Vicks Vapor Rub: Was smeared on back,
chest, nose and soles of feet, then bundled in hot wool blankets
Barb
Asthma relief from hot Tea or Coffee.
Don
Ryan
For asthma, an old neighbor of ours
said a teaspoon of sugar and saturated with turpentine would cure
an attack. He gave me a spoonful once, and it was so nasty I just
held it in my mouth until I got outside and could spit it out.
Since I didn't swallow, I'll never know if it would've worked.
(Seems to me that the turpentine would be like taking poison,
so I wouldn't advise this.) Betty
The quickest cure for Athlete's Foot
is Ting. You get it at the pharmacy. Chimes
I suffered from athletes foot (the
"moccasin" type) for about 4-5 years. I tried
all kinds of things. Then my brother (who had the same thing)
told me he found the cure - Monostat 7!!! A guy he worked
with told him about it. I was extremely skepticle, but I
tried it - I saw/felt results the next day! In LESS than
a week I was cured and haven't had it since! Matt
As for athletes foot. I am a firm beliver
in the many uses of bleach, I once got athletes foot however I
did not realize it till it was real bad! I mixed one -two gallons
of warm water with 1/2 cup bleach and soaked my feet in it for
30 min- 1 hour daily for about 3 DAYS TO ONE WEEK. iT CURED IT!
Carolyn
For bags under the eyes, smooth on
a dab of Preparation H under the eyes before going to bed (careful
not to get it in the eyes)... "shrinks swollen tissues!"
Rosanna
My grandmother used sugar, some bar
soap (Ivory I think) and spit. Mixed a poultice and covered
with a gauze pad. Within 20 minutes, the stinger dislodged.
Works good will thorns and splinters, too. Stacie
Moist snuff: (Grandpa always had a
supply handy) Applied to bee and 'yellow jacket' stings. Dennis Palmer
Bluing: A dark blue liquid mother
used in rinse water to make white clothes whiter. Also applied
to bee and wasp stings. Dennis
Palmer
The juice of a green papaya is used
as a meat tenderizer and also as a cure for a sting. The
purple leafed vine - and I wish I knew it's name - it's used decoratively
- also cures stinggs. Barbara
For Bee stings, Wasps and etc. Granny
mixed Snuff and Spit and put it on the sting ... she also would
take Butter Milk and baking soda make a paste and
put on our stings and bites ... Verna
For bee stings we used airplane glue
for relief and removal of the stinger. Charles Diltz
Just one more remedy for bee stings.
Real simple MUD--plain old mud. especialy if your out doors with
no access to medications. By the way it also works for dogs. Julie
I grew up in tobacco fields.
And spent most of my time bare foot. When I stepped on a honey
bee, someone would put wet tobacco on it. I live in Texas now,
and use tobacco from a cigarette (preferably a left over butt)
to cure fire ant bites. works on yellow jacket stings too. With
fire ants, they leave a permanent pustule that hardens...not if
you use wet tobacco within 5 minutes. Charline Burress
Ice works wonderful on bee stings,
especially if your child should get stung at a picnic. It
takes the pain away and the sting site will not swell. It
also won't itch after applying ice. Heidi
During an outdoor gathering, a friend
of ours was stung by a wasp. It was very painful for him. His
wife took plain toothpaste and rubbed it on the sting and amazingly
enough it took the pain away immediately. So while my husband
was building our deck he was stung by a yellow jacket and complained
that it hurt. Thinking back to my friend using toothpaste on her
husband's bee sting, I rubbed some on my husband's bee sting and
it too took the pain away immediately! I understand that any brand
of toothpaste will work. So now I keep a tube nearby while outdoors.
Terri
Huston
Slice an onion and tape it to the are
where you are were stung. Works on all bee stings.
My daughter stepped in a yellow jacket hive and I put onion on
each of the bites before we went in for a shot. Indiana Joan
I use a baby aspirin to releive the
pain from the sting. Take a baby aspirin and get it a bit wet.....wet
enough to start to disolve into a paste and plaster it over the
sting. Allow it to dry. My son used to capture honey bees
in his hands all the time when he was little. This was the only
thing that worked for him. When the baby aspirin flaked off one
couldn't even tell where he'd been stung. Barbara
I was stung by many yellow jackets
when young and my mother and father mixed up baking soda and water
to a paste and put in on each bite. The pain was relieved immediately.
But once it dried the pain came back some and reapplying was needed.
When it dries it can be messy because of all the crumb like soda
but you sure can put up with it if it takes the pain away. Tina
Our family uses a permanent black magic
marker to rub over a sting after we have been stung. We were told
this many years ago when I became highly allergic to any type
of sting. I once got into a nest of yellow jackets and was stung
43 times. We had 3 people marking the spots with markers, and
we missed 3 of them, and those swelled up really bad. We have
a friend that has to get injections after she gets stung because
she is so allergic, but the permanent magic marker slows down
her reaction to the sting enough for her to get somewhere to get
her shot. Feel free to ask me any questions on this. We live on
a farm where wasp and bee stings are the norm, and this has been
a life saver. The main thing, the magic marker has to be permanent,
not washable, etc. Thanks, Becky
Dip a cloth or rag in petrol(gasoline)
it stops the sting poison from spreading. It smells a bit but
have saved me heaps Allan
S
I don't know if this is "old"
or not but when I'm stung by a wasp or hornet (which there are
plenty in Florida) I use plain old household ammonia. Instant
relief. KW
For bee stings use a regular bayer
aspirin wet it enough to make it like a paste and put it on the
sting it takes the posion out of it. Rose L.
My sister ran a pitch fork threw her
foot while helping to put up hay, and she developed blood poison.
My Uncle Chester's mother who was full blooded indian made a poultice
for her foot. We went out and gathered sassafrases.
She washed the sassafrases then enclosed it in a white cloth.
Taking a butter knife she pounded this until it was pulverised
and very juicy. To this was added 1 Tablespoon of sugar
and enough can milk to make the poultice very damp. Se rubbed
the concotion together then it was applied to my sister's foot.
The poultice was replaced with a fresh one as needed. It
was like a powerful drawing action that pulled the poison into
the poultice. Gloria
My grandmother was a treating Dr. in
the old days. I had blood poisoning after sticking a rusty
nail in my foot, with a streak about 5 inches up my ankle.
She treated it with wood roaches in rubbing alcohol on a bandage
the same way. It drew out the poison. I always keep in on
hand. Sounds gross, but works. PickinFrawgs
Sassafras tea in the spring to thin
the blood. Roy
D. Hurley
I recall when I was a child around
8 years old, I had what was called in those days a boil, guess
it would be called a cyst now. Anyway, this boil was quite
large and on my left hip. It got so large and so impacted
I had to lay in bed face down, seemed all the know cures just
wouldn't bring this boil to a head, so my Aunt was called in,
she quietly said, go to the upper pasture and cut me some large
prickly pear cactus and if at all possible, get the one that is
blooming. This was done, she took the bloom of that cactus
and smashed it into a pulp, she took the thines off the prickly
pear, slit the leaf like cactus open, exposing the inside. she
then took the pulp of the bloom and smeared this on either side
of that cactus section and placed this on the boil, she took cheesecloth
and wrapped it around my body to keep the cactus in place.
She changed this one more time and on the third day the boil had
come to a head and soon drained. Wasn't long before I could walk
again. I still have a large indention on my hip where
that boil was, but no scar and no other effects from that.
I don't know that that the prickly pear cactus was what cured
me; I don't even know if there is any medicinal value in these
cacti; maybe it was not the time for me to die, and God stepped
in. However, I think it helped, for I can still remember
how cool and soothing it felt almost immediately after it was
placed there. Willa
Dean ìDeeî Sides
Cloverine in the tin can. Winnie Brower
As children we listened to our father
tell about his WWI experiences -- one story concerned a soldier
in his outfit who developed a very large and painful boil on the
back of his neck. After reaching the point where it was
considered "ripe", the treatment consisted of filling
an empty wine bottle with boiling water to heat it up, emptying
it and immediately pressing the open neck against the boil.
We loved the gross description of how the contents of the boil
erupted with an audible smack against the bottom of the bottle!
