Medicine Cabinet

Here is a list of useful medicines and dressings and a description of their uses.All are quite cheap and worth stocking at home in readiness for minor illnesses.

Keep them in a box or cupboard with a lock - or store them well out of the reach of children.

• Paracetamol / Aspirin: For adults or children over 12. Good for headaches, colds, sore throats and painful bruises.

• Paracetamol Mixture: For relief of pain or fever in young children

• Sedative Cough Linctus: For dry or painful coughs - but not coughs caused by common colds.

• Menthol Crystals: Add to hot water to make steam inhalations for treating catarrh and dry or painful coughs.

• Vapour Rub: Again, for steam inhalations. Also useful for children with stuffy noses or dry coughs. Rub on the chest and nose

• Antiseptic Solution: One teaspoon diluted in warm water for cleaning cuts and grazes.

• Antiseptic Cream: For treating septic spots, sores in the nose and grazes.

• Calamine Lotion: For dabbing (not rubbing) on insect bites and stings and sunburn.

• Dressing Strips: For minor cuts.

• 3" Wide Crepe Bandage: To keep dressings in place. To support sprained or bruised joints.

• Gauze Squares: For cleaning cuts and grazes.

• Thermometer: For fevers

• Tweezers: For removing splinters.