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May/June 2004 Alternative Health
Gypsy Cures and the Wise Woman Way: Dandelion, Raspberry & Chamomile

by Catherine Warner

Do you know that one of the most useful medicines available on this planet is sprayed every day with poisons? That’s right, Dandelions, known as Taraxacum officinale, or Lions Tooth! It’s powerful, hearty and easy to gather and use. Known as a diuretic and famous as a liver tonic, the properties of Dandelion are cleansing. A few fresh leaves in your spring salads will help you to shed those few pounds you put on in the winter. A stronger brew of fresh leaves and ground roots are given as a laxative.

You can scrub the roots clean and set them to dry flat in a well ventilated, dry place. Once they are dry, powder them in the blender and store in a cool dry place. The powder is a liver tonic and can be placed in gel caps, or used in teas with a little honey. The stems can be picked and the milky white juice used to cure warts. I say we grow Dandelions instead of grass!

Do not gather herbs from areas that have been sprayed with pesticides or herbicides. Keep in mind that if these chemicals kill bugs and weeds, they kill a lot of other things also. They kill the useful insects and destroy the balance of Nature. They pollute our waterways killing the fish and plants there also. Why? Because for some reason we have this unrealistic expectation of a lawn with no "weeds," even though these "weeds" are usually good medicine that can heal our bodies. Could this be caused by the television commercials showing sweeping green lawns coupled with the suggestion that the "perfect" lawn = the "perfect" family? Do yourself a favor turn; the TV off, go outside and see what you can find growing in your own yard, teach your children to do the same. This is a "gift" that they will pass to their children. It’s the Wise Woman Way.

The Gypsies valued the Raspberry plant above all others when it came to pregnancy. Mothers were given all the fresh Raspberries they could eat, along with Raspberry leaf tea. This worked so well to strengthen the mother and baby that it was also given to their pregnant animals. The Raspberry is also used to treat diarrhea, a gargle for the mouth, and sore throats.

This is a highly, highly nutritious fruit, and when the leaves are used also, you double the plant’s value. I always think it’s kind of sad when all those little baskets of Raspberries are sold at the local grocery stores completely devoid of nutritious leaves. Just pick some of the fresh leaves and steep them in off boil water for several hours for teas, eat as much of the fresh berries as you can.

Another good herb to know about for this time of year is Chamomile. Chamomile is a very fragrant Herb with the scent of sweet apples. Famous for its gentle soothing and healing properties, it is a favorite for treating children's disorders. It was once called "maythen" by the Anglo Saxens, one of the nine sacred herbs given by the God Woden. There are two kinds of Chamomile that I am familiar with, Chamaemelum nobile, and Martricaria recutita, one is an annual that is taller and more bush like, and the other is a low growing ground cover that multiplies. Both have identical medicinal properties. Chamomile tea is a popular soothing drink these days, and available almost any where. The tea is used to treat irritable bowel, insomnia, and tension. You can add two tablespoons of the fresh flowers to steaming water as an inhalant for asthma and bronchitis. For eczema place two handfuls of the little blossoms in a pint of witch hazel, let the bottle sit in a sunny place for two weeks, gently shake every day, and use it as a healing skin rub. Snip the flowers and place them in a window to dry, you will have a nice dried flower that retains its’ scent for a long time, keep these flowers on hand all winter for use in teas.

All My Relations, Catherine Warner