Informant: My informant, G.L., is 19 and was born and raised in West Lake Village. G.L. parents both run their own company together. She has one older brother and her family is mainly Italian but is completely Americanized.

Folklore: “The ingredients and instructions to cure a stomach ache for a baby or small child was taught to me by my mom. When a baby has an upset stomach, you boil water and when it reaches boiling temperature you mix in fresh mint in the water. You’re supposed to let it keep boiling for ten to fifteen minutes and then let it cool to room temperature. Once it’s cooled down, you put the mixture in a baby bottle and feed it to the baby and it’s supposed to settle the baby’s stomach.” G.L. learned this recipe from her mom when she decided to start babysitting when she was in middle school. Her mom wouldn’t necessarily call it a family recipe, but more of common, natural cure she learned from her small town growing up. G.L. said she’s only need to use the cure once when she was babysitting and said it actually worked.

Analysis: I’ve never heard of this cure before, but when I asked my mom she said she used the exact same process when she was taking care of me when I was a baby. I tried to find the origin of the cure, but it seems to widespread now to try and track down it original origin. G.L. mom claims that her family has known this little trick for many generations now so it could possibly be Italian.