We recently explored the amazing benefits of natural foods like oregano, garlic, ginger, turmeric and echinacea. Now we’ll take a look at Cayenne Pepper, Fish Oil, Onions, Manuka Honey and Aloe Vero for everything from inflammation and soreness to helping with allergies, immunity and your average sunburn.

1. Cayenne Pepper can help relieve pain.

Cayenne peppers are thin, red peppers related to jalapenos and bell peppers that have a mild smell but a powerful taste. These peppers are dried and ground down to become the spice in your cabinet. The powerful spiciness is attributed to capsaicin, its active ingredient. It is used mostly to treat aches and pains in muscles and joints because capsaicin has been shown to reduce a chemical in your body that transfers pain messages to the brain, causing less pain felt.

Cayenne pepper also contains vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin E, potassium, manganese, and flavonoids, and it’s also often used as a home remedy to treat coughs, colds and congestion. Mix a pinch of cayenne pepper with hot tea and a teaspoon of honey, or hot water, lemon and fresh ginger to clear your sinuses. Drink this in the morning, not before bed, because cayenne pepper is also believed to enhance your metabolism and suppress your appetite for an energy boost and to promote weight loss.

Check out Global Healing Center to learn many more health benefits of cayenne pepper.

2. Manuka Honey improves immunity and skin complexion.

You may have heard that honey is a natural antibiotic. This is due to its antimicrobial properties, and it has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. Manuka honey, specifically, is believed to be one of the most beneficial types of honey in the world, being used to treat sore throats, digestive illnesses, allergies, eczema and more.

In a 2013 study, honey was found to improve wound healing, including relieving pain in burn patients and decreasing inflammatory responses: “Honey has anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. It can be used as a wound dressing to promote rapid and improved healing. These effects are due to honey’s anti-bacterial action, secondary to its high acidity, osmotic effect, anti-oxidant content and hydrogen peroxide content.” So cool!

And have you ever wondered why a teaspoon of honey instantly makes a sore throat feel better? It’s not the sugary reward! Manuka honey has the ability to reduce the expression of two Strep Throat proteins, causing relief for your poor throat. Learn more about how and why.

Battling with acne or eczema? Try a mask of pink Himalayan sea salt and honey… it should help improve complexion and leave your skin baby’s butt soft! Because of honey’s natural antibiotic and antimicrobial properties combined with its high concentration of antioxidants, it can be a remedy for so many everyday issues — I could write pages! Check out Dr. Axe’s article for a comprehensive list of all of its benefits, but because it has become such a hot commodity, distributors and manufacturers are starting to dilute honey with syrup and mislead the public. It’s important to buy local, and buy raw honey when you can. Watch the documentary Rotten on Netflix to learn more about choosing the right honey for you.

3. Fish oil supplements relieve inflammation.

Wake up sore from a tough workout the day before? Pick up some fish oil pills to help with the soreness. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that everyone eats fish, like salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, trout and tune, at least twice a week because these fish are high in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids, believed to reduce inflammation and accelerate healing, especially in muscles. The Journal of Sports Science and Medicine published a study in 2011 that said, “dietary supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids has been shown to reduce inflammation in numerous inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and Chrohn’s disease.” These fatty acids are also believed to prevent and help with heart disease. If you don’t like to eat fish, there are many supplements you can pick up to include in your daily regimen or just as needed.

4. Onions help regulate blood sugar, reduce bad cholesterol and inflammation, help prevent cancer and improve immunity.

Onions… what a superfood! That spicy taste and lasting bad breath doesn’t jive well with everyone, but unless you’re allergic, the overall health benefits are worth sucking it up. Like we said before, the most pungent foods tend to be the best for us. Onions are packed with antioxidants and amino acids. They also contain phytochemicals, which naturally occur in fruits and vegetables to help improve immunity, and these work with Vitamin C in onions to make you healthier. The chromium in onions help regulate blood sugar, and its quercetin helps prevent cancer. More nutrition facts about onions.

Onions are good for you cooked or raw, but foods in their most raw form usually tend to provide even more benefits. Pro tip: Place your onion in the refrigerator about an hour before cutting, and it will prevent you from crying! Check out these other SUPER WEIRD home remedies using onions that really work.

5. Aloe Vera is medicinal.

Aloe vera is used both topically and ingested to help with so many things from sunburns and wrinkles to constipation and overall immunity. It contains powerful antioxidant compounds that help inhibit the growth of bacteria, which is why this plant is used for so many remedies. Aloe Vera produces two substances used for medicine: the gel from the inside of its leaves and the yellow latex from just under the plant’s skin. You can use the gel topically as a remedy for skin conditions like burns, sunburns, frostbite, psoriasis, and you can drink aloe juice (with gel pulp) to treat fever, digestive problems, osteoarthritis and more. Aloe latex is taken by mouth mainly as a laxative for constipation but can also help with seizures, asthma, depression, diabetes, eye conditions, etc.

You can even grow and harvest your own aloe! The image shown is my young, quickly growing aloe plant (#proudplantmama). Check out these 21 more surprising benefits of aloe.

Live a natural life being armed now with these 10 amazing natural home remedies!

This information is based on personal experience and research. Always consult a medical professional for medical advice on curing or preventing an illness.