Breathing Peace and Healing…

I just watched a video ​here, called The Moses Code.

To clarify:  NO, we’re not gods. No, we’re not God.
YES, we DO have a Breath of Life from the Almighty.
YES, the Breath is powerful.
YES, focusing on our breathing is healing– I “breathed through” labor contractions, and a LOT worse when I was sick.

YES, we do have the capacity to “be the healing” for others. My husband carried me, and “saw” me healed until I became well. His Breath of Life has led me out of slavery.
YES, YHWH is in everything– even Pharaoh. In the original language, YHWH doesn’t say, “Go to Pharaoh.” He says, “Come to Pharaoh.”
YHWH is already there.
YES, we are designed to be a vehicle for YHWH’s healing. Yes, the Breath of Life is for healing. How powerful is it? May YHWH be merciful to show us.

YES, the idea of separation between “good and evil” (“function and dysfunction” is a better translation of the original language) was what originally moved us away from perfect harmony with YHWH and “the garden,” or Nature. Finding the unity of function in whatever our personal “Pharaoh” may be is crucial to restoration.
The Name isn’t really best-translated as, “I am that, I am.” A better translation would be, “He exists”, with the potential use of “exists” in the sense of having a direct object: “He exists it” or “He exists all that is.”
We need to be careful not to put ourselves in a position of idolizing ourselves, but YES, we do have a responsibility to learn to use the healing power YHWH has designed into our Breath of Life, and to recognize His hand in everything– even in Pharaoh.
My personal “Pharaohs” right now are Monsanto and the Petrochem gods / corporations, and the financial and educational oppression these have on our health care and shelter, food & water systems.

“Be the change you want to see.”

OK… breathing Freedom, Sufficiency, and Healing. In a word, ​Shalom.

(click here for details on that ancient word for peace)

We All Want Peace*

Everybody’s running around with two fingers up– if they aren’t busy lifting just one finger at the driver that just cut ’em off. Even so, that driver really just wants peace. We want to know that we’re going to get to work on time, that rent will be paid, that our electricity won’t be shut off, and that we’ll be able to put gas in that car so we can do it again tomorrow. (I use “we” loosely, here– different folks have different struggles) At the core of our beings, we want to feel “secure,” knowing that we’re protected from hunger, cold, and loneliness.  We want peace.
What’s funny is that our language doesn’t tell us what peace is just by looking at the word. It’s kind of a nebulous “good thing” out there somewhere that nobody seems to have (unless they happen to smell like weed, and even then, it’s only for as long as the high lasts).

Shabbat Shalom!

A few thousand years ago, and still today in some places, the word for peace was a real, concrete picture of that nebulous thing we all want. Originally, the Scriptural, Hebrew word was “Shalom,” spelled “Shin-Lamed-Vav-Mem.” (second word in the pic)

The Shin is the picture of the two front Teeth. Lamed is a picture of the Shepherd’s Staff. Vav is the Tent Peg, and Mem is Water. The Teeth is an image of protection and defense. The Shepherd’s Staff provides guidance and direction, pointing the way out for the sheep to find everything they need. The Tent Peg is the picture of securing or “nailing down.” Water is our source of life. Shalom is defined in Jeff Benner’s Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible , word #2845, “Complete: Made whole or complete by adding or subtracting. ‘To be in a state of wholeness. Also to restore or make right through payment or restitution. ‘A state of being whole, complete, or full. Also an offering of restitution or payment. ‘A greeting as a desire for completeness to another.”
Shalom is “The protection of the Shepherd, nailing down the water.” We are at peace when we are protected and provided for by our Creator, and when we are made “complete.” In order to be “complete,” we need air, water, food, and shelter. Without land to grow food on, we are incomplete, and the land is incomplete without the humble people who care for it, watching over it with sensitivity to see that seeds sprout in it. Finding those humble people gives the rest of that picture of completeness– we’re no longer lonely 🙂

*Originally posted January 28, 2010 on my old blogsite

Ain’t Life Traumatic?!

