33 Unusual Old Remedies - mental_floss List Show Ep. 327
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- Опубліковано 21 сер 2024
- A weekly show where knowledge junkies get their fix of trivia-tastic information. This week, John looks at some unusual, old remedies people used to use.
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I like the pre-surgical requirement to calculate the position of the moon... it's an excellent field sobriety test!
+King Doomfist I hadn't thought of that. You make a good point.
I think you mispronounced that, sir! Crocodile Hearts are for A Reptile Dysfunction.
Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week!
I appreciate that joke. Well done.
+Will Holz XD
Nothing against the other hosts, but I get so happy when I see that John is the host
FYI, LSD Therapy is actually on the comeback with research, especially for things like PDSD.
+Dorian Lang (RangerXML) Yeah, there's a whole field on entheogens for exactly this sort of thing. My alma mater (California Institute of Integral Studies) has conferences and scholar groups around this.
What is PDSD
+Inconspicuous Username I think they meant to type PTSD, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
"Penis" - John Green 2015
I think I've learn how media quote people
My favorite quote of the year
I think a better quote is
"Apply it to the penis" - John Green, 2015
Love the subtle Rhett and Link reference :)
That reference to Rhett and Link made my day. Anyone else?
The malaria syphilis cure worked, by the bye. Raise the body temperature above 102 for over 20 minutes and the spirochetes start to die off. Many people have found that Lyme Disease (which resembles Syphilis both in symptomatic progression and physical appearance of the microbes) can be beaten back with this process by using saunas. Repeatedly.
Urine is still effective on athletes foot. Pee on your feet in the shower. I imagine this is a pH factor, but you never know.
Catnip does work for colic and other issues where smooth muscle is cramped or stiff. Is mild enough to be safe for children.
Licorice is useful - adrenal support.
Of course, look at what they put into Big Pharma meds. And look again at the effectiveness of those expensive drugs...
What will the "You won't believe how silly people were!" infomercials say about us a century hence?
+Avery Milieu Citation Needed.
+Avery Milieu But the you have malaria. And penicillin works much better.
+Avery Milieu PH would be easy to figure out, poor vengar on one foot and milk on the other
+Vyce Bozeck well now we do, not 300 years ago
Joseph Fox This is true.
Fire cupping is still popular, but now it is more for muscle and joint pain relief rather than illness.
You can also buy self applied fireless fire cupping kits. They use vacuum suction instead fire to change the air pressure inside to cup.
Rub some bacon on it...
Wait. No. Wrong channel.
Whoops.
this isnt the channel you're looking for
+Knight ThroughTime I WAS LOOKING FOR THIS COMMENT :D
+
Knight ThroughTime --- it still works, Rhett & Link won't mind!
In Finland, we have long had the tradition of cupping. It is similar to the practice here described as fire cupping, but instead of heating the cups up with fire, the cups have valves and suction mechanisms on them to create a low pressure area ("vacuum") inside the cup, drawing the tissue surrounded by the cup up into the cup. But here's the best part - The skin is punctured, so that the cupping draws blood from the person being "treated".
The amount of blood lost during finnish cupping is around 500-800ml.
And this is still done in Finland as a folk remedy or as a curiosity. If you don't believe me, you can check Anthony Bourdain's episode where he visits Finland.
John, I'm not sure if it's just the lighting, but your hair has a very nice shine to it here.
Fire cupping is still used today! I had the pleasure a couple of years ago ;D
You know what cure a headache? Turn all the lights off and muffle the room your'e currently in then take a nap and it's gone! You can also push up against your nasal bone with 2 fingers and that'll relieve some pain.
Hey guys! Title says "28 Unusual political parties" but the video is about "unusual remedies". Just thought I'd let you know. Great vid!
Fire cupping is actually common in central and eastern Europe too...
What's the current tab for the Pork Chop Party Fund?
+Alex Fido How much do you wanna bet that they recycle the same quarters?
+Alex Fido - They're never going to have a pork chop party. It's a goddamned lie!
