Do you remember any home remedies that your folks had to fix an illness or condition. Can't sleep--cup of warm milk .

[debm55]

Bad cold ---mustard plaster made in a pot on the stove with dry mustard, wrapped in a cloth and placed on chest.

[LakeArenal]

1. My aunt, a nurse, gave us periodic penicillin shots. (Later to be a wrong thing to do)

Also just for the hell of it my mom would dose us with castor oil.

If you have never taken caster oil, it’s disgusting.

[debm55]

5. I luckily never had. I heard it was horrible. I think it was for digestion problems.

[mopinko]

53. "regularity "

[debm55]

69. Yes. the apple a day keeps the doctor away., regularity

[LakeArenal]

96. I puked regularly!!! Every time.

[debm55]

101. I am sorry for you LakeArenal. Why did she continue to give that to you?

[LakeArenal]

121. She thought it was healthy.

She was also mentally ill. She had a bit of Münchausen by Proxy.

[debm55]

126. I am so sorry. That is rough. Peace to you LakeArenal. Love, Debbie

[LakeArenal]

138. Thanks. DU is part of my self-made family.

[GPV]

2. When my boys were babies, my Nana told me when they were teething that I should

dip a small spoon in brandy, freeze it, then give it to them mid-scream.

[debm55]

4. I did that one and for a baby with colic take for a ride in the car or place in a basket on a running drier Thank you .

[GPV]

12. Put mine on the washer during spin. Lol

[Jilly_in_VA]

3. Not them in particular

But my boss at restaurant/bar where I worked had one. If anyone (family or employee) had cold symptoms, they were given a shot of extra sharp ginger brandy . I don't know why, but it sure as heck worked. Regular ginger brandy doesn't, and it's all you can get here in the south. I've had to make my own by adding slices of fresh ginger to the regular stuff and letting it marinate for at least a year.(It takes a couple inches of the stuff)

[riversedge]

28. Mom would give us brandy lemonade when we had bad colds. We did sleep better

all 10 of us and we all grew up healthy.

[debm55]

72. Thank for sharing, Jilly_in_VA I sounds good

[debm55]

114. Thank you Jilly_in_VA

[livvy]

129. I swear it does work for some really bad colds/coughs.

I still sip on ginger brandy if I have really bad congestion and a cough. I've always felt it depended on the nature of the cold, if was bacterial vs viral, because it doesn't always work, and you do have to drink a lot of it for it to work. Maybe that's because I've only used the regular liquor store variety. I discovered it by accident once when I had a super bad cough. I was at a bar with friends, and the only thing that sounded good to me was ginger brandy, not something I would normally drink. I drank a lot of it that evening, and the next morning, the cough had broken up and within a day or two, I was able to clear them and breathe much better. I guess ginger is part of ancient Chinese medicine, used for respiratory and I think intestinal problems as well.

[Jilly_in_VA]

130. You really need the Extra Sharp stuff

IF you can get it. I think you can probably only get hold of it in the upper midwest, Wisconsin, maybe Minnesota and the Dakotas. But you can make your own by peeling and slicing at least 2-3 inches of fresh ginger and letting it marinate in a pint of regular ginger brandy (you'll probably have to drink a shot or two first) for 6-12 months

[no_hypocrisy]

6. Can't sleep

Linden Flower Tea, a/k/a Cuban Valium

[debm55]

9. Thank you no-hypocrisy. I am going to try that.

[no_hypocrisy]

24. A/K/A Tila

[SWBTATTReg]

7. Here's one that I know of, that those that live near cold springs (in the Ozarks where I grew up at), if you had caught

poison ivy, or sumac, or poison oak, and it's on your legs, stand in the cold spring for a bit (we I went trout fishing as a kid a lot), and let the waters rinse the infected areas on your legs. It works. The other thing was to put a solution of baking soda and water (enough so it would stick to the skin) over the infected areas too, it would soak up the infected areas, absorbing the oils released by the ivy infections. Also, put baking soda in a tub w/ water and soak in it.

When I was a kid, I literally caught poison ivy or something similar once a week! And yes, if you had caught it and still have it, you can catch it again, catch it multiple times, just because you caught it doesn't mean you're immune to it later.

