Got Toothache? Reach for the Bourbon
Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 08:53AM 
click image to visit "Blind Pig and the Acorn"One of my favorite Backcountry Web sites is "Blind Pig and the Acorn," where I can listen to mountain music while reading about Appalachian folkways and folklore. Today on "Blind Pig," Tipper recounts various folk remedies for toothaches in What To Do For A Toothache. A couple of these I have used myself (why is it that toothaches usually start on Saturday morning, when the dentist's office is closed?), especially the peroxide cure, which can provide temporary relief.
One of the remedies in the "Blind Pig" article: "hold liquor in the mouth for several minutes-then swallow." Sounds like it's worth a shot. Or maybe a double shot. Heck, I could learn to like a toothache . . . . Others I will pass on, period. Especially the spider webs and the cow manure. For some other odd remedies, see Appalachian Medicine ("To remove a sty from your eye -- rub a black cat's tail over it").
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Reader Comments (4)
Hi Jay, good link to the Blind Pig site. Also spent some time looking at your site. I will enjoy it further as time allows. Came over on a link from Free Republic. Good looking site you have.
Saw your post about the chemo, I guess that means what it means. Joe Cocker also had a good cover of "I Get By with a Little Help From My Friends"...I'll say a little prayer for ya.
All the best.
Mornin' Jay,
What a site! Thanks for all the effort. Beautifully designed and written. I'll surely be back.
Best,
Bob
aka: Robert C. Angel
Prof. Emer.
Department of Political Science
University of South Carolina, Columbia
Hi Jay,
I also came in from Free Republic. Great site; I've just spent about an hour wandering through your links. Bookmarked, and I'll be back; better get to work now.
Good luck with that chemo, it's just as reliable and more damaging than some of the stranger old-time cures. (IMO)
Thank you for the shout out!! Some of those old remedies really make you wonder. But as a parent-you know when your child is sick you'll do anything to help them feel better-and I imagine if there was no doctors and no information-just having Granny tell you what to do would be a comfort-even if it didn't really help.
Hope you're feeling well today!