Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
The authoritative public forum
for Metal Finishing since 1989
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Uses for "Blue Stone" copper sulphate
Current posting:
I am 65 now. I have had canker sores my entire life. My dad was very old, born in 1904. He also kept bluestone/copper sulphate
⇦this on
eBay or
Amazon [affil links] crystals in his medicine cabinet, and had canker sores himself. As a kid, in the 60's, when I had an ulcer, I also would be instructed to moisten a crystal and touch it to the mouth ulcer. It would hurt, but then numb it. As another noted, I also was aware it was poisonous and not to swallow saliva but spit it out.
Another era!
- Dallas Texas
November 26, 2021
⇩ Related postings, oldest first ⇩
Q. My 95 year old mother recently passed away. In going through her house, I came across a small round container of "Blue Stone" copper sulphate. On the front, it said POISON, not for medicinal use. On the back, it said ..."of highest quality and packed under the personal supervision of a registered pharmacist or chemist. For what purpose is "Blue Stone" used?
June B. Ewing- Americus, Georgia
2003
on eBay or
AbeBooks
or Amazon
(affil links)
A. I'm 47 years old, at the age of 16 I started to get an occasional ulcer in my mouth. I went to my small town doctor. Living in the west Texas town of Hamlin he prescribed blue stone. My father knew this to be an item used to kill moss in stock tanks that had been banned. I was sent down to the local drug to get the blue stone. Where three or four rocks were put in a white match box. There was no charge for them. When a ulcer would develop I would take one of the rocks out and place it on the ulcer , mouth or ulcer being wet and hold it on there as long as I could stand it. This would cause a little discomfort but not any worse than the pain of the ulcer itself. This would generate a lot of drool or slobber. The taste was very bitter.I was told not to swallow the spit or rock. one or two applications and no more pain. I rinsed the rock off, put it back in box until the next time.
Over the years I have used up my supply and would go back to the same drug store and get a few more rocks. I only get these ulcers a few times a year. I am out of blue stones at this time. Several years back I ran out and tried to find it locally (Fort Worth) at Eckerd drug . They had no idea what I was talking about and called the ulcer a canker sore and I bought a ointment for that . This was really ineffective or took so long to get rid of. The Eckerd pharmacist told me of another drugstore to whom I spoke with on the phone that thought they had what I was talking about but was in a very small rock form I never got any to try. Now having the internet and the ulcer I am trying to find blue stone in the same size I used to have without having to make a three hour drive to the old small town drug store.
- Granbury, Texas
2005
Hey Mike, I just found a gallon of that stuff at my grampa's.
Steve Harrell- Zolfo Springs, Florida
2007
A. copper sulphate is used for algae killing and as a pesticide/herbicide.
Louis Rendemonti- West Chester, Pennsylvania
2004
A. copper sulphate crystals can be dissolved in water in a "foot bath" for sheep to pass through regularly as a prevention/ cure for "foot rot".
Morris Conklin- Loures, Portugal
2004
Q. IF THERE IS ANY DOCTOR READING THIS AND IS AWARE OF THE OUTCOME OF INJECTING BLUESTONE POISON INTO BODY PLEASE RESPOND
KIKI HILLHOBBYIST - POLK COUNTY, Florida
April 16, 2008
A. Hi, Kiki.
From running this site for 20 years, I can tell you that people never reply to postings like yours because they can't even start without committing a half-hour to an almost endless string of "If ..., but if ...., and if ..., but if ..."
Please take your time and very carefully explain your actual situation and the context behind your question, and you'll usually get a helpful response. Thanks.
