Garlic for Whooping Cough

New Zealand Listener, Volume 3, Issue 61, 23 August 1940, Page 44

Garlic for Whooping Cough

Dear Aunt Daisy, I was interested during your session this morning to hear a listener asking about the use of garlic for whooping cough. Well I think I have written to you before on the subject, but if you

would care to send this on to your correspondent, you are welcome. I took my little girl at 242 years old to Sydney for a trip, and while there, she had convulsions which, left her with an ulcerated mouth, Well, this was hardly well when she developed whooping cough! I had her with me one Sunday visiting a New Zealand friend; and when she heard the child cough, she said to me, "Take an old woman’s advice, go and get some garlic and put it on her feet as a poultice." Well, I did so, and being inexperienced as to its qualities, I made it too strong with the result that I blistered the child’s poor little feet. However, to my surprise, she lost her complaint and we were able soon to heal her blisters. I have done this many a time since with equal success. The most disagreeable part of it is the smell, but that is a secondary consideration. I have since found that it is best to roll out the garlic with a rolling pin, and put it between two pieces of muslin (a small thin salt-bag does very well)and then put it in the oven to warmenough to take the chill off. Put some olive oil on it, to save the blistering, and then pull on, over all, a pair of socks, which will keep the poultice on all night. This will draw down the inflamation, and evidently the germs can’t exist in this evil-smelling commodity. Another good remedy is to cover a fresh egg with vinegar in a cup. Let it stand for 24 hours, then beat it up, strain, add 3 tablespoons of glycerine, and fill up the cup with honey. I hope this information will be useful to your correspondent and I’d like to know if it did any good. The following incident happened: at Thames. A family there had a country child living with them, and he developed a nasty cough that they couldn’t stop, even with the doctor’s help; so in desperation the mother said, "I am going to try Katie’s remedy." She therefore went into the garden and got some garlic, and within an hour of putting the poultice on, the coughing stopped. Another remedy I have tried this winter is for chilblains. Make an oint+ ment of mustard and lard and apply it very liberally on the chilblains. I have found this splendid.-" Katie" (Mount Eden). A most helptul letter; thank you very much Katie. I suppose the mixture of egg, vinegar, glycerine and honey is just Biven in teaspoonful doses when the cough is troublesome. Here is another letter on the subject: Dear Aunt Daisy, I heard you speaking over the air this mofning about whooping cough and garlic. Well this recipe was given to me by an old lady when I was first married, but so far I have not had to ‘use it, as my children fortunately have escaped whooping cough. Cut up one knob of garlic and soak it in a shilling’s worth of rum, Then rub it on the palms of the hands and: the soles of the feet nightly. The lady who gave this to me had used it for herself and for her own children. I hope it may be of use to the Daisy Chain. * I listen to your session every morning, and enjoy hearing you calling the birthdays. Mr. Patrick Hamilton, who is 110 years old, came from the same district in Ireland as my mother. She is intending to write to him. She arrived out here by the "Boyne" in 1879, and will be 85 in December.-"An Interested Listener" (Wainoni). : (Continued on next page)