Question all mothers

[Brigid]

When you've been coughing so much that your chest hurts from each cough, how do you make it hurt less? The honey and lemon do wonders for my throat, but what about chest (upper chest hurts - the bronchia)?

[Shin]

Well, I'm not a mother, but, I wonder if ibuprofen would help.

[Brigid]

I took some, but I think your right. I talked to my mother and she suggested heating some water on the stove (I don't have a microwave at the moment) and breathing the steam as it heated then putting a towel in it, wrapping the wet towel in another towel (or now a plastic bag then a towel), putting it on your chest then lying down so the weight of it was right against your chest.  It worked and since I since I like to do things naturally plus don't have any herb teas for it (I think marshmallow and goldenseal and licorice would be good) I was glad to try it. It worked!

[Brigid]

She remembers the old ways.

[martin]

This remedy I got many years ago when our youngest son suffered from chest problems. This goes along with what your mother suggested. You add the following ingredients to the steaming water; two drops of Cinnamon oil, two drops of clove oil, two drops of white Thyme oil. It really worked. The white thyme oil was difficult to obtain but I eventually got some from a herbalist

Another older remedy my mother used to use was again the steaming water with a few drops of Friars Balsam. This was a wonderful remedy for chest infections You do this a couple of times per day and especially before bed and the major part of this remedy was to wear a warm woolen jumper (jersey) in bed. You make the sign of the cross before each treatment.

These really do work and all natural.  

[Shin]

Why didn't I remember that! My mother used to prescribe the bowl full of hot water too!

So much good advice here! 

[Brigid]

This remedy I got many years ago when our youngest son suffered from chest problems. This goes along with what your mother suggested. You add the following ingredients to the steaming water; two drops of Cinnamon oil, two drops of clove oil, two drops of white Thyme oil. It really worked. The white thyme oil was difficult to obtain but I eventually got some from a herbalist

Another older remedy my mother used to use was again the steaming water with a few drops of Friars Balsam. This was a wonderful remedy for chest infections You do this a couple of times per day and especially before bed and the major part of this remedy was to wear a warm woolen jumper (jersey) in bed. You make the sign of the cross before each treatment.

These really do work and all natural.  

These sound great!

I've never heard of Friar's Balsam- do you know if it has any other name? I used to work for an internist who was also an herbalist (and interested in aromatherapy, too) so I'm fairly aware of the different possibilities, but haven't heard of this one.

[martin]

I haven't got any Friars Balsam at home now but it was an old monastic remedy I think from the Irish Capuchin's.
It can still be got in Ireland quite easily but I don't know if it has another name. It's like a black resin with a kind of menthol scent.

[Brigid]

I haven't got any Friars Balsam at home now but it was an old monastic remedy I think from the Irish Capuchin's.
It can still be got in Ireland quite easily but I don't know if it has another name. It's like a black resin with a kind of menthol scent.

I found this - apparently it has had a number of other names.

Through its 600-year history, Friar’s Balsam has been known by such names as Balsamum Traumaticum, Balsamic Tincture, Jesuits’ Drops, Jerusalem Drops, and Wound, Swedish, Turlington’s, Persian, Wade’s, St. Victor’s, and Commander’s Balsam.

Action & Uses: Can be used as an antiseptic and protectant to minor cuts and abrasions, chapped skin and lips, cracked nipples, small fissures of skin and anus, bedsores, indolent ulcers, herpes simplex, and gingivitis. Can relieve itching of chilblains, eczema, and urticaria.

Can be taken internally and/or inhaled with steam vapor as a stimulating expectorant in old coughs and catarrhs, laryngitis, acute and chronic bronchitis, and asthma.

Dose: Topical: Lesion should be cleaned and dried, and then covered with the balsam, over which should be laid fresh cotton gauze, extending well beyond the lesion. This application may be painful at first, and should be changed daily, taking care to remove any dead tissue that is loose.

Internal: Two or three times per day, take 25 to 35 drops in water. To make a soothing syrup for throat or bronchial affections, mix drops in a spoonful of honey, maple syrup or malt syrup.

Inhalant: Mix one or two droppersful of the balsam into a pint of hot, steaming (not boiling) water and then breathe the vapors in deeply.

Cautions: Consult a qualified midwife or physician before taking during pregnancy. Rarely skin irritation may result from topical use — avoid use on individuals with allergic skin diseases. If irritation does appear, discontinue use, and it will soon subside.

When applied to broken skin, undiluted Friar’s Balsam may tend to sting. To avoid this, balsam can be diluted with a 50/50 mixture of water and glycerin. Discontinue use if irritation persists.

Also, this:

A complex mixture of natural medicaments including benzoin, storax, balsam of Peru, balsam of Tolu, aloe, myrrh, angelica and alcohol. Called also balsam traumatic.

[Shin]

Sounds like splendid stuff Martin!

[martin]

Fouind this info on google.

Through its 600-year history, Friar’s Balsam has been known by such names as Balsamum Traumaticum, Balsamic Tincture, Jesuits’ Drops, Jerusalem Drops, and Wound, Swedish, Turlington’s, Persian, Wade’s, St. Victor’s, and Commander’s Balsam.

Can be taken internally and/or inhaled with steam vapor as a stimulating expectorant in old coughs and catarrhs, laryngitis, acute and chronic bronchitis, and asthma.

[Shin]

Brigid's swift today!

[martin]

Haha... Snap! you found the same site as me.  

[Brigid]

Haha... Snap! you found the same site as me.