I had open wounds on my lower legs because of some bacterial infections.My doctors tried all they knew for over a year to kill the infection,but nothing they did would end my misery…So I asked my Grandmother for HELP. This is what she told me to do… Take some ALUM and grind it into a very fine powder,now add some vaseline to the powder mix together into a paste,now pack the mixture into the wounds,cover with bandage. The next day I removed the bandage…and noticed the bandage had pus clinging to it,I follower Grandmothers instruction and repeated until the wounds were healed and were closed. this took about 1 week. I told my doctors of my Grandmothers instuctions,And the doctors were amazed.
Hi welcome. Is this the article?
The SD column mentions its use as an as an astringent.
I’ve used witch hazel as an after shave for 20 years.
Where did you find alum?
My grandfather gave me a bottle of alum when he learned I was taking guitar classes in college. He said to mix it in water and soak my fingers in it after practice to help promote calluses. I don’t know whether it was the hours of practice or the alum soaks, but something worked.
Alum used to be used to make pickles.
And is therefore often found in the spice aisle of the grocery store.
It is also used in swimming pool maintenance to remove excess iron.
And in some recipes for homemade playdough, although I’m not sure if it does anything other than discouraging the kids from eating it all 
I’ve seen it used in cartoons when one animal wants a very talkative animal to be quiet. It seems to have the effect of drawing their mouth up very tight and preventing the mouth from moving at all. I find this quite fascinating.
When did you last see alum in the spice aisle of a grocery store?
I’ve read that Victorian-era prostitutes whose equipment had become overly loose with great use used to put a piece of alum “up there” to tighten themselves up.
Actually, that’s the only thing I’ve ever heard of alum being used for.
Day before yesterday. Here’s a popular brand.
Thanks. I’ll check again tomorrow.
We used to do this. It requires a fair bit of patience.
Grow your own crystals
1.Pour 1/2 cup of hot tap water into a clean jar.
2.Stir in alum (located on the spice aisle of the grocery store) until no more will dissolve (up to 2-1/2 T).
3.Let the jar rest undisturbed overnight.
4.Pour the liquid from this jar into a clean jar, being careful not to get any solid material in the new jar.
5.There will be crystals on the bottom of the original jar. Select the best of these and tie a nylon fishing line around it.
6.Hang the crystal in the second jar so that it is covered by the liquid, but not touching the bottom or sides of the container.
7.Allow the crystal to grow until it stops growing or until you are pleased with it.
8.Remove the finished crystal and allow it to dry.
Number 5 is not nearly as easy as they make it sound… and cotton thread is a lot easier to work with.
Hmmm, I don’t remember that gag in a cartoon at all.
I’ve done the alum crystals. It was pretty neat, but it was one of those strange ingredients that old science experiment books for kids seem to assume is just lying around in every household. I had to buy it special for the purpose.
janeslogin said:
Yesterday, confirmed specifically because of this thread.
When I was a kid, I used it to preserve the fur of a rabbit I’d shot. Got the instructions from an old book from the 1870s. Got the alum from the grocery store.
I typically use alum during the coagulation/flocculation stage of water treatment when I’m wearing my emergency water engineer hat.
First I heard of using alum to treat wounds.
Styptic pencils are often a stick of compressed alum. Good for small nicks and cuts from shaving or scraping type accidents. I just checked and mrAru has one in his old shaving kit.