Good luck and Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Q. I was just browsing the net looking for Blue Stone (copper sulphate)
I have an old family recipe for icicle pickles that uses the blue stone as a coloring agent - the recipe calls for " enough blue stone to cover a Dime" and this is mixed into a gallon of water for processing -
I have been unable to find any anywhere -
- Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
August 16, 2008
A. in the late 40's early 50's my grandmother sent me to the pharmacy to purchase bluestone. It was in powder form and my grandmother used it to enhance the green colour of 9-day crock pickles. The recipe called for "the tip of a knife" of the bluestone. I ate a lot of those pickles.
grace bellamy- Vancouver BC Canada
September 22, 2008
A. You can get bluestone at gardening stores very cheaply, as copper sulphate ⇨
- Duncan, BC, Canada
February 26, 2009
A. My family uses bluestone for pickles. We have an old bottle we still use. Makes pickles a wonderful green color. We have used it for four generations now that I know of with no side effects.
D Haueter- Grand Ledge, Michigan, US
April 21, 2010
Q. My grandmother, now passed, always kept "Blue Stone" on hand to cure warts. She would soak the rock in water, then using a toothpick apply it to a wart. She always said it was a Modoc Indian remedy. Has anyone else heard of this? I just purchased some copper sulphate at the feed store. Does anyone think there might be side effects to this remedy?
Rena Haley- Sacramento, California
July 14, 2009
A. Hi, Rena. Although it doesn't seem to me that it would be particularly dangerous, our sensibilities are a little different these days. I wouldn't do it, but would use a commercial preparation.
(they have salicylic acid in them) because I personally know that they work very well. Good luck.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
July 14, 2009
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If anyone is interested I use copper sulphate in my swimming pool for approximately 10 years now as a start up/shut down and maintenance product for all types of algae. In 10 years I have never had a problem with a green pool. My neighbors and family always comment on how beautiful the pool is with it's shimmer and clarity. I have recommended it to many others who now enjoy an algae free pool. I love this stuff and easily find it in farm supply stores. Marlo Murphy- Elktom, Michigan August 6, 2009 In relation to the use of copper sulphate in swimming pools what ratio of the chemical to gallons of water do you use? STAN GORMAN- Winnsboro, Louisiana August 26, 2009 Q. Could the Blue stone be used in a pool? To clear the water. Mariane Sawatzky- St. Anne, MB, Canada July 3, 2012 A. Hi Mariane. I've seen it done, but don't think it's a great idea. I don't think copper belongs in a swimming pool. It is used to control algae in ponds and lakes though. Regards, Ted Mooney, P.E. Striving to live Aloha finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey July 5, 2012 August 16, 2012 A. I had to take care of my retired neighbor's in-ground swimming pool this summer for 40 days (as well as my own). His pump fuse worked for 10 days after he left, then no more water circulation for 15 days. During this 2 weeks I did not put in any chlorine. During this time, his water stayed VERY clear whereas in my pool I was at war with algae. To add detail, last year I changed the vinyl liner (so all of the water too) and this spring the sand in the filter of my in-ground swimming pool. - Montreal, QC, Canada A. I am 84 years old and I have been taking care of my 13,500 gal in-ground pool since my Hubby's demise. I have battled "green pool" problems several times. A friend told me about using BLUE STONE in his lake for an algae problem. I woke up one morning this summer with a GREEN POOL. To battle this condition before, I had used 5 jugs of Chlorine and a pkg of shock. Running the filter 24 hrs per day and cleaning the filter EVERY MORNING. I went on line and read that it had been used with success for a like problem. Having NOTHING TO LOSE, I got some POWDERED BLUE STONE from my neighbor. I placed one tablespoon of the blue stone powder in a 2 gallon plastic watering can. I went around the pool edge sprinkling the concoction in the water, until it was all gone. I set the filter pump to run 24 hrs per day. In 8 days of cleaning the filter EVERY MORNING, the pool water went from green to a murky gray to clear. Shirley Carter- Sarasota, Florida October 14, 2012
other agency - kansas city, Missouri, usa January 7, 2011 A. I use copper sulphate in my pond to clear up the Algae. P BURKE- WINDSOR, Virginia USA June 2, 2014 |
Fascinated to read this
I am a doctor and used to work on a Scottish island in 1991. Occasionally there would be a wound that over-granulated - this means that there was some 'proud flesh' that developed, usually dusky purple red and bled easily. My boss would tell one of the nurses to use the 'blue stone' which was a large crystal of copper sulphate in a jar.
