TIP #170 - OLD TIME REMEDIES I'm taking a short break from the occupations for one more post - I will return next week. I have consulted a lot of dictionaries and old time books for this tip with greatest thanks to Lynwood Montell from his booklet entitled Folk Medicine of the Mammoth Cave area. As they say as a disclaimer on television shows, "Don't try these at home"! It is interesting however, that as a Yankee transplant, I was familiar with several of these; in fact, use a couple of them to this day! Knowing that our pioneers didn't have access to antibiotics, flu shots, cough drops and many other things we take for granted, they improvised with what was around them. Many times the cure was worse than the cause! Physicians often used the same ingredients and carried herbs and supplies with them in their little black bags. Here are just a few of the more common remedies. ACNE: Juice from the leaves of a rose hip bush applied daily over the affected area. APPETITE - LOSS OF: Boil two cups of dogwood bark with 2 cups of water and drink 3 times a day. ARTHRITIS: Two tsps. of powder from a creek willow bark in a cup of water, drink morning & night. ASTHMA: Make a pillow, about ½ inch thick and fill with rabbit tobacco. This helps night attacks. Or take a stick the exact length of the sufferer, store it in the attic and the asthma would go away. Or wear amber-colored beads. BALDNESS: Rub cow dung over scalp. BED WETTING: Make a tea out of corn silks. BIRTH PAINS: Put a knife between the straw-tick and the feather bed. BITES - INSECT: Place a small amount of turpentine on the bite or hold a chaw of tobacco over it. (this is still used). BITES - SNAKE: Slice open a live chicken and leave the intestines inside. Place over the bite to draw out the poison. BLEEDING: Put chimney soot over the wound as needed; also cobwebs were used or a mushroom. BLISTERS: Scrape two carrots, add 2 tbls. lard and 2 plaintain leaves. Stew & strain, apply to blister. BLISTERS - FEVER: Put cucumber juice on them. BLOOD - TONICS: The powdered red roots of a sassafrass bush, drink 2 tablespoons a day. BLOOD - POISONING: Use green berries from bullnettle and boil in a quart of water; drink daily. BLOOD - PRESSURE: Chop several onions fine and place in a quart of water for a day. Drink a cup a day for a week. BOILS: Take out the inner skin of a raw egg and place on boil. (Used that one many times!). BRONCHITIS: Drink a mixture of honey, lemon juice and alum. (Never heard of the alum). BRUISES: One egg (shell included), 1 tbl. salt, ½ pint turpentine; one large cake of shredded camphor Gum, one tbl. coal oil or kerosene; one pint apple vinegar. Fill a bottle 2/3rds full, cork and Shake. Spread over bruise, do not bandage. BURNS: Scrape the inside of an "arsh" potato until it is a pulp and rub on the burn. CHIGGER BITES: Rub bacon rind over them. COLDS: ½ cup molasses, 1 tbl. butter, 2 tbls. White vinegar cooked 10 minutes. Take 1 tbl. every hour. OR 1 tbl coal oil, one tsp. turpentine, 1 tbl. lard. Heat and apply on chest as needed. Only wear red flannel underwear. Or, catch a sowbug and put in a bag and wear around the neck. COLIC: 1 drop peppermint and 6 tsps hot water. Give 1 tbls. every two hours. CONSTIPATION: 1 tbl. white mustard seed and 1/4th pint syrup; take 1 tbl. a day. COUGHS: ½ pint whiskey, 2 boxes rock candy; ½ tbl. glycerine. Put in bottle and shake, 1 tbl. at a time. CROUP: One piece of pine and wrap a piece of old bacon around it. Hold over coals and catch the Drippings. Give to baby as needed. CUTS: Rub cow dung over the cut. (I've had that used on bee stings when I was a child.) DIARRHEA: Boil the smallest roots of the blackberry bush in a quart of water until it boils down to 1 pint. Cool and strain, take 1-2 tbls 3 times daily. (Note, I know