Monthly Archives: January 2019

Nature Cure For Cystitis

Published January 29, 2019 | By shirleytwofeathers

The term ‘Cystitis’ refers to ‘inflammation of the bladder’. It is a most common complaint in women. Escherichia coli infections are considered the primary culprit in cystitis. The female anatomy makes it more convenient for e.coli bacteria, which normally inhabit the colon., to travel from the rectum to the vagina, up the urethra and into the bladder.

This condition is rarely dangerous but it is generally a forerunner to more serious troubles. The recurrence of cystitis may in some cases be associated with kidney troubles. The kidney and bladder are the principal strikers in the urinary system. The kidneys are situated on the back of the abdomen, one on each side of the spine at about the level of the lowest rib. The bladder is situated in the lower abdomen, in the pelvis. The body is relieved of the greater part of the waste matter, resulting from the complex working of the whole body’s vital processes by means of these two organs.

Symptoms

Cystitis is characterized by symptoms which may cause great discomfort. The patient complains of frequency and burning on urination as well as an almost continual urge to void. There may be a feeling of pain in the pelvis and lower abdomen. The urine may become thick, dark and stingy. It may have an unpleasant smell and may contain blood or pus. The ‘scalding’ sensation on passing urine indicates that the inflammation has spread to the urethra.

Some pain in the lower back may also be felt in certain cases. In an acute stage there may be a rise in body temperature. In the chronic form of cystitis, the symptoms are similar but generally less several and without the rise in temperature. The persistence of the chronic form of the disease indicates a process of deterioration, almost invariably due to wrong treatment of the acute form by suppressive drugs.

Causes

Cystitis may result from infections in other parts adjacent to the bladder such as the kidneys, the urethra, and the vagina. Local irritation and inflammation of the bladder may be caused if urine is retained there for an unduly long time. It may also result from severe constipation. Continual draining of pus and germs from an infected kidney may injure the epithelial lining of the bladder.

Trouble may also arise from the presence of a stone in either bladder or kidney. Childbirth injuries and major surgical procedures within the pelvis may also lower the resistance of the bladder-wall and predispose to the development of the cystitis.

There is also the problem of new brides who sometimes suffer from so-called honeymoon cystitis. The bladder wall may become swollen and ulcerated so that the bladder cannot hold the normal amount of urine. Germs may then find their way into the bladder and bring about chemical changes in the urine. Calcium or lime may thus be deposited in the walls of the bladder, increasing the patient’s discomfort.

Treatment

At the onset of acute cystitis, it is essential to withhold all solid food immediately. If there is fever, the patient should fast either on water or tender coconut water for three or four days. If there is no fever, raw vegetable juices, especially carrot juice diluted with water, should be taken every two or three hours. By so doing the biochemical energy needed for digestion and metabolism of food is diverted to the process of eliminating toxins and promoting healing and repair.

It is advisable to rest and keep warm at this time. Pain can be relieved by immersing the pelvis in hot water or alternatively by applying heat to the abdomen, using a towel wrung out in hot water, covering it with dry towel to retain warmth. Care should be taken to avoid scalding. A little vegetable oil gently rubbed into the skin , will avoid too much reddening. This treatment may be continued for three or four days, by which time the inflammation should have subsided and the temperature returned to normal.

For the next two or three days, only ripe sub-acid fruits may be taken three or four times daily. These fruits may include grapes, pears, peaches, apples, and melon, as available. While the hot compresses are intended to relieve pain, the use of cold water compresses to the abdomen is most valuable, if correctly applied, in relieving pelvic congestion and increasing the activity of the skin. Care should, however, be taken to ensure that compresses do not cause chilling.

After the all-fruit diet, the patient may gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet, consisting of seeds, nuts and grains, vegetables and fruits. The patient should avoid refined carbohydrates and salt, both at table and in cooking. Salt disturbs the balance of electrolytes and tends to raise blood pressure, which is frequently already raised in kidney troubles.

The prescribed dietary should exclude meat, fish and poultry. They produce uric acid. Most cases of food poisoning and infections, which may lead to gastritis and colitis, are also caused by the flesh foods. In case of chronic cystitis, the patient should commence the treatment of strict adherence to the dietary program, designed to cleanse the blood and other tissues and at the same time provide a rich source of natural vitamins and minerals in balanced proportions.

The patient may adopt the following restricted diet for seven to ten days.

Upon arising : A glass of unsweetened apple juice or carrot juice
Breakfast : Fresh fruits, selected mainly from apple, pear, grapes, melon, peach and pineapple and a glass of buttermilk, sweetened with a little honey.
Mid-morning : Tender coconut water.
Lunch : A salad of raw vegetables such as carrot, beetroot and cabbage, mixed with curd and a tablespoon of honey. This may be followed by a ripe apple.
Mid-afternoon : One cup of unsweetened grape juice.
Dinner : A salad of green leafy vegetables and a fresh fruit, preferably a portion of melon sweetened with a teaspoon of honey.
Before retiring : One glass of mixed raw carrot and beetroot juice.

