The Moral of the Story

Why I don't cook, use knives or other sharp objects, operate motorized vehicles or heavy equipment, or do much other than type and get sarcastic with assholes. This is a copy-and-paste from my personal notes.  

Valerian and Lavender Vodka Stress Tincture

1 oz finely chopped dried valerian root
1/2 oz lavender buds
10-12 ozs plain vodka

Combine all ingredients in a 16 oz vinegar bottle and cap tightly. Label and date. Shake gently but thoroughly. Set aside on the counter for 8 weeks or so. Strain into an 8 oz bottle, cap tightly, and transfer label.

Dose is 1/4 tsp every 30 minutes until symptoms diminish. Dilute in 1/4 cup water or chamomile tea if desired.


11/13/10
This will teach me not to make medicine when I’m migrainey. This should have been made with feverfew instead of valerian. I misjudged the size of bottle I would need, choosing one that was too small. I was only able to get in 1/2 oz of lavender instead of a full ounce like Rosemary Gladstar’s recipe called for. I spilled vodka trying to transfer the whole mess into a larger bottle. I had enough vodka to fill it to about the 10 or 12 oz level.

None of this is fatal. The combination should work quite nicely. It just wasn’t what I had planned to do. And when I was through, I felt like crying.

So, what I’ve made is a nervine for stress, anxiety, and sleep instead of a migraine preventative preparation. And now I’m out of vodka so I can’t make the correct one.

Moral of the story: Don’t make medicine when you should be taking medicine.


Copyright 2008-2010 Parin Stormlaughter, Sparkling With Crystals, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. I do not grant reprint permission. Use the ShareThis link if you want to share this. Nothing in the above article is remunerated content. Remember that if my work gets published anywhere else without proper citation, I'll pray for you. And perhaps take legal action. Rest assured, prayer is far more effective.

Sharethis: Healing Wise ... An Abundance of Greens by Susun Weed

Just a quick note before the Exploding Migraine Warning of a Significant Event goes into effect.

It hurts my heart that I have a substantial belief system difference with Susun Weed; therefore, I don't recommend her books. I do recommend the health information contained in them.

I'm improving daily from the herbal and "green" information in her menopause book. I have mourned my losses from my hysterectomy and ovary removal, integrating that I will never conceive another child, never hold another soul in my body along with my own.

Mourning has broken, and I'm whole again in that respect. You never really get over the death of a child and my four miscarriages will never go away. But now I am strong again with my conception and childbearing in the "experience" column.  It hit me quite forcefully that I never dealt with all the physical things that surround surgical menopause after the surgery six years ago this month.

Time to deal with MENOPAUSE. :P

Oh, my word what a blessing Vivelle_dot estrogen replacement created from yam has been! Never, never did I dream that things could be so...even. I see now that a good number of my other maturation issues revolve and repeat themselves because I haven't physically cared for my different self which has had no ovaries or womb since 2004.

Time passes slowly when you're getting well. It passes very slowly when you're anxious to get on with living! My own belief system is maturing as my age progresses and I want to get on with practicing it as well.

In this so-far quiet year, the Mother Earth again has proven herself to be the true mother that she is. Abundant, so abundant, freely giving me her green plants and air, water and sunshine, rain and wind, and the life that is borne of flora and fauna. Husbandry and right use of Earth's abundance will restore me, rebuild me from the inside out and outside inward. Does it cost so much to give time to share what "right use of the Earth" really means?

Well, right this minute, yes! My head is pounding from tax meltdown - my mother accidentally wrote a check to IRS for $5 million. It was a clerical error one would correctly say and we caught it before it got mailed, but all the problems that would have needed to be solved had it made it to IRS burst into my mind. Her reaction to the mistake didn't help either of us. This entire weekend has dealt me an assault on my energy body. A long talk with a friend has helped as has rose quartz along with mullein, yarrow, and mugwort infusion. Tomorrow, Easter Sunday, I plan to be outside as much as I possibly can in sunshine, in the breeze, and taking a walk through the backyard if I can. I need my Earthly mother after taking care of my earthly mother!

