Lime-flower Tea
To half an ounce of lime-flowers, placed in a tea-pot or jug, pour a pint of boiling water, and when the infusion has stood for ten minutes, sweeten with honey or sugar, and drink the tea hot, to assuage the pains in the stomach and chest, arising from indigestion. This beverage may also be successfully administered in attacks of hysteria.
Source: A Plain Cookery Book for the Working Classes, C.E. Francatelli
Inflamed Sore Throat
Gargle with borax and alum, dissolved in water. Take equal parts of saltpetre and loaf sugar pulverized together; place upon the tongue, and let it trickle down slowly to the inflamed part. Use this two or three times a day. Rub the glands with a mixture of camphor, cantharides, myrrh, and turpentine. If this fails to reduce the inflammation, put a small blister within an inch of the ears. A gargle with red pepper tea is good. Give cooling medicines. Bathe the feet at night. Avoid taking cold.
Source: Mrs Hill’s New Cook-Book
Camomile Tea
Put about thirty flowers into a jug, pour a pint of boiling water upon them, cover up the tea, and when it has stood about ten minutes, pour it off from the flowers into another jug; sweeten with sugar or honey; drink a tea-cupful of it fasting in the morning to strengthen the digestive organs, and restore the liver to healthier action. A tea-cupful of camomile tea, in which is stirred a large dessert-spoonful of moist sugar, and a little grated ginger, is an excellent thing to administer to aged people a couple of hours before their dinner.
Source: A Plain Cookery Book for the Working Classes, C.E. Francatelli
Bran Tea: a Remedy for Colds, etc.
Boil a large handful of bran in a quart of water for ten minutes, then strain off the water into a jug, sweeten it with one ounce of gum arabic and a good spoonful of honey; stir all well together, and give this kind of drink in all cases of affections of the chest, such as colds, catarrhs, consumption, etc., and also for the measles.
Source: A Plain Cookery Book for the Working Classes, C.E. Francatelli
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
Specific for a Cough
Take equal quantities of camomile flowers, elecampane, life-everlasting, mullen, a few races of ginger, and as much fat lightwood splinters as camomile. Boil to a strong tea; strain it, and add enough honey and sugar mixed in equal quantities; boil down to a syrup; add enough good apple vinegar to give a pleasant acid taste. Pills made of fresh tar, brown sugar, and the yolk of an egg,
are good for a cough. Pills of fresh rosin taken from the pine tree are also good.
Source: Mrs Hill’s New Cook-Book
Green Ointment
Boil the leaves of Jamestown weed in water until a very strong tea is obtained; add good hog’s lard in the proportion of three pounds of lard to one gallon of the water. Stew until the water is evaporated. Strain, and to each pound add an ounce of turpentine; add it when the lard is nearly cold.
Source: Mrs Hill’s New Cook-Book
Mint, Balm and Other Teas
Put either the fresh or the dried plants into boiling water in a covered vessel, which should be placed near the fire for an hour. The young shoots both of balm and of mint are to be preferred, on account of their strong aromatic qualities. These infusions may be drunk freely in feverish and in various other complaints, in which diluents are recommended. Mint tea, made with the fresh leaves, is useful in allaying nausea and vomiting.
Source: Valuable Receipts, J.M. Prescott
Pepper Tea
Six red peppers broken in small pieces, one pint of boiling water poured over them, one teaspoonful of salt, one-half pint of vinegar. This is a good remedy for sore throat.
Source: The Housekeeper’s Friend: A Practical Cookbook
To Prevent Styes
Bathe the eye every fifteen minutes in quite warm water; if applied when the soreness first appears, it is a sure preventive, otherwise it will greatly relieve. Also moisten green tea leaves and bind on the stye.
Source: 76: A Cook Book