Traditional Medicine

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EARACHE

Place a pinch of black pepper in a roll of cotton batting, dip in sweet oil, and insert in the ear. This afforded instant relief. Bandage the head and keep it and the ears warm.

COLIC

Add one teaspoonful of brown sugar to a teacupful of hot water, and drink as hot as possible. This affected immediate relief.

CATARRH

Snuffing of salt water into the nostrils was in many cases an effective remedy.
Another: Take one part of finely pulverized saltpeter and two parts of white sugar, reduced to flower. This was mixed and snuffed every two or three hours.


FELONS

Common salt was mixed with the white of an egg until a thick salve was formed. This was then applied directly to the felon.
Another: Take equal parts of unslacked lime and brown soap: mix with whiskey until a thick salve was formed. Then a common sewing thimble was filled with this and bound on the felon. Within twenty-four hours or less the matter was drawn to the surface.

TOOTHACHE REMEDY

Take of finely powdered alum one drachm, sweet spirits of nitre, seven drachms, and mix.
Moisten a little cotton or linen with the liquid, and introduce into the cavity of the tooth. If there is no cavity to be readily reached, place the liquid on some cotton or linen and apply freely to the gums surrounding the effected tooth.

ANOTHER TOOTHACHE REMEDY

Mix together half a drachm each, of Oil of Cloves, Oil of Cajuput, Oil of Amber, and powdered Camphor. Apply the same as above.

A SIMPLE REMEDY FOR CROUP

If a child was taken with croup, cold water, ice water if possible, was applied suddenly and freely to the neck and chest with a sponge. The breathing was said to be instantly relieved.
As soon as possible, the sufferer was allowed to drink as much as he could. He was then wiped dry, covered up warm, and it was said that soon a slumber would relieve the patient's anxiety.

FOR BILIOUS COLIC

Take of White Walnut Bark, Elder Bark, and Dogwood Bark, each a handful. Boil them in four quarts of water down to one quart by evaporation. Strain and add a half-tablespoon of saltpeter. The dose was a teaspoonful or two, three or four times a day.

SPITTING UP BLOOD

Make a strong tea of Witch Hazel leaves, and to half a pint of it add three teaspoonfuls, each, of Sage Juice and common Nettle Juice. The dose was a wineglassful every half hour until the bleeding stopped.

A POSITIVE TREATMENT FOR AGUE WITHOUT QUININE

Peruvian bark, two ounces; Wild Cherry tree bark, one ounce; Cinnamon, one drachm;
Capsicum, one teaspoonful; one ounce of Sulphur; port Wine, two quarts. It was let to stand two days, frequently shaking it.

The dose was one wineglassful every two or three hours until the fever was gone, then two or three a day until all was used up. But, before taking the above, the bowels were to be actively moved with a dose of Epsom Salts or other mild purgative.

NEURALGIA

The leaves of the common Field Thistle were bruised and used as a poultice to the part or parts affected. Also, a wineglassful of a tea, made from the same, was drank three times a day.

ANOTHER FOR THE SAME

Apply a fomentation of Blue-Gum leaves to the parts affected and it was said to be a relief to the most distressing of cases. Frequent and regular applications of Blue-Gum leaves to the part effected a permanent relief.

CATALEPTIC FITS

Juice of the root of Plantain, taken in doses of a teaspoonful every fifteen or twenty minutes, was a useful remedy.

ANOTHER TOOTHACHE REMEDY

Take of Camphor two drachms, Chloroform one drachm, strong water of Ammonia half a drachm; mix. Use as the preceding.

ANOTHER REMEDY FOR A TOOTHACHE WHEN ALL OTHERS ARE
UNAVAILABLE

The affected tooth was flooded with whiskey.

HEALING SALVE

Equal parts of Beeswax, Mutton Tallow, Rosin and Linseed Oil, were melted together, by heating them only hot enough to get them to mix.

SEVEN YEAR'S ITCH

Take of Lard, half a pound, Sulphur, two ounces, Salt of Tarter, one ounce; mix, and form an ointment. After bathing, apply this ointment every night.

ANOTHER

Wash twice a day with a strong soap. This also was effective in the treatment of Western Prairie Itch.

DYSENTERY

Boil together by a gentle heat, three pints of sweet milk and one ounce of Mutton Tallow: then add gradually, one half of a tablespoonful of powdered starch, stirring constantly, and Loaf Sugar to suit the taste. Dose was a wineglassful several times a day.

