What is Diarrhea?

Diarrhea is frequent loose, watery stools, often accompanied by abdominal cramping and bloating.

What Causes Diarrhea?

Viral and bacterial infections, food poisoning, some medications.

Natural Remedies to Relieve Diarrhea

Luckily, there are many approaches and home remedies to bring comfort and support the body.

• Supplements

  • Probiotics
  • Zinc

• Food

  • Applesauce
  • Bananas
  • Chicken Soup
  • Oatmeal
  • Potatoes (without peel)
  • Rice
  • Toast

• Herbal Remedies

  • Bee Balm
  • Chamomile
  • Cinnamon
  • Ginger
  • Oregano

• Lifestyle

  • Drink lots of water
  • Avoid drinking:
    • Alcohol
    • Milk
    • Soda
    • Carbonated or caffeinated drinks

• Homeopathy

  • Arsenicum
  • Colocynthis
  • Cuprum arsenicosum
  • Gelsemium
  • Podophyllum
  • Sulphur
  • Veratrum album

What is a "Sleepy Girl Mocktail?"

1. Pour a half-cup of tart cherry juice into a glass.
2. Stir in a tablespoon of magnesium powder.
3. Add fizz—prebiotic soda, plain seltzer, or sparkling water.
4. Drink an hour before bedtime.

That’s the basic recipe for a Sleepy Girl Mocktail.

It all began in 2023 when Calee Shea shared on TikTok her go-to sleep aid, unsweetened tart cherry juice mixed with prebiotic soda.

A few months later, Gracie Norton added magnesium powder to the recipe, posted a video on TikTok touting the drink, and the recipe went viral again (more than a million and a half views to date).

Can Tart Cherry Juice Improve Sleep?

“There’s good evidence that drinking tart cherry juice can improve sleep duration and quality,” Samantha Cassetty, MS, RD, told TODAY.com.

When “you have adequate magnesium, you may feel calmer and have fewer physical symptoms of stress, making it easier to sleep.”

Cassetty recommends magnesium glycinate instead of magnesium citrate, which is more likely to cause digestive distress.

Cleveland Clinic dietitian Devon Peart, RD, MHSc, agrees that science supports the possibility that this beverage may help with falling asleep.

The melatonin and tryptophan in tart cherries may promote sleep, Peart says, “but some small studies suggest the main benefit is the anti-inflammatory properties.”

The bottom line, according to Peart, is making the mocktail part of “a routine that promotes sleep,” including:

• Maintaining a sleep-wake schedule.
• Using the end of the day to wind down.
• Avoiding screen use in the hour before bedtime.

Precautions

Consult your healthcare provider before trying the Sleepy Girl Mocktail, recommends Katherine Zeratsky, a registered dietitian nutritionist at the Mayo Clinic.

She also offers the following suggestions:

• Learn about the potential interactions of magnesium and tart cherry juice with medications and other supplements.
• Be mindful of the calorie count of the drink, especially if you need to watch your weight or sugar intake.
• Those who frequently get up to urinate in the night should know that drinking before bed could contribute to the problem.

Naomi Campbell. Robert De Niro. Pharrell Williams. And the star-studded list of celery juice fans goes on.

Long touted by Anthony William, a self-styled “medical medium,” the celery juice diet is one of the latest nutrition fads to trend in Hollywood and on social media.

What is The Celery Juice Plan?

Using celery juice as part of a detox or weight-loss diet starts with making 2 cups of celery juice to drink first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. William recommends waiting 15 minutes before having breakfast.

The Benefits of Celery Juice

Celery is a nutritious vegetable, and removing the fiber through juicing enhances its other components. Mostly water, celery juice is hydrating, low in sugar, and rich in vitamins C and K and other nutrients whose antioxidant properties fight free radicals in the body.

Celery, according to some studies, “may help reduce inflammation and boost cardiovascular health,” says Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, RD, a licensed dietitian and consultant to the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute.

Aside from celery juice, the results of consuming different types of celery preparations in randomized, controlled trials and meta-analyses indicate that daily intake of 1,000 milligrams a day may help with blood pressure, hyperglycemia, and triglyceride levels. There is limited human clinical trial data on celery juice as opposed to celery seeds or celery extracts.