After the restricted diet, the patient should gradually embark on a well-balanced diet , consisting of seed, nuts and grains, vegetables and fruits. Even after the recovery from the chronic condition, it will be advisable for the individual to live exclusively on vegetables or on tender coconut water or raw vegetable juices for a day or two, every month. The water treatment and other health building methods should , however, be continued to the greatest extent possible, so that the patient may stay cured.

From The Complete Handbook of Nature Cure

Posted in Nature Cure | Tagged Inflammation, Naturopathy | Leave a comment

Nature Cure For Allergies

Published January 29, 2019 | By shirleytwofeathers

An ‘allergy’ can be described as sensitiveness of the body to a substance which does not normally affect other persons. There are innumerable substances in the environment which can cause mild to violent reactions in many people. These reactions range from true allergies due to intolerance of certain foods and substances, to those resulting from pollution.

Allergic reactions may occur within a few minutes of the patient coming in contact with the allergen, or they may be delayed for several hours or even several days. Almost any part of the body can be affected by allergies. The portion of the body which is affected is called a shock organ. Common sites are the nose and eyes, the skin, chest, intestines and ears.

Allergic reactions are caused by a wide range of substances and conditions. These include pollen, dust, cosmetics and animal hair ; poisonous plants, serums, vaccines and drugs ; physical agents such as heat, cold and sunlight ; as well as a variety of foods. Among the numerous allergens in the food department, the more common ones are oranges, milk, eggs, wheat, fish, chocolates, cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes and strawberries.

Symptoms

The symptoms of allergy are as varied as the substances causing the reaction. These include recurring headache, migraine, dizziness, irritability, nervousness, depression, neuralgia, sneezing, conjunctivitis, diabetes, eczema, heart-burn, hay fever, indigestion, constipation, diarrhoea, gastric ulcer, asthma, overweight, high blood pressure, chest pain, heart attacks, a stuffy or runny nose, shortness of breath, swelling of the face and eyes, etc.

The same food can cause different symptoms in different people. Many allergies are multiple and may be caused by multiple allergens.

Causes

An allergy is an indication of lowered resistance and internal disharmony caused by dietetic errors and faulty style of living. It is believed that the major cause of allergy is feeding babies such foods as cereals, meat, corns, whole milk, etc. before they reach the age of 10 to 12 months. These foods cause allergic reactions as babies lack the proper enzymes needed for their digestion before that age. Babies should be breast-fed for at least eight months as this is nature’s way of providing all the required nutrients during this period.

Another important cause of allergy is today’s processed foods loaded with numerous chemical additives, many of which cause powerful reactions. An allergic condition can result from diet imbalances. There can be a breakdown in the body’s ability to handle sugar due to excessive intake of refined sugar and consequent blood sugar irregularities, or mineral and vitamin imbalances due to defective dietary patterns.

Emotional and psychological stress can also lead to allergies. According to Dr. Hans Salye, the world’s premier researcher on stress, allergic symptoms are often nothing more than body’s reaction to stress. A person can through chronic stress, become sensitive to common foods or commonplace substances like petrol fumes.

Treatment

There are various ways to tackle many of the allergic disturbances. First, the sources must be identified. This is a difficult but not impossible task. Second, once the sources are discovered, they should be avoided. Third, and most important, general health and resistance should be built up to establish immunity to them.

There are two methods to detect disturbing foods. The first method is the trial -and- error elimination diet. This automatically eliminates many hazards and foods. Keep to organic, untreated, unprocessed foods as far as possible and you will eliminate another set of hazards such as pesticides, various sprays and other poisons.

After having eliminated as many disturbing factors as possible, a self-search should be carried out to ascertain any suspicious symptoms from foods. It is advisable to try an eliminary diet, excluding suspected foods for two weeks until the cause is detected. Occasionally, by changing the brand or the type, you can find a food substitute that does not upset you.

Another way to detect the cause of allergy is by Dr. Coca’s “pulse test.” The method is as follows :

Check your pulse before a meal. Then limiting that meal to one food only, wait for half an hour after eating and take your pulse again. A slight increase is considered normal, even up to 16 extra beats. If your pulse does not rise above 84, you may be allergy-free. But if your pulse rises beyond that point, and remains high an hour after the meal, you have found your food allergy.

The best way, however, to prevent or overcome allergies is to strengthen the overall physical resistance so as not to fall an easy prey to every allergen that comes along.

To start with, the patient should fast on fresh fruit juices for four or five days. Repeated short juice fasts are likely to result in better tolerance to previous allergies. After the fruit juice fast, the patient can take a mono diet of vegetables or fruits such as carrots, grapes or apples, for one week. After that one more food is added to the mono diet. A week later the third food is added and so on. After four weeks, the protein foods can be introduced, one at a time.

In case an allergic reaction to a newly introduced food is noticed, it should be discontinued and a new food tried. In this way all real allergens can be eventually eliminated from the diet. The body requires a large alkaline reserve for its daily activity. The many emergencies of acid formation through the day from wrong foods, fatigue, mental stress and lack of sleep can be met by the competency of the alkaline reserves. Boosting the normal body reserve of alkalines by liberal use of alkaline- forming foods is essential for those suffering from allergies.

