Mother's Remedies Part 23

Mix and apply to the wart.

Tincture of thuja is very good in some cases when applied daily.

HIVES, Nettle Rash (Urticaria). Causes.--Foods such as sh.e.l.l fish, strawberries, cheese, pickles, pork and sausages.

Medicines that may cause it.--Quinine, copaiba, salicylic acid, etc.

Disorders of the stomach and bowels. Insects, like mosquito, bedbug, etc.

MOTHERS' REMEDIES.--1. Hives or Nettle Rash, Slippery Elm.--"Slippery elm used as a wash and taken as a drink." Slippery elm is especially good for any skin disease, as it is very soothing to the parts and relieves the itching. If taken as a drink it acts on the kidneys and bowels, throwing off all the impurities.

2. Hives or Nettle Rash, External and Internal Home Medicine for.--"Bathe with weak solution of vinegar. Internal remedy; sweet syrup of rhubarb with small lump of saleratus (size of a pea) dissolved in it. This dose was given to a two-year-old child." The rhubarb helps to rid the stomach and bowels of its impurities, relieving the disease, as hives are usually due to some disorder of the kidneys and bowels.

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3. Hives or Nettle Rash, Tea and Powder for.--"Rub with buckwheat flour; this will relieve the itching almost immediately. Sa.s.safras tea is a good internal remedy."

4. Hives or Nettle Rash, Catnip Tea for.--"Boil catnip leaves to make a tea, slightly sweeten and give about six or eight teaspoonfuls at bed time and keep patient out of draughts." The tea can be taken throughout the day also. If taken hot on going to bed it causes sweating and care should be taken not to catch cold while the pores are opened.

5. Hives or Nettle Rash, Mother from Buckhorn, Florida, says following is a sure Cure for.--"Grease with poplar bud stewed down until strong; take out buds, add one teaspoonful lard, stew all the water out. Grease and wrap up in wool blanket."

6. Hives or Nettle Rash, from a Mother at New Milford, Pennsylvania.--"One tablespoonful castor oil first. Then put one tablespoonful salts and cream tartar in gla.s.s of water; take one spoonful before eating. Have used this and found it excellent." The castor oil acts on the bowels and the cream of tartar on the blood.

7. Hives or Nettle Rash, b.u.t.termilk for.--"b.u.t.termilk applied two or three times a day. Found this to be good for nettle rash." b.u.t.termilk is very soothing and will relieve the itching. This is an old tried remedy.

8. Hives or Nettle Rash, Baking Soda Wash for.--"Make a strong solution of common baking soda, about three teaspoonfuls to pint of water. Sponge or bathe body thoroughly." Any mother who has a child in the house knows how valuable baking soda is in case of burns, on account of its cooling properties. For this same reason it will be found excellent for above disease, as it will relieve the itching and is very soothing. Good for children if used not quite as strong.

9. Hives or Nettle Rash, Canada Blue Clay for.--"Mix up blue clay and water to make a paste. Leave until dry and then wash off."

PHYSICIANS' TREATMENT for Hives or Nettle Rash.--Remove causes. Bowels and kidneys should act freely. Abstain from eating for a day or two if necessary.

For the Itching.--Diluted vinegar, applied is effective. Also camphor.

Cream of Tartar 2 ounces Epsom Salts 2 ounces

Take three or four teaspoonfuls to move the bowels, or one teaspoonful every three hours if the bowels are regular enough. For a child one year old, give one teaspoonful in water every three hours until the bowels move freely.

SUNBURN.--When severe, sunburn may present the symptoms of inflammation of the skin. Then there will be redness, swelling and pain followed by deep discoloration of the skin.

[SKIN DISEASES 91]

MOTHERS' REMEDIES for Sunburn.--1. Lemon Juice and Vinegar for.--"An application of the juice of a lemon or vinegar."

2. Sunburn, Ammonia Water for.--"Ammonia will remove sunburn in one night." Care should be taken in using this remedy. The ammonia should be diluted half with water and not used too often.

3. Sunburn, Relief from Pain and Smarting of.--"Benzoated zinc ointment or vaselin applied to the affected parts is sure to give relief and avoid much pain and smarting."

