So I want to ask /sci/ about this Russian remedy that my parents did for us when we were kids and whether it's bullshit or not. When we were sick with a cough or flu, what they did was take a pot of water, put some potatoes in it, and boil the potatoes. We'd go under a blanket on the bed, and we'd open the lid of the pot essentially making a mini sauna under the blanket. We'd sit there for like 10-15 mintues or so and when we were done, they'd take the boiled potatoes and mash them into a plastic bag, and since they were hot they put them on the chest during bedtime to "heat up the lungs."

So does this actually help with the illness or is this all a pointless exercise?