Browse:CURES FOR AND PROTECTION AGAINST AILMENT AND DISEASE (Volume 4, entries 6683–6993)
CURES FOR AND PROTECTION AGAINST AILMENT AND DISEASE
Volume 4, entries 6683–6993. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FOLK MEDICINE. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 6683
[This fortuneteller woman or healer] tole me dat somebody, a woman had taken mah sistah's hat an' dressed it, dressed it up fo' her, an' she suffabed Wit headaches. She tole us whut she done wit dese earthworms - yo' know, dese fishing worns about dis big [demonstrates]. Take dem fishin' worms an' parch 'em up. An' so dat dust wus sprinkled aroun' in mah sistah's hat, an' as she wore it, well, de perspiration got tuh it an' drive it on tuh 'er brain. An' SHE WENT JIS' AS CRAZY AS ANY FOOL IN DE WORLD. But aftah while We got 'er back again.
Entry 6684
chamber lye or 'is urine - well, dey kin take dat an' dey'll [a woman vill] mix dat wit yo' [a man's] food. Dat comes tuh yo' be vury weak. Normal [normally] yo'll have haidaches, yo'll have all kinda pains. Dat's when dey take an' dey'll go out an' git some earthworms. Dey take de earthworms an' den mix dat wit fresh lahd [lard], an' fry it up an' make a salve. An' dey rub dat intuh de man's skin. Dat'll form 'im tuh have earthworms in de skin. He is no good fer nobody an' den de woman leaves 'im den.
Entry 6685
Yo' take dat an' yo' ketch dem little worms an' yo' dry 'em. Yo' got'a dry 'em an' yo' put 'em in watah, whutsomevah anybody whare [where] dey drinkin'. Yo' put dat in de watah an' dat'll turn tuh little worms in dey belly.
The account names water as the medium. The claimed bodily consequence is reported belief; the bracketed wording remains editorial.
Entry 6686
De worm, de frog, yo' poun' dat up, some people do, an' dey sprinkle dat ovah de food. It will take effect on a woman more, becuz she will breed, yo' see, in a length of time it will form de form of a snake [worm or frog] inside de woman.
Entry 6687
They tell me that if you can get a hold of dog's hair and cat hair, and fix it so that it can get into the food of an individual, that after they eat it, if it stays in 'em for nine days, it turns to worms. And those worms get in their body on the inside and they finally die from the effect of it. [Elizabeth City, N. Car., (182), 554:9.] [Readers will notice I have changed the title of this subsection from the one originally given in volume 3 under CONTENTS FOR VOLUMES 3 AND 4. This change perely returns to my original title CURE AND PROTECTION in volume 1, pages 410- 519, emphasizing once again, as in the introductory comment that folk medicine in hoodoo or witchcraft has a protective or preventive side (p.3077). A com- plete list of cures and prevention of ailments and disease cannot be known until the completion of the INDEX to occupy all of volume 5.]
Entry 6688
Yo' kin take a penny an' if yo' havin' a intahco'se wit a woman an' if yo' don' wants 'er no mo', don' cä' [care] fo' her no mo', an' jis' wants tuh see her blat up, why yo' put dat penny in yore mout' an' put it undah yore tongue an' have intahco'se wit 'er, an' den yo'll give her some disease dat she nevah kin git rid of. Dat's whut chew kin do wit a penny. [The preceding word blat used only here in Hoodoo, is a variant of bleat, which means to cry out, as calf or sheep. Colloquially, blat could signify to utter loudly and indiscretly, or to be loud- mouthed. Perhaps the meaning in the present instance could be loud-mouthed or to blow her top. Or does informant intend to say she will bloat from the disease he gives her? As a matter of fact (hoodoo pathology says so), diseases are given by holding a penny in the mouth or under tongue during coitus: a woman holding the penny causes a stroke in the man (No.3240); prevents veneral disease (3241); makes a disease stronger (No.3242); etc.]
Entry 6689
(If a person that has a spell on you dies?) [I am repeating what inform- ant has already said.l Dies, they can't do anything about it. (They can't do anything?) No, they can't. [This belief is fairly common and known everywhere, see Nos.1039-1040, p.396, and elsewhere in the text.]
Entry 6690
If dey don't git it in yuh, it can't do yuh no harm. [This is also generally believed everywhere, even though to some it may be whistling while passing a graveyard at night.]