Dorothy
Burdock Root: I had lots of boils
when I was young. When I was about 12 years old, my grandmother
told me to dig some burdock root, and boil it for a tea and drink
a cup full. I went down by the pig pen where lots of it was growing,
dug it up, and tried to drink the tea, but I could drink only
half a cup, and decided it was worse than the boils. In a few
weeks I noticed I didn't have any more boils, and haven't had
any since. After that I haven't been so skeptical about herbal
cures. Leon
Plemons
My grandmother gave us sulfur and molasses
for spring time purification of the blood to help combat boils,
etc. Joanne
H. Boswell
My French-Canadian grandmother had
more than her share of memorable cures but that which I remember
best was the application of a tiny bit of tomato avec skin on
a boil or pimple that would not come to a head, held on by tape,
or later a Band-Aid. Generally within 24 hours said pimple
was "ready for popping." Howard E.Congdon
The thin skin of an egg to remove splinters,
to bring a boil to a head, etc. Roy
D. Hurley
Bacon poultice, was used for splinters
and Boils , you took a piece of salt pork and a clean rag
placed a pice of Fat salt pork over your Splinter
or Boil and most of the time it was gone or come to a head by
morning ...I remember my Granny doing this to me and it worked
... Verna
Two methods I recall for bring Boils
to a head were the application of bacon rind or slab salt cured
bacon and (no longer available) a black natural icthiol ointment.
I have no idea what the source of that ointment was, but "icthi"
sounds fishy. Charles
Diltz
A kind reader sent additional information for this one. He/she writes:
I still use this stuffNew name
Ichthammol Ointment 20%
Mfg. Goldline Labs
Miami FLRemoves splinters, good on bug bites, Tick bites
I put on Tincture of Iodine and than Ichthammol Ointment on a Band-Aid for a few days. Haven't had lyme disease sense I started doing this. Had it two times before, But, Maybe I just have immunity or been lucky. Talpaulfl
I have cysts come up on me all the
time. The Dr. told me that I don't have what it takes in
my body to fight them off. As they begin to come to a head,
and are really painful, I boil a tea bag. When it gets just
cool enough to squeeze some of the liquid out, I place it over
the cysts and put a heating pad on top of the tea bag. In
just about an hour or so at the most, the cysts pops, and what
a relief. It works for me everytime. Good luck with
yours. Debi
Evans
My 1st husband's Father used to take
a coke bottle blow cigg. smoke into it, cover quickly with finger,
then but it up to boil/cyst & hold it there for a few minutes,
and all of a sudden the core would burst out and hit the bottom
of coke bottle. When my husband got them, he'd blow smoke
in bottle, have me cover it quickly, and apply to area, and it
worked every time. Nyla
For boils use a regular can of deodorant
spray on the infected area and leave alone if its not to a head
to bust it will draw it you may have to do this 2 or 3 time at
the most it will bust and you wont feel it works great. Rose L.
When you get an injury that will result
in the appearance of a bruise, if you will rub a bit (1/2 tsp?)
of Arnica gel on it immediately---- NO BRUISE! Honest...really
works..... Pam
My Dad used to tell me that he would
go to the local 5 and dime and they would sell leaches (blood
suckers). He would put one under his eye and in minutes...the
bruise is gone. Tom
When my youngest son was a baby he
had a cold in his eyes. My doctor had given me medicine
but it wasn't helping much. My mother-in-law said to me
"do you want to get rid of the cold in his eye?"
I told her yes. She said "will you do what I tell you?"
Thinking to myself "she had eight healthy children,"
I told her yes. She told me to wipe his eyes with his wet
diaper every time he wet. With some hesitation I did what
she told me and in two day the cold was gone from his eyes.
I have passed this remedy to my daughter-in-laws and my friends
and they think it's great. It will work every time.Loretta Goss
When my babies gets a cold in their
eyes I would just squirt a little breastmilk in them. With in
a day or so their eyes would be all cleared up. Pam
Lysine 100 mg.take twice a day....you will start seeing results in 4 days. It can be found in any vitamin section. KissKi88
Mustard Plaster: They would take a
kind of dry mustard and mix it with water. Then they would spread
it between two pieces of cloth, and cover your chest with it.
It would burn something awful. Grover
Cod Liver Oil: To prevent you
from getting a cold. Grover
Vicks Vapor Rub: Taken internally
for sore throat and cough. Applied externally if "your chest
sounds a little tight". Applied under the nose for sniffles.
Dennis
Palmer
Goose Grease & Turpentine:
When I was a little girl my mother would save the grease from
a goose and when my brother or I would get a chest cold she would
take some of the goose grease and turpentine and heat it up and
rub on our chests. Then she would heat a piece of a woolen
blanket and wrap around our chests. As near as I can
remember it would break up the chest cold. Diane McGee
When I had a cold my mother used to
chop up onions and put some sugar on them and set them in the
warming oven until there was juice. I actually liked the
sweet warm onion juice and it was soothing for a sore throat.
Dolly
Yates
As a little girl, I remember when I
had a chest cold..the first thing my grandmother would suggest
would be "warm up the Camphorated Oil and then rub it around
my throat and chest and cover with a warmed cloth." Later
on it seemed Vicks Vapor Rub took over in place of the Camphorated
Oil! Doris
Goldsborough
My Mother was raised on a turpentine
plantation. It seems that was the only medicine they had
.It was used for cuts, burns, colds, you name what ever was ailing
you and they would bring out the medicine bottle. Jinx Dopson
For chest colds, etc. mother would
fry up a pan of onions which permeated the house and place the
fried onions in an old pillowcase folding the excess around the
onions to make a poultice for the chest or back! It sure got hot
and caused one to sweat buckets but it broke any fever and thus
speeded up the healing process....I think! Pat Bales
The worst was hot whiskey with lots
of lemon - which, as I remember, I was never able to keep down
- this wasn't tried too often!! Peggy
The "dreaded" onion plaster
had many incarnations, mostly, crushed onions in lard, spread
on the chest and covered with flannel. The victim
was bundled up to sweat (it felt like stewing) and chest congestion
usually couldn't stand up to combination. Dorothy
In Appalachia, i often heard of thick
slices of onion bound to the soles of the feet for bad chest congestion
too. Dorothy
To prevent colds my mother-in-law used
to keep a pan on the old heat stove with water and Goose Greece
in it and a bit of Vicks, it made the whole house smell of menthol
but was nice and helped. Dorothy
I grew up in England and remember a
few my mother used to use. If she roasted a goose she would
save the grease, if you caught a cold or had the 'flu you got
this rubbed into your chest and back. There used to be 'Herb
Shops', ( we might call these 'Homeopathic Stores' now) where
she could buy various herbs and herbal cures. If we were
congested, she would fill a bowl with boiling water, put in 3
or 4 large poppy heads, cover our heads with a cloth and we had
to breath in the steam. I realize now that this was opium
I was breathing in but it was a common thing in those days;
as was 'Herbal Tobacco'. This was also a 'pick-me-up'. Only
adults could smoke this if they felt a bit 'run down'. Looking
back this must have been a mixture of tobacco and marijuana. It
certainly seemed to do the job! Chas
For colds and congestion in the chest
take a meduim onion and put a little over a cup of water and sugar
cook until the onion until soft and drink as hot as you can stand
it and go to bed you may get sick but that is the congestion coming
out and you will feel a hundred percent better in the morning.
Rose
L.
If your baby has colic just get into
a hot bath with the baby. Both of you will relax and the
colic will quickly disappear. You and the baby will be able
to sleep!! Cynthia
Speaking from experience this really
works. When our first baby was born he screamed the first 5 months
of his life. When he was 5 months old and after trying all
the medicine the doctor told us to try and several old time remedies,
sitting on the dryer, taking him out for midnight rides, changing
his milk to every king they have, putting peppermint and karo
syrup in his bottles; even taking him to have a massage( by this
time we would have tried anything) nothing seemed to work on him.
So I called my Great Aunt who worked with a pediatrician
for 30 years and told I we were going crazy with no sleep and
we needed something fast. She told me to take a quart size
jar and put 6 ounces of eagle brand milk and 3 ounces of karo
syrup in the jar then fill the rest of the jar with boiling water
and stir it up real good. Then I gave him a 2 ounce bottle
around noon then another around 6 o clock that afternoon.
It was very sweet but he liked it and it did stop his colic.
The only thing that we could figure out is combining the eagle
brand milk and the karo syrup together. Who knows but it
worked and he gained weight and he sleeped a lot better. Amy Murphy
Pure Olive Oil works great for babies
with colic. Give them a teaspoon full, and in 15-20 minutes,
they are quiet. It not only coats the stomach, but it helps
when they use the rest room. An old Mecican lady told
me about this and it sure works. Too bad I didn't know about
this until my 4th baby. Believe me, it worked on her and
my 5th, and I have used it on several of my 11 grandkids.
Sharon
Rojas
A good standby to have is fennel. Steep
the seeds like you would make a tea. Give 1/2 to maybe 1
oz as needed (luke warm). DO NOT ADD HONEY if giving it to a baby.
Tinybbrn2
We went through a long battle with
colic with our second child and an Indian friend from India told
me to go to an Indian store an by "Gripe Water" follow
the directions and serve.. the name sure fits I'm unsure how much
to give so you want to follow the directions...and it worked wonders.
Debi
I have a newborn daughter who is just
now 2 months old. She screamed herself to sleep for the
most of the day one day. I called the health department
to make sure it wasn't a formula problem as she had just been
switched from Enfamil to Similac. She is lactose intolerant.
