Mothers’ remedies. 1.  Asthma, Raspberry Tincture for Adults.—­“Take a half pound of honey, one cup water; let these boil, take off the scum; pour boiling hot upon one-half ounce lobelia herb and one-half ounce cloves; mix well, then strain and add one gill of raspberry vinegar.  Take from one teaspoonful to a dessertspoonful four times a day.  Pleasant to take.”  The above remedy is very effective, as the honey has a soothing effect upon the inflamed parts, and the lobelia causes the bronchial tubes to dilate, relieving the patient.  The raspberry tincture makes it more pleasant to take.  In severe cases it will be necessary to give enough of the above remedy to cause vomiting which relieves the phlegm.

2.  Asthma, Simple but Effective Remedy for.—­“Take pieces of ordinary blotting paper and saturate it with a strong solution of saltpetre, then dry the paper.  When a paroxysm is felt ignite a piece of the paper and inhale the smoke.  This remedy is very good and acts quickly, doing away almost entirely with the distressing symptoms and shortens the paroxysm.”

[38 Mothers’ remedies]

3.  Asthma, Lobelia Tea for.—­“There is no medicine that is half so effective as lobelia in removing the tough, hard ropy phlegm from the asthmatic persons.”  This remedy is very good, but care should be taken not to give it to consumptives, because it is too weakening.  To obtain the best results, enough of the remedy should be given to produce relaxation of the bronchial tubes.  Dose.—­For adults should be from fifteen to sixty drops according to the strength of the patient.  This will cause a little sickness of the stomach and vomiting, thus relaxing the muscles and relieving the asthma.

Physicians’ treatment for Asthma.—­1.  Inhale chloroform, or break a pearl of amyl nitrite in a handkerchief and inhale the fumes; or smoke saltpetre paper; or cigarettes containing stramonium (thornapple).  Sometimes hot coffee fumes are good.

To Prevent Recurrence.—­Take five to twenty grains of iodide of potash three times a day.  Do not eat much at night.  Do not eat foods that cause gas or that are hard to digest.  A change of climate is often good.  Hot foot baths and hot drinks are helpful.  Tincture of lobelia can be given in severe cases, fifteen drops repeated every half hour until the patient feels sick at the stomach.

2.  Vapo-Cresolene burned in a room is very good.  This can be bought in twenty-five cent bottles in any drug store, with directions around the bottle.

3.  Tartar Emetic in one-hundredth grain, two given every half hour until there is a little sickening is a very good remedy.  These can be bought at a drug store or from a homeopathic doctor or pharmacist.

Bleeding from the wind-pipe and lungs. (Haemoptysis).—­This is a spitting of blood.  It may come from the small bronchial tubes and less frequently from the blood vessels in the lung cavities or their walls.