Okay, so after the whole  ‘tank post’ I needed to take a breather.  lol.  I pulled out my copy of “Healing Secrets of The Native Americans”… thinking I could find something herbal to take for a little ‘calming’.   (I got this book a couple years ago and use it often for reference especially for illness that can be treated at home, naturally) 

It basically explains how the Native Americans used nature, plants, trees, herbs etc to treat common ailments.  The weird part is that many of our pharmaceutical companies use these same ‘ancient cures’ in their pills/medicines.

Any whooooo….I saw an entry for ‘fever’.  Of course I don’t have a fever…except for the ‘I really need a tank, fever’, but it piqued my interest.  Did you know that bacteria and viruses can only survive at certain temperatures?  Huh.  I always knew that bodies got a fever when fighting something off….but I never actually understood the process I guess.  When the body gets a fever, the fever slows the growth of the germs. 

I remember when my kids were little (like 18 yrs ago) and any fever over 100 (as babies) and it was off to the doctor.  Now my sister just had her first child and now they recommend that any fever under 104 is fine.  At first I thought this was insane.  Probably because I was programmed so long ago when the rules were different.  But apparently the Native Americans are the same way.  “Let it run it’s course”.  (Do you realize how many co-pays I could have saved?)  In fact, the Natives would send you into the sweat lodge to increasethe body temperature.  (I always thought sweat lodges were solely for cleansing rituals ~ physically and mentally ~ I didn’t realize it was also used medicinally)

They also would give herbs to help increase the body temperature just enough to kick the immune system into gear and fight mild infections.  Interesting.  They’d put the herb (a teaspoon dry or 2 teaspoons fresh) into a cup of boiling water.  Steep 15 minutes, strain and drink.  What herbs did they use, you ask?  Ginger, sage, peppermint, goldenseal, hops, honeysuckle, cayenne or rose.  (apparently tea not only hydrates but flushes out the bugs)  Huh. 

So.   I still want a tank.   But now I really want a sweat lodge.   We have enough room in the backyard.  I’ve decided we’re going to build one in the summer.  Not for fevers, but for ‘cleansing’.  The whole entire idea of thoroughly cleansing my body is so exciting to me!  I’m going to research how to build one properly, including rituals used in building.  If I’m going for a spiritual (as well as physical) cleansing, why not try and do it properly?  I’ll post on that at a later date. 

Oh!  For heaven’s sake, I forgot…the reason for the post in the first place.  lol.  Something herbal for anxiety!  DOH!    It seems that ROSE PETALS in a hot bath or drinking rose petal tea is good for that!  Oh, and get this….if you drink several cups of tea daily, made of either dandelion, hops, black cohosh or goldenseal….it will not only help your anxiety, but will naturally SEDATE  you! 

OMG!  I wonder where I can get some of this in BULK!