What were you treated with as a poorly child at home?

Well, from reading all the threads I think Heinz has missed a trick by not promoting the healing/therapeutic properties of their tomato soup.

My nana used to take 'preventive' measures when we children stayed with her. We would line up for our dose of Virol, followed by a slug of Syrup of Figs in the morning, then at bedtime we would submit to a chestful of Vicks followed by a cup of hot, sterilized milk laced with brandy and sugar.

Didn't happen very often but when I was poorly with tonsillitis in the late 60's, Heinz tomato soup followed by Ambrosia rice pudding were a panacea for all ills.

SueDonim I must have missed that post

The trouble is, I might have found that delicious!
In fact, I still would.

Feverfew is supposed to get rid of headaches and help with arthritis pain, isn't it? Not sure now.

I did plant a couple in the garden and they seeded themselves everywhere - it took ages to get rid of them.

Feverfew herb which she poured hot water in and seeped I am sure she was trying to poisen me. Fennings fever cure. Syrup of figs and Andrews Liver salts. Kaolin poultice for chest infections. Golden eye ointment. Malt. I too was a sickly child but unfortunately it carries on into adulthood.x

Cinder tea. Bumped head? Grandma would put a knob of butter on it. Arrowroot custard (for diarrhoea).

Golden cough cure (delicious). A daily Haliborange tablet. Half an orange at bedtime. Milk of Magnesium. Vick chest rub.

Like watermeadow if I was ill I stayed in bed upstairs. Then I had to have one day up, dressed and about the house then one day of going outside and then I could go back to school.

Aged 19 I went to my GP for a vaccination prior to a trip to Morocco and asked him about tablets for diarrhoea. He suggested Dr Collis Browne's Chlorodyne. It was a staple of our medicine chest for years. Treated everything from diarrhoea to bronchitis to (I think) constipation. One just varied the dose. Contained opium, chloroform, quinine and was addictive. There were posters for it on the Underground.

Rosina I think Virol must have been an acquired taste. I could have eaten a whole jar too but most people seem to have hated it.

Our generation is living proof of survival of the fittest – the morphine, the cocaine, the whisky! My Dad used to call the kaolin and morphine mixture ‘sand and cement’, perhaps because of the two layers it separated into. And for years I believed that was what I was swallowing…

callistemon. Thank you. Just can’t remember using that or anything. Luckily all kids grew up healthy!

Callistemon did you see my post of 14.22 yesterday?

Franbern were the crystals Potassium permanganate or gentian violet?

For sore throats, cream of tomato soup with a large mound of buttery mashed potato in the centre of the bowl. It seemed to work remarkably well.
Lucozade sometimes - I remember that crinkly orange paper too!
Steamed plaice with mashed potato and peas when you were recovering.
For general well being whether sick or ill - Virol. I loved it. Melted toffee in a beautiful glazed brown bottle with a shiny green label - I coudl have eaten it all.

Senna pods. Mother was a great one for regularity. Every week she would put senna pods in warm water to soak over night and my two sisters and I had to drink the revolting liquid the next day. Very effective! However I used to quietly pour mine down the sink while my good sisters drank it. It wasn’t until we were adult that I told them what I did, and they both said they had never thought of doing that. I used to get frequent vomiting bouts and mother used to swear by lemon juice drunk to settle your stomach. I sometimes wonder how my innards are still going today after all that. One sister used to swear that was why she ended up with IBS.

Lucozade and chicken soup not at the same time thankfully.
And Vicks rubbed on my chest for colds.

Thinking about the purple stuff,it would have been gentian violet if it was painted on to sores but if it was crystals, it might have been potassium permanganate which turn water brilliant purple and stain your hands brown. I think it can be used as a disinfectant and I can remember having to use it to treat a diseased goldfish once long ago!!

I loved olive oil and raspberry vinegar for the frequent asthmatic coughs I had. When I got knocked down and sustained a lot of grazes I was painted with gentian blue!

I was jealous of my friend being given Haliborange vitamin tablets, they smelt so orangy.

I used to sneak sips of my younger sisters gripe water ,do they still have that?

I mean in the 1970s and 1980s

I think Junior Aspirin were used until there was a scare and they were banned.

Remember the awful boiling inhalations of Friars Balsam under a towel! Milk of Magnesia, and kaolin poultice for boils or splinters.
While on this subject can anyone remember what/if we gave our kids anything like Calpol to reduce fevers? I don’t remember using anything in the 70s except cold flannels!

I shall whisper this very quietly:
brandy with sugar and hot water

Brandy was only kept for medicinal purposes in our house.

What a blast from the past ladies! Some of them make you grateful for advancement! Some did work though and still used.(lucozade,calamine lotion,germoline(though thats not as good as it was!) Vicks,even olive oil for ear wax.

My mum used the golden eye ointment for styes,it did used to work though.and put hot bread poultices on things,like to 'draw out' a splinter, or cure a sore finger if you had a wicklow.I tell my kids& grandkids about us doing all this as otherwise they'd not know about all the 'old tales' or remedies,and it would all be lost in the past.(some of them they laugh at though)

I can still remember being smothered in Calamine lotion when I had chicken pox. Also warm olive oil with a wad of cotton wool in ear for earache- it took me a long time to have olive oil on salad or use it when cooking because of the earache association.

That was the name of the teething powders,libra10,Fennings!

Oh yes i loved lucozade,i miss the orange cellophane?(could cut it up at xmas to make 'stained glass' paper decorations)i liked the smell of the pink germolene though(in a tin,yes) and i remember my mam using the oil of cloves thing for my older brother& sister.