Taters? You Know, Taters

...boil em, mash em, put em on a burn.

Yesterday, Miss Busy decided to put her bread into the warming oven and burned her forearm.  It wasn't a serious burn, but my immediate response was to slap a slice of potato on it. That's what my parents and grandparents would have done, plus it works.  Laying a bit of potato over a burn provides immediate relief and prevents the blistered, pussy mess many burns turn into when treated with other methods. 

Here's the deal.  For household burns, simply lay a piece of fresh potato on the damaged skin as soon as the burn occurs.  For small ones like Miss Busy had the other day, I simply cut a slice and score it so that the juice is released.  For more serious burns like when Superman spilled a whole bowl of boiling soup on his leg I grate about half of the potato and spread it across the area as a poultice.  The potato will provide immediate relief and begin cooling the burn.  As this happens, you will notice the temperature of the potato raising.  When the potato is no longer providing relief 5 to 10 minutes, remove the first one and apply a second. This second application will provide more extended relief and can be secured with a gauze bandage if the patient wants to get about doing their planned activities.  Like before, it should be removed once the potato warms and is no longer soothing.  I am sure that the poultice could be removed and reapplied several times through out the day, but have never found it to be needed more than twice.  Simple.  Effective. Always on hand.

Folk remedies are great and this is one of my favorites, but I got to wondering why it works.  Unfortunately, nobody with an advanced science degree has wondered the same thing or at least not cared enough to find out why.  The obvious reason that it works is because it cools the burn duh, but I simply cannot find any source to provide the why.  Therefore, I am just going with the "because my Papa said so" answer.  Give it a try,  it works and even if I was lying, you wouldn't be out anything and could just go run some cool water over the injury.

Smell My Breath

Like most girls growing up in the 90's I read Teen Magazine, YM, and Seventeen.  As silly as they seem now, the advice they gave was imperative to a successful social life for girls of my generation.  Where else were we going to learn to NEVER eat garlic on a date?! Fast forward twenty years and garlic is my stand herb for cooking and health.  Who cares if I smell like garlic?  Not me and Superman doesn't complain either. 

Since garlic is such an easy herb to obtain, it is usually the first thing I recommend for individuals wanting to try natural healing.  It is cheap, versatile, and effective.  As a detoxifying herb and natures anti-biotic it's uses are immeasurable and has been used for disease control as far back as the bubonic plague.  In Russia, garlic is actually referred to as "Russian Penicillin."  Contemporary medical studies have also found that it is effective for controlling glucose tolerance and lowering negative cholesterol while increasing the positive.  Just adding a clove or two during meal preparation on a regular basis can help maintain good health. 

Being in the middle of cold season, garlic is at the height of it's glory in my home right now.  I honestly can't seem to keep it in the house.  My favorite use for garlic this time of year is as a tea.  I slightly crush, peel, and then slice three large cloves before dropping them into my favorite mug and covering them with boiling water.  When the water is cool enough to drink, it is nicely infused with garlic I find it quite pleasantly flavored.  It has the immediate effect of relieving cold symptoms (headache, stuffiness, sore throat) and in the long run works to detoxify the body and actually send the cold packing.  Having caught a cold this past weekend, I am drinking this tea continually.  Just adding more garlic and boiling water to my cup though out the day. 

Another of my favorite applications of the herb is in the form of an infused oil.  I make it a pint at a time and use it for everything from cleaning cuts, to treating ear infections, to slathering on congested chests.  The concoction of this highly useful oil is ridiculously simple.  Start by pouring a pint of good olive oil into the top of a double boiler and adding a head of crushed, peeled, and chopped garlic.  Cover and simmer for 4 hours, making sure that the bottom pan does not boil dry.  After four hours, remove the oil from heat and allow to cool.  Strain out the garlic chunks and return the oil to the double boiler with yet another head of crushed, peeled, and chopped garlic.  Boil for another four hours.  At the end of this second cooking period, cool, strain, and store in an air tight container. I simply return it to the bottle I purchased the oil in.  It stores in a cool, dark cupboard for about six months. 

Magickaly, garlic is used for protection and exorcism.  Hence the traditional garlic rope hung in country kitchens.  According to the trustworthy Mr. Cunningham, in the old days Italians would bite a clove of garlic to ward of evil spirits and sailors would carry cloves with them on voyages to prevent shipwreck. 

Making a Believer

Superman has been a bit slow into coming around to my herbal ways.  He has always been supportive of my beliefs and my use of natural medicine, but when it comes to using them himself he has been a bit reluctant.  That is changing slowly, but the proof is in the pudding and he just can't deny when my methods work. 

