Nature's Pharmacy - Ladies of Hive Community Contest #124
Nature has an abundance of healing plants, something our ancestors were familiar with, but we choose to run to the doctor or pharmacy for a quick 'cure.'
What we forget, is that modern medicine does not cure, as its main focus is to treat symptoms, actually enslaving us to enrich the big pharma.
I know it sounds rather cynical saying that, and I am very well aware that we do need professional medical care for many ailments throughout our lives, and more so as our bodies 'mature', or to put it bluntly, start aging ;)
Nevertheless, I do turn to herbs and spices for minor ailments, like flu, nasal congestion, upset tummy, and stress, to name just a few.
Calming Chamomile
I've managed to grow this calming herb quite successfully and have used the flowers to make tea, but one needs way too much for a daily cup, so I mostly buy tea bags. I enjoy it with honey, add some fresh mint leaves or a slice of lemon, and have it as a nighttime drink, great for a good night's sleep.
Chamomile has a host of other health benefits like boosting the immune system, so we drank a lot of the tea during the dark days of Covid lockdowns.
Adding fresh Mint to Chamomile tea helps with indigestion.
Fresh ginger of course takes Chamomile tea to the next level.
Ginger
I am never without fresh Ginger root as I use it in cooking curries and stir-fry, but for health benefits, it's my go-to spice for nausea, tummy ailments, and nasal and chest congestion during the flu season.
It really makes the most delicious tea and I also add it to Chamomile or other herbal teas. Steeping freshly grated Ginger on its own in boiling water still is my favourite. I make it strong, sweeten it with Honey, add fresh Lemon juice and Lemon slices, and if I feel like a change, also add a piece of Cinnamon or Cassia bark.
Turmeric
Once again, I use this spice in cooking curries, yep we enjoy a good spicy curry here in Durban! Regarding health, organic Turmeric powder has excellent anti-inflammatory properties and is a natural antioxidant. It of course is the main ingredient of Golden Milk, absolutely delicious, really easy to make, and also good to have during the flu season.
Add a large spoonful of Turmeric to a cup of Dairy or Almond milk, grated Ginger root, and Peppercorns, which helps with congestion. The latter must not be overdone as it does have some not-so-pleasant side effects. Cinnamon Bark is a must, in my eyes at least, and if you have it on hand, Coconut Oil for added anti-inflammatory benefits. I added Vanilla pod for an extra kick when I made this cup of Golden Milk some time back.
Rosemary
Mom Lily used to enjoy one tiny glass of Herbal Tonic Wine at night, so taught me how to make this calming Tonic wine, as Mom called it ;)
Fresh Rosemary, Cinnamon bark, Cloves, Star Anise, and Lemon or Orange zest is steeped in a mix of dry red and sweet red wine. Bottle it in pretty wine bottles, and let it steep for at least two weeks before consuming, shaking the bottle gently once a day to get the herbs and spices to mingle.
Strain and enjoy a tipple at bedtime for a really good night's sleep, just don't finish the bottle in one go, or you'd end up with a beeeg headache the next day ;)
For this week's Ladies of Hive Community Contest #124, they're asking :
1️⃣ Once upon a time, I was taught how to remember the strings on a guitar by this sweet, very straight-laced lady. She explained it this way: E-every A-acid D-dropper G-gets B-busted E-eventually! It just cracked me up, so this week we want to know what funny ways you use to remember useful bits of information?
~ 𝐀𝐍𝐃 / 𝐎𝐑 ~
2️⃣ Spices and herbs are often used for medicinal purposes.
What is your favorite and what do you use it for?
As you read, I answered the second question, using images taken over the past couple of years for previous Hive challenges, but the content is written especially for this LOH challenge.
Original Content by @lizelle
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Modern medicine aside treating symptoms has side effects in the long run. However, what nature provides is complete cure with no side effect.
Wonderful post reminding me that nature is the authentic healer
You are so right and some of those side effects then require more medication, has a ripple effect!
We need to share folk medicine with our children, not easy as it's more convenient to pop a pill not so.
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Wonderful herbal remedies! @lizelle🌿🍵
Not familiar with Cassia root - need to Google to learn more. Peppercorn in almond /milk? Interesting....
The Herbal Tonic Wine definitely peaked my interest!🍷🗓🍷
✍Good luck in the LOH contest!👌
Cassia bark has a flavour very much like cinnamon. Golden milk is really delicious and so beneficial. As I'm allergic to anti-inflammatories I had to find alternatives.
Mom's herbal tonic is deliciously spicy, very much like mulled wine😉
Thank you for the feedback on my post @ninahaskin 🤗
Old generation used many natural spices and herbs as medicinal remedies, time to write into a book the next generation will be looking for this type of recipe book I am sure!
Lovely mix from the garden or pantry, each most definitely has great benefits, saves money and keeps you feeling better!
!LUV
!LADY
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Good idea getting this into a book, I should look back at all the older posts I wrote where it gives more details on the benefits of these natural remedies!
The bonus of course is the cost is minimal plus there are no side-effects.
Thank you for your valued feedback Joan🤗
Many roots and plants our forefathers used, passing knowledge down by word of mouth or a hand written diary of recipes. Always good to safely store them for future generations wherever possible. Have a great day !LUV
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The old people knows the best herbs and the best way to use them not like this our generation. Thanks for sharing, it's really helpful.
