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@tribesofginger
So every time I buy ginger I always look for lobster shaped rhizomes. Why? I have no idea. But I finally found one! It felt so good I made a gif for you all. Please enjoy: Crabby the Ginger Lobster.
I see an inordinate amout of lobster-shaped ginger. Im glad someone else noticed a resemblance!
Hugh Mercer Apothecary was a pharmacy founded by Hugh Mercer in the mid 18th century. Mercer was a doctor who fled Scotland after the Battle of Culloden. He traveled to Pennsylvania, where he met Colonel George Washington during the French and Indian War and later moved to Fredericksburg, Virginia on Washington’s advice to practice medicine and operate an Apothecary.
The building that housed the apothecary has been restored by Preservation Virginia (formerly known as the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities) to demonstrate 18th Century medical treatments. It also includes a small exhibit on Mercer’s life and contributions to the American Revolutionary War. In mid-2012, Preseravation Virginia signed an agreement passing ownership to the “Washington Heritage Museums” group beginning no later than 2013. The museum is located at 1020 Caroline Street in Fredericksburg, Virginia. -Wikipedia
Death is the cure of all diseases. There is no catholicon or universal remedy I know, but this, which though nauseous to queasy stomachs, yet to prepared appetites is nectar, and a pleasant potion of immortality.
—Religio Medici by Sir Thomas Browne
Red wine hawthorn tincture.
Hawthorn is a fantastic plant which is a superb tonic for the heart, gently strengthening and toning the heart muscle.
This particular tincture is made in red wine and I started making it in the spring by collecting hawthorn flower tops and infusing them. Finally to complete this medicine I have collected the berries from the same plants and blended them in the infused wine. The wine is left a few weeks and then strained. This process will be repeated a few times as the best effects of hawthorn are achieved with large doses. Good luck!
I would love to do this! I will if I ever find some hawthorn in the Istanbul area.
Kudzu (From Merriwether's Guide)
Scientific name: Pueraria species (P. lobata, P. montana, P. edulis, P. phaseoloides and P. thomsoni) What: young vine tips, young leaves, flowers, roots How: vine tips & leaves cooked; flowers raw or tea; roots scraped for starch Where: fields, old farms, When: spring, summer, fall, winter Nutritional Value: vitamins, antioxidants, protein, calories Other Uses: kudzu vines can be woven into fine baskets Dangers: do NOT plant kudzu, it’ll engulf everything!! Be very careful transporting kudzu so as not to drop any seeds. Kudzu vine. Close-up of kudzu leaves (three leaves per stem) Close-up of open flowers. Close-up of closed flowers at tip of flower raceme. Close-up of vine stem. First introduced from Japan to the United States during the 1876 Centennial Exposition, this out-of-control weed now covers over seven million acres of the American South. Kudzu grows up to one foot per day, putting it in the top four fastest-growing plants known. As it grows it covers and smothers all other plant life…along with anything else that doesn’t move out of its way. It is a common sight to see mile after mile of trees, powerlines, and abandoned homesteads covered in kudzu as you drive the backroads of the South. It is small compensation that the kudzu can be eaten. It’s vine tips are tender and full of important compounds such as antioxidants, as well as being high in protein (16% dry weight). The hairs on the vines and leaves make them unpleasant to eat raw, but a quick dip in boiling water wilts these hair so they no longer cause any problems. After boiling the vine tips and young leaves for 30-60 seconds they can then be used in any manner one would cook spinach, collard greens, or other leafy green vegetable. Kudzu begins flowering in July and continues into September, producing an intense, somewhat artificial, grape smell. Open kudzu flowers can be used raw and make a colorful, flavorful addition to salads. They can also be seeped in hot water to make a tea. These flowers will last a day if kept in the refrigerator. Kudzu roots can grow to enormous sizes, eight feet long and over 200 pounds! They contain a large percentage of starch but are also fibrous at that size. You are better off digging up smaller roots, 1.5” to 2.5” in diameter, which can be roasted like a potato. Be sure to peel the root before eating. The peeled roots can also be pounded, grated or ground into a gluten-free flour. The starch in kudzu roots can be fermented to produce alcohol. Woo hoo!! Roots are best dug up in the early fall but can be harvested all winter if you need the calories. The seed pods are green in color and are not edible, nor are the seeds they contain. Beware of poison ivy mixed in with kudzu. Please do not plant kudzu as it will escape your control and devour everything that doesn’t move.
