Barley Water (Bartholow). Wash 2 ounces of pearl barley with cold water. Then boil it for five minutes in some fresh water and throw both waters away. Then pour on 2 quarts of boiling water and boil it down to a quart. Stir and skim occasionally. Flavor with lemon rind. Add sugar to taste but do not strain unless the patient requests it.
Rice Water or Mucilage of Rice. Thoroughly wash 1 ounce of rice with cold water. Then soak for three hours in a quart of water kept at a tepid heat, stirring from time to time, and afterwards boil slowly for an hour and strain. This is useful in dysentery, diarrhea, and irritable states of the alimentary canal. It may be sweetened and flavored in the same way as barley water.
Flaxseed Tea. One-half cupful of flaxseed to 1 quart of boiling water. Boil thirty minutes and let stand near the fire to thicken. Strain, add lemon juice and sugar to taste.
Rice Water. Wash 2 tablespoonfuls of rice, add 3 cups of cold water, and soak thirty minutes. Then heat gradually and cook one hour until the rice is tender. Strain through muslin, reheat, and dilute with boiling water or hot milk to the consistency desired. Season with salt; sugar may be added if desired and cinnamon, if allowed, may be cooked with it as a flavor. One teaspoonful of stoned raisins may be added to the rice, before boiling, if there is no bowel trouble.
Oatmeal Water. Mix 1 tablespoonful of oatmeal with 1 tablespoonful of cold water. Add a speck of salt and stir into it a quart of boiling water. Boil for three hours, replenishing the water as it boils away. Strain though a fine sieve or cheesecloth, season, and serve cold. Sufficient water should be added to keep the drink almost as thin as water.
Toast Water. Toast thin slices of stale bread in the oven; break up into crumbs; add 1 cup of boiling water and let it stand for an hour. Rub through a fine strainer, season with a little salt. Milk, or cream and sugar may be added if desirable. This is valuable in cases of fever or extreme nausea.
Sago Soup. Stew 2 ounces of the best sago in a pint of water until it is quite tender. Mix with half a pint of good boiling cream and the yolks of two fresh eggs. Put into it 1 quart of essence of beef. Mix thoroughly. The beef essence must be heated separately and mixed while both mixtures are hot. This must be served warm.
Crust Coffee. Dry crusts of brown bread in the oven until they are hard and crisp. Pound or roll them and pour boiling water over. Let soak for fifteen minutes, then strain carefully through a fine sieve.
MEAT JUICES
Meat juice may be prepared in three ways: