Traditional cures?

GraceB

My friend last weekend recommended a very odd remedy/cure for my cold and it made me wonder what others were known.

My friend said to: get a white fresh onion and cut it up into thick slices. Position one slice each on the ball and heel of each foot, holding these in place with socks and then go to bed. Also place a further slice of onion on a saucer on the bedside cabinet. :roll:

Slight problem with this I found. :!: I have to get up in the night for the bathroom and when I tried a "test stagger", it was like walking on stilts and far too dangerous. So, I abandoned the slices on my feet. The slice of onion on the saucer was too pungent - even with my cold so I put it on the window sill. Putting the onion on the base of your feet is supposed to draw out the toxins/ germs.

I remember my Dad slathering us with V**k's on our chests when we were little and had colds. We were then put to bed with hot water bottles and extra bedding so we could 'sweat it out'.

Now I'm not suggesting anyone tries the onion in your socks bit but it did make me wonder what other old cures my Forum Family knew about.

This could be interesting ...

GraceB

barbara12

Oh Grace that made me laugh can only imagine what walking on onions feels like..my mum and grandma had many but one I renumber was putting a cold spoon on my neck to stop my nose bleeds..meanwhile I was losing pints.. oh and rubbing butter on the lump after a bang on the head...

Slosh

Vicks on the soles of your feet and then put socks on to cure a cough, my daughter has tried this.

My Mum used to swear by a drop of gin and something for period pains.

Airwave!

My fav is hot honey and lemon with a dose of whisky at bedtime, works for me!

A hot bath relieves the nasal congestion.

FIL used to swear by horse linament (poo!).

Lavendar to make you sleep (I grow and harvest my own).

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Beetroot reduces blood pressure.

Mead for a 'honeymoon'.

How's that for starters?

dreamdaisy

I think that these hark back to times when doctors didn't exist, let alone pills and potions. Poorly people had to get on as best they could (with what they had to hand) so maybe the predominance of onions is not surprising. They have had a large role to play from everything to 'curing' colds to removing the aroma of paint which may be due to their aromatic strength. My late Ma was a fan of applying goose fat to the chest, eating calves foot jelly and inhaling coal tar. I'm not, especially the jelly. Total yuk. DD

frogmorton

I'm loving these Grace!

I can't add much apart from my Dad swore by cloves for toothache.

YUK YUK YUK!!! shudder

DD My Mum gave us an inhalation for colds, but I can't remember what it was :?

daffy2

my Dad swore by cloves for toothache.

When I worked for a dentist after leaving school he still used neat clove oil sometimes as it was good for infection and also damping down pain. Not good if you got it on bare skin as it burns - in fact my father, a research chemist, was horrified to hear that I was using it without precautions as in his lab it was a gloves and fume cupboard job! The dentist in question was something of a dinosaur - only partially converted to the merits of injected anaesthetic - so that was something of a leftover remedy. However clove compounds are still used, and in fact something called Kalzinol which I remember mixing for all 3 dentists in the practice is still used for linings under some fillings and for temporary fillings or crown fixings. I always liked using it because of the smell!

bubbles

We used to use leeches for haematoma's and maggots for debriding wounds. Both of them were lab grown and sterile to start with. :shock: it was amazing how quickly wounds used to heal, but patients often got a bit uptight about having maggots under a dressing.
Vick on your chest, yes, remember that
Vick in boiling water, over a bowl with a t towel, with your eyes streaming like mad - hush now, it is doing you good :? IS IT.
Tablespoon of molasses every day.

stickywicket

I was introduced to my favourite cold cure by a cousin of Mr SW - whisky hot water and sugar. I've long since dispensed with the sugar and sometimes pass on the water but I do think I get a better sleep when I have a streaming nose with a wee dram just before bed.

As an asthmatic child I had kaolin poultices slapped on my chest from time to time. Ok when comfortingly warm but horrible when too hot.

My Dad had a (copperplate) handwritten 'prescription' ie a recipe which he took to our local chemist when anyone had a cold. It tasted pretty horrible and gave us every incentive to get better. Though he did also pick up some 'cough candy' while he was there.

Aidan, I was once in hospital with a diabetic lady who was having her leg ulcers treated with maggots. Worked well.

daffy2

bubbles wrote:

We used to use leeches for haematoma's and maggots for debriding wounds..

Both are finding favour again, as is honey for reducing infection in wound healing - although given the bee crisis and rapidly rising cost and reduced supplies of honey that may be ruled out on budgetary grounds before long!

bubbles

daffy2 wrote:

bubbles wrote:

We used to use leeches for haematoma's and maggots for debriding wounds..

Both are finding favour again, as is honey for reducing infection in wound healing - although given the bee crisis and rapidly rising cost and reduced supplies of honey that may be ruled out on budgetary grounds before long!

Honey is very good, propolis being anti just about everything, the bees use it to keep the hive bacteria free. I know there is a crisis, if the bees go, just about everything goes...........scary thought. :shock:

dreamdaisy

The Spouse introduced me to a wonderful cold remedy which his mum used to give him and his brother: equal parts port and brandy to be slowly sipped and savoured. She gave this in small measures even when they were small boys. :shock:

I think there are more than grains of truth in what honey, leeches and maggots can do for us - perhaps we are too 'medicalised' in this modern age expecting pills to sort everything. I also think there's an argument for not being so bacteria-phobic; immune systems need a bit of good, clean dirt to work properly. I admit I used in-wash Dettol on bedding and nightwear when we were both ill over Christmas but it's now relegated to the back of the cupboard. DD