"Honey 4 ounces
Spirits of Turpentine 1/2 ounce
Beeswax 4 ounces
Oil of Wintergreen 1/2 ounce
Tincture of Opium 1 ounce
Fluid Extract Lobelia 1/4 ounce
Lard 3/4 pound
Mix by the aid of gentle heat, stirring well at the same time. This is a
very useful ointment for healing wounds and old sores."
4. Sores and Ulcers, Excellent Salve for.--"One tablespoon of melted
mutton or even beef tallow while warm; add some spirits of turpentine and
one teaspoonful of laudanum, stir well."
5. Ill-Conditioned Sores, an Old German Remedy for.--"Wash or syringe the
sore with weak saleratus water, and while wet fill with common black
pepper. Remarks:--This is a highly recommended German remedy, and has
been tried by my mother with good, results."
6. Sores, Cuts, Antiseptic Wash for; Also Tooth Wash.--"Peroxide of
hydrogen. Should always be kept in the house." If you are cut by anything
that might cause infection or if scratched by a cat, in fact wherever
there is chance for infection and blood poison, peroxide of hydrogen may
be used by moistening well the wound with it as soon as you can. As a
mouth wash put a little in a glass of water. Directions usually on the
bottle.
[SKIN DISEASES 73]
7. Indolent Ulcers and Boils, Chickweed and Wood Sage Poultice
for.--"Equal parts of chickweed and wood sage pounded together make a good
poultice for all kinds of indolent ulcers and boils."
8. Ulcers, Proud Flesh, Venereal Sores and all Fungus Swellings, Blood
Root and Sweet Nitre for.--"Two ounces pulverized blood root; one pint of
sweet nitre; macerate for ten days, shake once or twice a day."
9. Rosin 1 ounce
Beeswax 1 ounce
Mutton Tallow 4 ounces
Verdigris 1 dram
Melt the rosin, tallow and wax together, then add the verdigris. Stir
until cool and apply.
Add a few drops of carbolic acid to the above and you will have the
carbolated salve which is quite expensive when bought prepared and under
the manufacturer's label.
10. Sores and Chapped Hands, Sour Cream Salve for.--"Tie thick sour cream
in a cloth and bury in the ground over night. In the morning it will be a
nice salve. Excellent for chapped hands or anything that requires a soft
salve."
11. Old Sores, A Four-Ingredient Remedy for.--"Soften one-half pound of
vaselin, stir into it one-half ounce each of wormwood, spearmint and
smartweed. This is good for old and new sores. My people near Woodstock,
Canada, used this and found it very good."
12. Ulcers and Sores, Carrots will heal.--"Boil carrots until soft and
mash them to a pulp, add lard or sweet oil sufficient to keep it from
getting hard. Spread and apply; excellent for offensive sores. Onion
poultice made the same way is good for slow boils and indolent sores."
This makes a very soothing poultice and has great healing properties.
13. Ulcers and Sores, a Remedy that Cures.--"To one-fourth pound of tallow
add one-fourth pound each of turpentine and bayberry and two ounces of
olive oil. Good application for scrofulous sores and ulcers." This makes a
good ointment, but should not be continued too long at a time as the
turpentine might have a bad action on the kidneys.
14. Ulcers and Old Sores, Bread and Indian meal for.--"Take bread and milk
or Indian meal, make to consistency of poultice with water, stir in
one-half cup of pulverized charcoal. Good to clean ulcers and foul sores."
The bread and Indian meal make a good poultice while the charcoal is
purifying and a good antiseptic.
[74 MOTHERS' REMEDIES]
PHYSICIANS' TREATMENT for Ulcers.--Keep them thoroughly cleaned. A mild,
weak, hot solution of salt water is good in chronic, slow healing,
indolent ulcers. Carbolated salve applied afterwards is healing. Sometimes
a stimulating poultice is necessary, like salt pork followed by soothing
salves. If an ulcer looks red and angry, it needs soothing. If there is
any "proud flesh" powdered burnt alum applied directly upon it and left on
for an hour or two is good. Then soothing salves.
Balsam of Peru is good for chronic ulcers. It stimulates them to a little
activity.