Please read the article. Find some abundance to feed.

And go outside: Your Mother's calling. :)

Healing Wise ... An Abundance of Greens by Susun Weed
http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/April10/healingwise.htm?utm_medium=email&utm_source=MyNewsletterBuilder&utm_campaign=Wise Woman Herbal Ezine - April 2010 1410249287&utm_term=Go to An Abundance of Greens Source: susunweed.com
Parin Stormlaughter sent this using ShareThis.

Herbs for What Ails Me

"If you wonder what herbs you might need, see what's growing around you."
Unknown


I'm feeling better today thanks I am completely sure to the prayers and good thoughts from Sparkling readers.  Thank you, so very much. 

Today was an absolutely beautiful day - "severe clear" as our local meteorologists say.  Mom and I dug up a couple of nice big dandelions, a nice bunch of wild garlic, and found a gorgeous snake.  It was small and didn't have the characteristic triangle-shaped head of a venomous snake but we didn't bother it other than taking a few pics (well, Mom asked if I thought she should chop it with the shovel and I liked to have screeched "Don't you DARE!"  XD ).

Anyhow...

I've spent some time this late winter reading up on plants that grow around here.  One of my New Year's resolutions was to improve my health between attacks.  I've always been a plant gal but relied on store-bought and a few cultivated herbs for my oils and unguents, salves and balms as my brother used to call them.

I wish I could remember where I heard the adage quoted above but it's lost in the black abyss that used to be my gray matter.  It did pop back into my brain after all these years.  I've made a concerted effort to identify the wild plants - weeds, I should call'em what they are - that grow in the relatively protected area of my back yard.

With the help of webcrawler, a botanist Migraine-Associated Vertigo bud o'mine, and my country-reared mother, I have discovered to my unending delight that a number of useful plants and trees are growing free for the digging and clipping in my backyard:

*  Sambucus racemosa - American Red Elder
*  Taraxacum - Dandelion
*  Rumex Crispus - Yellow Dock, also called Curly Dock
*  Verbascum Thapsus - Greater Mullein
*  Viola Odorata - Sweet Violet
*  Glechoma Hederacea - Alehoof, also called Ground Ivy and gill-go-over-ground
*  Adiantum - Maidenhair Fern
*  Acer Rubrum - Red Maple
*  Quercus Palustris - Pin Oak
*  Carya - Hickory Tree
*  Allium Canadense - Wild Garlic, also called Wild Onion
*  Cornus - Wild Dogwood Tree
*  Pinus Palustris - Longleaf Pine
*  Carduus Nutans - Musk Thistle

And at least half again as many more still to be identified!

I know, I know - what on earth could Pin Oak do medicinally?  Nothing that I know of, but the leaves can be used in such things as meadmaking instead of oak chips and oak cubes for aging.  Longleaf Pine?  The green needles placed in boiling water and the steam inhaled help congested sinuses and lungs (and many parts are edible if you're Euell Gibbons, which I am not).

I don't expect to use all of these plants.  The inner bark of Dogwood is a very strong, considered "harsh", laxative.  Not going there.  The American Red Elder berries are not usable this year unfortunately.  Alehoof does have some mild medicinal properties but its claim to fame is in clearing beer.  I actually don't care for Hickory nuts and Maidenhair Fern is endangered in some states so I'll let it be.

But the Dandelion, Yellow Dock, Mullein, Sweet Violet, and Wild Garlic have already been put into use.  Gonna have boiled Musk Thistle root here in a little bit.  And, I've cultivated lavender, roses, a yearly-rotating variety of kitchen herbs, and my mother grows the best tomatoes you'll ever put in your mouth.

So, I'm now adding wild backyard plants to my complementary regimen.  Somehow I feel better already.

