Home Remedies - Part Ten

Whether it's grandpa's secret recipe for a hot toddy, or Uncle Bob's sure fire cure for the hiccups, home remedies have been around for a long time. Between the rising cost of medicine and the length of the lines in the waiting rooms, more and more people are turning to home remedies for their minor illnesses. This series is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to home remedies. It should go without saying that the remedies in this series are for entertainment purposes only.

Earaches

Texas Remedies:
* Urinate on your finger and stick the finger in your ear.
* Fill ear with mud made from bird droppings.
* Hold a baby over a hogpen to cure its earache.

Put into the ear a clove of garlic or a small fig toasted and bathe the feet in warm water at bedtime, taking care to stop the ears with undressed wool and to keep the head very warm at night. – The Housekeeper’s Almanac, 1842

Take some licorice and warm it slightly in ghee. Prepare a pasty mixture of the two. Then apply this mixture externally around the ear. After some minutes, relief from the earache is ensured.

Pluck some leaves of the castor plant. Introduce this in some warm sesame oil and dab the oil around the ears. Apply it as though you are giving light fomentation with the oil.

Take a piece of lean mutton, the size of a large walnut, put it into the fire and burn it for some time till it is reduced almost to a cinder; then put it into a clean rag, and squeeze it until some moisture is expressed which must be dropped into the ear as hot as a patient can stand it. – Dr. Chase’s Recipes, 1880

Put a few drops of olive oil or mineral oil in the sore ear; the oil will act as a lubricant and may help to eliminate dry, itchy symptoms of the ear infection. Warm the oil up like you would a baby's bottle, under the hot tap water for a few minutes. Make sure you test the temperature of the warmed oil before using it in your ear. The warm oil should be at body temperature. Apply it with an ear dropper and only use enough oil to coat the inner lining of the ear.

Puncture a piece of garlic, squeeze the juice out of it, and pour the juice in the ear that hurts. Garlic is known to have a natural antibiotic in it, and using the garlic juice may help the antibiotics to fight the infection.

Easy method for attracting earwigs from the ear: A person lately having an earwig creep into his ear, and knowing the particular fondness that insect has for apples, immediately apply a piece of apple to the ear, which entices the creature out, and thereby prevents the alarming conequences which might otherwise ensue. – The Family Magazine, 1741

Take a large onion and cut it into slices; put a slice of onion, then a leaf of strong tobacco, then a slice of onion again, then tobacco, until the onion is all laid up, then wrap in a wet cloth and cover in hot embers until the onion is cooked; press out the juice with heavy pressure and drop into the ear. It gives instant relief. – The Farmer’s Advocate, 1876

Hold a hair dryer set on the warm setting a little ways from your ear to allow the warm air to blow in. Do not use the hot setting because you may burn yourself. You may also apply heat to your ear using a heating pad: turn it on warm and lay the side where the earache is on the heating pad. The warm air from the hair dryer and the warm heat from the heating pad will ease the pain. Do not use the blow dryer for more than 3 to 5 minutes.

Wrap a hot water bottle in a towel. Use the towel-wrapped hot water bottle as a pillow by laying the sore ear on it. The heat from the hot water bottle will ease the pain from the sore ear.

Warm up an oven-safe plate, wrap it in a towel, and rest your aching ear right on it. The plate should be warm and comforting, not hot.

Soak the feet in warn water; roast an onion and put the heart of it into the ear as warm as it can be borne; heat a brick and wrap it up and apply to the side of the head. When the feet are taken from the water, bind roasted onions on them. Lard or sweet oil, dropped into the ear, as warm as it can be borne, is good. – Brockville Almanac, 1866

Mixture of equal parts of chloroform and laudanum, a little being introduced on a piece of cotton. The first effect is a sensation of cold, then numbness, followed by scarcely perceptible pain and refreshing sleep. – The Canadian Farm, 1864

If your ears hurt when the pressure changes, especially during descent and landing during an airplane flight, chew gum or suck on candy. The chewing or sucking will activate the muscles that send air to your inner ears, when you hear your ears "pop," you'll feel better.

If you are flying at 32,000 feet when your ears begin to ache, there's help, according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery. Pinch your nostrils shut. Take a mouthful of air and then, using your cheek and throat muscles, force the air into the back of your nose as if you were trying to blow your fingers off the end of your nose. A pop will tell you when you have equalized the pressure inside and outside your ear.

Don't sleep during an airplane descent. If you must doze off while flying, close your eyes at the beginning, not the end of the trip. You don't swallow as often when you're asleep, so your ears won't keep up with pressure changes during descent and they may hurt.

