# Herbal Replacement for Vicks VapoRub



## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

Is there a solution here?

I came down with the epizoobic this week and have a pretty severe sore throat and sinus infection. My usual solution is to just slather on the vaporub and stew in my own stink for days on end until I feel better.

Is there a herbal alternative? Something I could grow myself, not order from some tropical country?


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## Trisha in WA (Sep 28, 2005)

I make a salve with 3 parts olive oil, 2 parts coconut oil, 1 part bees wax (you can use any home made salve of your choice). Then I add wintergreen essential oil to the desired strength. 
I guess it isn't something you can really grow yourself, but you might have it around anyway.


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## bluefish (Jan 27, 2006)

Peppermint oil sort of work, too. And anybody except me can grow peppermint.


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

How do you make peppermint oil out of the peppermint? I grow some peppermint, but it's never really thrived in my herb-and-weed patch.


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## Freeholder (Jun 19, 2004)

For those with the right climate, eucalyptus works really well. Won't grow where you are, Ernie -- it does well in the warm parts of California.

I think you need some kind of distiller setup to get the essential oils from things like peppermint.

Kathleen


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

My wife read this post and slapped me on the back of the head. She's already got a method for distilling essential oils. She's big in that world. She doesn't do herbs much though, so I'd have to find out what works before I could present it to her.


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## Wags (Jun 2, 2002)

Just want to be clear - you are after something herbal that will clear up your sinus, and do you want something for cough as well?


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

Both.


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## Wags (Jun 2, 2002)

Rather than get out my book and type like a mad women - check out this site: http://www.herbalremediesinfo.com/herbal-remedies-for-sinus-infection.html

(I'm just learning herbal stuff now, so haven't tried much of it out on the family or the critters yet.)


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## goatlady (May 31, 2002)

You can also soak peppermint leaf or any aromatic plant leaf in a good grade olive oil for a week or so and capture the oil essence that way, drain and use the oil topically. Sunshine would speed the process a bit and produce a stronger smelling oil, I think. This is what many herbalists do to get an herbal oil to use in salve making.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

Since the problem is caused by a virus or bacteria of some sort, you might simply want to try some colloidal silver to kill it. The mint family will give you some breathing relief from congestion, but you still want an antibiotic type solution to kill the bug. You can generate the silver yourself from an old adapter cut down and some pure silver wire or coins if you have them. Use distilled water. You don't need a fancy generator, any old adapter can be used.
Also consider using a netipot to kill any germs in the sinuses.


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## Just Cliff (Nov 27, 2008)

Ernie:

If you are prone to sinus problems get you a Netti Pot to wash your sinuses out. 
I have had sinus problems for years. Finally found the Netti Pot last year. It helps clear them out and keep them clean of dirt and germs. I was so tired of taking anti-biotics and what it does to my system.
For those of use that have animals and birds in coops and stalls its great after a day of cleaning. Dookie and bedding dust gets stuck in there and can cause infections.

This would be a good prep Item for all to think about. They are cheap and effective. (China-Mart sells a nice one,it is sort of kidney shaped with a soft tip.)


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

I'm sorry, mekasmom, but at $37.25 per ounce for silver, I would rather continue to hork up green globs for another week than to melt any silver. 

I'm cheap that way.


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## bee (May 12, 2002)

Ermie...making the collidal silver does not include "melting" it is an electrical process that pulls atomic sized silver of the silver strip into water for the solution. An ounce of pure silver would make multiple gallons of solution. I haven't done it or used it..I keep seeing the pic I saw of the man who overdid(really overkill) on silver and is now a permanent shade of bright blue for the rest of his life. Kinda like an internal tatoo process...

I do endorse the nettie pot and taking some elderberry preperation(of your choice; I like Sambucus syrup) to boost your imune system to throw it off faster if it is viral. Echinacea if it is bacterial. Zinc and Vit C.


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

My wife has a nettie pot she keeps threatening me with. I used it exactly once. The sensation was too much like drowning.


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## ne prairiemama (Jan 30, 2010)

Thyme is an expectorant(helps clear the mucous),elcampane,hysopp,mullien too..catnip is an antispasmatic for the lungs and it grows most anywhere I think. You can make a tea out of it.

We make a salve similar to trish but use rosemary,peppermint, thyme and or eucalyptus. When we had whooping cough we also put some tea tree oil and lavender oil in the humidifier (or a pan on the stove) so we could breathe that. They both kill germs. 
Lemme look in my stuff and see if I can find exact recipes!