I had to take shots for this multiple times a month to build up my immunity somewhat to this. Hated the shots, almost as bad as rabies shots. In the Ozarks, poison 'something' was always around, being that water (springs) were everywhere! And the prescribed pills sometimes that I would take for bad infections, they didn't work all that great either.

[SWBTATTReg]

10. Oh and another thing, I would consume a little baking soda too, it exudes on the skin too, which is what you want.

[electric_blue68]

19. On one of my wild food walks we learned that broad leaf (and I think narrow leaf) Plaintan were good for the ...

poison ivy, oak, and sumac.

This was waaaay after I'd have occasionally been in woodsy areas in NJ. 😄 Still good to know. I managed not to get any, unlike my cousin.

[SWBTATTReg]

21. Nice to know, but I kind of just avoid any wooded areas now, totally, to avoid catching anything! Ha ha heh. And

the one other thing that's been really bad here in the Ozarks, is ticks. They are everywhere! Maybe w/ the exceptional cold winter we had this year, it might have killed them off better than prior years, I'm hoping.

[electric_blue68]

22. Oh, I get it! As city kids it was kind of an adventure to do a bit of walking in the woods!....

Actually one time decades later when I was invited to a little village in western Switzerland where my aunt & uncle lived. She had an art studio where I'd make art w her. We did one short woods walk.

It was to see this big boulder ?10+ ft just sitting in the middle of a glade, but not coming up from the ground. It was deposited by glaciers.

Anyway, we rolled our socks over our pants legs to avoid poisonous plants, and probably ticks (ew), too.

And good luck this coming Spring!

[SWBTATTReg]

23. Thanks! The Switzerland trip sounds neat, your relatives sound neat too, an artist of all things! How neat

and to have such a history, family thing going w/ such ... Just wow!!

[electric_blue68]

25. It was an out of the blue vacation gift from her!

Her studio (lower part of the house) was big! Her biggest thing was b&w, or multi colored (carved) wood block printing,; so she had a big press. Also etching, drawing, and several children's books which she also had metal typefaces, and the set up for using them.

Their house was full of art, and craft objects! I was there for 3 weeks. Incredible!

[SWBTATTReg]

26. Wow, wow, wow!!! NEAT and what a memory to have.

[electric_blue68]

31. Ty. Oh, yeah, I have so many wonderful memories.

[debm55]

73. That's interesting. Thank you SWBATTReg

[Dorothy V]

8. I wish I could forget!

My Mom had a number of home remedies, all horrible. Cod liver oil, castor oil, iodine in vaseline rubs, oatmeal baths, and a few drops of kerosene or turpentine on a spoonful of sugar or molasses.
To make matters worse, Dad was a career USAF Medic and they'd let him bring home bottles of penicillin and the needles and syringes to administer it. Thus, I got made miserable at both ends. Maybe the idea was to make me feel so bad I'd forget how bad I felt to begin with.
By the by, when my parents met, Mom was assistant director of surgery at a hospital in Texas. But she always relied on the home remedies, the stuff her Mom doled out.

[LoisB]

50. OMG! I had forgotten about the turpentine. We got that too.

[debm55]

74. Oh how terrible, Dorothy V.

[pandr32]

11. Ginger ale.

Since we didn't often get sodas, it was a treat, but often didn't stay down.

[debm55]

75. Thank you very much pandr32. Ginger ale cures. sore throats, chest colds. stomach ache, Multi-cure.

[LakeArenal]

97. Today I can not drink 7Up because we got it when we were sick.

Ugh. I think of it every time I see 7Up.

[debm55]

102. I see your point LakeArenal.

[pandr32]

113. Ha! I think the same when I see Ginger Ale!

Memories.

[JMCKUSICK]

13. What a great question

I don't have one personally, but if we keep kicking I imagine this could be a treasure trove of home remedies with the usual disclaimer and no IVERMECTIN lol.
Bookmarked.

[JMCKUSICK]

40. Kick

[debm55]

76. Thank you JMCKUSICK

[JoseBalow]

14. Best prescription for Fever

[debm55]

77. OH you. It might take my fever away but it gives me a headache. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHH

[doc03]

15. 7 UP for an upset stomach. nt

[debm55]

17. Thank you doc03. I remember that too.

[debm55]

78. Thank you doc03, Same here, though most times it was Ginger ale

[doc03]

94. Yep, my mother was a 7 UP fan, I guess.

[debm55]

95. Haha Thank you

[3catwoman3]

16. Milk toast - yuck! When my mom was a little girl, and didn't feel well, her mother would make...

...milk toast. A piece of toast, buttered and sprinkled with sugar, placed in a bowl and covered with warm milk. She loved it and it made her feel better. She liked it all thru her adult life.