Home Remedies - Part Nine

Whether it's grandpa's secret recipe for a hot toddy, or Uncle Bob's sure fire cure for the hiccups, home remedies have been around for a long time. Between the rising cost of medicine and the length of the lines in the waiting rooms, more and more people are turning to home remedies for their minor illnesses. This series is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to home remedies. It should go without saying that the remedies in this series are for entertainment purposes only.

Coughs

Put the hair of the patient’s head between two slices of buttered bread and give the sandwich to a dog. The animal will therefore catch the cough and the patient will lose it. – A Northamptonshire, Devonshire, and Welsh Folk Remedy

Take one cup honey, half cup vinegar, one small teaspoon cayenne pepper. – the Farmer’s Advocate, 1876

Eat some dark chocolate. Chocolate can feel good on a sore throat, if you let it melt. Theobromine, a component of chocolate, has been demonstrated to relieve coughing.

A pint whiskey, 2 boxes rock candy; 1 tbl. glycerine. Put in bottle and shake, 1 tbl. at a time.

Mix 20 drops of garlic juice with pomegranate juice and drink it. It is beneficial in all types of cough. If you are averse to strong garlic, simmer the garlic until soft. Muddle one clove garlic with one tbsp honey. Stir in one tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. The combination of garlic and acidic vinegar or lemon juice really opens up sinus passages and, along with the honey, breaks up phlegm. Garlic and honey are also loaded with vitamins and have antiseptic properties.

Infuse three drachms of garlick and half an ounce of mustard seed into a quart of white wine, let it stand a week closed up and drink a glass of it as often as you please. – the Complete Vermin Killer and Useful Pocket Companion, 1778

Three newly laid eggs, unbroken, over which is poured the juice of six lemons and allow to stand for forty-eight hours. Then pick out any bits of the egg shell which are not dissolved. Add one half pound of rock candy and one pint of Jamaica brandy; mix well and bottle. Dose: one tablespoon three or four times a day. – the New Cookbook, 1806

The use of raw onion is valuable in a cough. This vegetable should be chopped fine and the juice extracted from it. One teaspoon of the juice should then be mixed with one teaspoon of honey and kept for four or five hours-it will make an excellent cough syrup and should be taken twice daily. Onions are also useful in removing phelgm. A medium-sized onion should be crushed, the juice of one lemon added to it, and then one cup of boiling water poured on it. A teaspoon of honey can be added for taste. This remedy should be taken two or three times a day.

Grind coriander and sugar candy in equal quantity and take 1 tsp. of it with a cup of rice soaked water. It will be beneficial. This will give relief from cough.

One of the most effective and nauseating-sounding cures for persistent catarrhal infections, which may cause both coughs and bronchitis, is the drinking of the warm water into which all the goodness of the cabbage or leeks has leeched during cooking. Nasty though it sounds, it does taste quite savoury and should be taken night and morning. It is also an ancient remedy for whooping-cough. This will help in treating cough.

A sauce prepared from raisins is also useful in a cough. This sauce is prepared by grinding 100 gm of raisins with water. About 100 gm of sugar should be mixed with it and the mixture heated. When the mixture acquires a sauce-like consistency, it should be preserved. Twenty grams should be taken at bedtime daily.

The Honourable Mr. Boyle’s Genuine Sirup For Coughs: This excellent remedy cannot be made too public. It is thus prepared. Take six ounces of comfrey root and twelve handfuls of plantain leaves: cut and beat them well: strain out the juice: and with an equal weight of sugar, oil it to a sirup. -1814

If you dry chestnuts (only the kernels) both the barks being taken away, beat them into powder and make the powder up into an electuary with honey, so you have an admirable remedy for the cough and spitting of blood. – Nicholas Culpeper, 1652

Buttonwood, white oak, and white ash barks, equal parts boiled in water and sweetened with honey. Dose: one tablespoon three times a day. – the Primitive Physick, 1747

Buy a chest rub that contains camphor or menthol and apply it to your throat and chest. Both of these substances have been FDA-approved as topical antitussives, which simply means they stop a cough. They should not be taken internally.

If you don’t have any store-bought chest rub, try making a mustard plaster to loosen up chest congestion. Mix one part mustard powder and two parts flour in a bowl. Add just enough water to make a paste. Spread the paste on a dishtowel, fold the towel in half, and press it against the skin. (Never put the mustard mixture directly on your skin.) Check your skin often and remove the plaster if your skin becomes too red or irritated. Some people suggest using an egg white instead of water to make a plaster that’s less likely to burn.

