Did anyone see this article in the Mail? It's about tips from the the likes of Mrs Beeton, some are priceless.
Remedy for whooping cough - Father to take a child to a field at sunset and gently hold their head in a hole.
Cure for Ague - Hold the feet of a dead chicken against your body.
Relief from teething pain - Hang a dead miole around the neck of your baby.
Baldness - Rub a cut onion on your head. ( I actually saw my father do this).
Earache - Place a readycooked baked potato on the painful area and secure tightly. (my mother made me have a sock filled with mashed potatoes strapped to my ear when I was little)
Yup, we sure have advanced, crystal therapy, ear candling, aroma therapy, homeopathy, traditional chinese medecine,flower therapy and dozens of other alternative treatments, all known to work without fail.
My step mother had some black ointment which had been prescribed,it came in a little very stiff cardboard container, like a minature hatbox.She kept it locked up and used it sparingly on cuts, sprains,swellings etc, they disappeared overnight,she said once it was gone it could not be replaced.
lol caran, I was made to dip my toes in my wee as a child a remedy for chillblains ! and my aunt used to sit on a chamberpot filled with hay, hot water and gin to prevent her getting pregnant on the "morning after" - how crazy was that ?[ps it didnt work she had three kids !]
I believe I read a while back about a celebrity who believes in the curative powers of drinking your own pee. Though that's not a New Age thing. When I was little a teaspoon full was said to help with chickenpox. I have blocked the memory of the taste from my mind.
When I had a sore throat once Mum produced a bottle of Sandersons Throat Specific (I have never forgotten it), she also had a small paint brush, she went on to paint said specific on the back of my throat, was not pleased when I vomited all over her, she never did it again.
My mother in law had a lot of old remedies, it's a wonder her children ever made it to adulthood with the stuff she gave them. She had a cupboard full of natural remedies to cure coughs colds boils and pimples on the ditty.