"Light is sweet and it is pleasant for the eyes to behold the sun." Ecclesiastes 11:7
It is the coldest day of this winter so far. The air is as sharp as a knife. It is -1degrees F this morning. I think it has warmed up to 5 degrees F. It is supposed to be 19 degrees F today. But at least the sun is shining! Next week it is going into the 40s and it will just keep going up!
I can't wait for spring. For green, living things... I've never been big on gardening, even though I've always had good intentions. My mom's gardening enthusiasm influences me in February and March, but wears off when I actually start weeding...But this year I'm going to buy some herbs and flowers and plant a garden. Definitely some Gerber Daisies...I love Gerber Daisies
...ain't they pretty?
I used to be an Herb Enthusiast. I had a book all about herbs and herbal gardening and practically had it memorized. I wanted to become a crazy old lady with acres and acres of herb gardens and cures for every illness. Maybe I'll be a crazy young lady and still do that...The truth is, herbal healing, if you take away the ties with Eastern mysticism and hippies, is still better then conventional medicine. I was reminded of this last week when I was sick with a cold.
I was feeling miserable, and the cold medicine wasn't working anymore. I read that it isn't good to take cold medicine long-term. Not only do you risk overdosing, but your body overreacts negatively to decongestants, by producing even more mucus. Lovely. So, in a last measure attempt, I brewed a very strong tea of peppermint and dried chamomile and yarrow, which I had dried myself two years before. I drank about a pint of that hot tea, and crammed vitamin C and garlic supplements down my mouth. That night I slept better then I did on when on cold medicine. The next morning I knew I was getting better. I took more Vitamin C and garlic supplements. One day later my sore throat was gone and my headache was gone and now I'm all better. My only regret is that I always forget about herbal medicine, and I should have taken it earlier in my cold, before I felt so bad.
The U. S. National Library of Medicine has listed over 100 ailments and conditions that chamomile is able to treat, including the common cold. Peppermint has a long, glittering history spanning thousands of years of medicinal use. Yarrow is a humble, hardy little plant that not many people have heard of, but has also been around for hundreds of years. It intensifies the medicinal uses of other herbs when combined with them, and also serves as a tonic, anti-allergic, and circulatory treatment. Garlic is naturally antibiotic and anti-viral and is used traditionally to treat coughs, and infections. And of course, Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and immune-booster, necessary for good health.
I was amazed at the power of the herbal medicine I took and how very, very quickly it took effect. That's why I want to grow more herbs. I recognize the need that some conventional medications are needed and cannot be replaced. (Like...ibuprofen.) But there is something appealing in the freedom of being able to treat your sicknesses without running off to the doctor, or popping pills that are designed to treat more symptoms then you have. Good health, preventative supplements, and smart medicine are the best treatments for illnesses. And sunshine. I hope to continue learning more and more about herbal medicine and to continue using it for the rest of my life.
Just a little, random lesson.
It is the coldest day of this winter so far. The air is as sharp as a knife. It is -1degrees F this morning. I think it has warmed up to 5 degrees F. It is supposed to be 19 degrees F today. But at least the sun is shining! Next week it is going into the 40s and it will just keep going up!
I can't wait for spring. For green, living things... I've never been big on gardening, even though I've always had good intentions. My mom's gardening enthusiasm influences me in February and March, but wears off when I actually start weeding...But this year I'm going to buy some herbs and flowers and plant a garden. Definitely some Gerber Daisies...I love Gerber Daisies
...ain't they pretty?I used to be an Herb Enthusiast. I had a book all about herbs and herbal gardening and practically had it memorized. I wanted to become a crazy old lady with acres and acres of herb gardens and cures for every illness. Maybe I'll be a crazy young lady and still do that...The truth is, herbal healing, if you take away the ties with Eastern mysticism and hippies, is still better then conventional medicine. I was reminded of this last week when I was sick with a cold.
I was feeling miserable, and the cold medicine wasn't working anymore. I read that it isn't good to take cold medicine long-term. Not only do you risk overdosing, but your body overreacts negatively to decongestants, by producing even more mucus. Lovely. So, in a last measure attempt, I brewed a very strong tea of peppermint and dried chamomile and yarrow, which I had dried myself two years before. I drank about a pint of that hot tea, and crammed vitamin C and garlic supplements down my mouth. That night I slept better then I did on when on cold medicine. The next morning I knew I was getting better. I took more Vitamin C and garlic supplements. One day later my sore throat was gone and my headache was gone and now I'm all better. My only regret is that I always forget about herbal medicine, and I should have taken it earlier in my cold, before I felt so bad.
The U. S. National Library of Medicine has listed over 100 ailments and conditions that chamomile is able to treat, including the common cold. Peppermint has a long, glittering history spanning thousands of years of medicinal use. Yarrow is a humble, hardy little plant that not many people have heard of, but has also been around for hundreds of years. It intensifies the medicinal uses of other herbs when combined with them, and also serves as a tonic, anti-allergic, and circulatory treatment. Garlic is naturally antibiotic and anti-viral and is used traditionally to treat coughs, and infections. And of course, Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and immune-booster, necessary for good health.
I was amazed at the power of the herbal medicine I took and how very, very quickly it took effect. That's why I want to grow more herbs. I recognize the need that some conventional medications are needed and cannot be replaced. (Like...ibuprofen.) But there is something appealing in the freedom of being able to treat your sicknesses without running off to the doctor, or popping pills that are designed to treat more symptoms then you have. Good health, preventative supplements, and smart medicine are the best treatments for illnesses. And sunshine. I hope to continue learning more and more about herbal medicine and to continue using it for the rest of my life.
Just a little, random lesson.
"And the Lord will guide you continually
and satisfy your desire in scorched places
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail."
and satisfy your desire in scorched places
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail."
Isaiah 58:11
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