Entry 6691
You can dig Adam-and-Eve root up and keep it and let it dry, and when you want it you have it. If anyone puts a spell on you, you boil some of that on the stove and put a little whiskey with it and drink it, and that will cure you. [Fredericksburg, Va., cylinder 80, by Ediphone.]
Entry 6692
Drink tea from Adam-and-Eve and Old Hundred. Cures poison within nine days.
Entry 6693
Well, dey'll go tuh work an' git a root dey call John de Conkah an' one dey call Eve-an'-Adam [the name of this root is frequently given backwards as here], an' weah da' 'bout chew [that about you] an' dey say dey can't hurt chah.
The informant reports a claim of not being hurt, using dey say. This is a protective belief, with editorial glosses kept separate and no verified effect.
Entry 6694
[The informant who gave this cure was a root doctor who is marked good. Adam weed may be Adam-and-Eve, and black jack weed may be a common oak called black jack because of its black bark (Quercus marilandica) of the eastern U. S. A. Both these plants appear frequently in Hoodoo. It is also possible this root doctor bought all his roots from a root store or mail-order firm and was unfamiliar with the growing plant. The old-time root doctor who dug all his own roots was becoming rare in the late 30's or early 40's. I met few of them (see p.1620; MY FIRST DOCTOR, p.933; etc.). Presumably these four roots or some other four roots conquered anything within the four corners of the earth (Rev. 7:1).1 Yo' kin take de root of a hick'ry tree, Adam weed root [Adam-and-Eve] an' fig tree root an' blackjack weed root [blackjack oak?] an' take it an' boil it, boil it, jes' lak if anybody would have a bad accident or somepin othah, yo' know, an' jes' lak a girl happen tuh git a case of de clapps or somepin othah.
Entry 6695
Yo' kin take saltpetah an' yo' kin take whut chew calls, de medicine dey calls aloes, an' yo' put dat tuhgethah in some salts [salt] an' some warm watah. An' yo' kin take a good bath all ovah with dat stuff, make enough of it tuh give yo' a good bath. Bath [not bathe] yo'self all ovah. Den yo' kin take anothah, dis same medi- cine an' boil it, an' drink it. Drink it jes' as hot as yo' kin at night an' dat kills whutsomevah germ is in yo'. An' den aftah doin' dat, den yo' git chew a bottle of sweet milk an' a cup of lard an' lemme see - an' a teaspoon of salt- petah an' stir it all. Jes' stir it all up tuhgethah an' yo' drink dat. An' den five minutes aftah dat, if yo' hurt [hoodooed] yo'll throw it up. De white stuff, 'xactly [exactly] whut yo' done eat, yo' know, de milk will come back firs' lak dat. Den aftah dat it comes green, whole lotta green stuff vill come out of yo' system 'cuz yo' done vomit it up.
(What is that green stuff?)
Dat's dat poison dat is put down in yore stomic, dat's tyin' yo' up.
Entry 6696
( Git some sugah an' ammonia an' bathe yo'- self in it yo' know. Well, yo' bathe yo'self, dat keeps de cross off yo' - keep it from 'im.
Entry 6697
Yo' go tuh a druggist or grocery sto', eithah one, an' yo' git chew some saltpetahs, some ammonia, household ammonia, bluein' [three ingredients]. An' yo' take all dat an' yo' fix dat ingredients tuhgethah, an yo' use it in de watah whut chew bathe in. But in de meantime yo' supposed tuh bathe three times a week: Mondays, Wednesdays an' Fridays. [For this three evenly spaced days a week, see p.830.]
(At any particular time of the day?)
Well, say, six in de mawnin', twelve at noon an' six at night. [For this evenly spaced time-of-day formula, see p.830.]
(Any one of those times or three times?)
Well, yo' kin bathe once but eithah one of dem hours yo' kin, yo' see. An' den yo' take dis saltpetah an' yo' puts it in yore shoe an' yo' weah it. Dat'll perteck [protect] yo' from any kinda home or anybody tryin' tuh do yo' harm. (Well, there's also some of that saltpeter in the bath water, too. Those three things are all in the bath water?) Yessuh.
(Then you save some of that saltpeter and put it in your shoe?)
Put it in yore shoe an' weah it in yore shoe fo' pertekshon [protection].
Entry 6698
Lotta [lot ofl people, yo' know, dey urinate in de baid, cain't he'p it. Dey goes an' if dey uri- nate in a red ant's nest, it'll cuz dey urine to stop. It'll stop it.
