Mum's Traditional remedies
Stan Krawczyk • 25 November 2019
Mum's traditional remedies!
A few of my mum's traditional herbal remedies. Not what you expect today but they actually do work!
There is no need to spend lots of money on pills from the Chemists these rely on age old handed down advice.
Lets start off with a nice one.
Cold/Man flu
Hot black tea, honey, slice of lemon and a good shot of Cherry Vodka.
You can use other Vodka's too as long as they are berry based.
I love Cherry so that's my favourite.
Ensure the tea is piping hot make it builders strength and for goodness sake don't add milk!
This will make you sweat like crazy, you are not supposed to get drunk on it - Polish Hot Toddy I suppose.
It does work, have some in the evening before bed it will help you get over it.
Coughs all varieties.
Get 1 large white Onion and chop it into stripes then place it in a cereal sized bowl.
Add some chopped raw garlic and then sprinkle about 3 heaped table spoons of brown sugar on the top.
Leave it a few hours (ideally cover with another bowl to keep the flies off , but I have yet to see flies , vampires or anything near it).
After some time you will see onion juice appear at the bottom of the bowl.
Take 2 tablespoons worth, trust me it works, that cough will be gone before you know it.
Keep taking it every few hours until you feel better.
This should last at least 24 hours if not longer.
Flu/Radation poisoning/The black death/Political TV broadcast about Brexit
If nothing else works, this will. Garlic fantastic!
You will not thank me for it, yet my mum did feed me this when I was about 7-10 and I trusted her! Yes its horrible it was vile, especially as I never liked garlic until I discovered Italian food in my late teens!!
Cut a thick slice of Sourdough bread, any bread will do but that's my usual one.
Thick spread of butter, I supposed you can use the spreadable ones we have today.
Slice a full Garlic and layer it on top of the bread. That is it!
Yes you are then supposed to eat the entire thing! It was foul but other than having no friends for 48 hours and definitely no vampires I woke up in the morning and the fever had broken.
Even if it didn't tell your mum it did or she would feed you a second slice!!!!!
Update to this:
There is a more acceptable version I accidentally discovered. Avail yourself to a ripe Avocado and 2 or 3 large cloves of Garlic. Effectively you are making guacamole but with more zing! Cut the Avocado in half, take out the stone and peel away the skin in a bowl. Mash it up, chop in a handful of small plumb tomatoes, some fresh red onion if you like and grate in the garlic, zing of lemon juice (zing is that a word?) mix it all up and there you go a disguised raw garlic 2020 version of the garlic on bread alternative! Enjoy with Tortilla chips, you still cant kiss anybody with that garlic stench but the vampires and bugs should stay away.
Last chance saloon.
If none of the above worked then you have to take the 'Get me out of here I am a Celebrity challenge' even before that was invented!
Boil some full fat milk in a pan.
Pour it into a decent sized mug then add a thick wedge of butter to it, yes I did say a big wedge of butter! Leave it a moment for the butter to melt then drink the milk soon as its cool enough to drink. Try to drink it as soon as you can (before you feel like throwing up!)
Strangely that also works. I have never tried that one since I was 8, it's the only one I can't face! Give me a raw Garlic on a plate any day!!
Herbal Teas!
Herbs and
herbal teas have been the staple in Poland for centuries and still are today.
We like our natural juices and teas long before anyone on this side of the pond had considered it cool or healthy.
Some of these are now well known but my favourites:
Peppermint tea, drunk black maybe a tiny bit of sugar, good for indigestion and tummy pains.
Chamomile tea, good for digestion again plus if you have a fever it can help also, plus using it in a bowl with hot water and steaming it under a towel with your face in there, clear your nose if its blocked.
Raspberry tea, good for colds, add some honey.
I will add more as I remember them.
Cornish Christmas Eve get away 2024
The Last Krawczyk - 200 years in the making.
Penhros Polish Village - end of an era
Mum's Polish Kitchen - Krawczyk stuffed pancakes - nadziewane naleśniki.
Keeping the website going...
Christmas eve 2023 in Cornwall
Christmas eve 2021
Popcorn the kitten, Ania's new friend
5 Years today since mum passed away.
Ukraine War 2022