FOR WEAKLY FEMALES

To one quart of good whiskey add the following; Blue Cohosh root, Black Cohosh root,
Pleurisy root, each in coarse powder, one tablespoonful; Balm of Gilead Buds, Tamarack Bark, Ingelica root, each, in coarse powder, one teaspoonful; mix; let stand ten or twelve
days, frequently shaking.

The dose was a teaspoonful three times a day, gradually increased, as the stomach could bear it to one or two tablespoonfuls. It was to be taken in sweetened water. This is said to be a most excellent medicine.

A SALVE FOR OLD AND STUBBORN SORES

Take one pint of Sweet Oil, half an ounce of shaving soap, and a half pound beeswax; melt together, and add one over the fire until the mixture is dark brown in color (or black), continue stirring until nearly cold, then add one ounce of powdered camphor. This was found to be a superior item of treatment.

SHAMPOO LIQUID

Dissolve two drachms of Salt of Tartar in one pint of clear rainwater. Rub some of this upon the hair until a lather has been formed, and thoroughly cleanse the hair and scalp from grease and dirt by rubbing well with it.

MAGIC LINIMENT

To one pint of Hot Drops made with alcohol, add two ounces each of Oil of Sassafras, Oil of Hemlock, Spirits of Turpentine, Camphor, and one ounce each of Oil of Cedar, Oil of Origanum, and Oil of Cinnamon. When made, add Lard Oil, one-sixth part of the whole
bulk, or about one gill. This was used for sprains, bruises, pains, and rheumatism, and anything else that required liniment.

SPRAINS

Take a large spoonful of honey, the same amount of salt, and the white of an egg; beat the whole up incessantly for two hours; then let it stand an hour, and then anoint the place sprained with the oil that was produced from the mixture. This was said to have enabled people with sprains to walk within twenty-four hours.

A NAIL IN THE FOOT
To ease the pain and promote quicker healing of the wound caused by running a nail through the foot, take peach leaves, bruise them, and apply to the mound. Wrap them with bandages and the cure is amazingly sudden. The most appreciable benefit was the immediate relief of pain.

DYSPEPSIA

A remedy for most forms of dyspepsia was to take one teaspoonful of brown sugar after each meal.

JAUNDICE

The simple remedy of raw eggs was found to be one of the surest for jaundice. Two eggs were to be taken before breakfast for five or six days. Afterwards, one egg before each meal until a cure was effected. The patient's own taste decided how the eggs were to be taken.

SCARLET FEVER

The most effective method for the cure of Scarlet Fever was the application of uncooked bacon fat or fat bacon. The surface of the body was rubbed twice a day with bacon fat. A low diet was maintained, and cooling liquids mere given freely.

A WASH TO REMOVE FRECKLES

Take of Sal Ammoniac a teaspoonful, rainwater, one pint, Muriatic Acid, thirty drops, Essence of Lavender, two teaspoonfuls; mix; wash with sponge three times a day and let it dry on face.

ANOTHER

Take of Oil of Bitter Almonds, Flowers of Sulphur, and Tannin, each, five parts, mix and form an ointment, to be rubbed upon the face every night.

ANOTHER

Take equal parts of Green Sage and Green Tansy leaves, and fill a bottle with them. Then fill the bottle with alcohol. Within six or seven days, press, and strain out the alcohol, and to every gill add one pint of water and a half a drachm of muriatic Acid. Apply with a sponge, two or three times a day.

FOR SRAINS AND BRUISES

Take of Sal ammoniac one ounce, Camphor, half an ounce, White Soap, six drachms,
Alcohol, two pints; mix; let them stand for a few days, frequently shaking, then filter. Was to be rubbed over the parts several times each day.

LOCK-JAW

Apply a fine cut of plug tobacco, softened in warm water, to the mid section of the stomach. This was said to relax the muscles and induce vomiting, and at once gave relief and saved life when all else had failed.

INFLAMATION OF THE STOMACH AND BOWELS

Gather a large handful of Stramonium leaves and apply externally to the stomach or bowels as a fomentation, and about every half hour take a swallow of as warm water as can be taken.

REMEDY FOR SNAKEBITE

Take one tablespoonful of Lard in a liquid form every half hour for the first five hours, and apply the same externally to the wound.

ASTHMA

Three or four times a day, smoke the leaves of the Australian Blue Gum.

TO CURE CHAPPED HANDS, LIPS, OR FACE

Take equal amounts in weight, of fresh Button Tallow, and Camphor Gum. Melt them in a tin vessel over a moderate fire, and then stir until cold. Apply three or four times a day as needed.

