When one thinks of alternative medicines, acupuncture or herbal supplements usually come to mind. Though not as well known, some Eastern European home remedies also provide rapid relief for common health problems.

If you’re looking for natural ways to cure an illness, take a look at these Romanian remedies from my family:

Castravete (kaastra-vete)

We’ve all heard of cucumber eye patches used to nourish the skin during facials, but the ends are equally useful. Every time my mom peels cucumbers for salads, she saves the ends and sticks one to the skin of her forehead or one end to each temple on the sides of her head. She always tells me that cucumbers provide cooling relief for headaches and help calm pulsing migraines.

Varză (var-za)

In Romania, cabbage grows rampantly due to the cold, mountainous climate and has been used to solve many health problems, from digestive to superficial pains.

Filled with bruises and sprains after a rough sports practice? Don’t freeze your pains away with ice.

Instead, take raw cabbage leaves and spread them over the areas in pain. Cabbage has anti-inflammatory properties that calms down swelling and relieves muscle pain.

Usturoi (oos-tu-roy)

Dracula may come from Romania, but that doesn’t make all of us Romanians vampires, even though my mother is from Transylvania … Here’s my proof:

If you have an ear infection, peel two small cloves of garlic, and place one in each ear. Garlic acts as a magnet; it has very strong anti-microbial and anti-viral properties, so it works to centralize the infection, preventing it from spreading deeper in the ear canals and relieving pain at the same time.

Făină (fuh-ina)

Have you ever been told to put butter on your burns? My grandmother wouldn’t recommend it.

Butter contains live cultures that can cause bacteria to infect the broken skin. She coats burns with flour instead because it acts as an adhesive, preventing skin from cracking further and stops blisters from forming.