The Complete Herbalist
by Dr. O. Phelps Brown (1878)
RECIPES
In the following pages will be found a variety of
recipes, applicable to many diseases and afflictions for which symptomatic
treatment is all that is required. They will be found to be very
valuable for domestic treatment. They are not all strictly herbal,
but essentially eclectic, so as to be easily prepared and the ingredients
readily procured. Nothing capable of harm is, however, admitted,
-- the few mineral substances that are prescribed being only inserted for
therapeutic effects, in consequence of their vegetable analogues being
hard to procure or difficult to prepare. Availability was studied
more than scientific arrangement, though the merit of each is retained.
For handy recipes, therefore, the following are sufficiently diversified
for a wide range of application.
In complicated cases, or in diseases requiring systematic
treatment, recipes are not to be depended upon. Such cases, of course,
require treatment in accordance with the demands of the pathological conditions
observed in the disease, and which should in all cases be directed by a
competent physician. The remedies, for which the recipes are given
in this connection, are designed merely for diseases or affections not
ordinarily grave in character, or which do not require more than simple
medication. Those desiring to make use of them should have them prepared
by a druggist, if they do not have the necessary pharmaceutical appliances
to insure correct weight, quantity, mixture, division, etc. The purity
and worth of the article are also to be ascertained before being administered.
GOLDEN TINCTURE
No. 1. Balsam of tolu, two ounces; gum guaiacum,
two ounces; gum hemlock, two ounces; gum myrrh, two ounces; each coarsely
powdered: oil of hemlock, three ounces; oil of wintergreen, two ounces;
alcohol, one gallon. Let it stand fourteen days. Shake frequently
in the meantime.
Dose. -- From one to two teaspoonfuls, according
to severity and obstinacy of the case, in half a glass of sweetened water.
This mixture has proved highly useful as an internal remedy for rheumatism,
colic, pains, chills, soreness, lameness, sour stomach, languor, depressed
spirits, palpitations, water brash, flatulency and a variety of painful
affections.
PULMONARY REMEDY
No. 2. Take of the roots of spikenard, elecampane,
comfrey and blood-root: of the leaves and flowers of hoarhound, and of
the bark of wild cherry, each one pound. These may all be ground
and tinctured, by adding alcohol, water, and sugar sufficient to make three
gallons of syrup, or any portion of the above compound may be tinctured
in sufficient alcohol to cover them, when the herbs may be boiled until
their strength is obtained, and the tincture and watery infusion may be
mixed, and a sufficient amount of refined sugar added to make a thick syrup.
For coughs and colds, to be taken in teaspoonful doses as required.
LIVER CORDIAL
No. 3. Thorough-wort, two ounces; ginger, half
ounce; cloves, half ounce; extract dandelion, four ounces; water, one and
a half pints. Boil to one-third, and add sugar one and one-half pounds,
and brandy, one pint.
Dose. -- A wineglassful once or twice a day.
An excellent cordial cathartic to act upon the liver. The herbs must
be gathered at the proper season or they will be worthless.
ANTI-BILIOUS PILL
No. 4. Aloes, pulverized, five ounces; fine,
dry castile soap, half a drachm; gamboge, pulverized, one ounce; colocynth,
one ounce; extract of gentian, one ounce; mandrake, one ounce; cayenne
pepper, two ounces; oil of peppermint, half a drachm. Mix well.
Dose. -- Three to five pills.
AN EXPECTORANT
No. 5. For asthma and cough, to promote expectoration,
and remove tightness of the chest, the following is a valuable compound
preparation. Fluid extracts of skunk cabbage, one ounce; lobelia,
one ounce; blood root, one ounce; pleurisy-root, one ounce; ginger, one
ounce; water, one pint; alcohol, three pints.
Dose. -- Two to four teaspoonfuls. (See Fluid
Extracts, pae 475.)
FOR PRODUCING SLEEP
No. 6. The following is a useful preparation
for producing sleep, in wakeful or excited conditions, viz.: fluid extract
of ladies' slipper, one ounce; fluid extract of pleurisy-root, one ounce;
fluid extract of skunk cabbage, one ounce; fluid extract seull-cap, one
ounce. Mix.
Dose. -- Half a drachm to a drachm three times a
day.
FOR SICK AND NERVOUS HEADACHE
No. 7. For sick and nervous headache, dependent
on an acid stomach, the following is useful: fluid extract of ladies' slipper,
half an ounce; fluid extract of catnip, half an ounce; fluid extract of
scull-cap, half an ounce; water, one pint.