Entry 6699
De red ants nest, dey say if anybody subject tuh peein' in de baid, why dat'll stop 'em from peein' in de baid.
Entry 6700
Ah heard dat dey kin take antses an' make a tea outa dem an' stop any- body from dripping watah. Dese red antses.
(That will cure them.)
Say dat'll keep 'em from wettin' de baid.
Entry 6701
Fo teas fo' sickness, lak yo' got de yallah jandice or sompin lak dat. Well, yo' ketch yore antses an' boil 'em an' yo' make a tea an' give it tuh 'em. (For yellow jaundice?) Yes.
Entry 6702
Dey tell me if yo' kin git some red antses, take an' carry 'em an' boil 'em. Boil 'em down therly [thoroughly]. Well yo' kin take dat watah an' give it tuh a person an' let 'em drink it. Dat's good fo' any kinda tricks. [For tricks, see TRICKS, p.280f., and elsewhere.]
(That cures them?)
Cures 'em, yassuh.
Entry 6703
Take some syrup in a bottle an' put it tuh a red antses bed. When it all git full up wit dem red antses, yo' scald. Put some hot watah in dat bottle an' po' it out in a pot an' boil dat, dat red antses. Yo' gits a piece a [piece of] garlic an' yo' puts it in dere an' let it boil. Well, dat is a dope dat it's nobody kin hurt chew. Yo' drinks dat, dere's nobody kin hurt chew. Unahstan' [understand] now, boil de red antses aftah yo' git 'em in de bottle. Put de piece a garlic in dere, strain it off an' drink it. Nobody kin hurt chew.
(What do you do with the syrup?)
De syrup draws de antses intuh de bottle.
Entry 6704
Git a bat an' cook 'im up. Cook 'im in olive oil, stir 'im up, an rub a person wit dat. An' if dere's anythin' about 'em swell up, it'll take de swellin' outa dem. (Anything that is ordinary swelling?) Dat's right.
Entry 6705
Ah've heard of de bat an' ah've heard of de frog. (What about the bat?) Well, dey say dat chew take a bat an' yo' git 'is heart, an' yo' keep de heart fo' tuh weah on yore person. But dere some kinda way dey say dat chew put it in alcohol an' dey keep it; but it supposed tuh be in a small bottle an' dey weah it on dey person. Dey take de rest of de bat an' salt 'im down lak yo' would a hide or sompin, yo' unahstan', until he petrifies. An' when yo' tack dat up in yore house somewhere, he [you] have de bat an' de heart. Dat supposed tuh pertec' [protect] yo' from all enemies an' show yo' special favahs [favors] aroun' yore home.
Entry 6706
Now ah tell yo ag'in, it have tuh be yo' unahstan' [under- stand]. Yo' have tuh git some earth from outa de groun', but yo' gotta be sure dat it's black dust - black earth, yo' see. Well, den yo' need tuh git halfa teaspoonfula dis sulphuh, den yo' have tuh git halfa teaspoonfula black peppah intuh a one-inch bag, yo' see, an' it have tuh be pure yallah homespun cloth. An' den yo' goes tuh work an' yo' puts dose tuhgethah, an' one red peppah. An' den yo' sew it up dere in de flannen [flannel]. Heah's a li'le bag dat yo' totes along in dat, yo' undahstan'. Well, it's no chance of no one playin' yo', anythin'. [This may be primarily a gambling hand, but it protects you against conjur- ation of any kind.]
(I see, eats it up.)
Eats it up, takes it 'way.
Entry 6707
[The following 3 beliefs I reduced years ago to short statements or footnotes: Carry black master root, no one can harm you (Norfolk, Va., 476: ll; chew black master, if given poison, brings up (Norfolk, Va., 530:11; informant says in North Carolina black master is called silkweed (Norfolk, Va., 477:4).] [Silkweed is the milkweed.]
Entry 6708
Yeah, ah heard dis heah whut [you do], chew blacksnake root. Ah heard if somebody gives yo' a drink of poison in ohiskey, yo' kin take piece a dis blacksnake root an' chew it up, an' yo'll vomick up whut dey have give yo'.