I hated it - disgustingly soggy and mushy. Because my mom had such fond memories of it making her feel better, she would insist that I eat it when I was sick. It was so gross it made me feel worse. I couldn't understand why it wasn't OK for me to have a different opinion about milk toast.

[JMCKUSICK]

43. "But it's good for you"

lol

[debm55]

80. Thanks JMCKUSICK

[debm55]

115. I didn't mind it , but could not see what it was going to do to make me better.

[yellowdogintexas]

142. I love milk toast! My mom never gave it to us as a home remedy; we just liked it

I have not made it in a long time though.

When we had any type of GI illness, the first solid food was a plain baked potato with a glass of buttermilk.

She always rinsed our hair with vinegar/water. We had very hard water and without the vinegar, our hair would get very dull. It helps with dandruff too

There used to be this old timey cough remedy (store bought) called Creo-Terpin and another one Creomulsion. My dad swore by them for breaking up a cough. It worked but guess what the name indicated: Creo = creosote and Terpin= turpentine. Nasty stuff

Another old fashioned store bought thing was a poultice specifically for 'drawing out' a boil called Antiphlogistine. Black paste, warmed up. Dang stuff worked.

[3catwoman3]

144. Antiphlogisitine - interesting name. Triggered a memory from high school science.

Phlogistin - a substance supposed by 18th-century chemists to exist in all combustible bodies, and to be released in combustion.

Why was the phlogiston theory wrong?
Antoine Lavoisier, an eighteenth-century French chemist, disproved the theory of phlogiston by showing that combustion required a gas (oxygen) and that that gas has weight. Lavoisier did this by burning elements in closed containers.

Funny the tings that lurk deep in your memory banks. I finished high school in 1969!

[debm55]

153. Thank you very much 3catwoman3, Your post is very interesting.

[debm55]

152. Thank you yellowdogintexas. I can't believe at one time turpentine was used in store bought cough syrup

[Just_Vote_Dem]

18. I think there was coca cola syrup

for stomach upset.

[debm55]

81. My friends mother used that for an upset stomach

[electric_blue68]

20. From my Greek yia-yia (grandmother)....

Last edited Sun Feb 2, 2025, 02:40 AM - Edit history (1)

A slice of eggplant repeatedly applied to a wart.

Considering what we now know about phytonutriants- it may have boosted some people's immune systems.

[electric_blue68]

38. Did it help?

[bottomofthehill]

46. I deleted my post because when I googled it

The doctor sites all said the same thing, this s an old wives tale. Do not do it, it is unsafe for infants.

[electric_blue68]

47. Got it.

[debm55]

83. That is different,Thank you

[LiberalLoner]

27. Any earaches or any kind of pain, hot water bottle.

[debm55]

84. Me too. Had a lot of earaches and sore throats.

[sinkingfeeling]

29. Grandmother would give warmed honey, lemon, and whiskey for a cough. Also, crush up some

lemon balm leaves and rub on your skin to ward of mosquitoes.

[debm55]

85. Well.that sounds great. thank you sinking feeling

[livvy]

127. Same here

Honey, lemon, and whiskey in a neat little shot. Soothed the throat and the whiskey make you sleepy.

[Mike Nelson]

30. I think it was more Mom's love, but...

[WmChris]

57. For anything respitory

[debm55]

112. Thank you Mike Nelson. But I hated that stuff. So greasy.

[greatauntoftriplets]

32. Not my parents, but a cousin.

I was staying with her, and had an upper-respiratory infection. Head cold, bronchitis, the whole shebang. She made me tea with honey and brandy. I slept soundly that night and felt better after drinking it.

[debm55]

132. Thank you greatauntoftriblets.

[Lunabell]

33. Indigestion?

Saltine crackers and milk. Also, for my asthma problems, local honey. The pollen collected by the bees was supposed to help with allergies.

