SPANISH MOSS (Also referred to as Crape-moss and Old man’s beard)
When boiled, the concoction is used to bathe swellings and also relieve pains
associated with rheumatism
Boiled (when green) – drink the "tea" for easy delivery at childbirth
Increases the flow of mother’s milk
Assists in promoting the delivery of the "afterbirth"
Taken twice daily to "clean out" after giving birth
When green, can be put in shoes to lower blood pressure
When crushed, apply to hemorrhoids
When tied around the neck, it relieves sprained neck
VITAMIN E OIL
Apply twice a day for herpes to encourage the healing process
Avoid eating peanuts during this time since they work against the natural healing
in the body
CAYENNE PEPPER
Mix some cayenne pepper with aloe juice and rub over sore muscles or arthritic
joints
Also good for bee stings
ALOE VERA
Aids the healing of burns and sores
Can also be taken internally for stomach disorders
BAKING SODA
For acid stomach, make a drink of ½ teaspoon baking soda and a few drops
of lemon juice in ½ cup warm water
LEECHES
Many rheumatism specifics are found in Negro "leechcraft"
Leeches are used in many modern orthopedic facilities today to keep the
circulation in injured limbs and digits from gumming up during the healing process
BLACK DOG
Grease stewed from a black dog is a helpful cure for rheumatism, though some
say it should be put on in the dark of the moon to be most effective
RATTLESNAKE SKIN
A snake skin, especially the skin of a rattlesnake, dried and tied around the
wrist or leg is good for rheumatism
Worn around the waist, it will prolong life
The flexibility of the snake may have been the quality which first suggested its
use to cure stiffness
BUZZARD FEATHERS
For rheumatism, asthma, and "jerking fits" (epilepsy), two wing feathers of a
buzzard are effective if burned under the nose and the smoke inhaled
SILVER DIME
A coin, especially a (silver) dime, worn about the neck or ankle will surely stop
rheumatism
GARLIC
Used to regulate blood pressure and relieve cramps
Crush one clove of garlic in a glass of hot milk and drink quickly
EELSKIN
Tie the hair up with eelskin to make it grow
Wear it around the head to cure headache
If worn about the wrist, it will relieve pain there
Rubbing the part of an aching back with an eelskin is an effective relief
WOODLICE
Sew "live woodlice" into a pouch and hang around baby’s neck to relieve pain and
fever associated with "teething"
When the woodlice die, the teeth come through
Currently used in the rural south
The "woodlouse" is the Porcellio scaber
Not to be confused with white ants or termites
Chicken-pox
Go into the chicken house and let the chickens fly over you, or simply push the
patient backward into the henhouse.
Chills and Fever
Cut a notch in a piece of wood for every chill you have had, blow on it, and throw
it into a running stream where you never expect to pass again. Go home without
looking back, and you will have no more chills.
Typhoid
Typhoid fever may be cured by taking a bath in steeped peach leaves, while a
young black chicken is split open and applied bloody and hot to the chest.
Backache
Let a child who has never seen his father or the seventh daughter of anyone walk
across your back.
Toothache
Pick an aching tooth with a splinter (from the north side of a pine tree that has been
struck by lightning) and throw the sliver into running water.
Hiccoughs
May be cured by holding your breath and taking nine swallows of water. Nine grains
of pepper for nine mornings or nine shots held in the mouth are equally effective.
Sore Throat
Tie the sock that you have worn all day around your throat with the sole of the sock
turned towards your skin. Some believe that salt or warm ashes should be put into the
stocking and some insist upon using a dark stocking.
Earache
Take the head off a wood beetle and drop the one drop of blood that comes out into the aching ear. For similar results, get some hair from a young girl and place it in your ear.
