Browse:Crab (Volume 1, entries 1204)
Crab
Volume 1, entries 1204. Source context: THE DOCTORS AT WORK: REPORTS FROM LAYMEN → FOLK MEDICINE → CURE AND PROTECTION. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 1204
Take a crab or anything like that - you just done heard people say - which you could parch. You parch their shell, you know, just like you'd ketch a live crab and you burn him. You burn a live crab and after you burn him down to dust, you take some hot water and sugar - like if you was crossed. If you know that people have got you crossed, that you can't be successful or nothing, you're starving, you take that crab, the whole crab, and you put him down in the fire and you parch him there, but have it where that you could get all that dust from him. Well, you get this crab and you get you some sugar and hot water, and you crumble that crab down in that. You pours your cayenne pepper down in there with your salt. You take that crab dust that you burned off, and you get down in that water and you stay in that water. You bathe from the mole [mold] of your head - just like this here [demonstrates] - just like I would take water with my hand - just like taking water with your hand - don't use no towels or nothing - just with your necked [naked] hand like that. See. Take it and you wash all over with that. Then, after you get out of there, you take this here crab shell what you done parched down to dust ~ take some sugar in with it - and you rub your hands and everything like that - come on down with it just the way you bathe [this is a dry bath] and nobody couldn't do you no harm or nothing. [This is a reversing rite - a crab moving backwards, here uncrosses the cross.]