Memories of my maternal grandmother (III): Minyak Kayu Putih

A bottle of Bosisto’s Parrot Brand Eucalyptus Oil kept in the top drawer of my grandmother’s dresser was her answer, a miracle cure of sorts, to the many aches and pains I seemed to have been afflicted with in my childhood. It could have been that it had perhaps a placebo effect on me, I don’t really know, but I seem to remember that whatever I complained of, be it a muscle ache, gastric pain or a headaches, it would miraculously vanish with the application of what she referred to as Minyak Kayu Putih, which she got from the Chinese medicine shop for 70 cents, which she would apply to the affected area reciting a rhyme of sorts that asked for the aches and pains to go away …

Bosisto's Parrot Brand Eucalyptus Oil packaging similar to when my grandmother used it