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We thought finding one article about curing foot ailments with cannabis was strange and rare enough. But apparently it wasn’t as oddball as it seems according to this strange advertisement/article in the Leadville Evening Chronicle from 126 years ago almost to the day.
See also: “DIA Says Pot Merchandise Won’t Fly — But You Can Weigh In“
Our first find was from the 1892 Summit County Journal. In it, we learned that one part cannabis, 48 parts collodion and nine parts acid will cure corns. It’ll probably strip the chrome off an old Cadillac bumper, too.
But this new remedy from the November 12, 1888 Evening Chronicle seems less, um, caustic.
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In an aside from “Dr. J.S. Charles” about the many fine uses for glycerine, we learn that the stuff is pretty much the all-around fix. Charles suggests it for things like breaking in ladies shoes by rendering the leather “soft and pliable,” stopping excess foot sweat and even “making a pleasant bath” by adding it to your tub. Got a cough? Add some of it to a shot of whisky (or cream). Want to fry fish properly? Put it in your pan.
However, the best use of the stuff from our perspective is to get rid of bunions and corns. The recipe is simple: equal parts cannabis indica with glycerine.
Interestingly, glycerine is still around today in the world of cannabis. Some of you have probably smoked some, actually. It’s basically propylene glycol, the same stuff people use to make their THC vape pen juices. But while we do love finding century-plus-old reference to cannabis extracts, we don’t suggest cracking open those little O.pen cartridges and rubbing them on your gnarly feet, even if “Dr. J.S. Charles” would.