Life hurts. Whether you’ve been in a car wreck, in an abusive relationship, through emotional trauma, took a few too many hits in sporting events, poisoned yourself with city air pollution, toxic houses, pharmaceutical medications, or what-have-you, it hurts like the dickens.
There are a lot of traumatic events I’ve been spared, and I’m SO thankful for that!
I have experienced all of the above, and, due to the amount of toxins I’ve been exposed to, I can’t use pharmaceutical medications AT ALL anymore– they only make me feel worse now.
SO– there’s a bright side to all of that 😀
I don’t have to live in incessant pain!
I have a list of natural tools that I keep in my medicine cabinet that keep my body nice and happy and healing– without drugs.
Top of that list is Arnica. It’s a beautiful little flower Designed to work great as a homeopathic remedy for trauma of all kinds.
I use potencies as follows:
For minor boo-boo’s, 30X or 6C… or let the kid shake it off– no biggie.
For something that’s ‘gonna leave a mark, 30C
For something that’s ‘gonna leave a mark for a week or more, 200C
For something that’s likely to send us to the ER if it doesn’t look better fast (or if we just got out of the ER), 1M. So far, we’ve been well-blessed, and the Arnica 1M has worked beautifully on every major injury we’ve had, and, with 4 kids, we haven’t been there in about 8 years. The 1M is also good if  having flash-backs or insomnia or other psychological repercussions from trauma, or if the trauma is very old– great for that broken bone or torn ligament that never felt right again after it “healed.”
It’s a homeopathic medicine, which means it doesn’t operate on a substance basis, but rather on patterns left over in the water into which it was dissolved. That means two things:
A. It doesn’t interact with any kind of medication, which is great for people who are dependent on pharmaceutical medications.
B. We can’t use coffee or strong mint or tea tree oil or camphor or other strong smells when you use it, we can’t touch the medicine itself before you put it in our mouth, and we can’t store it at high temperatures or near electrical equipment or magnets. Any of these things can render the medicine ineffective– it messes up those patterns.
Arnica also comes in topical, gel form to put on bruises & help them to heal faster– a friend says it’s great for if you’re headed to Jamaica for your honeymoon and just banged your leg on the car door. I haven’t used it for that  specifically, but I have watched bruises disappear much more quickly than I’d expected using it… or sometimes not appear at all, if I got it on there fast enough 🙂
The key with this remedy is to take AS NEEDED. We use the LOWEST effective potency, and only take it when the symptoms come up. If the pain is getting better, we don’t take any more. If it starts to get worse or hits a stand-still at healing, we take another dose.
It’s the perfect “shell-shocked soldier” remedy. If I had my way, 1M Arnica would be standard-issue at the VA… But who am I?

Arnica isn’t the only tool in my basket, but it has been a vital one. For more on things that have been helpful for me personally, see my other posts. Arnica also doesn’t fit everyone’s trauma picture. Some people are better served by Aconitum or another remedy. Finding the remedy picture that fits the symptoms set is crucial. There are thousands of different homeopathic remedies made from natural substances, each of which has a unique “personality” for helping “fine tune” different aspects of health that can be “knocked off-course.” I’ve loved “fine tuning” in my own home to find the beautiful people inside those “rough spots” in life.

As with all of my “non-medical, non-advice”, I’m no doctor or pharmacist, which means that I’m not licensed to treat, cure, prevent, heal, or otherwise mitigate any disease. It also means that nobody paid off the FDA to approve the stuff I use. So do your own research, and find what works for you 🙂

For folks interested in more info on the history of homeopathic medicine, here’s a link to more info:
http://www.homeopathic.com/Articles/History

Living Real: Single-Income Economics

A friend asked me to share what economic, practical thoughts I have on how we make it as a single-income family. First off, I have to acknowledge: we’re well-blessed, and I “get it” that not everyone has all the tools in their basket that we do. That said, other people do have tools in their baskets that we don’t. In a nutshell, we have to find thankfulness for what already exists, rather expending time, energy, money, and frustration on pining after what isn’t. In a world where instant gratification and marketing and sales and “shoulds” and “obligations” are often hailed as gods above real needs, real relationships, and multi-generational investments, finding thankfulness for what already exists is not always the easiest path. We don’t walk it perfectly, but we do walk it, learning along the way.

