Old remedies from grandma

If you have a cold sore on your lips a dab of perfume will dry it up . My health visitor mum passed that on and it works .

Arrowroot for stomach problems,, Hot bread poultices for boils
dock leaves for nettle stings.. Vapour rub in boiling water, with head under a towel for congestion, cordial made with elder berries for Vitamin C in the winter... Aloe Vera squeezed on wounds..

My mother made cough syrup from boiled sweets ( called black bullets where I live) dissolved in vinegar.
She had learned it from her grandfather.It seemed to always work.

We were given milk of magnesia for any stomach problem. Honey for sore throats and one aspirin crushed in milk for aches and pains. Aspirin isn't advised for children now.

My MiL store by Fosters ointment for everything. My Dad worked for Beechams in St Helens so we had Boxes of gërmolenë , vosene and beechams powder under.the stairs . My grandma said to bend over and drink from the otherside of the glass to cure hiccups which works very well !

Witch hazel is also good for that sort of thing - if you wax or pluck your upper lip or eyebrows, pressing a little cotton wool dipped in witch hazel will prevent reddening and alleviate any soreness.

I didn't have a granny with wise advice - we lived too far away and they were doddery old widows. They were both quite old as my parents didn't have me till late (well after the war) and they were both the youngest of their families so their mothers had been quite old when they had them.

When I had my ears pierced, an aunt told me to dab the holes with white iodine, and they wouldn’t go septic. Absolutely right, and if ever they felt the slightest bit sore, that’s what I did.

Don’t think you can get it nowadays though.

Fran
My dad also used sliced onion in a chesty-cough syrup - put in a dish and cover with honey.

Also syrup of marshmallow, rum and olive oil. Think this may have also had vinegar in?
Not as unpleasant as it sounds!

We stayed with grandparents one Christmas and I had a hacking cough which had been keeping me awake at night. I was about twelve. My grandad said he knew something to give me a good nights sleep. He warmed some milk with butter in it and added rum. I slept so well.

I remember mum telling us to spit on bites and stings. Dock leaves were magical! There was always Kaolin & Morphine in the cupboard. “Don’t wash your hair if you have your period” was one of my grandma’s! Oil of Cloves for toothache. A brisk walk got rid of period pain. I took salt baths after both my babies were born, my midwife advised against it with my 2nd saying it would “make the stitches heal too quickly”! I never could understand why that would be a problem. If you knocked your elbow (funny bone) mum would advise “bang the other one”?? For any minor injury we were told to say “Jones Browns” repeatedly to take the pain away - I guess it was a distraction technique - but why Jones Browns,?I have no idea.

That green stuff from Boots was soft soap.

Here is one to get rid of headaches when you dont have access to painkillers or a glass of water and cant get away.

Press the thumb of one hand into the fleshy part of the other hand between the thumb and forefinger. Press hard (so that it hurts) for 30 seconds. Then repeat with the other hand. I find it works about 90% of the time but a stress or tension headache will return. I was told it was based upon the same principles as acupuncture.

Lavender, salt and brown paper, yes I remember them all from childhood. Brown paper was put round the bedroom shade to stop eyes being affected by the childhood illnesses.

I suffered with mouth ulcers when I was young. They were very painful and I would have only had salt poured into them once! I would never of let anyone do it again ..... OUCH!!

Bella23 I remember my grandmother telling me that she and her blonde sisters always rinsed their hair in egg beaten into Borax to maintain the shine and colour. After your experience I can’t imagine the mess they were in! The sole sister with dark hair used vinegar to achieve the same results - which would be worse I wonder? They must have had a lot of time on their hands.

Soaking any minor wound in warm salt water two or three times daily is great for helping speedy recovery and also very soothing. Salt water baths daily after childbirth recommended. An infection in the eye, caught earlt can often be treated successfully by bathing every few hours with warm salt water (remember to wipe from nose outwards and throw away each item used for wiping after just once use. I used this successfully to treat eye infections on pet cats and dogs.

Salt ater gargles, for sore throats.

My Dad used to cut up an onion, put in a dish and cover with brown sugar and leave this to infuse for24 hours. Disgusting smell, but then the infused liquid was to be drunk as a measure against chesty coughs. Think the smell of it cured mine almost immediately.

When I was a small child and a cough kept me awake he would spoon feed me with warm milk in which butter was melting. The TLC was as much part of this cure as anything, but of course, we now understand how that fatty drink would have soothed.

Childblains were covered in a foul smelling yellow stuff, cannot remember the name - it worked. Warts were tied off with cotton to make them fall off.

When I suffered from teenage acne, he told me to get me long hair cut (or else tied back), and cut out sugar and fat in my diet. Doctors had just supplied topical cream to which i turnede out allergic.

Yes - my Dad called it Tom Cat Pi** as well! Odd really, as he didn’t use bad language, so it quite shocked me.
Germolene was and is still just called Magic Cream.

Primrose53

My late Dad swore by TCP!! It’s a strong smell and our bathroom always had that odour. He rubbed it on cuts, bruises etc, used to gargle with it for a sore throat and dabbed it on aching teeth.

My late Dad used TCP a LOT but it was not known by that name in the house as we laughed at him it was Tom Cat Pi....
I also remember the wedding ring trick for styes, maybe it burst something on the inside because the other remedy was to pull out all the eyelashes in the infection which was extremely painful.
They also burst bursers{cysts] on the wrist or elbow by banging with the family bible as we didn't have one so it was the big dictionary.

I suspect in many cases the problems would have got better anyway, but people think the folk remedies cured them.

Alum for mouth ulcers

Yes biglouis - spit on ‘styes’

Sew a lot not see a lot!

I see a lot. If I prick my finger and get blood on the fabric saliva removes the stain completely and much better than anything else. I've been told that the blood and saliva has to come from the same person but don't know if that is true

My late Dad swore by TCP!! It’s a strong smell and our bathroom always had that odour. He rubbed it on cuts, bruises etc, used to gargle with it for a sore throat and dabbed it on aching teeth.

Root ginger to clean wounds. It also helps to draw out splinters and rose thorns.