Bed Wetting

One particularly unpleasant early remedy for bed-wetting to give child boiled mouse flesh. Practically anything would be more palatable than that.

Another early remedy, fortunately a great deal less gruesome, was tea made from St. John’s wort and plantain and sweetened with honey. Also more pleasant was a mixture of thyme and honey.

An infusion of various herbs was also recommended, the herbs being basil, betony, golden rod and tansy. A later remedy involved the use of cardamom. This was also used in cases of incontinence.

Other herbs thought to be useful for curing bed-wetting were bearberry, fennel, hollyhock, pansy and St. John’s wort.

One rather strange suggestion related to the way the child lay in bed. To prevent children who persistently wet the bed from so doing, it was recommended that they were discouraged from sleeping on their backs by taping an empty cotton reel to the back of their nightwear. This was also used in an attempt to stop people from snoring.

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