Or I did until I heard that my mother, who happened to run into my daughter recently, told her, "Oh, your mother is fine.  She pulled weeds out of the backyard this morning and she's eating them for lunch."  :)


Copyright 2008-2009 Parin Stormlaughter, Sparkling With Crystals, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. I do not grant reprint permission. Use the ShareThis link if you want to share this. Nothing in the above article is remunerated content. Remember that if my work gets published anywhere else without proper citation, I'll pray for you. And perhaps take legal action. Rest assured, prayer is far more effective.

Peace, love, herbs, and Honey Stuff

Physical vulnerability along with opportunistic viruses means: Time for peace, love, and Honey Stuff!

Got way, way too aggravated at the Office of Personnel Management last week. I believe I might have made myself physically vulnerable in the process. In addition, our house has been filled with plumbers, the gas company, the phone company, technicians, and repairmen of all sorts and every one of them has been hacking and coughing.

I was concerned that I might have to take the day off tomorrow from my full-time job of getting well but I realized that in fact,  I'll be working overtime.  No rest for the weary!

Here's a recipe for a natural honey, ginger, and citrus virus remedy that's as delicious as it is effective. Glad I've got some in the fridge already!

Gonna jump on this like a chicken on a june bug and mother-love it right out of my system. Mullein leaf tea and hops syrup now, neti pot, Sambucol (elderberry and echinacea syrup), and yarrow before bed. And soup with raw garlic stirred in just before I eat it. I know, I know, but raw garlic is useful for viruses. Once it's cooked, some of the therapeutic benefits disappear. Since that's why I'll be using it, it'll only get as hot as the soup itself right before I eat it.

Gonna get nice and peaceful underneath some rocks as well. Rocks just make me comfy and content, and when they're hot from the sun...oh me...  Bloodstone, amethyst, clear calcite, clear quartz, and rose quartz are all marvelous help for viruses. Smokey quartz is really nice for the aches and pains right at first.

This should be gone by tomorrow.

I might get so peacefully, tonically herbal that I put on a headband and start flashing peace signs. XD


Copyright 2008-2009 Parin Stormlaughter, Sparkling With Crystals, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. I do not grant reprint permission. Use the ShareThis link if you want to share this. Nothing in the above article is remunerated content. Remember that if my work gets published anywhere else without proper citation, I'll pray for you. And perhaps take legal action. Rest assured, prayer is far more effective.

Holiday Cheer - Sharethis: Dark chocolate prevents wrinkles, skin cancer

Just in time for Christmas...MORE GOOD NEWS FROM THE CHOCOLATE FRONT!

Fear not that high quality, high cocoa solids chocolate is nowhere to be found. World Wide Chocolate is one online purveyor who will bring such Elysian delights to your house, your very abode as it were. They are an online business I recommend. I do business with them and have been very pleased with all transactions.

Right now, yea at this very moment, Callebaut Belgian dark chocolate batons boulangers are melting in my mouth, smooth as liquid black gold.  This particular baking formulation has only 44% cocoa solids but I've got chocolate with 80% cocoa solids in the cabinet.  HELL yeah I eat baking chocolate!  And every sort of bonbon and confection, bakery item and savory dish containing Theobroma cacao that I can think up or find.

There may be some who consume greater quantities of chocolate than I do but I'll put my Theobroma cacao tastes up there with the biggest eaters any day.

Want to know why I don't eat Hershey's kisses?  Scroll down to the blog entitled "The Sweet Life" and look for the entry dated Friday June 5, 2009.  Read the comments.  Yep, there's one from ME.  I recommend The Bee Folks.  They carry bulk and varietal honey, some nice beeswax products, and Lori had TRIPLET BOYS last Spring.  They're good people to do business with.  I go through a lot of honey.  Lori sells half gallons, gallons, and even larger sizes as well as 8 oz and a couple of 4 oz sizes of premium honeys.

I hope to pull together some Theobroma cacao recipes and projects for the next article.  Preview:  That last swallow of sediment coffee in the pot that no one wants?  Add cocoa powder and another couple of ingredients to make a nice scrub for stretch marks that will tickle your spouse's tongue as well.  Ohhhh...yeah...