Home Remedies - Part Eight

Whether it's grandpa's secret recipe for a hot toddy, or Uncle Bob's sure fire cure for the hiccups, home remedies have been around for a long time. Between the rising cost of medicine and the length of the lines in the waiting rooms, more and more people are turning to home remedies for their minor illnesses. This series is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to home remedies. It should go without saying that the remedies in this series are for entertainment purposes only.

Colds

Put your hat on the table, drink well from a bottle of good whiskey until you see two hats. Then get into bed and stay there. – Canadian Prairies Remedy, 1821

One tablespoon molasses, two teaspoons castor oil, one teaspoon paregoric, one teaspoon spirits camphor. Mix them and take it often. Will cure any cold. – Canadian Pioneer’s Doctor Book

Drink plenty of fluids. Fluids may help thin the mucus, thus keeping it flowing freely and making it easier for the body to expel, along with the viral particles trapped within it. Water and other liquids also combat dehydration. So drink at least eight ounces of fluid every two hours.

Garlic soup is an old remedy to reduce the severity of a cold, and should be taken once daily. It can be prepared by boiling three or four cloves of chopped garlic in a cup of water. Garlic contains antiseptic and antispasmodic properties, besides several other medicinal virtues. The oil contained in this vegetable helps to open up the respiratory passages. In soup form, it flushes out all toxins from the system and thus helps bring down fever.

Sip chicken soup. A long-time folk remedy is now a proven fact. A cup of hot chicken soup can help unclog your nasal passages. Researchers at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach found that hot chicken soup, either because of its aroma or its taste, "appears to possess an additional substance for increasing the flow of nasal mucus." These secretions—what comes out when you blow your nose or sneeze—serve a first line of defense in removing germs from your system.

Take a quarter of a pint of horehound water, a quarter of a pint of coltsfoot water, a pound of reasons (raisins) of the sun stoned, pound the reasons very well then mingle these together then set them on the fire boule them like marmolet then take it off and put it into two ounces of honey and one spoonful mustard then set in on the fire and let it simmer a while then put it into a pot and take as much as ye quantity of a walnut first in ye morning and last at night. – A Book of Simples, 1750

Lemon is the most important among the many home remedies for common cold. It is beneficial in all types of cold with fever. Vitamin C-rich lemon juice increases body resistance, decreases toxicity and reduces the duration of the illness. One lemon should be diluted in a glass of warm water, and a teaspoon of honey should be added to it. This should be taken once or twice daily.

Vitamin C is wonderful for the cure of common cold. It can make the symptoms less severe or can shorten the length of a cold from seven days to two or three days with less coughing, sneezing, and other symptoms. In fact, vitamin C works as a scavenger in our body throwing out all toxins. If you feel a cold coming on, you should start taking Vitamin C.

Zap it with zinc. Sucking on zinc lozenges can cut colds short, to an average of four days, researchers in Great Britain and the United States have discovered. Zinc can also dramatically reduce symptoms such as a dry, irritated throat. The down side is that zinc has an unpleasant taste. There are, however, lozenges on the market that contain honey and/or citrus that are a lot easier to swallow. But do not take more than the amount recommended by your doctor. Zinc can be toxic in large doses.

This must be strictly attended to every evening, that is, whenever you pull off your shoes or stockings, run your finger between all the toes and smell it. This will certainly effect a cure. – The Long Lost Friend, 1856

Pare very thin the yellow rind of an orange, roll it up inside out and thrust a roll into each nostril. – Primitive Physick, 1747

Some of your garden's aromatherapy plants can be infused into massage oil, then rubbed into your chest. Lavender, peppermint, and yarrow can all alleviate congestion. Lavender may also stimulate immune function and induce much-needed sleep. Yarrow and elder flowers can promote sweating and help break a fever.

A humidifier will add moisture to your immediate environment, which may make you feel more comfortable and will keep your nasal tissues moist. That's helpful because dry nasal membranes provide poor protection against viral invasion.

To reduce congestion and help clear sinuses, try a steam treatment:
Put lavender, eucalyptus, or mint in a medium-sized bowl; use 8 drops if you have essential oil. Pour 2 cups of steaming hot water over the herbs or oil. Cover your head with a towel, lean over the bowl, and slowly breath in the steam. Blow your nose gently as mucus is loosened. Continue to breathe steam for about five minutes.

Apply fresh cow dung to your chest in the form of a cross.
Wear the skin of a white weasel around your neck
Put some mequite leaves under your hat.
Catching leaves in your hand which fall from the trees in the Fall will cure a head cold.
Take dried frog skins and make a powder of them. Mix with fruit juice and drink.
- Texas Remedies

Home Remedies - Part Seven

Whether it's grandpa's secret recipe for a hot toddy, or Uncle Bob's sure fire cure for the hiccups, home remedies have been around for a long time. Between the rising cost of medicine and the length of the lines in the waiting rooms, more and more people are turning to home remedies for their minor illnesses. This series is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to home remedies. It should go without saying that the remedies in this series are for entertainment purposes only.

