Good for what ails you.
In the Irish home, there are certain staples when it comes to feeling poorly that never go out of style.
From your mother to her mother before her, there are just some remedies that have stood the test of time and that we will one day pass down to our children.
If you grew up in a typical Irish household, chances are that you’ve had one, or all of these, when you were ill.
7-Up
How could we talk about Irish home remedies without talking about the greatest cure-all of all, 7-Up?
Usually boiled first to take out all the fizz 7-Up is better than a trip to Lourdes, according to most grannies.
Lucozade
Lucozade is also a big hit in Irish households.
Generally broken out when it’s determined you need a drop of glucose to get you going.
The really old school remedy that my grandmother still uses is a glass of water with sugar in it but Lucozade tastes a lot better so we’ll just stick with that.
Sudocrem
It’s a fact that Sudocrem can heal any wound, at least in Ireland anyway.
Whether you skinned your knee or ended up with a rash from your itchy school jumper, Sudocrem would be slathered on you. Low and behold, you were cured.
Dock leaves
Dock leaves – magic direct from nature itself.
As a kid who liked to be outside climbing trees I can’t tell you how many times I got stung by nettles.
A little rub of that dock leaf though and I was back out the door – only to arrive back five minutes later because I’d gotten stung again.
Calpol
Calpol has long been the go-to brand for Irish parents when it comes teething pains and fevers and we all grew up loving it, well the purple bottle anyway.
It turns out there’s no age limit on using it either as far as Irish mammies are concerned – there’s usually still a bottle stashed in the press even when the kids are college-age or older.
A few years ago my grandmother offered me a spoonful of Calpol Six Plus when I said I had a temperature with the remark ‘well you’re over six, aren’t you?’ To be fair to her, I was.
Calamine Lotion
Unlike the purple bottle of Calpol, calamine was not beloved, it was just a fact of life.
If you got sunburnt or had the chickenpox, you could be sure that you were going to get covered in stinky calamine lotion.
In my house, it was also kept in the fridge so not only did it smell, it was also freezing when it went on.
Tea and Toast
Last but certainly not least, the Holy Grail of Irish home remedies, tea and toast.
It works so well that it’s even served to mums after they’ve just given birth. having had two kids I can confirm that it is the best tasting tea and toast ever.
From a dodgy stomach to the common cols, tea and toast works a treat.
