Poultices

A Bread and Milk Poultice. — Put a tablespoonful of the crumbs of stale bread into a gill of milk, and give the whole one boil up. Or, take stale bread-crumbs, pour over them boiling water and boil till soft, stirring well; take from the fire and gradually stir in a little glycerine or sweet oil, so as to render the poultice pliable when applied.

A Hop Poultice. — Boil one handful of dried hops in half a pint of water, until the half pint is reduced to a gill, then stir into it enough Indian meal to thicken it.

A Mustard Poultice. — Into one gill of boiling water stir one tablespoonful of Indian meal; spread the paste thus made upon a cloth, and spread over the paste one teaspoonful of mustard flour. If you wish a mild poultice, use a teaspoonful of mustard as it is prepared for the table, instead of the mustard flour. Equal parts of ground mustard and flour made into a paste with warm water, and spread between two pieces of muslin, form the indispensable mustard plaster.

A Ginger Poultice. — This is made like a mustard poultice, using ground ginger instead of mustard. A little vinegar is sometimes added to each of these poultices.

A Stramonium Poultice. — Stir one tablespoonful of Indian meal into a gill of boiling water, and add one tablespoonful of bruised stramonium seeds.

Wormwood and Arnica are sometimes applied in poultices. Steep the herbs in half a pint of cold water, and when all their virtue is extracted stir in a little bran or rye-meal to thicken the liquid; the herbs must not be removed from the liquid. This is a useful application for sprains and bruises.

Linseed Poultice. — Take four ounces of powdered linseed, and gradually sprinkle it into a half pint of hot water.

Source: The Canadian Family Cookbook, Grace E. Denison

For the Whooping Cough

Onions and garlic sliced, of each one gill; one gill of sweet oil; stir them in the oil in a covered dish; strain and add one gill of honey; one-half an ounce of paregoric; one-half an ounce of spirits of camphor. Bottle and cork for use. Dose: one teaspoonful three or four times a day.

Source: Tried and True Recipes, F.D.P. Jermain

Burns, Brown-Paper Oil For

Dip some thick brown paper in salad oil, put it upon a plate, and set it alight. Apply the oil that is left upon the plate.

Source: Recipes for the Million

To Remove Sunburn

Squeeze the juice of a lemon into a small teacupful of new milk. Allow it to curdle. Apply it to the face and throat with a piece of cotton wool, after having been out in the sun, or the last thing at night. Allow it to remain on the skin for a short time then wash it off with tepid soft water. This will remove all heat and tan from the skin.

Source: The Dudley Book of Cookery and Household Recipes, Georgiana Dudley

Cure for Lumbago

Take a red pepper, break it in a teacup and pour water over it, bruising it with a spoon ; fill the cup up with water and drink three or four times in a day, and it will effect a sure cure.

Source: The New Galt Cook Book, M. Taylor & F. McNaught

Another Way To Cleanse The Hair

A half teaspoonful of powdered borax in a teacupful of water, makes a mild and efficient hair and scalp cleanser. Rub it into the hair and scalp with the balls of the fingers, with the head held over a basin, and the eyes kept shut, until the entire scalp is in a foam, then rinse with warm water.

Source: The Kentucky Housewife, Mrs Peter A. White

Cough Mixture (The Late Sir William Gull’s)

4 ozs. honey
4 ozs. cod liver oil
The juice of 2 or 3 lemons, according to size

To mix the above put altogether into a jar and either stand it on the stove or in a saucepan of boiling water until it is well dissolved. Stir the ingredients occasionally.

A dessertspoonful to be taken three times a day, or double the quantity if the patient likes. Should the stomach reject the cod liver oil, sweet olive oil may be substituted, but the other is the best.

Source: The Northampton Cookery Book, M.A. Jeffery

Liniment for Croup

Two ounces sweet oil, one ounce turpentine, one ounce gum camphor, one teaspoonful croton oil.

Source: The New Galt Cook Book, M. Taylor & F. McNaught

A Wash For The Hair

Put a teaspoonful of powdered Borax, with half a teaspoonful of powdered gum camphor in a quart of boiling water ; let it stand for a few minutes, then bottle. When using it, shake well before rubbing on the hair.

Source: The Kentucky Housewife, Mrs Peter A. White

Cure for Sciatica

Two ounces tartaric acid, four ounces Epsom salts, two ounces citrate of magnesia, two ounces baking soda, two ounces cream tartar, six ounces icing sugar; One teaspoonful to a glass of water.

Source: The New Galt Cook Book, M. Taylor & F. McNaught