Read Online China Bayles' Book of Days by Susan Wittig Albert - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Susan Wittig Albert
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spice trade made it available, clove oil, a potent topical analgesic, became popular.
In America, the Plains Indians chewed the fresh leaves of echinacea to relieve toothache; the juice produced such a numbing effect that the herb was also called the toothache plant. The Comanches chewed the bark and roots of the prickly ash ( Zanthoxylum americanum ), and called it the toothache tree. To clean the teeth, Native Americans chewed twigs of bay, eucalyptus, oak, fir, and juniper. Dogwood was a favorite toothpick.
To brighten their smiles, American colonists rubbed on a mixture of ground charcoal, honey, rosemary, and oil of cloves. Burnt toast mixed with oil of cloves was another favorite. And strawberries (mildly acidic, with a variety of medicinal uses) were mashed and rubbed onto the teeth.
HERBAL MOUTH RINSE
This rinse tastes good and contains several antiseptic compounds to help prevent infection and cleanse your mouth.
1 tablespoon each of dried sage, thyme, eucalyptus,
rosemary, dried lemon zest
1 cup brandy or vodka
1 cup distilled water with ½ teaspoon vanilla
In a jar with a lid, place the dried herbs and pour the brandy over them. Cover and set aside for two weeks, shaking occasionally. Strain, add water and vanilla, and stir. To use, pour a few tablespoons into a glass, swish in the mouth, and spit.
Read more about natural dental care, including the use of herbs:
Healthy Mouth, Healthy Body , by Victor Zeines
FEBRUARY 10
February is National Heart Month. February’s Theme Garden: A Garden of the Heart.
Let my beloved come into the garden, and eat the pleasant fruits. . . . —THE SONG OF SOLOMON
A Garden of the Heart
Gardens have been a natural trysting place for lovers since the Garden of Eden. To capture this beautiful idea in a theme garden, you might construct something elaborate, with a shaded pavilion, an ornamental pool, bowers of graceful vines, banks of fragrant lilies, and beds of dreamy flowers.
But your garden of the heart doesn’t need to be quite so ambitious. Imagine this: a quiet corner of your garden, perhaps against a wall, with a birdbath, a trellised vine, a garden-art heart on the wall, and a few pieces of heart-shaped yard art. Add several small heart-shaped beds, outlined with bricks, garden edging, perhaps even a low, clipped boxwood edging. Plant some love-in-a-mist and a love-in-a-puff vine against the fence, and paint a “Love Grows in My Garden” sign.
Thyme lends itself to a small, showy garden. You can make a very simple thyme garden by laying out the shape of a heart in a sunny spot. Then lift the sod and till, enrich the soil, and add a border. Fill your heart garden with fragrant creeping thyme transplants,
which will mat together to completely fill the space. Keep the thyme weed-free (medieval monks set their novices to this task, as an exercise in humility), and snip it back occasionally.
Looking for a special Valentine’s gift for a gardening friend? Find a pretty heart-shaped container with drainage holes, suitable for use as a planter. Add a small bag of potting soil, a bag of lightweight drainage medium (small pebbles, foam chips), and a packet of thyme seeds. Wrap, add a bow, and deliver with your heartfelt sentiments.
Read more about designing and planting a theme garden:
Theme Gardens (Sunset Series), by Hazel White
Almost any garden, if you see it at just the right moment, can be confused with paradise.
—HENRY MITCHELL
FEBRUARY 11
The Guarani Indians had known for centuries about the unique advantages of kaa he-he (a native term which translates as “sweet herb”)—long before the invaders from the Old World were lured by the treasures of the New. These native people knew the leaves of the wild stevia shrub (a perennial indigenous to the Amambay Mountain region) to have a sweetening power unlike anything else; they commonly used the leaves to enhance the taste of bitter maté (a tea- like beverage) and medicinal potions,
In America, the Plains Indians chewed the fresh leaves of echinacea to relieve toothache; the juice produced such a numbing effect that the herb was also called the toothache plant. The Comanches chewed the bark and roots of the prickly ash ( Zanthoxylum americanum ), and called it the toothache tree. To clean the teeth, Native Americans chewed twigs of bay, eucalyptus, oak, fir, and juniper. Dogwood was a favorite toothpick.
To brighten their smiles, American colonists rubbed on a mixture of ground charcoal, honey, rosemary, and oil of cloves. Burnt toast mixed with oil of cloves was another favorite. And strawberries (mildly acidic, with a variety of medicinal uses) were mashed and rubbed onto the teeth.
HERBAL MOUTH RINSE
This rinse tastes good and contains several antiseptic compounds to help prevent infection and cleanse your mouth.
1 tablespoon each of dried sage, thyme, eucalyptus,
rosemary, dried lemon zest
1 cup brandy or vodka
1 cup distilled water with ½ teaspoon vanilla
In a jar with a lid, place the dried herbs and pour the brandy over them. Cover and set aside for two weeks, shaking occasionally. Strain, add water and vanilla, and stir. To use, pour a few tablespoons into a glass, swish in the mouth, and spit.
Read more about natural dental care, including the use of herbs:
Healthy Mouth, Healthy Body , by Victor Zeines
FEBRUARY 10
February is National Heart Month. February’s Theme Garden: A Garden of the Heart.
Let my beloved come into the garden, and eat the pleasant fruits. . . . —THE SONG OF SOLOMON
A Garden of the Heart
Gardens have been a natural trysting place for lovers since the Garden of Eden. To capture this beautiful idea in a theme garden, you might construct something elaborate, with a shaded pavilion, an ornamental pool, bowers of graceful vines, banks of fragrant lilies, and beds of dreamy flowers.
But your garden of the heart doesn’t need to be quite so ambitious. Imagine this: a quiet corner of your garden, perhaps against a wall, with a birdbath, a trellised vine, a garden-art heart on the wall, and a few pieces of heart-shaped yard art. Add several small heart-shaped beds, outlined with bricks, garden edging, perhaps even a low, clipped boxwood edging. Plant some love-in-a-mist and a love-in-a-puff vine against the fence, and paint a “Love Grows in My Garden” sign.
Thyme lends itself to a small, showy garden. You can make a very simple thyme garden by laying out the shape of a heart in a sunny spot. Then lift the sod and till, enrich the soil, and add a border. Fill your heart garden with fragrant creeping thyme transplants,
which will mat together to completely fill the space. Keep the thyme weed-free (medieval monks set their novices to this task, as an exercise in humility), and snip it back occasionally.
Looking for a special Valentine’s gift for a gardening friend? Find a pretty heart-shaped container with drainage holes, suitable for use as a planter. Add a small bag of potting soil, a bag of lightweight drainage medium (small pebbles, foam chips), and a packet of thyme seeds. Wrap, add a bow, and deliver with your heartfelt sentiments.
Read more about designing and planting a theme garden:
Theme Gardens (Sunset Series), by Hazel White
Almost any garden, if you see it at just the right moment, can be confused with paradise.
—HENRY MITCHELL
FEBRUARY 11
The Guarani Indians had known for centuries about the unique advantages of kaa he-he (a native term which translates as “sweet herb”)—long before the invaders from the Old World were lured by the treasures of the New. These native people knew the leaves of the wild stevia shrub (a perennial indigenous to the Amambay Mountain region) to have a sweetening power unlike anything else; they commonly used the leaves to enhance the taste of bitter maté (a tea- like beverage) and medicinal potions,
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