In no particular order, some things that make our world function on one income:

1. Home Hair Cuts: I do all of them, including my own, and I get compliments on them! If you’re not brave enough to try it right off, practice on a doll, and barter with someone who’s done it before ’till you’re feelin’ ‘yer oats 😉

2. Drying Line: Cuts down on the power bill. Wood heat in the winter helps w/ this, as it serves dual purpose: re-humidifies the air a bit, and you’re not paying for the heat twice.

3. Bicycles: We have an update post here on the “family car.” Between insurance and gas and overall health improvements, it’s been an awesome gift in our world. Not an easy one to initially imagine, considering I was pretty arthritic when we first gave up the car, but no regrets 🙂

4. Giving: Ancient Hebrew Pictograph of the word give here. What goes around comes around. Find someone in worse shape than you are (it’s usually not as difficult as it sounds), and do something about it that you *can do.

5. Become Debt-Free: Ancient Proverb says, “The borrower becomes the lender’s slave.” Find a way out of your slavery.

6. Family Relationships: It’s a team effort. We all have to understand that we’re working toward something bigger and more important than money. We have to find the place where we want to build each other and our home into a healthy, peaceful place more than we want the next trinket.

7. Grow Something To Eat: The closer we get to dirt, the more “grounded” we can be, not only emotionally and physically, but also financially. Our health is one of the most expensive things to lose, and one of the fastest ways to improve it is through organic gardening. Chickens are good, too. Check with local restrictions, though. Some cities will allow hens but not roosters, and there may be a restriction per square foot of land area.

8. Tiny House: More land; Less House; Less Stuff. Find the minimum quantity of “stuff” you need to be happy, and do the house size that just barely fits. Land gives food. House & stuff just drain the budget. Shelving, bunk beds, and Straw-stuffed (make sure it’s clean & dry) mattresses have been a great help for us in making a small house work.

9. Natural / Alternative Medicine: There’s a learning curve to it, and the first few years, we did use modern medicine for a bit. It didn’t work for us, so I studied on my own, and listened to the health-nutty guru’s that had conquered this, that, and the other thing. At this point, our world doesn’t revolve around gas money to get to the doctor’s office. The doctor can’t research as quickly or as effectively or as intimately as I can, here, from home, on my computer. Outside of dismemberment, I haven’t found any use for modern medicine: I can do better for my own family. They’re just people with fancy papers who have been through a system that’s run by money. I’m not. I’m just as smart as they are, but less brainwashed, and better-motivated. All of that said, check out the disclaimer below 😉

10. Growing Herbs: Seasonings and Medicines and a lot of herbs that double as both. A gold mine!

11. Convection Oven: In the absence of a very efficient wood stove (will post on Hubby’s invention / modification later) that runs on twigs, rather than logs, a convection oven uses a lot less energy (money) than the regular sort. Our counter-top version was a second-hand purchase, and has been great!

12. Craigslist: That second-hand thing. The world gets a lot less trashed with re-using what someone else figured out they didn’t need. Meanwhile, I pay less than half what everyone else did for theirs, originally.

13. Build Something: Hubby’s built a business that will, hopefully, sell for enough to pay for the materials for us to build a place where we won’t have to pay rent anymore! Meanwhile, he’s built a sauna for me (LOVING MY MAN!!!), and a shed to sell or maybe trade for the vehicle to move us to our new place to build 😀

14. DIY: Look up whatever it is you find you need, and build it, make it, cook it, brew it, medicate it, repair it. Whatever it is, chances are, it’s just not that complicated… unless it’s a computer… and you’re like me about computers. Still working on conquering that “giant” in my world. LOL!

15. Writing? I’m writing a book… hoping it sells a billion or two copies, and we can retire, fat-and-happy! LOL!

Love to all of you, who are working to do the single-income thing! It’s been well-worth-it for us: our babies know who we are, and we know them. We’re building our home together, one life lesson at a time.

