Thursday, August 10, 2006

BACK TO THE GARDEN


I want to share an amazing natural remedy I discovered this week--but first a little background on my pursuit of "alternative medicine."
About a dozen years ago, I found myself dropped from our family's health insurance plan and plagued with a variety of health issues. Always the penny-pincher, I decided to take my health into my own hands and began reading about natural cures for my ailments. I soon discovered (and became obsessed with, my children would tell you) God's backyard pharmacy--weeds!
I began to go on weed walks, bringing home grocery backs full of medicinal wonders. The very plants I'd poisoned with a vengeance over the years--dandelions, milk thistle, mullein-- had become my allies. I discovered that the best way to utilize the medicinal properties in these plants was to quickly dry them and then soak them in vodka for a about a week. Then I would strain out the plant matter and be left with a very stout, 80 proof tincture.
I went through this phase while we lived in California, where I could buy cheap vodka at the local grocery store.
One day, I sent my 14-year-old daughter down the liquor aisle to grab two more bottles as I waited in line at the checkout. Danielle was mortified. My sixteen year-old, Lindsay, looked right at me as I set the bottles on the checkout counter and said in a loud voice, "Mom, you've got to get help. You can't keep on drinking like this!"
(I think I lost interest in the whole tincture thing after that--and then we moved to Oregon where you actually have to walk into a liquor store to purchase the stuff).
But I have never lost interest in methods of natural healing and I came across a most effective remedy this week. I spent a lot of time recently hiking along the river, forgetting that I am super allergic to poison Oak. When nasty little blisters began popping up a few days ago, I got on the Internet and googled "remedies for poison oak." I found several helpful websites, but one mentioned that the juice from impatiens leaves and stems would heal the afflicted areas quickly.
So I went out to my garden, crushed a few sprigs, and smeared the goo on my owies--and I've hardly had the urge to scratch since! Isn't God amazing--He packaged pretty and practical in this useful little flower.
"Revelation 22:2: The leaves of the trees are for healing . . ."

2 comments:

The Foreigners said...

Miner's Lettuce. It'll clear anything, good or bad, right up. 'nuff said.

lindsay anne said...

ha ha I knew Jeremy would say that!
Don't forget Shepherd's Purse.

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