Review of "I Feel Better with a Frog in My Throat: History’s Strangest Cures," by Carlyn Beccia

Review of

I Feel Better with a Frog in My Throat: History’s Strangest Cures, by Carlyn Beccia ISBN 9780547225708

Five out of five stars

 For several years, I have been investigating effective medicines that can be found in nature for work I have been doing in studying how civilization could be restored in the event of a planet-wide catastrophe. Yet, there were two natural medicines in this book that I had not encountered.

 The first was the tea made from boiled cherry bark and the second was a literal frog in your throat. When cherry bark is boiled, hydrocyanic acid is released and that stops coughing. In fact it is an ingredient in modern cough remedies. When a frog is placed in your mouth it releases a protective slime that contains toxins that can help cure infections. Some of the cures are amusing and it is most unlikely that they will help a person recover from illness.

 The book is written at the level of the third grader and is very educational. It is one of those books that will amuse and educate children of all ages, as adults will also learn some interesting things when reading it. It is also a reminder that some of the ancient medical practices that were dismissed did have positive medicinal value.