Blood Purifier, A Recipe Invaluable

The simplest and best blood purifier known is a sliced lemon, two tablespoonsful of black currant preserves, and ten red sage leaves, to a quart of boiling water, sweetened to taste, which makes a most agreeable drink.

Source: Fray’s Golden Recipes for the use of all ages, E. Fray

For Sore Throat

Make a gargle of cayenne pepper, honey and spirits, or sage tea, with alum and honey, or figs boiled, mashed and strained, and use it once in two hours. If it is very bad, steam the mouth with a funnel held over hot vinegar, and put on a hot poultice of hops, boiled in weak ley and thickened with corn-meal; there should be a little lard spread over; renew it every time it gets cold. Another very good poultice, is hot mush strewed with powdered camphor; put it on as hot as can be borne, and change it when cold. A purgative should be given, either of senna and salts, castor oil; or rhubarb and soap pills. An emetic is of great importance, and has caused the throat to break when persons have been very ill.

Sore throats have been cured when quinsy was apprehended, by using powdered camphor and lard on flannel. It is a good way, when persons are subject to it, to keep an ounce of camphor mixed with lard, in a wide-mouthed bottle, or jar; and corked tight. The cayenne pepper and honey gargle should also be kept ready mixed, and used when the first symptoms appear; or in a violent attack, a plaster of snuff and lard may be applied with benefit, keeping it on only a few minutes at a time. Sometimes a bag of hot ashes sprinkled with vinegar, and applied hot as can be borne, has cured a sore throat in one night. Persons that have been afflicted for years with repeated attacks of sore throat and quinsy, have been cured by bathing the throat, neck and ears with cold water every morning. The constant use of the shower bath is very important. Keep the feet warm.

Source: Domestic Cookery, Useful Receipts, and Hints to Young Housekeepers, Elizabeth E. Lea

Fever Drink

To make a refreshing drink in a fever, put into a stone jug a little tea sage, two sprigs of balm, and a small quantity of wood sorrel, having first washed and dried them. Peel thin a small lemon, and clear from the white; slice it, and put in a bit of the peel. Then pour in three pints of boiling water, sweeten, and cover it close.

Another drink: Wash extremely well an ounce of pearl barley; shift it twice, then put to it three pints of water, an ounce of sweet almonds beaten fine, and a bit of lemon peel. Boil the liquor smooth, put in a little syrup of lemons, and capillaire.

Another way is to boil three pints of water with an ounce and a half of tamarinds, three ounces of currants, and two ounces of stoned raisins, till nearly a third is consumed. Strain it on a bit of lemon peel, which should be removed in the course of an hour, or it will infuse a bitter taste.

Source: The Cook And Housekeeper’s Complete and Universal Dictionary, Mary Eaton

An Ointment for Burns

Take a Pound of Bores-Grease, two Pints of White-Wine, the Leaves of the greater Sage, Ground- and Wall-Ivy, Sweet Marjoram, or the Greater House-Leek, of each two handfuls.

Let the whole Mass be boil’d over a gentle Fire, and having afterward strain’d and squeez’d it, let the Ointment so made be kept for use.

Source: The Compleat Surgeon, Charles Gabriel Le Clerc

Herb Drinks

Balm tea is often much relished by the sick. Sage tea also is good. Balm, sage, and sorrel, mixed with sliced lemon and boiling water poured on, and then sweetened, is a fine drink. Pennyroyal makes a good drink to promote perspiration.

Herb drinks must often be renewed, as they grow insipid by standing.

Source: Miss Beecher’s Domestic Receipt Book, Catherine Beecher

Perspiration, To Remedy Profuse

Take nutritious and a rather generous diet, with a tonic of citrate of iron and quinine. Locally the skin should be washed with juniper tar soap and sponged from time to time with a lotion containing one part liquid ammonia and three parts water.

A foreign physician has found the following a cure in many cases : — Take of powdered sage leaves a large teaspoonful, boil them gently for five minutes in six ounces of water, strain, sweeten to taste, and take a third part three times daily.

The following is also recommended : — To a wineglassful of water add two drams of compound spirits of camphor and forty drops of diluted sulphuric acid. Dose: One tablespoonful twice a day.

Source: Recipes for the Million

Cure For A Relaxed Throat

Pour 1 pint boiling water upon 30 sage leaves, let it stand for 1/2 an hour, strain it, add sufficient vinegar to make it acid, and honey according to taste. Use this gargle several times a day.

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

For A Sore Throat or Mouth

Make a sage tea by boiling some sage leaves; when strong, add honey and some alum or borax. Gargle the throat with this often through the day.

Source: The Philadelphia Housewife, Mary Hodgson

Herb Teas

Herb teas are made by infusing the dried or green leaves and stalks in boiling water, and letting them stand until cold. Sweeten to taste.

Sage tea, sweetened with honey, is good for a sore throat, used as a gargle, with a small bit of alum dissolved in it.

Catnip tea is the best panacea for infant ills, in the way of cold and colic, known to nurses.

Pennyroyal tea will often avert the unpleasant consequences of a sudden check of perspiration, or the evils induced by ladies’ thin shoes.

Chamomile and gentian teas are excellent tonics taken either cold or hot.

The tea made from blackberry-root is said to be good for summer disorders. That from green strawberry leaves is an admirable and soothing wash for a cankered mouth.

Tea of parsley-root scraped and steeped in boiling water, taken warm, will often cure strangury and kindred affections, as will that made from dried pumpkin-seed.

Tansy and rue teas are useful in cases of colic, as are fennel seeds steeped in brandy.

A tea of damask-rose leaves, dry or fresh, will usually subdue any simple case of summer complaint in infants.

Mint tea, made from the green leaves, crushed in cold or hot water and sweetened, is palatable and healing to the stomach and bowels.

Source: Common Sense in the Household, Marion Harland

For An Ache Or Bruise

Take one pound of Sage one pound of rue half a pound of wormwood half a pound of bay leaves cut them small and beat them in a morter then take 3 pounds of Sheep sewit ran from the caul mince it small & put it in a morter to the herbs beat them together till the sewit be not seen and till the herbs be all of one colour then take it out of the morter and put it into a bason put into it a pottle of sallet oyle and work it with your hands into the herbs till it be all of one softness then put it into an earthen pot & cover it close so keep it 8 days then take it and seeth it in a brass pot till the strength of the herbs be boyled out then strain it through a canvas cloth and put it into a clean earthen pot and anoint the pain therewith evening and morning laying thereto a warme linnen cloth.

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