Bellyaches, Blossoms & BugBuster

My little girl was sitting on the couch one afternoon holding her tummy.

“I got a bellyache” she said.

She then stood up and walked out of the house. Curious, I followed her. She puttered out to the herb garden and grabbed a handful of parsley and started eating it. Half an hour later, the bellyache was gone and she was back to being her happy, playful self. She was a little prone to stomach troubles and knew very well that the solution was growing outside.

When I’m coming down with a cold, I step out my back door and grab a handful of elder leaf, a handful of yarrow and some peppermint and make a pot of tea that I drink throughout the day. More often than not, the cold never makes and the next day I’m done with it.

During the winter, when the gardens are covered with snow, The kids would go to the cupboard for a tincture or powder. They knew which formulas were for which problems. I have one formula called INFXN – BugBuster which is good for a variety of infections and another called Immunity – Support which supports the immune system. Both of these formulas taste pretty awful. Yet when the kids were sick, they’d march into the kitchen, toss a spoonful of the powder into some water and choke it down (often with dramatic protestations about how awful the stuff tasted). They did this of their own volition which to me was as great a testimony to the efficacy of herbs as anything because no kid in his right mind would take that awful-tasting stuff voluntarily if it wasn’t working.

We raised 15 kids (11 adopted…4 homemade). Over the years, we took one child to the doctor once. This wasn’t because we disliked doctors or medicine, it’s just because we never really had the need. Our kids were sick as often as anyone’s I suppose but we were able to manage things with the plants that constantly surrounded our home or with the tinctures and powders I’d made and put in the cupboards. And, as often as not, the kids were taking care of things themselves with those awful-tasting herbs.

Bellyache? Eat some parsley.

Earache? Squirt in some onion juice.

Nasty cut? Slap on a little poultice.

It’s the way we lived.

So how is it done? How can you become a self-reliant healer and help your family to be engaged at that level with healing plants?

You have to get to know the plants and you have to have them around.

How many plants?

I don’t know…ten or so would cover a lot of things. Twenty would cover about anything a normal family might need. I have a veterinary practice as well as a naturopathy practice for humans and see all kinds of unusual cases. I could do anything I’m doing with 30-40 plants. Now it’s true that I have over a hundred in my herbal pharmacy but that’s mostly because I’m sentimental and get attached to the rascals. My point is that even if you only knew three plants and had them around and accessible, you could do a lot of good with those three plants.

I’d like to invite you to come to my home and tour my gardens and herb processing facilities. You’ll learn how to make these wonderful plants an intimate part of your life. You’ll see how to use them to landscape and beautify your property. You’ll learn how and when to harvest them and how to use them. That afternoon we’ll roll up our sleeves and I’ll teach you how to make all kinds of different herbal medicines that you’ll be able to take home and poke into your own cupboards for when you need them.

On the second day, if you’re up for more adventures, we’ll be off to the hills to explore wild plants that are growing all over in the Mountain West. That afternoon we’ll be having an in-depth, hands-on workshop on herbal wound management.

When you leave, you’ll be ready to start your own little herb garden full of little green friends that would love to help you and your family. So, next time one of your clan has a bellyache or a sore tooth or a bladder infection or whatever it may be, you’ll have some knowledge and tools to help.

Join Us. It may be the most important thing you could do with your time for a day or two.