The warnings that accompany old fashioned treatments for pneumonia or ‘congestion of the lungs’ were so dire that even as late as the 1930s almost no hope was given out for the patient’s recovery and I can find no remedy which was put forward in the genuine belief that it would succeed. Although matters are vastly improved today there is no doubt that if you or a member of your family suffers from a bad cough, pains in the chest and a high temperature, particularly when influenza is rife, you should immediately seek professional advice.

This is especially relevant if the victim is very young or elderly is not of a normally healthy constitution or is just recovering from a previous illness. If the infection is not of the most serious kind any of the remedies given in this section will be useful. Patients convalescing from a more serious illness will also gain relief and strength from these recipes. People who are very ill rarely want to eat but it is important that they drink plenty. Keep the room well aired and keep a small bowl of eucalyptus or lavender simmering in order to promote a pleasant atmosphere. An old-fashioned idea for keeping the patient comfortable is to bathe the face with warm water into which 1 tablespoon of cider or lavender vinegar has been stirred then wipe dry with paper tissues which should afterwards be burned.

• Honey and lemon One dessertspoon of honey to the juice of ½ lemon to be taken every half hour.
• Slippery elm Mix 3 dessertspoons of the powdered bark to a drinkable consistency with water, add honey to sweeten and take twice daily at six hourly intervals. One of the good home remedies for pneumonia.
• Cinnamon and lemon juice Add the juice of ½ a lemon and ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon to a coffee cup of boiling water. Allow to cool. Gargle with the mixture to relieve a sore throat and then swallow. Avoid this remedy, however, if you suffer from heartburn.
• A healing tea Take 25g (1oz) of each of the following herbs: agrimonies, salad burnet, meadowsweet, wood betony, raspberry leaves (best avoided if you are pregnant). Mix the herbs and add them to 1 litre (1.75 pints) of boiling water. Simmer for 20 minutes and when cool season with cinnamon and a few drops of lemon juice. Administer 1 wineglass every hour. One of the best home remedies for pneumonia.