# Cough Remedy



## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

I was going out in our sunny 80 degree afternoon to take a last look at the garden before it got dark and I noticed all the "Wild Lettuce" that was up past ankle high. Decided to pick it and make the first batch of "Cough Syrup" of the season.

Picked 2 large grocery bags full and have it on the stove cooking down now. I will leave it on to simmer all night then finish the batch around lunch time tomorrow.

We have all had coughs this spring so a fresh batch will be welcome.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Davarm said:


> I was going out in our sunny 80 degree afternoon to take a last look at the garden before it got dark and I noticed all the "Wild Lettuce" that was up past ankle high. Decided to pick it and make the first batch of "Cough Syrup" of the season.
> 
> Picked 2 large grocery bags full and have it on the stove cooking down now. I will leave it on to simmer all night then finish the batch around lunch time tomorrow.
> 
> We have all had coughs this spring so a fresh batch will be welcome.


I finished up the cough syrup, 2 3 gallon graniteware pans of wild lettuce processed down to a 1/2 quart of syrup, man I had almost forgot how nasty that stuff was.

For those of you that are old enough, in the 50's and 60's their was a cough syrup on the market called something like "Creomultion", smelled like burnt wires and tasted even worse. This appears to be it, it is about like a bottle of black tar and smells not much different.

I dont want to get into any trouble for practicing medicine with out a license or for pushing "quack" remedies so I will qualify its effect with that in mind. It appears to help with persistant coughs and has a calming effect on the respiratory system.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Smelled like burnt wires and tasted even worse ~ lol ... So I have heard.

I've never made or tried it but most people say it works and taste like crap.  lol

Congrats on the cough syrup! Always nice to have some on hand.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

*Andi said:


> Smelled like burnt wires and tasted even worse ~ lol ... So I have heard.
> 
> I've never made or tried it but most people say it works and taste like crap.  lol
> 
> Congrats on the cough syrup! Always nice to have some on hand.


Taste like crap!, Not really the best choice of words!:shtf:


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

What ... I was just telling you what I have heard. lol


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

*Andi said:


> What ... I was just telling you what I have heard. lol


Otay......


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## md1911 (Feb 9, 2012)

Davarm said:


> I finished up the cough syrup, 2 3 gallon graniteware pans of wild lettuce processed down to a 1/2 quart of syrup, man I had almost forgot how nasty that stuff was.
> 
> For those of you that are old enough, in the 50's and 60's their was a cough syrup on the market called something like "Creomultion", smelled like burnt wires and tasted even worse. This appears to be it, it is about like a bottle of black tar and smells not much different.
> 
> I dont want to get into any trouble for practicing medicine with out a license or for pushing "quack" remedies so I will qualify its effect with that in mind. It appears to help with persistant coughs and has a calming effect on the respiratory system.


I'm not sure but seams like my grandma used to make something like that. It was kinda like kissing a electic pole. Tasted like s**t. But worked great.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

md1911 said:


> I'm not sure but seams like my grandma used to make something like that. It was kinda like kissing a electic pole. Tasted like s**t. But worked great.


Could be one in the same, but you are %100 correct, works great!


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

I went out to cut the jungle that was growing around my garden today and found so much of the Wild Lettuce growing that I couldn't bring myself to mow it down. I spent about 45 minutes cutting it and got enough to make about 2 quarts of syrup(or Jam, see below). Should be enough to keep us the rest of the year.

I recently made a batch for a friend and pressure canned it so it would be sure and keep. Dumb old me, I did not consider that I made it with "a BUNCH of sugar" and when I took it out of the canner, it was more like Jam than Syrup.

I opened one jar of the stuff and took a spoonful to make sure I was not making something that was not usable. To my surprise, it went down quite a bit easier than the syrup. It just stayed in a "Blob...(not The_Blob)" and you didn't have to taste it as much. Will continue to make it this way.


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## LilRedHen (Aug 28, 2011)

Davarm said:


> I went out to cut the jungle that was growing around my garden today and found so much of the Wild Lettuce growing that I couldn't bring myself to mow it down.