The foods which should be excluded from the diet are tea, coffee, chocolate, cola drinks, alcohol, sugar, sweets and foods containing sugar, refined cereals, meats, fish, chicken, tobacco, milk, cheese, butter, smoked, salted, pickled foods and foods containing any chemical additives, preservatives and flavoring.

These foods cause either toxic accumulations or over-stimulation of adrenal glands or strain on pancreatic enzymes production or disturb the blood sugar balance. For preventive purposes, the entire C complex vitamins – known as the bioflavonoids, are recommended. They gradually strengthen cell permeability to help immunise the body from various allergies, especially hay fever.

Often the addition B5 , or pantothenic acid brings great relief to allergy sufferers. Multiple allergies may result from poor adrenal gland functioning. In such cases liberal amounts of pantothenic acids help cure them, although the recovery will take several weeks.

An adequate intake of vitamin E is also beneficial as this vitamin possesses effective anti-allergic properties, as some studies have shown. An exciting remedy for allergy has been discovered by an Indian physician, Dr. Hement Pathak. He found that the use of five drops of castor oil in a little juice or water taken on an empty stomach in the morning, is highly beneficial for allergies in the intestinal tract, skin and nasal passages. Dr. Pathak, who is an expert in Chinese medicine, has reported numerous cases of allergic protection by this method.

For allergic conditions in which an element of stress is present, it is essential to employ such methods as relaxation, exercise, meditation and mind control. These methods will reduce or remove stress and thereby contribute towards the treatment of allergies. Yogic asanas like yogamudra ardhmatsyendrasana, sarvangasana, shavasana and anuloma-viloma , pranayama are also beneficial.

From The Complete Handbook of Nature Cure

Posted in Nature Cure | Tagged Allergies, Naturopathy | Leave a comment

Nature Cure For Alcoholism

Published January 29, 2019 | By shirleytwofeathers

Alcoholism refers to addiction to alcohol. It is a chronic disorder, in which a person is unable to refrain from frequent and excess consumption of alcohol for physical or psychological reasons. The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed alcoholism as one of the three most deadly killer diseases of the 20th century.

Alcoholism is also one of the serious social problems. It often brings poverty and certain amount of crime and results in material unhappiness and broken homes. It also leads to numerous traffic accidents.

Alcohol is not a product found in nature. It results from decomposition and as such belongs to a family of poisons. Ethyl alcohol, the main intoxicating ingredient in wine, beer and distilled liquor is a toxic drug which depresses the brain and nervous system. Alcohol cannot be called a food for it enters the alimentary canal and is not changed or digested in any way. It is quickly absorbed in the bloodstream and then travels to every part of the body, adversely affecting vital organs like brain and liver.

Symptoms According to the WHO, “Alcoholics are those excessive drinkers whose dependence on alcohol has attained such a degree that it shows a noticeable mental disturbance or interference with their bodily or mental health, their interpersonal relations and their smooth social and economic functions, or who show the prodormal signs of such development. ”

Alcoholics have a puffy face with bloodshot eyes, a hoarse voice and a rapid pulse. They are suspicious, irritable and over-emotional. Vomiting, delirium, impaired judgement and disturbed sleep are some of the other symptoms. The chronic alcoholic, who would rather drink than eat, fails to get enough vitamins. The few vitamins acquired by him are drained out of his system in the process of burning the alcohol in his body. Vitamin deficiency can lead to delirium tremors, convulsions, nutritious, disorders of the eyes and impaired memory.

Excessive drinking often causes premature graying of hair due to vitamin deficiency. Chronic alcoholism results in a depletion of minerals in the body, particularly magnesium. Its lack produces symptoms like tremor of the hands, feet and tongue, convulsions, mental clouding, and perspiration.

Excessive drinking imposes a strain on the liver. It gradually destroys its functions and often causes cirrhosis of the liver. It leads to disorders of the stomach and bowels. It can cause brain damage as brain cells are often affected by it. Alcohol also affects the heart which becomes weak and flabby.

Causes

Alcoholism results from intemperate drinking. Sometimes it sneaks upon a person comparatively rapidly; other times, years may pass before a person becomes a full-fledged alcoholic. A weak-minded person consoles himself by taking to drugs or alcohol. In doing so he simply tries to escape the situation rather than face it boldly. A person generally takes to drinking as a means to enliven social life, to overcome anxiety or to induce sleep. He becomes an alcoholic if he gets dependent on alcohol physically and psychologically. He resorts to heavy drinking because of his maladaptive way of dealing with life’s stresses.

Treatment

The chronic alcoholic first of all must make a firm resolve to stop drinking. He should abstain from alcohol all at once for the habit cannot be got rid of in gradual stages. The most effective way to treat alcoholism is to build the body’s nutritional integrity soaps to prevent craving for stimulants like drinks.

The patients should be put on a cleansing juice fast for at least ten days in the beginning. During this period, he should have juice of an orange every two hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The juice may be diluted with warm water, if desired. If orange juice does not agree, vegetable juices may be taken. Each day while fasting, bowels should be cleansed of effete and poisonous matter thrown off by the self-cleansing process set up by the body. This can be achieved by warm water enema.