Entry 6709
Dey tell me dat if a woman wants tuh take de uppah han's [hands] of a gan an' take him in, dat chew [the woman] kin draw de blood from a' animal an put it in any kinda thing he eat or in 'is whiskey - jis' so long as yo' git it inside a him - an' dey have de upperturns of yo' in any way dey intend tuh do it. De only way dat yo' kin git loose from dat, whut ah learnt, jis' take somepin an' strike where yo' kin draw de blood from dem [the woman]. See, den yo' kin git loose from dat.
(They use the blood from any kind of an animal?)
Any creepin' animal [so that the man will creep or crawl at her command].
Entry 6710
De're [there are] things dat chew kin wish fo', things offa peoples, by things in de fo'ks of de road. Why yo' kin git a pretty [new?] han'ke'cheff or somepin, yo' know, draw peo- ple's 'tenshun [attention] dat yo' wanta [get]. An' drop it in de fo'ks of de road yo' know. An' jes' take it [handkerchief] an' pick dose place like a mole or a wart, an' pick it an' put a drop of blood on it [handkerchief]. An' drop it in de fo'ks of de road an' someone pick it up, why hit'll [mole or wart will] leave yo' an' dey gits it.
Entry 6712
[Articles buried are burnt up.] Put 'em [in] de fiah an' den dey git hot an' bus' an' shoot jis' lak a gun. [Shot is from bottle found by doctor!]
Entry 6713
[This case of witchcraft occurred near Leland, Brunswick Co. N. Car. It is not much of a story but the ingredients and cure are in- teresting. A doctor from Sumter, S. Car., cleared up the case by finding two packages, one buried at the front door and the other in the ground under the house and beneath the woman's bed. Each package contained 6 Adam-and-Eve roots, balls from devil's shoestring roots, running huckleberry vine roots, and 4 rusty nails, each package wrapped in red flannel. The root doctor burnt both packages.]
Entry 6714
Dey use buzzard oil tuh make people limbah, yo' know, in acts when yo' goin' on de stage or sompin lak dat - de show axe [acts]. [See also pp.42-423 and elsewhere.]
Entry 6715
Ah heard dat chew git a buzzard an' stew de grease outa him an' hit's good fo' de rheumatism or good fo' any kinda thing yo' wanta use it fo'.
Entry 6716
Yo' kin take a buzzard an' cut 'im in fo' pieces [to represent the 4 corners of the world, see Rev. 7:1] an' yo' take dat buzzard an' yo' kin fry him. Fry him an' yo' kin take de grease whut come from dat buzzard an' yo' kin cure any rheumatism. Heard dat concernin' buzzard.
Entry 6717
Take a buzzard, take 'im clean [clean him] an' boil 'im out tuh a li'le grease, an' take dis grease yo' unnahstan'. An' jis' take a li'le bottle - keep de bottle all de time. An' time yo' feel a stiff joint, rub de stiff joint, an' dat'll jis' remove yuh pains from yo'.
Entry 6718
Kill zim [kills him] yo' know. (Kills a buzzard?) Yes sir, an' take de grease an' grease yoreself, makes yo' limbah, yo' know, an' supple.
(What do you do that for?)
Dey say dat's jis' tuh make yo' supple an' able befo' de women an' diff'ren thin's lak dat, yo' know.
Entry 6719
Take cedah leaves an' burn dem an' git de odor in 'mongst yore clothes, an' dat will keep yo' from ketchin' any kinda germs. Lak yo' goin' in some places dat way an' burn cedah, an' git de odah [odor] in yore clothes, dat keeps yo' from ketchin' germs.
Entry 6720
If yo're hurt from sompin somebody have did yo' lak cunjurin' yo' lak dat, yo' take de dirt from undahneat' of yore toenails. An' take it an' wet it wit dis oil of cedah an' weah it in a piece of cotton in each one of yore ears. Yo' stop yore headache, if yo're hurt in sompin.
(That is if you have a headache from being hurt?)
Dat's whut ah said. Lak if somebody, yo' know, do sompin tuh yo' lak dat cunjure. Not if yo' jis' git hit about de haid [and get a headache]. [Even being hit on the head and getting a headache could be caused by conjuration, evil wishing, etc.]
Entry 6721
Yo' kin take cedah an' make a bath, in yore feets or laigs where yo' have swellin' lak dat. Yo' boil dat an' make a tea-lak an' bath. An' also grapevine.
Entry 6722
Black cat, a black chicken. An' if yo' git hurt, a snake bit chew or anythin', yo' cut dem open live an' put it on dere. It'll draw all de poison out.
