Wart Charming - Strange Irish Cures that will make the Shamans nod!

[Guest guest]

Great info Phil!

 

Maybe I should have gone to " charm school " all those years ago! Or

become a blacksmith!

 

Bill

[Guest guest]

Hi All, & Bill

 

Bill wrote:

> I have treated simple warts successfully for years and have always

> looked for new ways to go about it. Here's what has worked for me ...

> [bill describes his methods]

 

From Ye Olde Medical Cures and Treatments [Acknowledgement to Etienne

Ryan and the Louth Archaeological Journal, and the Tostal Magazine] -

http://tinyurl.com/6jvtob - see below:

 

Warts: (a) Rub [slime from a] black snail on the wart and then impale the

snail on a thorn -- as the snail withers so will the wart. Alternatively, rub

each

wart with a stone. Then put the stones into a bag, tie it and leave it on the

road. Whomsoever finds and opens the bag will contract the warts, and, as

his develops yours will fade.

 

Irish country lore had many " folk cures " for common ailments. Some of

these involved herbs & potions but others involved prayer, laying-on of

hands, or a form of " white-witchcraft " , called Charming. I have had many

amazing experiences of this in my family.

 

For example, as a boy, one of my sons had multiple warts on the dorsum of

the fingers of one hand. We tried medically-applied caustic (I forget which

one), DIY wart-removers (styptics), topical super-glue, acupuncture,

homeopathy, visits to " Holy Wells " (common in Ireland), etc. Despite multiple

attempts, using those methods, the warts persisted.

 

One day, when my son was mowing the front lawn, our next-door neighbour

(an old woman born in West of Ireland - as I was) noticed my son's warts

and asked him if he would " sell them " to her. He thought that she was crazy

and came running in to me to tell the story. I had heard of that cure as a

child in Sligo (West Ireland) and told my son to go out to the woman and

accept her kind offer. He did this, and she paid him a few cents, saying that

the warts would be gone in a few days. To our amazement, all warts

disappeared completely within days and did not return.

 

Other examples from http://tinyurl.com/6jvtob are:

 

Alopecia / baldness: Fill a goat's bladder with human urine and and hang it

up a chimney until it dries out. Grind the bladder up with a raw onion. Rub on

bald spot.

 

Ankle Sprain: Liberally apply goose-grease to the sprained area and

bandage it.

 

Burns: Lick a lizard, then lick the burn.

 

Candidiasis / thrush: Get a posthumously born child to blow his/her breath

into the afflicted child's mouth before sunset.

 

Chilblains: Dip the affected part in cow's urine.

 

Cuts: Apply cobwebs or pig's manure.

 

Eye sty / ophthalmitis / conjunctivitis / sore eye: Over three consecutive

days, take nine gooseberry thorns, one by one, and point them at the eye,

saying each time: 'In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy

Ghost'. Then, pointing the thorn at the ground, say: 'All the badness go to

the ground.'

 

Ganmao / common cold / head cold: Washing soda, sniffed up the nose, will

encourage sneezing and ease the discomfort.

 

Parotitis / mumps~ pediatric: Put on a donkey's winkers and lead the child in

and out of a pigsty three times.

 

Pertussis / whooping cough: Put a hairy caterpillar in a stocking and tie it

around your neck. If the worm crawls all the way around the neck the

whooping cough will vanish.

 

Pharyngitis / sore throat: Put roasted salt into a sweaty sock and apply it to

the throat.

 

Stomach upsets: Tie a sprig of mint to your wrist.

[Phil: Bohe is Digestive / Aid ST / Ease Emesis / Carminative Hb; Where on

wrist? Near PC06? - a key point for LU-HT-chest-diaphragm-ST]

 

TB / consumption: Drink boiled mullein juice [from Verbascum thapsus], or

drink ass's milk.

 

Tonsillitis / sore tonsils: Fill a stocking with hot potatoes and apply to the

throat.

 

See also: http://tinyurl.com/5hrntj

 

Finally, see this from Irish Royal College of General Practitioners -

Discussion forum: Jan 2008; Topic: Forge water, folklore, and warts;

Comments by: D Deeny http://www.rcgp.org.uk/journal_/bjgp.aspx

 

Quote:

I note, from reading both local and international medical journals, that there

is no evidence that current treatment of cutaneous warts is effective1, 2 This

is particularly true for the use of liquid nitrogen.

 

I have been in general practice for 15 years. I can only concur with the

evidence. I have spent money buying liquid nitrogen equipment and getting

supplies of it delivered. I have not found it of much use when treating

cutaneous warts.

