Wednesday, April 9, 2008

A Spring Cleaning of All Sorts in, um...Autumn.


Slowly but surely I've been recovering from the virus I caught right after the birth in mid January. It was the worst virus I've ever contracted. It effected my heart and has left me with an ectopic beat, but it is slowly settling...there were other symptoms as well but they have in the last 10 days, started settling somewhat. Here in Australia, a famous sportswoman caught it too and due to her strenuous training, needed to have a pacemaker which ended her career, there and then. So it's been a shocker.

I have followed a continual herbal program with my herbalist to boost and strengthen my body. Unfortuantely this virus due to being the lingering type, replicated in the spleen again at 6 weeks and my two oldest (who also had it) and myself, suffered a slight set back. At that stage my herbalist decided to use a particular herb on us: Atractylodes or otherwise known in the Chinese world as Bai Zhu, it strengthens the spleen. My herbalist said it would flush this virus out from the spleen, and stop this thing for good, and I'd have to say that all three of us have noticed a noticable difference on it.

The other herb I've used is Comfrey. We eat this. Now I will say, it is banned by the TGA in Australia for internal consumption but Isabell Shiphard, the author of How to use HERBS in my daily life? (best herb book ever) holds a different opinion on this and after reading her thoughts on it, I feel very comfortable to continue doing what mankind has been doing with comfrey throughout the centuries - to it eat. But please read the information (on the net it is only some of the full article) before thinking of doing something similar. (to make an informed decision about it)

Comfrey is an extrodinary herb, it puts down a tap root that goes very deep and draws up rich minerals from below - if you plant it in your yard, you are unlikely to get rid of it again, because if only a fragment of the root remains, it re-shoots (unless you live at our house, we really do have a way of knocking off any plant..) It is herb that rebuilds bones, muscles, tendons, flesh and heals the body powerfully of so many complaints. I read once that people who live daily on this herb, find that they rarely suffer sickness, that in time each cell of the body is 'replaced and rebuilt' by the constitutes of comfrey.


At our home we have run hot and cold with comfrey and it is more to do with me running hot and cold with my gardening! Recently I bought more comfrey from Isabell's farm (she must think, "that crazy woman wanting ANOTHER box of comfrey?!?" - did I tell you I kill plants?) but I knew that it would take time before I had them big enough to feed us adequately, so I asked if she sold bags of cut comfrey and she did.

I came home with it and thought, "How can I make this comfrey last and still be eating it daily, way beyond it's normal cut life?" Usually I would make 'comfrey shakes' wizzing up fresh comfrey with unsweetened pineapple juice (one of Isabell's recommendations) - then I thought, "Why not make many batches of it using up this great, big bag-full and freeze them into little clip-lock bags and eat them like an icy-pole? Well, that's what I did and they taste great....no I mean it, they really do!! More importantly my children look forward with great eagerness to their daily serving of comfrey in iceblock form. This time, I mean to stick with it!!

I really feel like it's spring, so much has happened in my life that makes me think I've been spring-cleaning. Cleansing my body, all the great good that came from the intense suffering after the birth, a desire to clean and spruce things up after being unable to much, for so long.

Oh, and another thing, I've got my blogrolls back properly after they went AWOL for months and I've been visiting again! It's been great so far and I haven't seen too many as yet but I have come across the posting I've just needed to read considering my weeks of momentum and change and today I wanted to link you to some inspirational reading, please drop by, you won't be disappointed.

Firstly, Marilyn over at Enjoy the Journey has shared her thoughts on Redemptive Suffering.

Secondly, Kim over at Starry Sky Ranch has posted some fabulous thoughts on schooling, virtue and the like, I've printed this series up, for bedtime re-reading.

Perseverance Part 1

Perseverance Part 2

Struggles with Structure

PS

Finally, Elizabeth at In the Heart of My Home has written some thought-provoking postings on some of our daily duties, the ones that can often get us down...but there is real virtue hidden in the diligent applying of ourselves to these tasks. I remember St Louis deMonfort said that Our Lady gained more virtue in the threading of a needle than all the merits and sufferings of all the saints combined. It echoes St Therese's words on this too - she saw great merit in the littlest, mundane things...

Why Bother?

On Being Intentional

About those Lists

6 comments:

Lucy said...

I didn't know you had been so ill - I will pray for continued and complete recovery.

Anne (aussieannie) said...

I was just heading off to bed when you posted Mrs Pea, thank you kindly for your prayers!

Marilyn said...

Anne - I am sorry you are still poorly. I will continue praying for you.
I am very interested in learning more about herbs - so I found your post informative.
I am contemplating seeing an acupuncturist/Chinese herbalist who is also an orthodox Catholic - just praying for wisdom and also financial means to do so.

Anne (aussieannie) said...

I do hope you can see your way through to see this practioner, being an orthodox Catholic is also a blessing.

Jacqlyn said...

I am so thrilled that you are finally getting over that horrible virus. I admire your diligence with alternate health measures and all the information that you share on herbs. I simply MUST order Isobel's book .......maybe the enthusiasm will rub off on this tired mother of a newborn!
Jacqui x

Anonymous said...

Hi Anne

Just be careful when using herbal medicines wiht other ones if you ar eon any. My husband who once worked in TGA has reminded me of this now and again.

I like comfrey even if it is a so called weed along with tansy. I discovered that some of th softer lavenders are no classed as weeds because they have spread into bushland. A weed is a plant in th wrong place as they recently said don Gardening Australia