The Green Woman....

The Physicians of Myddfai...

I love a good herbal tale and the story of the Physicians of Myddfai, legendary Welsh healers, is a corker...

 It's said, there was a war widow and her son living by the lake Llyn-Van-Vach where there cows liked to pasture. One day the young man was astonished to see by the lapping waters seated upon a rock a beautyfull woman, beyond any he'd seen, and the maidens of Myddvai are renound for their fairness. In an attempt to connect with her, he offered some of his homebaked bread to her but she merely laughed and said "Your bread is hard baked, Tis not easy to catch me."

That night he again related the tale to his mother, who could see he was lovestruck and suggested taking unbaked bread to the maiden. The lad returned early, and keen, the next day but the woman was nowhere to be seen. There was a group of cows moving close to the waters and out of duty he went to make sure they were alright, and there she was, as beautyfull as he remembered. He offered her the unbaked bread and she replied "Your bread is unbaked" but something in her smile gave him hope as she disappeared into the lake. So he again told his tale to his mother and this time returned to the lake with gently baked bread, and there she was...

Today, he took her hand and today she agreed indeed to become his wife, but only, he would have answered yes to any conditions, only would she remain with him as long as he never raised a hand to her, thrice causeless blows and she would leave him forever. Said as she slipped from his hands into the waters and was no longer to be seen. The youth was grief struck that she had slipped through his fingers, literally and in his mist of grief decided to hurl himself into the waters where dwelt his onnly reason for living, but as he proceeded  3 figures rose from the waters. A regal man and two identical looking women, identical to his love.

The man spoke "I will grant you marriage of my daughter and as many herd animals as she can count in one breath, if, if you can choose which of these two maids is she." The lad was perplexed, truley these pair were exact in every way. In that moment when he thought all was lost, one put her foot forward a little. Now the lad had noted the finess of his beloveds ankles and the style of sandal she wore, looking from maiden to maiden he now saw they wore different sandals and was able to choose correctly and so they were married with blessings and a large number of cows, goats and sheep.

They went to live in prosperity at a farm called Esgair Llaethdy more than a mile from the village of Myddvai and had three beautyfull sons. But as the years went by there were two ocassions when the lady of the lake said a hand had been raised against her. One more and he would lose all he loved the most but amid the cleverness of his sons and the bounty of his herd the lad, now a man forgot. One day they were all in attendance of a funeral when his wife began to laugh joyously, "hush" said her husband but she continued that this was no time for tears but joy at the release from suffering, and there it was as he touched her shoulder...the third blow. His wife up and called her herd back to the waters, including a slaughtered black calf, who rose up and followed and they were gone.

What then happened to the disconsolate husband has not been recorded but the sons is another matter.
The boys wandered often near the lake hoping that their mother might appear on the earth before them once more and with time indeed she did. She appeared  to her eldest son whos name was Rhiwallon and told him his purpose in lif was to relieve humanies pain and suffering and began to tutor him in the use of herbs and the healing of all diseases.

On several ocassions she met her sons by the lake and on one accompanied them as far as a place thats still named "Pant-y-Meddygon" the dingle of the physicians, where she showed them various plants and herbs which grew there, their qualities and virtues. Soon they were unsurpassed as healers and so that what they had learned be preserved for prosperity and never be lost it is said they wrote down their learnings in the Red Book. They became healers to lords and were granted fine lands and position. So the Lady of the Lake ensured her sons futures and the Physicians of Myddvai were established, their traditions and knowledge to be carried on down the generations.

Resources: "The Physicians of Myddfai: Ancient Herbal Remedies Associated with a Legend of the Lady of            the Lake" Translated by John Pughe

Four Thieves vinegar...

This brew has been used for centuries and is said, so the story goes, to have originated during an out break of bubonic plague in France...
Four thieves had been ransacking the homes of people who had died, or were ill with, the plague. Eventually the long arm of the law caught up with them and they were brought before judges in Marseilles, who wondered at their seeming immunity to the plague. the thieves answered that they washed and took internally this vinegar preparation....
Recipes vary but a basic one follows...

2 quarts apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons lavendar
2 tablespoons rosemary
2 tablespoons sage
2 tablespoons wormwood
2 tablespoons rue
2 tablespooons mint
2 tablespoons fresh garlic cloves

Combine the dry herbs and steep in the vinegar in the sun for 2 weeks. Strain and rebottle. Add the cloves of garlic, steep for several days, strain out. Melt paraffin wax around the lid to preserve the contents, or add 4 ounces of glycerine, for preservation.

This aromatic antibacterial vinegar is an goodly wash for rooms of healing, bathrooms and kitchens. It will offset a smell of dampness, and be a helpfull floor and wall wash in overcrowded situations.

Externally, this vinegar may be used in small amouts in a bath or diluted as a body wash. Some of the herbs in this brew are too strong for the skin, so the vinegar must be diluted.

