Mama's Home Remedies: Discover Time-Tested Secrets of Good Health and the Pleasures of Natural Living (5 page)

My Grandma was not alone in her findings. She was one of hundreds of others who experienced an inner understanding of what kind of plant, vegetable, or fruit their body and cells, affected by illness, needed the most and they healed themselves with it. They passed the valuable information to others, who lacked the ability to feel it. These plants, vegetables, fruits, and flowers then became basic medicines of an ancient green pharmacy.

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Small children–small worries, big children–big worries.

—Russian saying

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My grandmother sits in a chair near our big lilac bush blossoming
with delicate, fragrant, purple flowers. She tells me and my sister a
beautiful tale about the grapevine of happiness, which can help to
keep you healthy or heal you when you are sick. I’ll remember this story
forever because it was told by you, Grandma.

—
S. K.

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The sea possesses a power over one’s moods that has the effect of a will.
The sea can hypnotize. Nature in general can do so.

—Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906), Norwegian poet and playwright
20 ^ Mama’s Home Remedies

A Healthy Spirit Lives in

a Healthy Body

Think of our life in Nature—daily to be shown matter,

to come in contact with it, rocks, trees, wind on our cheeks!

The solid earth! The actual world! The common sense!

Contact! Contact! Who are we? Where are we?

—Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), American writer

FACTS

In 2000 Americans enjoyed the longest life expectancy in U.S. history—

almost 77 years, based on preliminary figures. The life expectancy of men was 74 years and for women almost 80 years. A century earlier, life expectancy was 48 years for men and 51 years for women.3

At the same time 3 in 5 adults ages 20–74 are overweight. One in four Americans is considered obese. Almost 40 percent engage in no physical activity during leisure time, and women are more sedentary than men. One in 10

Americans ages 45–54, 1 in 5 of those 55–64 years, 1 in 4 of those 65–74 years, and 1 in 3 of those 75 years and over, report being in fair or poor health. The same report noted that Americans spent $1.3 trillion on healthcare in 2000, or 13.2 percent of the gross domestic product, far more than any other nation. A third of the health-care dollar was spent on hospital care, about
1
⁄
5

on physicians, and almost
1
⁄
10
on prescription drugs. The cost of prescription A Healthy Spirit Lives in a Healthy Body @ 21

drugs increased 15 percent a year from 1995 to 2000—faster than any other category of spending.4

Healthy People 20105—the nation’s health agenda for the first decade of the twenty-first century—indicates that differences in life expectancy between populations suggest a substantial need and opportunity for improvement: “At least 18 countries with a population of 1 million or more have life expectancies greater than the United States for both men and women.”

“Chapter Goal 1: Increase Quality and Years of Healthy Life” states,

“However, quality of life reflects a general sense of happiness and satisfaction with our lives and environment. General quality of life, including health, recreation, culture, rights, values, beliefs, aspirations, and the conditions that support a life containing these elements.”6 We can only hope that the nation’s health agenda for the first 10 years of the twenty-first century will work. But what will happen if it does not work? Keep yourself updated!

A

suburb of the Russian tsar’s huge empire, former Bessarabia, now Moldova, holds many warm memories of my childhood and my

home. I remember the hilly countryside with its sunny vineyards, fields with blossoming herbs and flowers, and big, sometimes giant, walnut trees everywhere. A golden and unforgettable time of my happy childhood was spent in our beautiful home there.

