Popular medicine: herbal teas and natural remedies. The pseudo-magical practices: the passage of the amide and the brevero

Once upon a time, diseases and epidemics decimated the population and peasant civilization developed a series of pseudo-medical beliefs which, at times, had a scientific foundation discovered "empirically", by trying and trying again, other times, instead, they had no no scientifically valid evidence but they gave an indirect benefit: they "calmed" the patient's mind, who was convinced he could get better. Unfortunately in the eras in which our ancestors lived it was difficult to reach old age: no time in history has known, in terms of health, the well-being we enjoy today. In the course of this research I have noted some "remedies" described by the elders.
Against the ailments of colds and to relieve sore throats, honey, cooked wine or cooked must were used, or decoctions, of which there were numerous variations: maulə (mallow) leaves, ramaccə (grass), caməminnəla (chamomile). The latter was usually collected, especially on Ascension Day, and dried. Some recipes were more elaborate, such as the one that involved the use of orange peel, cinnamon and honey, which were boiled together. Another decoction involved the use of pomegranate peel, red wine and cinnamon, always boiled together. If the sore throat persisted, a handkerchief was soaked in the infusion, which was then tied around the throat.
Sfummichi, or suffumigi, were also used to alleviate respiratory problems: decoctions, or even red wine, were boiled and the vapors breathed.
To treat stab wounds, which could occur frequently in the countryside, compresses of alfalfa or thistles were used. If possible, the wound was disinfected with alcohol or, failing that, with red wine. In particular cases, urine could also be used, which was believed to make the wound heal faster.
A "remedy" against headaches and, we would say today, even against mild forms of depression, was the passage of amide, or envy, understood as the "evil eye". Unlike the other remedies just mentioned, this one had no scientific benefits, but acted on people's self-conviction. Basically, the person suffering from weakness, chronic fatigue or migraine was taken to a lady (generally a woman) who was known to be able to practice the ritual.
In fact, not everyone could pass the amide, since the recited formulas could not be revealed to anyone but, at least in the more orthodox version of the rite, they could only confide in people born with a veil, in other words wrapped in the placenta. However, since this occurrence is very rare, the rule was not always respected, also because in every country it was convenient to have some lady able to pass the amide. Instead, the ban on revealing the secret outside the only period of the year in which it was allowed was always respected: the night of Christmas Eve. It was believed that learning the secrets of the ritual at another time of year would make it ineffective. The formula, therefore, was handed down orally only to trusted people.
During the rite of the amide the "patient" was made to sit down and the expert (the one who practiced the passage of the amide) prepared three dishes, in which she poured a finger of water, and a cup with some oil. After that, the expert dipped a finger in the oil and with the same traced a cross on the patient's forehead, placing her hands on it. At this point, he recited the formula in a low voice. In fact, while the rest of the rite could also be narrated and described, the formula had to remain absolutely secret even for the patient, otherwise it would have lost its effectiveness. Pronounced the formula, the expert brought her greasy hand over one of the three plates and dropped a drop of oil on it. The expert, from the observation of the drop in the water, was able to understand the extent of the ailment to be healed. The practice just described was repeated two more times, dropping a drop into the remaining two dishes as well.
The most orthodox version of the ritual required that the oil and water used should be burned after the ritual. At this point two things could happen: either the person subjected to the rite recovered from the complained ailment, or he did not recover and went back to the expert, to repeat the rite. The elders say that this ritual brought benefits that they had seen on friends, family and even on themselves.
Wrapped in an aura of "magic" was the preparation of the brevero (or brief). Essentially it was an amulet-bag containing herbs, leaflets with prayers or presumed relics. The aim was similar to that of the passage of amidia, with the difference that, in addition to curing ailments, this could also prevent them! In particular, the brever was used to heal children from wasting, which it was believed could derive from the evil rites performed by witches. If the mother suspected that a child had been struck by some ailment resulting from witchcraft, then she went to the magara or lu magò, experts in the preparation of briefs and filters. These, after understanding the problem, prepared the "magic" bag and gave it to the sick person, who had to wear it around his neck.
Since the magò or the magara blindly believed in their art, they usually did not ask for any compensation for the rituals they practiced, because normally these figures supported themselves with other trades and were convinced that they had to "return" a favor to society for the gift received.