[debm55]

133. Thank you very much Lunabell.

[FoggyLake]

34. Stomach bug?

Vodka. Seriously. It was thought to disinfect your innards.

[debm55]

134. Thank you FoggyLake. I didn't know that.

[applegrove]

36. Gingerale with the bubbles stirred out with the base of

a spoon for any childhood stomach issue. But mostly my mom, a doctor, sent us to school if we have a mild cold.

[debm55]

111. Thank you very much applegrove.

[buzzycrumbhunger]

37. My mum's big remedy was merthiolate or mercurochrome...

Stung like a mofo!

My biggest remedy (since I’m fairly old myself, now) is arnica gel. It’s often touted as a bruise remedy or for muscle aches, but damned if it’s not the best burn remedy EVER! I’ve burned myself on oven racks and within 5-10 minutes of smearing arnica on it, the blister, redness, and pain are GONE. Can’t imagine why this isn’t common knowledge, except that the pharmaceutical companies hate competition and it would be one more thing they’d get the FDA to remove from the shelf.

They’ve done just that to things like ginger capsules, which are massively antiinflammatory. I shattered my knee in a Boy Scout accident years ago and my orthopod had me on Percocet for two years. I finally asked him why the hell he kept prescribing it. He looked in my eyes and said I looked fine but he could write for something less strong. Sent me home with a script for fkg oxycontin (?!) and I took one pill and pitched the rest. Scary stuff. Started taking four caps of ginger twice a day, and woke up about five weeks later to realize I had no real pain and the swelling was more than half gone. From ginger. Cut back gradually and now just eat/drink lots of things with ginger in them (cookies, Reed’s Extra ginger ginger ale, ginger tea, etc.) You can still find capsules online but I have no doubt they’ll squelch sales if people realize how powerful it is.

These two gems are my contribution to a new generation of home remedies. Goodbye merthiolate!

[bottomofthehill]

48. The red line of mercurochrome in any cut.

[MLAA]

54. Grandma alway had it in a bottle. It came with a glass dauber. It would run down your leg and stain. It was used

for bug bites, ant bites and various scrapes etc. It burned like a son of a bitch, as I recall, though at the time I didn’t know what a son of bitch was. 😂

[3catwoman3]

66. It hurt worse than the cuts it was put on.

We were thrilled when Bactine came along because it didn't hurt.

[MLAA]

99. And you had to wear a 'Scarlet Letter' for a few days until it wore off!

[electric_blue68]

91. Ha, that sounds familiar when I was a kid, with the dauber, at my Aunt's house.

Oh, yeah, it stung!

[MLAA]

98. Ah the memories, it was probably 54 or so years ago for me

[electric_blue68]

119. Like 60 - 63 yrs ago for me.

[buzzycrumbhunger]

149. LOL

It’s amazing how merthiolate stories make people nostalgic, even as we wince at the memory.

[MLAA]

150. So true, got ready to blow on the bite/scratch the nanosecond grandma moved towards you with the dauber 😂

[electric_blue68]

92. Arnica montana pellets are great for -heavy- dental work! All I needed after were regular asprins...

No asprin with codine!

[debm55]

109. Thank you had the glass dauber too. It worse then putting nothing on it. I remember my pants got caught in gears of my

bike and I fell off the bike. However the bike kept going. I had a brush burn from my knee to my hip. Limp home and Mother put that on that large area. I screamed. She went to go shopping and left me there. Got out the fan and stood in front of it. Terrible.

[Ocelot II]

39. Ginger ale or 7-Up for an upset stomach, or (yuk!) milk toast. Hated that stuff.

Got smeared with Vicks Vapo-Rub for a cold, which I fought like a cornered rat. I really hated Vapo-Rub.

[3catwoman3]

51. "I really hated Vapo-Rub."

So did I, and I still do.

My dad liked to put it directly in his nostrils when he had a cold, and tried to get me to do the same. To this day, I detest the smell of menthol, and I'm now 73.

[Diamond_Dog]

56. I agree, Vapo-Rub is vile stuff!

I made such a fuss over hating it my mother never used it on me again after the first time.

Mr. Diamond’s ex sister in law used to put a dab of it on her tongue and SWALLOW it. It says explicitly on the label not to swallow it! She swore it cured her sore throat and cough.

I do not recommend swallowing it!