I'll bet one of the quarters.
Tobacco is excellent for treating bee stings. I keep a fresh leaf of tobacco in my first aid kit for any sting related injuries. You wet it and use it in a similar way to a mud pack
Yes, because the best way to remedy a burn was to apply other caustic/acidic elements to said area! Then again, some of these are far more logical and sane than anything Pliny the Elder came up with...
I was treated for APML Leukemia. I was given Arsenic Trioxide. Arsenic is in fact still used today for treating at least this form of Leukemia.
Fun fact: if you drink enough of the stuff, Pepto-Bismol tastes like liquid bubble gum. Yes, I've consumed many, many bottles in my lifetime. Thanks, fucked up digestive system! Oh, and thanks also to laprascopic surgery for allowing me to heal faster from gallbladder removal surgery; had I needed the procedure just a decade earlier, they would've had to slice me open more in order to take the gallbladder out and that would've been horrible. Hooray for newer medical innovations!
Is there a remedy for forgetting to be awesome?
+Ankh Infinitus watching Mental Floss?
+Ankh Infinitus you already used it remember?
4:40 that gave me a good chuckle
Okay, but the "snake oil" that became famous in the US was made by a con artist, and contained no snake-related ingredients at all (the only time the guy even dealt with snakes was during shows meant to market the product).
I also saw a reputable documentary very recently that shows how the hot cupping method IS actually effective for certain conditions because it stimulates the immune system.
1:35 Actually Lead is only poisonous when it corrodes (eg when it comes into contact with stomach acid), simply wearing a helmet made from lead won't give you lead poisoning, it would have to corrode first.
afaiu, Heroin and aspirin was invented around the same time at Bayer, but the boss was afraid aspirin was dangerous so they didn't start making it until later. Heroin though was immediately sold and marketed as a non addictive wonder drugs that made you feel like a hero
I was reading an Army book and it talked about using tobacco leaves as a bandage
+John Green, The pork chop party fund sounded almost empty when you dropped a coin in it, have someone been embezzling funds?
problem? Rub some bacon on it!
+samramdebest it does work it never cought on because people would eat it before they could apply it
heat cups and mustard plaster were a big thing in the 80s in Russia (USSR) as well. The later was huuuuge for all sorts of chest congestion/bronchitis problems for kids
These was indeed some weird politic parties.
Peeing on Plantar warts is the most effective treatment I've ever used (sometimes one gets desperate). My aunt brought the advice back from Thailand, and since then everyone who I've convinced to do it Including me) have lost their warts within week or two. No joke.
+The Last GIW Avon has a nail treatment that's made from almonds, and it gets rid of then in less than a day (I discovered that by accident)
#24 Makes *some* sense, since dogs naturally lick wounds to clean them. Of course, they also eat poo, so there's that to contend with.
The title doesn't match the video...
+Marc Eric Lane Or perhaps the video doesn't match the title
Well your both right! Mental floss needs to fix this discrepancy.
+Marc Eric Lane - They must have fixed it, because I don't see anything wrong with the title.
+Adam Cramer That is because they changed the title, not the video.
J-M Lion - Yeah, that's what I suggested, moron.
Heroin is still prescribed in some countries as an analgesic. It's proper name is diacetylmorphine and is usually called diamorphine when it is used in a clinical setting. It is used mainly in post surgical and palliative care. There is very little difference between morphine and heroin, and once they hit your brain, they are the same thing, literally. The only real difference is that morphine generally isn't as fast acting as heroin is.
Sulfur is still used as a laxative in the form of magnesium sulfate; aka Epsom salts.
Edit: Also, animals (not just dogs) lick their wounds because saliva contains the protein Epidermal Growth Factor which speeds up the regeneration of skin (and other) tissue.
Probably one of your more entertaining episodes in a while.
Also, there is plenty of beautiful irony in this video.