Internally, the dose is a teaspoon at a time in water- no more than 3 times in an hour ( equivalent to a tablespoon). This acts as a preventative during an epidemic.

A modern addition would be to put the brew into a spray bottle....

Some say the brew was created by apothecary Richard Forthave and its eficacy led to the four thieves story..

Ralph Waldo Emerson's poetry....

The other day i happened upon on op shop having a book sale, and found several old books from the late 1800s, for a dollar each. Gotta love that! One was 'Emerson the Complete Poems', the name was familiar....
Turns out to be a bit up my alley, having some lovely but opinionated poems on natural subjects and mythology. He is quoted as saying  "Philosophically considered, the universe is composed of Nature and the Soul.".

Here's  a couple of tasters, The first one from "The Blight"...

"Give me truths;
For I am weary of the surfaces,
And die of inanition. If I knew
Only the herbs and simples of the wood,
Rue, cinquefoil, gill, vervain and agrimony,
Blue vetch and trillium, hawkweed, sassafras,
Milkweeds and murky brakes, quaint pipes and sundew,
And rare and virtuous roots, which in these woods
Draw untold juices from the common earth,
Untold, unknown, and I could surely spell
Their fragrance, and their chemistry apply
By sweet affinities to human flesh,
Driving the foe and stabilising the friend,-
O, that were much, and I could be a part
Of the round day, related to the sun
And planted world, and full executor
Of their imperfect functions.
But these young scholars, who invade the hills,
Bold as the engineer who fells the wood,
And travelling often in the cut he makes,
Love not the flower they pluck, and know it not,
And all their botany is Latin names.
The old men studied magic in the flowers,
And human opportunities in astronomy,
And an omnipotence in chemistry,
Preferring things to names, for these were men,
Were unitarians of the united world,
And wheresoever their clear eye-beams fell,
They caught the footsteps of the SAME."

and from "Walden"

" In my garden three ways meet,
Thrice the spot is blessed;
Hermit thrush comes there to build,
Carrier doves to nest.

There broad armed oaks, the copses' maze,
The cold sea-wind detain;
Here sultry Summer overstays
When Autumn chills the plain.

Self-sown my stately garden grows;
The winds and wind blown seed,
Cold April rain and colder snows
My hedges plant and feed.

From mountains far and valleys near
The harvests sown to-day
Thrive in all weathers withot fear,
Wild planters, plant away!

In cities high the careful crowds
Of woe-worn mortals darkling go,
But in these sunny solitudes
My quiet roses grow. "

Living in the subtropics now...

Its been a sublime day and the light on the 'look after itself'' part of the garden brings out the subtropical vibe. Those plants i nearly uprooted are glorious in their greenery and theres flower buds of an exotic tangent beginning to appear. The 'drip tips' on leaves so recognisably rainforest abound and create shadow blessed beauty.

"Observing the continual degradation of rainforest, both within and outside Australia can be so depressing that immobilisation and inertia set in. A sure antidote is getting into, observing and learning from those rainforests that are relatively safe. The forest itself provides the inspiration necessary for its protection. We encourage those who use rainforest plants in their gardens to think about and appreciate the fantastically complex ecosystems to which their delightful specimens belong."
                                           Nan and Hugh Nicholson,
                                                    in "Australian Rainforest Plants 3". 1991.

Tea tree lake...

This morning I rose early and rode to  a path Id seen off the main road, in search of a Tea Tree lake that was used by the indigenous women of this area as a birthing pool. Its been quite elusive. As i started walking into the bush I felt the stress in my body exhale out as I walked between forest, then wetlands and watched the soil change to sand as I neared the lake. Yep finally found it, amongst the paperbark trees.  I sat watching the ripples on the water surface, stained brown by fallen leaves and said a prayer to the elements, offered up some tobacco.

As I got up to leave i remembered to stop, and connect with a particular plant that drew me. One caught my attention, commonly called a 'hopbush'. I pondered whether it had been used to brew ale of some form or whether she had soporiphic qualities? I greeted her and asked if I could pick a leaf. Yessss. Crushing it between my fingers the scent was strongly musty. I tasted a small amount and it had that green banana sensation to it. Many Australian native plants have strong oils in their leaves and I wondered why?

There are few leaf eaters  here, so what is the oils purpose, not as defense? Or is it, like with lavendar and rosemary, that the poor soils and at times harsh climate create such potency.

Perhaps this also indicates the strong medicinal potentials of Australian plants, and the reason why indigenous medicine used 'smoking' as one of their main techniques. Placing leaves on a fire and then inhaling or passing a  person through the smoke. It was also a version of incense, used to clear energy before ritual and dance.

