I spent this entire past week fighting a fatiguing flu that just doesn’t want to say good-bye yet somehow find myself at another Sunday morning, this one marking Mother’s Day for this year. I am reminded of the old school cures my mom would administer when we kids were sick. There was always a can of Cloverine Salve and a bottle of Save The Baby on hand. It was a small glass bottle filled cloudy, camphor-based product that she would heat then dole out in a tablespoon along with a little sugar. The grainy sweetness of the sugar couldn’t hide the pungent camphor taste but acted as enough of a distraction to make it bearable. Plus, there always seemed to be some sort of relief from the coughing afterwards. You can’t buy this product now as camphor has been banned for internal use by the FDA but it will always have a place in my heart as a symbol for the care Mom offered when we were feeling under the weather. Miss you, Mom.
Being Sunday morning, I usually offer some music and this week I have chosen a somewhat topical song. It’s called Mother Knows Best and is from one of my favorite albums, Rumor and Sigh, from the great Richard Thompson. Enjoy your Mother’s Day.
Redtree Times 
Campho-Phenique. Who can forget that? Or Vicks Vapo-Rub, or the liquid vitamins called either Homocebrin or Multicebrin? I don’t know which vitamin mix I took, but I remember it came in a quart-sized brown glass bottle, and it was so good I once drank the entire bottle. When my panic-stricken mom called the doctor, he just laughed and told her not to worry.
Happy Mother’s Day, and wishes for you to finally shake that nasty flu!
Yes, I usually ended up with as much Vapo-Rub in my mouth as on my chest. Happy Mother’s Day to you, as well, Linda. Thanks for the wishes for wellness– hope it happens soon!
On Sun, May 11, 2014 at 8:12 AM, Redtree Times wrote:
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This is a very late response, but I want you to know that you can still buy Camphophenique. I had to hunt for it, but I remember how good it was for cold sores. Sometimes everything old is new again.
Can you still buy homocebtin vitamin now ? I would love to taste this again, I loved it.
Never took it myself so I can’t attest to the taste. I don’t think homocebrin is still sold but think you can buy vitamin syrups that considered equivalent to it. Don’t know if they taste the same though.