Grands-Mères.net publishes French home remedies and household tips, gathered from family tradition and from the work of our founder. We write them down because they are part of a culture worth keeping. They are published for information only.
Nothing on this site is medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment, and nothing here replaces a conversation with a physician or a pharmacist. A traditional remedy can be pleasant, harmless and useless at the same time, and we would rather say so than promise you a cure.
Talk to a health professional first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, if the remedy is for a child or an older adult, if you live with a chronic condition, or if you are taking any medication. Plants interact with medicines more often than people expect.
Stop and seek care if symptoms are severe, unusual for you, or simply not going away. The risk with a home remedy is rarely the remedy itself. It is the time it can take up while something else goes unattended.
Essential oils are concentrated, and they are the single most common source of harm in home remedies. Never swallow them unless a qualified professional has told you to, never apply them undiluted to skin, and keep them away from the eyes and mucous membranes.
They deserve particular care around children. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health notes that menthol should not be inhaled by or applied to the face of an infant or small child, because it may affect their breathing.
Some pages link to books or products. Where those are affiliate links, we may earn a commission on a qualifying purchase, at no additional cost to you. It never changes what we recommend, and it never changes what we warn you about.
If you find an error, an outdated claim, or something that reads as riskier than we intended, write to us at contact@grands-meres.net. We would rather correct a page than defend it.