Wic provides lactose intolerant formula, but in similac, not Enfamil
which is what she was on.
The lady at the health dept. asked me a few questions, and we came to the determination that the problem was not the formula, but Gas! She told me that other than Mylicon(which can be purchased almost anywhere), that she had an old remedy. I asked her if she would share her remedy and she was happy to. She told me to find an orange tree, pick some leaves off of it, wash them, make a tea of them by boiling them in water which also sterilizes the tea, and add a little sugar or Karo syrup to taste, and give it to the baby. It is all natural so it won't hurt baby. I tried it and it worked like a dream. I recommended it to a neighbor(who I got the leaved from) for her neice to try, and she said it did the trick for her baby as well.
Orange Tree Leaves! It really works. The doctor also added that it was completely harmless for the babies, and we could give them as much as needed. Melissa
What really seems "yucky"
to me is a story my mother once told me. When she was in high
school in the early twenties, the young girls would get a "wet"
baby diaper and wipe their faces, thinking their complexions would
be improved!! Doris
Goldsborough
My French-Canadian grandmother had
more than her share of memorable cures but that which I remember
best was the application of a tiny bit of tomato avec skin on
a boil or pimple that would not come to a head, held on by tape,
or later a Band-Aid. Generally within 24 hours said pimple
was "ready for popping." Howard E.Congdon
If you feel a pimple coming up, rub
in a little toothpaste and it practically disappears overnight.
Rhonda
Pimples can be brought to a head with
hot, wet, washclothes. Don
Ryan
Red Clover flowers(dryed ones seem
are better) and Golden seal are both natural blood cleaners taken
together (legally I can not say it will work as a cure)(**) But
"maybe it will" clean up acne. One should make a tea
(use honey to sweeten if nessary) Golden seal smells and tastes
really ucky. Take 8 to 10 Red clover flowers, 1/4 ts Golden seal.
Place into a large cup (6 to 8 oz) fill with boiling water. Let
stand for 8 to 10 minuets. Drank it twice a day for 3 to 5 days.
Use as needed. Mike
My mother taught me how to cure your
pimples - You drink a lot of water, for one thing.
Or to get rid of them overnight,
before you go to bed, wash your face thoroughly. Then take some
rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab and rub it on your face wherever
you have pimples. Take some antibacterial ointment, and after
the rubbing alcohol has dried (only a few seconds), rub the ointment
where ever there are pimples or zits, and where ever you rubbed
the alcohol. Leave the ointment on overnight, and within the next
few days, all of your pimples will be cured! This really works,
I tried it and the next morning they weren't that noticeable,
and then the next morning they were gone!! It was really cool.
-Claire
Wilson
Castor oil: Most dreaded of all.
Given if "you are looking a little bilious and need a good
cleaning out". Also seemed to be helpful if you had been
disrespectful (real or imagined) to adult. Dennis Palmer
Castoria, it was a children's laxative.
G
C Bailey
I grew up on cod liver oil or castor
oil in orange juice. It was supposed to disguise the taste and
go down easier. It was the annual cathartic or purgative
that was to "clean us out". Winnie Brower
Paprika Jinx Dopson
Back in '29 my mother gave me a small
pink Calomel pill which did the trick. Later the treatment was
Castoria. This was kept in the kitchen with the spices and was
more than once used by mistake for Vanilla when cooking...
Whoops!!!!Mary
Kay Surguine
Eat a handful prunes or raisins, or
drink prune or grape juice. A swig of mineral oil will also
help lubricate the system. Rosanna
My Grandfather used 2 tablespoons of
Epsom Salts to a glass of water for constipation. FYI it
is still listed on the box as a relief for constipation.
Gloria
Fletcher's Castoria; A dark,
herbal remedy that didn't taste very bad at all (as I remember)
-- good for coughs or "whatever ails you". Dennis Palmer
My mother used to mix honey in lemon
juice and give as cough syrup. I did this for my own children
-- they liked it, it seemed to soothe the throat, and they could
have it as often as they wanted, unlike the drug store cough syrups.
In retrospect, the vitamin C probably did some good. Dolly Yates
Grandpa swore by rock candy (crystallized
sugar) dissolved in rye whiskey for sore throat or coughs.
Charles
Diltz
My mother also used the sugar/kerosene
remedy for coughs. (A few drops of kerosene in a teaspoon of sugar.)
Betty
My grandfather (Indian & southern)
would give me a swig of peppermint schnappes for a cough. All
that menthol , I guess, plus the shock of the alcohol to my young
system sure seemed to do the trick. S & P Tumey
I remember my grandmother treating
our coughs with a green onion concoction. She would take
green spring onions and chop them up in a bowl and cover with
sugar, then allow it to sit awhile until the juices from the onions
and the sugar made a syrup and then make us drink it. If you liked
onions it was at least better than some of the cough remedies
available at the time. Gerald
Byrd
My Grandmother used to put salt in
the palm of my hand and I would just get some on my tongue and
let it melt there and that would help with a COUGH, and would
work for several hours. Dorothy
My grandmother was a practical nurse
in the early 1900s in Indian Territory. When my mother was
a new mother, her mother-in-law taught her many of the skills
and remedies she had learned from assisting doctors. One
of them was for a baby with croup. A silver teaspoon was
filled with whiskey, set on fire, then the remainder was cooled
and given to the crying baby. Nina
Hall
Onion juice & Sugar: After
we became adults we were all home for Christmas and my niece was
a baby and had the croup. Mommy mixed up a teaspoon of sugar
and onion juice and gave to the baby and it did help the croup.
Diane McGee
Rendered Skunk Oil for croup.
A cold wet washcloth on the throat would have made more sense.
That stuff was terrible sickening. Wilma
Horehound Candy was used to help stop
cough when we had Croup, and it helped sooth the throat so we
didn't cough so much. Dorothy
My mother & aunt used to hold me
while putting a pan with vicks in it & heating it on the stove
while holding a big sheet over all 3 of us cured the croup
RD
For croup, my grandma used to make
"skunk grease." Ever heard of it or know how it was
made?? Thanks. JA
I am not in any type of medical profession, and I usually do not have enough time to answer questions, but "skunk grease" piqued my interest, and since I had a free second, I Googled it and found the following article:
It is from te Free Lance Srar Newspaper. It tells how well it cures, as well as a vague way of how to make it. The person sent it to the CDC to get a positive reply on it so he could patent it. The article begins this way:
"Health problems? A good dose of skunk grease will work wonders.
OLD PEOPLE had the perfect remedy for diseases like whooping cough and the croup:
Skunk grease.When your chest got tight, skunk grease would loosen it up. That's what my grandmother always said. Just take some of this potent remedy and rub it on. Pretty soon you'll be healthy again."
Click here for the article: http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2001/102001/10142001/417838
It is an interesting to read -- Phew! :-)
Pine Tar: Puncture and/or severe wounds were dressed with pine tar. Barb
Coal oil and sugar bandages were another of my grandmothers remedies for cuts, abrasions, stubbed toes, etc. Later, my mother's favorite cure all was Mar-Vel oil--a light, all purpose liquid ointment. It went on cuts, bruises, burns, scratches, whatever. We had 'progressed' from the coal oil and sugar. Nina Hall
Kerosene: My grandmother used kerosene to pour on and clean cuts and punctures to prevent lockjaw, and I would not think it would be good for taking orally. Joanne H. Boswell
"Monkey blood" - (merthiolate): Applied to scrapes and abrasions. Always with the admonition to "blow on it and it won't sting so much". Dennis Palmer
We had a family doctor who always prescribed for cuts, even dog bites...to bathe it in Lysol!!!! Doris Goldsborough
The very worst "sure and quick" way to stop bleeding of a cut was to pour salt on it. Talk about pain.... Betty
Another good one, spider web will stop a cut from bleeding. Anne
When we cut our selfs she would pour Coal Oil (Kerosene) on it to stop the Bleeding and take away the soreness... Verna
My Mother was raised on a turpentine plantation. It seems that was the only medicine they had .It was used for cuts, burns, colds, you name what ever was ailing you and they would bring out the medicine bottle. Jinx Dopson
For small burns: Keep an aloe vera plant growing in you home. Break a prong of the aloe vera plant off and squeeze the gelatin like juice onto the burn. It will stop the sting and heal fast.
Willa Dean ìDeeî Sides
My grandfather (Indian and southern) would let his dogs lick scratches & stuff on his hands. Said they made it heal faster. Grossed me out but recent conversation with a dr. friend says that dog saliva is anti-bacterial.