Sore Throat

Take a sock you have worn into a boot and worked in for almost a week so that it has a bad odour. Tie it around your neck. ~ Appalachian Folk Remedy

Get three toads and tie them by the legs with a string. Let them stay in the sun until they decay away; wear the string around the neck. It is a simple and certain cure. ~ A Number of Receipts For Curing Man and Beast, 1855

Honey has long been used as a sore-throat remedy. It has antibacterial properties, which can help speed healing. It also acts as a hypertonic osmotic, which means that it draws water out of inflamed tissue. This reduces the swelling and discomfort. Add several teaspoons to 1 cup of hot water or herbal tea.

Chamomile tea is one of the best natural remedies for a sore throat. Its analgesic properties can provide rapid relief for throat pain and headaches. Administered every few hours, chamomile tea can also reduce fever and prevent dehydration.

An old home remedy for sore throats is a tea made with lemon, apple cider vinegar, cayenne, and honey. It is made by adding one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, a tiny pinch of cayenne pepper, the juice of 1/4 lemon, and one teaspoon of honey to a cup of hot water.

Honeysuckle flower is one of the most commonly used sore throat remedies in traditional Chinese medicine. Health food stores occasionally carry it, but it is primarily sold in Chinese herbal stores. Make a honeysuckle tea by bringing one quart of water to a boil using this method: add one cup of honeysuckle flowers (not the leaves), steep for at least 10 minutes, covered, and then strain. Up to four cups a day are typically recommended.

Marshmallow, a herb that grows in North America and Europe, has been used for centuries as a sore throat remedy. It contains mucilage, which is thought to coat and soothe sore throats. Make a marshmallow root tea by adding one tablespoon of the dried root to a cup (8 ounces) of boiling water, steeping it covered for at least 10 minutes, and then straining. Herbalists usually suggest drinking up to three cups a day.

Take two new-laid eggs roasted moderately hard, and the pap of two well roasted pippins. Beat them well together and add to them as much curds of posset made with ale. Having incorporated them all very well, apply the mixture very warm to the part affected, shifting it, if need be, once in five or six hours. ~ The Family Magazine, London, 1741

Sage is another effective cure for a sore throat. Half a litre of boiling water should be poured on a handful of sage leaves. When moderately cool, a little vinegar and honey should be added according to taste. This mixture should be used as a gargle. A teaspoon of this mixture call also be taken internally at the same time. Sage is highly valued because of the oils and tannins in it that give it its antiseptic and astringent properties.

A gargle prepared from fenugreek seeds has been found to be a very effective remedy for treating a sore throat. To prepare this gargle, two tablespoons of fenugreek seeds should be put in a litre of cold water and allowed to simmer for half an hour over a low flame. This should then be allowed to cool to a bearable temperature, strained, and then used entirely as a gargle.

Gargling with salt water can fight against bacteria and reduce throat inflammation and pain.

Tamarind is also beneficial in the treatment of sore throat. Tamarind water should be used as a gargle. A powder of the dry leaves and an infusion of the bark can also be used for preparation of a gargle for treating sore throat.

Tie a bag of red ants around the neck. After the ants are all dead, the throat will be well. ~ Avery’s Almanac, 1837

Apply a flannel sprinkled with spirits of hartshorn to the throat, rubbing Hungary water on the top of the head. Or, snuff a little honey up the nose. ~ Reverend John Wesley, Primitive Physick, 1747.

Cinnamon is regarded as an effective remedy for a sore throat. One teaspoon of coarsely powdered cinnamon, boiled in a glass of water with a pinch of pepper powder, and two teaspoons of honey can be taken as a medicine in the treatment of this condition. Two or three drops of cinnamon oil, mixed with a teaspoon of honey, also give immense relief. You could also use ginger along with cinnamon and honey to prepare one of the most effective sore throat remedies for quick sore throat relief. Both ginger and cinnamon are highly valued for their healing properties and have been widely used among naturalists and in traditional medicine to aid the treatment of sore throats and throat infections in a variety of sore throat home remedies.

Liquorice is a recognized home remedy for sore throat in all parts of India. A small piece of raw liquorice should he chewed or sucked for treating this condition. The healing property of the herb soothes inflammation quickly.