Entry 6723
[To replace fallen womb, boil hen egg hard and stick up in womb. Fallen womb of course can be caused by conjuration or witchcraft. Womb and vagina frequently confused.]
Entry 6724
Yo' take a black hen aig an' write on it, if yo' think anybody is tryin' tuh rootwork yo' or anythin' lak dat. Yo' write on it whut chew want dat aig tuh do, tuh protect yo' in whut way, an' bury it at de centah of yore gate. An' if anybody come in yore yard wit anythin' dat means yo' any harm, why it will turn back tuh dem.
[This is called returning the spell.]
Entry 6725
Yo' take dat, but it must be a black chicken, black feathahs, an' yo' put it in a bucket. Take de feathahs an' put it in a bucket an' burn 'em while dey havin' spells. Jes' let 'em hol' dere nose right down ovah it lak dat, an' dey soon vell. Dey won' have no mo'.
Entry 6726
Dat's de way ah heard about a friz- zled chicken. Take a frizzled chicken an' if dere any poison aroun' yore house, if anybody put down any poison fo' yo' an' yo' got a frizzled chicken in dere, he git it up.
Entry 6727
If dere's [a] chicken out in yore yard an' as long as she stays friz- zled, nobody cain't hurt chew, but if she gits necked [naked], someone's tryin' tuh bury somethin' [cunjure] aroun' yo'. An' ah've heard a black hen's good luck around.
The account describes suspected burying around someone, conditional on the chicken's state. The bracketed cunjure is editorial; no completed burial is established.
Entry 6728
Anybody put down any poison fo' yo', a frizzly chicken'll pick it up. An' when dat frizzly chicken picks it up, hit'll [it will] turn red an' shed off evah feathah off an' turn jis' as red as a piece of beef. [The skin of the chicken turns red after the feathers are shed.]
The account names a frizzly chicken as the animal actor. Its reported response remains a belief; bracketed clarification and explanation are editorial.
Entry 6729
If anybody's trying tuh HOODOO an' got anything buried round yore bouse, a frizzly chicken will scratch it up an' yo' kin find it in dat way.
Entry 6730
A frizzly chicken, if anybody bury anything in yore yard dat is not clean, dat frizzly chicken will dig it up an' he become naked; an' if it's too strong, hit'll killl 'im. [Among many examples of frizzly chickens digging up planted objects of cunjure or poison, this is about the only time I ever heard of the chicken being killed.]
[For other examples of frizzly chickens, see pp.59-63.]
Entry 6731
[The following chicken manure beliefs and others I heard several hun- dred times, so often I did not record many of the duplicates. The locus classi- nos for this rite must be - but let me quote myself: the story told by Vander's wife is surely an unsurpassable account for this rite (No.1189, p.428), her story itself in No.888, p.319). These beliefs are also scattered throughout INTERVIEWS and elsewhere.] Well, dey say if someone bite chew an' yo' goes in de henhouse an' yo' use, Yo' know, whut de hen perform, an' yo' rub it all in [the bite] an' yo' bandage it aroun' dere an' weah it aroun' dere till - yo' gotta draw de spit [from the bite] out. Yo' weah it aroun' dere at least - some say 24 hours, aftah yo' git dat paste on dere lak a li'le pad. Den yo' weah dis band aroun' dere 24 hours, until it - it'll graj'ly [gradually] go in dere drawin' de poison out dey teeth bite. An' 'is teeth will rot out. Hit'll take effect on 'is own mouth. De poison'll [come] out of yore flesh intuh 'is [biter's] mouth.
The informant introduces the account with dey say and a conditional bite. The preceding bracketed recording notice is editorial, and the reported treatment effects are not established.
Entry 6732
Well, dey say if a person bit chew, all yo' have tuh do is git some chicken manure an' put it on de sore where dat person bit chew, an' yore teeth will fall out - jes' rot out.
(Any kind of chicken manure?)
Any kind. [I have included this belief here because it states "any kind." The same belief is found everywhere, including Mobile, Ala., (704-706), 969:2; Charleston, S. Car., (511), 517:3; etc.] [Fayetteville, N. Car., (1390), 2491:9.]
Entry 6733
Where dey bite chew, yo' take, yo' know, chicken manure, an' rub on dat place where dey bite yo' an' yore teeth [biter's] will rot out.