Believe it or not. S & P Tumey
One night I got really drunk at home and as walking around bear footed.On one those needed trips of relief I somehow kicked front end of the door and ripped my big toe nail off. (ouch) To stop the bleeding was the frist call business and not really caring how it was done. I had my wife get some Cayenne Pepper and pour on the wound (see Back to Eden on Cayenne shown below under Remedies Available) in seconds and with out any pain the bleeding stopped. Cool huh Mike
I worked in the restraunt industry, very buisy as you know. Well many a cheff has cut his finger, and due to time and lack of staff. we would often supper glue our wound together. after thouraghly washing it. The glued cuts healed nicely. Carolyn
I started a whole fad in my college dorm for using Glovers Mange Cure (for Dogs and Horses) and still available, for dandruff. On Saturday morning the whole floor would smell of coal tar while we all walked around with towels on our heads having a treatment. Philip Ingerman
Fish Oil 1000 mg 3xs a day will relieve the anxiousness. KissKi88
This is relatively new but it works. Take Maalox and rub it on the babys bottom before you put on anything else, this will neutralize the acid in the babies waste. It works wonders as long as you apply healing agents over the Maalox. Billy
We had an old fashioned pediatrician and when our daughter got a bad bout of diaper rash we were told to mix maloxx (sp) or any antacid with cold cream and put on I guess the antacid removes the acid from the skin and the cold cream keeps it in place and cool...It worked the best !! and it was much faster to help heal!! Debi
Bag Balm orks great for diaper rash, too. Mama Cas
Castor Oil: My mother honestly believed that mixing orange juice with castor oil made it more palatable----which it DIDN'T!! Furthermore we received castor oil whether we were constipated OR had diarrhea---in the latter case it was supposed to "rinse out" all the germs. Howard Congdon
Add more cheese to your diet. Rosanna
If something is eaten that seems good and upsets the stomach, add vinegar to water and sip it. It works immediately. If not taken right away and the toxin passes thru the system and causes diarrhea the vinegar will still work as soon as taken. I have personally used this and will swear by it. Vinegar is so simple and cheap --- my favorite kind of remedy. Betty C
This really works! Eat crystalized ginger. Tastes good and also acts as a breath freshner while it curbs all kinds
of motion sickness, dizziness, sea sickness, and vertigo. Connie Matejek
Bag Balm: This was used for chapped skin on hands and face as well as it's intended use which was as an ointment for cow's udders. I still keep Bag Balm in the house because it really works better than most of today's lotions. Mary Stuart Parks
Red Oak boiled will stop Dysentery RD
We had a teen girl that was in our care, by court order. We were foster parents. This 14 year old girl whose family came from one of the deep southern states, came to me and ask for a cup that was disposable. I gave her a paper cup and ask why she needed it. Her answer was quite a shock to me. She said she had an earache. She would urinate in the cup and pour it in her ear. That is how her granny cured earaches. Has anyone else heard this cure? Rose Deal
Yes; my Dad (who is in his 70s) told me that was his mother's cure for an ear ache. (My grandmother was from very rural east Texas, with Tennessee roots.) Your foster daughter's granny had access to a modern refinement - the disposable cup. Daddy said he learned, real young, to tilt his head a little to the back rather than forward, because the warm urine usually trickled out of the ear and ran a bit. I like to tell this cure to my children's pediatricians and watch their faces. Marie
Yep...and actually, it serves the purpose (warm sterile liquid). The one I know of but never had the nerve to try was the one where you roast an onion and then use it as a poultice on the ear. Partially the same concept, I guess (hot liquid) along with the fact that onions and garlic include a natural antibiotic. Megan Zurawicz
Cigar smoke blown in the ear to cure earaches (it works) Roy D. Hurley
All thru my growing-up years I was plagued w/ ear-aches. Mom always heated some camphorated oil in a teaspoon, soaked a small cotton ball in the warm camphorated oil, & put cotton ball in my aching ear. Ah-h-h, such relief. Didn't take the pain away altogether, but surely did help ear feel better & made pain bearable. Mary
For an earache my father would take a puff on his pipe and blow tobacco smoke in the affected ear! No idea why it worked but it did. Pat Bales
When I had an ear ache, she would bake an onion in the coals of the fireplace and cool it and the put 2 drops of onion juice in my ear, with a piece of cotton to keep it in. Anne
When a child, I constantly had an ear ache. Once my grandfather found out, he immediately went into the woods, and found what he called a "Betsy Bug", which looks like some type of beetle. He said there is one drop of blood in its head, which he squeezed out, and placed inside my ear. I have never had the ear ache since. I understand these can be found under old logs or large pieces of wood. They are black in color and have a hard shell. K. B. Pate
Im 65 and as a kid had ear aches all the time. My Mom would heat regular table salt and put in a terry towel. It gets really hot so you need to watch when using on kids. I always felt it was the heat that put me to sleep. It was more of a heating pad than anything else. My Doctor told me..in a pinch...heat vegetable oil...test on the wrist, before using. This also gets very very hot. Use an eye dropper to put in the ear. I read once where a lady heated and just put it into the childs ear...Of course the child had severe burns and also went deaf. I could never understand how this could happen....heat any type of oil and it STAYS HOT. Rae Painter
When I was a small child I had a lot of ear aches, my mother would take a small square of soft cloth (diaper) and put a small amount of black pepper then fold over the cloth to make a small bag and tie it with thread. Place this in the ear and in no time the pain is gone. Larry Long, Drury MO
Here is one i was told about a couple of yrs ago by an older lady, and i use faithfully it works....Garlic is a natural Antibotic and I keep garlic oil in gel caps on hand and take it orally. I take 1000 mg orally but have been keeping a lower dosage on hand for this, 300 mg. I have used both mgs, You decide. But poke a hole in the tip of the cap and put drops in the ear with child or adult laying down so it will drain way down into the ear, cover with a cotton ball in ear. We did this on a weekend when we were unable to get to a Dr. My son hadnt slept in 24 hrs he was feeling so bad. Within 15 minutes of applying the garlic oil to his ear he was free of pain and sleeping. In 3 days he had no infection. Needless to say we no longer see the Dr for ear aches. You could also put a heated wet wash cloth on or a heat pad these both help ease an ear ache. I also add that if the problem continues that one should see a Doctor ASAP. Wouldnt it be nice if Natural medicine and MD's would work together. Gayle aka Stormy
Couldn't resist sending this in after reading your section on earaches. I didn't see what I thought would be a given. The Native Americans call it coning, but in Argentina, where I grew up, my grandmother would roll up a sheet of newspaper in the shape of a cone, with the small end tiny enough to fit in the ear. I would lay on my side, aching ear up and she would stick that cone in the ear and light the other end on fire! Then you just let it burn slowly and the warmth at the end of the cone sucks out any water or air, just as a fireplace sucks out the air from the rest of the house. Often you can hear the air rushing out loudly! When done you flip over so the ear can "drain" (and it does). I have done this to my children who both suffered from earaches when young, much to the dismay of my pediatrician, but also to the relief of my children. This really works and has spared my children many hours of pain. Dora Schwemley
When my daughter was little, we'd fly across country several times a year to visit family. She's invariably have pain in her ears during descent. The flight attendant would take two paper or plastic cups and put paper towels that had been placed in hot water and wrung out inside the cups. My daughter would hold them over her ears, and, bingo, the pressure-change pain would go away! B. Daniel
Aconite for fever. That remedy really worked. You took two drops per teaspoon of water, if high fever. And usually one took two teaspoons every two hours. If fever wasn't very high, one drop per teaspoon was given every two hours until fever dropped. Wilma
I remember my mother telling me, when she was a young girl, she had a high fever and her father took a large onion, cut it in half and put the cut part against her feet and tied them there. She didn't remember the length of time but said the onion turned black and her fever went away. Loretta Goss
As with the sunburn, the same ability of vinegar will also bring a fever down in someone who is very warm. It appears to only work locally where it is applied. CG482@aol.com
I grew up in tobacco fields. And spent most of my time bare foot. When I stepped on a honey bee, someone would put wet tobacco on it. I live in Texas now, and use tobacco from a cigarette (preferably a left over butt) to cure fire ant bites. works on yellow jacket stings too. With fire ants, they leave a permanent pustule that hardens...not if you use wet tobacco within 5 minutes. Charline Burress
I live in Florida and want to pass on some information regarding
the "sting" of fire ants. A couple years ago a little gal staying at the resort here fell into a large mound of fire ants. She was rushed to the hospital emergency room (at a cost of $300 and some change) and all they did was spray her with Windex WITH amonia. (It has to be the kind with amonia added) So the next time I got bit, I tried it ~~~~ it works! Jean Partridge
You can also pour bleach over an ant bite or put Vicks on it and it will stop the festering. My sister-in-law Cecile taught me this. Joyce
Burdock root tea "may"(**) clean the uric acid out of the blood system. I have heard of relief coming in as soon as 15 minutes. Mike
I read in a Prevention magazine that cherries would relieve gout. A number of men that I worked with had gout and it helped them. Chimes
My wife puts Vicks Vapor Rub on her eyelids and temples as well as under her nose for a severe headache. Rick Fogle
I have suffered from migraines and arthritis for about 15 years. I finally came accross a "Chi Machine" which I now have a distributorship, and it has been almost a year since I have had any headache or suffer with arthritis. Any problem that I have, I go lay on the Chi Machine for about 10-20 minutes and the pain is gone. This machine is very expensive ($480.00 plus tax) but has paid for itself many times over. Any one interested in this alternative to medicine, please contact me at: chiforlife77@hotmail.com. I promise you it helps. It also helps so many other problems. Thank you. Debi Evans
Sinus Headache? My grandmother that was full blooded Cheerokee Indian use to get mustard seeds, put them on a cloth (long enough to reach around her head) and beat the seeds to a pulp, roll up the cloth and place the mustard seed pulp on her forehead and bring the cloth arround her head and tie the cloth in back. The hot heat she said would ease her head and not knowing what was happening (it opened up her sinuses allowing them to drain) said it would cause her "nose to run". The headache would ease and stop. My mother said she had seen her do this many times. when I was a boy of about ten years old I seen a rag tied around my grandmother's head but did not knonw why. I thought sense she was an indian she "just" liked it. Victor
For headaches; with you thumb and forefinger press the fleshy part between the thumb and forefinger of the other hand. Do this as long as possible alternating hands. If it hurts to press....that's good. Dora Schwemley
I have discovered that 'nasal snuff' especially 'Wilson's medicated no. 99' is great for warding off the type of headaches that can develop after a day's fishing and driving. It seems to create an outlet for the build up of tension and fluids caused by getting too much sun reflection as well. Try it - it works for me! 'Royal George' snuff is good for neck tention too. Regan Clan
When one happens to out in the Forrest and develops a headache (assuming you didn't bring aspirins) Just chew on a willow twig. Aspirin is made with a base of willow oil ..:) This also give relief from a tooth ache. Gwen
If you take 2 lysine 100 mg daily it will keep you from having an attack can be found in any vitamin section. KissKi88
Sugar for hiccups. (Some people do better chasing it down with water,others get better results dry.) Don Ryan
When you have the hiccups, light a match, drop it in a glass of water and drink the water but do not swallow the match. I still use this cure today and it works great. Judy G.