Slippery elm was once a popular drugstore remedy for sore throats in North America. The herb was listed in the United States Pharmacopeia, a compendium of drug standards, until 1960. A member of the elm family, the slippery elm tree (Ulmus Rubra Muhl) grows primarily in the eastern region of North America. For sore throats, herbalists use the inner bark of the tree. The inner bark contains mucilage, a gel-like substance that swells when it is mixed with water. The mucilage is thought to coat the throat, reduce irritation, and soothe sore throat. Steep 1 teaspoon of the inner bark in 2 cups boiling water, strain and drink.

Home Remedies - Part Six

Whether it's grandpa's secret recipe for a hot toddy, or Uncle Bob's sure fire cure for the hiccups, home remedies have been around for a long time. Between the rising cost of medicine and the length of the lines in the waiting rooms, more and more people are turning to home remedies for their minor illnesses. This series is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to home remedies. It should go without saying that the remedies in this series are for entertainment purposes only.

Frostbite

For frosted feet or limbs, take hog’s lard and snow, equal parts and grease three evenings with it. John Stoner’s Sympathy, 1867

A remedy for frozen feet is to wrap the feet in the skins of rabbits killed in the dark of the moon. The Farmer’s Advocate

If you have an aloe vera plant or bottled aloe vera gel, gently apply it to the frostbitten area. Aloe work against thromboxanes, substances that constrict blood vessels, When the vessels relax, the frostbitten area heals faster.

Bandage fresh sliced beets onto the frostbitten area to ease pain and tenderness. Leave the beets on until they are dry. Repeat as necessary.

Cover the frostbitten area with the inner side of a banana peel.

A horsetail bath is soothing can help rebuilding skin tissues because of its silica content.

Bury a crooked penny at the northeast corner of the cabin outside where water drops from the eaves. Kentucky Superstitions, 1820

Kill a chicken and soak the damaged feet or hands in the warm blood.
Texas Folk Medicine

Boil and mash potatoes. Add salt and apply the mixture to the frostbitten areas. If you're hungry, eat the potatoes and apply the warm water (in which the potatoes were boiled) to the frostbitten areas.

An old Norwegian remedy suggest you apply a cold mashed onion poultice.

Massage the affected area with camphor oil if the frostbite is not severe

Alternate between a hot compress (as hot as you can stand it) and ice cold compress to treat frostbitten skin. Apply a hot compress for three minutes followed by a cold compress for 30 seconds. Repeat three times each – ending with the cold compress.

Components found in cayenne pepper work towards boosting circulation and reliving pain associated with frostbite.

As soon as you feel "pins and needles" or you notice a white area on your skin, warm up the affected area slowly. Immerse the affected part into comfortably warm (100 – 105 degree Fahrenheit) water and keep replacing warm water when necessary.

Mix cow manure and milk, place in a cloth and apply to frost bitten area.
Texas Remedies

Take a white woolen cloth which has never been used before, burn it to ashes, strew these ashes upon the afflicked feet and they will heal. Albertus Magnus

Warm frozen toes by filling up a 1- to 2-liter soda bottle with hot water and rolling it back and forth underneath your feet.

Steep a teaspoon of sage in a cup of hot water for five minutes and drink it. Sage tea will help improve circulation.

Warm some olive oil and gently dab it on the frostbitten skin or apply it with a kitchen pastry brush.

Soak mullein flowers in olive oil for fifteen minutes and apply to frostbitten area.

Apply garlic oil to the infected area to prevent or help heal infection.

Home Remedies - Part Four

Whether it's grandpa's secret recipe for a hot toddy, or Uncle Bob's sure fire cure for the hiccups, home remedies have been around for a long time. Between the rising cost of medicine and the length of the lines in the waiting rooms, more and more people are turning to home remedies for their minor illnesses. This series is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to home remedies. It should go without saying that the remedies in this series are for entertainment purposes only.

Gather plenty of turds from the wild jack rabbit and dry them in the oven to keep in a jar. When a fever will not totally break, make a very strong tea of the dung and hot water. Strain it and drink it every half hour until the sweating starts. This never fails. – Texas Remedies

Create an infusion by covering one ounce of dried yarrow with a quart of boiling water. After 4 hours, strain the infusion. The infusion may be sipped as tea. Alternatively, yarrow tea may be made by steeping 1-2 teaspoons of the dried herb in one cup boiling water. Drink three times daily.

Tea bags with lemon and ginger are commercially availabl. Steep according to package directions and drink as needed. To make your own, grate 3 teaspoons of fresh ginger and steep in one cup boiling water. Strain and add lemon to taste (honey may also be added for flavor.)

Pour 1 cup of boiling water over 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds, steep for 5 minutes, and drink.

Soak 25 raisins in 1/2 cup of water. Crush the raisins in the water and strain. Add 1/2 teaspoon of lime juice to the water and drink 2 times a day.