Our big house on a hill was built of thick beech logs. It was cool in summer and warm in the winter. It was filled with love and kindness, our family often including grandparents from my mother’s and father’s sides; folk wisdom; and the aroma of grapes, walnuts, herbs, and wildflowers. Within our home in the country was a most magical place—the basement. Grandma’s and Grandpa’s homemade libations and elixirs shared that space. There Grandpa stored wooden barrels filled with his homemade crystal-clear white and rosé wines and lined shelf upon shelf with old-fashioned European glass bottles containing liquors and cognacs that he carefully prepared each fall. In another part of the basement Grandma fil ed her beautiful and simple European glass bottles with her homemade natural medicine recipes; tinctures of herbs, berries or fruits; and aromatic oils. On special racks in autumn she would hang handmade “necklaces” strung with dried fruits and herbs, or
Vitachella
with nuts, which we cal ed “grape sausage.” Her secret recipe for 22 ^ Mama’s Home Remedies

Vitachel a included cooked grape juice with special spices and, of course, walnuts. From November to May we enjoyed these dainty tidbits ful of a variety of natural ingredients and vitamins. My sister and I were al owed to go anytime to the basement, which we cal ed our “Sweet Fairyland,” to tear down and eat a grape “necklace.”

Another room of the basement was stocked with herbs. Some were suspended from the ceiling; others were carefully wrapped and packed in parchment. Near this herbarium was Grandma’s and Mama’s laboratory where they prepared their miraculous natural medicines for our family, for our friends and neighbors, and for Mama’s patients.

Grandma and Mama never sold their natural medicines. They were oldfashioned women. They shared a strong belief that if the medicines were sold, they would lose their ability to heal. Instead they felt they must offer them mercifully and free of charge to those who needed them. This mission of mercy helped many people overcome their illnesses. Because we grew up in a society without mass-produced and heavily marketed antibiotics and drugs, we, as the ancient Greeks, developed a strong, natural foundation in our bodies to be healthy human beings.

Once upon a time there lived an old man in the

sunny Valley of Roses. Long ago he planted a

big vineyard, which brought him a rich bounty year after

year. The vineyard was his passion, and so he decided to

build a beautiful big house right in the center of it.

Over time the house became entwined in grapevines. He believed that grapes and their vines would defend his hearth from evil people, from dust, and from the harmful effects of a hot, dry summer. He also believed that his mighty grapevines would clean and refresh the air. Overall his grapevines, he believed, would make his life peaceful and healthy. Grapes and vines are symbols of well-being, friendship, and attachment. Like the pineapple, they are a symbol of welcome. When the old man’s grapevines blossomed in June, he would drop to his knees, press his nose into the lush grape-laden vines, and breathe in their delicate aroma. A Healthy Spirit Lives in a Healthy Body @ 23

He waited patiently for September to come, when he would harvest great quantities of ripe amber, ruby, and rose grapes swollen with sweet juice. With his face illuminated by the brightest smile and his eyes shining with sparks of happiness, he would begin his task of creating “Sunny Beams” juices and wines. The old man went about his work in a passionate way and often said that he was so happy he felt as if he could kiss everyone in the whole world a thousand times.

This man was my grandfather.

Now I will share a story that he shared with me when I was a little girl.

“Come here, into the vineyard” he told his children one day. “The grapevine will pass happiness along to you too.” The children came many times to his purple and green kingdom, sparkling with millions of thin, almost invisible luminescent threads of sun rays and he told them everything he knew about grapevines and happiness.

The grapevine has always inspired great artists and poets. Many centuries ago a Greek artist painted a grapevine that became a famous legend. The grapes he painted were so attractive and realistic on the canvas that the birds mistakenly thought they could eat them. They flocked to the painting from everywhere to take a bite of happiness and enjoy the taste of juicy grapes. But the birds soon learned that the talented artist had fooled them.

“So don’t be mistaken in your life,” Grandpa told us. “See things as they really are. Don’t fool yourself. Whatever you do, do it well and you will always be satisfied with yourself and happy with the whole world. It’s so easy. If you do not do a good job, you will have to pay the consequences. You will have to correct what you did wrong and do it over and over again and you will not come to a great result. My advice to you is to do everything right in the first place and all good things will come back to you like a boomerang.”