The Cons of Celery Juice

While juicing celery concentrates its mix of nutrients, the removal of fiber presents a problem: Fiber, says Kirkpatrick, “is what makes you feel full . . . and contributes to good gut health.”

Celery juice contains a high amount of the sugar alcohol mannitol, which attracts water to the digestive tract. So, “many people report experiencing digestive side effects like diarrhea after drinking celery juice,” says Rachael Link, MS, RD. While these effects are likely to subside, Link notes that people who already have bowel conditions may suffer more pronounced symptoms.

After the day begins with 16 ounces of celery juice, you’re on your own regarding the diet you follow the rest of the day; “specifics aren’t mentioned,” says Canadian dietitian Katey Davidson, MScFN, RD. “Research also associates juice cleanses with disordered eating and a negative relationship with food,” she adds.

Celery juice can be fairly high in sodium, which may be a concern if you're on a sodium-restricted diet or have high blood pressure. Be sure to talk to your healthcare practitioner before embarking on the celery juice diet if you have high blood pressure, kidney issues, or are on a low-sodium diet.

Summary

If you’ve been impressed by stories of dramatic weight loss from the celery juice diet, find out if the success is attributable to other factors, such as exercising and removing processed foods from the diet. And if you want to try celery juice, Davidson says, “be sure to drink it as part of a healthy diet.”

Perhaps no human activity captures our fragile existence like the ability to take a deep breath. Your lungs breathe life into your body, delivering oxygen to the bloodstream and releasing carbon dioxide.

As the seasons change, we become more aware of our lungs. Some respiratory conditions require medical care, including acute asthma and any instance where you’re having difficulty breathing. Yet, herbs offer unique medicine that can improve and strengthen lung health.

Natural Cough Remedies

Several herbs have specific antispasmodic action for coughs, asthma, and other situations where the bronchi spasm.

• Wild Cherry

  Wild cherry works for dry, irritated coughs.

• Bitter Horehound

  Bitter horehound helps break up and expectorate wet coughs with thick mucus.

• Aromatic Herbs

  Menthol from peppermint as well as many other aromatic herbs such as thyme, and bee balm offer anti-spasmodic, cough-relieving properties.

• Honey

  Honey seems to aid any kind of cough.

Herbs to Soothe Throat and Lung Irritation

Some herbs can create a protective film that soothes a dry, irritated throat or lungs. These herbs include licorice root, marshmallow root or leaf, slippery elm bark, and plantain leaf. They’re primarily water-soluble, making a lovely addition to lozenges, tea blends, and syrups. Look for them on the labels of products you’re considering buying.

Fight Infection with Herbals

When an infection is present or threatens, herbs that have direct antimicrobial action and/or stimulate the immune system to better fight infection can be employed. For all of these, it’s best to start taking the herbs as soon as you suspect you’re sick.

Herbs That Help Fight Infection

• elderberry and elderflower preparations
• fresh ginger or garlic
• umcka
• echinacea

All parts of echinacea can be helpful, but may be contraindicated in allergies and autoimmune diseases such as asthma. 

Shorten Colds with Vitamin C 

Taking larger amounts of a vitamin C supplement may lead to shorter colds. Most studies examining the effects of the vitamin have used a dosage of 1 gram (g) per day, but researchers have recently found better results with higher amounts.

Participants in two studies received daily vitamin C doses ranging from none (the placebo) up to 8 g. Both studies showed significant dose-response relationships, meaning that higher amounts of the vitamin led to shorter colds.

“It would be worthwhile for individual common cold patients to test whether therapeutic 8 grams per day of vitamin C is beneficial for them,” said researcher Harri Hemilä, MD, PhD. “Self-dosing of vitamin C must be started as soon as possible after the onset of common cold symptoms to be most effective.”

Vitamin C is considered to be safe as a dietary supplement, but check with your healthcare practitioner before opting for large doses of any supplement.

Boost Immunity with Fish Oil

Taking a fish oil supplement for 12 weeks provided a significant immunity boost in overweight adults. Participants took four 1-gram capsules of a high-DHA concentrate per day and saw improvements in antibody production.