"Na zdorovia!" - Baba's prescription for winter (02/07/93)

"Na zdorovia!" - Baba's prescription for winter

by Jeff Picknicki

Sometimes my Baba comes up with the funniest things. Once she told me the story of Old Lady Kovalyshyn who, according to Baba, was some-kind-of-good-for-nothing, (in Baba's vocabulary, this is one word) who fed her geese the berries from the home brew she was making. As you might have guessed, the geese ate the fermented fruit and passed out cold from the alcohol. When the old lady came outside and saw this, she presumed they were dead and quickly began to pluck them,... but just as she had finished stripping the feathers off the last one, the poor geese woke up and began to run "naked" around the yard.

Having told you this, you can imagine the kind of bedtime stories I heard as a child. But actually, while Baba does have a story for almost every situation and circumstance, she also has some good advice to dispense, especially when it comes to traditional Ukrainian folk medicine, her self-proclaimed field of expertise.

And having been around my Baba long enough to have picked up a thing or two, I can tell you there's a lot more to this than you might think.

First of all, before I go any further, let me say that Baba's interest in Ukrainian folk medicine has nothing to do with magic or any other kind of hocus-pocus, and I can assure you that she doesn't wait for the first full moon to stand over a bubbling cauldron in her back yard, tossing in eye of newt or other assorted animal parts.

For Ukrainians, folk medicine, with its roots dating back to earliest times, has long been a part of the lives of the people. Motivated by the natural instinct for protection and self-preservation, it is the result of generations of practical experience, and although sometimes sounding more like folklore than fact, this age-old folk wisdom is often as timely today as it was in the past.

As a child in her village, my Baba learned all about the uses of different herbs and plants from her mother who, as the story goes, learned it from her mother, who had also learned it from her mother. Every spring the village women would go out into the forests and meadows to collect the different herbs, flowers and grasses they would save and use as needed throughout the year to treat a number of different illnesses and ailments.

According to folk belief, some of the plants, such as dereviy (yarrow) and kupyna (anise), would be gathered on the day of Kupalo, (Feast of St. John) on July 7, when they were believed to have their greatest healing and curative powers.

Baba tells me hundreds of different herbs and grasses were collected by the villagers and, depending on the specific plant or the method of treatment, they would be used in different ways. With some, like kalyna (guelder rose) or cheremkha (chokecherry), it was the buds or berries that would be gathered and used to make infusions or extracts. With others, such as shypshyna (wild rose) and teren (blackthorn), it was the roots and stems which were said to possess the sought-after healing properties.

She also tells me that most of the plants were gathered in the wild, "de ne chuty holosu pivnia," (where you can't hear the rooster) but certain ones, such as comfrey or caraway, would be cultivated at home.

According to Baba, one of the most popular herbs in Ukrainian folk medicine is polyn, or wormwood, which has been widely used from ancient times as a treatment for fever, kidney and liver ailments, easing the pain of a toothache, or soothing a cough. Some even believe it can improve memory.

Polyn was also said to have magical powers and according to superstition, it was used by the people as a protection from ghosts and evil spirits. On the eve of Kupalo, for example, the villagers would decorate their houses and farm buildings with wormwood leaves in order to keep away any evil spirits that might be present. Baba also tells me that a tonic made from the leaves will protect you from getting a cold (although, if you've ever tasted wormwood, I say take your chances).

Another herb she uses is rumianok or romashka (camomile) and an extract of the flowers, together with a spoonful of honey, is said to help stomachaches, soothe a sore throat, and according to folk belief, will even give you better eyesight. Among Ukrainians, rumianok has also been long praised for its effectiveness in treating cough and congestion, it would be given to women to increase fertility and was even used by midwives for a number of different treatments.

As well, it could be used in combination with valeriana (valerian) as a treatment for insomnia or other sleep disorders, but considering even the smallest dose of valerian was known to be a powerful aphrodisiac, this would make, no doubt, for an interesting recovery.

I would also be remiss if I did not mention garlic which, according to Baba, is an elixir for almost anything that ails you. She swears by its use, saying that four out of five Babas surveyed recommend garlic for just about anything that hurts, itches, aches, swells or twinges. She also says that if you eat two cloves of garlic every day, you'll never catch a cold. (This is probably true because if you eat that much garlic, no one will come close enough to give you the germs.)

Among some of her other remedies are blueberry leaves for colds and sore throats, blackthorn to ease an upset stomach, and an extract of wild raspberry leaves as a good general tonic and blood purifier.

Although Baba's shopping list for a healthy winter reads like a botany textbook, she's not alone in her beliefs in traditional folk medicine. Scientific research and studies from around the world are showing the curative and healing potential of a wide variety of plants and, in doing so, are gradually eliminating this blind spot in modern medicine.

But while Baba may know what she's talking about when it comes to the healing herbs of folk medicine, the road to health has not always been without its potholes. Over the years, while out collecting plants and flowers, she's been stung by bees, chased by a bear, gotten poison ivy, and I can't even remember how many times she ran out of gas.

In any case, having a scientist for a Baba has taught me many things - especially to first ask what's cooking before sneaking a taste from the pot. Not long ago, what I thought was borshch turned out to be a special extract she was making for the old lady next door, and as I ran to the sink for some water, Baba laughed so hard tears rolled down her cheeks. "Relax," she said as she assured me that I hadn't just poisoned myself, "...at least now you'll never get a hot flash!"

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