Nettle Rash

Nettle Rash, though not dangerous, is a very troublesome and annoying complaint. It breaks forth, as its name implies, into an eruptive rash, discovering itself in large red patches, mostly white in the centre. The irritation is very great, resembling that of a sting of a nettle, and is most troublesome when the patient is in bed, or before a fire, or heated from any other cause. It is a very uncertain complaint, often appearing on one part of the body, and then leaving that and appearing on another part.

The most popular remedy for this complaint is nettle tea, made by boiling a good bunch of stinging nettles in three pints of water, till reduced to a quart.

Dose– Half a teacupful or more, three or four times a day.

Nettle rash mostly appears in the spring. Sometimes, however, it is not so easily got rid of; when this is the case make the following: Take two ounces of sarsaparilla, one ounce of clivers, and one ounce of the herb archangel; boil in three pints of water till reduced to a quart, strain and keep in a bottle. Dose— A large wineglasaful three or four times a day.

When the irritation is very great, ease may be obtained by washing with a strong decoction of common garden parsley; boil about half a pound of the green herb in a quart of water till reduced to a pint, apply this to the body as a lotion, warm, just before going to bed. Celandine tea will have the same effect, so also will camphor water. A slight purgative should also be taken, about twice or thrice a week. Under this treatment it will seldom last more than a week or so, but if neglected, will sometimes poison the blood, causing scrofula, or some other constitutional complaint.

Source: Baldwin’s Herbal Guide To Health, G. Baldwin

The Snail water excellent for Consumptions

Take a Peck of Snails with the Shells on their Backs, have in a readiness a good fire of Charcoal well kindled, make a hole in the midst of the fire, and cast your Snails into the fire, renew your fire till the Snails are well rosted, then rub them with a clean Cloth, till you have rubbed off all the green which will come off.

Then bruise them in a Mortar, shells and all, then take Clary, Celandine, Burrage, Scabious, Bugloss, five leav’d Grass, and if you find your self hot, put in some Wood-Sorrel, of every one of these one handful, with five tops of Angelica.

These Herbs being all bruised in a Mortar, put them in a sweet earthen Pot with five quarts of white Wine, and two quarts of Ale, steep them all night; then put them into an Alembeck, let the herbs be in the bottom of the Pot, and the Snails upon the Herbs, and upon the Snails put a Pint of Earth-worms slit and clean washed in white Wine, and put upon them four ounces of Anniseeds or Fennel-seeds well bruised, and five great handfuls of Rosemary Flowers well picked, two or three Races of Turmerick thin sliced, Harts-horn and Ivory, of each four ounces, well steeped in a quart of white Wine till it be like a Jelly, then draw it forth with care.

Source: The Queen-like Closet or Rich Cabinet, Hannah Wolley

The Plague Water

Take Rosemary, Red Balm, Burrage, Angelica, Carduus, Celandine, Dragon, Featherfew, Wormwood, Penyroyal, Elecampane roots, Mugwort, Bural, Tormentil, Egrimony, Sage, Sorrel, of each of these one handful, weighed weight for weight; put all these in an earthen Pot, with four quarts of white Wine, cover them close, and let them stand eight or nine days in a cool Cellar, then distil it in a Glass Still.

Source: The Queen-like Closet or Rich Cabinet, Hannah Wolley

The Jaundice

Wear leaves of Celendine upon and under the feet.

Or take a small pill of Castile-soap every morning, for eight or ten days. Tried.

Or beat the white of an Egg thin; take it morning and evening in a glass of water.

Or half a pint of strong decoction of Nettles. Or of Burdock-leaves, morning and evening.

Or boil three ounces of Burdock-root in two quarts of water to three pints. Drink a tea-cupful of this every morning.

Source: Primitive Physic: or an easy and natural method of curing most diseases, John Wesley.