When I was a child growing up in Germany, whenever I fell ill, my mother would employ all sorts of household remedies that had been used for generations in our family. It was not unusual to find myself with hot, smashed potatoes wrapped in a kitchen towel around my head. The remedy, intended to mitigate sore throats, bronchitis, and ear pain, did make me feel better.
I have to hand it to my mother. The approach worked, and it is still commonly used in Germany.