Standard Disclaimer:

I’m  no doc, and don’t pretend to be one. I am therefore not legally licensed to diagnose, cure, treat, prevent, or otherwise mitigate any disease, and neither is the stuff I generally choose for healing… but then, I’ve not been educated / indoctrinated by boards with big pharma reps on them, either   so do your own research and find what works for you

Judge Me!

I’ve often wondered why David says, “Judge me, O YHWH my God, according to Your righteousness, And do not let them rejoice over me.”  In Psalm 35:24

Those words “Judge me, O… God” just sounds terrifying! What imperfect human being could possibly imagine they’d survive such a request? Imagination conjures up pictures of Hell & damnation in the offing… OY, that’s frightening!

…or who could possibly think to name their child Daniel or Danielle– meaning, “God is my Judge”! What a frightening thought for that child… well, maybe… I’ve noticed that a lot of people named Daniel or Danielle tend to “just know” that nobody but God has the right to judge them LOL!

…but on closer inspection of the word, “judge,” in the Ancient Hebrew Pictographs: the language in which it was originally written, we find a very interesting original philosophy behind the “Judge.”

There are two words for judge that we’ll look at here:

One is the word from Psalm 35:24

Ancient Hebrew Pictograph Judge 1

Shin-Pey-Tet-Nun-Yud

Shin: Two front teeth: Defending, Cutting, Two

Pey: Open Mouth: Open, Break

Tet: Clay Basket: Surround

Nun: Sprouting Seed: Child, Generation, Continue

Yud: Arm: Administration, Authority

Cutting and Breaking Open those who Surround the Sprouting Seed, with Administrative Authority.

I see a picture of a gang surrounding a kid, and the Authority to Judge breaking through to defend that child.

alternatively,

Defending the Mouth and Surrounding the Sprouting Seed with Administrative Authority

This one gives me a picture of that Judge / Authority defending that child, and defending his source of nourishment.

Here, we do see consequences for the perpetrator of a crime, but we also see the defense of the “sprouting seed,” child, or next generation.

The second word for judge is the one used in naming Daniel or Danielle:

The “El” part of “Daniel” means “Powerful Shepherd,” or God. The first half of the word, “Dan” is the “Judge” part:

Ancient Hebrew Pictograph Judge 2

Dalet-Ayin-Nun

Dalet: Tent Door: Moving in & out; Back & forth

Ayin: Eye: Sensitivity, Vision, and Insight

Nun: Sprouting Seed: Child, Generation, Continue

The Door to Sensitivity, Vision, and Insight for the Child and continuing generations.

A “just judge” is one who opens the door to really “see” the long-term consequences of their judgments, not only for the immediate, but also for generations to come.

Long before there was ever a Hebrew people, and long before there was ever a Mt. Sainai, with all of its Teachings, there was a Noachide Covenant, in which we are all called to be just in our judgments, and to support a system of justice that defends more than just our own needs, but also the needs of the generations to come.

May we all find the Breath of Life in us that is capable of rendering good judgment, and open the door, with sensitivity, vision, and insight, for the generations to come.

For more info on the Ancient Hebrew Pictographs, please see

http://ancient-hebrew.org/

or

http://www.youtube.com/user/ancienthebreworg

Family Strength and Fortitude

I’m so thankful for the different strengths my husband and I enjoy… nothing alike, but somehow it just functions well… extraordinarily well. Here are the Ancient Hebrew Pictographs of the words for Mother and Father… fascinating to me how it all fits.

I am Strong Water, and so are you, Mamma! Maybe that means we deserve a drink now and again, I dunno, lol–  but I do think it means we’re something vital and foundational to life.
As mothers, we nurture, or “Water” our families, and “Glue” our homes together. We are the pictograph of Strong Water:

Read Right-to-Left: <——- “Mother” and “Glue”
Aleph-Mem:
Aleph is the Bull’s Head, meaning Strength, Authority, and First
Mem is the Moving Water: the Source of Life
Mothers are a Strong Authority and Source of Life to their families.
This is also the word for “glue.” The Bull’s hooves were boiled down in Water until they were a thick glue that helped to hold the tent together– just like we are “bull-headed” enough to “hold it together” every day for our families. We are strong, ladies!

