what mothers, midwives, and herbalists had always done was superstitious or uneducated. By the early 1900s, medical schools had been standardized to focus almost entirely on pharmaceuticals and surgery, pushing natural healing into the margins.
Yet “modern” medicine was not always more effective. A striking example is the death of George Washington in 1799. When he developed a severe throat infection, his physicians treated him with the accepted medical practice of bloodletting. Over ten hours, they removed nearly forty percent of his blood, weakening him beyond recovery. Ironically, gentler remedies that doctors scorned, like rest, warm teas, and herbal infusions, might have offered him a better chance than the “advanced” medicine of the day.
For centuries, so-called “modern” medicine often relied on harsh, invasive, and unproven practices like bloodletting, mercury treatments, and toxic chemicals—methods that weakened rather than healed the body. In contrast, many of the remedies dismissed as “old wives’ tales”—ginger for nausea, garlic for infections, honey for wounds, or willow bark for pain—have now been validated by science as safe, effective, and truly beneficial. The evidence shows that nature often held the answers all along, even while “medical” procedures caused harm.
The Old Wives’ Cold Remedy Tea (Better Than Bleeding You Dry):
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Juice of half a lemon
- A pinch of grated ginger
- Optional: a dash of cayenne if you want to clear sinuses and test your courage
Sip slowly, breathe in the steam, and don’t forget to complain a little—it’s part of the cure!
To read more about removing chemicals from the body, buy the book “Heavy Metals, Chemicals & Hidden Toxins” on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Heavy-Metals-Chemicals-Hidden-Toxins/dp/B0DSV2WM5T/ or email Brenda at bl.high@gmail.com and include ‘Heavy Metals Detox’ in the subject area for more information.
Brenda High is an Independent Distributor for Avini Health at http://www.AviniHealth.com/Brenda
