Folklife Fridays: Home Remedies

Anything posted here is for education and entertainment. I am not a doctor, just someone who loves folklore and learning about how people coped before modern medicine. You are entirely on your own if you want to experiment.

My grandmother had a remedy for everything.

Some of them were particularly nasty. For example, for a really bad cough, she insisted you take some sugar with a few drops of kerosene in it. Sugar with whiskey would do the same thing, but she had rather use something toxic than to have whiskey in the house. As far as I know, no one died from this.

The ubiquitous snuff spit was used on a variety of things, including bee stings and burns.

Poultices were commonly used for the croup; hot mustard mixed with lard was applied to the chest. I can remember these being very warm. Using too much mustard could blister the skin.

Catnip tea was given to babies with colic. This actually worked, since catnip, like all the mints, contains a mild sedative. There is a huge variety of mint teas available at the supermarket now, and I have found that a cup before bedtime helps me sleep.

There was a remedy for just about everything, and I hope to share more in future posts. For now, I have to agree with W.W. Hall, who published his Hall's Journal of Health in 1893, offering a preventative necessity for good health: a nap.

A room without a couch of some sort if only half furnished. Life is full of ups and downs, all that saves the sanity of the mentally jaded and physically exhausted fortune fighter is the periodical good cry and momentary loss of consciousness on the couch. There are times when so many of the things that distract us could be straightened out and the way made clear if only one could throw himself, boots and brains, stretch his weary frame, unmindful of tidies and tapestry, close his tired eyes, relax the tension of his muscles and give his harassed mind a chance. Ten minutes of this narcotic when the head throbs, the soul yearns for endless, dreamless, eternal rest, would make the vision clear, nerves steady, the heart light and the star of hope shine again.

I'm wondering how my boss would feel if I put a couch in my office.

He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread. Proverbs 12:11

Amish in Stantonville, Tennessee

Last week, my sis and her hub went with us to the Amish community near Stantonville, Tennessee. It was a beautiful day, and we love driving to new places and finding new treasures. We enjoy these mini-trips we take together, where we giggle a lot and get caught up on everything. Also, the squirrels ate all our tomatoes, so we needed to find some to buy. You know the food you are buying is fresh when they bring it from the field while you are standing there waiting for it. Here is part of what we brought home, and it was all delicious. Stantonville is located in McNairy County, Tennessee, northwest of Shiloh National Military Park.

Holy Smoke Pie

I think it was in the late seventies that I first had Holy Smoke Pie. It was at a party at Debra Morris Harville's house. After we ate, Debra had to give the recipe to everyone there. I came home and made it for my family, and it has been a favorite since then. I always make it at holiday dinners, because I believe tradition is important. It has become a favorite of our granddaughters. I've heard it called Chocolate Delight, Four-Layer Chocolate Dessert, and other odd things. We call it Holy Smoke. Here is how I make it: Chop us a cup of pecans; set aside. Add a stick of softened butter (NOT margarine) to one cup of self-rising flour. Cut the butter into the flour. Add the chopped pecans, and work it all together. Save two tablespoons of the pecans to sprinkle on top. Pour into a 9" x 12" pan that has been sprayed with cooking oil. Spread it over the bottom of the pan. It helps to use your hands (or hand, if you have t

Cedar Trees in Cemeteries

If you ever wander in old cemeteries, and I know many of you do, you are bound to see some cedar trees. The tradition goes back to the early days of the United States and even earlier in Europe. Cedar trees were not always used, but some type of evergreen trees were planted because they were a symbol of everlasting life. Some Cherokees believed that cedars contained powerful spirits, including the spirits of the departed buried beneath them. Perhaps because they are known as burial trees, there are many superstitions that surround cedars. My grandmother told us in no uncertain terms that if we planted a cedar tree, we would die when it was large enough to shade our graves. Some others are: Never transplant a cedar tree; it will bring bad luck. If you transplant a cedar and it dies, you will die shortly. Planting a cedar tree in your yard welcomes poverty. Some say Christ was crucified on a cedar tree, and will bring bad luck if you burn it. If a cedar tree com

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