Great Depression Home Remedies: How Families Stayed Healthy

The Great Depression years were challenging in just about every way, from food shortages and hunger to worn-out farmland that stopped producing food.

Most families had to make do during those years, not just with clothing and belongings, but with healthcare, too. Many lived on farms or in small towns without easy access to doctors, clinics and hospitals. Even for families who did have a doctor nearby, medical care got harder to afford as incomes fell.

This article was originally published on October 17, 2018, and was updated in October 2026.

The Unexpected Rise in Life Expectancy

Yes, you read that right. In spite of hard times and hunger, fewer doctor visits and widespread poverty, U.S. life expectancy rose from 57.1 years in 1929 to 63.3 years in 1932. That’s a gain of 6.2 years, and it held for both men and women, whites and non-whites. That’s according to a 2009 University of Michigan study of death rates from 1920 to 1940.

The researchers didn’t prove why, but they had some ideas. With less work to go around, people worked at a slower pace and slept more. Tighter budgets meant less money for alcohol and tobacco, and with fewer people driving to jobs, traffic deaths dropped.

The numbers don’t tell the whole story, though. Suicides rose during those years. In the South, pellagra, a disease caused by a diet short on niacin, was widespread among families living on cornmeal, molasses and fatback. And many children went without enough to eat. Staying healthy took effort, knowledge and a fair amount of luck.

So how did families manage it? A lot came down to how they ate and lived, and a lot came down to home remedies, some of which are still used today.

Why Depression-Era Families Stayed Healthier Than You’d Expect

Before we get to the remedies, a few things about everyday life back then worked in people’s favor.

They ate fewer processed foods

Processed foods did exist in the 1930s. Twinkies, Wonder Bread, Bisquick, Ritz crackers, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and Spam all date to that decade. But most families couldn’t afford to buy much of anything ready-made. Most all meals were built from vegetables, beans, grains, eggs, milk and whatever meat they could get, which looks a lot like the “whole foods” way of eating that’s popular today.

You can read my list of dozens of Great Depression meals here and see what I mean.

Canning was a way of life

Most households grew at least some of their own food, so canning was simply how families got through the winter as well as a way to preserve hard-won, home-grown produce from rotting and being wasted. Women took real pride in a pantry full of home-canned food. Today, many of us can our own food to avoid the additives in store-bought versions. Back then, it was just how they ate. If you’ve never tried home canning or need a refresher, start with this easy tutorial.

Daily life kept people moving

Very few homes had labor-saving appliances. Housewives got a real workout keeping house and cooking everything from scratch. Nobody had a gym membership, yet most people stayed trim.

Skills that have become trendy in recent years, like soap making and sewing, were common back then, with one generation teaching the next. Every one of those skills takes physical effort. You can’t make soap sitting on the couch!

Remedies for Common Ailments

Chicken noodle soup

If you think your grandma’s homemade chicken noodle soup was a cure-all, she may have been onto something. A recent 2025 study found that chicken soup had a mild anti-inflammatory effect in the lab, which might ease cold symptoms. It won’t cure a cold, but warm broth keeps you hydrated, soothes a sore throat, and helps clear a stuffy nose. Depression-era moms didn’t need a study to know that.

Mustard plaster

One remedy I happen to have personal experience with is the mustard plaster, something popular back then for chest congestion and sore muscles.

Years ago my husband decided that a mustard plaster might cure his sinus problems and congestion. Turns out, he is horribly allergic to mustard powder and he spent almost a week in misery. It was a real bonding experience for this newlywed couple!

The idea behind it is that mustard warms the skin, a lot like the capsaicin in today’s pain-relief creams. Families used mustard plasters for colds, runny noses, rheumatism and all kinds of respiratory complaints. A plaster was made by mixing dry mustard powder and a little flour with water, plus mineral oil, olive oil or egg white, into a paste. The paste was spread on a thin cloth, and the cloth was laid on the skin. If you’re curious about how to do this, read these instructions.

A word of caution: mustard plasters can blister and burn the skin, especially if left on too long or used on children or anyone with sensitive skin. Never put the paste directly on bare skin, check underneath every few minutes, and remove it right away if it stings. If you’ve never used mustard on your skin, test a small spot first. My husband can tell you why!

A simmering pot of water

Do you remember your grandma or mom telling you to lean over a pot of steaming water? Most Depression-era homes didn’t have a modern shower to fill the bathroom with steam, so they made their own steam bath with a pot of hot water, a towel draped over the head, and deep breaths.

If the home had a wood-burning stove, a pot filled with water was placed on top, allowed to heat up, and then the breathing treatment could begin.

Many people still swear by it for loosening congestion, though studies haven’t found that it shortens a cold. Be careful with this one. Scalds from hot water are a common injury, especially for kids. Let the water cool a bit, set the bowl on a stable table rather than the stove, and keep children at a safe distance or skip it for them.

