More Folk Remedies from the past

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Folk Remedies

From The Past - Part 1

Source: Folk Remedies For Common Ailments

By: Anne McIntyre

 

~Cinnamon powder stirred into a glass of milk is an old

country cure for dysentery.

 

~As a strengthening tonic, cinnamon has been used to

relieve fatigue, debility, melancholy, winter lethargy, poor circulation,

impotenence, and nervous problems.

 

~Cinnamon was presecribed as a remedy for cholera, at the

beginning of mumps, and for consumptives as an inhalant.

 

~Watercress: Parkinson in 1640 said that the crushed

leaves or juice applied to the face removed freckles, pimples, and spots, and

when mixed with vinegar relieved lethargy.

 

~North American Indians ate watercress to dissolve gravel

and stones in the bladder.

 

~In the Middle Ages, people rubbed the juice into the

scalp to strengthen the hair.

 

~Honey: The Teutons of Europe prepared wine from honey

and then drank it for 30 days after marriage - hence the word

" honeymoon. " Perhaps honey's reputation as an aphrodisiac stems from

this custom.

 

~Until World War 1 wounds were often treated with honey

to disinfect them and speed healing.

 

~Rose honey was made with the juice of rose petals and

given to the sick as a revitalizing tonic.

 

~Oats: The relaxing properties of oats are evident from

the tradtional remedy for children and insomniacs of sleeping on a matress

stuffed with oat husks.

 

~Oats have been used as a soothing remedy for irritated

conditions of the digestive tract and problems such as diverticulitis,

irritable bowel syndrome, gastritis, and constipation.

 

~Ginger: Ginger has an ancient reputation as an

aphrodisiac - men have claimed that it transforms frigid women into

enchantresses.

 

~Around 1600, Lord Zouche brought ginger to England. His

friend the herbalist Gerard, reported that ginger " heateth and drieth in

the iii degree, "

and

recommended it as a warming aid to digestion.

 

~In the past, high blood pressure wsa reduced by applying

a paste of powdered ginger and cold water to the forehead. Now, thankfully,

adding ginger to your cooking is considered sufficient.

 

~Lemon: Lemons were used to treat migraines and malaria,

when taken in coffee.

 

~The juice of 3-4 lemons taken daily was a remedy for

excessive menstruation.

 

~As a means of preventing arteriosclerosis, Russian

folklore recommended everyone over 40 years of age to drink the juice of one

lemon and one oragne in hot water every morning.

 

~Potato: An old remedy for worms involved eating an

evening meal of potato salad with walnut oil for three consecutive days.

 

~In Russia, suppositories cut from fresh potatoes and

inserted into the anus were used fro quick relief of hemorrhoids.

 

~Raw potato juice and hot potato water used to be applied

to the painful area in gout, rheumatism, and lumbago.

 

~Salt: In medieval feasts, " inferior " guests

sat below the midway point on the table marked by a pot of salt. Only those

above the salt were invited to savor its delights.

 

~In India Ayurvedic physicians believe that salt

stimulates fire

(pitta) and

accentuates feelings of energy and aggression

 

~A salt enema (2 T. of salt to 1 pint of warm water) used

to be give to children to rid them of threadworms.

 

~Pepper: So valuable was pepper considered that Atilla

the Hun demanded, among other things, more than a ton of black pepper as a

ransom for the city of Rome.

 

~In the Middle Ages, pepper was worth its weight in gold

- literally.

 

~The Japanese added cayenne to remedies for infertility,

while the Indonesians used it as a folk remedy to procure abortion.

 

~The ancient Greek & Roman physicians used - and we

continue to use - cayenne as a " hot " remedy to treat

" cold " disorders, such as tiredness, lethargy, colds, phlegm, weak

digestion, and tendency to infection.

 

~Cayenne used to be placed in woolen socks to warm the

feet on cold winter days.

 

 

 

Folk Remedies From The Past - Part 2

Source: Folk Remedies For Common Ailments

By: Anne McIntyre

 

~Vinegar: Rose petals soaked in vinegar is a Greek

remedy for

applying to

sunburn and heat rash.

 

~Vinegar was once used as a dressing for wounds and when,

in the old

nursery

rhyme, Jack fell down and broke his crown, he went to

bed and

wrapped his

head in vinegar and brown paper.

 

~In the past, vinegar was taken diluted with water as an

antiseptic

in typhus,

dysentery, and scarlet fever. Mixed with salt it made

an excellent

emetic

for clearing infections and poisons quickly from the

system.

 

~Mustard: White mustard seeds contain mucilage and were

once

fashionable as a

laxative, especially for chronic constipation. When

infused in hot

water

they were used as a cure for hiccups.

 

~The irritant effect of mustard provided a wonderful fold

remedy for

poisoning - 1 teaspoon in a cup of hot water drunk all

at once would

provoke

vomiting.

 

~In Russia, a daily dusting of mustard in wollen socks

was thought to

keep colds at bay.

 

~Apple: In folk medicine apples were used to treat flu,

fevers,

bronchial

complaints, heart problems, lethargy, and anemia; to

decongest the

nose and

chest of mucus; and to speed recovery during

convlesence. All this

seems to

confirm the old saying: " To eat an apple going to

bed will make a

doctor beg

for his bread. "

 

~Cooked apples were valued as a sedative to calm anxiety

and promote

restful sleep.

 

~Grated raw apple was used as a poultice for bruised or

sore eyes and

applied to varicose ulcers.

 

~Alcohol: The ancient Greeks not only drank wine, they

used it as an

antiseptic to cleanse wounds on the battlefield. It was

also said

to cleanse

the bowels, cure constipation and insomnia, kill worms,

and clear

urinary

problems.