During the juice fast, the patient will usually feel no craving for alcohol. This will give a good 10 day start towards breaking the drinking habit and would help remove not only the physical dependence but also the psychological factors. After the initial fast on juices, the optimum diet of vital nutrients is essential. Such a diet should consist of whole grains, cereals, nuts, seeds and sprouts, fresh fruits and vegetables.

It is advisable that in the beginning of the treatment, the patient is given a suitable substitute to relieve the craving if and when such a craving occurs. The best substitute drink for alcohol is a glass of fresh fruit juice, sweetened with honey, if desired. In the alternative, wholesome candy may be taken. The patient should always have easily available juices, candy, or other snacks to be taken between meals if he feels a craving for a stimulant. All refined foods such as sugar, white rice, macaroni products and white flour and meat should be avoided.

The patient should eat several small meals a day in preference to two or three large ones and avoid strong condiments such as pepper, mustard, and chili. He should not smoke as this will only increase his desire for alcohol. Apples are considered valuable in the treatment of alcoholism as their use removes intoxication and reduces the craving for wine and other intoxicating liquors. The raw celery juice is also considered helpful. It has a sobering effect and is an antidote to alcohol.

In addition to proper nutrition, plenty of rest and outdoor exercises are necessary. The healthy condition of the appetite center, which controls the craving for alcohol is improved by exercise. Yogic asanas for general health such as padmasan, vajrasan, vakrasan, paschimotanasan, yogamudra, bhuajangasan, halasan and shalabhasana and yogic kriyas like jalneti, kunjal and simple Pranayamas like kapalbhati , anuloma-viloma, shitali and sitkari will be beneficial.

Copious drinking of water, hot fomentations on the stomach and abdomen with a wet girdle pack between applications are also effective water treatment for alcoholism. And finally, it will be advisable to follow the ten commandments to prevent alcoholism, offered by psychiatrist Dr. William B. Terhune.

These are :

Never drink when you ‘ need one’
Sip slowly
Space your drinks, taking a second drink 30 minutes after the first and a third an hour after the second
Dilute your alcohol
Keep an accurate and truthful record of the amount and number of drinks you take
Never conceal the amount of alcohol you drink
Do not drink on an empty stomach
Stop drinking on ‘signal ‘ ( signals are lunch, dinner, fatigue, sex stimulation, boredom, frustration and bedtime)
Make it a rule never to take a drink to escape discomfort – either physical or mental
Never, never take a drink in the morning thinking it will cure a hangover

From The Complete Handbook of Nature Cure

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The Nature Cure For Acne

Published January 29, 2019 | By shirleytwofeathers

Acne is perhaps the most common chronic skin disease. It is an inflammatory condition of the sebaceous ( that is fat or grease) glands and hair follicles usually found on the face, the neck, chest and shoulders. Nearly eight out of ten young people between the ages of 12 and 24 suffer from some degree of acne. It is closely related to the disturbance in the hormones experienced at puberty.

The majority of patients recover between the ages 20 and 30 years. But it is still common in men over 30 years. In women, it rarely lasts beyond the early thirties and is normally worse before each menstrual period. This disease causes a great deal of embarrassment at an age when people tend to be sensitive about personal appearance.

The skin, covering the entire body, is a marvelous and intricate mechanism. It serves three main purposes ; namely, protection of the inner organism, regulation of body temperature and elimination of cell waste and systemic refuse. The skin is directly connected with and intimately bound up with the working of the whole system. All skin diseases, including acne, are the outcome of malfunctioning of the body as a whole.

Symptoms

Acne is characterized by the presence of blackheads, pimples, small superficial sebaceous cysts and scars. There are over half a dozen forms of acne. All of them are concerned with sebaceous glands or the glands connected with hair follicles. The most common form of acne is blackheads. The areas chiefly affected are the forehead, temples, cheeks, and chin, the chest and back. In rare cases, almost the entire body may be covered with black heads with extensive scarring.

Causes

All forms of acne have their origin in wrong feeding habits, such as irregular hours of eating, improper food, excess of starches and sugar, excess of fatty foods. Chronic constipation is another major cause of acne. If the bowels do not move properly, waste matter is not eliminated as quickly as it should be and the bloodstream becomes surcharged with toxic matter. The extra efforts of the skin to eliminate excess waste result in acne and other forms of skin disease.

Yet another important cause of acne is a devitalized condition of the skin resulting from unhygienic living habits. Other causes of the disorder are excessive use of tea, coffee, alcohol or tobacco, strenuous studies, masturbation and sedentary habits which lead to indigestion and general debility.

Treatment

The treatment of acne by the administration of salve or ointment does not serve any purpose. They only suppress the action of the sebaceous glands temporarily. In nature cure, the main emphasis is on diet and certain water applications.

To begin with the patient should resort to all fruit diet for about a week. In this regimen, there should be three meals a day, consisting of fresh juicy fruits, such as apples, pears, grapes, grape-fruit, pineapple and peaches. Citrus fruits, bananas, dried, stewed or tinned fruits should not be taken. Unsweetened lemon or plain water, either hot or cold, should be drunk and nothing else.