Making Elderberry Tincture
Elderberries ripen in late summer and early autumn and are fantastic to eat to stop a cold coming on. In order to preserve these wonderful berries until winter (and longer) you can make an elderberry jam, syrup or tincture. Today I have been on Wimbledon Common collecting hawthorn and elderberries and I am turning both into tinctures. When you have collected your berries, take them home and pluck the berries from the stem and pile them into a glass container. Finally, add vodka until the berries are fully covered and mash the berries around with a fork until its nice and mixed up. Leave for two weeks and then filter.
What you are left with after this simple process is a beutiful elderberry tincture. To use it, take approximately a 1/2 to a whole teaspoon 3 or 4 times a day when you feel a cold coming on and hopefully this will see it off!
Elderberries are great at staving off illness. Some people swear by it. I have even seen medicines made from it advertised in pharmacy windows recently. I would rather make my own! I think I have finally identified some elderberries in the Istanbul area, near the Black Sea coast and also on the Princes Islands, so with an always appreciated trip to the waterfront, I should be able to make this next fall.
Beras Kencur
Kencur, or Kaempferia galanga, is a rhizome related to ginger that I really hope to add to my collection. It smells delicious, almost pine-like dried, which is the only way I have had it. I want a plant, so I can harvest it fresh and make drinks like this one, which is common in Indonesian medicine. It is made out of rice and kencur primarily, but sometimes other ingredients are added. In Chinese medicine, it has been used to treat indigestion, cold, abdominal pain, headache, toothache, rheumatism, and so forth. Its extract has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and analgesic properties, in addition to causing decreased motor skills, central nervous system depression and even mild hallucinations in large doses. Sounds interesting!
MY ASSUMPTION OF THE CAKE WAS A LIE
Oh lawd! I’m pretty sure this weekend put me well on the road towards cirrhosis …or maybe syphilis. … or both. ANYWAY! My flatmate, bless her heart, has been fixing me up myriad herbal remedies to heal my overexerted liver and soul. In return, I’ve been making tea. And while green tea does reportedly aid an ailing liver, I’ve been sticking to the tried and true puer when I’m still reeling from hangover illness.
Today’s choice: Ma Guo Tou Cha (2010) [马锅头茶]
Type: Mystery surprise puer cake
Because: Trying new things again!
Directions: Approximately 5 grams for a ~12oz pot, boiling water, let the first one sit 1-2 minutes, able to be used 6+ times- just let each subsequent infusion sit a bit longer.
It looks like a petrified Jammie Dodger :S
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"Never judge a tea by your own wrong assumptions." Words to live by. And never make assumptions about ma cakes!
CRAZY EIGHTS
It’s still raining. I still don’t know what to do with myself. Time to make tea!
Today’s choice: Eight Immortals (2009 AND 2011) ba xian [八仙]
Type: Oolong tea, Wuyi rock
Because: Needed to do something before I went crazy. Besides, I wanted to compare the difference between the two years. Supposedly, it’s also good for my liver which, god knows, needs all the help it can get!
Directions: Approximately 3 grams for a ~12oz pot, very slightly-less-than-boiling water, let the first one sit about 2 minutes, able to be used 5+ times.
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My personal favourite!
Turmeric Juice Recipe via Chloe Park
Tumeric is known to be one of the most powerful healing herbs. It is great for bones and joints as it has anti-inflammatory properties. It prevents metastases from occurring in many different forms of cancer.
Turmeric’s also a natural liver detoxifier and a kidney cleanser, and it speeds metabolism and aids in weight management. Plus it heals and alleviates conditions of depression, psoriasis, damaged skin, arthritis and more.
For these reasons, turmeric is ubiquitous both in Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine.
Here’s what you’ll need to get started:
5-7 inches turmeric
5-7 tamarind
2 lemons
raw honey
water
blender
strainer
bowl
mason jar(s) or other glass jar with lid
1. Peel turmeric. Your fingers will turn yellow. Don’t worry! All-natural dish soap gets it right out. If your cutting board or countertop get stained, slather on dish soap and rub it in. Let it soak in for 5 min or longer, then scrub with water and sponge. The turmeric stain will vanish!
2. Crack and open tamarind. Make sure you get all the inner roots off, too. We’re only going to use the inner fruit.
3. Fill a big pot with water, put peeled tumeric in and let it boil for at least 20 minutes until the water becomes a rich and vibrant marigold color.
4. While the tumeric water is boiling, get a pan and pour 1 inch of water in with the peeled tamarind. Move the fruit around with a wooden utensil, mix it in with the water so it can melt and dissolve into a jam like texture. More water shouldn’t be needed, but if it’s lookin’ a bit dry, pour water in as needed.
By this time, you should be able to see the little seeds coming out. When the texture looks soft, turn heat off and let it cool down.
