Mama's Home Remedies: Discover Time-Tested Secrets of Good Health and the Pleasures of Natural Living (21 page)

140 ^ Mama’s Home Remedies

r 40. Place wet side of onion slices as compress on forehead. r 41. Mash garlic; put it inside three layers of cheesecloth, and use as a compress on your forehead.

r 42. Place a washed, fresh geranium (
Gerania odorius
) leaf as a compress on the forehead. r 43. Valerian root, known throughout Europe and particularly in Russia from the Middle Ages, has a pungent smel and a bitter taste. This unique healer calms nerves and reduces the pressure of a headache. It promotes digestion, warms the alimentary canal, and eases mild depression and intestinal diseases.

Nastoykas

Right or wrong, and definitely contrary to the doctrines of Western medicine that promotes drinking at least eight eight-ounce glasses of water daily and limiting alcohol intake, my grandpa rarely drank water. Instead he drank his own homemade wine which he called “Sunny Beams.” Curiously he never was drunk, he never was sick, and he lived to be 89. After he
died, doctors told us that his blood vessels were “as clean as an 18-year-old’s.”

Nastoyka is Russian for a specially prepared liquor or infusion. The following are some familiar nastoykas used by my family for years to treat nervous tension (especially anxiety and insomnia), to strengthen the heart, to improve digestion, and sometimes to reduce high blood pressure.

Valerian Nastoyka

r 44. Cut smal pieces of valerian root (one tablespoon) or use 10–15

500-mg powdered valerian capsules. Add five tablespoons of 70percent vodka. Store in a warm place for one week, and shake it occasional y. Pass the liquid through a sieve and the nastoyka is ready to use. Take about 15 drops a day as a sedating brew for sleeplessness and anxiety.

Clever Remedies to Outsmart Headaches @ 141

r 45. Cut valerian root (or 10–15 capsules) into smal pieces to equal one tablespoon. Add four tablespoons of 70-percent vodka. Store for four days. Then add one teaspoon of lemon juice or three drops of peppermint water available from pharmacies to disguise the flavor. Let steep for an additional three days. Pass the liquid through a sieve. You wil have a solution with a yel ow tint. Take 10 drops twice daily as a sedative or for insomnia.

r 46. Add two tablespoons (about 20 capsules) of ground valerian root to a bath. This is an excel ent remedy for nervousness, sleeplessness, headaches, stomach pains, and spasms of the uterus. r 47. Valerian root in 470–500 mg capsules is effective for easing symptoms of pneumonia, migraine, and scarlet fever. Take two to three capsules three to four times daily with eight ounces of water or three to four capsules 30 minutes before bedtime. r 48. Mince two tablespoons of valerian root and place in a mug. Add one glass of cold water. Let steep for six to eight hours. Filter. Take one tablespoon three times daily as a sedative or

Caution:

for insomnia.

It is known that St. John’s Wort takes

Valerian enhances the

action of sleep-inducing

its name from the Knights of St. John

drugs. Avoid it if taking

of Jerusalem, who used this plant to

this type of medication.

treat wounds of the injured on Crusade

Take Valerian for only two

battlefields. In Russia, St. John’s Wort is

to three weeks without

called a healer of 99 diseases. It is used

a break as continual use

extensively in many herbal concoctions

may lead to palpitations

because of its ability to soothe a wide

and headaches.

range of ailments, such as inflammaDon’t confuse Valerian tions and injuries, jaundice, hysteria,

(
Valeriana officinalis
) with

depression, anxiety, and irritability, espered “American” valerian cially during menopause. Some plants, such

(
Centranthus rubber
), a

as raspberries, lose their effectiveness in dried

garden plant, which has

form, but St. John’s Wort is an effective healer

no medicinal properties.

in fresh or dried form.

142 ^ Mama’s Home Remedies

r 49. Place one tablespoon of St. John’s Wort in a mug. Add boiling water. Leave to infuse for 15 minutes. Filter and drink three tablespoons three times a day for anxiety, emotional upsets, and nervous tension.

