What did your grandma use Spirits of Gum Turpentine to heal? Mine used to take my pricked sore finger and stick it into the small bottle, slosh the turpentine up on it, then upon pulling my finger out of the bottle, would declare, "Now that finger won't be sore no more." It worked! Never seened anything take the soreness out of a minor hurt faster. She never used it on a deep cut, just the little kid's hurts. Also good to start a fire with when nothing else available. Daddy showed me how they made it from pine trees' sap. Now that's a story Hoot could probably tell us. So was this old time remedey used at your house? How?

-- Eve in FL (owenall@lwol.com), March 25, 2001

Answers

Response to What do you use Spirits of Turpentine for?

Is Spirits of Gum Turpentine the same thing as Venice Turpentine? If so, I paint it on the soles of horses feet to toughen them up. Works nicely on a horse with sensitive soles, I wouldn't use it for abcesses tho.

Stacy Rohan in Windsor, NY where it's 15 degrees! Yuck!

-- Stacy Rohan (KincoraFarm@aol.com), March 25, 2001.

I use it to make joint pain relievers, add essential oils of pine, wintergreen, rosemary, lavender, etc., shake well, and you got natural people linement. Works and smells great!

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), March 25, 2001.

Where do you get it? None of the stores here sell it any more. Eckerds said they couldn't because they were afraid they'd be sued.

I use Cut n Heel from the feed store on just about any and all sores that have trouble healing. It's real good for sores that can't scab.

-- (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), March 25, 2001.

Lorann Oils carries it, 1-800-862-8620, or www.lorannoils.com , ask for the wholesale catalog. Turpentine oil, venice or rectified N.F. is available, I use the rectified, it's more pure, is 1.55 for an ounce,3.25 for 4 ounces, 8.00 for 16 ounces, or 30.00 for a gallon, less money for the venice turpentine. This a great carrier for homemade linements and salves.

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), March 25, 2001.

I don't know if this is the same, but I read once where a guy saved his elms from succumbing to dutch elm disease by boring out some holes (pointing down into the center of the trunk) and filled them with turpentine. He did several per tree. His thinking is that the tree's natural capillary system hauled that turpentine all throughout the tree, killing off any of the virus (or whatever it is) that was killing off the trees. Said it worked and they were still living as of the writing of the article (maybe mid-80's or 90's).

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), March 25, 2001.

I get it at a local small MOM & Pop Drug Store. $1.69 for two oz. I think it probably is the same as your Vince turpentine. Thank you all for the other uses. I'll try some of 'em.

-- Eve in FL (owenall@lwol.com), March 28, 2001.

Don't know if this is the same stuff, but when I was a kid growing up in the hills of Kentucky, my mother gave each of us kids a teaspoon of sugar with a drop of turpentine on it..Tasted really yucky. We took it because, when my mom said do this, you did it!! It was an old remedy for worms..cleaned them right out, and guess that small amount didn't poison us, as I am still here and healthy.

-- Wayne in Kentucky (wallen328@aol.com), March 31, 2001.

spirits of turpentime is a active inqredient in vicks vapor rub

-- patrick engle (paddy31@webtv.net), July 09, 2001.

I finally found some at Medichest.com, $1.49 for 4 oz. We always used it on cuts when I was a kid, and I ran out about 15 years ago. Buy it while you can - stock up!

-- Tracy Buck (lsgm1@aol.com), October 04, 2001.

thanks for pointing out that website Tracy, found a few things on there I haven't seen anywhere else.

-- Dave (something@somewhere.com), October 05, 2001.