I don't care what anyone says, but the "smoking cures asthma" thing @3:22 can (not will but CAN) work. Hear me out! I was diagnosed with asthma when I was 4 years old. I started smoking when I was 19 and at first my asthma was real sensitive to it. After a while it started to get easier to smoke without provoking an asthma attack until I stopped having asthma attacks all together. I smoked for 10 years and now I've quit and going on 8 months with out a smoke. It was only at the end of those 10 years when I started to experience shortness of breath. Although I know it was from the smoking, it was nothing like or as bad as an asthma attack. I went to an allergist to reestablish my asthma medication (for "just in case" purposes), and even he backed me up! And I'll tell you why: The contaminates from smoking will cause asthma attacks! But it will also line the bronchial tubes. Asthma attacks are caused by swelling of the bronchial tubes. So, if you coat the bronchial tubes with enough tar and mucus, it becomes impossible for the swelling to close the airways, because the the tar and mucus keeps the bronchial tubes open. However, the bronchial tubes will always be restricted because of this build up. Think of it as putting a thick (but hollow) metal pipe (tar) into a garden hose (bronchial tubes). Now I'm not saying that this is a cure because you still have asthma, but not the symptoms. Also, you are trading symptoms for another bigger problem such as COPD and other respiratory diseases.
+Ben Huskey I have to say I agree. I have had bad asthma since birth. Was in the hospital at least once a month because of attacks. Started smoking at 12 (young I know). Asthma attacks gone. People call me a liar and all kinds of names when I tell them this. That or just look at me like I am crazy. I always say that it is just my personal experience but it is nice to know I am not the only one who has had it.
+Ben Huskey except that asthma often goes away as you grow older. Correlation is not causation.
I had a cactus thorn in my foot once that was pretty deep. Left a big hole and no matter how much I dug in it or squeezed, could never find it. Just lots of puss. Then someone told me they read in a book about unusual home remedies and it said to put a slice of a potato on a splinter you can't get out. So one morning, I took a slice of a potato and duct tape it to my foot. Left it on all day until I was ready for bed. When I took it off, I could feel the thorn sticking out of my foot with my finger. Took some tweezers, pulled it out, and my foot healed a few days later.
Two John Green's video a day!
Relating to the first remedy: "Now when I destroy my friends in arguments, I can, instead of 'ya need some aloe for that burn', I can say 'ya need some bird poop for that burn'
Did anyone else notice he forgot to put a quarter in the party fund when he talked about boar grease in the beginning?
The thing about having a dog lick a wound is actually somewhat sound, dog saliva has a component that is a natural antiseptic.
#31 I had Kava tea in Hawaii, i don't think it cured anything, but it made me feel like a million bucks. It has a strong relaxing effect, sort of similar to alcohol, but not really.
Would have loved to hear something about marshmallows in this list. Originally it was used as a cure for upset tummies in children. Made from the mellow plants grown in marshes (hence the name), It absorbs access acid and because it changes density based on pressure can tread the belly and small intestines.
here in Denver they have a kava bar and a slogan or whatever as alcohol is so last year. I've read that its suppose to relieve anxiety
Wait! You need another quarter for the pork chop party fund! (Probably.) 0:14
what's interesting about the LSD therapy is that the psychiatric community is actually still studying this and finding LSD and other hallucinogenic drugs very effective at treating various mental disorders like PTSD, GAD, and severe depression. Look up some studies and help us raise awareness so that these drugs can one day be used to help people rather than just putting people in prison unjustly.
so bored and this comes out. thanks!
Im not exactly sure if it cured anything -- actually Im pretty sure it didnt. But cupping sure makes for a good massage. I have tried it and it honestly felt relaxing.
LSD has recently been studied for its medical use of treating addiction. Shockingly it had a success rate of 80%
Smoking jimsonweed was also used as a "cure" for asthma.
Hasn't there been a study that there is something that help humans sores when a dog licks you. I'm not sure, but it rings a bell.
Feeling under the weather? Poison!!
Let's combine this episode with the life hack testing episodes and test all of these. :)
The email notification I got told me I was going to see a video about bizzare political parties. I was looking forward to seeing the great Vermin Supreme make his debut on Mental Floss!
