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Try a Madstone

Source: Adapted from an article in The 2010 Old Farmer's Almanac

Courtesy of the National Museum of Health and Medicine, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Washington, D.C.
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Have you ever heard of a mad stone? This home remedy was used for centuries to heal though it's not a common practice today.

A mad stone (sometimes called a 'bezoar stone') is used to draw poison out of bites and wounds. It works by absorbing the poison bit by bit, curing the bites by detoxifying them completely.

  • Mad stones can be found in the stomach or intestines of cud-chewing animals.
  • Depending on the animal, the stone may be more potent and valuable; for example, the stone of a brown deer is said to be inferior to that of a white deer.
  • Mad stones are not to be bought or sold; such interaction may negate their healing powers.

Naturally, the effectiveness of mad stones has long been in dispute. Can cosmic healing powers really reside in the intestine of a cow? There is only one way to know for sure. . .

Please Pass the Stone

Want to try a mad stone? The challenge is getting hold of one—since they can't be purchased for money. We advise traveling to the home of a stone's owner.

If you have experience with mad stones, please share your story or your stone in the box below. To learn more about mad stones, please see the 2010 edition of The Old Farmer's Almanac.

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We have a madstone in our

Submitted by sandshark327 on Sat, 2010-03-06 20:14.

We have a madstone in our family one of the stories from my grandfather is that a woman got bite by a spider behind the ear and back in those days the doctors had to come to the house she didn't want to use the madstone so my grandfather made a deal with her to put the madstone on while he went for the doctor and by the time the doctor got there, there was nothing wrong so she invited him for supper since he was already there.There's more stories than just this one. Joey Gilbert

THERE IS MUCH AVAILABLE ON

Submitted by Lynn Walters on Mon, 2010-01-04 20:45.

THERE IS MUCH AVAILABLE ON THE WWW... DO A GOOGLE ENTER MADSTONE AND MANY,MANY STORIES WILL APPEAR. I HAVE HEARD OF THIS FROM MY GRANDMOTHER (NOW PASSED)
READ MUCH OF IT, AND BELIEVE IT TO BE ONE OF THOSE THINGS , IF YOU WISH TO BELIEVE IT , HAVE FAITH,THEN IT WILL BE SO...

THERE IS MUCH AVAILABLE ON

Submitted by Lynn Walters on Mon, 2010-01-04 20:43.

THERE IS MUCH AVAILABLE ON THE WWW... DO A GOOGLE ENTER MADSTONE AND MANY,MANY STORIES WILL APPEAR. I HAVE HEARD OF THIS FROM MY GRANDMOTHER (NOW PASSED)
READ MUCH OF IT, AND BELIEVE IT TO BE ONE OF THOSE THINGS , IF YOU WISH TO BELIEVE IT , HAVE FAITH,THEN IT WILL BE SO...

You never know,I have heard

Submitted by Ladonna Sanders on Tue, 2009-12-29 23:58.

You never know,I have heard of a lot of things like this growing up in the hills of WV.I am going to have my brother look for one if he kills a deer this year.

It may sound silly that an

Submitted by Angela Baxter on Thu, 2009-12-03 11:35.

It may sound silly that an animal has a rock in it's stomach but I happen to know that the carp fish has rocks in it's head. I did have to carry them around for show and tell after it was proven to me. It was also told to me that the reason they were in the carp's head was for communication with other carp or fish.

I hope this isn't related to

Submitted by twshelton on Thu, 2009-10-08 20:04.

I hope this isn't related to stone soup. I don't think I could stomach that. Pun intended.

Good one!! LOL

Submitted by Haylane on Thu, 2009-10-15 08:57.

Good one!! LOL