Taking medicine today isn't what it used to be. Castor oil is castor oil, but they've banished senna tea, And they've sugar coated now all the bitter things we took, Mother used to brew for us from the family doctor book. Now I tell that boy of mine when he starts to make a fuss, He is lucky not to be taking what they gave to us.
Seems the kitchen stove back then always had a pan or two
Brewing up a remedy for the ailments which we knew,
Something mother said we'd need surely in a little while,
Senna tea for stomach ills and its brother chamomile;
But I vow the worst of all remedies they gave to me
Was that gummy, sticky stuff known and served as flaxseed tea.
Boy, put down that little pill, take your powder and be glad
You're not getting what they gave when your father was a lad.
Mother's hand was gentle, but rough and hard it seemed to be
When she sat beside my bed rubbing goose-grease into me.
Getting well is easy now. Take your medicine and smile,
You are lucky that it's not senna tea or chamomile.
Edgar Albert Guest
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/old-fashioned-remedies/