The crystal was rubbed over the tissue on the wound and the tissue would change to a brownish colour. The crystal was then washed and left to dry for the next time. being very soluble, a small quantity of the copper sulphate would have dissolved onto the tissue. Within a few treatments the over-granulation would shrink and the wound healed very well.
Naturally, this goes against most modern infection control procedures and 'single use' policy and I do not know of any work to study the ultimate safety of it being used in this way, but I wanted to share with you my experience of the blue stone in fairly modern times.
- Liverpool, UK
October 29, 2009
Hi Dr. Sim. I read about that treatment in Cutting for Stone ⇦[this on on Amazonaffil links], a wonderful medical novel by Dr. Abraham Verghese about twin brother surgeons practicing in Addis Ababa. Apparently you are not alone in finding that it worked.
But infection control & single use didn't close that option down ... nothing would be easier than packaging sterile bluestone crystals for one-time use.
Rather, Congress sold out to lobbyists -- turning today's FDA into a revolving door of, for, and by the pharmaceutical industry.
A very cool trick the FDA pulled was to rule that decades-old and centuries-old traditional remedies are considered "new" medicines which can't be sold until multi-million dollar testing is completed. Since nobody can patent traditional remedies and make large profits from them, they know that the testing will never happen ... so they can just pull all traditional medicines off the market. The primary purpose of today's FDA is to grow the profits of big pharma/mega-corps, and this cute little trick was a stroke of genius, because if the FDA really cared about medical costs, they'd simply do the tests on traditional medicines themselves or give a university a grant to do it.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
My knowledge comes from the Ancient Black Cherokee Medicine Women- I have used the blue stone soaking treatment as a measure to extract food poisoning from my system. I had taken a journey in the sushi land in Vancouver and Calgary Canada. I added insult to the injury and ate or should I say pigged out! on fried turkey using peanut oil. I thought I was going to die- I didn't know what to do, all of a sudden, the voice of my mother emerged - "Soak your feet in blue stone water, as hot as you can stand it:-While soaking your feet simultaneously drinking a icy cold glass of water (my personal addition to the treatment). After soaking for about five minutes, I regurgitated, and I was amazed as to the good feelings I felt in my stomach.
Betty SmithHolistic Services - Georgetown, Georgia
May 11, 2010
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My knowledge comes from eight brass monkeys from the ancient sacred crypts of Eqypt ... sorry, pardon the interruption, just stream of consciousness :-) Ted Mooney, P.E. Striving to live Aloha finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey |
! RAW honey used for wound dressing, not allowed to use in Hospitals which is probably encouraged by pharmaceuticals, because they would not be able to capture the honey market.
Doctors in New Zealand have done extensive research on the use of honey for dressing on wounds and burns with very positive results. But the pharmaceuticals will fight it all the way with their unlimited bank accounts.
interested party - Vancouver BC, Canada
August 2, 2013
I've been searching for pure copper sulphate and came across this forum. It's interesting to see the different approaches to "old time" remedies. Some people say not to use them just (I think) on principal, but I have found that there is a lot of wisdom in some of the old ways.
Anyway, some of you say that you have found the copper sulphate at farm stores. My question is if it is pure? I've purchased several containers of copper sulphate only to get it home and find that there are many other ingredients that make it unsuitable for my use. Any idea where one can buy pure copper sulphate powder?
- Walnut Grove, Missouri
July 12, 2010
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Ed. note: Here is 99+% pure copper sulphate, Jennifer .
But we are not doctors or epidemiologists and are NOT advocating whatever use you have in mind for it :-)
July 31, 2010
My gardener, a young man from Zimbabwe, was experiencing stomach pain and was sure he had an ulcer. On one of his trips home to Zimbabwe he consulted a traditional healer for help with the pain he was feeling. He was given "blue stone" and told to drink lots of water. It so happened that he was unable to drink water that day because he was sitting in a queue at the Home Affairs Office trying to sort out his passport. By evening he was vomiting blood. Two days later he died. A young, promising life snuffed out by a quack doctor!