Doing this may be awkward to do by yourself, but if you plug both ears, and also your nose as you swallow four or five gulps of water, your hiccups will vanish. Having someone else to plug your ears is certainly helpful, but using your index fingers to plug the ears, middle fingers for the nose, and then picking up the short glass with your thumbs and ring, plus little fingers does work quite well. JeanineAlyse
My niece taught me this trick for curing hiccups. It requires another person to apply pressure to closing off your ears (stand behind the hiccup'ping person and press as hard as possible to close off the ear passages) Slowly drink a glass of tepid water and the hiccups will disappear. Never fails!! NytezGrami
A tablespoon of peanut butter ALWAYS stops my hiccups. Ferne
One time during my biology class in the 10th grade, a girl had a bad case of the hiccups. He went over to her and placed his thunb about a third away from her wrist on her inner arm. They went away instantly. He explained how it works. He used to study pressure points, and hiccups are caused by your phrenic nerve which controls the movement of your diaphram. Sometimes it can pulse faster than it is suppose to which causes your diaphram to move quickly resulting in hiccups. Holding down the phrenic nerve will stop it from pulsing so fast, therefore, curing you of your annoying hiccups. So far it has worked on everyone I have done it on and has left some in amazement! Just make sure you press hard enough! It works just as well when you do it to yourself too, and I don't believe it matters what arm you do it on either. Donald T.
My mother swore by this remedy--bend over at the waist and take a drink of water from the far side of the cup. It's worked EVERY TIME I've used it--this cure has been effective for everyone I've told to try it. Christa
On larger, infected sores or wounds my grandmother applied some leftover mashed potatoes and a bandage and the "infection" was sucked right out of one's body. Howard E.Congdon
For any infection: Take a crust of bread, pour sugar over it until covered, and soak it in a little milk. Bind this over a sore of any kind and leave it alone. In no time at all you can feel it 'pulling' at the wound and it will clean it of all infection. I have used this on my husband and it pulled so hard he took it off! Don't ask me why, but it does work. This was passed down from my grandmother. I swear by this one and use it to this day. Jela
My Father used to finely grate some Felsnaptha bar soap, add a little sugar and enough water to make a paste. Put it on the infection with a bandage. It draws out the infection. It really works. Sharon Cameron
Black strap molasses: A black, thick slightly sulfurous molasses taken from the bottom of the vat when syrup was made. High iron content (?). Originally given to our sheep when they were having miscarriages from "pregnancy disease". Found to be good when mixed with butter or peanut butter and eaten on fresh bread, biscuit or cornbread. An acquired taste. Dennis Palmer
I recall my grandmother putting large, iron nails in a glass jar of water on the enclosed back porch for months. She called this her "spring tonic." Gary Radcliffe
Someone mentioned nails in water. I always heard back then it was a way to get iron in the
bloodstream. Joanne H. Boswell
It has been said to cook in iron utensils because the iron from them will be absorbed into the blood. My grandmothers used them and all my grandparents lived to be over 85 and most of their children lived past 80. Roy D. Hurley
I had an Iron deficiency as a child and the Doctor told my Grandmother to mince raw ox liver and silver beet or spinach together with pepper and salt to taste and feed it to me twice a day as is. I loved it. But, the rest of the family would not sit at the table when I was eating it as it made them feel ill. A cousin told me I would turn into a Vampire. I didn't and was cured. Marlena Zabel
Use regular household amonia (we use plain amonia so I don't know if the lemon or other flavors work or not) and pour directly over the whelps. It doesn't smell great but it instantly stops the stinging. Terri
For Jellyfish Stings: Use meat tenderizer. Melissa
My experience at the time was with my daughter age 2. She had the unfortunate experience of having a jelly fish tentacle attach to her leg. We used natural ammonia, sort of embarrassing but very effective, we used urine. The relief was immediate. Monica
My Friend and I were out in the ocean and a huge wave brought tons of jellyfish in. As the wave rolled past me and a jellyfish latched onto my arm. I quickly got it off and swam to shore. My friend's mom was a nurse and told me to rub sand on it. It worked!! I also put Benedryll lotion on my arm that night. Brynne
Vinegar works like a dream. I'm from the gulf coast and when we go to the beach we always bring some in a spray bottle. Urine works too and would do in a pinch but I wouldn't carry it in a spray bottle. Ang
Pine Tar: Grandma used pine tar on our hair as a lice preventative. Barb
Mayonaisse rubbed in your hair will kill lice. KissKi88
My Grandparents once told me that if you use peanut butter for your hair, it will smuther the lice, Especially if they are starting to look like ants! E-Mailer
My great great aunt was taking alum to reduce the flow of her periods I guess they were too heavy she died at 16 wonder if that is the cause anyway alum needs to be listed as a remedy for mentrual flow . Love Genia
A "remedy" to keep mosquitos from biting ~~~ wet down a dryer sheet (like Downey) and rub it over your skin. Not only does it keep the mosquitos away, but also softens your skin!!! Jean Partridge
Gentian Violet Philip Ingerman
Canker sores (or Mouth Sores) Granny used a Chunk of alum tasted like the dickens but worked Verna
Red Rasberry leaf dryed or fresh rolled and place into the mouth next to the sore "may"(**) stop the discomfort in as little 30 seconds. Mike
Here is one that I use and is almost a guaranteed to work--table salt. No one likes the little mouth sores called "mouth ulcers". A good remedy when one comes to a full sore is to get some "Compound benzoien" found in a drug store. It puts a coating on the sore allowing you to eat, but believe me "IT BURNS LIKE FIRE". But if you feel one in the making, here is the best thing you can do sprinkle some table salt in the palm of your hand, (it is best to wash your hands before doing this) stick your tongue in the salt that is in the palm of your hand. It does not take much salt. Just cover the tip of your tongue with some salt. Then with the salt on the tip of your tongue place your tongue on the mouth sore and rub the salt into the sore with your tongue. If the sore has just made a little bump and has not turned white (open up), it will stop it from opening up and within 24 hours it will be completely gone! But if you do not catch the sore before it turns white (opens up) it will burn like down below and take longer to heal. It W O R K S for me and my house. Victor
When I had the mumps, my Mom rubbed the oil out of sardines on my throat, honest!!Anne
For nasal stuffiness, or to release sinus pressure, pour 2 cups of vinegar in a saucepan, add 1/3 cup of pickling spice and boil, then cover head with a towel and lean over the boiling mixture for 10 minutes or so. (Pickle juice works too, the more garlic the better.) Believe me, this works better than some decongestants and doesn't dry you out completely. Stacie Braford