those who will just chew on the roots of the blackberry bush). EARACHE: Cut a twig from a hickory tree, hold over a stove until the sweet oil runs out. Use in ear. Or: Pour warm urine in the sore ear. EYES - BLACK: A peeled raw potato will draw the black out. EYEWASH: Bottle March snow - save for use during rest of year. FRECKLES: Locate a stump that has rain water standing in it and wash the face with the water. HAIR - LOSS: One bottle of alcohol, one chopped onion, 20 white birch leaves. Bring to boil, let it Sit overnight, then rub into scalp for 15 minutes. HEADACHE: Put camphor on a dry cloth and tie around the head. HIVES: Mix 2 cups of sheep manure to ½ gallon of water to make a tea and drink a cup 3 times a day! INDIGESTION: ½ ounce rhubard, ½ oz. Gentian root, ½ oz. Orange peel, 1 qt. Brandy. Drink as needed. INFECTION: ½ cup epsom salts in a pan of water, soak. INSOMNIA: 2" onion sliced up and boiled in a pint of water, strain and drink as a tea. ITCHING: Sulphur powder mixed with lard. Cover affected area. MEASLES. To break out use a 8 oz. Glass of whiskey and add 2-3 tbls. sugar, fill rest of glass with water. Or: use sheep dung and make a tea, drink tea. Chicken dung could be used also. MOLES: Squeeze juice from a milkweed plant and apply to mole. MUMPS: Mix 1 lb. Oatmeal and ½ pint yeast, heat and apply to swelling. NAUSEA: Chew mint leafs. NERVES: 1 piece rock candy in a jig of whiskey. Drink. NOSEBLEEDS: Pour a gallon of milk on the back of the victim's neck. Or fold a piece of paper over and Place on the upper lip; a bean will also work; or soak feet in cold water. PNEUMONIA: Mash cooked onions and put between two cloths, fasten to victim's chest. POISON IVY: Put washed leaves of a sweet fern in boiling water and apply to affected area. RHEUMATISM: Boil dried apple peelings, strain, drink hot 4 times daily. Or: Wear the front foot of a mole in a bag - a rabbit foot would also work. Or: turn your shoes upside down at night. Or put a Copper wire around the joint (sound familiar?), or carry sulfur in your pocket. Or break the ice and Jump into the river. Or get stung by bees. Or blind a live toad and hold it over the aching place. Or put the entrails of a chicken on your feet. Or rub with racoon grease, bacon grease, fishing worm oil, goat grease or skunk grease. Or: sleep with a dog or cat as the animal will take your pains away. SHINGLES: Kill a black chicken by wringing its head off and while the body is still warm, rub over the affected area. SINUS: 1 tsp salt and 1 cup warm water - sniff through nasal passages. SORE THROAT: 1 cup vinegar, 2 tbls. sugar and a spinkle of black pepper. Gargle. SPRAINS: Soak brown paper in vinegar and wrap around affected joint. STOMACH ACHE: 2 mint leaves in 8 oz. glass cold water, drink as needed. SUNBURN: Cider vinegar to affected areas. TEETHING: Boil catnip, steep, 1 tsp. at bedtime. THRUSH: Let an old woman (preferably a witch) blow in the child's mouth. Or, let the seventh son or daughter blow. Even the breath of a jilted lover would work. TOOTHACHE: Wad of tobacco on sore tools or two cloves (the latter I've always used!) WARTS: Rub castor oil over wart. Or take 9 grains of corn and rub them over the wart. Feed the corn to one old hen. OR: Steal a dishrag, rub it over the wart, bury the rag and when the rag is rotted, wart will disappear. © Copyright 6 August 1998, Sandra K. Gorin, All Rights Reserved, sgorin@glasgow-ky.com Sandi Gorin - A Proud Kentucky Colonel 205 Clements Ave., Glasgow, KY 43141-3409 (502) 651-9114 PUBLISHING: http://members.tripod.com/~GorinS/index.html BARREN CO WEBSITE: http://ww4.choice.net/~jimphp/barrenco/ ARCHIVES for ROOTSWEB: http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl PRAYER&PRAISE: http://www.listbot.com/subscribe/prayerandpraise