Before pharmacies, urgent care centers, and modern medicine, mountain families relied on home remedies and generations of folk wisdom. From onion syrup for coughs and sourwood honey for colds to warnings about black cats, broken mirrors, and rocking chairs, these Appalachian traditions offer a fascinating glimpse into life in the Upstate’s past. Some remedies may have worked, others were rooted in superstition, but all were part of the rich cultural heritage passed down through generations in the Blue Ridge foothills.