DIPHTHERIA REMEDY

Gargle three times a day with a mixture of Vinegar, Honey, Black Pepper, and warm water. The Black Pepper should be left out in mixing for children. Externally, apply an application of Ashes, Salt, and Lard Oil. Grease the throat three or four times a day with
the lard oil and apply the ashes and salt in equal parts, in a small cloth sack.

DIARRHEA

A tea of bitter weed was made by boiling a couple of handfuls of it in sweet milk. It was sweetened with white sugar, and one half to tug-thirds of a teacupful was drank three times a day.

SUPPRESSED MENSES

One to two tablespoonfuls of good gin stirred into sweetened warm water.

HOARSENESS OF THE VOICE

Chew a piece of horseradish half the size of a common black walnut. This was said to have restored the voice when unable to talk above a whisper.

TO CURE A COUGH

To one tablespoon of horseradish add two tablespoonfuls of honey. Mix thoroughly. The dose was one teaspoonful every three or four hours. This would also relieve the worst of colds in a short period of time.

REMEDY FOR CORNS

Roll a Lemon until soft. Bind a slice of it directly on the corn before going to bed at night, continue this application until it presents a whitish appearance. Then it could be removed with a knife.

ANOTHER

Binding half of a Cranberry, the cut side down, upon a corn and renewing every night, was said to soon extract the corn.

CROUP

Croup is an inflammation of the inside surface of the windpipe. Water was applied as hot as the patient could stand, with Woolen flannel in folds large enough to cover the throat and chest. The folds were applied alternately; keeping one fold emerged at all times in the hot water, while the other fold was on the throat and chest, to prevent the escape of heat.
This was said to loosen the phlegm in the chest and throat.

ANOTHER

This disease, if treatment is started soon enough, can be immediately dispersed by repeated applications of bruised onions, to the throat and chest. A piece of fresh lard the size of a
butternut, mixed with sugar and divided into three parts and taken by mouth every twenty minutes stopped the cough If the disease had not advanced too far when administered.

PILES

Temporary relief of piles can be received by infecting a solution of warm salt-water two or three times a day.

STY

For a sty on the eyelid, place a teaspoonful of tea in a small bag (cloth), pour over it a sufficient amount of hot water to moisten it. Place the bag on the eyelid as hot as can be stood. If one application falls to rid the sty, repeat the treatment in about twenty-four hours and this was said to prove successful.

BURNS AND SCALDS

Upon being burned, place the injured part under water. This will, relieve the pain. If the injured part cannot be placed under water, then cover it over with flour about an inch deep.
In either case, pain stops because the air is excluded from the burned area.

FITS

To restore a patient from an attack of fits, they were quickly administered a strong solution of salt water by mouth.

AGUE

A bitter made of the wild gourd and taken internally in tablespoonful doses, three times a day, and dust before the chill comes on. Effected a permanent end of this disease.

REMEDY FOR COUGHS AND COLDS

A syrup made of onions was a most valuable remedy for colds and pneumonia. To prepare the syrup, a raw onion was sliced in a tin basin and poured over it was a half teacupful of
either molasses or honey. Honey was the best. Then was added an amount of butter equal to the size of a small chestnut. The dish was then set inside an oven to simmer for an hour.

ANOTHER

Take Spikenard root, Hoarhound tops, Elecampane root, and Comfrey root, a pound and one half of each and boil them into a strong decoction of eight quarts. Then they added twelve pounds of white sugar, six pounds of honey, clarify with the white of eggs, and add one quart of brandy. Let it stand for a period of twenty-four hours and then bottle it for use. The dose was a wineglassful three times a day. This was also an admirable remedy for chronic colds, dry coughs, and pulmonary diseases.

ANOTHER: A simple yet effective remedy for colds was a mixture of vinegar and molasses, stewed together and taken while it was as hot as was acceptable.

FOR SORE THROAT

A gargle of tea and alum.

FOR POISON OAK

Rub the parts well with bacon fat and then bind on thin slices for severe cases.

BLEEDING PILES

Drink freely three times a day of a decoction, made in the winter, from the root of the Black Current: in the summer, from the limb and tugs.

EXTERNAL PILES

Celandine was found around old buildings and in fence corners. The juice was pressed from the leaves, stems, and flowers, into a rich, sheet cream, and applied to the protruding parts.

FROZEN FEET

Roast Beefsteak was applied to the feet.

TARANTULA BITE

Salertus was moistened and applied to the wound.

SNAKEBITE

Whiskey or other liquor was drank freely until intoxication was produced. It was said to be a certain neutralizer of the poison, and then a bottle of whiskey was turned, mouth downward, to the wound, and left against the wound, was said to draw out all the poison, and left there long enough, was supposed to have drawn out the discoloration around the wound. It was said that the whiskey would turn darker as the poison was absorbed by it.