[3catwoman3]

58. I don't think I could get close enough to that vile stuff to even...

...think about putting in my mouth let alone actually swallowing it.

Maybe people think it works because it smells so bad it seems as if itought to do something, or because it smells so bad it distracts you from other discomforts.

Several years before I retired from my peds NP career, I began to hear mothers claiming that putting Vicks on a baby's feet when they had a cold helped unclog their noses. I thought this sounded like utter bullshit, but, attempting to remain openminded and knowing that I did not know everything, I looked it up. The only thing I found at the time was some woman's blog in which she claimed that, "This works because babies breathe through their feet."

My immediate thought was that anyone so stupid as to believe that should probably not be trusted with a baby.

[debm55]

63. I agree with you 3catwoman3. That is dumb beyond compare.

[Diamond_Dog]

70. OMG .... That's unbelievable!

I would come to he same conclusion as you did about entrusting the care of a baby to such an ignoramus!



And, yes, maybe some folks are distracted by the awful smell and forget about their cold symptoms!

[3catwoman3]

88. In 45 years, I had to bite my tongue so many times when a parent would say something...

...really outlandish. I had a dad ask when he could start putting Coca-Cola in his baby's bottle. I no longer remember what I said, but I wanted to shout, "How about NEVER!

[debm55]

64. How about the Vicks Vapor Inhaler? When I was a kid. I tried it and never used again.

[debm55]

65. I hated Vabo-rub.. It was so greasy.

[debm55]

135. Ocelot II, I hated Vicks Vapo rub sooooooo greasy

[debm55]

154. So did I, Greasy shit

[Nanuke]

41. Sunburn: Cocoa butter or vinegar.

[debm55]

62. I remember the cocoa butter. Thank you Nanuke.

[mucifer]

151. If it's mild Aloe Vera is great for sunburns.

[MiHale]

44. We have had an natural medical apothecary for all my life...

No need for the OTC stuff.

Prunella Vulgaris, Bee Balm, Dandelion Root, Plantain, Raspberry Leaves, Yarrow, Meadowsweet, Goldenrod, Comfrey, Garlic, St John’s Wort. Cedar, Pine, Black Walnut for tree stuff.


We grow it all!

[debm55]

61. Thank you very much MiHale. That sounds very interesting.

[IcyPeas]

45. Bread Poultice (also, not exactly a home remedy... but Gentian Violet)

Poultices were believed to “draw out” inflammation and infection. They were prepared for a range of complaints including boils, toothaches, bunions, abscesses, splinters, chilblains and styes. Even the treatment of serious illnesses, such as TB and cholera, often involved some form of poultice being administered to the patient. Both doctors and nurses were trained in how to make and apply them.

They were viewed as essential when treating colds, congestion or any sickness of the lungs. Instructions, published in 1912, for home nursing patients with bronchitis and pneumonia specified: “Poultices must be applied where pain is felt, which is most usually in the back, but may require to be put on both back on front. They must be really hot, though not sufficient to blister the patient . . . ”

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/poultices-the-moist-cure-all-that-came-to-a-sticky-end-1.3798036

[debm55]

55. Yes , that was it. Thank you IcyPeas. I would frequently get bronchitis. My grandmother called it a mustard plaster as

it was made with dry mustard in the small metal can and other stuff, she cooked it on the stove and placed in in a folded clothe. It was then placed on my chest. It was so hot that when I took it off the skin was bright red and hot.

[LoisB]

49. Sugar melted in vinegar or sugar melted In onion slices for sore throat. Castor Oil and

Cod Liver Oil for whatever the heck ailed you. Both of those would cure or prevent any and every ailment known to humans. Of course, you had to be able to keep it down.

[debm55]

52. oh my that does sound bad. Thank you LoisB.

[chowder66]

59. Butter.

It was a running joke with my dad. He would always say to use butter for everything. Bee sting? Butter. Chicken pox? Butter. Broken bone? Butter.

I miss my dad.

[debm55]

60. That is funny chowder66. May the memories of your father bring you blessings/

[chowder66]

71. Thanks debm55. You pulled that memory out!

[debm55]

110. Your welcome.

[if..fish..had..wings]

67. Grandma's Salve

It was actually my Grandfather's Grandmother it was named after. Or so I thought until late in my Grandfather's life when he admitted that it had always been passed down and "Grandma's Salve" even though no one knew for how many generations nor who the original grandmother was!