 

~Drink has tradtionally been used for solace, for

" drowning one's

sorrows. "

According to Homer, wehn Patroclus, the friend of

Achilles, was

killed in the

Trojan War, Achilles wept for three days, after which he

ate and

drank for

solace.

 

~The antiseptic qualities of alcohol were used during

pain hte the

early days

of operations and tooth extractions.

 

~Wheat: In Ayurveda, the ancient medical tradition of

India, wheat is

a " kapha " food, very suitable for growing

children.

 

~A Russian remedy for head cold involves burning a piece

of bread

slowly and

inhaling for 2-3- minutes at a time.

 

~Burnt bread has been recommended to clear the system of

toxins and

so helps

to clear the skin.

 

~Egg: A beaten egg white was an old remedy for relieving

bruises,

sprains, and whitlows.

 

~Eggs were said to relieve nerve pain and inflammation as

in

neuralgia and sciatica.

 

~In the 1920's and '30's, doctors used egg yolk

preparations to treat

infant

diarrhea, due to the egg's binding properties.

 

~Milk & Yogurt: In india, wehre dairying is

important, the family

cow is

treated with great respect.

 

~Bulgarians were once renowned for living longer - and

because they

ate large

amounts of yogurt, thier longevity was attributed to

this food.

 

~To keep their skin clear, soft, and supple, people were

recommended

to sponge

their bodies with 2.2 pints of milk mixed with the juice

of two

lemons.

 

~Cabbage: Pythagoars recommended a daily diet or raw

cabbag to cure

nervous

disorders. It was used by sailors to prevent scurvy.

 

~Raw cabbage was reputed to purify the blood and clear

the skin,

detoxify the

liver, cure arthritis, headaches, and hangovers, and

even dry out

alcoholics.

 

~Tea: The application of cold tea is an old remedy for

bruises and

scalds, as

well as swollen eyes.

 

~Powdered tea was once used as a snuff to stop nose

bleeds.

 

~Barley: Cows' milk was diluted with barley to prevent

the formation

of hard curds in the stomach.

 

~Eating sprouted barley helps to dry mother's milk when

weaning and

to relieve painful, swollen breasts.

 

 

Folk Remedies From The Past - Part 3

Source: Folk Remedies For Common Ailments

By: Anne McIntyre

 

~Clove: In Elizabethan days, pomanders were made by

studding oranges

with cloves and letting them dry out. They were then

hung from

ribbons in wardrobes for their wonderful aroma and to

repel moths,

and carried about to counteract bad odors and

disease-carrying germs.

 

~Carrot: Carrots have been used as a remedy for

tuberculosis,

scrofula, bronchitis, and pneumonia. A decoction of

carrot seeds was

taken for dysentery.

 

~ A vital Russian folk remedy was fresh carrot juice

with honey and

a little water. It was taken daily by the tablespoonful

to cure

colds and coughs and to ward off wintertime respiratory

ailments.

~ Carrots are said to regulate women's menstrual flow

and enhance

milk production.

 

~Olive Oil: An enema of warm olive oil was a common

remedy to

relieve consumption, as it helps to break up the feces.

 

~ A traditional remedy for a sluggish liver and gall

bladder

problems was a tablespoonful of cold processed oil taken

first thing

in the morning to stimulate the flow of bile into the

intestines.

 

~ Children who wet the bed used to be massaged over

their kidneys

with warm oil.

 

~ Water: Around 1800, hydrotherapy was established in

Europe for

treating health problems.

 

~Charles Darwin remarked that a cold dip made his aches

and pains

disappear - later studies have confirmed that a short

sharp shock

benefits the immune system and circulation of the blood.

 

~Garlic: At the beginning of the 20th century garlic

preparations

were still a major remedy for TB and during World War 1

it was used

to combat dysentery and typhus.

 

~Garlic has long been known as an invigorating tonic and

used in

many " elixirs of youth. " Street vendors in 5th

century Greece

apparently sold garlic with the chant " It is the

truth, garlic gives

men youth. "

 

~Leek: Eating only boiled leeks was an old remedy for

swallowing

sharp objects such as a needle. The fibers were said to

sheath the

object and prevent it from damaging the stomach or bowel,

until it

was passed through the system.

 

~Cucumber: Cucumber is a cooling remedy for fevers -

according to

folklore, if a cucumber was placed alongside a sick

child, then it

would absorb the heat of the fever.

 

~Onion: Onions were used as an effective antiseptic for

soldier's

wounds in World War 2. A cut onion was traditionally

placed int he

sick room for its antiseptic vapors to cleanse the

atmosphere.

~As an aphrodisiac, onion soup was customarily give to couples

on

their wedding night.

 

~Cardamom: Cardamom's tonic properties have been an

important

ingredient in European love potions. When used

traditionally in

aphrodisiac recipes it was oten mixed with cinnamon,

nutmeg, peppers,

and onions.

 

~Ladies in 19th century England carried cardamom seeds in

their

pockets. They chewed them for their digestive and tonic

effects, and

to sweeten the breath.

 

~Turnip: In France, a little raw turnip every day was

recommended to

clear skin problems, while the broth was used to treat

lung diseases,

colds, and a variety of respiratory problems.

 

~A puree of turnips cooked in milk was a remedy for

bronchitis, while

the juice was given to treat TB.

 

~Such was the esteem in which turnips were held that they

were used

on armorial bearings to represent a person of liberal

disposition who

relieved the poor.

 

~Parsley: Romans tucked parsley inside thier togas to

provide

protection and gladiators ate it to increase their

strength.

 

~In early European traditions parsley root was used to

treat

jaundice, malaria, and dropsy.

 

~Parsley seed was once a remedy for the plague.