 

Forge water, the water the blacksmith uses to cool hot irons, has being used

by the Irish as a `wart cure´ for centuries.3-5 As a boy, I remember dipping

my hands in forge water; my warts went without trace, within weeks. I had

multiple hand warts for 3 years, several treatments had been tried, to no

avail, from surgery to salicylic acid pastes.

 

There is a Farrier School in Kildare Town. The organiser of this school

allowed me access to their forge water. Recently, five patients used the

forge water. In four out of five patients, all their warts disappeared with 3

months, including a 4-year-old with 15 hand warts! Needless to say they

were pleased with the results, as some had many warts for years. Forge

water treatment was painless and a non destructive treatment for their

warts. It worked for both plantar and hand warts.

 

It may be that water, high in iron concentration, is effective. Who knows?,

there maybe science in the myth. If forge water is truly effective, GPs can

use their expensive liquid nitrogen containers to store blacksmiths´ `Wart

Cure´!

 

References

1. Gibbs S, Harvey I. Topical treatments for cutaneous warts. Cochrane

Database Syst Rev. 2006, 3: CD001781.

2. Bourke J. Treatment of cutaneous warts. Modern Medicine Ireland, Oct

2006.

3. O Hogan D. Irish Superstitions, page 88.

4. Vaughan P. The Last Blacksmith of Lissmore, page 74.

5. O Farrell P. Superstitions of the Irish country people, page 41.

 

End quote

 

Best regards,

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

These are great phil thanks. Reminds me of an old Chinese external med

book that was based within the magical realm of treatment, there's

much around from the old country still. The tough part is that if the

urine in the goat bladder doesn't work, what do you say to your patient?

Regards, Tym

 

" " < wrote:

>

> Hi All, & Bill

>

> Bill wrote:

> > I have treated simple warts successfully for years and have always

> > looked for new ways to go about it. Here's what has worked for me ...

> > [bill describes his methods]

>

> From Ye Olde Medical Cures and Treatments [Acknowledgement to Etienne

> Ryan and the Louth Archaeological Journal, and the Tostal Magazine] -

> http://tinyurl.com/6jvtob - see below:

>

> Warts: (a) Rub [slime from a] black snail on the wart and then

impale the

> snail on a thorn -- as the snail withers so will the wart.

Alternatively, rub each

> wart with a stone. Then put the stones into a bag, tie it and leave

it on the

> road. Whomsoever finds and opens the bag will contract the warts,

and, as

> his develops yours will fade.

>

> Irish country lore had many " folk cures " for common ailments. Some of

> these involved herbs & potions but others involved prayer, laying-on of

> hands, or a form of " white-witchcraft " , called Charming. I have had

many

> amazing experiences of this in my family.

>

> For example, as a boy, one of my sons had multiple warts on the

dorsum of

> the fingers of one hand. We tried medically-applied caustic (I

forget which

> one), DIY wart-removers (styptics), topical super-glue, acupuncture,

> homeopathy, visits to " Holy Wells " (common in Ireland), etc. Despite

multiple

> attempts, using those methods, the warts persisted.

>

> One day, when my son was mowing the front lawn, our next-door neighbour

> (an old woman born in West of Ireland - as I was) noticed my son's

warts

> and asked him if he would " sell them " to her. He thought that she

was crazy

> and came running in to me to tell the story. I had heard of that

cure as a

> child in Sligo (West Ireland) and told my son to go out to the woman

and

> accept her kind offer. He did this, and she paid him a few cents,

saying that

> the warts would be gone in a few days. To our amazement, all warts

> disappeared completely within days and did not return.

>

> Other examples from http://tinyurl.com/6jvtob are:

>

> Alopecia / baldness: Fill a goat's bladder with human urine and and

hang it

> up a chimney until it dries out. Grind the bladder up with a raw

onion. Rub on

> bald spot.

>

> Ankle Sprain: Liberally apply goose-grease to the sprained area and

> bandage it.

>

> Burns: Lick a lizard, then lick the burn.

>

> Candidiasis / thrush: Get a posthumously born child to blow his/her

breath

> into the afflicted child's mouth before sunset.

>

> Chilblains: Dip the affected part in cow's urine.

>

> Cuts: Apply cobwebs or pig's manure.

>

> Eye sty / ophthalmitis / conjunctivitis / sore eye: Over three

consecutive

> days, take nine gooseberry thorns, one by one, and point them at the

eye,

> saying each time: 'In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy

> Ghost'. Then, pointing the thorn at the ground, say: 'All the

badness go to

> the ground.'

