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

To make the very best Surfet-water

Take one Gallon of the best French Spirits, and a Pint of Damask-Rose-water, half a Pint of Poppy water, one pound of white Sugar Candy bruised, then take one pound and half of Raisins in the Sun stoned, half a pound of Dates stoned and sliced, then take one Ounce of Mace, one Ounce of Cloves, one Ounce of Cinamon, one Ounce of Aniseeds rubbed clean from the dust, then take a quarter of an Ounce of Licoras clean scraped and sliced, and all the Spices grosly beaten, let all these steep in the Spirits four days; then take a quarter of a peck of Red Poppy Leaves fresh gathered, and the black part cut off, and put them in, and when it hath stood four or five days, strain it, and put it into your Glass, then put in your Sugar-Candy finely beaten, twelve peniworth of Ambergreece, six peniworth of Musk, keep it close, and shake it now and then, and when you use it, you may put some kind of Syrrup to it, what you please.

Source: The Queen-like Closet or Rich Cabinet, Hannah Wolley

Wash to Prevent Sunburn

Take two drams of borax, one dram of Roman alum, one dram of camphor, half an ounce of sugar candy, one pound of ox-gall. Mix and stir well together, and repeat the stirring three or four times a day until it becomes transparent; then strain it through filtering or blotting paper, and it will be fit for use. Wash the face with the mixture before you go into the sun.

Source: The Ladies’ Book Of Useful Information

For Morphew, or Freckles, and to clear the Skin

Take the Blood of any Fowl or Beast, and wipe your Face all over with it every night when you go to bed for a fortnight together, and the next day wash it all off with White Wine, and white Sugar Candy, and sometimes hold your face over the smoke of Brimstone for a while, and shut your eyes, if you add the Juice of a Limon to the white Wine, it will be the better.

Source: The Queen-like Closet or Rich Cabinet, Hannah Wolley

To Make Spirit of Mints

Take three Pints of the best white Wine, three handfuls of right Spear mint picked clean from the stalks, let it steep in the wine one night covered, in the morning, put it into a Copper Alembeck, and draw it with a pretty quick fire; and when you have drawn it all, take all your Water and add as much Wine as before, and put to the Water, and the same quantity of Mint as before; let it steep two or three hours, then put all into your Still, and draw it with a soft fire, put into your Receiver a quantity of Loaf Sugar, and you will find it very excellent; you may distil it in an ordinary Still if you please; but then it will not be so strong nor effectual.

Thus you may do with any other Herbs whatsoever.

Source: The Queen-like Closet or Rich Cabinet, Hannah Wolley

A Syrup for a Cold

Take Long-wort of the Oak, Sage of Jerusalem, Hysop, Colts-foot, Maidenhair, Scabious, Horehound, one handful of each, four Ounces of Licoras scraped, two Ounces of Anniseeds bruised, half a pound of Raisins of the Sun stoned, put these together into a Pipkin with two quarts of Spring water, let them stand all night to infuse close stopped, when it is half boiled away, strain it out, and put to it to every pint of liquor a pound of Sugar and boil it to a Syrup.

Source: The Queen-like Closet or Rich Cabinet, Hannah Wolley

Whooping-Cough Cure

Olive oil, 2 ounces; Jamaica rum, 2 ounces; brown sugar, 2 ounces; laudanum, 1 drachm. Melt the sugar in a little water and add the other ingredients. Give a teaspoon after every paroxysm.

After the third week of whooping-cough, put 1 ounce strongest liquid ammonia in a gallon of boiling water in an open pan. Keep up the steam by putting in a red hot brick. Place in the center of the room where the patient is. This will frequently terminate the malady in 3 or 4 days. Try it each night until relieved.

Source: Mrs Owens’ Cook Book and Useful Household Hints, Frances Owens

Lemons for Neuralgia

Lemon, eaten freely, without the peel, and without sugar, has proved very beneficial in neuralgia. But very little sugar, if any, must be used.

Source: Mrs Owens’ Cook Book and Useful Household Hints, Frances Owens

A Water for Fainting of the Heart

Take of Bugloss water and Red Rose Water, of each one Pint, of Red Cows milk half a Pint, Anni-seed and Cinamon of each half an Ounce bruised, Maiden hair two handfuls, Harts-tongue one handful, bruise them, and mix all these together, and distil them in an ordinary Still, drink of it Morning and Evening with a little Sugar.

Source: The Queen-like Closet or Rich Cabinet, Hannah Wolley

Bleeding at the Lungs

Eat freely of raw table salt, or take a teaspoonful three or four times a day of equal parts of powdered loaf sugar and rosin, or boil an ounce of dried yellow dock root in a pint of milk. Take a cupful two or three times a day.

Source: The Ladies’ Book of Useful Information