If you're over 21, enjoy a hot toddy made by adding honey, lemon, and whiskey to hot water.

To Break a Fever, catch a grand daddy spider; pull its legs off and swallow it whole and alive. – North Carolina Folk Remedy

Apply sandalwood paste on forehead.

Slice a potato, soak the slices in vinegar for 10 minutes, and (while lying down) place the slices on your forehead with a washcloth on top. This should lower your fever in 20-30 minutes.

Dip a washcloth in a bowl of 1/2 water and 1/2 vinegar, wring it out, and apply to your forehead.

Take a bath in 4-5 gallons of room temperature water mixed with the juice of about 8-10 limes.

Add 1/2 cup of vinegar to lukewarm bath water and soak for 5-10 minutes.

For Fevers: Write upon three almond kernels the following words and take them three mornings in succession: Hasta, Hava, Shaver. Then purchase five cents worth of camphor and make small lozenges from it, and suspend these from your neck. Leave them three days and three nights in that position and remove them at the same hour of the day that they were fastened to the body. – Albertus Magnus or Egyptian Secrets

Soak two washcloths in egg whites, put on the soles of your feet, and cover with socks. Egg whites are by far the best method to lower a high temperature within minutes. The egg whites instantaneously start to draw the temperature down from the brain (where it is dangerous) to the feet (where it can do no damage).

Place a slice of raw onion on the bottom of each foot and wrap your feet in a warm blanket. It works when the onion turns brown it means your fever is gone.

Warm a mixture of 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 large crushed garlic cloves. Apply the mixture under the sole of each foot, wrap each foot with plastic, and keep on for the night. Olive oil and garlic are both wonderful home remedies for fever.

It's simple.... take a pair of socks, soak them (I mean SOAK them... like in a sink) in regular white vinegar, then put them your feet. Be sure to monitor the temperature WHILE the socks are on. It will drop in seconds.

Tie a bag containing the suffer’s nail paring to a live eel. It will carry the fever away. – Appalachian Folk Remedy

First you boil an egg or two until it's done, and you take the shell off (quickly, because the heat will escape. You need a hot egg for this to work, not a warm one), stick a coin in it (a coin made of real silver is best), and wrap it in a cloth. Then rub that rigorously over the forehead, chest, stomach, and back (this will burn, because the egg is really hot) until the egg becomes warm. When you take the silver coin out, it should have become dark because the egg 'captured' the sickness from the body. Repeat one or two more times, and you should feel better instantly.

Mix lime and olive oil together then apply it all over the body from head to toe.

Rub the juice of about 3 limes over your body.

Put twelve red ants or wood lice in a little bag and tie it around your neck. – Texas Remedies

Home Remedies - Part Three

Whether it's grandpa's secret recipe for a hot toddy, or Uncle Bob's sure fire cure for the hiccups, home remedies have been around for a long time. Between the rising cost of medicine and the length of the lines in the waiting rooms, more and more people are turning to home remedies for their minor illnesses. This series is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to home remedies. It should go without saying that the remedies in this series are for entertainment purposes only.

Headaches

Two ounces of rhubarb, sliced, one ounce of jesuit’s bark in powder, tow ounces of sugar candy, two drams of juniper berries, sinamon and nutmeg, of each a dram, a quart of wine infuse it in.
The Receipt Book of Mrs. Ann Blencowe, 1694

The juice of three or four slices of lemon should be squeezed in a cup of tea and taken by the patient for treating this condition. It gives immediate relief. The crust of lemon, which is generally thrown away, has been found useful in headaches caused by heat. Lemon crusts should be pounded into a fine paste in a mortar and applied as a plaster on the forehead. Applying the yellow, freshly pared-off rind of a lemon to each temple will also give relief.

Apples are valuable in all types of headaches. Alter removing the upper rind and the inner hard portion of a ripe apple, it should be taken with a little salt every morning on an empty stomach in such cases. This should be continued for about a week.

Take dry peacock’s dung (the white part) four ounces; millepedes, alive bruis’d, one ounce, black cherry water, white wine, each one pint and a half: Let them stand cold twenty-four hours; then having clarify’d it, by passing thro’ a flannel bag, add Langius’s antepileptick water, three ounces, spirits of lavender compound, on drachm and a half, oil of nutmeg, three drops, syrup of peony compound, six ounces, mix and give a pint nights and morning.
The Family Magazine, 1741


The flowers of henna have been found valuable in curing headaches caused by hot sun. The flowers should be rubbed in vinegar and applied over the forehead. This remedy will quickly provide relief.

