01/13/2021
What exactly is a Madstone you ask? Growing up here in southern Missouri, I always heard "cudstone", a bit more literal description and perhaps less worrisome sounding.
A mad stone (sometimes called a ‘bezoar stone’) is used to draw poison out of bites and wounds. It allegedly 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.
Another fact heard growing up was that if a cow "loses her cud," she will die, as the "stone" is necessary for digestion.
"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."
Folklore says Mad stones are not to be bought or sold; such interaction may negate their healing powers. Likely, this part of the tale arose to deter would-be healers from killing the neighbor's cow.
Source: https://www.almanac.com/content/try-madstone
Photo: February 8, 1894 "Rolla (Missouri) Herald"
#darkozarks #folklore #noeasyansers #thathappened #thathappenedhere #ozarks #noir #whatif #madstine
What exactly is a Madstone you ask? Growing up here in southern Missouri, I always heard "cudstone", a bit more literal description and perhaps less worrisome sounding.
A mad stone (sometimes called a ‘bezoar stone’) is used to draw poison out of bites and wounds. It allegedly 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.
Another fact heard growing up was that if a cow "loses her cud," she will die, as the "stone" is necessary for digestion.
"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."
Folklore says Mad stones are not to be bought or sold; such interaction may negate their healing powers. Likely, this part of the tale arose to deter would-be healers from killing the neighbor's cow.
Source: https://www.almanac.com/content/try-madstone
Photo: February 8, 1894 "Rolla (Missouri) Herald"
#darkozarks #folklore #noeasyansers #thathappened #thathappenedhere #ozarks #noir #whatif #madstine