 

The last one was for the ladies. This one’s to celebrate the Dads. If we’re Strong Water, and the Glue that holds it all together, then the fathers are the Strength and Support Structure of the House. Here’s the pictograph:

Aleph-Bet:
Aleph: “Bull’s Head”: Strength / First / Authority
Bet: Tent Floorplan:  Home/ Protection / Structure
Fathers are a Strong Authority that supports the house. It is the same as the word for Tent Pole. The father is the one who holds the house upright, and gives structure and support to everything that the mother holds together. Fathers give the vital Strength and Protective Structure for the mothers to make a house a home.
Again, I’m not the expert: for more info on the pictographs, see
ancient-hebrew.org/
or
www.youtube.com/user/ancienthebreworg

The Almighty Breast

“The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.” — William Ross Wallace

As a young woman, reared in modern Christendom, I was encouraged to pursue college and a career… in fact, that was the name of the 18-30 yr olds’ Sunday School class in the church where I grew up. Nothing wrong with college or a career… but I was definitely discouraged from thinking about marriage or children… and yet, that’s where the majority of my spiritual growth has been– in the experience of parenting alongside my husband.  Neither of us is perfect, but we each have a unique capacity to represent masculine and feminine attributes of the One, Indescribable, Incomprehensible, Almighty. Neither of us can represent that Power fully, and yet, even the shadow of it  that we are is incomplete without the “other half.”

I remember nursing my first baby, and listening to the screaming as I desperately tried to get the nipple into the open mouth… a nightmare that lasted for months… but one of the best lessons in how much El Shaddai (“Powerful Breast”, usually mistranslated “God Almighty”) loves us, and wants to give us the best and most perfect food… while we, at times, scream for it, and refuse to “latch on.”

We’ve found healing for the decline in happy marriages and parenting in these beautiful pictures in the Original Language. From Ancient Intimacy, through the words for Mother and Father and on to Wrapping our children securely…there are extraordinary societal healing implications…

To begin, the picture of Ancient Intimacy:

Remember that word ‘know’ where the Bible’s euphemism talks about sex? It’s more than a euphemism. It’s an ancient picture of what intimacy is, whether between a husband and wife, or between friends & family, or between humanity and the Designer.
Yep– There’s an Ancient Hebrew pictograph for that!

Yud-Dalet-Ayin
Yud: The Hand / Arm (Work, Make, Throw)
Dalet: Tent Door (Movement Back & Forth, Dangle)
Ayin: The Eye (Sensitivity, Sight, Insight, Vision)
To “Know” is to Work toward Movement Back & Forth with Sensitivity, Insight, and Vision.
There’s a ‘sweet spot’… a ‘knowing’ that only comes with an extraordinarily intimate relationship. Casual sex made ‘safe’ by modern interruptions cannot replace the intense depth of intimacy in a love where both parties play by Natural Laws that keep themselves and their offspring safe and healthy.
In the same way, a cursory study of the Scriptures can never replace the intimacy of ‘knowing’ the Original Gift of Teaching and Instruction.
This is real intimacy,  in intercourse, friendships, and in our relationship with the Designer: both parties working toward that “sweet spot” where the door opens and there is Sensitivity, Vision and Insight.

When we go back to these original pictures, we find foundations for building healing…

“If the foundations are destroyed,
         What can the righteous do?” –Psalm 11:3

BTW– I’m not the expert on the pictographs. For more information, see
ancient-hebrew.org/
or
www.youtube.com/user/ancienthebreworg
Comments/Ratings Always Welcome 🙂

 

Chicken stew– as requested :-)

So I have a friend who is moving toward more gluten & corn-free options, and asked what I do about breakfast. It’s more non-traditional as American food, but according to our acupuncturist, the Chinese might see it as quasai-normal 🙂 I kinda like that thought, because I see the Eastern cultures as closer to the Ancient Hebrew mindset– Near East is closer to Far East than Western, I think. Higher-protein breakfasts are great for setting our blood sugar level at a good, solid, steady outset for the day. Here’s a breakfast for a cold winter morning, usually left-over from dinner the night before, so I’ll include the gist of that as well:

