A while ago, Prissy started barking so I let her out into the garden and there was a big squirrel under the roof of the lower deck. He had a round yellow something in his mouth. He left there and jumped on the high brick wall, still with that yellow ball in his mouth, then went to the end of the wall and out into one of the trees.
I don’t have any yellow balls on any plants. There is a bag of potting soil mix with something growing in it and I wasn’t sure that wasn’t a wild tomato plant so I had it on the deck – it is split down the middle with this small green runners of a plant. Those yellow mushroom kinds of growths show up sometime in plant soil and I think he got one out of that bag and took off with it. I hope it’s poison.
I see a bloom on one of the spindly tomato plants that I screwed up on when I planted those.
I’m bringing up again the book I bought, Healing Spices, $19.39, Amazon. I’ve been reading in this book and it’s like a medicine bottle that gives the dosage of the medicine you are taking for a certain medical problem. This is the Bible for spices. Some you would not call a spice, such as onions or sun-dried tomatoes.
Listed below are the “spices” and what they do. This book was written by a research doctor at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. You see, scientific tests are reported on each of these spices and the amounts given to bring about the listed results. You will know what to use them for and how much to give. We hear this is good for that but we don’t know if that is true or how much to use. This takes the guess work out of knowing how to use these spices for certain ailments. These are not “old wives tales”, but scientific test results.
Also, beginning on page 293, is a list of medical conditions with a list next to that of which spices to use, and another list next to that one which gives the amounts to take for that medical condition. In almost every case, there is more than one spice to take for that medical condition.
Right now, I have no planted spices. I will make a list from this long list of spices based on what I think will grow here and that will be what I grow. Now, I will know what they do to a body.
If we had a time when regular medical care could not be had, this would be my book to use these spices/medicines for medical care. And, I will use them now for my own conditions, along with my regular prescriptions. Here is a list of “spices” covered:
Ajowan Nature’s Pharmacy
Allspice An All-Around healer
Almond Heart Guard
Amchur Mango with an extra pinch of health
Aniseed The ultimate Digestif
Asafoetida Fabled Flu Fighter
Basil The Garden of Youth
Bay Leaf An Infusion of Antioxidants
Black Cumin Seed the Amazing Cure-All
Black Pepper The King of Spices
Caraway After Dinner Relief
Cardamom The Stomach Sentinel
Celery Seed First Aid for Gout
Chile Red-Hot Healer
Cinnamon Balancing Blood Sugar
Clove Pain Relief’s loyal Servant
Cocoa How Sweet It Is
Coconut The Fat That Burns Calories
Coriander Taming Tummy Troubles
Cumin Keeping Diabetes Under Control
Curry Leaf From Mother Nature’s Branch of Medicine
Fennel Seed Calming Cramps and Colic
Fenugreek Seed Defeating Diabetes
Galangal Better Health, Courtesy of Thailand
Garlic Strong Enough to Battle Heart Disease
Ginger Quieting that Queasy Feeling
Horseradish Potent Infection Fighter
Juniper Berry The Natural Diuretic
Kokum India’s Exotic Weight-Loss Wonder
Lemongrass The Calming Spice
Marjoram The Mediterranean Miracle
Mint The Essence of Freshness
Mustard Seed Faithful to good health
Nutmeg A Sprinkle of Healing
Onion Too Strong for Cancer
Oregano Infection Protection
Parsley Antioxidant Enhancer
Pumpkin Seed Shielding the Prostate
Rosemary Cancer Guard for the Grill
Saffron Lifting Your Spirit
Sage Improving Memory and Mood
Sesame Seed Oiling Your Circulation
Star Anise Beautiful and Healthful
Sun Dried Tomato Guardian of Men’s Health
Tamarind A Beloved Folk Remedy
Thyme Anti-Microbial, Pro-health
Turmeric Leading Crusader against Disease
Vanilla Health in Your Dessert
Wasabi Hot Ally against Cancer
As much garlic and onion that we use, we should be immune to heart disease and cancer.
My rationale on most stuff is “If a little bit is good, then way too much is just about right”
I hope it’s poison.-lol-
Dang squirrels.LOL
Sounds like a great book. Several years back my daughter gave me a book for Christmas that you might also be interested in. It has over 100 herbs.
The title is Herbal Medicine - the expanded Commission E monographs.
It is also scientific. For each herb, there is:
1. General Overview
2. Description
3. Chemistry and Pharmacology
4. Uses
5. Contraindications
6. Side effects
7. Use during pregnancy and lactation
8. Interactions with other drugs
9. Dosage and Administration
10. References and resources list
There is a handy cross section by type of disease or condition. Followed by Appendices of interesting info.
These are often perscribed by physicians in Europe rather than expensive pills by big pharma.
Thank you so much, my dear Marcella!
Mullein (Verbascum thapsus ) was brought to this country by Europeans for use as a respiratory treatment. It’s now a common weed, easily identified.
From personal knowledge it is at least as good as OTC expectorants and syrups.
A heaping spoonful filtered (it has sharp hairs that irritate) into a cup of boiling water with a teaspoon of honey is very effective for colds.
“The combination of expectorant saponins and emollient mucilage makes the plant particularly effective for cough. All preparations meant to be drunk have to be finely filtered to eliminate the irritating hairs”
Got down to 22 degrees last night. Covered the cabbage which is just beginning to ‘head’ and the young lettuce. Didn’t cover the Fava beans but they seem to have survived alright along with the turnip greens.