They sure did, often tasted awful but these I shared are all really delicious 😋
Really, I wish to have a taste too.
Looking at the photos make me imagine/smell the aroma of the Chamomile tea.
Nature indeed has provided us with natural healing properties but most of us seem to prefer to pop the pill box whenever we are needing some relief from minor ailments. If we only learn how to use what we already have around us...
Thank you Lizelle for sharing how you do yours. Much to learn from here :)
!LADY
Thank you for sharing these home remedies. Definitely need to learn these
Like you say @ifarmgirl, it's so much easier to pop a pill in our fast paced world, but I do believe we need to invest more time in our health, it will certainly bear fruit in the long run. Thank you for your thoughtful comments 🤗
Mind blowing blog, a big applause for this outstanding writing. The most impressive part was that you grow this calming herb and you can get the benefit of it whenever you want. I like these herbs and it helped me many times to fight against the disease. Good day!
Glad you enjoyed it @leo-fairy, thank you for the wonderful feedback! We do need to remember and use what nature gives us freely😉
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There is indeed so much to learn and this right here just gave me yet another dose haha
The lead herb in this post seem to have a delicious smell, does it?
Nice photography by the way, love the pictures 🥰
Thank you @merit.ahama, glad you enjoyed it. Chamomile flowers do not have a strong scent, it's kind of like an apple smell. The real flavour comes out when one crushes and steeps it in hot water.
Have a great day further 😊
Oh that's good to know
So happy to know this contest because I love medical herbs I often use camomille not only as a relaxing drink 😍
That's great @noemilunastorta, it makes a very good and pleasant tea. I need to make time to read other contestants' herbal secrets😉
Nice post! It's lovely to know there are folks like yourself trying to find ways to health that do not use toxic substances, such as western meds. It's astonishing that we have come to believe any ailment calls for toxic remediation, when nature has provided us with safe, effective and essentially free remedies.
I love your mother's tonic. I can't drink red wine though - I start to feel sick after one sip. Think white would do? Or better yet, a bit of vodka haha. Or hard cider? hm.
Haha, I'm sure you could mix a white dessert wine with a dry one but I'm not sure if those herbs will work with white wine. Worth experimenting with other herbs? One thong I forgot to mention, is the cardiovascular benefits of red wine.😉
We've been so indoctrinated with popping pills that we forget about the old folk remedies which may not be a quick cure but certainly is way better than popping chemicals which only relieve our symptoms briefly.
PS You could invent a herbal Vodka, that would be interesting, definitely will put you in a deep slumber😅
I remember that my mother used to give me tonic water whenever I had the flu. When covid first became a big thing, I heard that tonic water has a bit of hydroxychloroquine, and that drinking it could be of help. Boy was that info squashed and ridiculed! But there it is, an old, effective, safe and inexpensive rememdy for viruses. We really need to rebuild all that knowledge. Thanks for doing your part!
SO true, of course anything that's not going to bring in business for the big pharma will quickly be squashed. I once read that many news channels are sponsored by pharmaceutical companies, if it's true they have full control of what to feed our minds as well!
Ads during all programming, news or not, are 75% medical ads for patented new drugs. Is that not a clue that our medical system is making us sick? I stay away from those doctors. They are not good for our health.
Some sage advice and great recipes for those things that ail us. You are right; the drugs that Big Pharma endorse don't really cure and just keep us going back for more. I try to always look for something natural. I was once on high blood pressure medication. After beginning an exercise routine and diet change, I then realized that I didn't need this anymore. Unfortunately, what they don't tell you is that the drugs masque the problem. Upon trying to wean myself off, I really thought I was going to die as it became apparent that my body was addicted to the drug. I had to wean off much much slower than originally planned, but did in fact do it. There are many herbs and foods that help with blood pressure, so if I find mine creeping again, I go that route instead.
Thanks for sharing and have a lovely day!🤗💜 !LADY
Hi @elizabethbit, thank you for sharing that bit of info. I always had a good low blood pressure, but years ago was put on BP meds because my blood pressure naturally went up when I had lingering bronchitis.
When I wanted to stop afterwards, the doc said I couldn't, so am still taking it years later which I'm not happy with as my bp only goes up when I'm ill. I must do more excercise and research foods that can help with that!
I really appreciate your thoughts on this 😊
You are most welcome! I hope things work out for you. I am glad I stopped, but make sure your pressures are good before doing anything. Mine were low when I changed everything; lower than they should be. Take care!
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I love this! Only found some time to read it this morning. I agree with everything you wrote. Basically, food becomes medicine, but our approach to medicine (treatment) is wrong and should focus more holistically (e.g., prevention). It is crazy how many spices and things we can grow at home to make all of these wonderful teas. I recently came across wild African sage plants. They also make wonderful teas. I wonder if they grow that side of the country as well?
I think I will make my own tonics and stuff from now on and enjoy them before bed!
Soooo true!
I've never come across wild African Sage, will go to granny Google and see what they look like.
Thank you for that and for the wise words @fermentedphil 🤗
I am glad they are somewhat helpful! Thank you. Yes, see if you can find some wild sages. They are fantastic, water-wise, and when you hang them in the kitchen to dry, it makes the whole room smell fantastic!