Wisdom of Healing

I’m often asked about how I ‘discovered’ herbalism and got interested in learning more. There are many layers of answers to this question. I had many wonderful elders in my early life to teach me of the wonders of nature. It wasn’t until these last few years that I realized that they were also giving me my earliest introduction to the magic, power and beauty of the healing herbs.

I guess my very earliest introduction was when I was very young, maybe when I was five or six years old. Our elder neighbor, Mr. Vachon, a master gardener taught my Dad, siblings and me about the importance of organic gardening, far before its emerging popularity.

As a retired widower, Mr. Vachon spent much of his time outdoors and in his small greenhouse growing flowers and vegetables. He was the first one to tell me that we could eat some of the weeds that we pull out of our gardens. He often put them in his sandwich. He also showed me how we could nibble on specific tiny spring leaves and flowers. He said that they were believed to be very good for us, and I always believed everything this very wise man told me.

My paternal Grandmother also shared little tidbits about herbs and their healing abilities. Trained as a nurse, it felt to me that she downplayed this ancient wisdom. But she firmly believed that the scent or sight of flowers soothed the emotions and strengthened the nervous system. And she talked to me about the beliefs of Native Americans more than once, hinting that this information had real merit.

But my greatest early teacher was my Great Aunt Merle. She was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes at an early age. Although she suffered with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA), it was not yet recognized as a real condition in the medical community. She found that the information given to her by her allopathic doctors often seemed to cause her body more pain and discomfort, leading to worsening her conditions and increased her need for medication. Examples were when she was told to always carry sugary candy bars in her purse to eat if her blood sugar dropped, but she was told to never eat carrots, parsnips, beets and most other root vegetables.

Aunt Merle began to go to some of the early alternative health practitioners, often traveling long distances to do so. The family called them ‘the quacks’, but for Aunt Merle, they were true healers and real health providers.

The alternative medical community recognized JRA long before their conservative counterparts got on board with the idea. Their information provided her with a better understanding of her conditions, and their recommendations seemed to help her health and energy levels. She often shared their insights with me, since I seemed to have similar health concerns.

Then when I was fourteen, I sprained my right ankle. Within the following six months, I had sprained it three more times; each time it became progressively more painful and took longer for me to recover. Then, about three months later, I sprained my left ankle. I needed to walk with crutches off and on for more than nine months.

I was very interested in three dimensional art, creating many sculptures and functional art during my teenage years. My friend, Dee, and I went to the art supply store nearly every Wednesday to stock up on the following week’s clay, plaster, string, dyes or whatever we were in need of for our current projects.

Next door to our favorite art supply store was a very well stocked little health food store. We would stop in there each week after the art store for some delicious, healthy snack foods to enjoy during the following week.

On the Wednesday trip to the health food store that followed my spraining of my left ankle, I limped in on crutches. One of the clerks behind the counter looked me up and down and said, “How are you today? Not so good by the looks of things. You’ve been hobbling in here a lot lately.”

I told her of my recent troubles with spraining my right ankle four times within six months, and how I had just sprained my left ankle a couple of days before. She asked, “Do you know about comfrey tea?” I shook my head ‘no’. “There’s nothing better for our bones than comfrey,” she continued. She motioned with her hand. “Follow me”, she urged.

As we walked, I remember thinking, ‘What is she talking about? Isn’t there only black tea and peppermint tea?’ I had no idea that there were any other teas at that time. I followed her into the back room where there were dozens of gallon and half gallon jars containing dried roots, leaves, barks and seeds, labeled with green or black calligraphy. The room smelled wonderful.

She led me to the third row of shelving where she lifted a jar labeled ‘Comfrey Root – local’ down from the top shelf and placed it onto the counter. As she poured some of the contents into a small sandwich bag, she told me how to make an herbal tea from roots. She told me to place two tablespoons of the comfrey root into a stainless steel or glass pan with a quart of water and cover. She said that I should bring it to a slow boil, and simmer the tea for about twenty or thirty minutes, then let it cool for a half hour or so and sip three to four cups each day, warm or cool, until my ankle was completely better. My left ankle was very sore, so I figured ‘what do I have to lose?’

When I arrived home that afternoon, I began to make my very first herbal decoction (a simmered herbal tea, usually made with roots or barks). My mother commented that the whole house stunk, but I thought it smelled wonderful; earthy and green.

When my comfrey tea was ready to drink, I tasted my first cup. Although I wasn’t fond of the flavor, I was somehow attracted to it anyway. I sipped the first two cups while it was still warm, and then I had a third cup a few hours later after it had cooled off.

In the morning, when I woke up, I couldn’t believe it. There was absolutely no pain left in my ankle! I stepped down on it again turning a bit as I did, and still no pain! I went downstairs and drank down the last cup of cold comfrey tea that I had made up the night before. I danced about the kitchen, smiling and shrieking that my ankle felt better! Those crutches were history!

I became a great fan of the powerful abilities of comfrey on that day, and have at least 100 more comfrey stories that I hope to get to share someday. Comfrey has been used by millions over the centuries, and was nicknamed ‘knit-bone’ for its healing properties. I have used it ever since, in a wide variety of ways, and I guess I always will.

Now, I have to tell you that I cannot urge you to drink comfrey tea, however. A few years after that glorious day, some foolish young ladies were experimenting with herbs, drugs and alcohol. One of the herbs they were using at the time was comfrey. They all developed serious kidney problems. The FDA outlawed the use of comfrey taken orally, due to this unfortunate incident. Although I do not agree with this decision, I also cannot jeopardize my freedom by suggesting that it is safe, and recommending its use.

We can, however, use comfrey homeopathically or topically in salve, oil or tincture form. Homeopathic comfrey is called by its Latin name, Symphytum Officinale. If you or a loved one chooses to use the homeopathic form, just follow the directions on the tube for a few days, taking a break for a few days, and then evaluate whether you may need a few days more.

In salve form, please look for the Herb Pharm easy to travel tin called Herbal Ed’s Salve or the Gaia Comfrey Compounded Salve. You may apply these as desired to the regions where your bones or joints needing strengthening. These products have no known side effects. To your bone health!

Trackback URI | Comments RSS