It was a dark ochre "drawing agent". It was used on boils and pimples and the like. One Doctor looked at the ingredients and said they were surprised it didn't draw our teeth out of our heads. And speaking of ingredients, my grandfather was the last to have the recipe for making the salve, it was lost and he is now gone so the secret has disappeared into the past and our memories, never to be boiled into existence again.

It was good stuff, so good, it would draw a sliver out of your skin!

[debm55]

68. HAHAHHAAHHAHA That is funny. Thank you if..fish..had..wings

[WheelWalker]

79. For earaches dad would blow smoke into our ear. For a filthy mouth, apply soap liberally to the interior and then

his razor strop to the behind.

[debm55]

108. Oh my. sorry WheelWalker.

[Bavorskoami]

82. Steaming pot of Camomile tea for a head cold - German remedy

Couple of quarts of boiling water. Add dried camomile flowers. Steep the camomile for a bit. Then lean over pot with a towel over my head and breath in the hot vapor. Hot as you can stand it.

Great for nasal congestion.

This was not from my folks, but from a mother in law in Bavaria. They did this a couple of times in the German miniseries Heimat that was shown on PBS, although that did not take place in Bavaria but in the southwest of Germany.

[debm55]

107. Thank you very much Bavorskoami. That is interesting.

[kerouac2]

86. Tussin, ginger ale and a humidifier cure everything

Scientifically proven

[debm55]

106. Thank you very much kerouac2

[Tarzanrock]

87. Hot Lemon water ...

a tablespoon of honey and 2 ounces of Old Overholt Rye Whisky.

[debm55]

105. Thank you very much Tarzanrock. I hope it worked.

[PufPuf23]

89. Mud on bee stings. nt

[debm55]

104. Thank you very much PufPuf23,

[KT2000]

90. Barley water

from my Irish great-aunt. As a baby, my brother was in desperate shape with diarrhea that the doctor could not cure . It was getting critical and my aunt told my mom to make barley water, which is what they used in Ireland. It worked. She saved his life.

[debm55]

103. Thank you very much KT2000 , So happy for your brother.

[nuxvomica]

93. Canadian Club, honey and lemon juice for bad coughs

My mom would mix this up when we kids had a cold with a bad cough. We had a lot of bottles of Canadian Club in the finished basement because my folks rarely drank but my dad, a CPA, always got them as Christmas presents from clients. Did the concoction work? I honestly don't remember.

[debm55]

100. Thank you very much nuxvomica.

[sorcrow]

116. For splinters

A small piece of fat back AKA salt pork held on with a band-aid. In a day or so it would draw out the splinter enough to be pulled with tweezers.

Red Rock ginger ale was good for a variety of maladies. It was an extra gingery cocoction. I don't know if it was available nationwide; I grew up in Atlanta.

A shot of sherry in the afternoon to improve my appetite. This was actually recommended by the pediatrician.

Best regards,
Sorghum Crow

[debm55]

120. Thank you very much socrow.

[chowmama]

117. A lot of these are familiar

Warm ginger ale for nausea. Milk toast, although we never got sugar on it. Vicks rub and inhaler - with my sinuses, I used the inhaler so much that my nose started to close up whenever I tried not to use it. I finally just stopped anyway and mouth-breathed for as long as it took. I want it noted that my parents were both completely oblivious to the whole situation; both the overuse and the mouth breathing. We were kind of free-range.

Earaches? Warm olive oil poured into the ear. (Pompeii brand. The only thing it ever went into was our ears, so I'm not sure why Mom even bought it.) Given her level of distraction, it was often overheated and once I heard a distinct sizzle as it went in. You learned not to report injuries, if at all possible.

And one of my sisters upset a pan of deep fat over her arm. Grandma smeared it liberally with butter, which all had to be removed at the hospital. The scarring was likely worse as a result of this treatment.

Our childhood diseases were always arranged for convenient times by deliberately exposing us to them. We were going to get them anyway, right?

And Mom had medical training.

[debm55]

122. I am sorry for you . I was a mouth breather too. Everyime I did it , I got slapped in the face. Never went to the doctor

Just was tired of getting my face slapped and called a _ _ tard.

