What did Granny call it on the Beverly Hillbillies? Her Rumatiz medicine?
Rheumatism Medicine
Granny’s still was legendary but good luck finding a picture of it. You’re more likely to find pictures of her brewing her “spring tonic”, which was almost certainly beer (or maybe a strong ale). The spring tonic was brewed up in an open vat and produced a lot of foam.
The alcohol jokes were often funny but they contributed to a trope about Appalachian home remedies that maybe was not quite so helpful to people. For example, Granny joked that her Rheumatism Medicine didn’t actually cure the aches and pains, “but it sure makes you happy you got it”. In fact, alcohol increases inflammation throughout the body so the worst thing you can do for rheumatism is get drunk.