A few days ago, we were out in the yard and he was restringing my clothes line.  A sudden rain storm caught my towels out to dry last week and the weight of the drenched fabric snapped the already frayed lines.  Unbeknownst to him, the bees had built a hive in the pipe across top and as he pulled the rope through he disrupted the community.  Fortunately, it was a cool day and only one bee ventured out to investigate, but Superman ended up getting stung in the palm of his hand.  Since I was standing right over a bunch of Plantain I simply snatched up a leaf, gave it a quick chew, and spit it on the throbbing bite.  A few minutes later, he wiped the green goo off and continued his task with out pain or stiffness.  He is now a believer in the power of Plantain.  Add that to his acceptance of ginger for stomach aches and his positive reaction to my Achy Joint Salve...I'm making progress! 

Not Just for Pickling

Dill drying in my kitchen.


 

Last week at the farmers market, a lady was selling huge bunches of dill for pickling.   Now, I love good homemade pickles as much as the next girl, but there just isn't going to be any of those coming from my kitchen this fall.  To start with, I opted out of the garden this year on grounds that I would be extremely pregnant come harvest time yep, guessed that right and even if I were to have a plethora of cucumbers on hand the flat topped stove in this apartment would not handle my canner.  Still, the dill smelled delicious I tracked the vendor down with my nose and I could just imagine how tasty the wispy little greens would be mixed in with a salad or flavoring my favorite yogurt sauce.  Since I couldn't convince her to sell me just a bunch of greens, I decided to buy an entire bundle and dry the seeds for later use.  My kitchen has smelled amazing ever since. 

Not being extremely familiar with dill other than it's many culinary uses, I had to do a bit of research on this herb.  To start with, it's medicinal properties are pretty blasé.  As a tea it is used to calm stomach upset and its name references that use having been adapted from the old Norse word dilla meaning to lull, but that's the extent of it.  Nutritionally and magically, dill becomes much more exciting. 

As a food, dill is just plain good for you.  It is high in calcium, fiber, iron, and magnesium, as well as in vitamins A and C.  That makes me feel really good about using it in my salads and sandwiches this week.  Superman wasn't crazy about it in the yogurt sauce to go with his falafels, but I thought it was amazing. 

Magically, dill seed is known for protection and love it gives an overall sense of wellbeing and is traditionally hung in children's cradles.  It is also included in protective sachets and used to bless homes and particularly kitchens.  Since I am now the steward of a goodly amount of these seeds, I am sure I will find many ways to incorporate dill into my practice.  A few of my initial plans include a sachet to tuck into the babies bed and including it in a protective incense. 

RX Coffee

Three weeks into allergy season it started late this year, I am sitting here enjoying my favorite seasonal remedy: coffee.  Although it is still considered a folk remedy and is debated hotly on the internet, I will always stand by this tried and true favorite.  Nothing clears up the seasonal sickies like a mug of hot coffee. Oh, there are herbs that do the job and I have a recipe for allergy tea that works like a charm, but for minor symptoms coffee cannot be beat.  It works quickly, is easily accessible, inexpensive, and as a dietary supplement, I am completely comfortable taking it while pregnant.  Even the nutritionists I spoke to recently said that two cups of coffee a day during pregnancy is completely harmless.  In this instance, I go a step further and say that it can be beneficial.

I know I keep saying "coffee," but the beneficial element that we are really talking about here is caffeine.  For someone who has not built up a tolerance by using this stimulant regularly , it can be just what the doctor or the naturalist ordered when the cottonwood pollen is flying and the rag weed is blooming.  For many people, like myself, minor allergic reactions to these natural substances can include congestion, headache, fatigue, itchy eyes, runny nose, etc.... Caffeine helps by relaxing the swelling in the airway allowing congestion to leave the body and relieving the headache caused by sinus pressure.  Also, since fighting off threats is exhausting the caffeine gives a little jolt of energy that facilitates the body in it's fight against it's otherwise harmless invader.  Some studies, like this one published by BBC News, even suggest that caffeine goes a bit further and acts as a natural antihistamine.  Of course, the study has it's nay-sayers, but conventional medicine is always slow to accept a natural or folk remedy. 

Now, I'm not advocating that anybody throw out their Epi-pens.  The Changeling carries an Epi to combat severe reactions from bee/wasp stings.  What I am suggesting is that before running out to buy a box allergy caplets, try drinking a hot cup of coffee.  You may find that you can cross that trip to the pharmacy off your to-do list with out even leaving the house.