Dose. -- One to three teaspoonfuls. Mix.
TONIC TINCTURE
No. 8. Old elder, four gallons; white oak bark, ten
ounces; horse-radish root, one pound; seneca snake-root, six ounces; golden
seal root, four ounces; cayenne pepper, two ounces; bruise all fine, add
the cider, let stand for ten days, frequently shaking up the mixture in
the meantime.
Dose. For an adult, half to two-thirds of a
wineglassful, three times a day.
SARSAPARILLA SYRUP
No. 9. Good sarsaparilla, two pounds; guaiacum,
three ounces; rose leaves, two ounces; senna, two ounces; licorice root,
two ounces; oil of sassafras, five drops; oil of aniseed, five drops; oil
of wintergreen, three drops; diluted alcohol, ten pints; sugar, eight pounds.
Dose. -- A tablespoonful two or three times a day.
RHEUMATIC TINCTURE
No. 10. Peppermint water, one and one-half
ounces; wine of colchicum root, half an ounce; sulphate of morphia, one
grain; magnesia, one scruple.
Dose. -- One teaspoonful three or four times a day.
FOR BRONCHITIS
No. 11. Tannin, three grains: extract of belladonna,
three-fourths of a grain; extract of conium, two and a half grains; infusion
of senna, three ounces; fennel water, one and a half ounces; syrup of marsh-mallow,
one and a half ounces. Mix.
Dose. -- A tablespoonful to be taken every two hours
in chronic bronchitis.
COMPOUND SPIRITS OF LAVENDER
No. 12. Dried lavender flowers, two drachms;
nutmeg, 2 drachms; mace, two drachms; cloves, two ounces; cinnamon, two
ounces. Pulverize all these, and add a quart of spirits. Let
it then stand for a week, and then strain off the liquid.
Dose.--One or two teaspoonfuls may be taken often
in a little water, with loaf sugar. Useful in nervous affections.
NERVE TONIC
No. 13. Extract of scull-cap, two drachms;
extract of chamomille, two drachms; extract of boneset, one drachm; pulverized
cayenne, one scruple; quinine, one drachm; oil of valerian, half a drachm.
Beat well together, and make ninety pills.
Dose. -- For an adult, one pill every two or three
hours.
STOMACHIC BITTERS
No. 14. Gentian root, two ounces; dried orange
peel, one ounce; cardamom seed; half an ounce (all bruised); diluted alcohol
or common whiskey, one quart. Let it stand for two weeks.
Use. -- Dyspepsia, loss of appetite, general weakness,
etc.
Dose. -- One or two tablespoonfuls in water, three
times a day.
FEVER AND AGUE
No. 15. Take of boneset, two ounces; blue vervain,
two ounces; scull-cap, one ounce; Virginia snake-root, half an ounce.
Make an infusion, and drink freely while warm. If it produces vomiting,
reduce the dose. This will be found highly beneficial. If the
bowels are constipated, use one of my "Renovating Pills" every night until
all constipation has been removed or remedied.
STRENGTHENING PLASTER
No. 16. Resin, one pound; beeswax, one ounce;
Burgundy pitch, one ounce; mutton tallow, one ounce. Melt them together,
and add olive oil, pulverized camphor and sassafras oil, of each one-sixteenth
of an ounce, and West India rum, one fluid ounce. Stir well together,
pour into cold water, and form into rolls with the hands; spread with a
knife on a piece of linen cloth, and apply in weakness of the joints, rheumatism,
weak chest, weak back, ulcers. This is an excellent plaster for all
such purposes.
ACETIC BLOOD-ROOT SYRUP
No. 17. Blood-root in powder, one drachm; acetic
acid, or vinegar, one pint; water, one pint. Add the blood-root to
the vinegar and water mixed, and steep for two hours; then strain and add
two pounds of white sugar, simmer until a syrup is formed.
This is a specific remedy for pseudo-membranous croup.
It is also used in infantile pneumonia and bronchitis, but the "Acacian
Balsam" should be used with it.
Dose. --For croup, from half a teaspoonful to a tablespoonful,
but it should not be given in quantities sufficient to provoke vomiting,
unless there is imminent danger of suffocation, and then only sufficient
to eject the mucus adhering to the upper part of the bronchia and trachea.
