Mama's Home Remedies: Discover Time-Tested Secrets of Good Health and the Pleasures of Natural Living

by Svetlana Konnikova

  I knew intuitively that I was due for a course of Mama’s vitamin therapy. She frowned at me and said, “Are you running out of energy? I can tell without testing that your hemoglobin level is very low. You need a special course of vitamins.”

  “Didn’t I read her thoughts?” I asked myself.

  Milk with rose hips jam or rose hips preserves was an “urgent remedy” in Mama’s list of natural treatments. And the manufacturer of those tasty natural remedies was Grandma. Each year Grandma made delicious preserves, jams, and other natural delights from rose hips as well as grapes, plums, strawberries, raspberries, black and red currants, cranberries, cherries, gooseberries, peaches, small “paradise apples,” pears, apricots, green nuts, oranges, and quinces. She cooked exotic preserves from green tomatoes,

  green beans, watermelon rind, and pumpkin cooked in

  a grape mousse. My favorite, and the most prescribed

  by Mama, was rose hips and black currant preserves.

  Black currants are an important ingredient in

  vitamin therapy. We cal ed these berries Ribes from the Latin, Ribes Nigrum or Chernaya Smorodina. Grandma grew this shrub in her garden. A mediumsized shrub with yel ow-brown shoots, five-lobed leaves, and green-white flowers, this bush bore many berry clusters annual y. This berry is less common in the United States because it can host pine blister rust ( Cronartium Ribicola), which can devastate forests. It is more readily 186 ^ Mama’s Home Remedies

  available now because of recent commercial breeding.

  Grandma used large, plump berries in her delicious black currant preserves. She combined 32 ounces of honey or two pounds of sugar, 16 ounces of water, and two pounds of black currants. Then she cooked the mixture until it thickened, periodically removing the froth that formed during cooking. It was a tasty preserve that complemented our black or green teas. I always tasted these preserves as soon as she finished preparing them. Just imagine tasting a spoonful of this 100-percent natural, indigo mixture thick with tiny grains of rubbed berries and following it with a sip of hot, aromatic Ceylon tea. It is so delicious!

  In shady places throughout Grandma’s garden stood thorny shrubs of rose hips. She plucked fragrant petals from the flowers and boiled them in water for two to three minutes. Then she added lemon juice, covered the mixture with a lid, and steeped it for 15–20 minutes. Then she poured the pink rose juice into a pot with the preserves along with sugar or honey to make syrup. If you’d like to try this recipe, prepare 10 ounces rose hips petals, two pounds sugar or 24 ounces honey, two tablespoons lemon juice, and eight ounces water.

  Grandma also made a tasty jam from the raw pulp of rose hips, ground with honey or sugar.

  She would cook rose hips berries as a special medicinal preserve, knowing that rose hips contain almost 40 percent of vitamin C, and are, therefore, a valuable vitamin product.

  Concoctions, preserves, and jams from wild roses or rose hips ( shipovnik) berries that Grandma had dried herself were also mainstays in our home. Over a campfire in our backyard, she would boil four pounds of fresh berries in their own juice for 10 minutes. She then mashed the berry mixture and cooked it in a water bath until it thickened. Her water-bath method was to sink the small pan containing rose hips pulp into a large pan of boiling water. In our kitchen we always had a glass pitcher fil ed with rose hips or “Dog Rose” concoction ( otvar). You can make it yourself by fol owing these directions: Boil one tablespoon of fresh rose hips (also called wild roses) in about eight ounces of water for seven or eight minutes. Allow to steep for two hours. Or combine a half-ounce of dried rose hips berries with eight ounces of water. Boil seven or eight minutes and allow to steep for 10 hours. Then drink four to eight ounces of this vitamin tea daily.

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  Mama prescribed for me a 24-hour

  healing session of rose hips preserves and

  black currant preserves, fruit compotes and

  kissels, which is a kind of starchy jelly. I took teaspoon after teaspoon of Grandma’s thick

  burgundy rose hips preserves. And, with

  every sip of tea and every spoonful of cold black currant

  preserves, energy poured through my body and I actually felt my blood begin to circulate with intensity through my veins.

