A Heaping Helping of Herbs!

  I have long used herbs and spices in place of most over the counter medicines.  I feel that there are just too many other things in those pills and liquids.  This is not to say that I never take medicines.  I do...occasionally...when a doctor tells me I should but that is a rare thing.  At least with my home-grown and wildcrafted herbs, I know what I am getting.  Granted, sometimes it takes a bit longer to cure things this way, but I feel safer.  Then, again, here lately, it seems as if the herbs are doing a far better job than are the "store bought" cure-alls.  Just recently, the dreaded flu bug hit the Little Bayou House in full force.  Mark was the first to come down sick.  For weeks, he stayed ill despite visits to the doctor, lots of prescribed pills, tons of pain killers, over the counter medicines and bed rest.  Two days after his first symptoms, Son and I both contracted the mess.  He and I used herbs and downed bottles of the Bayou Fire Brew.  Our bouts of the mess only lasted three days.  Maybe ours was not full fledged flu but neither of us had the lingering cough and congestion that normally comes with this type of illness.  In fact, we never were congested at all nor had a cough.  

  With the first symptoms  of headache, fever and body aches, I started my regimen. This included me slipping outside in a slight misty rain to find MY "cure-all"....Lyre-leaf Sage.  Since my garden had gone the wayside with the onset of winter, I had to depend on this wild herb to pull me through.  Sage is wonderful for most cold/flu symptoms when used as a tisane and gargle.  The Lyre-leaf Sage has a bit weaker medicinal properties but it is not nearly as strong tasting as the other sages.  When I found the few purplish leaves that had withstood the low temperatures, I snatched them up and added them to my sage blend tisane.  Ahhh, relief from all of those nasty symptoms!  Laugh if you wish but I figure that a three day bout of illness sure beats two weeks in bed feeling miserable!

  Today, Mr. PJ (the old dog) and I found ourselves in the midst of a virtual grove of Lyre-leaf Sage!  I plopped myself down among the plants and started to nibble a leaf. (I felt like a rabbit!)  When I looked at the old dog, he, too, was munching the plants.  Ha!  I think this dog is an herbalist!  He knows a good thing when he smells it! 

Self Help by the Bayou Dog

  I am beginning to wonder if Ms. Ez, the Bayou Dog, is smarter than I realize.  Sometimes she can do things that make me scratch my head and question whether she has any brains but then she will turn around and do something ridiculously brilliant.  At least brilliant for a dog who is not supposed to understand health issues and medications.  

  I have been drinking a lot of herbal tea as I try to ward off any colds, flu or sinus infections.  These things have all been making the rounds through family and neighbors but, so far, I have been fortunate.  I have remained healthy throughout the winter.  Whew!  My herbal tea is infused with a healthy dose of ginger root, whole cloves and star anise. All of these are remarkably helpful in fighting any of the above mentioned illness.  I usually drink several cups of tea each day.  In the late evening, I will bring the tea into the living room and set it on the coffee table to cool.  I might leave it sit there as I do a few more chores such as carry in an armload of firewood or stoke the fire.  Never once have I had a problem leaving it there.  Nothing has ever bothered my tea!

  I have always been proud of the old dog as Ms. Ez has never touched any food items that were not placed in her bowl. Look at that face! Would you ever dream that she might touch food or drink that was not designated just for her pleasure?  Yesterday, I had placed the tea on the coffee table like any other day and turned to stoke the fire.  While my back was turned, I heard lapping.  Huh?  I reeled around just in time to see the dog lapping up my herbal tea!  What had gotten into that goofy animal?  As soon as she noticed that I was watching her, she slunk back to her bed by the door.  She knew that she had crossed the line with this antic!  All in all, she drank over a cup of the delicious, warming tea.

  This trick of Ezzy's got me to thinking.  For the past few nights, I have noticed that she seemed to be a bit congested.  Last night, after her taking a goodly sized dose of my tea, she had no problem sleeping through the night.  There was no sniffling at all!  Did Ms. Ez know that the tea would help her?   I am not even sure that those ingredients are on the "safe" list for dogs but she evidently seemed quite sure that they might help her feel better.  I think I will have to ask her vet.  If none will hurt her, I might have just hit on a way to doctor the dog!  (Or, perhaps I should say, Ms. Ez hit on a way to doctor herself and, perhaps, I should not have scolded her!)

You can't beat ginger root!

   Here lately, it seems that almost everyone I talk to has had, does have or knows someone who has a nasty cold.  The cold that is making its rounds throughout the neighborhood is the same one that nigh on everyone in the country is suffering.  It is obviously one rough ailment which is why I have been trying my best to avoid coming in contact with anyone sick.  I, most likely, will come down with this illness eventually but I am taking steps to build my immune system.   Vitamin C is a must, it seems so kumquats and cranberries have become my best friends! Another BFF is my old, trusty ginger root.  Fresh ginger root has a couple of fine things in it called gingerols and shaogals.  (Strange names for good things!) These two things are anti-inflammatory agents that help cure any sore throat but the most fantastic thing about them is the fact that they literally kill rhinoviruses!  What are rhinoviruses, you may ask?  Well, those are the nasty things that cause colds in the first place.  Kill those and your cold does not have a chance!  My advice is to catch the nasty, old rhinovirus as soon as you are exposed.  If you do this, it does not have a chance to catch hold.  So...in other words...drink ginger tea regularly!

