Cough Mixture

August 18th, 2015

Take a whole lemon, cut it in four parts; add to them half a pound of white sugar; put them in half a pint of boiling water, and let boil for ten minutes. When warm, add six cents worth of paregoric to it. Dose : Take half a wineglassful when the cough is troublesome.

Source: Audel’s Household Helps, Hints and Receipts

For Children Teething

August 16th, 2015

Tie a quarter of a pound of wheat flour in a thick cloth and boil it in one quart of water for three hours; then remove the cloth and expose the flour to the air or heat until it is hard and dry; grate from it, when wanted, one tablespoonful, which put into half a pint of new milk, and stir over the fire until it comes to a boil, when add a pinch of salt and a tablespoonful of cold water and serve. This gruel is excellent for children afflicted with summer complaint.

Or brown a tablespoonful of flour in the oven or on top of the stove on a baking tin; feed a few pinches at a time to a child and it will often check a diarrhoea. The tincture of “kino” — of which from ten to thirty drops, mixed with a little sugar and water in a spoon, and given every two or three hours, is very efficacious and harmless — can be procured at almost any druggist’s. Tablespoon doses of pure cider vinegar and a pinch of salt, has cured when all else failed.

Source: The White House Cookbook, F.L. Gillette

To Alleviate A Cough

August 14th, 2015

Coughs may be much alleviated, and dry throats cured, by glycerine and lime-juice taken at night. The glycerine should be diluted.

Source: Audel’s Household Helps, Hints and Receipts

For Asthma

August 12th, 2015

For asthma soak blotting paper in strong saltpeter water; dry, and burn at night.

Source: Audel’s Household Helps, Hints and Receipts

Apples and Insomnia

August 10th, 2015

A medical writer declares that the best thing just before going to bed, is to eat an apple. The apple excites the action of the liver, promotes sound and healthy sleep, and thoroughly disinfects the mouth. This is not all; the apple prevents indigestion and throat diseases.

Source: Audel’s Household Helps, Hints and Receipts

Remedy for Earache

August 8th, 2015

Olive oil, one ounce; chloroform, one drachm. Mix, and shake well together. Pour twenty-five or thirty drops into the ear, and close it up with a piece of raw cotton to exclude the air and retain the moisture.

Source: Audel’s Household Helps, Hints and Receipts

An Excellent Remedy for Cough

August 6th, 2015

An excellent remedy for cough is made as follows: Take a cup of mutton tallow and two great spoonfuls of spirits of turpentine; put into the turpentine all the camphor gum that it will dissolve, then add to the cup of tallow, melted, mix thoroughly, and keep where you can have it ready to apply to the throat or chest on a cloth when needed, covering warmly. This gives almost instant relief. It is a remedy of one of our best and oldest physicians, who has saved many lives by its use. It is good for any lung trouble, croup, or colds.

Source: Audel’s Household Helps, Hints and Receipts

Cure for Lockjaw

August 4th, 2015

Twenty minutes in the smoke of wool or woolen cloth will take the pain out of the worst case of inflammation arising from any wound. All danger from lock-jaw will be removed if this remedy is resorted to.

Source: Mrs Owens’ Cook Book and Useful Household Hints, Frances Owens

Catarrh, Cure for

August 2nd, 2015

Menthol: 10 grains
Camphor Gum: 10 grains
Chloroform: 10 drops
Fluid Alboline 8 ounces

Mix. Apply in the nasal cavities with alboline atomizer.

Source: Mother’s Remedies: Over One Thousand Tried and Tested Remidies from Mothers of the United States and Canada, T. J. Ritter

To make the true Palsie-water, as it was given by that once very famous Physician Doctor Matthias

July 31st, 2015

Take Lavender Flowers stripped from the stalks, and fill a Gallon-Glass with them, and pour on them good Spirit of Sack, or perfect Aqua vitæ distilled from all Flegm, let the quantity be five quarts, then circulate them for six weeks, very close with a Bladder, that nothing may breath out; let them stand in a warm place, then distil them in an Alembeck with his Cooler, then put into the said water, of Sage, Rosemary, and Wood-Betony Flowers; of each half a handful, of Lilly of the Valley, and Burrage, Bugloss, and Cowslip Flowers, one handful of each; steep these in Spirit of Wine, Malmsie, or Aqua vitæ, every one in their Season, till all may be had; then put also to them of Balm, Motherwort, Spike-flowers, Bay leaves, the leaves of Orange trees, with the Flowers, if they may be had, of each one ounce, put them into the aforesaid distilled Wine all together, and distil it as before, having first been steeped six weeks; when you have distilled it, put into it Citron Pill, dried Piony seeds hull’d, of each five Drams, of Cinamon half an Ounce, of Nutmegs, Cardamum seeds, Cubebs[1], and yellow Saunders[2], of each half an ounce, of lignum Aloes one dram; make all these into Powder, and put them into the distilled Wine abovesaid, and put to them of Cubebs anew, a good half pound of Dates, the stones taken out, and cut them in small pieces, put all these in, and close your Vessel well with a double Bladder; let them digest six weeks, then strain it hard with a Press, and filtrate the Liquor, then put into it of prepared Pearl, Smaragdus[3], Musk and Saffron, of each half a Scruple; and of Ambergreece one Scruple, red Roses dried well, Red and Yellow Saunders, of each one ounce, hang these in a Sarsenet[4] Bag in the water, being well sewed that nothing go out.

The virtues of this Water

This Water is of exceeding virtue in all Swoundings and Weaknesses of the heart, and decaying of Spirits in all Apoplexies and Palsies, also in all pains of the Joints coming of Cold, for all Bruises outwardly bathed and dipped Clothes laid to; it strengtheneth and comforteth all animal, natural and viral Spirits, and cheareth the external Senses, strengtheneth the Memory, restoreth lost Speech, and lost Appetite, all weakness of the Stomach, being both taken inwardly, and bathed outwardly; it taketh away the Giddiness of the Head, helpeth lost Hearing, it maketh a pleasant Breath, helpeth all cold disposition of the Liver, and a beginning Dropsie; it helpeth all cold Diseases of the Mother; indeed none can express sufficiently; it is to be taken morning and evening, about half a Spoonful with Crums of Bread and Sugar.

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

1. A type of pepper.

2. Sandalwood.

3. Emerald.

4. A type of fine silk.

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    NOTE: these remedies are listed only for information and/or amusement. They are not to be construed as medical advice of any type, nor are they recommended for use. Consult your doctor or other medical professional for any medical advice you require.