[some_of_us_are_sane]

118. A lump of butter on a spoon dipped in sugar

for when I woke up with croup.

LOL!! It seemed to work. Maybe because I believed it would.

[debm55]

123. Thank you very much, some_of_are_sane, That's a possiblity too.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

124. If your sinuses are stuffed up, put a teaspoon of horseradish in your mouth, ...

... and hold it there. It'll fix you right up.

[debm55]

125. Thank you very much. JustABozoOnThisBus. I will try.

[yellowdogintexas]

137. it sure will. Or wasabi paste at the sushi place nt

[debm55]

155. I had wasbi paste at a restaurant, got sick in the stomach soon after. Too strong for me.

[Jilly_in_VA]

128. Worst one I ever ran into

was when I had a home health patient who had a boil on his back. His wife had put fresh "cow mud" (yes, cow manure!) on it to draw it. I had to put a stop to that right quick!

[debm55]

156. OMG. Did she think it would work?

[Jilly_in_VA]

161. Of course she did

That's what HER mama did.

[debm55]

162. Thanks Jilly_in_VA

[Wicked Blue]

131. Honey, lemon juice and butter for a sore throat or cough

My mom melted them together and gave it to us by the teaspoonful.

[debm55]

136. Thank you very much , Wicked Blue.

[debm55]

157. Thank you Wicked Blue.

[yellowdogintexas]

139. this one really works. For wasp, bee or hornet stings. Chew up some tobacco

and put the poultice on the sting. My dad was Quick Draw McGraw with this.
He always chewed up a cigarette, but I would presume snuff or chewing tobacco would also work.

I have seen the redness radiating from the sting disappear and the pain would just stop! Seriously Big Tobacco needs to develop and market a product for this.

Sadly, when he stepped in an underground hornet's nest, getting enough chewed up tobacco on his foot was a real challenge. My mom tried but she would gag. We mixed it with water and plastered it on but it was not as effective as chewing it up. Something about saliva made it work better.

Always nice to find a better use for an otherwise harmful product.

[debm55]

143. Thank you very much, yellowdintexas.

[SARose]

140. Irish Penicillin for stomach virus

Peel potatoes, cut in chunks, fill pot with water to cover potatoes.

Add a pinch of dehydrated onions.

Cook for 40/45 minutes until potatoes are soft and a little more than half the water is left.

Pull out your handy dandy hand mixer and whip those potatoes until smooth. Watch out for hot liquid splashing you.

Salt generously, add a knob of butter or margarine and a pinch of pepper. Add a goodly splash of milk to thin for soup - not mashed potatoes.

When you have a rumbly in your tumbly this is sooo soothing and very easy to digest. From my Mama.💕

[debm55]

146. Thank you very much SARose, It sounds very good. And bless your mother for making it for you

[yellowdogintexas]

141. this is a great thread. Has anyone listened to "The Peoples' Pharmacy" on NPR.

We get it on Saturday mornings here; very very early. Too early.

https://www.npr.org/podcasts/381444414/the-people-s-pharmacy-radio-program

I have heard some very interesting home remedies on this show.

[debm55]

145. Thank you very much yellowdogintexas. I would like to get a book on old remedies.

[MacKasey]

147. Sore throat gargle with warm salt water

Diluted boric acid for an eye wash, water needs to be boiled and kept sterile, can only used for 24 hrs, then make a new batch - you can Google recipe. It works

[debm55]

158. I used both as a child and it did work for me. Thank you

[JMCKUSICK]

148. kick

[debm55]

159. Thank you

[debm55]

160. The summer go to was Vaseline another greasy mess. It went on splinters, cuts. etc.

[JMCKUSICK]

163. Kick

[debm55]

164. Clear fingernail on coldsores. When I taught HS that is what girls did.

[PufPuf23]

165. Thread through blister to drain fluid.

Place thread using sewing needle and hold in place with knots at entrance and exit at sides of blister.

[debm55]

168. Thank you PufPuf23 We used just hot needle, and put on blister.

[mwmisses4289]

166. Hot tea, lemon juice, and honey

for coughing and sore throats. We didn't keep booze around, so hot tea was our go to.
BRAT type diet for digestive issues (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast).

[debm55]

167. Thank you very much mwmisses4289 We used to do the BRAT diet for my son when he was small. Thank you for sharing.