Spiral Way

Most of these were taken from K. P. Khalsa and The Green Pharmacy. EASY VEGETABLE SOUP BASE Fill a pot about half full with water.  Add: Celery Garlic Hawthorn berries Kudzu Onion Tomato Broccoli Carrots Purslane Saffron Bring to a boil, and then simmer, adding any other vegetables or spices or meat you want. Blood Pressure The above, by itself, is good for lowering blood pressure.  To aid in that, add: Oregano Black Pepper Basil Tarragon BONE STRENGTHENING BROTH To help prevent osteoporosis In large pot, place leftover fish bones in a few quarts of water.  (If bones are tiny, tie them in a cheesecloth bag to make it easier to remove them later.)  Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer 30 minutes.  Add couple of handfuls each of: Finely chopped cabbage Dandelion greens Stinging nettle greens Parsley Pigweed Purslane Simmer until greens soften slightly.  Season to taste with salt...

From Angelika’s Diary: I’ve read a bit about a plant the famous physician Galen called “Phu” for he was a man who definitely did not like the smell.  I’m afraid at times, humans can adopt very strange behaviors and superstitions, based on watching animals reacting to certain plants.  Phu is known today as Valerian, and it is most well-beloved of rats and cats.  I must carefully wrap, four times over, and then store in a tight container, any valerian root I may have, for otherwise, I would be inundated with the creatures.  However, because of this, or some other legends I’ve heard tell of, people will make an extract of the roots, or use the leaves to put the scent on their body to attract a mate.  I personally think they’re only going to attract the vermin, but who listens to me? Some believe that valerian is the plant called spikenard in the Bible.  I’ve a hard time believing that Mary would wash the feet of her dying son with a scent that would att...

From Angelika’s diary: In the same way that seasons have cycles, so too, do people. There are times in each person’s life where some events can be a wee bit harder than others, and usually, there are physical and spiritual reactions to them, for the body and the spirit are quite connected in how they work. As a midwife, most often I am called upon to help with the changes in a woman’s life, particularly changes brought about as a woman begins to travel through the changes she will experience. One of the differences I have noticed over time is how a woman reacts to her monthly cycle. Oft times, those who look upon it as a curse will experience cramping, discomfort, and generally wish to take to their beds. As my own mother taught me, that’s a waste of time for what should be a time of joy, a celebration, as God has blessed women so that we may some day have children. This difference in attitude provides a difference in the levels of physical discomfort, and I’ve had a bit of luck i...

Pagan folk were the Irish before they learned of Christ and melded their stories with those the Christians brought from the Holy Roman Empire.  Those who were of the Tuatha de Danaan often became saints within the Church, and the stories changed only in small ways.  The Irish have long believed, but often use different words to describe their beliefs.  ‘tis actually one and the same.  Or so my mother told me. The story, as she was told, was about Airmeith.  She was a good and caring child, growing with her brother, Miach, and learning from their father Diancecht, all the knowledge of the herbs of the Earth.  Diancecht was the most renowned healer and physician to the Tuatha de Danaan, and he was called on by Nuada, King of the Tuatha de Danaan, when he had his arm severed in a battle.  Diancecht took his children, Airmeith and Miach with him to assist, and it soon became clear that his children had much greater skill than he.  Where he would ...

From Angelika’s diary: So let’s talk about what’s got you in such a state of disrepair, shall we? You’re tired all the time, you don’t feel particularly good, although you don’t feel particularly bad. Your skin’s got boils on it that’s nothin’ to do with youth. You get a rash in your nethers that a good dose of goldenseal or echinacea won’t fix. Your joints ache, you get colds all the time. So, what have you done to yourself to get you here? You haven’t taken care of yourself, you haven’t eaten properly, and your blood’s gone bad. Don’t argue with me. ‘tis the only fluid in your body that flows everywhere, and pretty much, you’re in a state, all over your body. If I were to send you to the barber surgeon, not that I would, mind you, those butchers would just as soon cut off a body part as bleed you, he’d tell you the same thing, and then make you pay a pence just to cut you, and let some of the blood drain off your body. I’ll tell you this – it took you a long time to get your ...

From Angelika’s Diary: “And here we begin, child, with one of the most important things that you’ll ever learn: how to figure out what’s wrong with the person who’s come to see you. You must observe, usin’ each of the five senses God gave you, to see what’s off in a person. Look with your eyes – is their skin a different pallor? Is somethin’ enlarged? Are there signs that they’ve eaten recently, like stains upon the dress or food in the surroundings? Is there evidence of tears in their eyes? Are they movin’ more quickly or more slowly than you might expect them to do? Watch them. Listen with your ears – what is the quality of their breathing? Is their gait altered by something? What are they saying? And what are they *not* saying? This is particularly important with children and old men. Smell with your nose – illness often carries with it its own stench. Infection has one smell; bad blood, another. Food can go bad to the point that it’s not fit for dogs, and yet in times such...

From Angelika’s diary: In the same way that seasons have cycles, so too, do people. There are times in each person’s life where some events can be a wee bit harder than others, and usually, there are physical and spiritual reactions to them, for the body and the spirit are quite connected in how they work. As a midwife, most often I am called upon to help with the changes in a woman’s life, particularly changes brought about as a woman begins to travel through the changes she will experience. One of the differences I have noticed over time is how a woman reacts to her monthly cycle. Oft times, those who look upon it as a curse will experience cramping, discomfort, and generally wish to take to their beds. As my own mother taught me, that’s a waste of time for what should be a time of joy, a celebration, as God has blessed women so that we may some day have children. This difference in attitude provides a difference in the levels of physical discomfort, and I’ve had a bit of luck ...