A GOOD EMETIC
No. 18. Pulverised lobelia, one ounce; pulverized
blood-root, one ounce; pulv. Ipecacuana, six drachms; pulv. Cayenne, four
scruples; seneca, one scruple. Mix. An excellent emetic in
all cases where one is required. My "Renovating Pills" should be
used to cleanse the system of all remaining particles of lobelia.
NERVE TONIC AND ANTISPASMODIC
No. 19. High cranberry bark, one ounce; skunk
cabbage-root, half an ounce; scull-cap, half an ounce; cardamom seeds,
two drachms; pulv. Cayenne, two drachms. Put these into a pint of
wine. Shake it well every day for three or four days.
Dose. -- A tablespoonful four times a day.
DYSENTERY SYRUP
No. 20. Best Turkey rhubarb, two drachms; leptandrin,
two drachms; white sugar, one pound; hot water, one pint. Triturate
well together; add essence of peppermint, one drachm; essence of anise,
one drachm; tincture of catechu, two drachms.
Dose. For dysentery, one teaspoonful every
half hour.
COUGH PREPARATION
No. 21. Tincture of lobelia, half an ounce;
tincture of blood-root, two ounces; oil of spearmint, half a drachm; molasses,
five ounces.
Dose. -- Take one-half of a teaspoonful as often
as needed. Useful merely as a palliative.
PULMONARY SYRUP
No. 22. Spikenard root, sixteen ounces; white
root, sixteen ounces; blood-root, eight ounces; elecampane, eight ounces;
colts-foot, eight ounces; boneset, eight ounces; poplar bark, four ounces;
seneca snake root, two ounces; lobelia, two ounces, slippery elm bark,
eight ounces; proof spirits, three gallons. Bruise or pulverise all,
and digest in the spirits for fourteen days; then strain, and add white
sugar sufficient to form a syrup.
Dose. -- A tablespoonful occasionally, in a mucilage
of slippery elm.
Use. -- This is a fair relief in all coughs
and pulmonary affections.
CHRONIC DISEASES OF THE MUCOUS SURFACES.
No. 23. Hard balsam copaiba, three and a half
drachms; fresh ground capaiba, three and a half drachms; carbonate of amazonia,
one drachm. Make one hundred pills.
Dose. -- One pill three times a day, between meals.
LINIMENT FOR CHILBLAINS
No. 24. Sulphuric acid, one drachm; spirits
of turpentine, one drachm; olive oil, three drachms. Mix the oil
and turpentine first, then gradually add the sulphuric acid.
A valuable liniment for chilblains. To be rubbed
on two or three times a day.
LINIMENT FOR NEURALGIA, ETC.
No. 25. Sweet oil, one ounce; water of ammonia,
strong, one ounce. Mix. To be rubbed on with a piece of flannel.
A temporary relief for crick in the neck, and rheumatic and neuralgic pains.
SLEEPLESSNESS
No. 26. Camphor, one grain, formed into a
pill, followed by a draught of an ounce and a half of the infusion of hops,
with five drops of sulphuric ether.
CHRONIC RHEUMATISM
No. 27. The remedies given below will be found
generally useful:
First. -- Warm salt bath. When the pain is
very severe at night, take tincture of guaiacum, one drachm; tincture of
aloes, half a drachm; spirits of turpentine, thirty drops. Mix, and
take in a pint of gruel at bedtime.
Second. -- Should the pains continue very severe,
give the following: Aloes, half a scruple; opium, three grains; syrup of
buckthorn sufficient to form a pill mass. Mix, and make three pills;
one at bedtime.
Third. -- Compound powder of ipecacuanha, eight grains;
camphor mixture, one and a half ounces. Mix, and give a draught every
night.
Fourth. -- Take wine of colchicum seeds, one ounce;
give from ten to twenty drops in gruel or water three times a day, with
one of the following pills: sulphate of quinia, twenty-four grains; and
syrup sufficient to form into twelve pilles, or:
Fifth. -- Iodide of potassium, one drachm; distilled
water, two ounces.
Mix, and give a teaspoonful in a wine-glass of water
-- morning, noon, and night. This seldom ever fails to give relief.
REMEDY FOR BOWEL COMPLAINT
No. 28. Rhubarb, pulverized, one ounce; saleratus,
one teaspoonful; pour on a pint of boiling water. When cold, add
a tablespoonful of essence of peppermint.
Dose. -- From one to three tablespoonfuls two or
three times a day.