  I felt much better later as I stood in our kitchen watching the sunlight peep into the window while several branches of a rose bush, encouraged by a gentle breeze, tapped gently on the windowpanes. Each year the roses took full advantage of the sun and blossomed again and again. The sunbeams traveled like a beacon through the kitchen window, rode over the ceiling, and then stopped, blinding me.

  A bouquet of velvety scarlet and white roses fol owed the sunbeams and appeared outside the kitchen window. Someone had come to visit. I looked out and saw that my neighbor and long-time friend, Sasha, had come to say hel o. He was always happy to see me when I came home for vacation. I suspected that Grandma had been giving him reports on when I’d return home and how long I would stay. She admired his decency, kindness, and his good looks.

  “Hi, Sasha. How have you survived here without me?” I asked him alluringly as always whenever I returned home. And, in turn, he teased me as usual. “Obviously I am doing badly without you!”

  “How did you know I was here?” I asked coyly, guessing that he would say that Grandma had told him.

  From the doorstep he answered me with a smile, “Do you know that a wireless telegraph company just opened its first office in our town? It helps guys like me find hidden and unsupportive friends.”

  Sasha, still smiling, shook a red and white bouquet of fragrant roses at me. He used his charm and gestured to me to come outside to talk for a minute. I wrote him a note that I pressed against the windowpane: “Later. I don’t know when.” I didn’t await his reply, but returned to my room to read a book. I read 188 ^ Mama’s Home Remedies

  for a short while and then dropped off to sleep. I don’t know how many hours passed, but when I woke up, I saw on the floor near my bed the same bouquet of roses. I took the bouquet in my hands and breathed in its soft, sweet fragrance. A small note written in old script was tucked inside: “Here are my flowers and here is my heart, which beats only for you.”

  That was a day filled with both dis tress and “good” stress. Let’s take a look at how Mama differentiated between the two types of stress. Making stress work for you

  We have seen that stress is the impetus behind many neuroses and cardiovascular problems. Mama would have added, “Don’t be afraid of stress. Make it work for you, not against you.”

  How can we manage tension in our everyday lives when it results from unhappiness with our jobs or the relationships we have with our children, our friends, or spouse?

  Take a look at the way stress influences yourself and others. Heightened tension is common among most of us. It seems that many people do everything with a great amount of unnecessary effort. Even the simple act of listening to others is difficult for most people and often met with anxiousness or uneasiness—the result of too much unmanaged stress, no doubt. Most people do not know how to control stress. Do you know how to recognize stress and how to control it?

  Typical symptoms of stress are chronic headaches, high blood pressure, tightness in the chest, sleeplessness, or restless sleep.

  Mama always advised her patients, “Don’t be afraid of stress. Learn how to recognize it.” Mama knew that we experience stress on a physical level as well as on mental and psychological levels. She also taught us to differentiate between healthy stress and dis tress. Happiness and even the anticipation of a happy event such as the birth of a baby are stresses, but certainly they are positive stresses. This kind of stress doesn’t promote illness. On the contrary, it brings about and maintains positive emotional and physical strength. Mama called this stress “a good exercise for heart and soul.”

  Don’t Be Afraid of Good Stress @ 189

  Distress is different. Distress is experienced
in emotional, epigastria, fetal, mental, and respiratory forms. All too often, when people talk about stress, what they are actually referring to is dis tress.

  Distress is defined by resulting feelings of discontent, dissatisfaction, and irritation. Distress is caused by many things, including arguments between spouses or lovers or between parents and children.

  Ups and downs in our lives are normal, frequent occurrences. At times, though, it can feel as though life demands too much and that we do not have any time to relax and to ease or even eliminate the tension and stress we have stored throughout the week.

  As we scurry around tending to our often overwhelming responsibilities, it seems that we have run out of time to tend to ourselves. The stress we were feeling has become distress.

  Is there a method to combat the stress before it becomes distress? Yes!