Sorry you're sick!


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

I like to drink my spearmint tea when I am ill, 
a shot of whiskey to be sipped is not such a bad idea either, and will warm your chest


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## Sonshine (Jul 27, 2007)

BlueJuniperFarm said:


> For those with the right climate, eucalyptus works really well. Won't grow where you are, Ernie -- it does well in the warm parts of California.
> 
> I think you need some kind of distiller setup to get the essential oils from things like peppermint.
> 
> Kathleen


Do you think eucalyptus would grow in central Georgia?


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## naturelover (Jun 6, 2006)

Ernie said:


> Is there a solution here?
> 
> I came down with the epizoobic this week and have a pretty severe sore throat and sinus infection. My usual solution is to just slather on the vaporub and stew in my own stink for days on end until I feel better.
> 
> Is there a herbal alternative? Something I could grow myself, not order from some tropical country?





Ernie said:


> My wife read this post and slapped me on the back of the head. She's already got a method for distilling essential oils. She's big in that world. She doesn't do herbs much though, so I'd have to find out what works before I could present it to her.


The most important and active ingredient in Vicks or Tiger Balm type ointments is the menthol, and menthol is extracted from the wild mint called _Mentha Arvensis L_., aka wild mint, field mint, corn mint. It gets the name because, of all the many plants in the mint family it has the most menthol. It's a useful plant for many reasons and one that all homesteaders should grow as part of their pharmacoepia. 

I can't copy and paste any of this so you'll have to go to the link: http://montana.plant-life.org/species/mentha_arven.htm 

.


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

The mint variety "Bergamot" has an aroma that near exactly matches that of Vicks&#8482;.

We just walked through a huge patch of it while perusing the old homestead I was showing you the other day.
A good rub made of that stuff and bear grease would be step one.
Huffing a jar of my home made Jalapeno pepper powder would definitely finish the job.


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

Forerunner said:


> The mint variety "Bergamot" has an aroma that near exactly matches that of Vicksâ¢.
> 
> We just walked through a huge patch of it while perusing the old homestead I was showing you the other day.
> A good rub made of that stuff and bear grease would be step one.
> Huffing a jar of my home made Jalapeno pepper powder would definitely finish the job.


I guess I missed it. Must have been while I was clutching my sides laughing at your bull hickory tree.


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

Hmmm, I may have to let my daughters try some of these. They both love Vicks when they don't feel good, but I have a strict 'no vicks in the house' rule on account of being tortured with and scarred for life by it as a child. 

I can't breathe in really hot, humid conditions -- will downright have a panic attack within seconds in a sauna, can't tolerate hot tubs, etc.; I don't even drink hot beverages! -- but when I was young my mom never believed me and anytime I got sick she'd slather that crap all over me and make me wrap up in a blanket. *shudder* 

She may as well have just water boarded me and gotten it over with.


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

There you go again, Forerunner. I darn near wet myself laughing just now.


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

Yeah, well........ I had a risque rep around here before, but now.......... :run:


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

Heh. It's dirty farmer humor. We're simple men and we like simple jokes. 

I bet that old hickory tree has been entertaining homesteaders for a long time.


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

Good thing Lorena Bobbitt and husband don't homestead, eh ?


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

Forerunner said:


> Good thing Lorena Bobbitt and husband don't homestead, eh ?


Surely you ain't thinking of takin' an axe to old man hickory!


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

Oh, no...... but I have been looking for an appropriate set of, ummm..... things to hang from his manhood.


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

May I suggest a sack full of cantaloupe?

Perhaps it'll keep them revenooers away.


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

Cantaloupe would be about the right size.
I was thinking a burlap sack and bowling balls.


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

Forerunner said:


> Cantaloupe would be about the right size.
> I was thinking a burlap sack and bowling balls.


Now you're projecting.


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

Spoilsport.


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

(Mama Beaglebiz shakes her head, walking away, hoping you boys are having fun)


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## Freeholder (Jun 19, 2004)

I was just going to mention cayenne pepper, powdered. Mix some in a glass of water and gulp it down (unless you really like hot stuff!). Not going to hurt you, and will probably help.

Kathleen


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

Have you considered that it might be a eunuch??
PS...showed DH your pic...he walks away chuckling...Good God)


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## Elffriend (Mar 2, 2003)

I use Vapor Salve from Kerry's Herbals, located in the U.S, not some place tropical.  It's eucalyptus, thyme and peppermint in a mixture of olive oil and beeswax. You could grow thyme and peppermint. Maybe you could stock up on eucalyptus essential oil?


