Colds
At the first sign of “taking a cold” — use some simple remedy, such as inhaling camphor from time to time for several hours. Dampen the center of a handkerchief in water, and drop on it some spirit of camphor. Eat a sliced onion.
Take two drops of spirit of camphor on a tsp. sugar.
Or, drop five drops camphor in ½ tumbler of water. Take a tsp. every half hour.
Ginger tea is a much valued old-fashioned remedy. Pour boiling water over a tbsp. bruised ginger root. Let stand two hours. The dose is 1 tbsp. every hour or two.
If the “cold” continues, take a laxative, such as castor oil or rhubarb, and follow the dose with a hot foot bath at night and hot lemonade after getting into bed, to induce perspiration. Keep well covered.
If a cough comes with the cold, lemon juice and sugar syrup make a pleasant cough remedy; or molasses-and-vinegar syrup is liked by children. Mix in the proportion of 1 tbsp. vinegar to 2 tbsp. molasses.
Flaxseed tea will sometimes relieve a “tickling” cough. Pour 2 cups of boiling water over 1 tbsp. whole flaxseeds. Stir; let simmer gently one-half hour. Add juice of half a lemon, and sugar if desired. Take a tbsp. as often as wished.
If the chest is sore, rub it with camphorated oil, or ammonia liniment, which is made by shaking together in a bottle 4 tbsp. olive (sweet) oil and 1 tbsp. household ammonia. This hardens upon standing a few days — so it is best made as needed.
All these are simple home remedies, but if a cold is severe, see a doctor. A neglected cold is dangerous.
Source: The Mary Frances First Aid Book, Jane Eayre Fryer
Filed under Remedy | Tags: ammonia, ammonia liniment, camphor, camphorated oil, castor oil, chest, cold, colds, cough, coughs, feet, flaxseed, flaxseed tea, foot, foot bath, fryer, ginger, ginger tea, hot lemonade, laxative, lemon, lemon juice, lemonade, molasses, oil, olive oil, onion, rhubarb, spirit of camphor, sugar, sweet oil, vinegar | Comment (0)Flax-Seed Lemonade
To a large table-spoonful of flax-seed allow a tumbler and a half of cold water. Boil them together till the liquid becomes very sticky. Then strain it hot over a quarter of a pound of pulverized sugar candy, and an ounce of pulverized gum arabic. Stir it till quite dissolved, and squeeze into it the juice of a lemon.
This mixture has frequently been found an efficacious remedy for a cold; taking a wine-glass of it as often as the cough is troublesome.
Source: Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches, Eliza Leslie
Filed under Remedy | Tags: candy, cold, colds, cough, coughs, flax, flax seed, flaxseed, gum arabic, lemon, lemon juice, leslie, sugar, sugar candy | Comment (0)Linseed Tea
Put a table-spoonful of linseed into a clean earthen pot or pipkin with a quart of water, and a little orange or lemon rind; boil this gently for about ten minutes, and then strain it through muslin into a jug; sweeten with honey or sugar, add the juice of a lemon, stir all together, and give this beverage to allay irritation of the chest and lungs—in the latter case, the lemon juice had better be omitted. Linseed tea in its purest form is an excellent accessory in aiding to relieve such as are afflicted with gout, gravel, etc.
Source: A Plain Cookery Book for the Working Classes, C.E. Francatelli
Whooping Cough
Bruise a tumbler of flaxseed, three ounces of liquorice, two ounces of loaf sugar, two of strained honey. Pour to these a quart of water; boil until reduced half. Give frequently. Hog’s lard and molasses in equal quantities with a little laudanum is also good.
Source: Mrs Hill’s New Cook-Book
For Coughs and Colds
Equal parts of syrup of squills, Bateman’s drops, and sweet spirits of nitre; make a tea of flaxseed; flavor it by boiling sufficient lemon in it; sweeten with loaf sugar if liked. Into a wineglass of this, put a tablespoonful of the mixture; take it upon going to bed. Paregoric may be used in the place of Bateman’s drops. Give it at intervals of two or three hours until the cough is relieved.
Source: Mrs Hill’s New Cook-Book
Cough Mixture
Take of boneset, slippery elm, flax seed and stick liquorice two ounces each, one pint molasses, half pound brown sugar. Simmer the herbs in water (about three pints), until the strength is extracted, add the sugar and molasses, strain and boil to the consistency of cream. A teaspoon every two hours.
Source: The Kansas Home Cook-Book
Flax-Seed Lemonade
To a large tablespoonful of flax-seed, allow a tumbler and a half of cold water. Boil them together till the liquid becomes very sticky. Then strain it hot over a quarter of a pound of pulverized sugar, and an ounce of pulverized gum arabic. Stir it till quite dissolved, and squeeze into it the juice of a lemon.
This mixture has frequently been found an efficacious remedy for a cold, taking a wine-glass of it as often as the cough is troublesome.
Source: The White House Cookbook, F.L. Gillette
Filed under Remedy | Tags: cold, cough, coughs, flax, flaxseed, gum arabic, lemon, lemonade, sugar, whitehouse | Comment (0)Swollen Throat
If the throat becomes badly swollen and very painful, apply a poultice of flaxseed upon which you have poured a little warm lard and laudanum.
Source: Audel’s Household Helps, Hints and Receipts
Flax-Seed Tea
Upon an ounce of unbruised flax-seed and a little pulverized liquorice-root pour a pint of boiling (soft or rain) water, and place the vessel containing these ingredients near, but not on, the fire for four hours. Strain through a linen cloth. Make it fresh every day. An excellent drink in fever accompanied by a cough.
Source: The White House Cookbook, F.L. Gillette
For a Cough
An excellent remedy for a cough is made by slicing two lemons thin and adding to them ten cents’ worth of whole flaxseed, ten cents’ worth of licorice root, ore gill of water, and a little sugar. Boil until quite thick and strain.
Source: Audel’s Household Helps, Hints and Receipts