O
ver a century ago, when gum of several plants, with an odor was treated with a mixture of chloral
illness or injury struck, the dictionary describes as “fetid.” hydrate, glycerin and bay rum. A
home remedies were This was placed into a little bag worn smooth complexion formula called for
not only the most common curative hung around the neck or pinned to shaving down and melting some chips
methods, they were sometimes the only the clothing. During the 19th Century, of ivory soap into a paste. This was
treatment. For our earliest settlers, herbs Asafetida was thought to ward off every- applied to the face before bedtime, to
for both medicine and beauty were thing from the common cold to polio. be rinsed off in the morning.
prepared by housewives who concocted
Pampering the body and complexion
For the bedridden, early women’s
salves to treat skin diseases, bumps also fell under the home-remedy cookbooks offered recipes for
and bruises, rheumatism and even category. Tender feet could be eased convalescent meals. After a lengthy
snakebites. Syrups were formulated for by soaking them in a basin of warm sickness, baked milk was thought to
coughs and constipation, and “spring water containing a tablespoon each of be ideal for the general weakness that
tonics” to revive the worn-down body. powdered alum, borax and salt. Soaking followed a confinement. To prepare it,
Cooked up on the stove or distilled in the hands in a basin of water containing two quarts of milk were poured into
crocks, the often-aromatic remedies a large glass jar that was then covered
were considered part of the family with a piece of paper tied on to make a
medicine cabinet. cover. The jar was placed into a moder-
ate oven and “baked” all day. The thick,
Some useful medicines, found
in nature, were assimilated into creamy result was spoon fed to the
practical use for ailments ranging from recovering invalid. Other popular food
stomach-ache to wounds. For example, remedies, considered peculiar today,
Chamomile, steeped into a tea, was included parched rice (rice boiled into
an analgesic for pains and sleepless- a few spoonfulls of kerosene was said a mush,) and a dollop of raw chopped
ness. Formed into a poultice, it was to remove grease. A mixture of olive beef served on a graham cracker. By
applied to sprains. Manzanita leaves oil and lime water made a lotion for present standards, egg gruel possibly
were infused into a lotion for poison sunburn, and “restlessness” could be tops the list for least tempting con-
oak. Steeped Toyon bark and mint- cured by taking a warm bath contain- valescent potion. A raw egg yolk was
like Yerba Buena leaves, brewed and ing a teaspoon of borax. A formulation beaten with a tablespoon of sugar, then
strained, treated stomachache while to treat thinning hair was a wash made a teacup of boiling water was added.
Sarsaparilla root tonic was ingested to from powdered borax and powdered The egg white was stirred in, and the
“purify the blood.” Distilled Bearberry, camphor mixed with boiling water, “gruel” was ready for the patient to sip.
a trailing evergreen plant with red cooled, and applied to the scalp with berries, treated fever and served a sponge. Mutton fat scented with as a wound astringent. lavender or rosemary was said to make
Not all of yesteryear’s remedies
would seem strange to us today.
For those on the sick list, a bowl
a fine facial cold cream. For pimples, of homemade chicken soup still offers
it turned into a dark syrup, made a a lotion made of alcohol and salicylic comfort, while the therapy for a weary
laxative that could be doled out as a acid was said to be effective. Orange body is still a long hot soak. Surely
general preventative for lower intestinal flower “skin food” was a blend of white these lasting home remedies have
complaints. Asafetida was considered wax, spermaceti, coconut oil, lanolin, carried over to our time in a more
a popular deterrent against influenza. sweet almond oil, orange flower water appealing way than, say, a dose of
Pellets were formulated from the and tincture of benzoin. Dandruff cascara syrup or a cup of egg gruel.
Cascara bark, boiled in water until
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
august/september 2019
gmhtoday.com
37