Dinner:

I start w/ the rice first– for our family, I make a huge batch– about 4 cups– soak it in warm water w/ a couple of drops of Apple Cider Vinegar and a heaping Tbsp of Real Salt for most of the day, or overnight, depending on when I remember to start it. Soaking it first helps to make it more digestible, and to improve the protein and mineral content of grains. Most ancient cultures did it as a regular practice. We’ve just gotten away from it in our instant gratification “now” society. ‘Gotta remember to cover it– especially in the summer: the fruit flies love ACV. Bake in a covered dish at 350 ’till the water’s all soaked up.  You might have a preferred method for your rice– this is just easy for me: a giant bowl w/ a cookie sheet over the top to hold the steam in.

1-2 Chickens, depending on the size of the family & appetites, in an oven-friendly pot / dish that just fits– not too much bigger.

Wash chicken thoroughly, place in the pot, and salt liberally– with Real Salt (not the bleached stuff: the docs are right: the bleached stuff might kill you LOL! I eat all the Real Salt I want, though– tastes good, and my body loves it!)

Add a fist-full of thyme, a fist-full of onion powder, and about a heaping Tbsp of garlic powder per chicken. I use ‘way more seasonings than I’ve ever seen recipes call for– at the encouragement of my Chinese MD’s wife– a nutritionist: she says there’s as much nutrition in the seasonings as in the food–, and in honor of the Scripture in TaNaK where Isaac wants his “savory meat” when he’s gettin’ old. I figure if good seasonings can help an elderly guy digest meat, then maybe it’s good for all of our digestion? Works for me & my guts, anyhow!

Genesis 27: 3“Now then, please take your gear, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me; 4and prepare a savory dish for me such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, so that my soul may bless you before I die.”

Drizzle with olive oil, and add a sprinkling of water to moisten the herbs, and about an inch or so of water in the bottom of the dish. Cover w/ a lid… I use a cookie sheet over the top sometimes ’cause I don’t always have a matching lid.

Bake at 350… I bake most everything at 350– don’t have to think so much– you can try other temperatures if you like, and see if your chicken gets done faster than mine. Sometimes, if I’m in a hurry, I’ll bake it a bit hotter, and it seems to do just fine, as long as I have a lid on it. Might take an hour or so… I never time anything– just when the juices run clear, and there’s no pink left anywhere inside.  When the seasonings start to smell strong, it’s not quite done yet, but soon 🙂

While that’s baking, I chop carrots, kale, comfrey, broccoli, onions, kohlrabi, pak choi, spinach, chard, beet greens … whatever veggies I happen to have on-hand, and start ’em steaming– longer for softer veggies; shorter for crunchier ones. I like to have at least one brassica (the broccoli family) for anti-cancer and blood sugar-balancing properties all in one 🙂 Save the water that they were steamed in: good for adding vitamins & minerals to the stew for tomorrow morning.

When everyone’s done eating, I de-bone what’s left of the chicken, and put all the bits of meat into a pot. If the veggies went over well, I leave them as they are, and toss them in, too. If they didn’t go over so well, I run ’em through the blender w/ just a bit of steaming water, and maybe some of that broth from the bottom of the chicken pan: just enough liquid to get ’em to puree nicely. The kiddos generally love their veggies best in stew.

All of those left-overs (except for the rice) go into the pot in the fridge for breakfast the next day, except for the bones– those get boiled overnight– outdoors. The moisture in the air and the formaldehyde in our floors don’t mix well w/ my joints, so making bone broth is an outdoor event. Strain the broth, stir into the stew, & re-heat in the am, and pour over the rice as though it were mashed ‘taters– you know, with the well in the middle… or just mix it all up.  If you like, you can re-heat the rice, but I usually leave it cold to take a bit of the heat out of the stew for the kids– otherwise they just ask for icecubes anyway 🙂

Standard Disclaimer:

