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15 of the Strangest Home Remedies and Folk Treatments Ever
15 of the Strangest Home Remedies and Folk Treatments Ever
Folk Remedies:
Every culture has its own folk remedies that its people swear by. Individual families often have their own time-tested and honored traditional remedies. These sometimes-surprising treatments are passed down through the generations until they become almost legendary. Some of them are based on true medical properties of the items used and some are just a question of mind over matter. Although we cant advocate the use of these treatments or vouch for their effectiveness, the following home remedies are among some of the strangest weve seen.
Acne:
Puppies and white wine for pimples (its not as cute as it sounds). Origin: United Kingdom. A manuscript from 17th century Britain suggested the following as a cure for acne: Take two puppies before they can see, chop off their heads and hang them up by the heels to bleed. After you collect the blood, mix it with white wine as a treatment for pimples. Thank goodness these days we have over-the-counter salves for things like that
or, if nothing else, toothpaste can be used to dry the spots up overnight.
Fever:
Fight a fever with onions. Origin: Unknown - possibly North America. When a child has a high fever, some parents reach immediately for the medicine cabinet. Others simply rely on cool baths and forehead compresses. But a small portion of parents will reach for an onion and and old pair of socks. This remedy promises to lower a childs fever within hours if you put slices of an onion on the bottom of his feet and hold them there with socks. The onion is said to draw the fever out of the body. And you thought your kids had smelly feet before.
Wart remedy:
Use meat to rid yourself of warts. Origin: Europe/United Kingdom. This treatment is ancient, but still in use in many parts of the world today. When ugly warts appear on your skin, simply take a piece of red meat, rub it on the wart, and then bury it in the ground. The wart slowly disappears as the meat rots away in the ground
or so were told.
Couth remedy:
Slather your feet in VapoRub to stop coughs. Origin: North America. Goodness knows how this was discovered, but many families swear that covering the soles of ones feet with Vicks VapoRub and then a heavy pair of socks will cure nighttime coughs. This remedy isnt officially endorsed by Vicks, but it is used widely in North America and said to be very effective.
Malaria:
Spiders web to cure malaria. Origin: United Kingdom. Back when ague, a form of malaria, ran rampant through many parts of the world, various treatments were used to control the disease. One of the strangest was consuming tablets of compressed spiders webs. The supposed medicinal qualities of spiders webs have apparently been lost to history. Some variations of this treatment involved eating the actual spider - sometimes while it was alive.
Dog Bites & Nose Bleeds:
Keys are the key to dog bites and nosebleeds. Origin: United Kingdom. Some of the oddest remedies involve very specific items which are not ingested, but rather used in a certain way. For example, in the United Kingdom it was once believed that holding a church key in ones hand was the perfect treatment for being bitten by a mad dog. Those inventive British also said that dropping a set of keys down a persons back will heal their nosebleed. The reasoning is that the sudden cold on the back will cause blood vessels to constrict.
Stutter cure:
Stuttering can be banished with a good hard whack. Origin: China. In ancient Chinese medicine we have found many gems which are still in widespread use today and considered very effective. There are, however, also quite a few that dont work very well. One Chinese cure for stuttering involves hitting a stuttering child in the face on a cloudy day.
Leg cramps:
Sleep with a bar of soap to end leg cramps. Origin: North America. If you suffer from those painful and debilitating nighttime leg cramps, placing a bar of soap in bed with you may offer relief by preventing the cramps. While its unknown just how or why this remedy works, people who have used it swear that it stops their leg cramps immediately. The brand of soap that you use probably doesnt matter, and you can use the soap in or out of its wrapper. Bonus: your legs probably smell great after this treatment.
Cold Sores:
Ear wax for cold sores. Origin: Unknown. This controversial folk remedy used to be somewhat commonplace, but these days there arent many people (above seven years old) willing to put ear wax anywhere near their mouths. If youre brave, try scraping some of your own earwax out an applying it to a cold sore as soon as you feel the first tingle. It is said to be an extremely effective way to keep the cold sore from forming all the way.
Eye Woes:
Potatoes for eye woes. Origin: Unknown. Sties are a common and painful eye problem that afflict countless people. Some people can go their entire life without one, while other people tend to get them every month or so. Warm potatoes are often used in the same way a warm compress is used for sties: its held on the outside of the affected eye for several minutes. The potato is said to draw the infection out of the eye better than any other type of treatment.
Aphrodisiac:
Black ants to aid the matrimonially challenged. Origin: Various. Used in Europe in medieval times and still used in some parts of the world today, black ants are said to be a powerful aphrodisiac. You gather a bunch of the little buggers, dry them out, grind them up, and mix into white wine. Reportedly, anyone drinking this concoction will become irrevocably randy.
Headache treatment:
Eels could heal an aching head. Origin: Ancient Greece. In ancient Greece, healers thought they had it all figured out. They had modern (for that time) ways of fixing just about every malady that came their way - plus, hey, they got to walk around in chalmys and sandals all day. Its no wonder they were so confident. One of their favorite remedies for headaches was to allow the sufferer to be shocked by an electric eel. Since the maximum sting of these powerful fish be extremely painful (and repeated shocks can be fatal), you have to wonder if the treatment was worse than the condition.
Blindness:
Bats blood for restored vision. Origin: Ancient Egypt. Ancient Egyptians had a high incidence of eye infections and resultant blindness because of their near-constant exposure to sun, sand, and sandstorms. In order to combat the blindness suffered by so many people, Egyptian doctors applied the blood of bats to their blind patients eyes. Since bats were thought to have excellent night vision, it was assumed that this treatment would transfer that quality to people who put it in their eyes or injected it in their ears.
Cow patty:
Dung: the incredible cure-all. Origin: Various. Dung from various animals has been used to cure a huge variety of illnesses and conditions since the beginning of the human race. Ancient Egyptians used it for skin problems. Civilizations in all corners of the world used the application of dung to ease headaches. Animal droppings (from cow, sheep, pigeons, dogs, cats, and even more animals) have also been used to cauterize wounds, cure baldness, rid people of intestinal parasites, eradicate jaundice and epilepsy, and loads of other useful purposes.
Urine:
Urine: another universal cure. Urine from both humans and animals is another ancient treatment that carried over into modern times. To this day, urine is used in some homes to ease the pain of earaches, relieve jellyfish stings (though the accuracy of that treatment has been refuted by the medical community) and promote overall health. There are communities who practice urine therapy and swear that your own urine is the perfect way to cure just about anything that ails you. Some cultures have used animal urine to guard against dog bites, treat skin conditions, and heal wounds. The popular beauty-product ingredient urea (or carbamide) was once made from animal urine, but is now commonly synthetic. It can be found today in lotions, face creams, toothpastes, and even chewing gum.
Submitted by Lenny T.
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