(What kind of chicken manure do they use?)
Black chicken.
The informant answers Black chicken when asked about the manure. The question is interviewer speech; the reported bodily effects are not established.
Entry 6734
Well, be sure it's a black hen. Watch 'er where she goin' an', yo' know [her] mess, yo' take dat an' rub it ovah dat bite. Tell me dat'll split de person [biter's] teeth.
(Do what?)
Dat'll rot dere teeth. [Usually these chicken manure rites mean a hen, chicken almost always being a synonym for hen. At the moment I do not recall manure from a black rooster.]
The account names the bite as the place of application. Editorial insertions and the interviewer question remain separate; the reported bodily effects are not established.
Entry 6735
Take black chicken manure an' put on it, on de bite. An' jes' lak if anybody bite chew, jes' go an' git some black chicken manure an' put it on dere, an' all yore teeth rotten out. [Sumter, S. Car., (1368), 2426:4.] [The same belief from: Richmond, Va., (404), 353:7; and Norfolk, Va., (about 464), 454:6.]
Entry 6736
Rub the black part of chicken manure [black chicken's manure not speci- fied] on bit and biter's teeth will rot out.
The source prints bit in an account mentioning the biter. That wording is preserved; the manure clarification is editorial and the reported tooth effect is not established.
Entry 6737
If a black-gummed person bites you, put black hen manure on the bite and the biter's teeth will decay and drop out.
Entry 6738
Put black hen manure on bite, heals bite and rots biter's teeth. [The healing of the bite is understood in all these rites; the biter's teeth dropping out is a revenge rite.]
Entry 6739
Ah've heard people say that if anybody bite chew, yo' could take brown chicken manure an' use it on it as a salve, an' it would rot dere teeth out.
Entry 6740
If a person bites yo', yo' kin go an' git black hen's manure an' rub it on dere, an' dere [the biter's] teeth will turn black, too.
Entry 6741
To make teeth fall out, place chicken dung on [victim's] teeth while he is asleep or drunk.
Entry 6742
Soak black manure from a hen about three days in whiskey; give to per- son to make loose teeth.
Entry 6746
Yo' take some black peppah an' salt an' sulphur an' a piece of homel spun; put a piece of homespun around it. Take black peppah, salt an' sulphur an~ put it on dat [package] an' as it burns tell it whut chew want it tuh do an' dey won't come back any mo'. Take a piece of new homespun an' cut it nice [demonstrates]. (Cut it round like a cir- cle.) Yes, yo' have tuh cut it out lak a circle. Den as yo' take sulphur, take a pinch of sulphur - sulphur an' salt [and black pepper] an' put it tuhgethah an say, In de Name of de Fathah, Name of de Son, an' Name of de Holy Ghost, whut chew want it tuh do.
(That will make them stay away.)
Entry 6747
If someone is tryin' to harm yo', yo' take yore undahsuit an' turn it grongside out an' yo' weah it [that way]. An' yo' take some parsley, an' put it in each shoe. An' dey can't harm yo'.
Entry 6748
Yo' take a fellah or a woman or any age dat suffahs wit rheumatism. Put one piece of coppah in end of one shoe, one piece of galvanized iron in de othah, an' regardless of whethah he is walkin' in de street, tuhday he don't need no stick. Dat's providin' he takes de rubbah off de heel of de shoe. Gravity draws de pain right on out.
Entry 6749
Yo' git some corn shucks an' yo' boil 'em an' yo' make a tea. An' don' let 'er drink no watah, no cold watah or othah kinda watah, excep' dat. An' dat'll drive it out an' dry it up [measles].
Entry 6750
Fo' spells [this is], if somebody put spells on a person. An' dey ases dat [manure] tuh make dat, if yo' wanta make a tea or anything fo' fits. Ah calls dem fits. Git dat [manure] - but chew know yo' boils it - from a bull cow or a bull calf. Dey use de he one. (The manure.) Yes, but chew ketch it whilst it's hot, an' den yo' boils dt. An' den aftah yo' boil it, yo' kin make a poultice of it. Dat fur as ah rgu of dat. He weahs it [the poultice]. Dat - why yo' jes' put it tuh de pr- sop. Dat's fo' fits or any kinda spell a person put on yo'.
Entry 6751
If yo' got a boil - jes' lak a boil grow on yo' - take dat cow manure an' warm it an' tie it dere. Dey say bt will bring it tuh a head.