Chocolate is a Migraine trigger for some people.  It appears it may have something to do with endothelial function and production of nitric oxide, which expands blood vessels.  [Disclaimer:  I have carefully recorded my physical responses to chocolate over the many years I've dealt with Migraine and found one correlation:  The craving for chocolate is a sure sign that Migraine attacks are imminent.  Eat chocolate, don't eat chocolate, no effect on whether attacks occur in me or their intensity.]  Read this interesting article from--Hershey's--about some of the nice things chocolate does for people.  The article includes citations but frankly, I'd consider Hershey's Chocolate an expert in chocolate in their own right.  They're not my chocolatiers but I'll count on their information any day.

Eat high quality, high cocoa solids chocolate.  And honey.  Every day.  The Sparkling Mother is glad it's good for you.  :D
 

Dark chocolate prevents wrinkles, skin cancer
Dark chocolate prevents wrinkles, skin cancer Source: presstv.ir
Parin Stormlaughter sent this using ShareThis.

Sharethis: Cocoa May be Beneficial for Migraines , Headache & Migraine

What marvelous news for Migraineurs!

Some years ago I discovered that neither chocolate nor cocoa were Migraine triggers for me; however, craving chocolate was invariably a signal of impending Migraine attack. Whether I indulged my craving and ate any chocolate or not, it had no effect on the timing, frequency, or intensity of the attack.

Glad to see good news on the chocolate front.

Here's a very nice chocolate sauce that does have plenty of cocoa solids.


Rich Chocolate Sauce

2 squares unsweetened baking chocolate
6 tbs water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
dash salt (important for flavor)
1/4 tsp vanilla
4 tbs butter

Heat chocolate and water over low heat, or microwave on high for 30-60 seconds at a time, whisking until smooth.

Add sugar and salt. Continue heating and whisking until sugar is dissolved and sauce is slightly thickened.

Stir in vanilla and butter. Serve any way you like including in a dish by itself. Makes 1 cup.

Theobroma cacao good for Migraine pain
Cocoa May be Beneficial for Migraines , Headache & Migraine Source: emaxhealth.com
Parin Stormlaughter sent this using ShareThis.

Venusian Pleasures - Poppy Seed Cake

stormlaughterIcon_lock "Oh help me. I'm floating in cinnamon, nutmeg, almond, & poppy seed pleasure. I should say "join me". :)"
Me on Twitter


Never mind Neptune. More delicious delights have my attention right now.

My mouth is numb, comfortably numb. I just consumed half my daily calories with Neufchatel. Then I had another piece.

I'm drying petals from a blossom of Ryan's Rose so the kitchen is filled with the rosy fragrance. Couple that with this cake's sweet cinnamon heat from the oven and this domestic goddess is reborn.

This is where my Venus finds her voice.

Poppy Seed Cake
Inspired by a recipe from Gail Gand

1 1/4 ozs culinary poppy seeds
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/8 cup corn oil
1/2 tsp vanilla flavoring
couple of drops of almond flavoring
1 cup self-rising flour
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch grated nutmeg

Soak poppy seeds in milk for 1 hour. Set aside. Grease and flour a loaf pan and set aside.

Whip egg and sugar until fluffy. Drizzle in vegetable oil, vanilla, and almond flavorings. Sift together flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add to batter alternately with the poppy seeds and milk.

Pour batter into loaf pan. Bake at 325o for 45 minutes to an hour or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Top warm with cream cheese, butter, honey, or ice cream.


Notes: Oh heavens, what pleasure. Use evaporated milk in this recipe if you wish and you can save your regular milk for drinking. Consider trying Homemade Vanilla Flavoring and Vanilla Sugar for desserts like this. Be sure not to use more than a couple of drops of almond flavoring because it can easily overpower this delicate cake. Original recipe made 2 cakes and this recipe doubles flawlessly. Fill the room with the fragrance of roses (or if you're adventuresome, serve with tangy, fragrant rose conserve) to go along with this delight. The cake is moderately sweet and always unfrosted.

