A Wash for Sore Ears
August 12th, 2026
Make a tea of the black or candle-alder, wet a soft rag with it, and lay it on; it should be applied three times a day, and occasionally wash it with castile soap and water. The patient should take a mild purgative. If the ears are very much inflamed, there should be a bread and milk poultice put on occasionally. Elder ointment is also beneficial.
Source: Domestic Cookery, Useful Receipts, and Hints to Young Housekeepers, Elizabeth E. Lea
For Burns
April 14th, 2019
When the skin is not off, apply scraped raw potatoes. When the skin is off, apply sweet oil and cotton, or linseed oil and lime water made into a paste. Elder ointment is very good: make the ointment of the green bark of the elder; stew in lard.
Source: The Philadelphia Housewife, Mary Hodgson