A Bread and Milk Poultice: Put a tablespoonful of the crumbs of
stale bread into a gill of milk, and give the whole one boil up. Or,
take stale bread crumbs, pour over them boiling water and boil till
soft, stirring well; take from the fire and gradually stir in a little
glycerine or sweet oil, so as to render the poultice pliable when
applied.
A Hop Poultice: Boil one handful of dried hops in half a pint of
water, until the half pint is reduced to a gill, then stir into it
enough Indian meal to thicken it.
A Mustard Poultice: Into one gill of boiling water stir one
tablespoonful of Indian meal; spread the paste thus made upon a cloth
and spread over the paste one teaspoonful of mustard flour. If you
wish a mild poultice, use a teaspoonful of mustard as it is prepared
for the table, instead of the mustard flour.
Equal parts of ground mustard and flour made into a paste with warm
water, and spread between two pieces of muslin, form the indispensable
mustard plaster.
A Ginger Poultice: This is made like a mustard poultice, using
ground ginger instead of mustard. A little vinegar is sometimes added
to each of these poultices.
A Stramonium Poultice: Stir one tablespoonful of Indian meal into a
gill of boiling water and add one tablespoonful of bruised stramonium
seeds.
Wormwood and Arnica are sometimes applied in poultices. Steep the
herbs in half a pint of cold water and when all their virtue is
extracted stir in a little bran or rye meal to thicken the liquid; the
herbs must not be removed from the liquid.
This is a useful application for sprains and bruises.
Linseed Poultice: Take four ounces of powdered linseed and
gradually sprinkle it into a half pint of hot water.