For nausea, car or air sickness: put pressure on the underside of your wrist at about 2 inches below the area where the wrist and hand meet. Hold until nausea subsides. Dora Schwemley
For nausea, you can use a flat.. FLAT coca cola classic, or now they market coke syrup in the drug stores. Ginger ale, consumed slowly, ginger added to tea, or ginger capsules, camomile or peppermint tea also help. There is also a pressure point between your thumb and forfinger in the webbing of your hand that is supposed to help fight nausea and motion sickness. Chris
We have in this area of Texas two plants that have fine acid loaded hairs - Bull Nettle and Stinging Nettle. If you bbrush against them the effect is terrific stinging. We used urine to conteract the acid. Charles Diltz
Take a Pine fern (not cone) brake it in half and rub broken the ends on the effected area. Mike
From an old book that I have - copyright 1879 -Home & Health and Home Economics by C.H. Fowler,D.D., LL.D., and W.H.DePuy, A.M., D.D.........: "Temporary relief for neuralgia: A New Hampshire gentleman says: 'Take two large tablespoonfuls of cologne, and two teaspoonfuls of fine salt; mix them together in a small bottle; every time you have any acute affection of the facial nerves, or neuralgia, simply breathe the fumes into your nose from the bottle, and you will be immediately relieved." Doris Goldsborough
Vinegar will stop a nosebleed in its tracks. Just take a small sip and get it to the back of your throat, and breathe the vapors out your nose. No more nosebleed. It appears to cause the blood vessels of the nose to contract or to clot the blood rapidly. CG482@aol.com
Fold a piece of tissue(small not to large) and tuck it under your upper lip (See Boy Scout fieldbook pg.247) Mike
Willow Bark: Indians (American aborigines) chewed willow bark before the "white" man arrived to alleviate pain. I think I've heard that some tribes in Africa have found other plants that serve the same purpose. Aspirin is a derivative of acetylsalicylic acid which occurs naturally in many plants including willow. The remedies may have been "yucky" but they worked. Gil Murray
My grandmother told me of this:
When my father was just a wee lad or 4 or 5, they all lived on the Indian reservation at Paradise, Michigan. (Gramma was a school teacher and taught the children of the Chipewa tribe there). My father was out playing with his brothers and somehow tangled with the dreaded poison ivy. When he began to have difficulty breathing his older brother took him home. By this time Dad could barely breathe and his whole body was swollen almost beyond recognition. Gramma knew he was going to die. (She had just lost a 2 year old boy to the dreaded influenza the previous fall). She prayed and sent one of the boys to fetch the medicine man. He arrived and saw the trouble. Left, and quickly returned with leaves which he dried over the fire only briefly and made a tea. He instructed Gramma to give Dad a spoonful every hour through out the night. (No shaking of rattles or feathers and dancing around). Next day my Dad was out playing with the rest of kids and Gramma went on with her teaching. To this day, my Dad can walk, crawl thru or burn the dreaded poison ivy and it does not affect him, nor does it affect me or one of my brothers. I don't know about my sister or my baby brother, if it affects them or not.
Now, you wonder what was in that tea. It was made of poison ivy leaves! When I related this story to my Dad, he said he didn't know. He knew that he was no longer allergic to Poison Ivy, but didn't remember why.
I am a nurse and related this story to one of the docs I worked with 10 years ago, and he knew of this cure, but was always afraid to try to it, as he didn't know the ratio: leaves to water. Law suits prevent drs from "experimenting" on real people. The Native American Indian didn't have that hanging over them. Suseann VanLiew
Salt dries up poison ivy and other rashes. Merry
Monistat 7 Cream applied to the affected area, Monistat for itching. Mike
Hemmoroid cream works wonders, dries up the oozing of poison ivy and oak and also stops the itching. A couple of applications and it's eradicated! Julie
My mother used this remedy for poison oak many, many times over the years. She was 89 when she died in l993 so you know it's an old remedy. Mix together sour cream and baking soda and apply to affected skin area morning and night. Use until skin is healed up. Healing should be seen within a day or two. This mixture is drying to the poison oak. I think you could use this for poison ivy also. It would be worth a try. Sandy
Dab Lysol on the infected area...will alleviate itch and allows it to heal. KissKi88
Poison Ivy or Poison Oak -It used to be shown on the bottle but not lately which probably means if you're not careful it can burn some people. Clorox or liquid bleach (diluted) brings relief to the itching. Grew up in central California and it was poison oak there and got it a lot. KW
The best thing i have found for poison oak and ivy is to get a banana peel and lay it out on the counter and wait until the inside turns a light shade of brown , then rub it on the rash but only use one spot on the peel per infected area so you dont spread it, then let it dry and it is instant relief and dries the rash up within a few days. this treatment has worked for our family for many many generations. Earl H.
Our family doctor, having nothing that truly worked on ring worm, (this was before the wonder drugs-post WWII) adopted the use of green walnut hull juice applied directly to the skin. (black walnut) That truly worked| Charles Diltz
My sister constantly was getting ring worms on one or another part of her body and in order to get rid of them my Mother would draw a dark circle around it using an ink pen. They would disappear within usually a week after doing this every day as the ink supposedly would smother them. Heidi
When I was a little girl I had a wring work appear on the top of my foot. My mother spent hundreds of dollars on doctor bills and medicines that didn't work. Finally, she remembered an old cure for chigger bites. Fingernail polish! Every day, she would put clear fingernail polish around the outside edge of the wring worm and it got smaller and smaller until it disappeared. The nail polish smothered it. Priscilla Bickley, West Virginia
In high school during Gym. class, the teacher noticed a ringworm on the back of my thigh. The school nurse confirmed this, and I was sent home , and told not to return until it was gone. (contagious?) After almost 2 weeks of some ointment the doctor had prescribed, I still had the darned thing , and it actually seemed a bit larger , and itched like crazy! Finally, my Grandmother told me to take a penny and set it in a small container with WHITE VINEGAR over night. In the morning, I was to take that WET penny and lightly rub it on the ringworm, and repeat it before I went to bed. I was told NOT to cover it, just let it "dry" . ( smelled awful .....) That ringworm was gone in 2 days! Donnajean
My grandmother would tear off a piece of brown paper bag and put it on the blade of an ax and light it on fire, blow off the ashes and take the sweat off the ax where the bag burned and put it on the ring worm, it would go away in 2 days. Colleene
I wrestle and get ringworm constantly. I noticed that is you put selsun blue (dandruff Shampoo) on the ringworm and cover it with a bandaid it will go away. Just put it on in the morning and change it again before you go to bed. It should go away in 1-2 days. Dan F.
