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Nathan Foster

I have been thinking that this would be a good place to share old remedies.

I'll start the ball rolling.

1. We do a bit of barefoot work such as karate training or in the summer, going to the school pool with Riley. This means that we can come in contact with foot diseases. The kids pass these around quite a bit- verruca's are very annoying. The pharmices sell a liquid nitrogen type kit that is bloody useless.

For this, we use typical farm treatment for seedy toe in horses / cattle etc- but in a much smaller dose. Simply rough up the area, then use stokholm tar and a pinch of copper sulphate (blue stone). Rough up the area with a needle etc, then pack with this mixture (about a half pea sized amount). Use a plastter, then 2 layers or elastoplast over this to prevent seeping. Will kill anything in 24 hours. If you have foot pain from a corn, epect that to be gone in 24 hours too.

Am guessing this would kill off a lot of skin legions.

2. Kerosene / Turpentine. When I wrote the accurizing book, I went into intensiove research on the properties of Kerosene as I wanted to understand its roles in solvents etc. But what surprised me was its historic role in health. It was reported to kill blood pathogens more effectively than most other agents (though some evidence would be useful). It is said to be able to kill candida hiding within the blood stream and there is anecdotal evidence to support the theory that some internal cancers may be as a result of the body not knowing how to deal with candida within the blood. When discussing this odd curative with Steph's family, her father (Polish ancestry) mentioned that this was an old remedy he remembers as once being common. Following this, Steph tested 1 teaspoon per day for 7 days. Then later- kero in a shot glass, all with with no ill effects. Research shows usage dates back to Egyptian dynasty- so its been around. Still, there is no solid evidence for benefits and it may be a load of hoopla. Kudos to Steph for trying the old family remedy but talk about risky business. I cannot suggest this as a remedy but merely an experiment of Steph's with Polish folk medicine.

Note that modern household kerosene has dyes added (blue) which are harmful. The 4 litre containers (hardware stores) do not have this.

(Update 5 years later - I have have had two major pathogenic infections since I shared the above and even when face planted in a state of semi consciousness, my thoughts towards Kero were - not bloody likely. About all I will admit is that during my time working with stainless polishing, I took in a great deal of airborne kero and to be sure, there were no ill effects. But still...).

3. Ginger root. Sliced ginger root (not crushed processed stuff) left to steep as a tea (make sure it has a good kick) is ideal for detoxing and fighting viruses. Our liver has to work very hard, especially with all the junk we eat these days. Ginger also has plenty of nutrients and as a herb, is one of the best. If you do not drink this, you might want to start. Unfortunately, those already on blood thinners (such as the rat poison for stroke victims) will not be able to drink ginger which is a shame.

This is a great evening drink, especially after a hard days labor.

Ginger now for a healthy system or rat poison later?

4. Parsley tea. Crush a handful of parsely and make a strong neo green coloured tea. Mix with mint leaves for flavour if preferred. This is an excellent kidney detox and restorative. Again, our bodies get hammered with modern food and this is a herb of great benefit, even if taken for just one week, every few months.

In our community, we have a man, Kevin McDonald, don't know how to describe him - a white tohunga (medicine man) perhaps, a cancer sniffing dog man? (just kidding). He is highly respected within our community and in some instances has a better track record than local GP's. The ginger and parsley advice are something he continually tries to drive home to people as the very basics for ongoing health. He wrote a book a few years ago, just a short and to the point book called 'Learn to listen' (to your body). There is no bashing in the book- no need to stop drinking coffee or become a vegan etc.

Well, I better get back to writing.