I’m  no doc, and don’t pretend to be one. I am therefore not legally licensed to diagnose, cure, treat, prevent, or otherwise mitigate any disease, and neither is the stuff I generally choose for healing… but then, I’ve not been educated indoctrinated by boards with big pharma reps on them, either   so do your own research and find what works for you

Well-Rooted, Deep Healing

Our shallow, modern society is screaming for ROOTS!  Ever hear the expressions “rooted,” “deep,” and “roots” when nobody’s talking about plants? We all love these ideas– getting back to something “foundational,” “nourishing,” and “pervasive”… like comfrey 😉

We’re tending a garden, studying Ancient Hebrew, Drinking Ginger Tea, Eating Garlic, Onions, Beets, and Yams… and I think it’s all connected 🙂 We’ve moved a dozen or more times in the last decade or so. We’ve uprooted from the mythology we were brought up with, and are finding the Original Roots of the original Rabi Yashua. It’s not been a popular move, and changing cultures is never easy. No matter how good the change is, change still equals stress. I’m thinking that gardening– that Original Picture of “Perfect Life” in the Garden– and our root-rich diet may be medicinal for this spiritual and cultural “transplant.” I’m thankful for Ginger Root for digestive trouble (anybody ever had that when they’re stressed-out?), Garlic Root for warding off whatever bug is floating around (yes, it really does work– raw, diced garlic cloves, 3-4 X a day!), Onion Root Konji for warming cold tummies (thanks again, to my Chinese MD’s wife), Beet Root for eliminating uric acid from the lymph system, and Wild Yam Root for balancing hormones. Combine that with the level of sanity found nowhere outside a garden (they’ve done studies on that– touching dirt really is “grounding” LOL!), and the Ancient Roots in the pictographs we get to look at and learn from… I’m pretty thankful for roots of all sorts 🙂

Here are some of my favorite roots, and a brief introduction to their healing properties:
If you get information overload, take what you want now, and bookmark it for later 🙂
Comfrey Healing broken tissues of all sorts, soothing to broken skin, and can aid in healing broken bones. I’ve loved this one for rubbing the root-infused olive oil into the sprains and broken bones (less scratchy on the skin than the crushed leaves, though that works, too), and for salad greens and tea leaves. Yes, I’d steer clear of eating the root, and Russian Comfray internally, but the upright plant has never given me liver pains, where chemical toxins have, and certainly the topical applications have never been accused of anything but healing.
www.herbalremediesinfo.com/COMFREY.html
www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail89.php

Ginger Great for digestion, nausea, cold tummy, or being out in the cold, and helps w/ circulation. I’ve done quarts of ginger tea and found wonderful, warming benefit from it for joint pains: a beautiful anti-inflammatory (pain reliever) 🙂 One word of caution on this one: if you’re pregnant, limit your ginger intake to a normal cup of tea a few times a day– small amounts can help w/ morning sickness, but high doses can stimulate contractions.
www.herbalremediesinfo.com/Ginger.html
www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail27.php

Garlic Highly anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, antiviral, antifungal, great for heart health,  and promotes “friendly bacteria” in the guts. I’ve had wonderful results with killing all sorts of infections with this Natural Miracle.
www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail128.php
www.herbalremediesinfo.com/GARLIC.html

Onion Similar properties to garlic (in the same family), and the juice from the greens can be used to draw toxins out through the skin, helping to heal infections.
www.herbalremediesinfo.com/Compresses.html

Chives Another member of the allum family (onions & garlic), and good for all the same purposes. The bigger plants are easier to work with, and so are more popular for medicinal usage when they’re available. If your back yard is crawling with chives in stead of garlic & onions, though, you’re good 🙂

