For over fifteen years, Grands-Mères.net has been collecting the remedies French families passed down at the kitchen table. Each one is written up the same way: what it is, how it was done, what the evidence says today, and the point where a home remedy is the wrong answer and you should see a doctor.
What French grandmothers reached for when a cold, a cough or a fever went through the house: hot infusions, honey, elderflower, steam and rest.
Colds & Flu A salt water nasal rinse, thyme steam, humid air and a ginger honey tea: the four things French grandmothers did for a cold, with the safety rules that matter.
Colds & Flu Honey, thyme, an onion syrup and five more home remedies French grandmothers used for a cough, sorted by dry or chesty, with the ages they suit.
Colds & Flu What French grandmothers did for a fever, what they got wrong about blankets, and the age thresholds that decide when a fever means calling the doctor.
Colds & Flu Garlic potion, elderflower tea, leek and black radish syrups: seven French grandmother remedies for the flu, and who should call a doctor on day one instead.
Colds & Flu Warm compresses, a salt water nasal rinse, thyme and a green clay poultice: French grandmother remedies for blocked, aching sinuses, with the safety rules.
Colds & Flu Gargles, infusions and a ginger-lemon honey tea French grandmothers relied on for a sore throat, with the ages they suit and the signs that mean strep.
Heartburn, nausea, constipation, an upset stomach: the kitchen remedies French families used before reaching for the pharmacy, and what today’s evidence says about them.
Digestion Prunes, figs, psyllium, olive oil and the colon massage: French grandmother remedies for constipation, with the water rule that makes fiber safe.
Digestion Baking soda, fennel, chamomile and raising the head of the bed: French grandmother remedies for heartburn and heavy digestion, and the pain that is not either.
Digestion Nine remedies French grandmothers have long used to stop a bout of hiccups, with the ages they suit, and when hiccups are worth a doctor's visit.
Digestion Enteric-coated peppermint capsules, psyllium, fennel and lemon balm for irritable bowel syndrome, with what the evidence supports and what it does not.
Digestion Ginger, peppermint, lemon and the wrist pressure point: what French grandmothers used against nausea, what to avoid if you have reflux, and when to call.
Digestion Rice water, cooked carrots, applesauce and chamomile: French grandmother remedies for a stomach bug, and the rehydration rules that matter far more.
Sunburn, mosquito bites, wasp stings: the cold compress comes first, and the pantry does the rest.
Skin, Bites & Stings Baking soda and cider vinegar foot baths, tea tree oil properly diluted, and the drying step that decides whether any of it works.
Skin, Bites & Stings The olive oil lotion, the wet combing routine that actually clears an infestation, and the treatments to leave on the shelf.
Skin, Bites & Stings Cold, aloe, baking soda, plantain: eight home remedies French grandmothers used to stop a mosquito bite itching, and the signs that mean it is infected.
Skin, Bites & Stings Cool compresses, an oatmeal bath, aloe and honey: what French grandmothers put on a sunburn, in what order, and the signs that mean you should call.
Skin, Bites & Stings How to treat a wasp or bee sting at home with cold, baking soda, plantain and onion, and the allergic reaction signs that mean emergency care instead.
Headaches and toothaches, and what helps while you wait to see someone about it.
Aches & Pains Ice first, heat later: the French grandmother remedies for a sore back, the 48 hour rule that decides between them, and the warning signs that mean stop and call a doctor.
Aches & Pains What to do in the thirty seconds a cramp lasts, the French remedies for afterwards, and why night cramps in one leg only are worth mentioning to a doctor.
Aches & Pains A cold compress, a glass of water, mint on the temples: the home remedies French grandmothers used for a headache, and the warning signs that need a doctor.
Aches & Pains Cold on the cheek, salt and baking soda rinses, clove: what French grandmothers used for tooth pain until the dentist, and the signs that will not wait.
The darker months and the weight they carry, treated with the seriousness they deserve.
Mind & Mood The French bedtime remedies for a night that will not start: warm milk, linden and valerian, the cool dark room, and the point where insomnia needs a doctor rather than a tea.
Mind & Mood What French households did about a stressful stretch: walking, slow breathing, linden and lemon balm, and the honest limits of a herbal tea when the pressure does not lift.
Mind & Mood Winter-pattern SAD is a form of depression, not a mood dip. What the evidence supports, what French tradition offers alongside it, and where to get help.
Canker sores, cold sores, bad breath: the small mouth troubles that ruin a week, and the French remedies that make them bearable while they heal.
Mouth & Teeth Cleaning the tongue, keeping the mouth wet, and the French remedies that help: what works for bad breath, and the point where it stops being a hygiene problem.
Mouth & Teeth Salt water, cold black tea, honey and aloe: the French remedies that make a canker sore bearable while it heals, and the ones that only make it hurt more.
Mouth & Teeth What to do in the hours when a cold sore is still a tingle, the French remedies for the days after, and how long you stay contagious.
Old household tricks for the animals of the house, and the ones to leave well alone.
Pets Litter boxes, beds, bowls and a wet dog smell: what baking soda genuinely does around a household animal, and where the old advice goes wrong.
Pets Chocolate, grapes, onions, xylitol: the everyday foods that poison dogs and cats, what to watch for, and the number to call before you wait and see.
Pets The flea comb, the home treatment that matters more than the cat, and the two products you must never put on a cat, whatever the internet says.