During this period, warm water enema should be taken daily to cleanse the bowels and all other measures adopted to eradicate constipation. After a week of all fruit diet, the patient can gradually adopt a well-balanced diet. Emphasis should be on raw foods, especially fresh fruits and vegetables, sprouted seeds, raw nuts and whole grain cereals, especially millet and brown rice.

Further shorter periods on the all-fruits for three days, or so may be necessary at a monthly interval till the condition of the skin improves. Strict attention to diet is essential for recovery. Starchy, protein and fatty foods, should be restricted. Meats, sugar, strong tea or coffee, condiments, pickles, refined and processed foods should all be avoided, as also soft drinks, candies, ice cream and products made with sugar and white flour.

Two vitamins, namely, niacin and vitamin A have been used successfully to treat acne. The vitamin therapy which may comprise a niacin, 100 mg. three times daily and vitamin A in large doses upto 1,50,000 units per day should not exceed one month. Vitamin E is also vitally important to prevent scarring from acne and in removing old scars.

Another effective remedy in the realm of nutrition that seems to offer new promise of help for acne is zinc. It has shown dramatic results in some cases. Zinc should be taken in therapeutic doses of 50 mg. three times a day. After noticeable improvement it can be gradually reduced.

Local Treatment

As regards local treatment, hot fomentation should be applied to open up the pores and squeeze the waste matter. Then rinse with cold water. Sun and air baths by exposing the whole body to sun and air are highly beneficial.

Healing packs made of grated cucumber, oatmeal cooked in milk, and cooked, creamed carrots used externally, have been found to be effective.
Orange peel is valuable in the treatment of acne. The peel, pounded well with water on a piece of stone, should be applied to the affected areas.
Lemon has also proved beneficial in removing pimples and acne . It should be applied regularly.
A teaspoonful of coriander juice, mixed with a pinch of turmeric powder, is another effective home remedy for pimples and blackheads. The mixture should be applied to the face after thoroughly washing it, every night before retiring.
The juice of raw potatoes has also proved very valuable in clearing skin blemishes. This cleansing results from high content of potassium sulphur, phosphorous and chlorine in the potato. These elements are, however, of value only when the potato is raw as in this state they are composed of live organic atoms.
A hot Epsom-salt bath twice a week will be highly beneficial in all cases of acne. This bath is prepared by adding one and a half kg. of Epsom -salt to 50 litres of water having a temperature of about 100 o F. The patient should remain in the bath from 25 to 35 minutes till he perspires freely. After the bath the patient should cool off gradually.

From: A Complete Handbook of Nature Cure

Posted in Nature Cure | Tagged Naturopathy, Skin | Leave a comment

Pow Wow Cures For Dropsy

Published January 29, 2019 | By shirleytwofeathers

Dropsy is a disease derived from a cold humidity, which passes through the different limbs to such a degree that it either swells the whole or a portion of them. The usual symptoms and precursors of every case of dropsy are the swelling of the feet and thighs, and then of the face; besides this the change of the natural color of the flesh into a dull white, with great thirst, loss of appetite, costiveness, sweating, throwing up of slimy substances, but little water, laziness, and aversion to exercise.

Physicians know three different kinds of dropsy, which they name:

1. Anasarca, when the water penetrates between the skin and the flesh over the whole body, and all the limbs, and even about the face and swells them.
2. Ascites, when the belly and thighs swell, while the upper extremities dry up.
3. Tympanites, caused rather by wind than water. The belly swells up very hard, the navel is forced out very far, and the other members fall away. The belly becomes so much inflated that knocking against it causes a sound like that of a large drum, and from this circumstance its name is derived.

The chief thing in curing dropsy rests upon three points, namely:

1. To reduce the hardness of the swelling which may be in the bowels or other parts.
2. To endeavor to scatter the humors.
3. To endeavor to pass them off either through the stool or through the water.

The best cure therefore must chiefly consist in this: To avoid as much as possible all drinking, and use only dry victuals; to take moderate exercise, and to sweat and purge the body considerably.

If anyone feels symptoms of dropsy, or while it is yet in its first stages, let him make free use of the sugar of the herb called Fumatory, as this purifies the blood, and the Euphrasy sugar to open the bowels.

A Cure For Dropsy (said to be infallible)

Take a jug of stone or earthenware, and put four quarts of strong, healthy cider into it; take two handfuls of parsley roots and tops, cut it fine; a handful of scraped horse-radish, two tablespoonfuls of bruised mustard-seed, half an ounce of squills, and half an ounce of juniper berries; put all these in the jug, and place it near the fire for 24 hours so as to keep the cider warm, and shake it up often; then strain it through a cloth and keep it for use.

To a grown person give half a wineglassful three times a day, on an empty stomach. But if necessary you may increase the dose, although it must decrease again as soon as the water is carried off, and, as stated before, use dry victuals and exercise gently.