Could you post a pic of the wild lettuce before it wilts? I don't know a thing about herbs and a picture of it growing would help a lot.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

LilRedHen said:


> Could you post a pic of the wild lettuce before it wilts? I don't know a thing about herbs and a picture of it growing would help a lot.


Yes, I will go out after the dew has a chance to burn off and get some pictures at several stages of growth and post them.


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## JoKing (Mar 11, 2012)

Sorry. Accidentally hit send.


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## JoKing (Mar 11, 2012)

Davarm said:


> To my surprise, it went down quite a bit easier than the syrup. It just stayed in a "Blob...(not The_Blob)" and you didn't have to taste it as much. Will continue to make it this way.


I am not educated at all on this but I assume (dangerous, I know) that granny wasn't just being mean by making that stuff stick around.

I'm not trying to debunk, I promise. But I would hate to have a bunch of jam that went down better but didn't work as well or didn't last as long.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

JoKing said:


> I am not educated at all on this but I assume (dangerous, I know) that granny wasn't just being mean by making that stuff stick around.
> 
> I'm not trying to debunk, I promise. But I would hate to have a bunch of jam that went down better but didn't work as well or didn't last as long.


I dont know about how long either will last, last years bottle(of syrup) that was in the fridge is still appears to be good(still stinks and tastes like burnt wires) and the daughters say it still works on the menstrual cramps. I assume(I also know) it will still be effective on coughs.

The pressure canned jars of "Jam", I took a dose of it and it eased the coughs and put me in the right mood to go to sleep.

I didn't take the question as a challenge, "I promise", good honest questions and discussion can only benefit all involved.

If you, or anyone else has any input on this topic be it from experience of from knowledge handed down, please post it, I am not too proud to learn something.


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## JoKing (Mar 11, 2012)

Davarm said:


> I dont know about how long either will last, last years bottle(of syrup) that was in the fridge is still appears to be good(still stinks and tastes like burnt wires) and the daughters say it still works on the menstrual cramps. I assume(I also know) it will still be effective on coughs.
> 
> The pressure canned jars of "Jam", I took a dose of it and it eased the coughs and put me in the right mood to go to sleep.
> 
> ...


As far as how long it would last, I was wondering how long it would coat your throat vs syrup(if that is even part of the effectiveness). Since it works the same, I wonder how many people mirrored your mistake and threw it out to make nastier stuff lol.

Now, put your mad scientist hat on and make it in a pill JK.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

JoKing said:


> As far as how long it would last, I was wondering how long it would coat your throat vs syrup(if that is even part of the effectiveness). Since it works the same, I wonder how many people mirrored your mistake and threw it out to make nastier stuff lol.
> 
> Now, put your mad scientist hat on and make it in a pill JK.


I know exactly how long the effects last, about 3 to 4 hours with the syrup, and at least 2 hours with the "Jam", I went to bed after the 2 hours and dont know how till it wore off. It does not work by coating your throat, according to the folklore and my experience, it "has a sedative effect on he respiratory system" so those long hacking coughs that get your diaphragm sore will be greatly eased. It is not an expectorant either, I have been trying to find a wild remedy that works as one, some favorable leads but no success so far.

I will leave it to the more adventurous peeps to put it in a pill form, with my luck I would get raided by an "Ignorant..excuse me, Not Knowlegeable" DEA bunch....I think that a pill big enough to hold a tablespoon full of the syrup probably would fit a little more easily somewhere else.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

LilRedHen said:


> Could you post a pic of the wild lettuce before it wilts? I don't know a thing about herbs and a picture of it growing would help a lot.


I just looked at these pictures, it was kinda bright outside and couldnt see them well on the camera. If you need some better ones the plants are just outside my back door.

A healthy and robust Wild Lettuce plant kinda resembles a thistle, the big visual difference is the flower head. It looks like a cluster of small yellow dandelion flowers and seeds the same way.


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## mpguy18 (Sep 7, 2011)

Davarm, any idea what plant it really is?


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## westbrook (Oct 28, 2008)

wild lettuce is the poor mans opium.

for coughs I make horehound candy


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

mpguy18 said:


> Davarm, any idea what plant it really is?


Yes, I do know exactly what it is AND how it works. I did alot of research before I even thought about using it. Just because my Great Grandmother used it as a cough remedy and general cure all didn't mean that I would blindly make and use it.

