Background: Informant, B.B. is a Mexican American mother of 3, who turns to home remedies before going out to buy medicine.
Main piece:
Interviewer: Is there any alternative to medicine that you’ve used?
Informant, B.B: Yes, my mom always claimed vicks vapor rub was the answer for any sickness. So when I had kids I began to use it too
Interviewer: What kind of sickness is it for? How does it help?
Informant, B.B: Usually for a cold, or congestion is when we would use it. When we noticed our kids had a runny nose, we would get the vapor rub and put a dot of it under each nostril. If we noticed they had a cold and a cough, we would rub it on their chest. My mom always told me that it helps by opening up the lungs allowing them to breathe.
Context: A interview between me and my family member. I asked her about any folk medicine or folk remedies she knows of or any she has personally used.
Thoughts: Vicks vapor rub has become a meme in the latino community because latina mothers first recommendation when their kids get sick is usually vicks.