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

Essential oil of Hickory ?
Have you considered that, Ernie ?
Could be some real masculine health benefits there.....


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

Forerunner said:


> Essential oil of Hickory ?
> Have you considered that, Ernie ?
> Could be some real masculine health benefits there.....


I don't want to know how it's extracted.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Forerunner said:


> We just walked through a huge patch of it while perusing the old homestead I was showing you the other day.


What! Ernie went to FR's and didn't stop and get me on the way!?!?!?!! :fussin: You're both in trouble now. :viking:


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## Rainy (Jan 21, 2010)

Hope ya feel better soon!


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

MullersLaneFarm said:


> What! Ernie went to FR's and didn't stop and get me on the way!?!?!?!! :fussin: You're both in trouble now. :viking:


Doh. I KNEW that would blow up in our faces.


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## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

wintergreen can be grown in the garden easily as a ground cover, I think that's good for colds.


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## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

Ernie said:


> My wife has a nettie pot she keeps threatening me with. I used it exactly once. The sensation was too much like drowning.


I had that feeling the first time. The second time wasn't so bad, and the third time I was a pro at it. I think the first time is the worst cause you THINK it'll be like drowning so you're on guard for it. Try it a couple more times and you'll do fine.


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## bee (May 12, 2002)

Ohhhh I just can't stop myself..coconuts they are even "hairy"......and they will last longer than anything else you could ahhh, urm---dangle.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

ROFL ... A good sense of humor will take you far! Just not sure that old hickory will service your sinuses!


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

You better grab Cyndi on the way by next time.....

There's a knitting dance move or two that I think I might be ready to learn.

Speaking of knitting, I think Marchwind may have accused me of unabashed thread drift. She was _really_ subtle about it, but I'm sharp that way, and I'm just sure that's what she was doing.:bored:


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

Forerunner said:


> You better grab Cyndi on the way by next time.....
> 
> There's a knitting dance move or two that I think I might be ready to learn.
> 
> Speaking of knitting, I think Marchwind may have accused me of unabashed thread drift. She was _really_ subtle about it, but I'm sharp that way, and I'm just sure that's what she was doing.:bored:


We've never been able to keep on topic. It's a gift/curse we have.

I hope you're learning how to spin as well as knit. I'll soon have some wool for you to work on.


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

They say that availability of raw materials is the mother of the necessity to learn the processing procedure....don't they ?
Cyndi might want in on that, too.....


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

As long as I don't get pummeled in the head if I don't manage to get it off the sheep in pristine condition. As wool is the raw material to your learning, sheep are the raw material to mine. 

We can set aside a goodly amount for Cyndi, if she can tolerate working with ugly wool. I feel like it's akin to handing a broken stub of pine to a master woodworker.


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

Ernie said:


> We can set aside a goodly amount for Cyndi, if she can tolerate working with ugly wool.


Trust me. She be a miracle worker....


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## Strange Bear (May 13, 2002)

Hey, I was thinking a toy truck or 2.


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## TheMartianChick (May 26, 2009)

We dont have interesting trees like that on our property, but...To answer Ernie's question:

Maybe horseradish would help? I would slather it on a turkey sandwich and the sinuses just open up as you eat.


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

I think trees are allowed flashing privileges.

Now monkeys....on the other hand..... :nono:


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

Uh, turn my back and the inmates are running the asylum.

(and I'm still wondering about that tree photo :hair)


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## InvalidID (Feb 18, 2011)

Spinner said:


> I had that feeling the first time. The second time wasn't so bad, and the third time I was a pro at it. I think the first time is the worst cause you THINK it'll be like drowning so you're on guard for it. Try it a couple more times and you'll do fine.


 What's that, your sinuses are backed up? Here let me water board you and you'll be right as rain....

Those things should be (maybe they are ) banned by the Geneva Convention


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## InvalidID (Feb 18, 2011)

Gargle with garlic tea. Yep, boil it up and have at it, followed by 2-3 shots whiskey and a nap.


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

AngieM2 said:


> Uh, turn my back and the inmates are running the asylum.
> 
> (and I'm still wondering about that tree photo :hair)


It sure was fun being naughty while you were on coffee break. 
That tree is in the woods, less than a hundred yards from the house.