4. Sunburn, Preparation for.--"I have found nothing better than mentholatum." Mentholatum is simply a mixture of vaselin or cosmolin and menthol. They are both very healing, and will be found beneficial.

PHYSICIANS' TREATMENT for Sunburn.--Soothing ointments and dusting powders are generally sufficient for sunburn. Talc.u.m powder (Mennen's borated), rice powder, oatmeal powders are good and healing. The following are good:

1. Oxide of Zinc Powder 1/2 ounce Powdered Camphor 1-1/2 dram Powdered Starch 1 ounce

Mix. Dust on the parts.

2. Powdered Starch 1 ounce Powdered Camphor 1 dram

Well mixed and applied is soothing to the parts.

3. The following is a good combination:

Carbonate of Lead 1 dram Powdered Starch 1 dram Ointment of Rose Water 1 ounce Olive Oil 2 drams

Mix and apply to the inflamed skin.

GANGRENE.--This is the death of a part of the body in ma.s.s. There are two forms, moist and dry.

Dry Gangrene.--This is a combination produced by a loss of water from the tissues. The skin becomes dark and wrinkled and is often hard, like leather. Senile or old age gangrene, and really due to the arterial sclerosis, usually occurs in the lower extremities, involving the toes. A slight injury may first start up the trouble. The pain in this variety is not usually great.

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MOTHERS' REMEDIES.--1. Gangrene, Remedy from New York that cured a Gangrenous Case.--"A man aged 74 years had a sore below the knee for fifteen years; at last gangrene appeared in his foot and three physicians p.r.o.nounced his case hopeless on account of his age. I was called as a neighbor and found the foot swollen to twice its natural size, and the man in pain from head to foot. I ordered cabbage leaves steamed until wilted, then put them over the limb from knee to foot and covered with a cloth. In about fifteen minutes they were black, so we removed them and put on fresh ones, repeating the change until the leaves did not turn black. Then the sore was thoroughly cleansed with a weak solution of saleratus and while wet was thickly covered with common black pepper and wrapped up. The saleratus water and pepper was changed night and morning until the sore was entirely healed. After the third day this man had no pain, and in four weeks was entirely healed. A year later he said he had never had any trouble with it or with rheumatism which he had had for years before."

PHYSICIANS' TREATMENT for Gangrene.--The skin should be treated. Poultices sometimes may be good, or bottles of hot water around the parts. A general tonic should be given.

Moist Gangrene. Causes.--Wounds, fractures, injuries, pressure from lying in bed and frost bite.

PHYSICIANS' TREATMENT for Moist Gangrene.--Remove the cause if possible.

This kind is more dangerous, and a physician should be called as the best treatment that can be given is none too good.

BLISTER.--This is a watery elevation of the outer skin. It is caused by rubbing, for instance of a shoe, friction from anything, or from burns. It frequently appears on the hands after working for some time at manual labor, when the hands are not accustomed to work. It is the common blister which hardly needs much describing.

MOTHERS' REMEDIES for Blister.--1. Linseed Oil for.--"Linseed oil used freely." This is a very good remedy because it is soothing. Any good soothing lotion or salve that will draw out the soreness and pain is helpful.

2. Blister. A Method of Raising a Blister.--"If a blister is needed take an ordinary thick tumbler, rub alcohol inside and around the rim, then invert over a piece of cotton, saturated with alcohol and ignited; after a few minutes the gla.s.s may be removed and clapped on the surface of the body. As the gla.s.s contains rarified air the flesh will be drawn up into it and a blister formed."

IVY POISONING.--The parts usually affected are the hands, face, the genitals, the arms, the thighs and neck.

Symptoms.--These usually appear soon. Red patches, with scanty or profuse watery pimples, with a watery discharge after bursting. There is swelling, intense burning and itching. The parts sometimes swell very much and look watery. The person can hardly keep from scratching.

MOTHERS' REMEDIES.--1. Ivy Poisoning, b.u.t.termilk and Copperas for.--"Wash in copperas and b.u.t.termilk three or four times a day. Have seen this used and it helped." The copperas and b.u.t.termilk is very good when applied to the parts immediately after the poison is discovered. The copperas acts very much like sugar of lead and in some cases is very much more effective.

[SKIN DISEASES 93]

2. Ivy Poisoning, Cure for.--