218 Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard
day for sinus conditions. Horseradish has loads of
vitamin C and also helps clear mucus out of the human
body.
Steep two teaspoons of sage leaves in a cup of
freshly boiled water for half an hour to make sage tea.
Take a quarter cup, four times a day, to dry up moist
coughs and lung congestion. The best tea of all for
coughs is made from dried coltsfoot leaves (from a health
food store). Steep two teaspoons dried leaves in cup of
hot water, strain, and mix with a little honey to taste.CONSTIPATION and DIARRHEA
Cinnamon tea is very helpful for diarrhea and to
stop vomiting, but you can’t just use the powdered
kitchen spice. Simmer a quarter teaspoon of the ground
bark or a small piece (about 1/4 inch) of cinnamon
stick in a cup of water for ten minutes, strain, and drink.
Saltine crackers and firm cheeses can also stop “the
trots.” Cucumber salad helps chronic constipation.
Lettuce and salads in general help keep you healthy
and regular. Oatmeal, prunes, and prune juice are also
laxative foods.CUTS and WOUNDS
If you accidentally give yourself a small cut in the
kitchen, you can pour powdered cayenne pepper di-
rectly on the wound to make it stop bleeding (this is
gonna sting!). DON’T GET CAYENNE PEPPER INTO
YOUR EYES! It won’t harm your eyes but it will sting
like crazy. If you do get it into your eyes, flush them
immediately with a strong continuous spray of cold
water. Alum, used for pickling, will stop bleeding from
small cuts immediately. Any bad cut should be taken
to a doctor for stitches.
Honey makes a great wound dressing. After care-
fully cleaning a wound, put honey over it, and then
bandage it. The honey absorbs water, and germs can-
not live without water. Mashed, fresh garlic can be
applied to a wound, covered with honey (to keep out
air), and then bandaged. If infection should occur, re-
sort to antibiotic creams or other antiseptic treatments.FEVER
Suck on ice chips to reduce fever and help stop
vomiting and stomach upset from flu. Lemon juice
mixed with honey and water helps lower a fever. Pome-
granate juice is a refrigerant, meaning it can actually
lower body temperature. Clean and scrape the bark
off willow twigs to make a tea that lowers fever; you
can add honey to help with the bitter taste.
Mild fevers are quite natural and a way for the
immune system to develop, but if fever does not lower,
or goes above 103°F, call a doctor. Oatmeal or cream
of rice is very digestible and should be given to those
who are weak from illness and fever. It can be flavored
with raisins, a little grated lemon, cinnamon, honey,
and a little rice milk.HEADACHE
For headaches, dip a cloth into a strong batch of
basil tea and apply it to the forehead as a warm com-
press (it works even better if you add 2 tablespoons of
witch hazel extract). Use 1 teaspoon of basil for each
cup of water. Bring the water to a boil, remove from
the stove, and add the basil. Allow the basil to steep
for 10 minutes in a non-aluminum pot with a tight lid.
For a quick remedy, cut a lime in half and rub it on
your forehead. It feels very good to make a cool com-
press by boiling water and lavender flowers (breath-
ing the steam is good for you too); refrigerate the mix-
ture, then soak a cloth in the cold mixture and put it
on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.MOUTH PROBLEMS
People with halitosis (bad breath) should make a
habit of eating parsley as a condiment (and have a
dentist check their teeth and gums!). Take vitamin C
for bleeding gums. Steep 2 teaspoons of sage leaves
in a cup of freshly boiled water for half an hour to
make sage tea. You can use the tea as a gargle for
tonsillitis, laryngitis, and sore throats. Sage also helps
with bad breath, bleeding gums, and mouth sores. Eat-
ing raw raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries
in the summer helps dissolve tartar on the teeth, and
helps build the immune system. To whiten teeth, allow
the fruit to remain on them for five minutes and then
brush the teeth with a mixture of water and bicarbon-
ate of soda. Sore gums, teeth, or throat can be helped
temporarily by gargling a cupful of hot water with 4
teaspoons of dissolved sea salt.STOMACH PROBLEMS,
INDIGESTION, and GAS
To make an antacid that helps upset stomachs,
colic, and gas: Take one half teaspoon each of cara-
way seeds, fennel seeds, peppermint leaf, and spear-
mint leaf. Place in a cup and pour boiling hot water
over the herbs. Cover the cup with a plate and allow
to steep for 10 minutes. Stir well, strain, and take one
cup four times a day, not with meals. Hint: If you have
a mortar and pestle, you can place the seeds into it and
pound them. They will release more of their medicinal
virtues this way.
Cinnamon water helps with chronic indigestion
and gas. Put one quarter teaspoon of the ground bark
into a cup of freshly boiled water, stir, cover, and al-
low to steep for 15 minutes; strain and drink. Oregano
tea is great for indigestion, nausea, and colic. It also
helps relieve gas, lowers a fever, and is soothing to
the nerves. Peppermint helps with flatulence (farting)
and upset digestion and is also cooling for a fever, so
they are an ideal combination. Ginger tea helps with
mild nausea and motion sickness.- Spectrum 1.p65 218 1/15/2004, 9:15 AM