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~ Old Time Remedies ~

 

= Warning =

These old time remedies are merely displayed here to show what our ancestors used for various disorders.  It is not here for medical advice.   Always see your doctor for any illness or injury you may have.


- Arthritis -

Drink a misture of honey, vinegar, and whiskey.

Make a tea from either the seeds or leaves of alfalfa.

 

- Asthma -

Spray salty water up your nose.

Smoke or sniff rabbit tobacco.

Swallow a handful of spider webs rolled into a ball.

Bee or wasp sting.  Rub wet snuff over the sting.

 

- Bleeding -

Place a spider web across the wound

A weak solution of cider vinegar applied to cuts and wounds should stop bleeding.

Apply a poultice of spirit turpentine and brown sugar to the wound.

Use a mixture of soot from the chimney and lard.

Use pine resin.

 

- Burns -

Put hot coals on the burned place and pour water over them.  The steam will draw the fire out.

Powder hot coals and put this warm powder on the burn.

The scapings of a raw potato will draw the fire.

Put axel grease on the burned area.

Use lard and flour.

 

- Colds -

Drink whiskey and honey mixed.

Make a tea from powdered ginger, or ground up ginger roots.  Do not boil the tea, but add the powdered root to a cup of hot water and drink.  Add honey and whiskey, if desired.

Boil pine needles to make a strong tea.

Take as much powdered quinine as will stay on the blade of a knife, add to water, and drink.

Eat onions roasted in ashes.

Drink tea made from wintergreen fern.

Boil tar on the old wood stove and soak an old sheet in it and place it on the chest.

 

- Constipation -

Gather the roots of mayapple, cut out the joints, and dry the middle of the root.  Place in a cloth and beat to a powder.  Add a few drops of castor oil and roll into pills.  They keep very well.  You can also put a pinch of powder in food, or put in some syrup.

 

- Cough -

Mix one teaspoon of whiskey with a pinch of sugar, heat over a fire, and drink.

Eat a mixture of honey and vinegar.

Put some ground ginger from the store in a saucer and add a little sugar.  Put it on the tongue just before bedtime.  It burns the throat and most of the time will stop coughs.

Take some rock candy with tea.

Take a teacup of roots and stems of red horsemint, boil in a pint of water for two or three minutes, strain, and drink.

Dissolve four sticks of horehound candy in a pint of whiskey and take a couple of spoonfuls a day.

Boil one cup of wild cherry bark in a pint of water.  Add some syrup and cook until it gets thick.

 

- Cramps -

To cure cramps in the feet, turn your shoes upside down before going to bed.

 

- Croup -

Squeeze the juice out of a rosted onion and drink.

Add a little vinegar, lemon, or onion to honey and eat.

Put a drop of turpentine in a spoonful of sugar and eat.

Drink a thick syrup made of onion juice and honey.

Boil an onion, some turpentine, and some lard together.  Pour the juice on a cloth and put it on the chest.

 

- Diarrhea -

Take a tea of red oak bark.

Drink some blackberry juice.

 

- Earache -

Pour drops of juice from the buddie blooms (sweet shrub) into ear.

Dissolve table salt in lukewarm and pour this into ear.  This dissolves the wax which is causing the pain.

Put either wet ashes wrapped in a cloth, or hot ashes in a sack on ear and hold there.

Save the liquid that boils out of the ends of hickory and persimmon wood when burned, and pour this liquid into ear.

Pour castor oil, or sweet oil into ear.

Break apart a Betty bug at the neck, and squeeze one or two drops of blood into ear.

Warm a spoonful of urine and put a few drops in ear.

Put a few ashes in an old rag.  Dampen it with hot water and sleep with your head on it.

 

- Fever -

Snakeroot tea will bring it down.

Boil two roots of wild ginger in a cup of water. strain, and drink.

Boil a cup of pennyroyal leaves in a pint of water and drink.

Boil feverfew and drink tea out of it.

 

- Flu -

Gather some boneset, put the leaves in a sack, and put it in the sun to dry.  Make sure it has air or it will mold. Then cook the leaves in some water, strain, and drink.

Chew rabbit tobacco.

 

- Gall Bladder Trouble -

Take a spoonful of pure corn whiskey and Black Draught

 

- Headaches -

Bind wilted beet leaves on the forehead.

Tie a flour sack around your head.

Put several ginseng roots in a piece of broun papeer and tie to your head.

Put turpentine and beef tallow in a bandage and tie it tightly around your head.

Smear brow with crushed onions.

Rub camphor and whiskey on head.

 

- Hiccups -

Take a teaspoon of peanut butter.

Put half a teacup of dried apples in a teacup of water in a pot.   Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Strain out the remains of the apples, and drink the juice while hot.

 

- Pain Killer -

Roast some poke roots by the fire.  Scrape them clean with a knife and grind up.   Make a poultice out of the powder and apply to the bottom of the foot.  It will draw pain out of anywhere in the body.

 

- Toothache -

Put drops of vanilla straight from the bottle on the tooth.

Use burned alum.

Hold whiskey or turpentine on the tooth.

Put a few ashes in an old rag and dampen it with hot water.  Sleep with your head on it.

 

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