TO CURE DRUNKENESS

Take of Quassia in chips, one ounce Colombo root in powder, Cascarilla bark in chips, Gentian root in chips, each two drachms, boiling water one pint; mix, steep near a hot fire for twenty four hours; strain, sweeten slightly with sugar, and add a drachm and a half of Elixir Vitriol. The dose was tablespoonful three or four times a day.

FACE POWDER

Take of Wheat Starch one pound, powdered Ores Root three ounces, Oil of Lemon thirty drops, Oil of Bergamot, Oil of Cloves, each fifteen drops. Rub thoroughly together.

LABOR SAVING SOAP

Dissolve a quarter of a pound of lime in a gallon of cold water, then take off the clear lime water, and add to it half a pound of brown soap dissolved in a gallon of water. This soft soap is excellent for boiling white linens. It removes all the grease that is in them because it contains an excess of caustic fey. About one quart of this soap is sufficient for boiling clothes in a ten-gallon wash kettle.

REDDING'S RUSSIAN SALVE

Melt together, two parts White Gum Turpentine and one part Beeswax. Then add Olive Oil to make it of the proper consistence.

HAIR OIL

Castor Oil, two pounds and a half, strong alcohol two pints and a half; Oil of Bergamot two ounces and a half. Mix, and in a day or two it will be fit for use. This was also said to keep the hair from falling and to prevent dandruff.

WISTAR'S BALSON OF WILD CHERRY

Take of Wild Cherry bark one pound, Brandy one pint, mix; let it stand for five days, frequently shaking, and then filter. Take of Dandelion root four ounces, Bloodroot one ounce, tar an ounce and a half, water half a gallon: place over a slow fire and evaporate to three pints; then strain; add three pounds of white sugar, and the above Cherry bark and Brandy mixture. The dose was one table-spoonful three or four times a day, for coughs.

ROWAND'S TONIC MIXTURE

Boil for a quarter of an hour in one pint of water, half an ounce, each, of Rhubarb and Colombo root: strain; and add fifteen grains of Sulphate of Quinine dissolved in alcohol half an ounce, Spirits of Spearmint one ounce. The dose was half to one table-spoonful, in chills and fever.

ALMOND PASTE FOR THE HANDS

Pulverize, four ounces, each, of Sweet Almonds and-bitter almonds. Add to it two fluid ounces of oil of Sweet Almonds; then add six ounces of pure spirits and one ounce of water. It was to be kept in wide-mouthed vials. After having washed and dried the face-and hands, this was applied in small portions. It rendered the skin supple, white, and soft and prevented chapping

TO REMOVE RINGS FROM SWOLLEN FINGERS

Begin at the end of the finger and wind a cotton thread evenly around bringing each coil of the thread close along side the preceding one. Continue this until the ring is reached. Then
thread a needle with the thread and pass it under the ring; then begin unwinding the thread from the finger carefully. The ring follows each coil, and as it is successfully unrolled, and by almost imperceptible degrees, is brought over the knuckles and removed. The thread must not be too fine, lest it be too weak, and if it has not been wound on evenly, an entanglement will occur in the ending. A small curved or bent needle will pass more
readily under the ring than a straight one.

A TRUTHFUL AND INEXPENSIVE BAROMETER

Place a small quantity of finely-powdered alum in a clean glass bottle, and fill it with alcohol. The alum will be perfectly dissolved by the alcohol and, in clear weather, the liquid will be as transparent as the purest cater. On the approach of rain, or cloudy weather, the alum will be visible in a flaky, spiral cloud in the center of the fluid reaching from the top of the fluid to the bottom.

CEMENT FOR ATTACHING METAL TO GLASS

Mix two ounces of a thick solution of glue with one ounce of linseed oil varnish, and half an ounce of pure spirits of turpentine; then boll the whole together in a closed vessel. After it has been applied to the glass and metal, the two should be clamped and held together for two or three days, until the cement becomes dry.

CEMENT FOR MENDING BROKEN CHINA

Take of curd of milk dried and powdered five ounces quicklime half an ounce camphor one drachm. Mix and keep in a closely stopped bottle. When used a small portion is to be mixed with a little water into a paste and then applied quickly.

ANOTHER

To a thick solution of gum arabic add enough plaster of paris to form a sticky paste. Apply with a brush and stick the fractured edges together. The china cannot readily be broken in the same place again.

[Roaring Bull]

Great info........save me those deductibles too!

[Da Backwoodsman]

good stuff tony

[Minnesota Mike]

You have to wonder what were they drinking when they came up with some of these concoctions . . . wow!

r/
MM

[melsdad]

That is some great information. I will have to try a few of them.