Elecampane was one of the most important herbs to the Romans and Greeks. By the nineteenth century it was widely used for stubborn coughs and congestion, colds, bronchitis, neuralgia, and skin problems. In Russia elecampane root is called the “nine powers herb.” It is used as a tonic for weakness following colds and to treat headaches provoked by upper respiratory problems. r 50. Slice thinly a smal elecampane root. Boil one teaspoon for 15

minutes in one cup water. Cool, filter, and drink three tablespoons three times daily. r 51. Place one tablespoon dried elder flowers in eight ounces boiling water and steep for 20 minutes. Filter and add one teaspoon honey. Drink two ounces three or four times daily 15 minutes before eating. This tea is best prepared fresh each time you use it. r 52. If you suffer from chronic headaches that occur monthly or weekly, try this simple remedy: Juice a potato and drink two ounces two to three times daily.

r 53. When you are overtired, your “head is swimming,” and you feel giddy from exhaustion, try this: Mix 1½ tablespoons hawthorn berries with 1½ tablespoons hawthorn flowers. Add 24 ounces boiling water and steep for two hours in a warm place. Filter and take one tablespoon three times daily 30 minutes before eating. r 54. Ginseng helps fight fatigue and headache. Cut one tablespoon ginseng root into smal pieces and place in a mug with four ounces Port wine or cognac. Let steep five to seven days. Take 15

drops twice daily.

Clever Remedies to Outsmart Headaches @ 143

Vegetables were extremely important as “food therapy” while I was grow-
ing up in southeastern Europe. Every evening our family dinner began
with a large porcelain bowl brimming with seasonal vegetables from our
own garden. In summer, bright red tomatoes and white and green onions
would always find their way to the salad bowl to be dressed with olive
oil, sunflower oil, or sometimes sour cream. After the salad bowl was
placed on the table and just before the family would gather for dinner,
Grandma added the freshly harvested dill that I had previously gathered
from a large patch in the garden. This simple daily ritual helped to
maintain the freshness and aroma of the dill. Grandma’s fresh-baked
and fragrant rye bread was always nearby.

We rarely ate meat. Instead our menu sometimes consisted of stuffed cab-
bage (golubtsi), zucchini, green and red bell peppers, mashed potatoes,
beans and eggplant, homemade fruit drinks and fresh fruits, herbal teas,
or compotes.

Here are some natural vegetable remedies for headaches.

r 55. Apply fresh, raw cabbage leaves to the forehead for 10-15 minutes. r 56. Eat a bowl of fresh strawberries.

r 57. Add boiling water to one tablespoon sweet clover flowers in a mug. Steep for 30 minutes. Filter and drink four ounces three times daily. r 58. In a bowl add one pint of boiling water to one tablespoon oregano. Cover bowl with a plate and thick towel and steep for 30 minutes. Sweeten with honey, filter, and drink 4–16 ounces (depending on the severity of the headache) three times a day.
Pregnant women should not use this remedy.

r 59. In Russia the herb lemon balm is caled melissa, lemon balm, or lemon mint. Place 1½ tablespoons of lemon balm in a mug with boiling water. Cover with a thick towel and steep for 30 minutes. 144 ^ Mama’s Home Remedies

Filter and drink one to two tablespoons five or six times daily. Lemon balm is a natural sedative that treats headache, sleeplessness, stress, heart pains, palpitation (tachycardia), anemia, colic,

“swimming head,” and inflamed bowels.

r 60. Juice fresh black currants and drink two ounces three times a day for chronic headaches. Do this for at least one week and the headaches should cease.

r 61. Prepare calendula tincture. Calendula is
not bur marigold,

which is toxic if taken internally.
To one ounce of calendula add three ounces vodka and steep for two weeks. Take 20–30 drops three times a day. Your headaches should disappear, your sleep should improve, and your efficiency should increase. Calendula tincture rapidly quel s inflammation, speeds the regeneration of tissues, and aids in healing wounds.

r 62. Peppermint oil rubbed on the forehead, temples, and neck and behind the ears eases headaches related to colds and sinus congestion.

Headaches provoked by colds

r 63. Rub forehead and temples with the grated rind of a lemon. r 64. Add a pinch of cinnamon to one pint of hot water and steep for 30

minutes. Add sugar or honey. Take two tablespoons every hour. r 65. Add ½ teaspoon cinnamon to one tablespoon hot water. Steep for 30 minutes. Use as a lotion to rub on the temples.

r 66. To alter the fragrance of cinnamon, add to it one drop of mint or lavender oil.

