Balsam for Coughs and Colds
Tincture of tolu and compound tincture of benzoin, of each one ounce, rectified spirit, two ounces; mix. The dose is a teaspoonful.
Source: Audel’s Household Helps, Hints and Receipts
Sunstroke
Wrap a wet cloth bandage over the head; wet another cloth, folded small, square, cover it thickly with salt, and bind it on the back of the neck; apply dry salt behind the ears. Put mustard plasters to the calves of the legs and soles of the feet. This is an effectual remedy.
Source: The White House Cookbook, F.L. Gillette
Treatment of Scarlet Fever
Rubbing the body with hogs’ lard or fat reduces the temperature of the skin. A celebrated German physician recommends to incorporate one or two grammes of carbolic acid, into one hundred grammes of lard, and with this to rub the whole body, excepting the head, two or three times a day. The acid operates to destroy the germs or spores of the disease, the lard softens the skin and reduces the temperature.
Source: The Housekeeper’s Friend: A Practical Cookbook
For Sore Nipples
Put one teaspoon of quince seed into a fourth of a glass of brandy. Let it stand a few hours till it forms a mucilage; then rub it on. It is very soothing and heals by using a few times.
Source: 76: A Cook Book
Bleeding at the Nose
Roll up a piece of paper and press it under the upper lip. In obstinate cases, blow a little gum arabic up the nostril through a quill, which will immediately stop the discharge; powdered alum, dissolved in water, is also good. Pressure by the finger over the small artery near the ala (wing) of the nose on the side where the blood is flowing, is said to arrest the hemorrhage immediately. Sometimes by wringing a cloth out of very hot water and laying it on the back of the neck, gives relief. Napkins wrung out of cold water must be laid across the forehead and nose, the hands dipped in cold water, and a bottle of hot water applied to the feet.
Source: The White House Cookbook, F.L. Gillette
Flaxseed for Sore Throat
For a sore throat and congested lungs take a glass of hot flaxseed, add the juice of two lemons, sweeten to taste, and let boil in a double boiler for one hour, then strain.
Source: Audel’s Household Helps, Hints and Receipts
An Indispensable Powder
A trouble scarcely to be named among refined persons is profuse perspiration, which ruins clothing and comfort alike. For this it is recommended to bathe frequently, putting into the water a cold infusion of rosemary, sage or thyme, and afterward dust the under-garments with a mixture of two and a half drachms of camphor, four ounces of orris-root, and sixteen ounces of starch, the whole reduced to impalpable powder. Tie it in a coarse muslin bag, (or one made of flannel is better if you wish to use it on the flesh,) and shake it over the clothes. This makes a very fine bathing powder.
Source: The Housekeeper’s Friend: A Practical Cookbook
Cure for Lockjaw, Said to be Positive
Let anyone who has an attack of lockjaw take a small quantity of spirits of turpentine, warm it, and pour it in the wound–no matter where the wound is or what its nature is–and relief will follow in less than one minute. Turpentine is also a sovereign remedy for croup. Saturate a piece of flannel with it, and place the flannel on the throat and chest— and in very severe cases, three to five drops on a lump of sugar may be taken internally.
Source: The White House Cookbook, F.L. Gillette
For Worms for Little Children
Stew pumpkin seeds, make a strong liquid, and give a tablespoonful once a day. Paroxysms of coughing may be prevented or cured by swallowing a little dry salt.
Source: 76: A Cook Book
Oranges as a Medicine
A distinguished physician once said that if his patients would make a practice of eating a couple of good oranges every morning before breakfast, from February until June, his practice would be gone. The medicinal effect of pure fruit acids is excellent upon the physical system.
Source: The Housekeeper’s Friend: A Practical Cookbook