5. Go back to the tumeric water. By now, the color should look ready. Pour a little bit of cold water to lower the temperature. Take the turmeric water and pour it into the blender with the tumeric. We boiled it so the root could soften and have more flavor, now it’s ready to buzz in the blender for even more flavor and richness! Blend, blend, blend. The color now should look like an extra extra fiery marigold.
6. Go back to the tamarind in the pan. Pour substance into the strainer that is placed on top of a small bowl to catch the tamarind. Swish the jam like substance around in the strainer with the wooden utensil— we only want to use the soft bits of the fruit. No seeds, no seed peels.
7. Pour the tamarind that has been caught in the bowl into the blender with the tumeric water. Buzz it around again.
8. We’re almost done. Squeeze your lemons into the blender. Now take the blender and pour your yummy juice into your mason jar(s). Add honey to taste, close with lid, shake it up to mix.
9. Store in fridge up to 3-4 days and drink daily!
Turmeric is a member of the ginger family, and is widely used in traditional Indonesian medicine!
Soursop leaf
Another medicinal plant I picked up in Java - Soursop. The more I learn about soursop, the more I fall in love with it.
Originally from Central America, the tree is now cultivated in tropical climates all around the world, and for good reason. The fruit is sour yet delicious. It is one of my favorite fruits ever, and every part of the plant has been used to treat things like heart and liver problems, asthma and arthritis. And, as with everything else, it is being heavily researched as a cancer treatment, as studies have been shown it seeks out and destroys cancer cells rather effectively in vitro. Lets just talk about the leaves, because that is all I have (beyond a few seeds that arent growing anything but mould). An infusion of soursop leaves, fresh or dried, can be made by steeping in boiling water for around ten minutes until yellow. The leaves are quite large, and I only put one or two in a cup. The flavor is mild, a bit nutty or woody, with a very distinctive smell - sort of sulfury like an egg, but without the rotting bit. According to the book "Daun Ajaib," about medicinal leaves written in Indonesian, the leaves are good for treating cancer, abscess, athritis, intestinal worms, general weakness, bronchitis, coughing, diabetes, dysentery, fever, flu, heart palpitations, liver conditions, hypertension, digestive disorders, infections, rheumatism, mange, malaria, convulsions, ulcers and more. The leaves are diuretic, lactogogues and sedative. But wait just a minute! There has been a lot of hype about this plant, as some claim that soursop is more effective as a cancer treatment than chemo, but there is another side to the story. Soursop and its cousins in the Annona genus also contain a neurotoxin called annonacin, which is linked to atypical Parkinsons. Read more about that here: Toxicology expert raises alarm over potential neurotoxins in graviola/soursop Also, studies have shown soursop to be more effective than chemo in targeting and destroying cancer cells, and with less damage to other cells, but that is only in vitro, not clinical tests with actual humans. In other words, soursop is super hopeful as a treatment for many things, but more work needs to be done, especially with this little side effect of Parkinsons if the plant is taken in high doses.
TOO POOR FOR PUER
Ugh. Spent most of the day hungover and clutching a warm mug of puer tea for dear life and wondering wtf I was doing up and playing on ChatRoulette until 6 am. Why do I do this to myself?? But I’m not feeling like writing about a new type of tea so instead I’ll just talk about puer in general.
Today’s choice: Puer tea [普洱茶] : an introduction
Good for: Hangovers, cholesterol, spleen, stomach, gifts (hint hint)
Beautiful tea on an ugly couch!
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I'm the proud owner of these cakes
BIG RED MESS
(Finished my tea and moved on to rum, so apologies if this post makes even less sense than usual.)
It’s been raining a lot here recently. I’m not sure if that’s normal for this city or not, but it’s not normal for me, goddammit! I don’t really buy into that whole ‘being cold and wet will make you sick!’ nonsense, but regardless of WHY, a lot of people do tend to get ill around this time of year. Therefore, today I will tell you all about a tea that has a very good reputation for boosting the immune system, helping digestion, and a legend of curing an Emperor’s mother back to health.
Today’s choice: Big Red Robe (2011) da hong pao [大红袍]
Type: Oolong tea, Wuyi rock
Because: Good for the immune system and for digestion.
Directions: Approximately 3 grams for a ~12oz pot, boiling water, let the first one sit about 3 minutes, able to be used 6+ times.
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Jamu (Natural Medicine) Shop
Solo, Java, Indonesia
2008
Photo : Linda Peschong
I picked this up at a pasar in Java. I didnt know what it was, but it looked like an interesting find. It turns out that there’s very little info, and even less that is credible/in English, about this fruit. It comes from Papua, but has been cultivated in Java for quite awhile. It is also...
