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John George Hohman's Pow-Wows

A REMEDY TO RELIEVE PAIN.
Take a rag which was tied over a wound for the first time. and put it in water together with some copperas;
p. 19
but do not venture to stir the copperas until you are certain of the pain having left you.

A GOOD REMEDY FOR THE TOOTHACHE.
Cut out a piece of greensward (sod) in the morning before sunrise, quite unbeshrewdly from any place, breathe three times upon it, and put it down upon the same place from which it was taken.

TO REMOVE BRUISES AND PAINS.
Bruise, thou shalt not heat;
Bruise, thou shalt not sweat;
Bruise, thou shalt not run,
No-more than Virgin Mary shall bring forth another son. + + +

A REMARKABLE PASSAGE FROM THE BOOK OF ALBERTUS MAGNUS.
It says: If you burn a large frog to ashes, and mix the ashes with water, you will obtain an ointment that will, if put on any place covered with hair, destroy the hair and prevent it from growing again.

ANOTHER PASSAGE FROM THE WORK OF ALBERTUS MAGNUS.
If you find the stone which a vulture has in his knees, and which you may find by looking sharp, and put it in the victuals of two persons who hate each other, it causes them to make up and be good friends.

TO CURE FITS OR CONVULSIONS.
You must go upon another person's land, and repeat the following words: "I go before another court--I tie up my 77-fold fits." Then cut three small twigs off any tree on the land; in each twig you must make a knot. This must be done on a Friday morning before sunrise., in the decrease of the moon unbeshrewdly. + + + Then over your body where you feel the fits you make the
p. 20
crosses. And thus they may be made in all cases where they are applied.

CURE FOR THE HEADACHE.
Tame thou flesh and bone, like Christ in Paradise; and who will assist thee, this I tell thee [name] for your repentance sake. + + + This you must say three times, each time lasting for three minutes, and your headache will soon cease. But if your headache is caused by strong drink, or otherwise will not leave you soon, then you must repeat those words every minute. This, however, is not often necessary in regard to headache.

TO MEND BROKEN GLASS.
Take common cheese and wash it well, unslaked lime and the white of eggs, rub all these well together until it becomes one mass, and then use it. If it is made right, it will certainly hold.

HOW TO MAKE CATTLE RETURN TO THE SAME PLACE.
Pull. out three small bunches of hair, one between the horns, one from the middle of the back, and one near the tail, and make your cattle eat it in their feed.

ANOTHER METHOD OF MAKING CATTLE RETURN HOME.
Take a handful of salt, go upon your fields and make your cattle walk three times around the same stump or stone, each time keeping the same direction; that is to say, you must three times arrive at the same end of the stump or stone at which you started from, and then let your cattle lick the salt from the stump or stone.

TO PREVENT THE HESSIAN FLY FROM INJURING THE WHEAT.
Take pulverized charcoal, make ley of it, and soak the seed wheat in it; take it out of the ley, and on every bushel of wheat sprinkle a quart of urine; stir it well, then spread it out to dry.

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TO PREVENT CHERRIES FROM RIPENING BEFORE MARTINMAS.
Engraft the twigs upon a mulberry-tree, and your desire is accomplished.

STINGING NETTLES---GOOD FOR BANISHING FEARS AND FANCIES, AND TO CAUSE FISH TO COLLECT.
Whenever you hold this weed in your hand together with Millifolia, you are safe from all fears and fancies that frequently deceive men. If you mix it with a decoction of the hemlock, and rub your hands with it, and put the rest in water that contains fish, you will find the fish to collect around your hands. Whenever you pull your hands out of the water, the fish disappear by returning to their former places.

HELIOTROPE (SUN-FLOWER) A MEANS TO PREVENT CALUMNIATION.
The virtues of this plant are miraculous. If it be collected in the sign of the lion, in the month of August, and wrapped up in a laurel leaf together with the tooth of a wolf. Whoever carries this about him, will never be addressed harshly by anyone, but all will speak to him kindly and peaceably. And if anything has been stolen from you put this under your head during the night, and you will surely see the whole figure of the thief. This has been found true.

HELIOTROPE (SUN-FLOWER) A MEANS TO PREVENT CALUMNIATION.
The virtues of this plant are miraculous. If it be collected in the sign of the lion, in the month of August, and wrapped up in a laurel leaf together with the tooth of a wolf. Whoever carries this about him, will never be addressed harshly by anyone, but all will speak to him kindly and peaceably. And if anything has been stolen from you put this under your head during the night, and you will surely see the whole figure of the thief. This has been found true.

A GOOD REMEDY FOR CONSUMPTION.
Consumption, I order thee out of the bones into the flesh, out of the flesh upon the skin, out of the skin into the wilds of the forest.
+ + +

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SWALLOW-WORT.
A means to overcome and end all fighting and anger, and to cause a sick man to weep when his health is restored, or to sing with a cheerful voice when on his death bed; also a very good remedy for dim eyes or shining of the eyes. This weed grows at the time when the swallows build their nests or eagles breed. If a man carries this' about him, together with the heart of a mole, he shall overcome all fighting and anger. If these things . are put upon the head of a sick man, he shall weep at the restoration of his health, and sing with a cheerful voice when he comes to die. When the swallow-wort blooms, the flowers must be pounded up and boiled, and then the water must be poured off into another vessel, and again be placed to the fire and carefully skimmed; then it must be filtered through a cloth and preserved, and whosoever has dim eyes or shining eyes, may bathe his eyes with it, and they will become clear and sound.

FOR THE HOLLOW HORN IN COWS.
Bore a small hole in the hollow horn, milk the same cow, and squirt her milk into the horn; this is the best cure. Use a syringe to squirt the milk into the horn.

A VERY GOOD AND CERTAIN MEANS OF DESTROYING THE WHEAL IN THE EYE.
Take a dirty plate; if you have none, you can easily dirty one, and the person for whom you are using sympathy shall in a few minutes find the pain much relieved. You must hold that side of the plate or dish, which is used in eating, toward the eye. While you hold the plate before the eye, you must say:
Dirty plate, I press thee,
Wheal in the eye, do flee.
+ + +

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