The Old Generations used alot of things as remedies that had no real effect and some of which actually did more harm than good. For instance, Turpentine, there is no way I would use that for a remedy of any kind. The same goes with Coal Oil, I didnt even have to look that one up to know that it was quite dangerous(taken Internally).

http://www.planetbotanic.ca/fact_sheets/wild_lettuce_fs.htm


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## Toffee (Mar 13, 2012)

Davarm said:


> The Old Generations used alot of things as remedies that had no real effect and some of which actually did more harm than good. For instance, Turpentine, there is no way I would use that for a remedy of any kind. The same goes with Coal Oil, I didnt even have to look that one up to know that it was quite dangerous.
> 
> http://www.planetbotanic.ca/fact_sheets/wild_lettuce_fs.htm


Coal oil might be dangerous if taken orally, but to date it is widely cited as the best known cure/preventative measure for certain skin conditions. In fact, I personally use it all the time for my persistent and painful psoriasis.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Toffee said:


> Coal oil might be dangerous if taken orally, but to date it is widely cited as the best known cure/preventative measure for certain skin conditions. In fact, I personally use it all the time for my persistent and painful psoriasis.


Oh well, I guess I stand corrected then. I would "assume" from your post that you did not take it internally. How do you use it?

I will never pass up the opportunity to learn another "Non Traditional" remedy/treatment.


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## Toffee (Mar 13, 2012)

Davarm said:


> Oh well, I guess I stand corrected then. I would "assume" from your post that you did not take it internally. How do you use it?
> 
> I will never pass up the opportunity to learn another "Non Traditional" remedy/treatment.


It's actually the most popular way to treat psoriasis. It's a coal tar solution. I have mild to moderate psoriasis on my ears, so I gently rub the coal tar on my 'scabs'. I believe the product I use is called psoriasin.


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## goatlady (Nov 7, 2011)

There is a food grade turpintine available at some pharmacys also. Not exactly the same as paint thinner at all. I have a bottle stashed somewhere. There is also a food grade powdered charcoal, called activated charcoal, everyone should have in their medicine cabinet. It is an almost instant poison absorber in the stomach - on contact it absorbs and binds ingested poison and enables that to be expelled from the body without doing harm or damage. You drink it, sludgy though it is or in severe cases you entubate and pour that sludge down the tube. Be sure to have a funnel that will fit that tubing you are using.


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## kyhoti (Nov 16, 2008)

Man, I have two huge plants of this stuff that have refused to go away in my flower beds. Here I've been composting it as yard waste and throwing out good medicine. Looks like I'll be trying the tea as soon as I dry this stuff out. Is there a preferred or optimal harvest time? Mine is flowering right now;am I good to go?


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## Rachel (Mar 5, 2012)

Coal oil works on eczema too.


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## JustUs (Nov 7, 2011)

Isn't there another name for this plant? I know the plant, have it growing in my yard but didn't know it was useful. That's not what I know it by, but I sure can't think of it's "other name".


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## TheSurvivalDoctor (Mar 25, 2012)

Very interesting thread. I haven't ever heard of wild lettuce for cough. I know studies have shown honey works better for coughs than over-the-counter cough meds. 

Anyway, no studies on wild lettuce, but it makes sense. The best prescription cough meds contain codeine or hydrocodone (opiates). The wild lettuce extract causes some opiate-like effects. Hmmm. I'd just be careful of not taking too much at a time, but I'll bet the taste keeps you from doing that.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

kyhoti said:


> Is there a preferred or optimal harvest time? Mine is flowering right now;am I good to go?


I'd get the seeds first then cut it off at the base leaving a few leaves so it will regrow. The best time to pick it is when its "green"(just about any time is good).



kyhoti said:


> Very interesting thread. I haven't ever heard of wild lettuce for cough. I know studies have shown honey works better for coughs than over-the-counter cough meds.
> 
> Anyway, no studies on wild lettuce, but it makes sense. The best prescription cough meds contain codeine or hydrocodone (opiates). The wild lettuce extract causes some opiate-like effects. Hmmm. I'd just be careful of not taking too much at a time, but I'll bet the taste keeps you from doing that.