WORM MIXTURE
No. 29. Populin, one drachm; santonine, twenty
grains; tincture of pink root, four ounces; neutralizing mixture, one pint.
Rub the santonine in the neutralizing mixture, until thoroughly mixed,
then add the other ingredients. Excellent for removing worms in children.
Dose. -- From thirty to forty drops every half hour,
until it acts on the bowels as a purge. If the worms are not removed,
repeat every two or three days: but be cautious to get good pink root,
as much of the plant sold for pink root by the druggists is poisonous.
This is inferior, however, to my "Male Fern Vermifuge," see page 471.
PAINFUL MENSTRUATION
No. 30. Extract of hyoscyamus, gum camphor,
and Dover's powder, of each one scruple. Mix, and make into twenty
pills.
Dose. -- One pill twice a day for painful menstruation.
STOMACH PILL
No. 31. -- Pulverized rhubarb, and guaiacum, of each
eight grains; galbanum, two grains; ipecacuanha, two grains. Mix,
and make eight pills.
Dose. -- Take one or two pills, night and morning.
Excellent for a weak stomach, and a bilious condition.
BRONCHIAL TROCHES (For Temporary Relief)
No. 32. Extract of liquorice, one pound; sugar,
one and a half pounds; cubebs, four ounces; gum arabic, four ounces; all
pulverized; extract of conium, one ounce. Mix, and take a piece as
big as a pea and dissolve it in the mouth, several times a day; rubbing
the neck three times a day with the "Herbal Ointment."
DIARRHOEA
No. 33. Syrup of orange peel, one ounce; acetate
of morphia, two grains; tincture of cinnamon, six drachms; tincture of
cardamom, two drachms. Mix.
Dose. -- A teaspoonful. Valuable in diarrhoea.
NEURALGIA
No. 34. Tincture of American hellebore, one
drachm; tincture of black cohosh, two ounces. Mix.
Dose. -- One teaspoonful, from three to six times
a day.
PILE OINTMENT
No. 35. Extract of stramonium, one ounce;
extract of tobacco, one ounce; tannin, ten grains. Make an ointment,
and bathe or lubricate the parts, if you cannot at once get the "Herbal
Ointment."
Dose. -- One teaspoonful, from three to six times
a day.
STOMACHIC PILL
No. 36. Powdered cayenne pepper, one drachm;
rhubarb, two drachms. Make into a mass with syrup, and divide into
sixty pills.
Dose. -- Two to three every day, an hour before dinner.
AROMATIC BITTERS (Stimulant)
No. 37. First. -- ABSINTHIUM (Wormwood).
Infuse one ounce in twenty ounces of water.
Dose. -- From a half to two tablespoonfuls.
Use. -- In debilitated state of the digestive organs.
Second. -- ACORUS--Calamus (Sweet flag root).
Infuse one ounce in twenty ounces of water. Joined with other tonics.
Use. -- In uneasiness from flatulence.
TONIC TEA (Debility)
No. 38. Chamomile, scull-cap, and queen
of the meadow, each one pound. Reduce them to powder, and mix well
together.
Dose. -- To one tablespoonful of this powder add
one pint of water; make a tea, and drink during the day. This is
a good tonic in all cases of debility.
SPICED BITTERS (For weak patients.)
No. 39. Poplar bark, ten pounds; bayberry bark,
two pounds; balmony bark, two pounds; golden seal, one pound; cloves, one
pound; cayenne pepper, half a pound; loaf sugar, sixteen pounds.
Let these articles all be made fine and well mixed.
Put a tablespoonful of this compound, with four ounces of sugar, into a
quart of boiling water. Take a wineglassful three times a day before
eating, or a teaspoonful of these powders may be taken in a cup of hot
water, half an hour before each meal.
TONIC (For Chlorosis, or Green Sickness.)
No. 40. Sulphate of quinia, fifteen grains;
diluted sulphuric acid, fifteen drops; compound tincture of cardamom, three
drachms; tincture of hops, three drachms; compound infusion of roses, six
ounces. Mix.
Dose. -- A teaspoonful two or three times a day.
WHOOPING COUGH MIXTURE
No. 41. Tincture of blood-root, one ounce;
tincture of red root; two ounces; tincture of black cohosh, one ounce;
tincture of lobelia, half an ounce; tincture of belladonna, twenty drops.
Mix, and shake well before using.
