If you thought potatoes were only for roasties , crisps and chips - think again. Countless influencers are slipping these vegetables into their own and their babies' socks amid a bizarre health craze online. While you may think it sounds rather uncomfortable to stash a potato near your feet, generally the 'hack' uses just two small slices each time.
Rumour has it, these slices will then go from their starchy beige to a more disgusting shade of black when left over night. Many advocates believe this draws out toxins, reduces fevers and even prevents illnesses. TikTok user @g0dblesstac0s is among those to have tried it on her own newborn, taking to the platform to unveil just how it's done.
"It works! She all better now," she captioned the video, which showed her removing some potato socks off her child's feet. Woman collects snails from her garden and puts them on her face in strange 'skincare hack' She added: "Using the old wives' tale of putting a piece of potato in the baby's sock to take away their sickness." Although this mum certainly isn't the only one to have experimented with the trick, her post soon racked up various intrigued comments.
One person wrote: "Does it help with runny nose?", to which, she replied: "Yes, all cold symptoms!" Another also asked: "How about congestion? Does it work for that?" Once again, she wrote: "Yes, but I have seen where onions may be stronger for battling colds." Amid this however, Dr Lawrence Cunningham, a health expert and retired GP .
