Granny Cures

I often wonder how many of us would be here today if we had been born in the 19th century.  I, for one, would not have been so fortunate.  I had a rough start:  I contracted pneumonia at four weeks old and had to be placed under an oxygen tent.  I doubt I could have survived a bout with such a serious illness with no antibiotics.  In addition to that, I had to give birth by C-section.  I know that my daughter would not have survived a natural birth in the 1800's, and it is fairly certain I wouldn't have survived either.
Where am I going with all this, you ask?  Well, one thing is for certain when it comes to the doctoring of the early pioneers and patriots of our great country. Almost all of them would have been treated at home.  In almost all cases, the mother was the one who cared for her family.  Most women had their own medicine chests, full of concoctions that were passed down from their mother's and grandmother's.  If they were fortunate enough to live near Indians who shared their knowledge of plants and berries, a host of treatments could be used when there was no doctor to send for.
Today, I'm going to share some of these home remedies, often called "Granny Cures".  With all the sickness and flu being passed around, I thought it might be informative to share what our ancestors were doing for all that ails them.

For a cold:  drink lamb's tongue and whiskey tea.
For arthritis: wear a magnet as it draw it out of the body.
For chest congestion: Render the fat of a polecat.  Eat two or three spoonfuls.  This brings up the phlegm.
For earache: roast cabbage stalks and squeeze the juice into the ear.
For croup: squeeze the juice out of an onion and drink it.
For asthma: drill a h*** in a black chestnut tree just above the head of the victim and put a lock of his hair in the h***.  When he grows passed the spot in height, he will be cured.
For headache:  Tie a flour sack around your head.

Now this is just a partial list of Granny cures; I wouldn't want to put the good doctors out of business this year. :)
I'm thankful for modern medicine and the advances we have made over the last one hundred plus years,  
Have you heard your grandparents offer a Granny cure when you were a child?  I'd love to hear them!  Who knows, it might make its way into a future book!