Poultices were made from watercress, lemon balm or honey and applied to the boil. More usual poultices made from bread and milk were also used to bring boils to a head. To draw the boil a paste of mashed cooked leeks was applied, and grated raw carrot was used in a poultice to speed up the healing process.
Onion juice was also used to cure boils, as was a poultice made from crushed boiled turnips. A burdock poultice could be used to reduce inflammation and a comfrey hot poultice to draw the pus. A compress using eucalyptus oil was thought to be effective in speeding the healing process. Horseradish was also used externally as a cure for boils.
Another folk cure to bring a boil to a head used an egg. The egg was boiled and the skin peeled from it while it was still wet. The skin was then placed on the boil.
Boils were also cured using Epsom salts. Sufferers from boils were advised to put some Epsom salts in a dish and place it in an oven until it became powdery. A little glycerin was then added and the mixture put on a piece of cloth or lint and placed on the boil.
Haricot beans were used in a cure for boils. The haricot beans were reduced to a powder and mixed with fenugreek and honey before being applied to the boil.
A simpler and more pleasant method used chamomile flowers. These were used in hot fomentation that were applied to the boil.
Some remedies were internal. A drink was made from the root of the duck plant and boiling water and taken to purify the blood. Alternatively, the centers of blackberry shoots were boiled, left to soak and strained. The resultant liquid was to be drunk every morning.
Boils were thought to be a sign that the sufferer was not in the best of health. Tonics and purgatives were recommended.
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