I've read just about everything I could find on the subject, the impression that I got was that if you consumed enough of it to be the least bit harmful, its harmful effects would be the last of your worries.

Throughout history it has been widely used and I could find no real warnings or dangers, other than the worries that its use would tend to decrease the population by making you go to sleep rather than making babies.

Even though it was abundantly used by my grandparents(and father long ago), I studied up on it before I tried it out on myself and let my daughters use it for their monthly cramps and coughs.



JustUs said:


> Isn't there another name for this plant? I know the plant, have it growing in my yard but didn't know it was useful. That's not what I know it by, but I sure can't think of it's "other name".


In all the reading I've done on it, the only thing I've ever found it called was "Lettuce" in times before table lettuce was domesticated and "Wild Lettuce" afterwards. All the modern verities of lettuce are descended from the "stuff" that we call Wild Lettuce"

If anyone has any contradictory findings or concerns on this, "Please" dont keep it to yourself.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Toffee said:


> It's actually the most popular way to treat psoriasis. It's a coal tar solution. I have mild to moderate psoriasis on my ears, so I gently rub the coal tar on my 'scabs'. I believe the product I use is called psoriasin.





Rachel said:


> Coal oil works on eczema too.


Aaaah,....Tegrin, the main ingredient is Coal Tar or Coal Oil....never made the connection.



Rachel said:


> There is a food grade turpintine available at some pharmacys also. Not exactly the same as paint thinner at all. I have a bottle stashed somewhere. There is also a food grade powdered charcoal, called activated charcoal, everyone should have in their medicine cabinet. It is an almost instant poison absorber in the stomach - on contact it absorbs and binds ingested poison and enables that to be expelled from the body without doing harm or damage. You drink it, sludgy though it is or in severe cases you entubate and pour that sludge down the tube. Be sure to have a funnel that will fit that tubing you are using.


Agreed on the charcoal.....has many uses and can be a life saver(literally).

How is the Turpintine used? I know that it is made from some form of "Pine Pitch" but did not know that it had legitimate health benefits.

I guess I used the wrong examples for old remedies that were not safe didn't I?

If I'd had this kind of learning tool(forum discussions and internet) early in life I may not have worried about college.


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## goatlady (Nov 7, 2011)

Rectified oil of Turpentine is very similar to tea tree oil, but stronger, and in some cases better. However, unlike tea tree oil turpentine can be dangerous. however when used wisely, spirits of rectified oil of Turpentine has been ever bit as useful, in some cases even more useful, than tea tree oil, as Turpentine is a multi-faceted compound that has served man for decades. Understanding which turpentine to use can be confusing. All forms are derivatives of pine resin, and all have been used as healing agents since antiquity. Even pine tar water can be given to animals with chronic coughs. The tar can be used internally, and externally both as a stimulant and as an antiseptic for skin conditions. 

BTW, my name is goatlady!!


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## JustUs (Nov 7, 2011)

Davarm said:


> In all the reading I've done on it, the only thing I've ever found it called was "Lettuce" in times before table lettuce was domesticated and "Wild Lettuce" afterwards. All the modern verities of lettuce are descended from the "stuff" that we call Wild Lettuce"
> 
> If anyone has any contradictory findings or concerns on this, "Please" dont keep it to yourself.


Humm...then maybe what I have growing in my yard isn't wild lettuce. I think I better verify with some one locally before making anything from it.


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## goatlady (Nov 7, 2011)

smart move as according to Wikipedia..."Lactuca virosa is a plant in the Lactuca (lettuce) genus, ingested often for its mild psychotropic (specifically hypnotic or sedative) effects which are often described as being similar to that of opium.[1] It is related to common lettuce (L. sativa), and is often called Wild Lettuce, Bitter lettuce, Laitue vireuse, Opium Lettuce, Poisonous Lettuce, or Rakutu-Karyumu-So."
NOT something to mess around with.


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## Lake Windsong (Nov 27, 2009)

For coughs, my grandma would give us a small spoonful of brown sugar. If we really had the crud, she kept a jar of honey, lemon juice, and Jack Daniel in the fridge. For some reason, when the kids were sick, that concoction would be heavy on the honey but the adult version was a lot thinner...


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