• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

REMEDIES

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rod
  • Start date Start date
You can still buy clack jack Miriam under another name. Something like itchmacol something or other. Jean.
 
Morning Christopher. One year in Spain the 'maid of the room' told me about this remedy and I made it up. I found it very sweet but I can't remember if it did any thing for my cold. Miriam.
 
I also used to brush my teeth with soot. It wasn't that bad. Someone told me it whitened them.
 
Used to use bi carbonate of soda and the new toothpastes without naming brands have it in them. Jean.
Hi Jean, talking about remedies, I am pretty sure I have RSI, ever since I got my new
chair my right arm has been tender, and sore and really aches sometimes. Should I go to the Docs I wonder?
Have looked up the syndromes, is that the word?not sure, perhaps I am spending too much time at the puter,
Bernard
 
Wouldn`t have been called a " Nelson inhaler " by any chance.
I trained at EBH in the early 70`s and certainly remember them being used.
 
As a young student nurse, I remember making inhalations for people with bronchitis, in crock 'strange shaped' basins.........with a cork on the top to put the hot water and inhaling crystals in......then there was a noozle for the patient to put in their mouth and inhale through and on the other side was like a air vent noozle. The actual basin was named after the inhaling crystals, but I cant for the life of me remember what it was called. Thinking back it was such a dangerous procedure.......giving boiling hot basins to frail and breathless people........but it didnt half make them expectorate. The inhaling fluid was brown, and stanined the crock basins.......it smelt lovely though. It was a favourite job of mine.
PS........dont read this post if you are eating :?

A Nelson Inhaler.
 
My dad always used Friars Balsam, we had a basin just for it always stained and never looked clean....my dad always closed himself in the kitchen when he used it,we would hear lots of coughing and spluttering etc, but it did the job, he filled the basin with boiling water add Friars Balsam put a towel over his head and inhale the vapours, l guess it was successful as he did it for years......one remedy we used was a tea poltice for eye styes..for awhile l never seemed to be without one, and l would go to bed with a tea poltice taped to my eye and low and behold by morning it was all drained and the swelling had gone.....never see eye styes now....l wonder if it was our starchy diet we lived on....Brenda
 
Bernard I have typed all my working life, but over the last few months I have had terrible pain in my right arm which I think is through using the mouse a lot as you keep your arm at a certain level to do it. When I first typed I used to get ganglins (I think thats how you spell) in my wrist through returning the carriage on the manual typewriters. If you find a remedy, please let me know. Regards Carol
 
Sube and Pauil, it definitely was aNelsons inhaler with Friars balsam, still being used when I trained in the late seventies, but phased out because of the health and safety issues, hwich I suppose is true but I never remember anyone being scalded and they certainly worked. There was an equivalent home use inhalant Wrights coal tar and this was put into an oil burner and later an electric diffuser, used this regularly for my eldest daughter who had frequent coughs in the winter, never forgot the smell and found the diffuser at the back of a cupboard while having a clearout the other day.
Bernard and Carol, RSI is notoriously difficult to treat, if you think it may be keyboard related a wrist bar may help as it slightly alters the angle of the hand when typing. Local anti-inflammatory gel applications can help if you do not take anti-inflammatory tablets. Also a wrist brace may give some support if the pain is bad, but should not be used al the time as it can cause muscle weakness which will cause more pain. If there is a tender spot, GP may be able to give a steroid injection, but that doesn't work for general ache and can't be used a regular basis.
Sue
 
Carolina, the pain in your right arm could also be down to trapped or pinched nerves, either in your shoulder or neck. I'd go and get an X-ray of both if I were you.
I had the same problem that was put down to twisted nerves in my shoulder, due to an old rugby injury but, was in fact due to the nerves being pinched in my neck, again due to an old injury, I had in fact broken my neck at some point in the past. Apparently bone growths can occur at any time anyway. Anuhow I was given a set of very simple exercises to do morning and night and hey presto! Now no more pain or discomfort. Beats all the pills and creams. Good luck, hope this has helped.
 
Brian thanks - it is not a constant pain, as I am typing to you there is no pain, but sometimes if I move it quick or turnover at night - the pain makes me jump and I cant put my arm up iffor instance I want to dry my hair at the back. Please IM with some exercises. Thanks
 
Hi Bernard I am not sure what it is called as there are so many abreviations but maybe Sue could put you right. I would certainly mention it to your doctor though. Carolyn I have a ganglyon but it has softened over the years. Jean.
 
I also used to brush my teeth with soot. It wasn't that bad. Someone told me it whitened them.


My mother made our tooth-paste from soot, salt, bi-carb, and china-clay, with a dash of eucalyptus, or oil of cloves oil. I prefered the eucalyptus oil as the oil of cloves sometimes numbed the tip of my tongue. She was always experimenting with different combinations, some more succesful than others! The best recipe was three parts soot, two parts bi-carb, one part salt, and one part china-clay (kaolin?) ... I think she sometimes added borax powder too. I have her old recipe book with several variations. The resultant combinations were mixed, whilst grounding, with a pestle and mortar. I was given this tedious job when I was old enough to work the pestle.

