Old remedies bring back memories

Whenever I was sick as a child my mom would boil what looked like thin sheets of wood in a pan, then pour the liquid into a heavy cup. She would add lots of milk and sugar to the pink concoction before handing it to me to sip. This was sassafras tea and never failed to make me feel better.
Honestly, I wouldn’t recognize a sassafras tree if it dropped a branch on my head. But digging my own roots is the only way I could ever hope to get real sassafras tea today.
In 1960 the United States Food and Drug Administration banned the stuff because scientists gave massive doses of safrole obtained from sassafras trees to rats and other laboratory animals and the creatures developed liver damage and cancer. I think that if you give enough of a concentrated substance to any living thing there will be problems. Nevertheless, we ban such ingredients for our own good.
At least part of the ban has since been lifted, as the problem causing ingredient isn’t in the roots. Even so, real sassafras tea is almost impossible to find. The concentrated stuff found in stores just isn’t the same.
I discovered that various Native American tribes used sassafras as medicine and to ward off evil spirits. As with many herbal remedies it is supposed to treat a whole host of problems, such as bronchitis, kidney problems, rheumatism, scurvy, hypertension and toothaches among others. Scientists have found that the oil, roots and bark of the tree have both pain relieving and antiseptic properties. No wonder I felt better after drinking the tea.
I wondered about other remedies from my youth. When was the last time you bought Mercurochrome or Merthiolate? These came in tiny bottles. The applicator was attached to the cap. Whenever one had a minor cut or scrape Mom would wash it off and get out the Mercurochrome. She would dab the red liquid on the open wound while you tried not to scream.
Mercurochrome is a topical solution whose antiseptic qualities were discovered in 1918. The FDA effectively halted its distribution in the United States in 1998 over fears of potential mercury poisoning. That must be why I haven’t seen it lately.
We preferred Merthiolate to Mercurochrome because it hurt less. Still, one had to blow on the injury after the application of either substance because it stung.
Merthiolate is a similar antiseptic that has faded from use for many of the same reasons as Mercurochrome. Poisoning can occur when large amounts of the substance are swallowed or come in contact with your skin. Poisoning may also occur if you are exposed to small amounts of Merthiolate constantly over a long period of time. Due to these adverse side effects several generations have been spared the sting from the tiny red bottles.
Other home remedies I remember were contained in a black fishing tackle box that lived under the china cabinet. In addition to rolls of gauze and adhesive tape that was stronger than duct tape, there was an assortment of small round tins.
These tins contained various salves. The white salve was for one thing, the brown for another. There was drawing salve for getting out hard to reach splinters. Then there was black salve. This was the really powerful stuff. I have no idea what it was for. The only salve in my own medicine collection is a small tube of antibiotic ointment.
So many things have changed since I was young. Medical treatment has progressed so that we no longer routinely use sassafras tea, stinging antiseptics, mysterious salves and potentially toxic home remedies. Now we take a trip to the drug store to alleviate minor maladies.
Yet, when I am ill, I long for a sweet cup of tea brewed by my mom and not some pre-packaged, impersonal, commercial medicine buried in layers of packaging. Sometimes simpler really is better.