Ladies' Home Journal just published a column on home remedies. Here were some of the surprising ones (for me):

Toothpaste
It relieved a bee sting in minutes and reduced pain for more than five hours, according to one informal test -- better than eight other over-the-counter products and home remedies, including every sting cream and stick tried . Toothpaste's other "off-label" use? Zit zapping. Put a tiny dot on a pimple before bed. The pimple should be dried out and less noticeable by the next morning. But use only in emergencies. Toothpaste's fluoride can make acne worse, says Adam S. Stibich, MD, director of the Dermatology Clinic in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Dish Detergent
If you've been exposed to poison ivy, liquid dish soap could spare you from the red, itchy rash. When researchers swabbed the forearms of medical students with crushed poison-ivy leaves, then rubbed a patch with everyday dish detergent for 25 seconds before rinsing, they found that dish soap prevented a reaction in almost half the volunteers and reduced the inflammation and blistering in the rest by 56 percent. The soap works because it strips your skin of the plant oil that's responsible for causing the rash. But for it to work you need to wash within two hours of exposure, before the oil has time to bind to your skin cells, says Dr. Stibich, a coauthor of the study. He adds that any full-strength dish detergent will do the trick.

And, of course, my favorite since I love Vicks. But, thankfully, I do not have nail fungus:

Vicks VapoRub and similar topical cold remedies may be more effective than a prescription pill against the fungus that makes toenails thick, yellow, and unsightly: Thirty-eight percent of people who applied the ointment daily to affected toes were fungus-free in five to 16 months, according to a study from the Michigan State University College of Nursing, in East Lansing, compared to 35 percent for the pill. Experts recommend applying the ointment twice a day until the fungal nail has grown out and been replaced by a healthy nail.

Who knew? There were all kinds of good ones like ginger is good for morning and motion sickness and baking soda is useful to clear out earwax.

The magazine ended its column with "wacky" remedies our grandparents may have tried but are no longer relevant. Like:

Butter
Use it to relieve and heal a burn. (It actually increases the risk of an infection.)

Cigar Smoke
Puff the smoke directly into an achy ear to soothe and relieve the pain.

Raw Steak
Classic remedy for a black eye -- but an ice pack is better and won't expose you to bacteria.

LOL on the last two! What home remedies do you rely on? What other "myths" would you add to the wacky list?