It seems to have worked well enough, as my sisters and I still have our own teeth; indeed, my dentist complains that my teeth are hard enough to blunt her drills!

Mother always believed in twice-daily tongue-scraping too, as being of equal importance to brushing one's teeth.
 
Bernard I have typed all my working life, but over the last few months I have had terrible pain in my right arm which I think is through using the mouse a lot as you keep your arm at a certain level to do it. When I first typed I used to get ganglins (I think thats how you spell) in my wrist through returning the carriage on the manual typewriters. If you find a remedy, please let me know. Regards Carol

Carolina, I have serious problem's with my shoulder at the moment and have seen a physio. I mentioned the mouse problem, and she said that using the mouse does aggravate the shoulder and tendon in the arm. I have put my mouse on the right side of my desk now, this will give my painful shoulder/tendon a rest. I have got used to using the mouse on the right side, although it seemed awkward at first.
 
Maggs. I have a sort of burning on my right [mouse] shoulder so I am trying to move the mouse to the left hand - it's worth a try. Will let you know how I get on. M iriam
 
Give it a go Miriam. I mean't to say on my last post that I have got used to using the mouse on the left side now. I actually said the right side, but you know what I mean. I suppose young people have healthier stronger tendon's than us older folk, so it's possible the tendon's stiffening up with ageing does cause this sort of problem. Let me know how you get on with the mouse on the opposite side.
 
Ancient tribes understood a lot about infection, when the nose begins to run one of thier remedies was to plug the effected or if neccessary both nasal passages for a while, science later explained how most bacteria need oxygen to survive, this means the ancient tribes were starving any bacteria of oxygen which got rid of the infection.
 
That is really interesting Ben, and makes sense when you think about it. We have a lot to learn from these tried and tested ways.
 
Hello Maggs, So pleased you had a day's outing with friends - did it make you feel a little better. Jean came today and bought me the two trolleys and I am very pleased with them. I tried using my left hand for the mouse - couldn't get the hand of it at all. My left hip is playing me up also, - good news - result of Test is no sign of anything nasty. Yippee!!! Miriam
 
Hello Miriam, it's always nice to spend time with friend's isn't it? I know I can feel easier about problem's when I am enjoying company. So pleased that you got your trolley's sorted, glad Jean was able to help you with that. Shame you can't use your left hand for the mouse, it certainly gives the shoulder's and tendon's a rest if you can. Can you practice? Not sure I know what test result you have had, perhap's you will let me know. Love Maggs.
 
Hello Miriam, it's always nice to spend time with friend's isn't it? I know I can feel easier about problem's when I am enjoying company. So pleased that you got your trolley's sorted, glad Jean was able to help you with that. Shame you can't use your left hand for the mouse, it certainly gives the shoulder's and tendon's a rest if you can. Can you practice? Not sure I know what test result you have had, perhap's you will let me know. Love Maggs.
Hello Mags. Will write you soon. Miriam.
 
Hello Jayell and thank-you kindly for your reply :-)

There is so much knowledge still out there from long gone civilisations around the world, "The rods of Ra" were a secret of the ruling classes of Egypt.

I will let people find out more for themselves about them if they wish :-).
 
Yes Judy, I remember the gold wedding ring on they style or in our house it was called a pouk (don't know how to spell that one) I think it did work too, certainly eased it. Golden Eye ointment too, wasn't that messy? When I had an ear infection, which was usually an abcess, the hot onion out of the fire was used. When we talk about these things it makes it seem that we hardly bothered the doctors in those days. Cascaras were another remedy for constipation. How about pink lint for drawing a splinter or boil?
 
Last edited:
Arkrite
The golden eye ointment you used recently (unless it was a very old tube) would have been completely different from the old sort. The new sort contains an antibiotic, whereas the old contained mercury (mercuric oxide I think) , which is what gave it the colour. Mercury is not very good for you.
Mike

Thats right there was something int he old Golden eye ointment, we can no longer get it here in Australia. if you need
Mum used Indian Cerate for bumps and bruises, I can't remember why she used Zam-Buk, but Black-jack drawing ointment, and also Kaolin poultices were for the boils !!

Mum used witch hazel for bringing bruises out. Black jack for drawing out impurities or splinters and pink link also for drawing, havnt seen that for years.
We also used what I think was an alum stone for mouth ulcers (1950's/60's we had to suck if we had mouth ulcers, it was very smooth and looked like an ice cube, tasted bitter and dry ..disgusting...it lasted all out childhood, after you had had enough of this terrible remedy you washed it and put it back on the shelf for the next poor kid that needed it. Quite disgusting... myself and my two sisters used it for all our childhood!! yuck!
 
Last edited:
Re: Old Remedies

Golden eye ointment for styes, or rubbing a 22ct gold ring on the eye. Pink lint for drawing out splinter's etc. Cascara's for constipation, Seitzlers powder's for feeling unwell.

Yes remember all those and I don't even know if pink lint is still around. Wedding ring worked too. I havnt heard of cascaras must do a google search. Seltzers yes remember that and Andrews liver salts was good too
 
Back
Top