Cure for Sore Throat in All Its Different Forms

Two ozs. Cayenne Pepper, one oz. common Salt, one-half pint of Vinegar. Warm over a slow fire and gargle the throat and mouth every hour. Garlic and Onion poultice applied to the outside. Castor Oil, one spoonful to keep the bowels open.

Source: One Thousand Secrets of Wise and Rich Men Revealed, C. A. Bogardus

How to Obtain Sleep

Sleep is the great panacea of earthly ills, yet it is a coy guest, and often has to be wooed long before it is won. But we would on no account recommend to our readers the foolish practice of trying to obtain sleep by the use of narcotics, which should never be resorted to except by the advice of physicians. Many are the patent prescriptions for sleepless nights — and onions — raw onions, sliced thin, and eaten with a bit of bread, are said by many to be a sure specific for the trouble.

A famous divine tells us that he could always obtain sleep by repeating very slowly, with a long inspiration and expiration at each vowel, the letters. A, E, I, O. The fifth vowel was omitted because it demanded too great an exertion of the muscles of the lips. Sleep would soon follow the mechanical repetition of the vowels above named.

Others tell us they can woo sleep by chaining the imagination to one object, for instance the watching a field of corn waving in the breeze, and seeing the sunlight glance upon its lance-shaped leaves. While others more prosaic, would see a flock of sheep jumping one after another through a hedge.

Source: Household Hints and Recipes, Henry T. Williams

Medicinal Food

Spinach has a direct effect upon complaints of the kidneys; the common dandelion, used as greens, is excellent for the same trouble; asparagus purifies the blood; celery acts admirably upon the nervous system, and is a cure for rheumatism and neuralgia; tomatoes act upon the liver; beets and turnips are excellent appetizers; lettuce and cucumbers are cooling in their effects upon the system; beans are a very nutritious and strengthening vegetable; while onions, garlic, leeks, chives and shallots, all of which are similar, possess medicinal virtues of a marked character, stimulating the circulatory system, and the consequent increase of the saliva and the gastric juice promoting digestion. Red onions are an excellent diuretic, and the white ones are recommended raw as a remedy for insomnia. They are tonic, nutritious. A soup made from onions is regarded by the French as an excellent restorative in debility of the digestive organs. We might go through the entire list and find each vegetable possessing its especial mission of cure, and it will be plain to every housekeeper that a vegetable diet should be partly adopted, and will prove of great advantage to the health of the family.

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

Scorched Clothes

Scorched clothes are often discarded as hopeless, but if not much burned may be made all right by the use of onion juice. Bake the onion and squeeze out the juice. Mix it with an ounce of fuller’s earth, a litle shredded soap and a wine glass of vinegar. Heat the mixture till the soap is dissolved. Then wait till it is cold before applying. Rub it well over the scorched place and leave to dry, then put the garment in the regular washing.

Source: 1001 Household Hints, Ottilie V. Ames

A very excellent Receipt against Convulsions which cur’d one had 9 Fitts a Day

Take Race oynions and black pepper of each a little quantity stamp’d pretty small and lay it to y^e soals of y^e feet keep it on 7 houres, whilst y^e party is in y^e fitt force them not to take any thing inwardly but anoynt y^e wrists on y^e inside, y^e palmes of y^e hands, y^e Temples and y^e nostrills (if it be a childe) with Methridate (if not) with oyle or spirit of Amber, between y^e fitts let it drinke black cherrey water sweetned with syrrop of Cloves & syrrop of Pyonies for a weeks time after y^e fitts first and last let them ware a necklace of single pyonie roots alwayes about theire neck, avoid giving syrrop of Violets if you fear fitts, but syrrop of Roses and Succory is good to be given together when costive this may be given to children of any age.

Source: A Book of Simples, H.W. Lewer

Stings

Extract sting if it remains imbedded in flesh. Apply household ammonia, diluted with a little water, or solution of bicarbonate of soda (1 tsp. soda to 1 cup water).

Mud, wet salt, slice of onion, arnica, witch hazel, camphor are soothing. If there is much swelling, apply cracked ice. Apply spirit of camphor or alcohol to mosquito bites.

Source: The Mary Frances First Aid Book, Jane Eayre Fryer

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

Treatment of Croup

Every mother knows those fearful premonitory symptoms of croup, the hoarse sepulchral cough which is so startling. The child should be at once taken up, its throat and chest rubbed thoroughly before a hot fire with lard and camphor melted together, then a wet compress put on, by folding up a cloth of a half dozen thicknesses, (have it about two or three inches in width,) wring it out of cold water, then pin it on to a piece of flannel, allowing the flannel to extend beyond it on either side at least an inch, pin it securely around the neck placing another piece of flannel or a soft towel out side, entirely excluding the air. If the child is very much oppressed give sufficient ipecac (syrup) to vomit it ; these remedies can be used until you have time to secure a physician. If the child continues t© be hoarse, continue giving ipecac all the next day every two hours not enough to vomit it, but sufficient to keep the phlegm loose. Another remedy for croup is alum, about one-half teaspoonful of pulverized alum in a small quantity of molasses, repeat the dose every hour until the patient is relieved ; or alum dissolved in water, and given in small doses every hour. Onion syrup is also very good for hoarseness in children ; put two or three onions in a pan, place them in the oven of the stove, let them get thoroughly baked, then squeeze the juice out into a saucer, and to every spoonful of juice put the same of white sugar, and give the child a teaspoonful every hour or oftener if necessary.

Source: The Housekeeper’s Friend: A Practical Cookbook

Onion Skins as a Dye

If you wish for a bright yellow, save your onion skins. They will color white cloth a very bright yellow. This is a good color for braided rugs, such as people used to make.

Source: Things Mother Used To Make, L.M. Gurney

A Cure for Burns or Scalds

Thoroughly bruise a raw onion and a potato into a pulp, by scraping or beating them with a rolling-pin; mix this pulp with a good table-spoonful of salad oil, and apply it to the naked burn or scald; secure it on the part with a linen bandage.

Source: A Plain Cookery Book for the Working Classes, C.E. Francatelli