Latino Home Remedies: Alternative Remedies Make A Comeback

"If the nineties were the decade of Prozac, all hollow-eyed and depressed, then this is the era of Xanax, all jumpy and edgy and short of breath," wrote Lisa Miller in her article "Listening To Xanax" published in New York magazine. We went from being depressed to being overly worried. The cure for both: pills.

But as alternative medicines gain ground, people are becoming skeptical about industrial pharmaceuticals. The decision to take care of our bodies in natural ways is slowly becoming a priority.

But while alternative medicine gains popularity in the U.S., Latin American cultures have relied for centuries on home remedies to cure their ailments.

For many cultures, medical treatment depended on curanderos , or healers, whose medicinal processes usually involved herbs, mysticism and spiritual rituals.

Many of these holistic approaches have survived through centuries in Latin America. It's not unheard of that one should turn to an abuela -- the "wise older woman" -- who prepares concoctions with common ingredients from her kitchen to address everyday ills. From their knowledge, one can learn the best home remedies: assuage sore throats with onions, use milk for our chapped lips and honey for cold sores.

Some are weird, some are funny and some are simply great.

Here are some of our favorite home remedies

Disclaimer: These home remedies have not been medically proven.