Cinnamon is helpful in headaches caused by exposure to cold air. A fine paste of this spice should be prepared by mixing it with water and it should be applied over the temples and forehead to get relief.

The herb marjoram is beneficial in the treatment of a nervous headache. An infusion of the leaves is taken as a tea in the treatment of this disorder.

The herb rosemary has been found valuable in headaches resulting from cold. A handful of rosemary should be boiled in a litre of water and put in a mug. The head should be covered with a towel and the steam inhaled for as long as the patient can tolerate. This should be continued till the headache is relieved.

Chamomile has anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties, helps to ease emotional tension, and is especially helpful for tension headaches. Chamomile has a sweet, herbaceous and slightly tart fragrance. Peppermint helps to relieve pain, is antispasmodic, and stimulates circulation. The pungent menthol scent has an uplifting effect on the emotions and helps to clear the brain.

Take goat’s dung and mix it with vinegar of squils and anoint the head and temple therewith or this, frankinsence, mirrh and an egg beat them together and apply it to the head and temples.
A Book of Simples, 1750

Massage is a powerful technique for relaxing the tense muscles that contribute to headaches. By stimulating pressure points in the head and neck, you can release the blocked energy that causes tension and migraine headaches. You can easily massage your own temples, forehead, and neck, but you will have a more relaxing experience if someone else performs the massage on you. The two points located just under the base of the skull where the neck joins the head are among the most important acupressure points for the head. To find these points, place your fingers at the top vertebrae of your neck, and then move your fingers to the side approximately one inch along the base of your skull until you feel a small indentation on either side. These points may feel slightly tender. Apply firm pressure with your thumbs or the pads of your fingers, making a small rotating motion if you desire. In general, the more deeply you massage the points, the better the results. Continue massaging for one to three minutes, until you feel the tension release from your neck and head.

A hot foot bath is excellent for easing a tension headache. Fill a basin with water as hot as you can comfortably tolerate, and add ten drops of lavender essential oil. Soak your feet in the hot water, and at the same time, place a cold cloth on the back of your neck or your forehead or wherever the pain is concentrated. Relax for at least 15 minutes, replacing the cold cloth with a fresh cloth as needed to maintain a cold temperature.

Home Remedies - Part 2

Home remedies have been passed down for generations. Sometimes they’re helpful, sometimes they’re down right outrageous. This series is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to home remedies. And it goes without saying that the remedies in this series are for entertainment purposes only.






Asthma

Take the roots of skunk cabbage, dry and pulverize them and give three doses per day until cured. Give at a dose what will lay on the end of a pen knife. – John Stoner’s Sympathy, 1867

Honey is one of the most common home remedies for asthma. At the time of asthma attack a jug full of honey should be placed under the nose of the patient, within a few minutes the patient would start breathing easily. One can also mix 1 teaspoon honey in a glass of water and have it 3 times a day.

Indian gooseberry has proven valuable in asthma. Five grams of gooseberry mixed with one tablespoon of honey forms an effective medicinal tonic for the treatment of this disease. It should be taken every morning. Lemon is another fruit found beneficial. The juice of one lemon, diluted in a glass of water and taken with meals, will bring good results

String a line of crickets on a silk string and wear them crickets around the neck. Kentucky Superstitions, 1801

The roots of the bitter gourd plant have been used in folk medicine for asthma since ancient times. A teaspoon of the root paste, mixed with an equal amount of honey or juice of the holy basil leaves, given once every night for a month, acts as an excellent medicine for this disease.

A soup prepared from drumstick leaves, and taken once daily, has been found beneficial in the treatment of asthma. This soup is prepared by adding a handful of leaves to 180ml of water and boiling it for five minutes. After being allowed to cool, a little salt, pepper, and lime juice may be added to this soup.

Dip a brown paper the size of two hands in strong saltpeter water and burn the same in the room before going to bed. It will give great relief.
Farmer’s Directory and Housekeeper’s Assistant, 1851

A teaspoon of fresh ginger juice, mixed with a cup of fenugreek decoction and honey to taste, acts as an excellent expectorant in cases of asthma. The decoction of fenugreek can be made by mixing one tablespoon of fenugreek seeds in a cupful of water. This remedy should be taken once in the morning and once in the evening.

Garlic is another effective home remedy for asthma. Ten garlic cloves, boiled in 30 ml of milk, make an excellent medicine for the early stages of asthma. This mixture should he taken once daily by the patient. Garlic cloves boiled in milk or steaming ginger tea with two minced garlic cloves in it, can also help to keep the problem under control, and should be taken in the morning and evening.