  For the past few weeks, (since the onslaught of illnesses in our area) Mark and I have been following a routine of drinking our herbal tisanes. Several times a day, we have a cup of herbal brew that contains fresh ginger root and star anise.  So far, thank the Good Lord, we have avoided any problems.  Our tisane (which is a fancy word for herbal "tea" that does not actually contain tea leaves!) includes our favorite flavor of herbal tea with a hefty size chunk of fresh ginger root and a piece of star anise.  This is sweetened with local honey for a bit of delightfulness! When brewed the flavors meld together nicely.  We have found that our favorites are the fruit or berry flavored teas.  They seem to lend themselves to being spiced up with these two herbs. There is nothing better to warm the body on a cold day than a good cup of tisane! (It also helps to have some fresh baked cinnamon bread and serve the tisane using lovely handmade coasters!  These were made by my sweet niece Eva and her husband Erik!  Beautiful, aren't they?)

  Ginger root seems to be the key ingredient in so many home remedies which makes me think it should also be an important part of everyone's gardens.  PLANT THAT GINGER ROOT, FOLKS!  Once you successfully get it rooted, it is relatively easy to grow.  Just make sure to plant it in a sheltered area since it does not seem to like wind.  Then, when you need a piece of root, just pull back the soil and break off a small chunk leaving the main root intact.  Your plant should grow forever!  Plus, you have the added benefit of some lovely flowers in the spring!  Ginger is wonderful!

  

A new Pet Peeve!

Sometimes it seems that people just do not use a lot of commonsense. Over the last few weeks, there have been numerous visitors to the Little Bayou House. These were mostly short visits of about an hour or so but they were long enough to cause problems. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy visitors..just not sick visitors! Where is the commonsense that tells folks that they should stay home if they are ill?? Several different folks made the startling announcement while sitting in my kitchen that they "have been so sick with the flu for the past few days". GO HOME! Do not...I repeat..DO NOT bring me your illnesses! Well, you guessed it..I am now coming down with every ache known to mankind! The sore throat, upset stomach, congestion, body aches and headache have all descended upon Son and me. We are not too happy at the moment. One of the things about being sick, though, is that it gives me the perfect guinea pig to try to home remedies! Me! Son and I started out with our usual "Bayou Brew" which is more of a conglomeration of everything in the herb garden and pantry than a medicine! Everything is tossed in a pot with some added water and cooked down until it is just a thick, bubbly goop! Since it includes a lot of hot peppers and ginger, the stuff is a tad....ummm..spicy? It burns the tonsils until there is no room for soreness. One young man told me that it does indeed work but that you only have to take it once..your body automatically cures itself with the mere thought of the stuff! I admit that it is a bit potent so I rarely administer it to anyone but myself..or Son. Today, however, I experimented with a new "tea". I feel much better with each cup that I drink so I am sure this might be something that actually works! AND!!..It tastes delightfully better than the Bayou Brew. This is a blend of juices and spices that actually makes you want to drink more. This in itself could be a plus as the more (non alcoholic) liquids you imbibe, the quicker you heal. I have decided to share this "magic" cure with you as I am quite sure that this has shortened my malady intensely. Son will not drink any and is quite ill whereas I am healing quite grandly! Like I said..the good point of this home remedy is the taste! It is divine! And..you can drink as much as you like!

Soothing cup of "comfort"! (Do remove the Star Anise before drinking!)

In a blender place:

2 cups apple juice

2 cups cranberry juice

1 whole lemon (halved..seeds and all!)

2 inch piece ginger root

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup sesame seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

Blend this until well blended. Pour into a saucepan and add 4 whole Star Anise. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about ten minutes. Strain to remove all pulp and seeds then sip like a tea.

Ideally, this should be all used by the end of the day.

(As an explanation..the juices and lemon provide vitamin C and the seeds of the lemon are a pain reliever. Ginger Root is an anti-inflammatory and Honey acts as mild antibiotic. Cinnamon, Cloves, Nutmeg and Fennel Seeds relieve congestion. The Sesame Seeds act as an expectorant.)

Trust me..it does help you deal with the raunchy feeling of being sick. Perhaps it is just the fact that you are drinking so much juice or perhaps the warmth of a cup of "tea" is comforting. Still, I feel that I am truly on the mend. Now if I could only get Son to drink a pot of this, our little household will be well, again. WARNING..if anyone who is ill comes to this house again and infects me or my family..I am going to make them take some of the original "Bayou Brew"! Heehee!