well not really.
As my garden begins to fade, it find i am left with the seeds and leaves of some of the plants that have been traditionally used for medicine.
Anise -the seeds with a strong licorice flavor, was traditionally brewed as a tea to calm a stomach and relieve mild respiratory distress in Greece. My mother passed that on to me and i use it.
The chemistry of it also includes a high vitamin C contant and a mild laxitive.
Mint -Sperment especially is used in cooking all over the world, but makes a wonderfully relaxing tea and the chemistry - menthol relaxes lungs in small doses.
Dill - another wonderful spice, but looking at the seeds, i am seeing a possibility of some insecticidal properties - for flies! Dead ones seem to be trapped in the mass of seeds as they dry.
My neighbors are ll excited as i collect and dry or procss each, because the history is well known for each of them.
2 comments:
Hi, Joey! Long time, no 'write'. Good article about herbs. They ARE incredibly useful. I, too, learned a great deal from my mother and grandmother while growing up. But one July 4th weekend not long ago, we had onboard with us (to watch the fireworks), a lady with fairly advanced esophageal cancer. She had intermittent dysphagia and pain, which would usually 'pass' after a while. Especially when excited and eating, she would experience great distress and wouldn't you know it, that is exactly what happened right then during what should have been a pleasant evening. The fireworks were 'too much' and suddenly our guest could not swallow at all while experiencing terrible spasms and throat pain. I was also concerned about her breathing...and at first our only remedy appeared to be an immediate 911 call. Enter anise oil. Knowing that it is a wonderful GI relaxant, I dipped a toothpick in it, had our patient 'suck on it' and lo and behold her esophagus relaxed poste haste. Even I was amazed at how useful this simple oil was, especially when administered to someone 'unable to swallow'. Of course, for my money, nothing beats a little shot of 'anisette' as an aperitif to settle the stomach or even just to assure good digestion. This herb relaxes the pyloric sphincter, thus 'sending' our food on it's merry way! Note: Anise has some estrogenic properties, so like licorice it shouldn't be used TOO liberally, of course. Blessings To You-Barb
Love the story -and the knowledge
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