To Destroy Flies

Strong green tea, sweetened well, and set in saucers about the places where they are most numerous, will attract and destroy them. This plan is much to be preferred to the use of those horrible fly-papers, which catch the poor insects alive, cruelly torturing them while starving them to death.

Source: Cassell’s Household Guide

For Headache

For headache, drink a cup of strong black tea, in which has been squeezed the juice of a lemon. Half a teaspoon of common baking soda dissolved in hot water is also good.

Source: Audel’s Household Helps, Hints and Receipts

Beef Tea (For Invalids)

One-half pound tender beef (no fat), cut in bits; put in glass bottles, with top well screwed on (can add a little water), place in kettle of boiling water 20 minutes, take out, shake well; this quantity makes 1 cup of rich tea.

Source: Tested Recipe Cook Book, Mrs H.L. Wilson

Cough Mixture

Take buttonwood root and make a strong tea of it; to a pint of the tea and a pint of honey, a piece of saltpetre about the size of your thumb; mix all together and boil down to one pint; also add one tablespoon of paregoric.

Source: Tested Recipe Cook Book, Mrs H.L. Wilson

To Stop the Flow of Blood

Bathe the cut with ordinary red wine; then cover the wound with either whiting, pipe-clay, or cobwebs and brown sugar ; if you have none of these, apply the fine dust of tea, or, if all are
wanting, a handful of earth held tightly to the wound until help can be obtained ; if the cut is deep, it is wise not only to bandage it tightly, but to tie another bandage above, not onto, the wound.

Source: The Unrivalled Cook-Book and Housekeeper’s Guide, Mrs Washington

Rosemary Tea for the Hair

Bruise a branch of rosemary, pour one pint of boiling water over it, and use it warm every morning. This will do for several times.

Source: The Unrivalled Cook-Book and Housekeeper’s Guide, Mrs Washington

Cough Tea

Make a strong tea of everlasting–strain, and put to a quart of it two ounces of figs or raisins, two of liquorice, cut in bits. Boil them in the tea for twenty minutes, then take the tea from the fire, and add to it the juice of a lemon. This is an excellent remedy for a tight cough–it should be drank freely, being perfectly innocent. It is the most effectual when hot.

Source: The American Housewife

Pennington’s Old Virginia Beef-Tea Tonic

One pound of lean, juicy beef; half a pint of cold water; half a pint of old bourbon whiskey.

Cut the beef into pieces about half an inch square ; pour over it half a pint of cold water, cover, and let it stand twelve hours ; then add half a pint of old bourbon whiskey, and let it stand six hours ; then strain three or four times until quite clear ; keep (closely covered) in a cool place, and take a small wineglassful two or three times a day. This is a capital tonic.

Source: The Unrivalled Cook-Book and Housekeeper’s Guide, Mrs Washington

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

Diarrhoea

A moderately strong tea of blackberry-root. Make it palatable with sugar and cream, and let the child use it as ordinary drink. Or, let the child eat all pure loaf sugar as it will.

Source: The Kansas Home Cook-Book