Forgotten Cures: Coughs

Cough * Fletcher's Castoria; A dark, herbal remedy that didn't taste very bad at all (as I remember) -- good for coughs or "whatever ails you". Dennis Palmer * My mother used to mix honey in lemon juice and give as cough syrup. I did this for my own children -- they liked it, it seemed to soothe the throat, and they could have it as often as they wanted, unlike the drug store cough syrups. In retrospect, the vitamin C probably did some good. Dolly Yates * Grandpa swore by rock candy (crystallized sugar) dissolved in rye whiskey for sore throat or coughs. Charles Diltz * My mother also used the sugar/kerosene remedy for coughs. (A few drops of kerosene in a teaspoon of sugar.) Betty * My grandfather (Indian & southern) would give me a swig of peppermint schnappes for a cough. All that menthol , I guess, plus the shock of the alcohol to my young system sure seemed to do the trick. S & P Tumey * I remember my grandmother treating our coughs with a green onion concoction. She would take green spring onions and chop them up in a bowl and cover with sugar, then allow it to sit awhile until the juices from the onions and the sugar made a syrup and then make us drink it. If you liked onions it was at least better than some of the cough remedies available at the time. Gerald Byrd * My Grandmother used to put salt in the palm of my hand and I would just get some on my tongue and let it melt there and that would help with a COUGH, and would work for several hours. Dorothy * This isn't and old remedy but my mum gave this to me when i had a really bad chesty cough. She made me drink Honey, lemon and onion! in warm water. It was the worst taste ever! but it did work really well! [Atty * My grandmother used margarine mixed with sugar as an edible cough medicine. No particular mix; but enough sugar to make the margarine palatable. [Billie * Here is one that works. A slice of raw sweet potato. Suck on it for a cough and the cough will go away or lessen in a few minutes. Mike Young * Try plain honey. Casey