As winter now has us firmly in its icy clutches, cold and flu bugs have us making regular trips to the pharmacy. These traditional remedies might save a few pennies.

A Pinch of Mouse

If someone you care for has fallen ill with a particularly heavy bout of cold or flu then this may be a remedy you could try. All you need is a part of a mouse, it doesn’t matter which part, as long as it is well ground. This extra ingredient should be added to the patients food – without their knowledge. No idea to the reasoning behind this one, other than I can understand why the patient must never know!

Steamed Horse Manure

The manure should be fresh and then steamed. Once steamed it should be rubbed onto the person who has the cold, cough or flu, presumably to the chest, neck and throat area. Failing to see the logic in this old remedy other than the patient wanting to recover incredibly quickly so they don’t have to undergo a second treatment!

Inhaling Skunk Odour

This is a strange one, a traditional remedy from the old west. Perhaps the logic behind it was that the fumes would burn through the nasal congestion, who knows? I think I’d prefer my nose to be well and truly blocked if a skunk was around.

Mustard Plasters

Traditionally employed  as a remedy for head colds, mustard plasters were applied to the soles of the feet.  Applied every evening the mustard plasters were believed to improve the circulation and raise the body temperature. A word of warning though, if you wish to try this remedy at home make sure you don’t fall asleep with them attached as you may suffer burns as a result of the plaster being in place too long.

Onion Plasters

Used to combat the lung congestion and bronchial inflammation than accompanies a heavy cold, sauteed onions are packed into a poultice and applied to the chest and throat and left there until cool. It is believed that this plaster/poultice will reduce the tickle/irritation that causes the cough.

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