Skip to main content

Folklife Fridays: Some Old Home Remedies

May we never have to live without modern pharmaceuticals.



The following home remedies are from Culpepper's Complete Herbal, which was first printed in 1623. My copy is a "modern" version, printed in 1814, with improvements.

Parts of Living Creatures, and Excrement's.
The brain of sparrows being eaten, provokes lust exceedingly.

The brain of a hare being roasted, helps trembling, it makes children breed teeth easily, their gums being rubbed with it, it also helps scald heads, and falling off of hair, the head being anointed with it.

Crab eyes break the stone, and open stoppings of the bowels.

The lungs of a fox, well dried, (but not burned) is an admirable strengthener to the lungs.

The liver of a duck, stops fluxes, and strengthens the liver exceedingly.

The liver of a frog, being dried and eaten, helps quartan agues, or as the vulgar call them, third-day agues.

A sheep's or goat's bladder being burnt, and the ashes given inwardly, helps the diabetes.

A flayed mouse dried and beaten into powder, and given at a time, helps such as cannot hold their water, or have a diabetes, if you do the like three days together.

Bears grease stays the falling off of the hair.

Fox grease helps pains in the ears.

Elk's claws or hoofs are a sovereign remedy for the falling sickness, though it be but worn in a ring, much more being taken inwardly; but some say it must be the hoof of the right foot behind.


Do you really want to complain about your pills anymore?
Labels:

Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 25, 2011 at 6:13 AM

    Very nice post!!......If you are suffering from anemia and want to get rid from it then make a mixture of lemon,honey and apple cider vinegar may be taken every morning in empty stomach. This is an effective home remedy for anemia.
    ______________________
    Backache Treatment

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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.
Post a Comment
Read more

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
Post a Comment
Read more

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
1 comment
Read more