  Learn to recognize stress and devise your own personal methods to gain control over it. It does not have to be difficult to manage stress before it manages you. It simply takes a little planning.

  Five simple guidelines will help you to recover from distress and rebalance your internal, psychological health. Interpret these concepts in your personal way, add new ones of your own, and minimize the harmful effects of stress on your well-being.

  A. Practice proper nutrition

  Scientists and physicians confirm that eating a balanced diet, low in fat and rich in vitamins and nutrients, is a powerful defense against the toll that stress can take on us.

  Magnesium is an important mineral that relieves muscle cramping and strengthens blood vessels and the heart. Dizziness, high blood pressure, trembling, and itching of the fingers can be an indication of a magnesium deficiency in the body. To ensure that your body has sufficient magnesium, try Mama’s simple remedies:

  r 1. Drink a good quality mineral water.

  r 2. Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.

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  r 3. Take a daily dose of magnesium by eating a mixture of two to three freshly grated carrots with a minced onion in a little light olive oil.

  r 4. At least twice weekly make yourself a glass of fresh carrot juice. It’s a strong blood purifier and wil help to cleanse the body of physical and psychological impurities.

  r 5. Make herbal tea, which Mama would say “relieves the soul of tension.” This combination of herbs is to be taken once in the morning and evening. Mix one teaspoon each thyme, sage, and linden. Add one pint of boiling water and steep for five minutes. Filter and add honey to taste. Sip this beverage slowly and enjoy. B. Use hydrotherapy to combat distress

  Our bathrooms can be a sensual departure from the day-to-day grind—a haven of joy in which we can experience peace and serenity. r 6. Take a warm shower or bath with 16 ounces of apple cider vinegar mixed with eight ounces of water (to reduce acidity). Cleansing your skin with this mixture wil open pores and draw out toxins. Your skin wil feel smoother and you wil feel relaxed.

  r 7. For a soothing self-massage, soak a linen towel in hot water, wring it out, and rub your body vigorously with it. Begin on the soles of your feet and direct the motion toward your heart. Afterwards, massage your body with pine extract. You wil experience increased blood circulation and your skin wil have a rosy glow. As you lie in bed, you wil experience a warm sensation over your body.

  r 8. Another great benefit for the body is to massage your skin with a dry-skin brush, which can be purchased at a health-food store. Each morning massage the body in circular motions with the brush or a cotton mitten. Mama said, “It provides the body with Don’t Be Afraid of Good Stress @ 191

  a fair distribution of blood.” What she meant by that statement is that a dry massage promotes proper distribution of blood to our internal organs and thus better blood circulation overal . Relax or energize by bathing with aromatherapy

  After a busy day, try one of these:

  r 9. Fil a vase with your favorite beautiful fresh flowers. Turn off the bright electric bulbs and light an aromatic candle instead. Al ow it to burn at least 10 minutes before you bathe to ensure that the herbal aroma, which is so beneficial in relaxing the nervous system, fil s the room. Add to the bath aromatic mineral salts or an essential oil such as rose, jasmine, or bergamot. Tie up a handful of dried lavender flowers or fresh rose petals in a scrap of lace or gauze and toss into the water. A warm bath of just 15 minutes can be sufficient in relieving distress. After bathing, massage your skin with a cotton towel, and slather on a rich moisturizing cream before retiring.

  r 10. An herbal bath can relax or rejuvenate. A bath of 20 drops of essential oil of chamomile or calendula, for example, is known to cleanse the skin and calm the nervous system. Or put a twist on a simple chamomile bath by mixing just 10 drops of chamomile with 10 drops of lavender and eight drops of sage and feel the day’s troubles float away with the bath water. Only add neat oils to bathwater if they are guaranteed to be non-irritants, such as Roman chamomile and lavender. Otherwise dilute the oil in carrier oil such as apricot kernel or sweet almond. Five drops of jojoba oil can be added for very dry skin. Then swirl the bathwater around and the oils wil be dispersed before you step into the bath. These oils added to bathwater are inhaled and partly absorbed by the skin, bringing immediate physical relief.

  r 11. Aromatic essential oils, bath foams, and candles are instrumental in helping to impart a sense of luxury and beauty and induce 192 ^ Mama’s Home Remedies

  a feeling of serenity and comfort. Aromas are general y divided into two categories: those that stimulate and those that relax. Stimulatingaromas include peppermint, anise, eucalyptus, lemon, rosemary, pine, cinnamon, cardamom, camphor, and nutmeg.