Entry 6752
Dey tell me dat chew git a po'tion [por- tion not potion] of rat- tlesnake dust, red peppah, gunpowdah in yore shoes, dat'll cuz [cause] yo' tuh have achin' an' swellin' j'ints an' stuff. Dat'll put a spell on yo'.
(Sort of swell up your feet or make your joints ache?)
Yeah, yore j'ints ache, an' swell yore j'ints up, too.
(Well, is there any way you can cure that, I wonder?)
Yessir, yo' go tuh a cow stall an' yo' git dat dung, dat rakin' of de cow stall where de cow trample.
(The cow manure?)
Yeah. Yo' take dat an' yo' boil dat an' yo' bathe yore feets in dere. Yo' dilute dat an' put a li'le salt in it. Bathe yore feets in dere wit dat. An' yo' take dat an' yo' THROW DAT SUNDOWN SIDE. DAT MEANS FO' DE MISERY TUH GO DOWN, de sweat of it goes down an' de mis'ry [misery] tuh go out. Yo' throw dat sundown side.
Entry 6756
A dew-poison sore, caused by walking in the grass and getting scratched by a briar, cured by poultice of fresh cow manure.
Entry 6757
If poisoned, take fresh cow manure, saltpeter, make tea, drink 3 times a day.
Entry 6758
[The following medical rite I marked doubtful years ago and was about to throw it out with the discards. Years later on taking a second look I saw something unseen previously. Why did I keep it? Suppose we take a look:] (Cow manure? What do you do with that?) Yo' kin take cow manure, vinegah, dirt daubah nest an' black peppah an' if a person is got a disease, yo' kin keep dat disease on 'em wit dat cow manure, an' dirt daubah nest an' vinegah an' black peppah. [An excellent opening statement!] Yo' weah a bandage on yuh laig, on yuh lef' laig jis' evah mawnin', jis' put a fresh bandage on. An' jis' as long as dat bandage is applied tuh yo', dat disease will be applied tuh dat person.
(The person has the disease to begin with, you mean?)
Yes, sir.
(I see. Well, how do I know which person to apply it to?)
Well, it's jis' lak if somebody would come tuh yo' an' tell yo' an' say, "So- an'-so-an'-so is got a case of shankles or a case of pox or somepin, an' DEY BEEN WASTIN' TIME WIT MAH DAUGHTAH" or somepin. An' dey say, "If dere's any way dat ah kin keep it on 'em, ah wanta tuh do so." Well, den yo' [the author] know whut tuh tell 'em tuh do [when they come to you]. (Get this person's name and put the bandage on [PUT THE PERSON'S NAME ON THE BANDAGE!]. I see.) [My seeing at the time was not very good!] [Here we have a remarkable folk-medicine rite, one of the finest beliefs in Hoodoo, and yet I missed it! Perhaps I was tired, often interviewing for hours at a time. An experienced folklorist will immediately recognize: (1) the 4 in- gredients put in the bandage are about the commonest in folk medicine, cow manure a well-known ointment; and (2) that some doctors claim the power of being able to absorb a disease (see No.1007, p.387). For another example of the latter, some wart doctors pretend to, or are said to, catch all the warts they remove. In the present case however, we do not have an absorbtion rite, but a substitution rite; the absorbtion being only a pretense like the birth pangs of the husband in the couvade! The father in our present rite by pretending to have the venereal dis- ease of his daughter's paramour, keeps it upon the man permanently! Surely there must have been a time limit for the father's acting!]
Entry 6759
Cure for blindness caused by spell. Bathe eyes every mawnin' with fresh cow milk and beaten-up egg. Do for seven [consecutive] mawnin's.
Entry 6760
Person with snakes [in them] gets down on knees over milk [hold open mouth over the milk], snakes will come out.
The printed statement names a posture on the knees. The bracketed additions are editorial, and the reported outcome is not established.
Entry 6762
You mean poison, hoodoo-like?
(Yes.)
Yo' git a teacup fulla sweet milk, halfa teacup of grease, piece of salt- petah about big as a red bean. [Magic of diminishing size.] (A red bean.) Piece of saltpetah about as big as a red bean. Yo' take all dat an' mix dat tuhgethah an' give it tuh yo' an' let yo' drink it. An' yo' vomit it up or eithah it'll kill it [the poison], kill it on de inside of yo'.