>

> Ganmao / common cold / head cold: Washing soda, sniffed up the nose,

will

> encourage sneezing and ease the discomfort.

>

> Parotitis / mumps~ pediatric: Put on a donkey's winkers and lead the

child in

> and out of a pigsty three times.

>

> Pertussis / whooping cough: Put a hairy caterpillar in a stocking

and tie it

> around your neck. If the worm crawls all the way around the neck the

> whooping cough will vanish.

>

> Pharyngitis / sore throat: Put roasted salt into a sweaty sock and

apply it to

> the throat.

>

> Stomach upsets: Tie a sprig of mint to your wrist.

> [Phil: Bohe is Digestive / Aid ST / Ease Emesis / Carminative Hb;

Where on

> wrist? Near PC06? - a key point for LU-HT-chest-diaphragm-ST]

>

> TB / consumption: Drink boiled mullein juice [from Verbascum

thapsus], or

> drink ass's milk.

>

> Tonsillitis / sore tonsils: Fill a stocking with hot potatoes and

apply to the

> throat.

>

> See also: http://tinyurl.com/5hrntj

>

> Finally, see this from Irish Royal College of General Practitioners -

> Discussion forum: Jan 2008; Topic: Forge water, folklore, and

warts;

> Comments by: D Deeny http://www.rcgp.org.uk/journal_/bjgp.aspx

>

> Quote:

> I note, from reading both local and international medical journals,

that there

> is no evidence that current treatment of cutaneous warts is

effective1, 2 This

> is particularly true for the use of liquid nitrogen.

>

> I have been in general practice for 15 years. I can only concur with

the

> evidence. I have spent money buying liquid nitrogen equipment and

getting

> supplies of it delivered. I have not found it of much use when treating

> cutaneous warts.

>

> Forge water, the water the blacksmith uses to cool hot irons, has

being used

> by the Irish as a `wart cure´ for centuries.3-5 As a boy, I remember

dipping

> my hands in forge water; my warts went without trace, within weeks.

I had

> multiple hand warts for 3 years, several treatments had been tried,

to no

> avail, from surgery to salicylic acid pastes.

>

> There is a Farrier School in Kildare Town. The organiser of this school

> allowed me access to their forge water. Recently, five patients used

the

> forge water. In four out of five patients, all their warts

disappeared with 3

> months, including a 4-year-old with 15 hand warts! Needless to say they

> were pleased with the results, as some had many warts for years. Forge

> water treatment was painless and a non destructive treatment for their

> warts. It worked for both plantar and hand warts.

>

> It may be that water, high in iron concentration, is effective. Who

knows?,

> there maybe science in the myth. If forge water is truly effective,

GPs can

> use their expensive liquid nitrogen containers to store blacksmiths´

`Wart

> Cure´!

>

> References

> 1. Gibbs S, Harvey I. Topical treatments for cutaneous warts. Cochrane

> Database Syst Rev. 2006, 3: CD001781.

> 2. Bourke J. Treatment of cutaneous warts. Modern Medicine Ireland, Oct

> 2006.

> 3. O Hogan D. Irish Superstitions, page 88.

> 4. Vaughan P. The Last Blacksmith of Lissmore, page 74.

> 5. O Farrell P. Superstitions of the Irish country people, page 41.

>

> End quote

>

> Best regards,

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Phil this is great stuff, probably would make a great thread here, to see all

our combined grandmother stories. Empirical.

 

< wrote: Hi All, &

Bill

 

Bill wrote:

> I have treated simple warts successfully for years and have always

> looked for new ways to go about it. Here's what has worked for me ...

> [bill describes his methods]

 

From Ye Olde Medical Cures and Treatments [Acknowledgement to Etienne

Ryan and the Louth Archaeological Journal, and the Tostal Magazine] -

http://tinyurl.com/6jvtob - see below:

 

Warts: (a) Rub [slime from a] black snail on the wart and then impale the

snail on a thorn -- as the snail withers so will the wart. Alternatively, rub

each

wart with a stone. Then put the stones into a bag, tie it and leave it on the

road. Whomsoever finds and opens the bag will contract the warts, and, as

his develops yours will fade.

 

Irish country lore had many " folk cures " for common ailments. Some of

these involved herbs & potions but others involved prayer, laying-on of

hands, or a form of " white-witchcraft " , called Charming. I have had many

amazing experiences of this in my family.

 

For example, as a boy, one of my sons had multiple warts on the dorsum of

the fingers of one hand. We tried medically-applied caustic (I forget which

one), DIY wart-removers (styptics), topical super-glue, acupuncture,

homeopathy, visits to " Holy Wells " (common in Ireland), etc. Despite multiple

attempts, using those methods, the warts persisted.

