Home Remedies: What Did Our Grandparents Know That We Sometimes Forgot?
From honey and lemon to Iron Wine: exploring the remedies handed down through generations
Some of the remedies we remember from childhood never came from a pharmacy… They came from the kitchen.
They came from grandparents, parents, traditional healers and elders who had learned them from the generations before them.
As a young lad, whenever I had a cold or flu, my Dad would make me a simple hot honey and lemon drink. There was nothing complicated about it, just hot water, lemon and honey.
It was his remedy for making me feel better.
Decades later, I still make the same drink for my own kids, even though they are now young adults. Perhaps that’s partly because it is comforting and familiar, but also because sometimes the simplest things have a way of surviving for a reason.
My introduction to traditional remedies didn’t stop there.
As an adult, my Si Kung, (Kung Fu Grand Master), would make and give me what is commonly referred as Dit Da Jow, a traditional Chinese herbal liniment used externally for bruises, swelling and impact injuries.
He called it “Iron Wine.”
He instructed me to apply it topically as part of my martial arts training, particularly for conditioning my hands, forearms and shins, as well as for the aches and knocks that inevitably came with training.
The formulas for these traditional “Iron Wines” were often closely guarded secrets, passed down through individual martial arts lineages from teacher to student.
Even though it was called Iron Wine, there was one very important instruction…
To be fair, I didn’t need much convincing. The stuff had a remarkably strong odour. Even without my Si Kung’s warning, drinking it was probably the last thing that would have crossed my mind!
But these two experiences, one from my father and one from my martial arts teacher, illustrate something fascinating about home remedies.
They are often much more than recipes.
They are knowledge passed between generations.
Before the medicine cabinet, there was the kitchen cupboard
For much of human history, people didn’t have access to modern pharmacies, antibiotics, pharmaceutical cough medicines or the enormous range of products we take for granted today.
They used what they had available.
> Plants | > Honey | > Roots | > Heat | > Food |
> Herbs | > Salt | > Leaves | > Cold | > Animal products |
> Spices | > Vinegar | > Oils | > Rest |
And perhaps most importantly, knowledge.
That knowledge was developed through observation and experience and passed from one generation to another.
Different cultures developed their own approaches.
Traditional Chinese medicine developed an extensive herbal tradition. Indigenous cultures around the world developed sophisticated knowledge of local plants and their uses. Ayurveda developed its own extensive pharmacopeia. European folk medicine relied heavily on herbs, foods and preparations made in the home.
Some of these traditions have survived for hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of years.
But longevity alone doesn’t prove that a remedy works.
And that’s where the conversation becomes particularly interesting.
Tradition vs Evidence
For practitioners working in complementary, integrative and natural health, the question isn’t necessarily:
“Is this traditional remedy natural?”
A better question might be:
“What does the evidence tell us about it?”
Some traditional remedies have subsequently been investigated scientifically and found to have useful properties.
Others may provide symptomatic relief without actually treating the underlying illness.
Some may simply make us feel better because they are warm, comforting and associated with being cared for.
And some traditional remedies may be ineffective, or potentially harmful.
That’s why the history of home remedies deserves a more nuanced conversation.
Rather than automatically dismissing traditional knowledge as “old wives’ tales”, perhaps we should also avoid assuming that everything handed down through generations is safe or effective.
The interesting territory lies somewhere in between.
The humble honey and lemon drink
Let’s start with the remedy that began my own journey.
Hot honey and lemon has been used for generations as a soothing drink during colds and coughs.
Modern health guidance still recognises warm honey and lemon as a reasonable way of soothing a cough or sore throat. The NHS notes that it can have a similar soothing effect to some cough medicines, although evidence for its effectiveness remains limited. (nhs.uk)
There is also some evidence that honey itself may reduce coughing, particularly in children over one year of age. (Mayo Clinic)
But there is an important distinction.
Honey and lemon don’t magically “cure” a viral infection.
They may simply help someone feel more comfortable while their body deals with it.
And sometimes that’s exactly what a home remedy is supposed to do.
One important safety point should never be forgotten:
Honey should not be given to babies under 12 months because of the risk of infant botulism. (Mayo Clinic)
The remedies that make us ask questions
Honey and lemon are relatively straightforward.
But what about garlic?
Ginger?
Turmeric?
Apple cider vinegar?
Echinacea?
Elderberry?
Peppermint?
Traditional herbal teas?
Essential oils?
Poultices?
Herbal balms?
Traditional liniments?
Some of these have plausible biological mechanisms. Some have been studied in clinical trials. Some have mixed evidence. Some have little convincing evidence at all.
And some can interact with medications or create risks when used incorrectly.
This is particularly important for practitioners.
“Natural” does not automatically mean “safe”.
A plant can contain pharmacologically active compounds. In fact, that’s precisely why many plants have been used medicinally.
The question is dose, preparation, route of administration, quality, individual circumstances and evidence.
From Iron Wine to modern liniments
My experience with Dit Da Jow is another fascinating example.
Traditional Chinese martial arts lineages developed various herbal liniments for external application following training, bruising and impact. The name Dit Da Jow is commonly associated with these traditional Chinese martial arts preparations, with different formulas often belonging to particular teachers, schools or lineages.
