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

100 miles or less: Rattlesnake Saloon

The Rattlesnake Saloon was opened on Labor Day, 2009. Dining there is an unique experience. It is way out in the boonies in Colbert County, Alabama. It is hard to get to, even for locals, but they have had visitors from all over the United States and many countries throughout the world. Sitting comfortably under the huge rock overhang, I couldn't help but think about the people who have sought shelter there from storms or heat. I can imagine the Native Americans using this place for a meeting area or a dry place to camp for a while. Not so many years ago, it was used as a pig pen. They have good food and live music and a hitching post if you want to ride your horse there. Most of us were picked up in a pickup, called the "Saloon Taxi", that runs from the parking lot to the restaurant continuously while they are open. The Rattlesnake Saloon is aptly named. During construction, workers unearthed a mother rattler with twelve babie...

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.

Old Water Tower in Florence, Alabama

So, we have lived in Florence since 1986 and I didn't see this old water tower until last week. Shame on me. It is located on Seymore Street, in a residential neighborhood in Florence. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this tower of native stone was completed in 1890 as the foundation for a wrought- iron tank with a capacity of 280,000 gallons of water. It is 70 feet high and is located on the highest elevation in the city. Water was pumped here from Cypress Creek. It was constructed during the Industrial Boom at which time the population of Florence increased from approximately 2,000 in 1887 to over 6,000 in 1889. It was replaced by the adjoining standpipe in 1935. (from historical marker on site.) I'm sure there was lots of planning, lots of discussion about funding, and lots of joy when this water tower was completed. Not one person who was there to celebrate its completion is alive today, but the water...

Faith, Folklore, and Friends

Search This Blog