  Relaxing aromas include bergamot, chamomile, sandalwood, jasmine, cypress, lavender, juniper, rose, lemon balm, orange, and honeysuckle.

  r 12. The therapeutic potential of classical music has long been recognized. Lower the volume on the stereo and al ow your favorite classical music to waft softly through the air. You might choose Mozart, Strauss, Tchaikovsky, Chopin, or Vivaldi. Listen to gentle, relaxing music. It wil calm you down in times of stress and make you feel better about yourself.

  C. Move your body! Exercise!

  Caution:

  Walk or jog. Swim or run. Find a sport or

  activity that moves you—and move! Dance,

  Seek professional advice

  dance, dance as often as you have a chance!

  before using essential

  Dance is a pleasant physical exercise which

  oils if you have a

  allows us to express our emotions through

  long-standing medical

  movement. A popular aphorism in Europe

  condition such as asthma,

  is: Those who dance a lot live a lot. When

  heart disease, high blood

  we feel comfortable in our lives, we win the

  pressure, or diabetes.

  fight with distress.

  People who are allergy

  When I found out I had been accepted

  prone or have sensitive

  as a new student at Moscow State University,

  skin should consult their

  I was overjoyed. But at the same time I had a

  herbalist or physician

  plaintive feeling that something very close and

  prior to selecting an

  familiar was missing from my life. Certainly, as a aroma. Before use, always

  freshman far from home, I missed my family and

  dilute in a carrier oil

  the whole environment in which I grew up. My head

  such as apricot kernel or

  was swimming, and I couldn’t have guessed then,

  sweet almond.

  but now I know I was suffering from distress.

  Don’t Be Afraid of Good Stress @ 193

  One day as I sat on an oak bench in our garden reading a book, I began really to look at the beautiful settee I was relaxing on. Grandpa and my father
had made that bench by hand. The seat back was meticulously and intricately hand-carved with motifs of ancient Rome. The bench was an attractive centerpiece in our garden. On both sides Grandpa and my father had formed realistic oak leaf designs to pay reverence to this mighty tree.

  Oak and walnut trees grew all around, towering above the bench and casting shadows that provided shade in the hot summer. It was my favorite place to think, dream, talk to Mother Nature, and read. It was a special place also to share my secrets with Grandma, my close girlfriends, and, of course, to meditate and communicate with the world of trees, birds, and azure sky. Grandma used to say, “First of all, when you wake up in the morning, take a quick look at the sky . . . this endless spacious blue expanse . . . and you will feel comfortable.”

  The ancient Greeks believed that if you looked at the sky, even for a minute, it would cleanse your body, soul, and spirit and relieve you from “moral intoxication.”

  The garden bel , buoyed by the summer breeze, jingled a delicate melody. I was happy to be home again for summer vacation. A smal shred of blue sky peeked through the branches of our old walnut trees as I read the works of the Russian poet and singer, Boulat Okoudjava. (You can hear him sing his heartfelt poems in Russian at http://www. russia-in-us.com/Music/Artists/index.html. Here, sitting on this familiar and comforting bench, I began to daydream about the impact the changing seasons had on this spectacular garden. From spring to late fall, a profusion of flowers blossomed in Grandma’s garden, but in winter under a blanket of snow, bulbs lay dormant and Grandma patiently waited for her favorite flowers to arrive. Finally the first messengers of awakening Nature arrived—delicate, milky-white snowdrops softly blowing in a tender breeze.

  In “The Snowdrop” (1863) by Hans Christian Andersen, this spring flower was always wondering.

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  I t was winter time; the air was cold, the wind

  was sharp, but within the closed doors it was

  warm and comfortable, and within the closed door lay