Leeches and the Legitimizing of Folk-Medicine

I have pollen allergies, and my eyes itch a lot (plus pollen clog tear pathways, so my eyes get dry too). It's really uncomfortable.

I found that dousing cotton pads in brewed black tea and putting it on my eyes relieve the symptoms and unclog the tear pathways pretty well. I use it as a eye drop sometimes, albeit rarely.

My niece has the same issues. My mom recommended the tea treatment, but my cousin is a firm believer in "modern medicine" and got pretty angry at her, then they visited an MD.

My mom asked what the MD recommended for the symptoms. The answer came with a defeated tone: "Cotton pads doused in brewed black tea. Can use as an eye drop if necessary".

And guess what? It works on my niece too, like it worked on me.

"Folk-Medicine" is not always snake-oil in bad sense. Of course we need to be cautious, but having prejudice against the whole category is ill-advised.

Oh, one more thing: The best anti-allergy nasal sprays I use are all-herbal. And they work better than "synthetic" ones and have no side-effects. The only downside is they are not as "potent" as synthetics and don't make my nose dry as a rock (which is an upside actually).

"What do you call alternative medicine that works? .. Medicine.