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Episode 21: Witch Hazel, Alcohol, & Witches Brew
When I was a kid and I’d get hurt in any way that wasn’t permanent, or bleeding, my Mom would always always respond, “Just put some alcohol on it!”
She’d grab a clean washcloth or some cotton balls and rub some rubbing alcohol onto the bruised knee or kicked shin or stubbed toe and somehow it seemed to dissolve the pain away. Growing up though, we’d always tease her and laugh and say, “Even if we had a stomach, your cure is always just “put some alcohol on it!””
Another one of those childhood things that you wonder where they came from was using witch hazel. I think witch hazel is just like a watery astringent that has a bunch of uses. I think it’s good for your skin, like an early form of toner, just to clean the oily layer off before bed? But, the name – when I was a kid, witch hazel just sounded like some kind of potion, and I never believed it actually did anything to make my face any better.
When I was like 12 my parents took us with them to Trader Joes and on one of the shelves they had a product called Witches Brew. Wiches Brew is technically a sweet red wine brewed with some fruit and spices and served warm. I think this was a non-alcoholic version that was pretty disgusting, but I begged them to let me try it and we bought it and I was the only one in the house who actually liked it. I still like things that are kinda nasty, or really sour, or bitter, like fernet, or stinky cheeses.
Another thing was sleeping in socks with vaseline on my feet. That one actually worked though, I tried it a few years ago and my feet were so soft for like months after that.