every winter for as long as i can remember i have suffered the agonies of chilblains on my toesies. chilblains are agonisingly itchy and painful. although mine are not severe – thankfully – they do not ulcerate, nor does my skin become dry and split. i just get the swelling and the itching.
i recall years ago my ex-husband’s grandmother telling me that soaking your pauvre feets in urine was a surefire solution. my first reaction was, “whose urine?” and i can’t say that i have been desperate enough to try it.
hidden amongst the pages of the sprogs delightful horrible histories magazines are interesting methods of urine use: in Middle Ages England urine was used to wash clothing & the Inca left buckets of urine to ferment for a week and then used it to wash hair (there are others, which currently escape me).
but back to the chilblains – my toes have remained untouched this winter, but ALAS my fingers have succumbed for the first time ever. ouch.
Thankfully I have never had chilblains and I’m now positive it’s not something I want to experience.
ewww @ using urine for ANYTHING – I remember hearing on the radio about people who drink a glass of their own urine every morning as well as using another glass to splash all over their body. I guess they drank a lot of water the night before to get two glasses of wee in the morning..