My old hound dog came in from one of his solitary hunts whining and in pain with a swelling around his right eye. Examination showed rattlesnake fang marks both above and below his eye. Dad wanted to shoot him to "get him out of his misery" (which he soon had in abundance --- his head "swole up to the size of a water bucket"). I tearfully interceded and then 'doctored' Duke (my hound) with kerosene (we called it coal oil) dabbed gently to the fang marks with a chicken feather. Amazingly, the dog survived --- the only dog we ever heard of who survived a rattlesnake bite on the head --- and lived for many more years. He bore the 4 little scars of the fang marks until he died but was panicked by anything that sounded anything like a rattlesnake rattle. Kerosene or constitution ?? You decide. Dennis Palmer
Almost any vernom except the kind which attacks nevious system (corel snake) can be immediatly altered to nontoxic. People bit by cobras have been know to go back to work the same day. Works on stings too. Greg
Many times while driving I would sneeze. I found if you rub your ear lobes it would suppress the sneeze.Don't pull on them, just rub them. Try it at home before a sneeze, it really does work for me and others that I have told. Chimes
A small bag of plain kitchen salt heated in the oven until very warm and cradled around a sore throat for relief. Nina Hall
Tonsaline: A very weird-tasting, yellow-colored liquid in a tall, skinny bottle with a picture of a long-necked giraffe on the label. This medication was for sore throat. It was a bit like taking a swallow of alum water. Nina Hall
Kerosene: Taken internally (with or without sugar or honey) for sore throat. Dennis Palmer
Voice of Caution: I enjoyed this sight a lot but wanted to suggest that you put in a warning on the one for kerosene for a sore throught. My daughter spent 2 weeks in the hospital with chemical phenmonia from a teaspoon of ingested kerosene. I wouldn't want anyone to try it. ShirlRay
Argyrol: You'd get your sore throat painted with argyrol which was on a cotton swab at the end of a stick? My dad was the official swabber in our house, and he was pretty gentle, but it sure tasted bad. Philip Ingerman
When I had a cold my mother used to chop up onions and put some sugar on them and set them in the warming oven until there was juice. I actually liked the sweet warm onion juice and it was soothing for a sore throat. Dolly Yates
From an old book that I have - copyright 1879 -Home & Health and Home Economics by C.H. Fowler,D.D., LL.D., and W.H.DePuy, A.M., D.D.........: "Cures for Sore Throat -l. Powdered potash held on the tongue and allowed to dissolve is very good for sore throat when there are 'white spots' 2. Take the whites of two eggs and beat them in with two spoonfuls of white sugar; grate in a little nutmeg, and then add a pint of luke-warm water. Stir well and drink often. Repeat the prescription, if necessary. A practical physician thinks it will cure the most obstinate case of hoarseness in a short time." Doris Goldsborough
Grandpa swore by rock candy (crystallized sugar) dissolved in rye whiskey for sore throat or coughs. Charles Diltz
My mother's cure for sore throat is to gargle with warm salt water. It really works. Cindy
One morning I woke up with a sore throat, so bad that I had no voice. My Mom told me to have a hot cup of tea with a piece of dry toast. To my surprise, it worked immediately. smooth3333
When I was a child, I got a lot of sore throats, and at the first sight of a little sickness, they would get a long swab and Gentlin Violet and paint your throat...just enough to cover it. Tonetta Marrero
Gargling with salt water is good for sore throats. Merry
For a sore throat, it only takes a small chip of garlic,,,,or taste a drop of garlic juice. But chew this very small chip of garlic, & if you do not have strep throat,,,you will feel better in minutes. Lee Geiger
Peroxide - - See "Swollen Tonsils" This remedyy is for both. From Rebecca from Georgia
This is a remedy that has helped when my husband had a spider bite that was growing bigger and was forming a knot under the skin. I went and picked a couple plantain leaves and chewed them up slightly. Actually, the person with the bite should chew it, as it has detoxifying properties. But, since my husband wouldn't, I chewed it and then put it on the bite. I placed a Band-Aid over it and changed it twice a day for 2 days-after that, the bite, the knot, everything was healed. I believe I found this remedy in a Native American herbal remedy book. I also use a chewed plantain leaf on places I have that start bleeding a little. I just place it on the cut or whatever and hold it there for a short time. the bleeding stops. Betty Black
When a spider bit a friend of mine on her face, she used a tea bag (just regular tea). She soaked it in water and applied it to the bite. With in 10 minutes, the swelling was almost completely down! LL
I saw tobacco used for bee stings, it also works on mosquito bites, spider bites & anything else you want to "draw" out of body. About 13 yrs ago I had friend that got bit by spider on back of hand. Within few hours it was very red & she had golfball size knot. I put wet tobbaco on it, about 1 hour after that there was no redness & knot was completely gone. Sincerely,
Joy T.
How about cutting a potato in half and putting it at the sight of a splinter. It really works, splinters seem to suck into the potato, but was a little awkward to be walking around with a potato strapped to you. Michelle Ferretti
Splinter - To cure splinters my Grandmother would cuut a piece of fat from bacon and place it over the splinter (with a Band-Aid). As long as the splinter was wood, it would come out, usually overnight. It works! Sabrina Barton
Wild Cherries: My grandmother made a wonderful concoction from wild cherries, which are darker, smaller, and more bitter than domestic cherries. She let it ferment :0) and mixed it with sugar and hot water for a stomach ache. I loved it! I had regular stomach aches, until my parents put a stop to the "cure." Patricia I. Shaw
Paregoric: taken for stomach aches, etc. My mother would add a little sugar and water to the Paregoric for me to drink. Doris Goldsborough
Nutmeg Jinx Dopson
For stomach ache drink the juice of one whole lemon mixed with 2 tsp. of sugar. Instant cure! Dora Schwemley
A quick cure for a stomach ache: Squeeze out one inch of tooth paste ( any brand ) and down the hatchee. Swallow it , with or without water , and in a few minutes the stomach ache is gone! (Without causing nausea or sickness - - - actually it doesn't taste bad at all .) In 1958 , while in the United States Air Force , as a Flight Engineer , on a survival training exersize , 100 miles from a doctor or medicine (except a snake bite kit ) , my Aircraft Commander , bless his heart , suggested this treatment . I've had very few stomach aches since then , but when & if they do occur ; I Grab the toothpaste! Floyd E. Hodges
When I was small and would get a sty on my eye, my mother would take a an Irish potato, cut it in half and scrape out about 3 or 4 tablespoons of the raw potato. Then she would put the gooey mess in a clean, white handkerchief and put it over my eye. She'd leave it about 30 or 45 minutes, take it off, wash the area around my eye and in about an hour the sty would be gone. It has been a really long time since I was a little girl, but I still use this remedy to this day. Don't know how it works or why; but, it works. Betty Giblin
Sty - Rub a gold ring on the sty. I have not haad great luck with this one. Sabrina Barton
I work in a beauty salon with a lady who is 79 years old. I had a sty on one of my eyes and she told me to take my gold wedding ring and rub it on a towel or some type of material to get it hot then touch it to the sty until it cools off. I thought to myself "yeah right" but my eye was bothering me so bad so I tried it. My husband rubbed my ring on his blue jeans then put it on my sty. I could feel the heat from the ring going in the sty. It was very soothing and believe it or not the sty was gone by the time I got in the bed. Amy Murphy
My mother in law taught me this. When I have the beginning of a stye (in the eye) I take a piece of smooth gold jewelry (mother said it should be your husband's wedding ring) and press it against the stye. Now gently move it across the stye in one direction. Picking it up off the eye and starting over again. Do that several times and as often as you think of it. It has always healed my eyes right up. It works like a charm! Gold has healing properties in it. I always wash the jewelry before and after I do this. Donna Cravillion
I'm prone to sties and in a desperate attempt to get rid of a sty I had I mixed four different home remedies and it worked. First, grate some carrots, about two of them, and put them aside for later. Next, heat up some water and then add salt. Lastly, cut up some green onions (the whole thing) and add just enough water so all of the chopped onion is covered and bring the water to a boil. Strain the green onion "juice" and mix it with the salt water. Wrap up the carrots into a muslin or a thin clean cloth and twist it so the carrots are in ball at the tip. Dip the ball in the saltwater green onion concoction and place it on the sty. The heat from any warm compress helps the white blood cells attack the sty, the green onion stops the swelling, the salt dries the sty out, and carrots help bring the sty to a head. Jay
Being a redhead who sunburned so-o-o easily, I learned early how soothing & beneficial vinegar gently & liberally applied to burned areas can be. Mary
Vinegar does soothe sunburn, more importantly it will reduce or stop the severity of the burn if epeatedly applied for an hour or so, immediately after the incident. The burning usually continues for quite a while afterwards once someone is over exposed to the sun. Vinegar will stop the pain and heal in its tracks. CG482@aol.com
For sunburn try dabbing on vanilla. It takes the sting out and keeps it from peeling and smells good. I have used both real vanilla and imitation and they both work the same. Phyllis
For Sunburn use cold brewed tea on the sunurn (unsweetened of course.) it also puts the fire out in your mouth when eating hot peppers. Luvy
There isn`t anything better for sun burn then cold tea...Tea has tinactin in it and brings the fire right out..My husband was badley burnt when he spent a day on the water,I soaked towels in cold tea and let them set on him,when they got warm soaked them again, he never even blistered..I have used this for years.. wonderless
I burn easy. I use Aloevera gel on my sunburn. I keep a very large plant in my house at all times. Its great for burns of all kinds. Jen
I get laughed at a lot when i tell people this, but preparation H or it's generic equivalent works the best for sunburn. Someone who worked in a burn unit in a hospital told me about this. Chill it in fridge, stops the sting and you don't peel afterwards either. Just smooth on the cream . I've used it many times. It Works!!!!!! Barb