Dose. -- For a child one year old, fifteen or twenty
drops in sweetened water. The fluid extracts (see page 475) can be
used instead of the tinctures. Dose, when fluid extracts are
used, three to five drops.
TINCTURE FOR FEVER AND AGUE, ETC.
No. 42. Peruvian bark and wild cherry bark,
each two ounces; cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, each one drachm; wine, two
quarts. Let it stand for a few days to extract the strength.
Dose. -- A wineglassful every two or three hours.
Use. -- A very good remedy for intermittent fever,
or fever and ague, after suitable evacuants. It frequently removes
the disease when all other means fail.
ANTI-SPASMODICS
MISTURRA CAMPHORAE (Agua Camphora, U.S.)
No. 43. First. -- Camphor, two drachms; alcohol,
forty drops; carbonate magnesia, four drachms; distilled water, two pints.
Dose. -- One to two tablespoonfuls.
Use. -- In typhoid conditions, with delirium, for
after pains. TINCT. CAMPHORAE COMP. (Paragoric Elix., Tinct.
Opii Comph.)
Second. Pulverized opium, one drachm; benzoic
acid, one drachm; oil of aniseed, one drachm; sugar, two ounces; camphor,
two scruples; diluted alcohol, two pints. Macerate for fourteen days.
Half a drachm contains less than one grain of opium.
Dose. -- For infants, from five to twenty drops;
adults, one to two tablespoonfuls.
Use. -- To allay cough or nausea, to check diarrhoea,
to relieve pain.
MOSCHUS. Preputial secretion of the musk animal.
Dose and Form. -- Five to ten grains, in pill, bolus,
or emulsion.
Use. -- Hiccough, epilepsy, asthma, cough, palpitation.
TONIC AND CATHARTIC
No. 44. Aloes, gentian, orange peel, juniper
berries, and bruised aniseed, each one ounce; gin, one pint. Mix.
Macerate for two weeks , and then strain.
Dose. -- A tablespoonful once or twice a day.
Good for bilious habits.
DISCUTIENT OINTMENT (For scrofulous and glandular tumors.)
No. 45. Bark of bitter-sweet root, stramonium
leaves, cicuta leaves, deadly nightshade, and yellow dock root, each two
ounces; lard, one pound. Bruise and simmer the roots and leaves in
spirits; then add the lard, and simmer till the ingredients are crisped
or thickened into an ointment.
FOR SUPPRESSION OF URINE IN CHILDREN
No. 46. Oil of solidago, one drachm; alcohol,
eight drachms.
Dose. -- From five to twenty drops on sugar at a
dose, to be repeated at suitable intervals. Proportionably larger
doses of this are also very beneficial for flatulence, faintness, etc.,
in adults.
GARGLES
No. 47. First . -- Raspberry leaves, geranium,
blackberry root, and leptandria root, each ounce. Mix, and make three
pints of strong decoction. Suitable for a gargle.
Second. -- Geranium, golden-seal, marsh-mallow, wild
indigo root, and rosemary, each half an ounce. Mix, and make one
pint of strong infusion. After straining, add two drachms of powdered
borax, and one gill of honey. An excellent astringent gargle.
HONEY BALSAM
No. 48. Balsam of tolu, balsam of fir, each
two ounces; opium, two drachms. Dissolve all three in one quart of
alcohol.
Dose. -- A teaspoonful occasionally. Valuable
for the relief of pulmonary diseases.
ANTI-DYSENTARY CORDIAL
No. 49. Birch bark and peach pits, each two
pounds; bayberry bark, half a pound; wild cherry bark, one pound; water,
two gallons. Boil down to one and a half gallons, after which add
a gallon of good brandy, and loaf sugar sufficient to make it palatable.
Dose. -- A wineglassful three or four times a day.
FOR GRAVEL, DROPSY, ETC.
No. 50. Queen of the meadow, milk weed, juniper
berries, dwarf elder, spearmint, wild carrot seed, of each two ounces.
Put all in a mortar and bruise, and boil the whole in a gallon of water,
till half a gallon of the liquid is left, and then strain.
Dose. -- Half a pint of the decoction is to be taken
several times during the day.
COUGH SYRUP
No. 51. Acetate of morphia, four grains; tincture
of blood root, two drachms; antimonial wine, three drachms; ipecacuanha,
three drachms; syrup of wild cherry, three ounces. Mix.
Dose. -- A teaspoonful two or three times a day.
