The old remedies

david hobbs · The old remedies

I am not putting this on as a wind up. Me, never

I am really interested to know the efficacy of the old herbal remedies and how they compare to modern day Pharmaceuticals.

I am sure that if they worked as well on a like for like basis that I would much rather a natural substance than an artificial one going into my system.

Raymond

Why is that a wind up?

Herbal rememdies aren't as aggressive as chemical ones and so may take a little longer to start having an effect. This is why many people give up takng them and opt for a chemical alternative.

It's useful to bear in mind however that many chemical medicines we still use today are derived from older herbal remedies.

Asprin still contains tree bark and digitalis is still used for patients with heart disease.

david hobbs

Do you work with herbs Raymond?

Raymond

I do magickally and I have a little knowledge of them in a medicinal sense.

david hobbs

david hobbs

I often think that a lot of knowledge has been lost or is perhaps not recognised for what it is.

People would think a lot more about their medication if they looked at the way that certain modern drugs damage their systems.

I read the other day that half an hours walking a day is more beneficial than any chemical anti depressant

No money in it for the big boys though.

Raymond

Oh I totally agree. It's the same when you take a headache pill, the most effective part of the whole process is the glass of water.

billy nomates

allopathic medicine is all about screwing as much money as possible from joe public using a smokescreen of helping him/us........

there are thousands of people killed each year by medicine from doctors or given in hospitals........i read somewhere recently that it's about 10,000 per year in the uk......in the u.s it's about 100,000-so at least there is some good news Big Grin

david hobbs

What is a witches medicine for the common cold.

Everyone gets them especially at this time of the year.

Any suggestions?

Raymond

Hot water, Lemon and Honey. Oh and Paracetamol.

david hobbs

Should these be taken individually or poured into a cauldron and brought to the boil?

Is there a correct moon phase or time of the day to take this remedy?

Raymond

Don't take the piss!

Actually, if you're wanting to be rid of a cold then work on it during a waning moon.
Pity we've just entered the waxing moon and will remain in it for another 2 weeks.
Suffer!

david hobbs

Well I feel better today so business as usual.

Raymond

That's quite interesting actually. It was a New Moon last night and there is an old wives' tale that the New Moon breaks colds and fevers.
Maybe there's something in it.

Lilly

I've worked with herbs,plants and oils for years. When I was a child and had a cold,Mum would mix lemon,honey, vinegar and butter into hot water. Similar to Raymond's remedy but with a bit more added.
Dad used to take cinnamon for colds,you could buy it then in liquid form.
Raw garlic is good too,and keeps other folk away from you that might transmit more germs.
Did you know that honey is the only food that doesn't date,or go off.

Raymond

I heard that too Lily.

I don't know if it's an urban myth but I heard once that they found airtight jars of honey in pyramid tombs and the honey was still ok inside.

Like I say, don't know if that's all true but I wouldn't like to try it.

meiah

Honey just crystallises if left to the air, and still tastes yummy (I did that by accident by not screwing the lid on properly)

Don't know about the heat treated stuff you normally see though, this was stuff from a farm, produced and put into jars on site, and not messed about with.

evergreen

its true for honey .. much of the other stuff has glucose added... so its different

Lilly

beantighe

My mother had a remedy for colds very similar to yours, Lilly, only without the lemon. She used to warm vinegar, butter and honey in a saucepan till everything was dissolved and melted, and I used to take it by the teaspoonful. It was a bit like sweet and sour sauce, and I loved it! I passed the recipe on to my friend for her OH, and he was so impressed he called it Witches Brew, lol!

A cough and sore throat remedy my mother used to make consisted of putting a halved onion cut side down on top of about a tablespoon of soft dark brown sugar, covering it and letting it stand overnight. In the morning you took the resulting syrup by the teaspoonful to soothe a tickly cough. That wasn't bad, either.

Raymond

How much vinegar, butter and honey would you use for this?

I wouldn't want it too 'vinegary'.

beantighe

I guess it would be about a cupful. You only take it by the teaspoon, but you need the vinegar to cut the phlegm, the butter to soothe and lubricate, and the honey for sweetening and because it's antiseptic, so is the vinegar. I don't think mother ever diluted it with water.

I'd say (never having measured exactly, mother always did it by sight) about a couple of teaspoonfuls of butter, and the same of honey. Or just to taste.

Raymond

I must be honest, it does sound an evil brew but I get a lot of coughs over the winter and conventional cough syrups never seem to help.
Next time I get a dose of the coughs I will definately give this one a go. Thanks Beany.

beantighe

No problem,Ray! It's not half as bad as it sounds.

Now I really must go and get moving, or I'll take root! I've been here for hours, enjoying it, I must say!

TTFN, catch you later!

Raymond

Yeah, me too. I've got the Mother coming round in an hour to take me shopping and I don't even have a pair of draws on yet.