Gàidhlig / English
Leigheasan

Leigheasan

Posted by Abi on 23rd of November 2017

The old remedies that we have in our fieldwork archive are my favourite things at DASG. Some of them are very unusual and I would like to hear from anyone who has ever used any of them. We have many on our website but today I will be writing about some of my favourites that I have found over the years working on the project. Why not let us know on Facebook or Twitter about any other remedies you have found in our archive or that you have heard of?

Many remedies were recorded in Harris. In Scalpay, paraffin oil or urine (fresh only!) was used as an antiseptic for cuts. If that did not work, there was also Fionnadh a chait;

‘An informant told me that the remedy was applied to a cut on her forehead by her father, and that was about 50 years ago (from 1978). Her father cut some of the cats [sic] hair with the scissors and spread the hair on a bandage and then on to the cut, it was believed that it had healing properties beside effective in the case of bleeding and seemingly a ‘disinfectant’ advantage. My informant again showed me where the cut was on her forehead. You could hardly believe there was a cut there.’

Every day foods were used as remedies as well and we have many entries about porridge and whisky. Porridge was a good way to get rid of stomach ulcers and people thought it was absorbent and therefore good at dealing with bad food in your stomach. Whisky was used for toothache, fainting and weakness. It was also used for a cold and you would drink it with hot water as hot as you could stand and this was known as a ‘totaidh’.

Another cure for a cold now, a swim in the sea and then to bed;

‘A gentleman on the Island of Scalpay years back was under a dose of cold. While he was engaged in mooring a boat he had, he fell accidentally into the sea at the point of disembarkation, this was by the shore. The place by the shore was shallow, he pulled himself over the seaweed on to the rocks, he had his clothes on, of course. On arriving home he immediately changed into fresh dry clothing again, of course, and found its [sic] ordeal so refreshing, and the cold none the worse, and by next day the cold ‘was gone’.’

In South Uist when somebody had toothache, someone else wrote some words on a small piece of paper and put it under a rock. The toothache would grow better as the piece of paper rotted. That remedy is a bit friendlier than this one... the poor otter!

Unfortunately, however we have no cure to give you for hardship;

“Chan eil air a chruadal (distress) ach cruadhachadh ris.” Notes: There is no remedy for hardship but to harden against it.”

 

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