This remedy has cured a great many persons, and among them a woman of 70 years of age, who had the dropsy so badly that she was afraid to get out of bed, for fear her skin might burst, and who it was thought could not live but a few days. She used this remedy according to the directions given, and in less than a week the water had passed off her, the swelling of her stomach fell, and in a few weeks afterward she again enjoyed perfect health.

Or:

Drink for a few days very strong Bohea tea, and eat the leaves of it. This simple means is said to have carried away the water from some persons in three or four days, and freed them from the swelling, although the disease had reached the highest pitch.

Or:

Take three spoonfuls of rape-seed, and half an ounce of clean gum myrrh, put these together in a quart of good old wine, and let it stand over night in the room, keeping it well covered. Aged persons are to take two teaspoonfuls of this an hour after supper, and the same before going to bed; younger persons must diminish the quantity according to their age, and continue the use of it as long as necessary.

Or:

Take young branches of spruce pine, cut them into small pieces, pour water on them and let them boil a while, then pour it into a large tub, take off your clothes, and sit down over it, covering yourself and the tub with a sheet or blanket, to prevent the vapor from escaping. When the water begins to cool let some one put in hot bricks; and when you have thus been sweating for a while, wrap the sheet or blanket close around you and go to bed with it. A repetition of this for several days will free the system from all water.

The following Valuable Recipes, not in the original work of Hoffman, were added by the publisher.

Cure For Dropsy

Make of the broom-corn seed, well powdered and sifted, one drachm. Let it steep twelve hours in a wineglass and a half of good, rich wine, and take it in the morning fasting, having first shaken it so that the whole may be swallowed. Let the patient walk after it, if able, or let him use what exercise he can without fatigue, for an hour and a half; after which let him take two ounces of olive oil, and not eat or drink anything in less than half an hour afterward. Let this be repeated every day, or once in three days, and not oftener, till a cure is effected, and do not let blood, or use any other remedy during the course.

Nothing can be more gentle and safe than the operation of this remedy. If the dropsy is in the body it discharges it by water, without any inconvenience; if it is between the skin and flesh, it causes blisters to rise on the legs, by which it will run off; but this does not happen to more than one in thirty: and in this case no plasters must be used, but apply red-cabbage leaves. It cures dropsy in pregnant women, without injury to the mother or child. It also alleviates asthma, consumption and disorders of the liver.

From: Pow-Wows, or Long Lost Friend, by John George Hoffman, [1820]

Posted in Old Old Cures, Pow Wow Remedies | Tagged Inflammation | Leave a comment

Sweet Oil

Published January 29, 2019 | By shirleytwofeathers

Sweet oil (another term for olive oil) possesses a great many valuable properties, and it is therefore advisable for every head of a family to have it at all times about the house in order that it may be applied in cases of necessity. Here follow some of its chief virtues:

It is a sure remedy, internally as well as externally, in all cases of inflammation in men and animals.

Internally, it is given to allay the burning in the stomach caused by strong drink or by purging too severely, or by poisonous medicines. Even if pure poison has been swallowed, vomiting may be easily produced by one or two wine-glasses of sweet oil, and thus the poison will be carried off, provided it has not already been too long in the bowels; and after the vomiting, a spoonful of the oil should be taken every hour until the burning caused by the poison is entirely allayed.

Whoever is bitten by a snake, or any other poisonous animal, or by a mad dog, and immediately takes warmed sweet oil, and washes the wound with it, and then puts a rag, three or four times doubled up and well soaked with oil, on the wound every three or four hours, and drinks a couple of spoonfuls of the oil every four hours for some days, will surely find out what peculiar virtues the sweet oil possesses in regard to poisons.

In dysentery, sweet oil is likewise a very useful remedy, when the stomach has first been cleansed with rhubarb or some other suitable purgative, and then a few spoonsfuls of sweet oil should be taken every three hours. For this purpose, however, the sweet oil should have been well boiled and a little hartshorn be mixed with it. This boiled sweet oil is also serviceable in all sorts of bowel complaints and in colics; or when anyone receives internal injury as from a fall, a few spoonfuls of it should be taken every two hours; for it allays the pain, scatters the coagulated blood, prevents all inflammation and heals gently.

Externally, it is applicable in all manner of swellings; it softens, allays the pain, and prevents inflammation.

Sweet oil and white lead, ground together, makes a very good salve, which is applicable in burns and scalds This salve is also excellent against infection from poisonous weeds or waters, if it is put on the infected part as soon as it is noticed.

If sweet oil is put in a large glass, so as to fill it about one-half full, and the glass is then filled up with the flowers of the St. Johnswort, and well covered and placed in the sun for about four weeks, the oil proves then, when distilled, such a valuable remedy for all fresh wounds in men and animals, that no one can imagine its medicinal powers who has not tried it. This should at all times be found in a well-conducted household. In a similar manner, an oil may be made of white lilies, which is likewise very useful to soften hardened swellings and burns, and to cure the sore breasts of women.