Get a Mexican hairless (Chihuahua) dog and keep it nearby. The asthma will go from you to the dog. You can not use someone else’s dog. – Texas Folk Medicine, 1825

The herb bishop's weed has been found valuable in asthma. Half a teaspoon of bishop's weed should be mixed in a glass of buttermilk and taken twice daily. It is an effective remedy for relieving difficult expectoration caused by dried-up phlegm. A hot poultice of the seeds should be used for dry fomentation to the chest twice daily. The patient can also inhale steam twice a day from boiling water mixed with carom seeds. It will dilate the bronchial passages.

Safflower seeds are beneficial in the treatment of bronchial asthma. Half a teaspoon of powder of the dry seeds, mixed with a tablespoon of honey, can be taken once or twice a day in treating this disease. This acts as an expectorant and reduces the spasms by liquefying the tenacious sputum. An infusion of five grams of flowers mixed with one tablespoon of honey, taken once daily, is also useful in this disease.

Home Remedies - Part 1

Home remedies have been passed down for generations. Sometimes they’re helpful, sometimes they’re down right outrageous. This series is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to home remedies. And it goes without saying that the remedies in this series are for entertainment purposes only.






Acne

Take half a quarter Pound of Bitter Almonds, blanch, stamp them, and put them into half a pint of Spring-water, stir it together; and strain it out; then put to it a pennyworth of the Flour of Brimstone. Shake it well when you use, which must be often. Dab it on with a fine rag.
~The Complete Family Piece and Country Gentleman and Farmer’s Best Guide, 1741

Pound an orange peel with water on a piece stone and apply on acne affected areas. Orange peels are mildly acidic in nature and help to cleanse the skin of excess sebum.

You can make a face scrub out of gram flour and orange peels. Dry a few pieces of orange peel and grind them lightly so that you get a coarse powder. Mix this powder with an equal amount of gram flour and then add enough water to this powder to make it a thin paste. Massage your face with this paste and then leave it on for five minutes before rinsing it off with lukewarm or cold water.

Apply lemon juice and rose water in equal amount with a cotton ball and leave for half an hour, then wash. Repeat this remedy for 20-25 days. Lemon juice is acidic in nature and also contains Vitamin C which is beneficial to overall skin health.

If you have very sensitive skin, you can dilute the lemon juice with an equal amount of fresh mint leaf juice as this will help to reduce inflammation. This is also one of the popular home remedies for blackheads. Mix 3-4 drops of lemon juice in 1 tablespoon of sour cream, 1 tablespoon of yogurt and 1 tablespoon of grind oatmeal. Apply on face, leave the paste for 10-15 minutes and wash.

Garlic has been used successfully to heal acne. Rub with raw garlic several times a day. Garlic is known to have cured the toughest of acne problems. The outside use of garlic helps to clear the skin of spots, pimples and boils. Acne can be further cured by eating three seeds of raw garlic once on a daily basis for a month. This purifies the blood stream and ensures basic purification of blood keeping acne away. Garlic contains Allicin which is a natural antibiotic agent and this helps to prevent the spread of acne. If you have sensitive skin, you could add garlic juice to a spoon of yogurt and apply this mixture to your face. Yogurt contains several vitamins and healthy fatty acids and helps to moisturize your skin without making it oily.

Grated cucumber applied over the face, eyes, and neck for fifteen to twenty minutes has been found useful. It is the most excellent boost for the skin of the face. Its usual use prevents pimples and blackheads. Grated cucumber applied over the face, eyes, and neck for fifteen to twenty minutes has been found effective. It is the best tonic for your complexion. Its regular use prevents pimples and blackheads.

Cut a bean in half; place half of it on the pimple and bury the other half. The pimple will be gone in the morning.
~Cosmetic Recipes, 1759

Take small amount of ground almonds and honey and make a fine paste. Gently massage this paste on your face with a hot washcloth and then rinse with cold water.

Mix 1/2 cup mashed apple, 1/2 cup cooked oatmeal, 1 slightly beaten egg white and 1 tablespoon lemon juice into a fine paste and apply to your face for at least 15 minutes to 20 minutes and rinse with cold water.

Mix honey and cinnamon powder into a fine paste. Apply on the acne pimples before sleeping and wash it next morning with warm water. Repeat for 2-3 weeks, pimples will disappear forever.

A teaspoon of coriander juice, mixed with a pinch of turmeric powder, is an additional effective home medicine for pimples and blackheads. The combination should be applied to the face after carefully washing it each night before retiring. Mint juice can be used in a similar mode as coriander juice. This is one of the best home remedies for acne.

Fenugreek is a new useful therapy for acne. A paste made of the leaves of this vegetable, applied over the face each night before bed and washed with hot water in the morning, prevents pimples and blackheads.