[Chaffa Hosa]

Have often heard that chewing the inner bark of a willow tree will relieve pain

[kybackwoodsman]

some i know... diarrea is cured by blackberry root, orally taken by chewing the root or making a strong tea and sweeten as the root is bitter.  drawing infestion from boils- slice open green tomatoe and heat place on boil and wrap.. re heat until the infection is drawn to the top.  Headaches and minor body aches( or anything that asprin is cured with)..  aspen tree bark stewed to a tea and drink the broth.. contains the same stuff that original asprin was made from.

[voyageur1688]

  I know some of these and can attest that they do work. Many of them have things that are not readily available in my area but then again we have some things here that arent readily available in other areas so it all works out in the end.
Voy

[DandJofAZ]

Good  old apple pealings and sump clay will plug you up from the runs...(diarrhea)

[shane37110]

Poison Ivy: Jewellweed, fresh green jewellweed can be crushed to apply the juice or a poultice to the poison ivy as soon as irritation is noticed. It can be dried and stored and boiled in water to a solution to be applied to the irritation. The solution as well as pulverized plant can be added to lye soap. When in the soap wet the soap and rup on the irritation and let dry like calamine.

Athletes Foot, Jock Itch and Ringworm: Black Walnuts, fresh juice from the hulls applied to the infection is best. The hulls can be used anytime by soaking 3 walnuts in a pint of alcohol for a couple of days and applying solution twice daily till infection clears.

[Red Badger]

Poison Ivy: Jewellweed, fresh green jewellweed can be crushed to apply the juice or a poultice to the poison ivy as soon as irritation is noticed. It can be dried and stored and boiled in water to a solution to be applied to the irritation. The solution as well as pulverized plant can be added to lye soap. When in the soap wet the soap and rup on the irritation and let dry like calamine.

Athletes Foot, Jock Itch and Ringworm: Black Walnuts, fresh juice from the hulls applied to the infection is best. The hulls can be used anytime by soaking 3 walnuts in a pint of alcohol for a couple of days and applying solution twice daily till infection clears.

How long does the stain last?  Black walnut dye lasts a long time.....    Ive heard of blue balls but black???  not sure that the cure might be worse than the disease....

[shane37110]

Poison Ivy: Jewellweed, fresh green jewellweed can be crushed to apply the juice or a poultice to the poison ivy as soon as irritation is noticed. It can be dried and stored and boiled in water to a solution to be applied to the irritation. The solution as well as pulverized plant can be added to lye soap. When in the soap wet the soap and rup on the irritation and let dry like calamine.

Athletes Foot, Jock Itch and Ringworm: Black Walnuts, fresh juice from the hulls applied to the infection is best. The hulls can be used anytime by soaking 3 walnuts in a pint of alcohol for a couple of days and applying solution twice daily till infection clears.

How long does the stain last?  Black walnut dye lasts a long time.....    Ive heard of blue balls but black???  not sure that the cure might be worse than the disease....

The fresh juice stains for a couple of weeks, not so with the alcohol solution.

[old salt]

A few more for drawing infection from boils, 1. heavily salted bacon fat [cover for 24 hr] 2. make a paste of oat meal and salt [cover 24 hr] 3. take membrane form uncooked egg shell ]cover 12-24 hr]

[Watauga]

Poison Ivy: Jewellweed, fresh green jewellweed can be crushed to apply the juice or a poultice to the poison ivy as soon as irritation is noticed. It can be dried and stored and boiled in water to a solution to be applied to the irritation. The solution as well as pulverized plant can be added to lye soap. When in the soap wet the soap and rup on the irritation and let dry like calamine.

Athletes Foot, Jock Itch and Ringworm: Black Walnuts, fresh juice from the hulls applied to the infection is best. The hulls can be used anytime by soaking 3 walnuts in a pint of alcohol for a couple of days and applying solution twice daily till infection clears.

How long does the stain last?  Black walnut dye lasts a long time.....    Ive heard of blue balls but black???  not sure that the cure might be worse than the disease....

Badgers right this better work for Jock Itch or you might have some explaining to do to the Doctor when you go to get this healed up!
Thanks for the Information and bringing up the good old topic!
The fresh juice stains for a couple of weeks, not so with the alcohol solution.

[Bulldog lady]

To think I went to school for 4 yrs to be a nurse when all I had to do was go out in the back yard  course my yard now days is all rock and blackjack.  Anybody out there got a formula for growing and raising all these USDA approved items?      All kidding aside a  very good article