 

One day, when my son was mowing the front lawn, our next-door neighbour

(an old woman born in West of Ireland - as I was) noticed my son's warts

and asked him if he would " sell them " to her. He thought that she was crazy

and came running in to me to tell the story. I had heard of that cure as a

child in Sligo (West Ireland) and told my son to go out to the woman and

accept her kind offer. He did this, and she paid him a few cents, saying that

the warts would be gone in a few days. To our amazement, all warts

disappeared completely within days and did not return.

 

Other examples from http://tinyurl.com/6jvtob are:

 

Alopecia / baldness: Fill a goat's bladder with human urine and and hang it

up a chimney until it dries out. Grind the bladder up with a raw onion. Rub on

bald spot.

 

Ankle Sprain: Liberally apply goose-grease to the sprained area and

bandage it.

 

Burns: Lick a lizard, then lick the burn.

 

Candidiasis / thrush: Get a posthumously born child to blow his/her breath

into the afflicted child's mouth before sunset.

 

Chilblains: Dip the affected part in cow's urine.

 

Cuts: Apply cobwebs or pig's manure.

 

Eye sty / ophthalmitis / conjunctivitis / sore eye: Over three consecutive

days, take nine gooseberry thorns, one by one, and point them at the eye,

saying each time: 'In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy

Ghost'. Then, pointing the thorn at the ground, say: 'All the badness go to

the ground.'

 

Ganmao / common cold / head cold: Washing soda, sniffed up the nose, will

encourage sneezing and ease the discomfort.

 

Parotitis / mumps~ pediatric: Put on a donkey's winkers and lead the child in

and out of a pigsty three times.

 

Pertussis / whooping cough: Put a hairy caterpillar in a stocking and tie it

around your neck. If the worm crawls all the way around the neck the

whooping cough will vanish.

 

Pharyngitis / sore throat: Put roasted salt into a sweaty sock and apply it to

the throat.

 

Stomach upsets: Tie a sprig of mint to your wrist.

[Phil: Bohe is Digestive / Aid ST / Ease Emesis / Carminative Hb; Where on

wrist? Near PC06? - a key point for LU-HT-chest-diaphragm-ST]

 

TB / consumption: Drink boiled mullein juice [from Verbascum thapsus], or

drink ass's milk.

 

Tonsillitis / sore tonsils: Fill a stocking with hot potatoes and apply to the

throat.

 

See also: http://tinyurl.com/5hrntj

 

Finally, see this from Irish Royal College of General Practitioners -

Discussion forum: Jan 2008; Topic: Forge water, folklore, and warts;

Comments by: D Deeny http://www.rcgp.org.uk/journal_/bjgp.aspx

 

Quote:

I note, from reading both local and international medical journals, that there

is no evidence that current treatment of cutaneous warts is effective1, 2 This

is particularly true for the use of liquid nitrogen.

 

I have been in general practice for 15 years. I can only concur with the

evidence. I have spent money buying liquid nitrogen equipment and getting

supplies of it delivered. I have not found it of much use when treating

cutaneous warts.

 

Forge water, the water the blacksmith uses to cool hot irons, has being used

by the Irish as a `wart cure´ for centuries.3-5 As a boy, I remember dipping

my hands in forge water; my warts went without trace, within weeks. I had

multiple hand warts for 3 years, several treatments had been tried, to no

avail, from surgery to salicylic acid pastes.

 

There is a Farrier School in Kildare Town. The organiser of this school

allowed me access to their forge water. Recently, five patients used the

forge water. In four out of five patients, all their warts disappeared with 3

months, including a 4-year-old with 15 hand warts! Needless to say they

were pleased with the results, as some had many warts for years. Forge

water treatment was painless and a non destructive treatment for their

warts. It worked for both plantar and hand warts.

 

It may be that water, high in iron concentration, is effective. Who knows?,

there maybe science in the myth. If forge water is truly effective, GPs can

use their expensive liquid nitrogen containers to store blacksmiths´ `Wart

Cure´!

 

References

1. Gibbs S, Harvey I. Topical treatments for cutaneous warts. Cochrane

Database Syst Rev. 2006, 3: CD001781.

2. Bourke J. Treatment of cutaneous warts. Modern Medicine Ireland, Oct

2006.

3. O Hogan D. Irish Superstitions, page 88.

4. Vaughan P. The Last Blacksmith of Lissmore, page 74.

5. O Farrell P. Superstitions of the Irish country people, page 41.

 

End quote

 

Best regards,