John Silas Scalf was a self-taught mountain medicine man. He was always addressed as Doc Scalf. In addition to raising huge fields of watermelons and cantaloupes for sale at roadside stands and to his neighbors, he operated a small laboratory in his home. In this laboratory he produced many different kinds of ointments, salves, and herb tonics for all the aliments that plagued his neighbors. The most famous herb tonic produced by John Scalf in the 1930s was renamed, mass produced, and marketed on a large scale throughout Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia by his brother, Dawrity Scalf, as Scalf’s Indian River Medicine. The medicine books were provided to Virgil Scalf by Leo Skip Scalf II, the great-grandson of John Silas Scalf.

[NOTE from Stephen Scalf: I have a friend who runs an herbal shop and who has extensive knowledge about healing herbs. I shared these recipes with her for her review. Although she said one or two of the herbs listed in a couple of recipes are no longer considered safe to use due to carcinogenic properties, she copied several recipes for her own use. Several of Doc Scalf’s recipes were very similar to ones she uses. She told me that the recipes she copied added a couple of ingredients she hadn’t considered, but wanted to try because she agreed they could be beneficial and perhaps add to their efficacy. I thought this endorsement from a modern-day herbalist might add to the credibility of Doc Scalf’s recipes.]

Listed below are the recipes from the medicine books for many different kinds of  medicines.