Jessie's posting on medicinal herbs brought back some memories/experiences for me regarding the value of medicinal herbs. Before I retired, I had about three months holiday each year, two of which were in the summer and so, having a great interest in herbs, I used to have a stall, one day a week during the holiday period, on a (then) local market selling herb plants and honey from my bees. The main objective being in some small way to further interest in the subject. For each herb, I put up a card with essential info. e.g. where and how to grow them, their uses etc. The market manager always said that it was more like and exhibition (!?!) and asked me to move onto the larger market about a hundred and fifty yards away in the main square. However, though that may have been more lucrative, it didn't have the easy, stop and chat potential of the smaller market. Customers ranged from those who knew virtually nothing of herbs to people who related to me cures that their mothers and grandmothers knew. Brilliant - nothing better than two way learning!
One person related to me how a relative was so ill with a chest problem that the doctor had advised that the poor woman had not long to live so that any family who wanted to see her alive should not be slow in visiting. However, when the doctor visited next, the woman was sitting up in bed chatting away happily. His reaction: "Good God, I know what's done that - Elecampagne!". One of the family, on hearing of her condition had travelled down from the north with some Elecampagne root and administered it. But what kind of society do we live in where such a thing can happen - a doctor knows the solution but does nothing about it!?
One sometimes tends to think that things are common knowledge so we make no menation. Often it's not the case. For instance, talking to the manager of a local leisure/garden centre he mentioned a friend who had terrible migraines (a big bloke who owned a fish and chip shop and whom he had seen crying with the pain). I called in later and gave him a few plants of Feverfew and advised taking a few leaves in a salad sandwich (to disguise the bitter taste) when he had a recurrance. It solved his problem.
Some while later, I had a message from the same manager asking if I knew of anything for his Sciatica. He said that he'd been to see specialist all over the place but he still had the pain, and the pain killers that he was given were making him almost unable to work. Anyway I suggested a homeopathic preparation and the next time I went in to see him (several weeks since I was on summer vacation), he greeted me with a broad smile, arms raised in the air and said that the pain was completely gone and hadn't returned - the first relief that he'd had in years.
I used to get bitten by very small oblong shaped flies when I lived on the border of Clumber Park. Sometimes my hands would swell up like balloons from these bites. Once, bitten on the face, I was barely recognisable. I got some tincture of Pyrethrum and provided I put a very tiny drop on the bite not too long after being bitten, I wouldn't even itch let alone being a pretty good impression of the Mitchelin man.
I could go on but not wishing to bore any more than I may have already done, I'll just say that however much herbal and homeopathic remedies are derided, I think it better to go by personal experience. No one can guarantee any cure for any thing but I really have experienced many positive results - and for any who consider such things to be anything to do with psychology, placebo's etc. I know of a farmer who has saved himself a fortune on vet bills by treating his cows with a few drops of a homeopathic tincture in their water. And I cured one of a small herd of goats that I had of an apparently 'incurable' dis-ease. And they have no idea even that they are being treated!
Look forward to seeing other posts from Jessie or anyone with info/experiences re. the subject.
Trevor