Copyright 2008-2009 Parin Stormlaughter, Sparkling With Crystals, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. I do not grant reprint permission. Use the ShareThis link if you want to share this. And remember that if my work gets published anywhere else without proper citation, I'll pray for you. And perhaps take legal action. Rest assured, prayer is far more effective.

Venusian Pleasures - Homemade Vanilla Sugar and Vanilla Flavoring

Vanilla Sugar

Place 2 lbs granulated sugar in an airtight canister and label with ingredients and date. Bury a whole vanilla bean pod in the sugar. Shake the container every few days. Let steep for 2 months. Use in any recipe calling for granulated sugar as well as in coffee and tea. One pod will flavor three changes of sugar (6 pounds in all) but use only 2 lbs at a time or it'll be a year before the sugar gets flavored. You can then use the pod for things like puddings and mead.


Bourbon Vanilla Flavoring

Split 2 vanilla bean pods and scrape the seeds into a pint of a bourbon that you like to drink, then add the pod halves. Cap tightly. Shake bottle every month or so. Let steep in the back of a dark cabinet for about a year before use. Marvelous in things like eggnog, hot toddies, and bourbon-soaked cakes. Two pods will flavor 2 pints of bourbon. Just refill the original bottle once you've emptied it. Discard the pods after the second batch. Very nice gift.



Copyright 2008-2009 Parin Stormlaughter, Sparkling With Crystals, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. I do not grant reprint permission. Use the ShareThis link if you want to share this. And remember that if my work gets published anywhere else without proper citation, I'll pray for you. And perhaps take legal action. Rest assured, prayer is far more effective.

A Sensitive's Dream: You-Made-it?! Breakfast Sausage

Ahhh, the simple foods we loved! Years ago when I determined that processed meats (and processed foods in general) were causing me multiple problems, I began a quest to recreate the simple foods we loved that today contain food additives that cause me problems.

Food additives trigger Migraine attacks and Meniere's attacks in me, upset my stomach, cause heartburn at times, drive up the volume of the 24/7 tinnitus I live with, and just make me feel dreadful overall. Not quite a year ago, I ate a fast-food meal at a venerable institution here in this part of the country, Jack's Hamburgers, and the chemicals burned my esophagus and made the skin peel off my lips. Salad and a milkshake--salad and a milkshake...I've never been able to determine what was in those things I ate despite my efforts. Years ago I did some show-business work with the man who created some classic advertising for Jack's...didn't drop the name when I was inquiring about the nutritional information. Perhaps I should have...

Here's a picture of my maternal grandmother (b. 1895) and her five daughters. She always made her own sausage, so my mother (the little tike with my Gma) says. My mother lived on meat from their smoke house until she was 7 years old, when the family moved "into town" from the deep rural countryside. There were 8 siblings who lived to adulthood so counting my grandmother, 9 of them lived a very simple, live-off-the-land lifestyle. Estimating the age of my mother, I imagine this pic was taken between 1938 and 1040. No one knows who took the pic.

Below is my version of pork breakfast sausage. No food additives and my family LOVES IT. Experiment with the seasonings as you wish. One day I plan to make an "Italian" sausage variation with fennel and caraway seeds, omitting the sage. I'll post the recipe when I've got it right.

The more food I make myself from recipes traditional in my family, the better I feel. "Love food" nourishes the body as well as the soul.

I nursed my children, watching them grow strong and healthy on the love from my own body. The joy of nourishing all my family with recipes from the Sparkling Kitchen overwhelms me with a grateful spirit.

I plan to leave the "post time" and date as-is. I'm in the aura phase of a migraine attack and it may be some time before I can get the recipe itself posted. Right now, today is 11/13/08 and the time is 5:36PM. Sorry So Short (SSS)--


Copyright 2008-2009 Parin Stormlaughter, Sparkling With Crystals, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. I do not grant reprint permission under any circumstances. Contact me to request permission to link. And remember that if my work gets published anywhere else, I'll pray for you. And perhaps take legal action. Rest assured, prayer is far more powerful.