[jimbomaxf]

Found this on one my surfs . Made me think of all the remedies of my childhood which I have forgotten about . Especially those little boere raat in those little bottle that my mom always used to buy and tasted horrid . Never mind the epsom salts and codliver oil that had to be consumed daily .
Are there any remedies which you swear by ? Please feel free to add or comment .
These traditional South African home remedies have been collected over the years, mainly to preserve an old tradition. Some are very funny but some actually work and have been in use since the 1800's when doctors were not easy to come by and people had to make do with what they had.

Here are a few of the hundreds of remedies:

ABSCESS/BOILS…Add 1 tablespoon of Epsom salts to 2 bottles of water. Allow to boil for a while then strain through a clean cloth. Leave to cool and then pour into a bottle and cork. Take a wineglassful first thing each morning. It will cleanse your system and you will no longer have problems with boils and abscesses.

ACNE…Mix 3 tablespoons honey with 2 teaspoons cinnamon till it forms a paste. Apply to the acne or pimples at bedtime. Next morning wash your face in lukewarm water. If you do this regularly for 2 weeks the acne or pimples will be removed…roots and all.

ARTERIAL SCLEROSIS…(Hardening of the arteries) Buy 6 red roots from a Herbalist and cut or grate and add to 1 bottle Cane Spirits. Leave to brew and drink a little every evening. If you get hooked on the Cane Spirits…use the remedy for alcohol dependence.

ARTHRITIS…Arthritis patients may daily…morning and night…take one cup of hot water with two spoons of honey and one small teaspoon of
cinnamon powder. If drunk regularly even chronic arthritis can be cured.

ATHLETE’S FOOT…(Fungous disease of the foot)…This remedy is verygood for children in boarding school. Firstly rub methylated spirits into the foot…(it burns a lot though)….then Friars Balsam…(it also burns a lot)…then put baby powder on…it helps for the stickiness. This remedy works quicker than anything bought at a Pharmacy or shop.
NB: NOT SUITABLE FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE ALLERGIC TOSEAFOOD…(IODINE) .

BABIES…Powder baby’s bottom thickly with corn flour instead of baby powder when baby has a sore…burnt bottom. Use at each nappy change until baby’s bottom is healed.

BACKACHE…Crush aloe till fine and mix with a little honey. Roll the mixture into aspirin sized balls and take 1 of these each evening with a glass of water at bedtime.

BACKACHE…Cut your toenails and fingernails and also a little piece of your hair from the crown of your head and tie it all in a piece of old cloth. Make a hole in a tree and push the cloth into the hole and cover the hole again with the bark that you removed. Your backache will get better…but it must be a tree that does not bear fruit.

BLOOD…Low Blood Pressure…Take plain strings of black licorice and eat as much as you want…whenever you want. It must be plain black licorice….because the other licorice has sugar in it….and sugar will lower your blood pressure.

EARS...If you get a tick in your ear just get someone to blow some pipe smoke into your ear.

HAIR…For natural highlights in your hair try lemon juice in place of gel or hairspray. On a warm day apply lemon juice to wet hair and sit outside in the sun. After doing this a couple of times…you will have natural highlights that will last and last.

JAUNDICE…This is a very old remedy and I cannot confirm that it works. Take 7 grains of barley and put into the baby’s nappy. As soon as the baby has wet the nappy remove the grains and feed to a fowl. As the barley grains are digested…the jaundice will gradually disappear.

MOSQUITO BITES…Make a paste of bicarbonate of soda and water and apply to the mosquito bites for quick relief.

OSTEOPOROSIS…For people from the age of 50 upwards…it is advisable to take at least 1 teaspoon of honey daily…it will stimulate the intake of calcium and aid in the prevention of osteoporosis.

SKIN…If your skin is tender after shaving…mix 1 tablespoons of mentholated spirits and 3 tablespoons of cow’s milk. Shake well to mix and use as an after-shave lotion.