Yesterday I called my grandma on the phone. She didn't recognize my voice and asked, "Um, Who is this?". No, she's not senile or batshitcrazy-my family remains stubbornly sharp-minded til the bitter end. I just have a cold and sound like a family of frogs has taken up residence in my throat. So I told her it was me and that I was sick. And then she said, "Again?!". Yep. Again. This time it's not that bad, just annoying because I cough a lot and have to sleep propped up on pillows so I can breathe. Anyway, none of this is the point of the story.
Here's a real life conversation that took place last night between me and Granny:
Me: Yeah, I've just been coughing a lot so I'm losing my voice.
Granny: Oh MAN I hate that coughing! I have some good cough medicine with codeine in it they gave me at the hospital.
Me: I can take cough drops but that's about it. And I've been wondering if a person can get addicted to Vicks Vaporub-I can't sleep at all without it.
Granny: Yeah that vicks is good stuff. I put a glob down my throat every night before bed. It's Gawd-awful but it stops me from coughing.
(At this point I'm questioning whether the cough syrup she is has REALLY that good?)
Me: You SWALLOW IT?
Granny: Yeah! And it really helps that coughing.
Me: Granny-seriously? It has turpentine in it!
Granny: Oh, Daddy used to give us turpentine all the time. He said it was good for worms.
Yeah. That happened. I love my grandma.
UPDATE: Got this from the Wikipedia page on turpentine:
ReplyDeleteMedicinal elixir
Turpentine and petroleum distillates such as coal oil and kerosene have been used medicinally since ancient times, as topical and sometimes internal home remedies. Topically it has been used for abrasions and wounds, as a treatment for lice, and when mixed with animal fat it has been used as a chest rub, or inhaler for nasal and throat ailments. Many modern chest rubs, such as the Vicks variety, still contain turpentine in their formulations.
Taken internally it was used as treatment for intestinal parasites because of its alleged antiseptic and diuretic properties, and a general cure-all as in Hamlin's Wizard Oil. Sugar, molasses or honey were sometimes used to mask the taste. Internal administration of these toxic products is no longer common today.
Turpentine was a common medicine among seamen during the Age of Discovery, and one of several products carried aboard Ferdinand Magellan's fleet in his first circumnavigation of the globe.