Vodka - Russia's Secret Home Remedy

РУССКАЯ ВОДКА

Russian Vodka - Not just for drinking?

Russia has made vodka famous around the world. Vodka is known for its clear appearance, high alcohol content, and intoxicating effect. In reality, vodka is much, much more. Besides consumption, it can be used in a number of useful ways.

The word vodka was first recorded in 1405 in court documents of Poland. It is believed that vodka first originated in Russia during the 14th century. The word водка is thought to be derived from the Russian вода or 'water' as a diminutive.

The history of this alcohol spans many centuries. Over this time, many uses for vodka have been discovered.

Here is our list of twenty alternative uses for vodka:

1. Use as local anesthetic to disinfect and treat an open wound
2. Treat poison ivy to remove urushiol oil from the skin
3. Painlessly remove a bandage
4. Clean your eyeglasses
5. Treat an earache to kill bacteria in ear
6. Treat vomit stains
7. Use as an astringent for clean skin and to tighten pores
8. Add to shampoo to clean the scalp, remove toxins and stimulate hair growth
9. Kill bees or wasps with a vodka spray
10. Clean bathroom caulking to kill mold and mildew
11. Freeze water with vodka for refreezable ice pack
12. Use as your own mouthwash for rinsing
13. Apply to a cold sore to dry it out
14. Treat hair dandruff and flaky scalp
15. Prolong the life of razors and prevent rusting
16. Relieve a fever with vodka-soaked cloth on chest
17. Treat foot odor
18. Alleviate pain and disinfect a jellyfish sting
19. Remove cigarette smoke from a room
20. Numb a toothache

Now take part in our official Russian Vodka Survey!

Let us know for what purposes you use vodka.

We will post the official results in an upcoming post!

References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vodka

http://www.divinecaroline.com/33672/45476-uses-vodka

Alcohol

According to Walking on Ice, by Frederick Andersen, 5% of Russians are alcoholics (p.45). While this figure may be less shocking than you expect, the following statistics are. "On a national average, each adult drinks the equivalent of over 38 liters of 100 proof vodka a year. Take out many women and a surprising number of men who drink a little, if at all, the rest must have it running in their veins. With populist politicians pushing for cheap or free vodka, it seems as if some politicians would like to keep the people forever in this debasing form of self-imposed slavery. To me it is more than a fraternal thing, but a way to pull the others down so all are equally dead." (Walking on Ice by Frederick Andersen, p.44)

While drinking in moderation is one thing, drinking in Russia by some individuals can be taken to excess. Walk around a Russian city and you will son tons of бабушки (Russian grandmothers), but where are the men? Life expectancy for males is shocking: 59.19 years. Compare it with an average life expectancy of 73.1 years for females and you realize that there is something wrong. Where are the дедушки (Russian grandfathers)? Wouldn't it be great if they were there to nurture and support their families, provide wisdom or to tell their grandchildren how lucky they are with the abundance they now have as compared with the Soviet era. Of course every country has its own problems. In order for Russia to continue to grow and prosper, it may finally need to deal with its alcoholism.

Life Expectancy Statistics Source: CIA World Factbook - Russia
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rs.html