24 ^ Mama’s Home Remedies

Grandpa used to say. “The land, especially the vineyard, loves hard workers and happy people. If you are in a fine mood, your grapevines will be too. Your feelings are passed along to them.” My grandfather worked hard every day from sunrise to sunset with his brothers by his side. This was the way in which he lived his life and he accepted it and was satisfied with it. He never wished to change it. In the 1930s the brothers built a family empire: vineyards, orchards, fields. They built a plant where they made their fine wines and juices. Then the Soviets came in 1940 and they nationalized people’s private properties. They prohibited private citizens from owning commercial vineyards and orchards. The two oldest brothers fled to France and Canada. For a year after that, my grandfather could not recover from the shock of what the Soviets had done or the loneliness he felt without his brothers, nor could he adjust to his new life without his beloved vineyard and orchard. He became terribly sick for a long time, suffering from shock and distress. One day my father gave him hope and renewed energy. He got permission for Grandpa to grow his cherished grapes and fruits on one acre of land in the outskirts of the city in which we lived. And Grandpa planted with great enthusiasm his new and last vineyard. He was always a gentle and kind man who didn’t talk much. I never heard him complain of being tired. I watched him toil in his orchard, and it was for me a priceless lesson because I learned how happy a man could be doing what he loved to do. I recalled many times the story of my grandfather who began his life anew after losing everything. Grandpa, this tiny but strong man with the soul of a child, had never been ill in his life. But the magic of our human nature is that we can adjust to any changes in our lives. Positive ones we adjust to in the blink of an eye; the negative changes take longer. The main point is that we can get accustomed to almost everything—if we
love
and
believe
.

Grandpa quickly became accustomed to his new life and a much smaller piece of land, and again he was happy, healthy, optimistic, and cheerful. He could not imagine life without his work. He couldn’t imagine losing his liaison with Nature and the vineyard. It was his magical world of the grapevines of happiness. As long as he dwelled in this spot, he was healthy and happy.

“A healthy spirit lives in a healthy body” is a wise expression attributed to the ancient Greeks. They did not have antibiotics or other chemical stimulators, such as sedative drugs, which so many people use now—and yet they were healthy and happy.

A Healthy Spirit Lives in a Healthy Body @ 25

We must maintain our health and energy to keep up with the fast pace of life in the twenty-first century. Unfortunately too many people are unaware that they are poisoning their bodies with chemicals in an effort to obtain rapid relief from their ailments.

While our physical health is supremely important, we cannot neglect our mental and emotional health either. Most of us, in an effort to manage our jobs, home life, and other roles we have taken on, must process a seemingly endless and continuous stream of information flying at us at breakneck speed via our modern media. Consequently we become overstressed and quickly burn out.

Stress has been recognized as the major contributor to many neuroses and cardio-vascular problems. Scientists say that one in three people suffer from a nervous disorder or other form of stress-related disease. We must remember to establish boundaries for ourselves to maintain a healthy balance of work and play. Moderation is the key. Are we operating within our physical and intellectual limits? Have we succumbed to weakness and vulnerability? Or have we learned to accumulate and sustain reserves of our energy? We must all learn to tap into our reservoirs of strength and energy and keep them effective for as long as we can. How?

To maintain our health and conserve our energy, we must identify and eliminate the bad habits we practice that deplete them. First, we can temper our use of over-the-counter chemical preparations which are widely and readily available in drug stores. Taken over the years, they rob us of our strength, poison us, and destroy our internal organs.

Chemical drugs such as sedatives and stimulants may give us initial relief, but for a short time only. The body’s response to them often varies or changes. The little pill you popped a few months ago to take the edge off or put you to sleep may now make you nervous, dizzy, or prone to insomnia or cause other adverse side effects.

Prescription drugs used to treat illnesses such as heart disease, high blood pressure, thyroid disease, and diabetes should not be used for the long term, but only in the heat of our illness or during our recovery, and always under the supervision of a physician. If you become concerned about the amount of medicine you are taking or the duration of a course of drug therapy, ask your doctor about herbal alternatives.