Wild Yam Root / Bitter Yam Root My favorite anti-inflammatory herb of all time!!! GREAT for pain. I take a heaping tablespoon of the dried root every two hours ’till I don’t hurt any more. Warning, though: it’s not easy to get it down. Have a LOT of water handy: it’s like swallowing gravel. It’s also great for speeding up bm’s, so if you’re not needing that so much, you might like to take a bit of Zeolite or Bentonite clay with it. I’ve also used this to keep a pregnancy when I’d recently lost two. Bitter herbs and “more ancient varieties” of plants are higher in MSM, or “organic sulphur.” I’ve not found a real, reliable source for the sulphur content of various foods, and there is no USRDA on it, but it’s a natural pain killer, and it’s not in most of the “modern” foods in the grocery store at any useful level for killing pain. Once upon a time, it was these “bitter herbs” that were considered a necessary part of a healthy, well-balanced meal…. I think it’s interesting that when YHWH delivered the children of Israel from Egypt, they were commanded to eat the Passover meal “with bitter herbs.” After so long in slavery, and so much physical and psychological pollution from living in a culture of unclean practices– orgies to worship idols, hideous oppression, and unclean food all around, it may be that they needed those bitter herbs to help them heal and detoxify their bodies for the trek they had ahead of them!
www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail119.php

Dandelion Root Beautiful blood & liver purifier– also good as a salad green when they’re young & tender. I’ve used milk thistle seeds, rinsed & soaked overnight, and swallowed in the morning to alleviate liver pains, but I’m told dandelion root works well, too.
www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail92.php
www.herbalremediesinfo.com/Dandelion.html

Valerian Root Reduces anxiety, mild sedative. I like St John’s Wort tincture better, but different bodies react differently. The St. John’s wort is more about breaking down uric acid, which is helpful in conditions involving joint pains along with the nerve-soothing effects.
www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail117.php
www.herbalremediesinfo.com/Valerian.html

Beet Great for digestion that needs a bit more HCl. The natural red dye in beets is GREAT for Gout symptoms, especially.
www.thespringoflife.net/beetroot.html

Maca This one I’ve only used a couple of times, but I loved it when I had it– my body seems to respond well to everything in the brassica family (broccoli, collards, kale, etc.). I’ve also seen it as a tool in the basket, along with wild yam root, of a friend who was concerned about losing her pregnancy. She has a gorgeous, healthy baby now. Traditional usage of it for that purpose in both man and beast ranges from ancient to modern times in South America. Both Maca and Wild Yam Root have been accused of being the “mandrakes” that Rachel bought from her sister in order to be able to conceive. I can’t verify that, but the concept that a root of some sort should be medicinal for infertility has been a “good direction” for me in finding more help along my healing path, and I’ve seen other women benefit from this general “pointing the way,” whether they’d connected it to Torah or not.
www.medicine-plants.com/articles/36/
www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail251.php

Marshmallow Great for coughs and sore throats.
www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail133.php
www.herbalremediesinfo.com/MarshmallowRoot.html

Licorice Great digestive aid & soothing to the alimentary canal
www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail102.php

Black & Blue Cohosh Both great womens’ remedies for miscellaneous needs… consult your midwife for appropriate timing &/ or homeopathic preparations.
www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail67.php
www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail88.php

Burdock This one doubles as a Thistle. It’s similar to Dandelion: a great blood & liver purifier & tonic.
www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail65.php
www.herbalremediesinfo.com/Burdock.html

Ginseng Great for energy, circulation, and the immune system
www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail68.php

Goldenseal This one has been a life-saver on multiple occasions– most notably in major cuts (that *technically should’ve been stitched). We’ve had doctors particularly impressed with the results. Great for killing infections of all sorts!
www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail155.php
www.herbalremediesinfo.com/Goldenseal.html

Dong Quai Another ladies’ remedy. Great for menstrual cramps. I wouldn’t use it during pregnancy. I like the flavor of ginger tea better, so I tend to go for a quart of hot ginger rather than the Dong Quai, but I’ve seen good effects from both. Eliminating every trace of sugar and dairy from my diet has been immensely useful there, too.
www.naturalherbsguide.com/dong-quai.html

These roots are only scratching the surface. Take these “pointers” from Torah, and see where they might lead you!

Standard Disclaimer:

I’m  no doc, and don’t pretend to be one. I am therefore not legally licensed to diagnose, cure, treat, prevent, or otherwise mitigate any disease, and neither is the stuff I generally choose for healing… but then, I’ve not been educated indoctrinated by boards with big pharma reps on them, either   so do your own research and find what works for you