FOR DYSMENORRHOEA
No. 52. Viburnin, caulophyllin, each one scruple;
gelsemin, five grains. Mix, and divide into ten powders. Dose.--One
every two hours until relieved.
FOR DIARRHOEA
No. 53. Tincture of catechu, half an ounce;
spirits of camphor, tincture of myrrh, and tincture of cayenne, each two
drachms. Mix.
Dose. -- From half a teaspoonful to a teaspoonful
in diarrhoea.
INJECTION
No. 54. Castor oil, one gill; pulv. Cayenne,
ten grains; table salt, one teaspoonful; molasses, one gill; warm water,
one pint. Inject.
FOR THE BLUES, OR LOW SPIRITS
No. 55. A pleasant cordial for low spirits
is the following: aniseed, four drachms; oil of angelica, one drachm; oil
of cassia, forty drops; oil of caraway, thirty drops; prood spirits, two
gallons. Mix well.
Dose. -- Half a tablespoonful in water.
SKIN DISEASES WITH MUCH IRRITATION
No. 56. Decoctions of bitter-sweet and mallows,
of each half a pint; mix, and make a liniment. Use the "Renovating
Pills" internally.
CHILBLAIN OINTMENT
No. 57. Lard, two quarts; turpentine, one pint,
camphor, quarter of a pound. Rub into the parts. This will
be found a capital remedy.
ACIDITY OF THE STOMACH
No. 58. Hard wood ashes, one quart; common
soot, half a gill; wawter, six pints. Digest, settle, and filter.
Dose. -- Take one tablespoonful three times a day
in acidity of the stomach.
HEMORRHOIDS - PILES
No. 59. Opium, one scruple; pulverized nut-galls,
one drachm; ointment althaea. Mix, and anoint the parts.
SORE THROAT
No. 60. Those subject to sore throat should
make a wash of warm water, in which wood ashes have been dissolved, and
apply externally every morning. The "Herbal Ointment" should be applied
at night, and well rubbed in. If the disease has become permanent
or chronic, the "Acacian Balsam" must be used according to directions.
(See page 470.)
INJECTION FOR COSTIVENESS
No. 61. Castor oil, two ounces; tincture of
prickly ash bark, half an ounce; compound tincture of Virginia snake root,
two drachms; infusion of boneset and senna, equal parts, half a pint.
Mix, and inject. It is by no means, however, as good as the "Renovating
Pills." See page 473.
TO PRODUCE PERSPIRATION
No. 62. Blood-root, golden-seal, sumach berries,
bayberry bark, of each two drachms; all pulverized. Mix.
Dose. -- Make an infusion in a pint of hot water,
and give a tablespoonful every half hour.
POULTICE FOR A FESTER
No. 63. Boil bread in the settlings of strong
beer; apply the poultice in the common manner. This has saved many
an hour of suffering.
CATAPLASMS, OR POULTICES
No. 64. May be made by moistening bread crumbs
with milk. They may also be made of flaxseed, roasted onions, snake-root,
hops, etc.
Poultices are used in nearly all cases of local inflammation.
TOOTHACHE
No. 65. Gum opium, gum camphor, spirits of
turpentine, each one scruple. Rub in a mortar to a paste. Put
it in the hollow tooth.
Use. -- This will cure and even prevent the toothache.
A FRAGRANT BREATH
No. 66. Take sherry wine, one gill; ground
cloves and grated nutmeg, each one drachm; cinnamon and bruised caraway
seeds, each a quarter of an ounce. Place all these dry substances
into the wine or spirits, in a half pint bottle, and let them stand for
several days, shaking the bottle every night and morning. Strain
off the tincture through linen to get it bright, then add about ten drops
of lavender, or five drops of the otto of roses.
A few drops on a llump of sugar dissolved in the
mouth, will sccure a breath of flowers. It may be also used
with advantage on the toothbrush, in lieu of tooth powder, or, mixed with
water, it makes an excellent gargle.
FOOT BATH
No. 67. A bucket of warm water; pulv. Cayenne
pepper, one tablespoonful; ground mustard, two tablespoonfuls. Mix.
Use. -- As a foot bath in suppression of menses.
TO IMPROVE THE VOICE
No. 68. Beeswax, two drachms; balsam of copaiba,
three drachms; powdered liquorice root, four drachms. Melt the copaiba
with the wax in a new earthen pipkin. When they are melted, remove
them from the fire, and, while in a liquid state, mix in the powdered liquorice.