#21 So what were the results of the LSD therapy? Seriously, I heard it had some merit but the fact it's banned under the "drugs are bad" idea has kept research from finding out if it can help or not.
The catnip for colic thing sounded familiar to me, so I Googled it. Yup, TONS of instructions for how to make and administer catnip tea to your baby. I suppose it can't be worse than Gripe Water, which I still can't believe is sold in drugstores even today - essentially make your baby drunk so they stop crying so much. Why not just administer a teaspoon of whiskey and save yourself a trip to the drugstore? ;)
I don't think I've ever wanted to see a video as much as I do next week's video...
Rub some bacon on it.... nice nod to Rhett and Link!
I would suggest that anyone wanting to use ground tiger bones as a remedy should try arsenic instead.
Couldn't help but have my hand over my mouth for this entire video...*shudders.
JOHN FINALLY
I wouldn't mind some sources on your videos, but apart from that, I'm profoundly amused
LSD therapy is actually relevant, as many countries want to experiment with such substances in order to treat anxiety, depression, OCD and addictions... To name a few conditions. I think you should do a video about this, even though it's controversial, because it does actually help a lot of people. It's not an "unusual, old remedy", it's something people do every day because it works, but they can't tell the authorities.
Some of these I can see the logic behind. But how would putting something in your pocket help aching inside of your joins?
Given that I regularly give myself electric shocks (with a TENS unit) to alleviate headaches, I wouldn't be surprised if there was some truth to the bit about electric eels.
Wow.That nonsense about snake oil means I can't ever assume Mental Floss does fact-checking. Thanks!
I think your mention on LSD was..... well a little dismissive. I'm not saying it by any means it is a wonder drug, but I think it can have profound effects on mental states. I think certain people with depression could benefit from LSD therapy. It would force you to look at your life differently. And in that moment you may see life is/can be so much more. Just a thought :)
Interestingly, LSD is being researched again for different mental illnesses. And they're finding positive results with severe anxiety, PTSD, and depression.
Rub bacon on it? Rhett and link fans?
Rub Some Bacon on It
I guess @rhettandlink were right when they said to rub some bacon on it! haha
How were mice used to cure bedwetting and such? Where they killed and applied or did just having them in a cage nearby?
Things I learned on Sawbones podcast. Don't drill a hole in your head.
Kava tea makes me sleepy. Placebo effect!? Maybe....but my liver is still great and it helps me sleep.
#23 - Rhett and Link reference? :)
4:06 Rub some bacon on it ♪
A nurse told me that peeing on your feet in the shower if you have athletes foot helps to make it dissappear. No, I'm not kidding, neither was she.
Finally :) mr. Green.
That's not a picture of catnip, it's a picture of wheat grass.
boar, quarter in the pork chop party fund!
0:15 Boars grease? Shouldn’t that be a quarter in the pork chop party fund?
1:12 Ah yes, LIQUID mercury, that rare form of mercury
Awesome
I got fire cupping as a kid 20 years ago in Russia.
Countdown until lawsuit from Pepto Bismo in 3.. 2..
28 Unusual Occurrences:
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1) Mental floss naming the video wrongly
Moms Spaghetti, its Ready, Palms are Sweaty Wilma and Betty, Never Forgetti Mom's Spaghetti
tobacco does treat intestinal problems; because mechanisms that control the speed of throughput are controlled by nicotine.
Urine was used as ear drops, but it has to be the first urine of the morning
kava kava is awesome
Yes, but how many of these actually work?
Intresting name choise :D
According to a Native American that visited my school, his tribe (which name escapes me) would treat the worst ailments by filling a patient with fire ants and getting them to inject their venom inside.
pidgin poo was once used in makeup
Should be "Old Remedies Debunked". I want to see someone try these.
My mother, a woman with a fucking Master's degree used to swear by pee as an acne treatment; but only as long as it was a baby's pee. Good thing I was in another country by the time I broke out during puberty.
Ooooh next week's topic :D :D :D :D