From: Pow-Wows, or Long Lost Friend, by John George Hoffman, [1820]

Posted in Cure It All, Old Old Cures, Pow Wow Remedies | Tagged Inflammation | Leave a comment

Old Fashioned Cures for A Toothache

Published January 23, 2019 | By shirleytwofeathers

I am so grateful for modern dental care, and the fact that is readily available. There was a time, however, when a toothache was a major ordeal. For this reason, there is quite a lot of folklore that covers an amazing array of cures for a toothache. Some of them might even actually work – and if you really don’t want to go to the dentist, you might want to give one or two of them a try. The first one, oil of cloves, actually works really well when applied directly.

Oil of cloves for a tooth ache.
Bite into a hot raisin right on the tooth that aches.
To cure tooth aches, hold whiskey over tooth in the mouth.
Take blood from around the tooth that aches and carry that to an oak tree that’s been struck by lightning. On the north side of the tree, pull the bark down, put the blood in there, and then shove the bark back up. This will kill your toothache.
Get a wasp’s nest and smoke it. That will cure a toothache.
If you’ll take the ear drum from a hog and paint it and tie it around your neck and wear it like a necklace it will cure the tooth ache.
Another method of treating toothache is to tie knots in a string, one knot for every tooth which does not ache.
To cure toothache, cut bits of your hair and nails, bore a hole in an apple-tree, and plug in the cuttings. The tooth will never ache again.
Chewing tobacco is a good pain reliever for tooth aches and insect stings.
For tooth ache- inhale the aroma of coffee beans being roasted over a slow fire, under cover of a blanket.
Asparagus root (because of its shape) will cure a tooth ache.
Cinnamon. Chewing gum strongly impregnated with cinnamon was obtainable at stores. Packing a tooth cavity with this alleviated the ache.
For teeth which ache and have worms (ca. 9th century): Work up radishes with goat’s fat and heat it and anoint the patient therewith and let him open his mouth that the worm may come up out of it.
Chew the seed of Jimson weed (Stramonium) for tooth ache.
For a tooth ache go out a find a garter snake and bite it, and there will be no more toothache.
A mother should always swallow the first baby tooth her child loses, as this protects the child from every having a tooth ache as long as she lives.
To relieve toothache, heat up salt and put it in a little back and hold it to place where ache is.
Wash your hands before your face and you will never get a tooth ache.
For teeth which ache and have ache and have worms (ca. 9th century): Take a thick reed and cut in one end of it a small slit, and put on the fire a rose of the rhododapus tree so that the smoke thereof may enter (the reed and pass by it) to the teeth, and the worms will die.
If you have the tooth ache, just chew a garlic button.
Remedy for toothaches: Apply tip of a kitchen match (with sulphur tip) to the spot that aches.
If a tooth has been pulled because of a toothache, it must be thrown into the fire, or the ache will return.
Hellebore. The powder of the Root put into a hollow tooth, is good for the tooth ache.
All donkeys have on their backs a small black cross. This was their reward for witnessing the birth of Christ in the stable. If a person takes one hair from this cross and puts it in the tooth that aches, the pain will go away.
For teeth which ache and have worms (ca. 9th century): Pound raisins, boil them in olive oil and rub the teeth therewith, and let some of it remain in thy mouth.
Cure for toothaches: use salt that has been formed in a solid shape by water and rub it on the teeth that ache.
Wash the mouth with lemon extract and hold some of it in the mouth covering the affected tooth to stop tooth ache.
For a toothache, let someone who is not a relative of the sufferer, drill a hole in a tree. Then the sufferer spits into it three times, drives a nail in after the ache, and takes care never to return to the place.
For teeth which ache and have worms (ca. 9th century): Boil roses, myrtle, raisins, root of tamarisk, sumach, thorns and olive leaves in vinegar and let the patient hold it in his mouth.
To cure a tooth ache, you tie a string around a cotton wood tree, tie as many knots as you have teeth in your mouth and your tooth ache will go away.
I have heard taught one for ye tooth ache, to go thrice about a church yarde, and neuer thynke on a fox tayle.
The tooth is to picked with a splinter from a tree struck by lightning – the ache will cease but the tooth will decay.
For a toothache, prick the bad tooth with nine kinds of wood till blood flows. Put the spikes in a tree, and when they wilt, the ache will be gone.
To calm a tooth ache, rinse the mouth with very salty water with a little vinegar.
To cure tooth aches, people will help a bug or insect to get on its feet if it has turned over.
For the tooth ache, if the tooth be hollow. Take gum opium, gum camphor, and spirits of turpentine, equal parts, rub them in a mortar to a paste, dip lint in the paste, and put it in the hollow of the tooth every time after eating. Make use of this three or four days, and it will entirely cure the tooth from ever aching. All components are well-known tooth-ache remedies. Opium is used because of its content of morphine, the queen of pain relievers. It seems that turpentine is used to kill the nerve, while opium acts as a pain reliever during the process.
Put some tobacco in the tooth to cure a toothache.
Biting in a tree to rid oneself of a tooth ache.
Take the forelegs of a mole and one of the hind legs, and put them into a bag. Wear it round your neck, and you will never have the toothache.
To calm a tooth ache, rinse the mouth with brandy.
Smoke wicker sticks for tooth ache.
Put your right shoe on first thing in the morning and you won’t have the tooth ache.
Put your left shoe on first and you will never have the tooth ache.
For a toothache, hold a little liquor in your mouth on the side where the tooth aches.
A cat’s skin is a good remedy for toothache. You should keep a dried cat’s skin and hold it to your cheek when your tooth aches.
The people of Stamfordham some eighty years ago, had an “excellent” recipe for the curing, and prevention, of toothache. They walked to Winters Gibbet, on Elsdon Moor, some twelve miles away, for a splinter of wood from the gibbet. This, applied to the tooth, disposed of the ache in a jiffy!
Use cake- flavor for tooth aches.
Baking powder sometimes put into a tooth cavity for [treating] a tooth ache.
For teeth which ache and have worms. (ca. 9th century): Pound thorns and olive leaves with honey and strong vinegar and let some of the mixture remain in thy mouth.
He who drinks from all three of the spouts of the San Cayetano fountain will no longer suffer tooth aches.
If you have a toothache, put some spices on the tooth and the ache will stop.
Ireland had two popular superstitions for this unpleasant ache. The first one entailed either the drinking of water from a human skull, or the taking of a pinch of clay from the grave of a priest and putting it into your mouth. You then had to kneel down, say a Paternoster and an Ave, following which it was credibly supposed that you would never again have toothache so long as you lived.
Pick the sore tooth with a skinned stick until the gums bleed. Hide the stick in the woods, and the ache will vanish
Put the first aching tooth you have pulled in a glass of whiskey. Then drink the whiskey, and you will never have occasion to have another tooth pulled because it aches.
If you have a toothache, put a horseradish poultice on the wrist opposite the side the tooth is on, and the ache will go away.
If you have a toothache, put a horseradish poultice on the wrist opposite the side the tooth is on, and the ache will go.
To treat toothache, go to the fields or woods and find the jawbone of a horse. Get down on your knees and pick up the bone with your teeth, then walk backward, keeping yours hands behind you. The number of steps you take before dropping the bone indicates the number of years that will elapse before the tooth aches again.
Cold iron is best remedy for tooth ache.
A spider web put in an aching tooth will cure the ache.
Let the person that is troubled with the tooth-ache lay on the contrary side, drop three drops of the juice of rue [final letter of rue not quite distinguishable] into the ear, upon that side the teeth acheth. Let it remain an hour or two, and it will remove the pain.
Catch a frog under open sky, spit into its mouth, conjure it to take ache with itself so that one will suffer toothache no more and then release it..
If you have a toothache, you can cure it by tying three knots in your fishing line before you begin to fish. The ache will leave soon.
If you have a toothache, tie a fishing line around it (the tooth), with a dozen knots in it and the tooth ache will leave.
If you have a toothache, take the piece of grass which a cow brings home after the first day in the pasture, dry it and whenever the tooth aches, place it on the tooth.
For toothaches, boil roots of Aralia cordata and drink the liquid.
Vanilla on a tooth will ease a tooth ache. So will straight whiskey.
To stop a tooth ache put green black walnut juice on it.
Tooth Ache Drops – One oz. of chloroform, one oz. of spirits of camphor and half a drachm of oil of cloves. Keep in a tightly in a tightly corked bottle and apply a cotton batting to the cavity of the tooth or on a piece of flannel if applied to the face or jaw.
To burn the “little nerve ” in the ear will cure the tooth- ache forever.
For tooth ache, mingle a wood goats gall with oil; smear very frequently with that; then they, the teeth, shall be hole.
If your tooth aches before seven o’clock, it will end before eleven.
To stop tooth ache go find an old dead cow’s skull. Wrap it up and hide it. The tooth ache will go a way.
When a tooth is pulled, take it and place it under a rock or throw it over your left shoulder, and none of your remaining teeth will ache.

