My grandmother taught me an “old” (lol) Chinese remedy to quell nausea and/or fever. It’s funny because it involves Coca-Cola! If you ever find yourself dizzy from a fever, the flu, etc., heat up some Coca-Cola in a pot until it starts to boil. Then add lots of chopped raw fresh ginger root, maybe about 2 tablespoons of chopped ginger per two cups of Coca Cola. Boil the concoction until the Coke absorbs the ginger thoroughly, then drink it slowly. The mixture will be a bit spicy, but about half an hour after you drink it, you will notice your nausea and fever dissipating. It’s even more effective if you wrap a warm blanket around yourself. You will sweat and get all hot, but the fever will snap and your dizziness will disappear. I tried this remedy a couple of years ago when I had the flu and it worked for me. I don’t know——but I think it has something to do with the ginger and the caffeine in the Coca Cola, and perhaps the glucose in the soft drink soothes an upset stomach or queasy feeling too.
Another Chinese remedy that my grandmother taught me is for muscular tension, stress, and headaches. I don’t know if Western people would want to try this, because it may seem bizarre and scary to some, but it helps.
Get some object that has a flat, thin, dull edge to it, like a stainless steel spoon or a large metal coin. Apply some menthol ointment like Vicks ointment to the area where you are experiencing muscular ache or malaise/headache——for example, the back of the neck, the upper back, your chest, etc. Then get someone to rub the edge of the spoon or coin on the medicated area. Rub briskly and rather firmly. After awhile, your skin will break out into a very red/purplish rash, the result of small blood vessels close to the surface of your skin. You don’t bleed, but the skin becomes reddish, usually with raised red spots. The brisk rubbing is a kind of “acupressure”, and along with the medicated menthol ointment, works on the principle of “qi” in traditional Chinese medicine. My grandmother used to get it done on her all the time whenever she felt unwell with a migraine or tension, and it always seemed to work, relieving her of the malaise. I know it may sound horrible, but she had no problems with this rather bizarre “home remedy”.