Home Remedies: Which Work, Which Don't, Which Are Dangerous

Tired of popping a pill for all your aches and pains? Well, the good news is that you really don't need to run to the Doctor or self medicate every time something goes wrong. Try one of these home remedies:

Some household remedies have decent evidence behind them. Several of the most popular are useless, and a handful are dangerous, including two that are still widely used on babies here.

Don’t use camphor or menthol rubs on babies and young children, and don’t put them under the nose or on the chest of an infant.

They can cause breathing difficulty in young children, and camphor is toxic if swallowed. A small amount can cause seizures. These products are widely used across the region for coughs and colds and aren’t suitable under two.

Don’t put anything alcoholic on a baby’s gums for teething, and don’t rub spirits on a feverish child. Alcohol is absorbed through skin and is dangerous to infants.

Remedies with real evidence


Remedy	For
Honey, a teaspoon or in warm water	Cough in children over 12 months. Better evidence than most cough syrups. Never under one: infant botulism
Saline drops or spray	Blocked noses, at any age. Cheap, safe, and consistently underused
Oral rehydration solution	Gastroenteritis. The single most important home treatment for a vomiting child: small sips, frequently. Plain water alone isn’t equivalent
Ginger	Nausea, including in pregnancy. One of the better-supported herbal remedies
Cool running water, 20 minutes	Burns and scalds. The correct and most important first aid there is
Petroleum jelly inside the nostrils	Recurrent nosebleeds, especially in air-conditioned rooms
Oatmeal in the bath	Itchy skin, chickenpox, eczema flares. Soothing, not curative
Kiwi fruit, prunes, extra water	Constipation. Kiwi in particular has reasonable evidence
Elevation and rest	Sprains and swelling
A steamy bathroom	Croup and congestion. Never a bowl of hot water near a child: scald risk

Remedies that don’t work

Vitamin C for colds. Doesn’t prevent them, and taken after one starts it makes very little difference.
Chicken soup as medicine. Warm, hydrating and comforting, which counts for something, but not an antiviral.
Teething necklaces of any material. No mechanism, and a strangulation and choking risk.
Wrapping a feverish child in blankets to “sweat it out.” Raises temperature instead of lowering it.
Egg or coin rolling, and similar traditional practices, for fever. Harmless if gentle, and not a treatment. The risk is the delay in getting an unwell child seen.
Most immunity supplements marketed for children.

Remedies that cause harm

Butter, toothpaste, oil or ice on a burn. Butter and oil hold the heat in; toothpaste has to be scraped off later; ice damages the tissue further. Cool running water for twenty minutes, then cling film loosely over the top.
Tilting the head back for a nosebleed. Sends blood down the throat, causes vomiting, and hides whether it’s stopped. Lean forward and pinch the soft part.
Cold baths or alcohol rubs for fever. Cause shivering, which raises core temperature, and alcohol is absorbed through the skin.
Salt water as a rehydration drink, mixed by guesswork. The exact concentration counts, and getting it wrong is dangerous. Use a proper rehydration solution.
Essential oils on or near babies: eucalyptus, camphor, menthol, wintergreen. Several can cause breathing problems in infants, and some are toxic if swallowed.
Honey under 12 months, for anything.
Adult mouth gels on infant gums, some of which contain salicylate.
Unlabelled traditional remedies from overseas. Some have been found to contain lead, mercury or arsenic, occasionally as deliberate ingredients.

When to stop treating at home

Any fever in a baby under three months
Difficulty breathing: fast breathing, skin sucking in around the ribs, grunting, blue lips
A child who’s floppy, unusually sleepy or hard to wake
Signs of dehydration: far fewer wet nappies, no tears, dry mouth
A rash that doesn’t fade when pressed with a glass
Persistent vomiting, or vomiting green fluid
A burn larger than a coin, or on the face, hands or genitals
Anything getting worse, not better

Frequently asked questions

Which home remedies work?

Honey for cough in children over one, saline drops for blocked noses, oral rehydration solution for gastroenteritis, ginger for nausea, cool running water for twenty minutes on burns, petroleum jelly for recurrent nosebleeds, oatmeal baths for itching, and kiwi or prunes for constipation.

Are camphor and menthol rubs safe for babies?

No. They can cause breathing difficulty in young children, and camphor is toxic if swallowed. A small amount can cause seizures. They’re widely used in this region for coughs and aren’t suitable under two.

What should I put on a burn?

Cool running water for twenty minutes, then cling film loosely over the top. Not butter or oil, which hold the heat in; not toothpaste, which has to be scraped off; and not ice, which damages the tissue further.

Does vitamin C prevent colds?

No, and taken once a cold has started it makes very little difference. Most immunity supplements marketed for children are in the same category.

Can I make my own rehydration drink?

Not by guesswork. The concentration matters and getting it wrong is dangerous. Use a proper oral rehydration solution, which is the single most important home treatment for a vomiting child, given in small frequent sips.

When should I stop using home remedies?

Any fever under three months of age, difficulty breathing, a floppy or unrousable child, signs of dehydration, a rash that doesn’t fade under a glass, persistent or green vomiting, a burn larger than a coin or on the face or hands, or anything getting worse instead of better.

What to remember

Honey over one, saline, rehydration solution, ginger, and cool running water on burns. Those are the ones that earn their reputation.

Nothing on a burn but water. Lean forward for a nosebleed. No cold baths or alcohol rubs for fever.

And no camphor or menthol rubs on babies. That one’s dangerous and still in common use.