For a great suntan oil, try mineral oil instead of baby oil. (Baby oil has mineral oil in it. Plain mineral oil is thicker, doesn't have any perfumes, and leaves the skin moisturized as a bonus.) Rosanna
Merthiolate: I had puss pockets on my tonsils and he punctured them with a long wire and then painted my throat with merthiolate. Talk about nasty! Glenda Todd
Salsalic acid (used for canning) could be used to swab swollen tonsils. It was like aspirin. Wilma
There was a mixture of iodine, aconite and glycerin that cured swollen tonsils. Wilma
I had bad tonsils and, more than once, with an applicator had to have them swabbed with Tincture of Merthiolate. It smarted a bit but it did seem to help,..at least for a while. Doris Goldsborough
Iodine & rubbing alcohol mixed together painted on the outside of throat and dabbed on each tonsil, it works if done early. Velma Arnold
For Swollen Tonsils OR Sore Throat. When my son was young he had tonsilitis EVERY year. Sometimes bad enough to nearly block off his airway. I had always used Peroxide on cuts to kill infection and tonsilitis is just a simple infection. I read the bottle and it gave directions for a gargle which I mixed and had him use. I NEVER took him to the doctor for tonsilitis ever again. As soon as he got a sore throat, he would tell me and I would mix up the Peroxide and water for him. Once the nurse from school called to tell me he had a sore throat. I told her I would come get him and asked her if she had peroxide. She said yes and I proceeded to tell her how to mix it and asked her to have him gargle with it while I was on the way. She told him (while I was on the phone) and I heard him say, "Yep, it tastes AWFUL but it DOES work". He was in 8th grade at the time. To this day I always keep a "concoction" mixed in my medicine cabinet. A 50 cent bottle of peroxide is a lot cheaper than a $50 bottle of antibiotics plus a doctor's office call. Rebecca from Georgia
My grandmother used sugar, some bar soap (Ivory I think) and spit. Mixed a poultice and covered with a gauze pad. Within 20 minutes, the stinger dislodged. Works good will thorns and splinters, too. Stacie
If we had a thorn or splinter, we taped a piece of fat from meat on it to draw it out. It worked, too! Patricia I. Shaw
The thin skin of an egg to remove splinters, to bring a boil to a head, etc. Roy D. Hurley
My stepfather's parents (from Finland) used a paste made from brown soap and sugar to "draw out" splinters and boils. At least I didn't have to eat it. Rick Fogle
Bacon poultice, was used for splinters and Boils , you took a piece of salt pork and a clean rag placed a pice of Fat salt pork over your Splinter or Boil and most of the time it was gone or come to a head by morning ...I remember my Granny doing this to me and it worked ... Verna
Baking Soda Charlie Urban
From an old book that I have - copyright 1879 -Home & Health and Home Economics by C.H. Fowler,D.D., LL.D., and W.H.DePuy, A.M., D.D.........: "A Mixture for the Teeth:-Dissolve two ounces of borax in three pints of boiling water, and before it is cold add one teaspoonful of spirits of camphor, and bottle for use. A tablespoonful of this mixture, mixed with an equal quantity of tepid water, and applied daily with a soft brush, preserves and beautifies the teeth, extirpates all tartarus adhesions, arrests decay, induces a healthy action of the gums, and makes them look pearly white." Doris Goldsborough
I'll never forget using Toothache Wax and putting it in the tooth cavity. The toothache was bad enough but the taste of cloves in that toothache wax made it "yucky" ! Doris Goldsborough
From an old book that I have - copyright 1879 -Home & Health and Home Economics by C.H. Fowler,D.D., LL.D., and W.H.DePuy, A.M., D.D.........: "Toothache Cures.- Relief from toothache or neuralgic affections arising from teeth in any stage of decay, may often be obtained by saturating a small bit of clean cotton or wool with a strong solution of ammonia, and applying it immediately to the affected tooth. The pleasant contrast in-stantaneously produced sometimes causes a fit of laughter, although a moment before extreme suffering and anguish prevailed" [I AM SURE THEY MEANT SPIRITS OF AMMONIA and not the household ammonia we now use!] Doris Goldsborough
For a abscessed tooth put a Tea Bag on it or a clean cloth with a bit of bulk tea in it--just moisten enough so it will cover the tooth and hold it there, don't remember for how long but probably till the tooth stopped hurting. I have had it do good for me when I had Teeth. LOL Dorothy
Take a hole clove after taking off the end bud/horns, place between gum and effected tooth. It takes about 2 minutes to begain being effective. Mike
Back around 1950 my mother was diagnosed with an ulcer. Our elderly family doctor told her to eat a baked potato hot from the oven every night before dinner. One night she let the potato sit for a time while she attended to a child, and later was doubled over with pain. The doctor scolded her, saying his instructions were to eat the potato hot from the oven. Thereafter she followed his orders religiously, and the ulcer went away. WRGPBG
My grandmother mixed a spoonful of sugar and a spoonful of baking soda in a half-glass of water then poured in about a tablespoonful of vinegar. This concoction was drunk while foaming---actually it tasted a lot like today's alka-seltzer. Nina Hall
She also made blackberry wine for medical purposes for the stomach. Joanne H. Boswell
Granny would peel a Irish Potato , cut it in pieces and pour water over it and let it set a while ...then she would pour the water off the Potato and we drank it ...it tasted sweet and it worked .. Verna
When I was a little girl we were travling in the mountains of West Virginia and I had an upset stomach. Carsick maybe.. We stopped at an old country store to get something for it and there was an old women running the store that looked as old as the hills.. LOL!!.. She told my mom to fold up a newspaper and put it next to my skin under my shirt.. It worked!!.. The nausea went away and the rest of the trip was great!! Cindy
For upset stomach (heartburn, indigestion) mix one tsp. of baking soda in a cup of water and drink straight up (this is also on the baking soda box). Dora Schwemley
Cod Liver Oil: .The cod liver oil was to ward off colds too. I had to take cod liver oil tablets all one winter and didn't have a cold all winter. Grover
Freshly killed chicken gizzard rubbed on the wart. The gizzard may have been sliced open. After rubbing it on the wart, you were to bury the gizzard and never look at it again. This worked on my little brother's warts that had resisted conventional medical treatments. Maybe it was the power of persuasion. Sabrina Barton
Some of these old remedies do seem to work. When I was a kid ( back in the 1940s) I had large warts on my hands. My grandmother told me to cut a potato in half and rub the raw potato on my hands several times a day. Before I knew what was happening, those things just disappeared. Sure make a believer out of me !!! Connie Humphrey
It is really not an old time cure, but it's a cheap alternative. Two years ago my little girl got a bad case of plantar warts on the bottoms of her feet. We have no health insurance and my husband had lost his job, and I thought "what am I going to do?" I began researching on the web and found a bulletin board, and several people posted that Tea Tree Oil had made their plantar warts disappear.
Well, Tea Tree Oil is a great antiseptic and we keep it in the house all the time. Several years ago I had a large wart on my face, and the doctor wanted $100 to remove it. I used the Tea Tree Oil every night, and in two weeks the wart was gone.
So, I used the Tea Tree Oil on my daughter's plantar warts. It worked great! The warts were gone in about two months. A doctor would have used expensive treatments or lazer surgery. All it took to get rid of them was a couple of $6 bottles of Tea Tree Oil from the Natural Health
store, and some patience.Tea Tree Oil is from Australia. I purchase mine at the local Natural Health and vitamin store, for about $6 a bottle and it lasts a long time (we've had our current bottle for about two years). The one I like best is in a dark brown bottle and is by a company called NOW. Tea Tree Oil is great for lots of things --- warts, acne, etc. Maggie Hays
A friend of my mother's has a set of twin girls. One of them had a problem with warts on her hands. So, every night before bed, she'd put petrolium jelly (vasoline) on her hands and then put rubber gloves over them so she wouldn't get the stuff all over the bed linen. After several days (not sure how many), the warts were gone. Leanne Evans
Take a vitamin A gelcap...split it open and rub the oil on the wart......will see results 3 to 6 days..completely gone. KissKi88
My brother had a hugh wart on the little finger of his right hand ,,it covered the second section of the finger and stuck out at least 1/4 inch or more. Nasty looking thing. He had tried all kinds of wart removers to no avail. He worked in a gasoline station/garage, as they were called back then. He was restoring an old car and had just bought a new wrench,,well somehow it got knocked into a vat of acetone, and without thinking my brother just plunged his hand into it to grab the wrench before it went to the bottom,,and luckily he grabbed it. He cleaned of his hand and the next morning at breakfast our Mother asked what had he done to get rid of the wart. He said he hadn't done anything. Mom said,,well, it is gone,,what did you do? He told Mom about the acetone saying that was the only thing he could think of that was unusual that had happened. Mom said,,go upstairs and see if it is in your bed. Sure enough it was,,it had fallen off during the night. Not long ago, I had a wart on the back of my hand. I had tried several remedies and nothing got rid of the wart. Then remembered what had happened with my brother. I went to Wal Mart,,got some fingernail polish remover with acetone. I would saturate a quetip with the nail polish remover with acetone and dab it on the wart for about three or four times every day for about a week,,and every day I could see the wart shrinking, it finally just flaked off. Works,,don't ask me why,,although I have a theory,,don't know if it is correct. If warts are caused by a virus maybe the acetone freezes the virus and kills it ..don't know, just guessing. Acetone is cold. Works faster if you can find acetone. Alice Cokus
There is nothing better to get rid of warts than plain old duct tape. Make sure you get the type that has cloth fibers in it. Just cut a small piece and place it over the wart. In about a week the wart will die. If you feel silly running around with a piece of duct tape stuck to yourself, just cover the whole thing with a Band- aid. Ed Bayer
Tobacco juice: Tobacco Juice was dosed in case anyone had been exposed to intestinal parasites (worms). Barb
Dr. Jayne's Syrup of Pepsin. I believe that was for worms. Very sweet tasting and not so bad, actually; however, I always dreaded it. Nina Hall