Welcome to The Enchanted Garden, a blog devoted to herbal healing & folk medicine! You'll find here descriptions of herbs, and other natural medicinals - as well as recipes for folk remedies using them. As I am not a physician of any stripe, using these remedies are at your own risk.
Remember:Never ingest a plant you are unfamiliar with - natural doesn't = safe! READ THIS FIRST
Angelia Rian
Name: Angelia Rian
From: Portland, Oregon, United States
Appearance: Red hair, green eyes, 5'4", 115lbs -- Ethnicity: Latin, Magyar, Mongol -- Nationality: Romanian -- Orientation: Bi-sexual -- Religion: None -- Personality: An angel's heart with a demon's soul (or maybe vice-versa) -- Everything else is subject to change without notice, and usually at least three times daily... More About The Angel Here
Welcome to The Enchanted Garden...! (Although it might as well be called The Enchanted Kitchen - as that's where most herbal remedies are prepared...)
First, let's give an overview of what comprises the Enchanted Garden/Kitchen: If you have an flower or herb garden (or even a pot of parsley on the window sill) you've already dipped into herbalism, whether you know it or not... Herbalism is the art of knowing and using the nutritional, medicinal, and theraputic properties of plants - especially herbs... Once called "wortcunning", it was considered a magical practice in the Middle Ages and was mainly the province of women... (Depending on prevailing local superstition, such women were either called "Cunning/Wise Women" or Witches...) But herbalism goes back much farther... The earliest compendium of herbology was written by the Greek physician Pedanius Dioscorides, and was titled "De Materia Medica" (On Medical Matters)... It was the leading text on herbal medicine for physicians and cunning folk throughout the Middle Ages, and until around 1600 A.D. was never out of circulation...
Many of today's medicines come from these ancient remedies - one of the first that comes to mind is asprin... A common enough medicine today, the active ingredient is acetylsalicylic acid, derived from salicin, a extract of willow bark... Other salicylates are used in modern products also - skin care, shampoo, even in Pepto-Bismol and Kaopectate... Originally, however, the benefits of salicin were not so easy to come by... Willow bark had to be stripped and boiled, made into a hot tea - and it was quite bitter... Today, (if you're not allergic to asprin) you can get the benefit of willow bark in tablet form - a much less bitter and controlled dosage...
I think the best way to begin to experience herbalism though, is to start your own garden... This accomplishes several things: you become even more familiar with the plants you are using and their natural cycles, you know all your plants are pesticide-free, and it adds to your healthy lifestyle by getting you out and working in the open air... Don't have a place of your own to start a garden...? No problem...! Window boxes, planters on balconies, and community gardens are all excellent options too... (But the closer you live to a city, the more care you should take when washing your plants, as toxins can abound... Find out what you have to watch out for in your area... And testing the soil couldn't hurt, either - you can find soil testing kits online and in most larger gardening supply stores...) Herbalism can also enhance your home - picture a kitchen with bundles of sweetly aromatic herbs drying from the ceiling, vases full of intoxicatingly scented flowers, and pots of vital, green plants beneath the windows... Herbs and flowers not only contributing to the health of the body, but the health of the mind and spirit as well...
In this Enchanted Garden, I'll be sharing my own herblore and remedies... I'll also be giving you overviews of the herbs, fruits, vegetables, and flowers we use in everyday life and what uses and benefits they provide... I'll also cover some of the more obscure plants that many people may not be familiar with, and their virtues... But I am not a physician, homeopath, herbal scientist, or botanist... I am only sharing my personal experience and the remedies I use for myself, my family, and friends... You use any recipes I include here at your own risk... In any case, you should always consult your physician before starting any herbal treatments, as the plant chemicals can have adverse reactions when combined with other medications you may be taking... Always use common sense, and never ingest anything you aren't familiar with...
Having said that, please join me on this little jaunt into the magic of the natural world - hopefully I will manage to entertain as well as educate, and give you a new perspective on the bounties Mother Nature has to offer... Happy Gardening...!
Posted by Angelia Rian ::
10:41 am ::
0 flowers in this bouquet
