"Give me the truths; For I am weary of the surfaces, And die of inaniton. If I knew...Only the herbs and simples of the wood, Rue, cinquefoil, gill, vervain and agrimony..."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson ( from Matthew Wood "The Book of Herbal Medicine)
My belief in the healing power and wisdom of our green friends is beyond reproach. My spirit has been lifted to a new dimension. I feel revitalized, even reborn! Have you ever had a gut feeling that something is so right for you? Did you ever believe that spiritually you have had an eye opening experience? I know personally I am different, but it is hard to explain it in spoken words. Americans learned about herbs from the Europeans, but should have learned from the Native Americans. I have not read all the classic herbal literature but I feel Sauer's Herbal Cures still remains a pristine collection of botanical wisdom. I am grateful for any herbalist I have met, or hope to meet. Even the writers as Emerson mention herbs/plants. Agrimony is not a chemical element on the chemistry periodic table, but instead a small woodland herb of the Rose family.
Have you ever had a vacation ruined by multiple insect bites? Whether you have sustained a bite from a mosquito, spider or tick; or been stung by a bee--it hurts so much. During my volunteer physician years on Fire Island I have seen and treated many insect bites. In the last two years I have seen many spider bites that have caused necrosis of the skin as well as sloughing of the skin. I have even seen a young man die of a presumed spider bite.
I always remember that when stung by a bee as a kid, I always remembered putting mud (clay dirt) on the bite to ease the pain. I cannot recall why but it did work. Tom Brown's Field Guide on Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants describes story after story of how his Grandfather used herbs medicinally. He dedicates his book to his son and grandfather. His grandfather was a true child of the wilderness. His grandfather believed every man is a teacher as I believe every patient is my teacher. I listen to every patient and intently to every herbalist's opinion. We learn from each other.
I have read that Plantain (Plantago major) can be applied to badly infected wounds, and multiple insect bites (especially those with venom as spiders and bees). I imagine it could be used for snake and scorpion bites as well. Sauer's Herbal Cures describes diseases blood curdling names. You can use plantain as a poultice or tea soaked bandages applied to the affected area. Sauer's book states, "...if plantain leaves are bruised and applied as a poultice, this will prove serviceable in treating all old, runny, angry rotten injuries that are spreading." What infection is he talking about? Runny and angry? It is described as treatment for injuries of many organs including the liver, spleen and lungs. It is also praised so much in treating bloody flux. Is this a bloody discharge or is it pus?
Matthew Wood tells a story that 3 women in garden "ran into" a nest of black widow spiders. One woman out of three remembered the plantain remedy. She chewed up plantains and put some of it on her bites. The next day all three woman agreed to see a doctor. Only the woman who used the plantain leaves showed up at the doctor's office. The other two women had died.
That is a story I will never forget.
It is true that plantain is the true "herbal drawing agent". I know there are other herbs with a drawing potential, but never forget PLANTAIN.
Photograph Credit of Spiders: 7song, Ithaca, NY
Until tomorrow...
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