News had an interesting way in making it up and down the Valley… and even into the next Valley over. Take, for example this clipping which notes how an article about a Poke Root poultice, originally published in the Staunton Spectator and later republished in the Torch Light and Public Advertiser (Hagerstown, Md.), saved a man’s horse… near Chambersburg.
Cenantua's Blog 
mib8
September 7, 2016
It is no wonder life expectancies were so short. “Here, stick some poison ivy/oak/mercury/cyanide on that mosquito bite.”
Robert Moore
September 7, 2016
Actually, it’s a legitimate use for several matters… including spider bites. I wouldn’t be surprised to find it in the Foxfire books.