About worms in the teeth:

It was the common belief amongst country folk when I was a child, twenty-five years ago, in Derbyshire, that tooth ache was caused by a worm or grub eating at the root of the tooth. The belief has not yet died away. There was a curious mode of extracting this worm. A small quantity of a mixture of dried and powdered herbs was placed in a tea-cup or other small vessel, and live coke from the fire was dropped in. The patient then held his or her open mouth over the cup and inhaled the smoke as long as it could be borne. The cup was then taken away and a fresh cup or glass, containing water, was put before the patient. Into this water the person “hosted,” that is breathed hard, for a few moments, and then, by those with much faith, could be seen the worm or grub in the water, and of course the cure was complete.

A personal account of something that apparently worked:

“Two years ago we had a neighbor that had two bad teeth aching. He didn’t know about this cutting your toe-nails [Some say finger-nails] on Friday to keep from having the toothache, so he went to the dentist one Thursday and had his teeth worked on, and the dentist told him to come back the next week and he would fill them. That night he was telling me about it, and I said, ‘Trim your toe-nails on a Friday.’ The next day he got up and trimmed his toe-nails on Friday, and has been doing it ever since. And he never went back to have the two teeth filled, because they have not ached since, and that is two years ago.”

Note:

If you do try some of these cures, please be sure to use common sense, and do a little research to make sure that any plants or herbs prescribed are not poisonous.

Source: UCLA Folk Medicine Database

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