A salve made by boiling the inner bark of the common elder, the strained
juice mixed with cream or vaselin is a good healing application for
ulcers.
Poultice an irritable, tender, painful ulcer with slippery elm bark.
Repeat when necessary.
Indolent Sluggish Ulcer.--This kind needs stimulating, salt solution, or
salt pork applied.
Poultice made of sweet clover is well recommended for ulcers. As before
stated, the active kind should have soothing treatment. The chronic
indolent kind, should be stimulated occasionally and then soothing
applications applied.
SHINGLES (Herpes Zoster). Definition.--This is an acute inflammatory
disease of the skin, characterized by groups of vesicles upon the inflamed
base, distributed along the course of one or more cutaneous (skin) nerves.
Symptoms.--The eruption is preceded by a great deal of neuralgic pain and
is almost always one-sided. They first appear as red patches and upon
these patches vesicles soon develop (skin elevations with liquid in them);
these are separate, size of a pin-head to a coffee bean, swollen with a
clear fluid, and clustered in groups of two to a dozen. They may dry up in
this stage, or they may fill with pus or run together, forming larger
patches; new crops may appear, while the others fade. The vesicles rarely
rupture of themselves, but dry into brownish crusts, which drop off
leaving a temporary colored skin. It follows the course of a nerve. The
most common seat of this disease is over one or more intercostal (between
the rib) nerves, extending from the backbone to the breastbone. It also
occurs along the side of the face and temple.
Causes.--It is a self-limited disease, runs its course in a few weeks, of
nervous origin and may be produced by exposure to weather changes, blows
and certain poisons.
MOTHERS' REMEDIES. Shingles, Herb Remedy for.--1. "Make a solution of
yerba rheuma, one ounce to a pint of boiling water, and apply freely to
the part several times a day." The yerba rheuma has an astringent action
and contracts the tissues, relieving the inflammation of the skin. It also
relieves the itching.
[SKIN DISEASES. 75]
2. Shingles, Mercury Ointment for.--"Apply night and morning an ointment
from the oleate of mercury." This preparation will be found effective, but
care should be taken not to use too much of it, as oleate of mercury is
very powerful. It relieves the burning and itching.
PHYSICIANS' TREATMENT for Shingles.--Protect the vesicles from rupture or
irritation and relieve the pain. Paint the surface with a solution of gun
cotton (collodion). Tonics to keep up the strength.
EXCESSIVE SWEATING. (Hyperidrosis).--This is a disorder of the sweat
glands in which sweat is thrown out in excessive quantities.
Symptoms.--It may be great only in the armpit where it stains the
clothing. When it comes on the hands and feet they may be wet, clammy and
have an offensive odor. They may be soaked, inflamed and painful.
Causes.--The local forms may be due to a nervous condition; it is often
the result of general debility.
Treatment.--General tonics are needed and those given under anemia, which
see. Applications for the local treatment.--Solution of alum applied to
the part will act as an astringent.
White oak bark tea is good as anything. It should not be used so strong as
to stop sweating entirely. Then follow it with dusting powders of starch
or boric acid, containing salicylic acid (two to five per cent). When it
occurs upon the feet use the Diachylon ointment. It must be made up fresh
in a drug store. This is applied on strips of lint or muslin after the
parts have been thoroughly washed and dried; it should be renewed twice
daily, the parts being dried with soft towels and then covered with
dusting powder, followed by the ointment.
FRECKLES. (Lentigo).--Freckles are an excessive deposit of pigment in the
skin.
Causes.--Exposure to the sun's rays aggravates this condition.
MOTHERS' REMEDIES for Freckles. 1. Freckles, Buttermilk for.--"Buttermilk
on the face every night." This is a very simple remedy, and as buttermilk
is very easily obtained, anyone troubled with freckles can try this remedy
without very much expense. This simple remedy has been known to cure many
cases.
2. Freckles, to Remove.--"Nitrate of potash applied to the face night and
morning is very good, and the freckles will soon disappear."
3. Freckles, Alcohol and Lemon Juice for.--"Use alcohol and lemon juice
freely at night." Lemon juice is very good for the skin if applied
frequently.
[76 MOTHERS' REMEDIES.]