Eucalyptus oil is world renoun for her antiseptic and disinfectant qualities, as is Tea Tree oil. There is a limited amount of information on medicinal uses of plants in parts of Australia, knowledge safe guarded by indigenous communities. I wondered of learning more through direct connection with plants met like the hopbush.

I bode farewell and kept walking...my brain started up..bugger should have brought my camera...

growing herbs, magical....

Ive got a bit more serious about wanting to grow herbs. My usual technique has been to sprinkle numerous seeds in potting mix, in a pot or directly in the ground, add water and wait.  Ive had some success but buying special selected seeds does make one rather protective. My volunteering stint at the herb farm gave me an overview of how a nursery grows from seed with funky results. They use a special 'seedling raising mix' that is finer and lighter, generally planting one seed in each tubestock type pot, which then stay in a greenhouse till they sprout and get a bit bigger. Then they are repotted in a bulkier soil with slow release fertiliser (like osmocote) in it and are gradually 'hardened off' which translates as letting them get tough enough to survive in the big world by increased exposure to natural light and conditions.

Herbs are trixier than vegies, often the seeds are smaller and they may need extra treatments to break their dormancy, which is an added challenge. My usual techniques have had low gernination results so Ive bought a commercial seed raising mix, and am recycling trays and pots that Ive bought babies in, with just one or two seeds per cell, or pot. Ive discovered with my Henbane, Belladonna and Echinacea augustifolia that they naturally sprout after snowmelt, and the best way I can duplicate this by popping em in the fridge for a spell. A wise gardener recommended putting them in a jar of water, changing the water daily and doing it for two weeks. Guess what? IVE GOT 2 SPROUTLETS OF HENBANE!! They are meant to be tougher than some but still its tres excitement for this experimenter.You can bet baby photos will follow...

The other adjustment I made is to stop using a watering can and shift down a gear to a mister bottle which doesnt disturb wee developing  rootsystems,but is enough to keep them moist. 'Dampening off' can happen when they are too wet, interfering with germination and it seems so far that a gentle misting helps filter out this problem too. Although Im yet to have success with tiny seeds like Pennyroyal or those precious Lobelia inflata seeds, my adaptations may give me some confidence to try again. Motherhood is a steep learning curve.....

Animal medicine....

"When the kunkis (tame elephants) are sick, the mahouts take them to the forest where the elephants pick the herbs or plants they need. Somehow they're able to prescribe their own medicine."
                      Dinesh Choudhury, Indian elephant hunter 2000

"The secrets of Nature are known to all wild creatures and on these they thrive."
                       Juliette de baricli Levy

Since ancient times, we have learned about potential plant medicines by observing wild animals. In records through to the modern day we watch and wonder as Juliette did.

"When i see my Afghan hounds in my gardens, or in the fields, or along the river-sides or sea-shores of the many lands where we have been together, I am always amazed at the way they have selected medicinal plants, shrubs and tress, and know where to find them an dhow to use them. By use. i mean the amount eaten to serve its purpose. Mostly their uses is as a laxative or to promote vomiting, and they know exactly how much to achieve one or the other effect."
                                             
I have watched my cat choose one type of grass over the other, tending towards soft weedy grasses rather than the drier native grasses, eating them and then vomiting. Whether because she has a funny belly or a stubborn furball Im unsure, but it is definitely a concious action to me.One related to her not feeling well or more importantly trying to heal better.

Scientists have previously thought such observations romanticised, however as sciences rigidity of old is being blown apart by discoveries and work in the field, 'zoopharmacognosy' is now a recognised area of research into the behavioural practices of animals to stay healthy. Also including the eating of soil to gain minerals missing in the diet, old bones to gain calcium and clay to counter, and bind, dietry toxins by animals.

When preparing their nests, male European starlings weave fresh green herbs in amongst them. In north America they preferentially choose wild carrot ( Daucus carota), yarrow (Achillea millefolia), elm-leaved and rough goldenrod (Soldaigo sp.) and fleabane ( Erigeron sp.) even when they are not the most common plants close by. Hows that for specific! Interestingly enough old herbals refer to wild carrot as 'bird's nest root' which suggests this plant has been used in nesting for some time. The common denominator with these plants is they smell, are aromatic. When researchers removed the fresh plants from nests, the amount of mites in the chicks rose. More specifically, chicks in nests containing wild carrot had higher haemoglobin levels, suggesting they were losing less to mites. Not only that but the plants chosen are effective against Streptococcus and Staphylococcus bacteria. Some serious fumigation going down there. In addition to this the plants starlings choose are commonly used by herbalists for skin problems such as excma, ulcers and sores. Thus they may also help with the symptoms of parasitic infestation.

So it seems the animals were simply ahead of the research.....

Resources:
Wild Health : How Animals Keep Themselves Well And What We can Learn From Them by Cindy Engel
The Complete Herbal Handbook for the Cat and Dog by Juliette de Baracli Levy