It has, ummm.....other *clears throat* _appendages_.... on it, as well. 
:sing:


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## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

Forerunner said:


> It sure was fun being naughty while you were on coffee break.
> That tree is in the woods, less than a hundred yards from the house.
> 
> It has, ummm.....other *clears throat* _appendages_.... on it, as well.
> :sing:


Pics please.


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

:indif: 

That was funny.


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## wogglebug (May 22, 2004)

_Active ingredients: Menthol 2.82% w/w, Camphor 5.26% w/w, Eucalyptus Oil 1.33% w.w.
Also contains
Turpentine Oil, Cedar Leaf Oil, Nutmeg Oil and Thymol in a petrolatum base._

In other words, the bulk of it is the carrier - petroleum jelly or Vaseline jelly in the commercial product, but oils (probably olive oil) would be easier to make at home. Lots of minor oils, so substitutes that add additional bits and pieces to the major ingredients shouldn't do any harm.

Menthol from mint (peppermint or spearmint), 
camphor from lots of things but possibly easiest home source would be dried rosemary, 
Eucalyptus oil - well, easiest to buy it in shops, not easy to make a direct substitute, although perhaps a bay-leaf extract in olive oil would come close. Come to think of it, there are eucalytus trees that grow in a wide range of climates, and a simple extract from the leaves in olive oil may be possible. No guarantees - I don't know, and I'm not an expert. Lacking eucalyptus oil, tea-tree comes close, but the same disadvantages of being from somewhere else.

Or play around with other aromatic herbs. Sage and thyme come to mind as possibilities, but again no guarantees.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Road trip! (next time).

Any wool can be made spinnable or feltable or compostable!

Yay!


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## Allen W (Aug 2, 2008)

Rendered skunk fat was what grandma said they used when she was little.


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## MamaTiger (Jun 11, 2008)

Here in the deep south eucalpytus trees will grow. My mother has a huge one in her back yard. Not sure how they would grow in Illinois though. And if your wife is big in the herbal world, then she'd be able to make an extract from it.


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

Are there male and female eucalyptus trees ?


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## mokih (Mar 2, 2008)

Pour two cans of coke in a saucepan. Add a bunch of fresh ginger (sliced or grated) and a couple lemon slices. Boil for a couple minutes, and drink it while it's almost too hot. Eat as much of the ginger as you can. I learned this remedy last winter while I was in China and it quickly became the treatment of choice for my family. It really will clear out your sinuses. The kids won't eat the ginger, though my youngest daughter will eat the lemon slices! 

I can grow the ginger and lemons where I live. I have the lemon tree planted already, and the space cleared for the ginger, which I've been told is a good annual here.


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## jlrbhjmnc (May 2, 2010)

Awww, shucks. Angie got to the photo before I could show DH and now he thinks I'm making it up.


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## Blu3duk (Jun 2, 2002)

only a couple days late and the party has moved on......

Slippery Elm Bark is an expectorant, pulverized into "gel caps" and taken with capsium [cayenne] and some echinacea agustifolia does wonders for those who can tolerate it all.

Raw garlic finely sliced and set on a slice of buttered bread [heavy on the butter] I like 3-4 cloves depending upon the size.... IO use the bread and butter to cut the 'shock factor" down some as i want to digest the garlic a little and let the goodness of it find the nasties and take them out one by one! some people can stand more garlic.

all stubbed ubb and hard to breathe????? try an altoid peppermint candy or three.... the problem there is making them after the decline of civilzation which is what you wanted in the OP..... peppermint oil lasts for a LONNNNNNGGGGG time though... unless you start makin yer own moonshine and turning it into peppermint schnapps of sorts.... though a little oil goes a long way....like 2 drops to the gallon of mash BEFORE distilling.... learnt that one the hard way, but you can re-run the mix and it works out in the end run toa very smooooth "tincture" though we tended to make "ski slopes" with it while my friends made "ski lifts" with the store bought stuff..... "slopes" cause once you started it was all downhill from there.

Lots of herbs can make you feel better and help to heal you.... and you can grow many things, but the only decent way to keep them after about 3-4 months from harvest is by tincture in alcohol, ergo my venture into that realm years ago after reading several authors on the subject of herbal medicine including but not limited to "Culpepper"

William
Idaho


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## tallpines (Apr 9, 2003)

I didn't see the photos but I have a vivid imagination.

And, the image in my mind following Ernie's commemt about him "liking his sheep" and "broken stubs" ------- :smack:help:


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