How Do Your Own Skills Measure Up? (free checklist)

Medicinal herbs

Medicinal herbs weren’t a mystery to thousands of Great Depression households. In fact, children were taught from a young age to forage for both medicinal and edible plants.

Licorice root is a good example. Since ancient times people have known licorice to have healing properties. Now we know that it may be effective against tooth decay and periodontal diseases. Some old folks made their own licorice root tea for indigestion and as a laxative. The important thing was to first know about the edible plant and then be able to identify, harvest, and use it.

One caution: real licorice root contains glycyrrhizin, which can raise blood pressure and lower potassium if you have too much or use it for weeks at a time. Skip it if you have high blood pressure or heart or kidney problems, or if you’re pregnant.

Various mint plants and eucalyptus were sometimes added to those steaming pots of water I mentioned earlier and not just for an individual to breathe. Great Depression moms knew the whole family could benefit by breathing in that vapor and the easiest way to spread it around was by placing a big pot of water either on the stovetop or on top of the cast-iron stove.

Today, you can grow medicinal herbs indoor with the help of a grow light or natural sunlight, if placed by a window. Of course, they’re also easy to add to any outdoor garden, and this article gives suggestions for how to choose and grow medicinal herbs. Making liniments is a simple next step.

More home remedies

In my research, I found many more simple remedies from the Great Depression years. A few come with notes, because what was common then isn’t always safe now.

• Homemade salves using medicinal plant leaves
• Molasses mixed with a little melted butter for a sore throat
• Warm honey tea with lemon for a cough (no honey for babies under 1 year old)
• Honey and whiskey for congestion
• Saltwater gargle for a sore throat
• Ginger tea for stomach aches, headaches, arthritis pain and even cold feet
• Baking soda and water for indigestion
• Baking soda and water paste for bee stings
• Salt and water, or rubbing alcohol, as an insect bite poultice
• Castor oil as a laxative, often given as a cure-all (a strong one, and not for children without a doctor’s okay)
• Prunes and other dried fruit for constipation
• Witch hazel for hemorrhoids
• Calamine lotion for skin rashes, poison oak and poison ivy
• Oatmeal poultices and baths for itchy, irritated skin
• Warm oil in an aching ear (never if there’s any chance of a ruptured eardrum or drainage from the ear; see a doctor instead)

Community & Social Support

The life and times of the Great Depression years are a world away from our modern lifestyle. It wasn’t unusual for neighbors to band together to fix meals for a family whose husband and father had just lost a job.

Along with sharing meals, they also shared knowledge, including home remedies, and this helped the entire community stay healthy. A lot of wisdom was shared during those years.

As well, when a neighbor was sick, word spread like wildfire and everyone knew to stay clear of anything that might be contagious.

So maybe it was more than just knowing remedies and being able to identify herbs and other medicinal plants. Maybe a big part of staying healthy during the Great Depression was all about neighbors taking care of neighbors — something that should play a bigger role in our communities today.

And, if you’re as fascinated by the Great Depression years as I am, this book, “We Had Everything but Money” is a must-read. (Check out the “used book” prices for some real bargains.)

Which Depression-Era Remedies Still Make Sense Today?

Some of these old remedies are worth keeping in your back pocket, especially when the pharmacy is closed or the power is out. Others are better left in the history books.

None of these replaces medical care. If someone has a high fever, trouble breathing, a stiff neck or symptoms that keep getting worse, get help.

FAQ

Related Great Depression Content

• Could You Survive a Great Depression? Take the Skills Quiz
• Great Depression Meals: What Families Ate to Get By (60+ Depression-Era Foods)
• 25 Ways People Earned Money During the Great Depression (And Lessons For Today)
• Survival Wisdom from Old-Timers: 16 Life Lessons for Tough Times
• Growing Up During the Great Depression: What Kids Did and Why It Mattered
• The Real Reason Some Families Survived the Great Depression and Others Didn’t
  

QUIZ: How Many of These Foods Have you Eaten?

Ever eaten chipped beef on toast? Or maybe you’re more of an eggs n’ grits kind of person–we get that. But how many authentic Great Depression meals have you really had?

Take our quiz to see how many of these crazy (but oh, so frugal) dishes you’ve tried. 

Final Thoughts

My grandmother’s generation didn’t have urgent care on every corner or a pharmacy open 24 hours. They had what was in the pantry, what grew in the yard, what their mothers taught them and neighbors who showed up when someone was sick or injured. Some of their remedies hold up surprisingly well today. Others remind us how far medicine has come.

The lesson worth keeping is the mindset behind them: know a few simple remedies, keep the basics on hand and look out for the people around you. That’s just as useful now as it was in 1932.

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This article is for informational and historical purposes only and isn’t medical advice.