My Si Kung’s “Iron Wine” wasn’t something that came with a printed ingredient list, batch number or laboratory analysis.
It was something prepared within a lineage.
The knowledge was transmitted personally, from teacher to student, and the formula itself was traditionally regarded as part of the lineage’s knowledge and, in some cases, a closely guarded secret.
That was the tradition.
But traditional medicine hasn’t stood still.
Today’s TCM practitioners and manufacturers operate in a very different environment, with access to modern botanical identification, controlled processing, quality testing and a greater understanding of potential contamination, adulteration, dosage and herb-drug interactions.
Medicinal herbs used in modern TCM may also be sourced internationally. South Korea, for example, has a well-established regulatory framework for herbal medicines, including the Korean Herbal Pharmacopoeia, which provides standards for herbal materials, processing and testing.
This evolution is important because concerns about herbal products have historically included contamination, adulteration, incorrect identification of herbs, heavy metals, pesticides and undeclared pharmaceutical ingredients. The U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) has highlighted such issues with some traditional Chinese herbal products.
But that doesn’t invalidate the tradition — far from it.
If anything, it demonstrates why provenance and quality control matter.
There is a world of difference between an unidentified herb gathered and prepared generations ago, and a modern medicinal herb that has been correctly identified, responsibly sourced, processed under controlled conditions and subjected to appropriate quality testing.
For practitioners today, perhaps the question shouldn’t simply be:
“Is it traditional?”
It should also be:
“Where did it come from, how was it prepared, what quality controls were applied, and what do we know about it today?”
In many ways, that represents an opportunity rather than a threat to traditional medicine — preserving the knowledge of the past while applying the science and quality standards of the present.
What actually works?
This is perhaps the most interesting question for practitioners.
And the answer isn’t always black and white.
There are at least four categories worth considering:
1. Remedies with reasonable evidence
Some traditional remedies have accumulated enough evidence to suggest they can provide genuine symptomatic or therapeutic benefit.
Honey for cough is one example where research suggests a useful effect, particularly in children over one year of age. (Mayo Clinic)
2. Remedies that may help — but evidence is limited
There are many remedies where people report benefits, and there may be plausible mechanisms, but the clinical evidence isn’t strong enough to make confident claims.
These are often the most interesting areas for further research.
3. Remedies that provide comfort rather than cure
This category is often overlooked.
A warm drink.
A bowl of soup.
A hot bath.
A soothing herbal tea.
Rest.
Being looked after.
None necessarily “cures” a viral infection.
But they can make someone feel better.
And feeling better matters.
4. Remedies that should probably stay in the past
Some traditional practices carry genuine risks.
Others involve ingredients that are toxic in particular doses.
Some preparations may become contaminated.
And some remedies can delay appropriate medical treatment.
This is where nostalgia needs to give way to common sense.
The importance of the practitioner
For today’s natural, complementary and integrative health practitioner, perhaps the role isn’t to blindly preserve every traditional remedy.
Nor is it necessarily to dismiss traditional knowledge simply because it doesn’t originate in a modern laboratory.
The role can be much more interesting:
Ask questions.
Where did the remedy originate?
Why was it traditionally used?
What was the original preparation?
What do we know about its active constituents?
What does modern research tell us?
Is there evidence that it works?
Is it safe?
Could it interact with medication?
Is the preparation standardised?
And perhaps most importantly:
Is there a better-supported alternative today?
That approach respects traditional knowledge while still applying modern standards of safety and evidence.
What did our grandparents know?
Perhaps our grandparents didn’t have all the answers.
But they certainly weren’t foolish.
They observed.
They experimented.
They remembered what appeared to help.
They passed that knowledge to their children.
And sometimes those children passed it on again.
My Dad’s honey and lemon drink became something I passed on to my own children.
My Si Kung’s Iron Wine became part of my experience of traditional martial arts.
Neither experience, on its own, proves that every traditional remedy works.
But both demonstrate something worth preserving: the conversation.
Because somewhere between ancient tradition and modern science is a fascinating question:
Which of the remedies handed down through generations actually work — and which ones should we leave in the past?
That’s where we’d love to hear from you.
As practitioners working in natural, complementary and integrative health, you’ve probably encountered your own collection of traditional remedies, some passed down through your family, others learned through your professional training, cultural traditions or personal experience.
Perhaps there’s a remedy your grandmother swore by.
Maybe there’s an old herbal preparation that you’ve continued to use in your practice.
Or perhaps you’ve come across a traditional remedy that sounds convincing but, when you looked into it more closely, simply didn’t stand up to scrutiny.
What are they?
We’d love to hear about the home remedies, traditional preparations and natural treatments that have been passed down through your family, culture or professional lineage.
Tell us what you think
Which traditional home remedy do you still believe in?
Which one surprised you by actually having some scientific evidence behind it?
And which remedy should probably have disappeared along with the old medicine cabinet?
Share your experiences, stories and opinions in the comments.
Let’s see what practitioners from different backgrounds have learned from the generations before them, and perhaps discover where traditional wisdom and modern evidence meet.
HealthWest UK — exploring natural products, traditional knowledge and the evidence behind them.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article, including any reader comments or community discussions, is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or injury. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read here.