Make pills of three grains each. Two of these
pills to be taken occasionally, or three or four times a day if necessary.
HEADACHE - NEURALGIC PAINS
No. 69. Take of opodeldoc, spirits of wine,
sal ammoniac, equal parts, and apply like any other lotion.
STINGS
No. 70. Bind on the place a thick plaster of
common salt or saleratus moistened; it will soon extract the venom.
A STOMACHIC
No. 71. Fresh ground cubebs.
Dose. -- From five to twenty grains.
Use. -- As a stomachic in disorders of the digestive
organs.
FOR FEVERS AND OTHER ACUTE DISEASES
No. 72. Asclepin, one-half drachm; warm water,
four ounces; compound tincture of American hellebore, thirty drops.
Dissolve the asclepin in the warm water, and afterwards add the hellebore.
Dose. -- From one to three teaspoonfuls once in every
two hours as long as the fever is raging. If nausea occurs, omit
the medicine until it subsides. Shake the mixture well before using.
OFFENSIVE BREATH
No. 73. Solution chlorinated of soda, six drops;
water, two ounces. Mix.
Use. -- A sure remedy for an offensive breath emanating
from a deranged stomach.
ANTIDOTE FOR RATTLESNAKE POISON
No. 74. The Medical Journal says the following
is an infallible cure for the poison of a rattlesnake bite. Iodide
of potass, four grains; corrosive sublimate, two grains; bromine, five
drachms. Mix together, and keep the mixture in a glass-stoppered
vial, well secured.
FOR CANCER
No. 75. Take equal parts of fresh poke-weed,
yellow dock, and blood-root; evaporate the juice by the means of a sand-bath
to the consistency of tar. The ointment should be applied after the
cuticle has been removed by a blister three times a day. The parts
should be washed with good French brandy after each application of the
ointment. Before this is used, the advice of a physician should first
be secured.
FOR HIP DISEASE
No. 76. Take of iodine, one ounce; phosphate
of lime, two ounces; water, one pint. Dissolve the iodine and lime
in the water, and add twenty grains of tannin. Inject with a small
syringe three or four times a day.
Use. -- A valuable injection in hip disease, where
the head of the bone is decayed.
FOR BRUISES
No. 77. Take pulv. slippery elm and pulv. indigo
weed, each one pound; gum myrrh, half a pound, pulv. prickly ash, a quarter
of a pound. Wet with good brewer's yeast and apply. A very
good poultice for bruises.
FOR DIPHTHERIA
No. 78. Saturated tincture of scrophularia,
one drachm, added to half a tumbler of water.
Triturated macrotin, twenty grains, added to a tumblerful of
water.
Dose. -- One teaspoonful of each every hour.
GARGLE FOR THE ELONGATION OF THE UVULA
No. 79. Fluid extract of rhus, one drachm;
fluid extract of bayberry, two drachms; water, two ounces. Mix, and
gargle the throat three or four times a day. Also bathe the throat
upon the outside in strong salt and water. (See fluid extracts, page
475.)
FOR BILIOUS COLIC
No. 80. Fluid extract of wild yam, two ounces;
fluid extract of pleurisy root, one ounce. Mix, and take a teaspoonful
as often as is required.
TO REMOVE WARTS AND CORNS
No. 81. Apply the juice of the leaves of the
great celandine or tetter-wort, and keep applying until the fungous growth
is removed.
FOR THE TEETH
No. 82. Make charcoal of bread, pulverize it
until it is reduced to an impalpable powder, then apply daily, morning
and evening, with a soft brush and pure cold water.
A GOOD MEDICATED WINE
No. 83. Take of powdered colchicum seed, two
ounces; of sherry wine, twelve fluid ounces. Put them together in
a closed glass bottle, and let them stand for fourteen days, giving a good
shaking every day. Filter through a fine muslin cloth, and drink
as required.
INJECTION FOR ASIATIC CHOLERA
No. 84. Take of water, one fluid ounce; tincture
of prickly ash berries, one fluid drachm; tincture of opium, twenty drops.
Mix together. Inject in ordinary quantity until the desired effect
has been produced.
BLEEDING AT THE NOSE
No. 85. Powder of rhatany (for internal use),
ten grains.
FOR OLD ULCERS
No. 86. Take of red chickweed, which is common
both in America and Europe, the leaves and flowers, and apply in the form
of a poultice, frequently changing them.
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