my folks gave us a spoonful of sugar soaked with rotgut whiskey. killed the cough, and the fever, and a few random tastebuds.
My mom said her mother’s cure all was horseradish soaked in a bottle of whiskey; she always kept it on hand. A spoonful of that mixed with honey cured anything.
She said the medicine was nasty as all get out and you NEVER complained about not feeling well. But after a dose of that, the next morning when you woke up, whatever you had was GONE.