Hoosier Home Remedies

Purdue University Press, 1985 - Family & Relationships - 212 pages

With a sense of urgency, Dr. Tyler has collected andtranscribed some 750 folk remedies still alive in the memories of more than 175Hoosier-area correspondents. The pharmacologist, who has thirty years ofexperience with natural-product remedies, fears these cures will soon beforgotten, since modern medicine usually writes them off as hoax, and those whopractice them are becoming fewer and fewer. For Tyler, however, folk medicine isworthy of scientific research; after all, scientists discovered morphine fromopium poppy, digoxin from foxglove, and ergotamine from ergot fungus byobserving the efficacy of these ancient folk remedies. By suggesting furtherinvestigation of some remedies, warning readers against downright dangerouscures, and noting the constitutive ingredients of those proven effective, Tylerinvites further illumination of this shady region between superstition andscience while entertaining his reader with much fascinating medical tore.Hoosiers, folklore followers, physicians, and pharmacologists will appreciatethe meticulous clarity of Tyler's scientific commentary on folk medicines.

Contents

• Arthritis and Rheumatisms: 5
• Asthma: 11
• Birth Control: 14
• Bleeding: 16
• Blisters: 18
• Blood Thinners Purifiers and Tonics: 19
• Boils and Garbuncles: 26
• Breasts to Dry Up: 29
• Burns Sunburn: 30
• Cancer: 34
• Cardiovascular Problems: 37
• Colds and Flu: 38
• Cold Sores: 50
• Contagious Diseases Prevention of: 53
• Coughs and Groups: 54
• CureAlls: 61
• Cuts Bruises and Abrasions: 62
• Deafness: 65
• Diabetes: 66
• Diaphoretics to Induce Perspiration: 67
• Drunkenness: 72
• Earache: 73
• Emetics to Induce Vomiting: 75
• Eye Problems: 76
• Falling Hair: 78
• Felons: 79
• Fevers: 80
• Fish Attractant: 82
• Fits: 83
• Foot Problems Corns Calluses Ingrown Toenails: 84
• Frostbite: 85
• Gout: 86
• Heat Exhaustions: 89
• Hemorrhoids Piles: 90
• Hiccups: 92
• Hives and Allergic Skin Reactions: 93
• Hunger: 94
• Insect Bites and Stings: 95
• Insect Repellants: 98
• Jaundice and Hepatitis: 100
• Kidney Problems: 102
• Lice and The Itch: 105
• Malaria: 107
• Measles: 108
• Menstrual Problems: 110
• Nausea and Vomiting: 111
• Nervousness and Insomnia: 113
• Nettle Burn: 116
• Neuritis and Neuralgia: 117
• Nosebleed: 119
• Perspiration Odor: 121
• Pneumonia: 122
• Poison Ivy and Poison Sumac Dermatitis: 123
• Rabies: 128
• Ringworm: 129
• Scurvy: 131
• Skin Problems Minor: 132
• Slivers and Splinters: 135
• Snakebite: 137
• Sore Mouth Canker Sores: 138
• Sores: 140
• Sore Throat: 141
• Sprains and Sore Muscles: 145
• Sties: 150
• Stomachache and Colic: 151
• Stomach Ulcers: 157
• Thirst: 159
• TobaccoChewing Habits to Break: 160
• Tooth and Gum Problems: 161
• Tuberculosis: 165
• Warts: 167
• Whooping Coughs: 170
• Wounds: 173
• Wounds Cuts Burns Sprains Sores etc Mixed: 178
• Botanical Names Common and Scientific: 181
• Suggestions for Further Reading: 191
• Index: 195

About the author

Varro E. Tyler is executive vice president for academic affairs at Purdue University. Formerly he served as dean of Purdue's Schools of Pharmacy, Nursing, and Health Sciences. He is the author of approximately 180 scientific and educational articles in professional journals and has written or contributed to several books, such as Experimental Pharmacognosy.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Hoosier Home Remedies
• Compiled by: Varro E. Tyler
• Publisher: Purdue University Press, 1985
• ISBN: 0911198830, 9780911198836
• Length: 212 pages
• Subjects: Family & Relationships / General; Health & Fitness / Alternative Therapies; Medical / Alternative & Complementary Medicine; Medical / History; Medical / Pharmacology