Folk Medicine

[Patty A]

Do you do any old folk medicine, or family remedies? We do a lot of them. My grandmother was a "doctor's helper". She handed down many and luckly enough I wrote many down. My Great Grandmothers family made their living in Scotland by making and the sell of a drawing salve. That is one that is handed down to the girls in the family and is a must to keep it a secret.(LOL)

We do a spice plaster for colds. Use all different spices you have in your cupboard. Add this to Vicks (they use to use mentholatum) and stir well. Spread on an old rag, fold so none is against the skin and put on the chest. It really does help with sore throats and chest colds, it also helps with sinus infections.

[Momof3girls]

My Mom talks about my grandmother brewing various herbal teas for stomach aches and headaches, using mustard plasters on the chest.

[PrairieRose]

Well we do a spoonful of honey for a cough or sore throat
We do warmed sweet oil in the ear for ear aches
Not exactly folk remedy but if we have a persistant earache we'll also take a sinus tab for a few days to make it open up and drain
Salt in a wound will kill germs (hurts like a sonofagun though....lol)
That's all I can think of right now.....
I use a drawing salve but it's a storebought one as well. One time even pulled little chunks of concrete out from under the nails on one hand (oh man that hurt---the chunks under the nail not the drawing salve).

[joyofsix]

Well, I was raised on home remedies.
Honey for cough
Honey and whiskey in tea for general cold
We have a salve recipe for wounds, scrapes, etc
Honey on a bad cut for infection
Bread and milk poultice for a bad infection
Mint or camomile tea for a tummy ache
Clove oil on a tooth ache
Warm salt water rinse for canker sore or sore throat
Something else may come to me later

[pollypurebred39]

Mullien, Goldenseal-Asthma

Onion poultice-to draw out chest infections

Plaintain-wrap a leaf around cut

Garlic-lay a cheesecloth over a infected wound. Pack with crushed garlic and cover with cotton and wrap up securely. Change dressing daily till infection is gone.

Garlic oil-ear infections, works everytime. My son used to suffer greatly until I made a batch of this oil. Now we just reach for the garlic oil at the first sign of infection. This is a process but if anyone is interested I'll explain how to make and directions for use.


Garlic clove- tooth abcess. Wrap in a bit of cheesecloth and pack around abcess. My cousin needed surgery for an abcessed tooth and did not have insurance, this cured it.

Pottasium-high blood pressure. I take 30 tablets daily.15 morning and night. Keeps my high blood pressure normal

Tumeric, holy basil,Devils claw- use for inflamtion around joints

Salt- baths to detox

vinegar-heartburn drink a tablespoon or 2, foot fungus soak 2x's a day for a week or so.

Dandilions-pick young leaves and wash and dry. add chopped boiled egg and bacon. Toss with hot bacon dressing. Good for liver

Coke-Sick stomach, vomiting

Ginger, peppermint oil candy-Stomach flu