From potatoes to cans: how was the common cold treated in the USSR

The cold season is approaching, so you need to meet him fully armed. And also with pleasant (and maybe not very pleasant, but definitely funny) memories. Surely we all remember those grandmother’s methods that tried to cure colds in Soviet times. Many of them are more like some special rituals for expelling colds. Well, for those who may start to twitch their eyes nervously from such treatment, we remind you: most of these funds have not been used for many years and have long been considered ineffective. So let's remember what a Soviet man had to do to recover from a cold.

Breathe over the potatoes

In Soviet times, breathing over boiled potatoes was a sure way to cure a cold. Some had inhalers in the house, but good old potatoes were considered more effective. Well, the procedure itself resembled a sacrament: you had to sit over the pan from which hot steam was coming out and cover yourself with a blanket. And then sit as long as you can stand. Well, or until the potatoes have cooled. One thing is not clear, why exactly potatoes? Do couples from boiled carrots or chicken do not have healing properties?

Make alcohol compresses

Alcohol and a warm blanket are two more components of a special ritual to expel colds. Today, many adults would probably not refuse such treatment, but for Soviet children this was a real test. Ideally, a compress was sewn with a gauze bandage, and at the worst, ordinary cotton wool also came up. She was abundantly moistened with vodka, wrapped in a bag, and then wrapped around the neck of the patient. Well, to top it was necessary to tie a scarf and fall asleep sweetly under the couples that exuded a compress.

Draw a grid of iodine

The iodine grid was painted with almost any ailment: injury, scratches, abrasions. Even the injection site was painted with iodine. Of course, with a cold without it in any way: during a cough, a net was drawn on the chest and back, believing that this would necessarily lead to healing. Children, however, liked it: when will adults be allowed to paint on their bodies?

Bury aloe

The usual indoor flower has turned in the hands of home-grown doctors into a real magical tool. Tinctures were made from aloe, applied to wounds, buried in various places. Of course, the flower probably has useful properties, but there is a suspicion that Soviet residents overestimated it somewhat.

Anoint with green

And one more color assistant from the USSR. She smeared any abrasions and cuts, she was indispensable for chickenpox. This, by the way, is one of the most effective antiseptics, but it is distributed only in the CIS countries. Although diamond green is also allowed in Europe, for some reason it has never been popular with the public. By the way, with colds, it was also used in small quantities, but we will not go into details about how it was done.

Drink potassium permanganate

The potassium permanganate stood on a par with iodine and zelenka and helped absolutely from everything. Babies were bathed in her, her wounds and burns were treated. Well, for the treatment of colds, a weak solution of potassium permanganate was necessary to drink: it was believed that potassium permanganate was able to destroy all viruses from the inside.

Put cans

Oh, banks are a special ritual in which fire and alcohol were a must. The sacrament began with the fact that the back of the patient was abundantly smeared with liquid paraffin. The round glass jars were rubbed inside with alcohol, and then kept above the flame. Well, then the worst thing began: they were attached to the back. Of course, a couple of cans can not do here, soon the patient resembled a hedgehog with round needles. Then they covered him with a blanket and left a miracle cure for half an hour.

The main sign that banks operate is the characteristic bluish traces from them, which then went off for several days. And yes, it was necessary to put it very carefully, because a jar on the spine could provoke paralysis. Of course, these were just unsubstantiated rumors, but still it’s not entirely clear why there was such a risk?