Home remedies

My granny swore by bread poultices to 'draw' splinters and boils. Can't remember if they worked. The notorious kaolin poultices were used for bad chests. When I was in hospital with pneumonia at the age of 6, I had huge ones all over my poor little chest and, at the age of 14, with a mastoid abscess behind my left ear, I had kaolin applied to that too, to 'draw out' the infection. It didn't.
Isn't it strange that styes seem to have disappeared. Better hygiene, perhaps? Did any of you ever have a 'whitlow'? An infection around the edges of the fingernail? That also got a bread poultice. I haven't heard of those recently either.

We all had a lot of styes when we were children - you don't seem to see them very much now and I don't think any of my gc have ever had one. I wonder why?

Last winter I got a good few burns from our wood burner and discovered by chance that if I put Atrixo on them they healed much quicker and with no scar.

Good for her Bags hope it lasts! My DD3 has never had to have her nails cut, she still bites them at the age of 30. When she got married she wore false nails! I didn't have to cut her toe nails when she was a baby - she bit them too until she couldn't get her foot in her mouth any more

I had a lot of styes as a child and Mum would soak cotton wool in warm salty water and apply it to my eye on a dessert spoon - I wonder if it did the trick!

DD3 used to bite her nails but she has started putting nail varnish on now so has stopped. Vanity can be useful after all!

Cold water, lots of it, for scalds and burns. I believe they are using honey in hospitals now, along with leeches and maggots! Perhaps the old folk knew a thing or two.

I remember my mum using some sticky brown stuff on lint which she would wrap round fingers then bandage, if we got wicklows, which seemed to be common for some reason when I was a child. Probably because nail-biting was such a habit. I don't know any children who bite heir nails now.

An interesting thread - for some obscure reason I was thinking about poultices this morning.
I dimly remember these were still in use in my childhood.
Anyone got any memories of them?

For nappy rash use egg white, it works wonders.

In the 60s we used gauze impregnated with honey to treat bed sores and ulcers.

We always used honey for minor burns. It worked wonders when I stupidly caught the hot iron as it fell off the ironing board leaving me in agony until I slapped honey on it, instant relief and no scarring. I used it for my daughter when she fell asleep in the sun and had a huge blister on her shoulder, she said it took the pain out of it straight away.
My Dad used to have his diabetic ulcer dressed by the nurse with Manuka honey, it healed very quickly.
It has to be unpasteurised honey and manuka is the best although very expensive.

Gargling with dispersible aspirin is very soothing for a sore throat [if you're ok with aspirin, that is]. Bought an aloe vera plant the other week, thankfully, because I burned myself on the cooker today. Put some of the sap on straight away; absolutley fine, now. I also read that, if you have a cough, put Vicks vapor rub on your feet at night then put some socks on. Stops the coughing; only tried it once and it really did work.Smelt a bit horrid the next day, though [the smell lingers does it not?]

I just love lucids comment! I woke up with a tickle in the back of my throat this morning and now have a very runny nose (yes, honestly!) so I think I will have a hot toddy very soon. Seem to catch all the colds that the grandchildren get, not surprising I suppose as their little hands get all round your face. Cheers everyone

For a soothing drink for colds ans sore throats make a lemon and honey drink years ago I worked with the elderly and one of my ladies gave me this to make just cut lemons uo put in a basin fill with very hot water add lots of honey leave for a few hours then just heat up a mugful in the microwave top up the bain as neccesasery

Very soothing beats all the over the counter products you buy from the chemist

I still make blackberry vinegar, passed down in my family since forever.
You cover blackberries with vinegar & soak for 24-48 hours, strain and boil 1 pint of liquid to 1/2 lb. sugar until is is like a cordial.
1 tablespoon in hot water for colds.

I have also made this with white wine vinegar & served it dilute & with ice as a grown-up drink - very refreshing.

Hot toddy works wonders for a cold.....my mum used to say that by the time you got to the bottom of the whisky bottle your cold would be gone, and she was right.

Lots of ticks round here too (New Forest) I've been told to cover them with a big splodge of Vaseline. Smothers them, they can't breathe and drop off.

Soap and sugar poultices are brilliant for splinters and boils. I follow my Mum's procedure...soak green washing soap in water. Scrape from the soft surface with a teaspoon. Mix soap with sugar in the palm of your hand then place between a fold of lint and tape onto the affected area.

I always keep an aloe plant in the house...break off a leaf and smear the sticky gel that's inside on minor burns or grazes. Cools and speeds up healing.

I agree with baggythecrust - whisky with all the extra things works wonders with colds, helps you sleep better too. Never heard about the gin for ticks though - I was always told that you had to remove them anti-clockwise (or was it clockwise) otherwise you left their heads buried in the skin

frida, I'm going to try that on my next splinter. I have two faves. Is that allowed? Hot whisky toddy for the sore throat stage of a cold (whisky, lemon juice, honey and hot water). And, for removing ticks (we get a lot where I am), hold a gin-soaked cotton wool ball on it to sozzle the beast. It relaxes its grip and you can lasso it out with a tick lasso. The alcohol also disinfects the area so, one hopes, Lyme disease is less likely.