The 1918 influenza was the most severe pandemic in recent history. Caused by H1N1 influenza virus, it swept across the world starting in the Spring of 1918 and persisting until early 1920. Although it is known as the “Spanish Flu,” it did not originate in Spain. It is estimated that about 500 million people or one-third of the world’s population became infected with this virus and at least 50 million people died.
Unlike the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19) that has been much deadlier for the elderly, the 1918 flu affected the 20-40 age group more than any other section of the population. As attempts to make effective vaccines to protect against the 1918 flu infection failed, many Americans who subscribed to the basic beliefs in a scientific approach to health and disease turned to home and folk remedies.
Here are some of the intriguing remedies people used during the 1918 flu pandemic.