Home Remedies Then and Now
Home Remedies Remembered and Renewed
I grew up in the middle 40's and my parents were both born in the early 1900's. Our family was not poor, but they were definitely frugal because my parents were survivors of the Depression era and I am sure that had a great impact on how they viewed many life issues.
Therefore, in my childhood I experienced many home remedies, some worked and some did not. It is not my purpose here and now to promote any of these home remedies or to share them as a suggestion for anyone to try, I am just relating my experiences as a child with these home remedies and my experience now with new ones as an adult.
One home remedy I was quite familiar with as a child was drinking soda water to relieve an upset stomach. I used to have frequent stomach aches as a child and my mom's cure was to mix a teaspoon of baking soda in water for me to drink. It tasted awful but more often than not it worked.
A couple other "awful" remedies I remember were taking a teaspoon of wheat germ a day so I wouldn't get "pin worms". and a teaspoon of Cod Liver Oil to keep me " healthy".
I was told to eat beets to keep my blood red and healthy and carrots for eye health.
When I got a cold mom would rub my chest and neck with Vicks, for a sore throat I would gargle with salt water, and often take abit of a honey vinegar mixture.
Cuts or slivers would be treated with "black salve" which was drawing ointment that mom said would draw out any germs, however, if it was just a scratch or scrape Mercurochrome or Iodine would be used, neither of which I enjoyed because Iodine stung and stained my skin yellow or brown and although Mercurochrome did not sting it would stain my skin red. However, both seemed to work as needed and I did not suffer any ill effects from their use.
Now, as an adult, who is a believer in Jesus Christ, I often still use the home remedies I was given as a child but my first remedy is to go to the one who created me, the Great Physician, the One who can heal me of all things.
"For I will restore health to you And heal you of your wounds,' says the LORD," Jeremiah 30:17
"Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed;
Save me, and I shall be saved, For You [are] my praise." Jeremiah 17:14
