Certain Cold Cure

Some talk on the COPD List brings back a childhood memory of when I stayed with a friend overnight around age 9 or 10. His mom was from the old country, Baltic area, and had some funny remedies. He and I were not feeling well and thinking we could get to stay home from school the next day, we told his mom we had "colds". She gave us each a large potato and told us to go into the back yard in our underwear and shoes only, and use the pick and shovel to bury the potatoes by the light  of the moon. This was in January, back in Jersey and it was snowing. We did it. Next morning we come down to breakfast looking sickly and asked to stay home from school. Her reply was, " Any kid that can go outside during a snow storm in his underwear to bury a potato isn't too sick to go to school".. Guess she was right about burying the potato would make us well enough to go school.

Martin Minue, Southern California
July 1999
 
 

Martin elaborated on his childhood memories and the home cures in this way, 

"Our grand mothers came from the baltic area, were very poor and used some weird remedies for us. Funny thing is some of them worked and are coming back now. Dandelion leaves, (babka leaves  they were called) over a boil with black drawing salve drew it out in one day..looked stupid going to school with a white bandage and a green leaf sticking out but other kids had the same. and today it is in a ointment for acne?. for a sty on the eye she made us put a few drops of urine on a cotton ball and she would dab it on the area infected. Well today they have uric acid for that/ Peroxide and baking soda for teeth. now they market it. fish oil for ailments.  big market now..Don't think potato burying will return though.. she out smarted us at our own game  .."
 

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