Clever Remedies to Outsmart Headaches @ 145

r 67. To one quart of boiling water, add eight ounces freshly mashed hawthorn berries. Add sugar or honey and steep for 30 minutes. Drink two mugs before bed to ease headache and provide sound sleep.

r 68. To one tablespoon thyme (leaves and flowers) add eight ounces boiling water. Steep for 10 minutes. Drink two ounces three times a day.

r 69. People who suffer from hypertension very often have headaches because of high blood pressure. A simple remedy is to add to 24

ounces of boiling water the dried peel of two red onions. Leave to infuse for one hour. Drink one glass three times a day one hour before eating.

r 70. People’s medicine in Russia and other European countries tel us that the best way to treat headaches and pain in the hands is by listening to the gentle, healing tinkling of a bel .

I suffered with chronic headaches for a period in my life when I was not eating at the right times. I worked many hours and was under a tremendous amount of stress. I got rid of these painful and bothersome headaches for a long time.

How I believe I got rid of them and how I keep them at bay today may sound a bit unusual, but I believe it is true. I wear Baltic amber around my neck. When I was plagued by those terrible, throbbing headaches, I wore my favorite stone for two weeks 24 hours a day. The recurring headaches disappeared. No kidding!

Since ancient times in various parts of the world, amber has been called, among other things, tears of the gods, gold of the North, gold of the sea, and stones of the sun. It is said to clean the environment in which it rests. It is believed to be a symbol of renewal in troubled marriages and a generator of new love relationships. It is also said to stimulate the intellect, clear thinking, activate unconditional love in people, and open the crown chakra. 146 ^ Mama’s Home Remedies

Generation after generation searched for the origin of the discovery of amber, and it is said that the first sunny stone was found near the Sunset (Baltic) Sea. Sometime around the fifteenth century amber

began to make itself known. In the eighteenth cenRemember: tury Swedish scientist C. Linnaeus (1707–1778)

was the first to indicate that amber has a natural

Baltic amber has the

origin. Later in the nineteenth century Michael

highest healing power

Lomonosov, a prominent Russian scientist,

during the first hours

confirmed his theory. In 1812 a rare amber

of a new moon.

stone was found which contained a smal tree

Amber needs a day off.

twig. This find proved the theory that amber

Give your necklace, ring,

is not just a fossilized resin as many sources

earrings, or bracelet a

cite today, but it is the resin that turned into

rest at the end of each

amber because of a chemical process going on

month—preferably

for centuries, the influence and interaction of

on the night before

the air and water on the resin, and then “hida new moon.

ing” many years under ground until the stone was

Here’s how:

found in the thick, green forest.

Soak the amber overnight

These forests stretched widely around the

in a crystal bowl filled

Baltic Sea many centuries ago. Some believe that

with water and a pinch of

these forests started near the small town of Nida in

sea salt. The next morning

Lithuania and then reached the Bornholm Island in

remove the stones from

Denmark in the west and came to Tallinn (Estonia)

the bowl, wrap in a flax

and Stockholm (Sweden) in the north.

napkin, and dry outside

Many times while traveling in the Baltic States,

in the sun.

I saw these huge trees, resinous and aromatic near

crystal-clear blue rivers that carried amber stones

to other rivers, lakes, and seas through the centuries. This natural waterway brought amber to England and Ukraine, but amber’s favorite destination seemed to be the Kaliningrad region in Russia. The small town of Yantarny (amber is
yantar
in Russian) once held the title of the biggest amber field in the world.

In ancient times, amber was worth its weight in gold. The demand for it spread throughout many countries. Caravans carried it from the Baltic region to Rome. Stone Age people wore amber for adornment and as a talisman to fend off evil spirits and disease. Long ago Native Americans discovered amber’s magic and it became a sacred stone for them. They used it in rituals to manifest desires into reality.

Clever Remedies to Outsmart Headaches @ 147

Many stories, myths, and legends about amber are still told by people in the Baltic States, Poland, Romania, Scandinavian countries, Czechoslovakia, and other countries where the sunny gold stone is found.