Smart Travel Advice from the New York Times

ADVENTUROUS travelers are often in a quandary: how do they pack lightly and still be prepared for the unexpected?

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Travel-savvy physicians, pharmacists and scientists suggest that some grocery items available almost anywhere can do double duty for on-the-road ailments. “You don’t need to pack a medicine chest on holiday,” said Dave Harcombe, a pharmacist in Doncaster, England. “I rely on traditional medicine to pay my mortgage,” he added. “But in certain cases, home remedies are as good as drugs. There’s a place in the world for both of them.”

Mr. Harcombe used his travel experience and that of his customers to create a list of items that he posted on the Web site silvertraveladvisor.com. Debbie Marshall, editor of the site, said the response has been enthusiastic. “It is well worth knowing some of the healing properties of common foods when traveling,” she said, noting that acquiring and using conventional medicines in certain countries can be complicated. “Pharmaceutical labels may be written in an unfamiliar language, quantities can be ambiguous and quite often nature has a remedy that will bridge the gap until more conventional aid can be found.”

“My slant is there’s nothing wrong with old wives’ tales in the kitchen or in the medicine cabinet as long as there is validity to them,” said Kent Kirshenbaum, a pharmaceutical chemist and an associate professor of chemistry at New York University.

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