- Johannesburg South Africa
In Ireland bluestone has many uses. We use it for spraying potatoes, cleaning chimneys, curing animals of illness. I have used it to cure toothache. a tiny amount on cotton tip in cavity 4 seconds then rinse mouth. 10 seconds later nerve is dead.
Paddy farrellretired builder - lanesboro ireland
September 17, 2010
I use to get blue stone from this old hippie dude about 10 years ago. He gave it to me told me to put it on an exposed nerve in a tooth said it would kill the nerve. It worked like a dream But I got health insurance so I didn't need home cures anymore so ended up losing touch with him. Now I have no health insurance and I have a tooth that is killing me. They were little blue rocks -- anyone know where to get them anymore?
Velvet Rose Aguilar- Portland Oregon usa
March 20, 2013
My grandmother tells the story of my grandfather having eye problems (some infection?) in about 1910. As a young couple they came to Barnes Hospital in St Louis for treatment for several weeks. "They touched his eyes with the blue stone and he couldn't see". He was virtually blind for about a year. He eventually regained some of his sight but probably was near legally blind for life.
I have been looking for a reference for years.
He was a farmer and lost the farm in the depression. Later worked driving a team of horses for road work in central IL. When oil was produced in the area, he started driving an oil truck, and eventually a gas delivery truck for farmers in the area.
Tonight on a PBS special, "Forgotten Ellis Island".
they described treating an eye infection with copper sulphate, a VERY painful treatment. Quotes from several in the show mentioned using the "blue stone".
- St Louis Missouri USA
November 30, 2010
Just recently came across a recipe from my great-grandmother for "green salve". We still have a small amount of this in a jar and still use it for 'drawing out' deep splinters. It REALLY works. The recipe calls for a tablespoon of blue stone as well as a teaspoon of VERTIGREASE. From this blog, I think I may be able to find the blue stone at the farm store, but has anyone ever heard of where to buy vertigrease? Would love to make more of this remarkable home remedy!
Sherry Spence- Lubbock, Texas
June 13, 2011
I do believe you're talking about verdigris: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verdigris
Interesting discussion.
- Los Angeles, California
July 14, 2011
Oddly, copper sulphate is one of the ingredients of the styptic powder, Kwik Stop, which is widely used to stop superficial bleeding in animals--for example, due to nail/claw clipping that nicks a vein. I believe that one of my pet birds experiences a rare bad side effect from this product, and I was searching for information on the side effects of its components in order to see what the culprit (if any) might be when I came across this web site. Very interesting! Carry on!
Kathleen Gallagher- Greenbelt, Maryland, U.S.A.
July 6, 2011
You may be interested that copper sulphate is used in a method of etching in printmaking. You paint a piece of metal e.g. zinc, with a resist then when the resist is dry cut into it with a sharp tool. Then you put the plate into a bath of copper sulphate and salt which cuts into the exposed metal (etches) and then you print the up the plate. So I would say treat copper sulphate with care....!
B. Connolly- Ireland
July 19, 2011
Blue stone can be purchased in small quantities, in powder or cut form from the Penn Herb Company & they have a great website. I just ordered 1 oz. powder for $1.95 for my husband. He plans to inject it into chicken eggs & put them back on a certain nest, to discourage our cats from eating them. It will just make them sick, he says, and he knows from seeing his Daddy do it. Very interesting discussion. Thanks, all.
Kat Mullally- Lineville, Alabama, USA
August 3, 2011
A. I grew up using blue stone on horses that came down with colic. Wet a little in a small lid from a jar and hold it under the horse's stomach (naval area) until they moved away. Do this several times and the horse would eventually have a bowel movement, curing the colic.
Doug Greathouse- Algoa, Texas
November 2, 2012
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