FRONT DOOR FIRST AID...

a good and effective fix in an emergency situation, when you are
outdoors and caught without a bandaid and asprin, just look down.

　
It was a while ago, I remember thumbing through my local newspaper, looking at the inserts.; when I came across one for a health food store. Quickly glancing through it, my eyes scanned over foreign names of extracts conjured up from exotic plants from Brazil, The Rain forest, and China even And I wondered why plants natural to our own home are not marketed as the breakthrough wonders as these. And I just couldn’t believe that God would place each and every one of us in differing environments, without the necessities with which to survive in them. Seriously, what parent would?

It is with this in mind which spurred me to purchase a copy of “Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Rocky Mountains...” by Terry Willard Ph.D. when I ran across it..Only because that is where I lived at the time. (There are many books covering medicinal and edible plants that suit the wide varieties of regions that North America proudly displays.
I am sure glad I did come across this book, it has been a wonderful and captivating source of information detailing fascinating local herbs placed for us by the tender loving care of our Father, confirming to me that He never leaves out a detail in providing for us and our needs.I find great comfort in that

It was in this book, that I was familiarized first hand with a plant very common to most wooded regions of North America, called Wintergreen. “Herbzoo.com” claims that Wintergreen is found all over North America in damp humus rich soil with a preference to peat and sphagnum moss. In fact Wintergreen is a group of plants, with varieties varying from region to region. standing 2-4 inches tall, (5-9 cm.) I discovered that it can be found virtually year round, when I kicked a clump of snow from a spot where I scoped it out in the warmer months. Sure enough there it was , faithfully waiting in all it’s green splendor.

At that time, I lived twenty minutes from downtown, on a five acre parcel of land, surrounded with that exact environment. I remember taking my book outside and locating Wintergreen just twenty steps from my front door, and being really excited about it..Why? Because wintergreen is a fantastic pain killer, and my family and I were rough and tumble outdoors people, often finding ourselves on out bikes miles away from a medicine cabinet. It was handy I thought , to have a natural source near by, just in case. Hey you never know! But how effective was it, I wondered? Well, I wouldn’t have to wonder for too long .

My man and I were outside, in the driveway pulling a motor from his truck, when the chain snapped. It was just one of those things. But when the motor dropped, my man’s hand was in the way, ever so slightly. and his little finger was ripped open. We were out of Tylenol and nearly out of bandaids, wondering what to do to help ease the pain, I thought of enlisting the services of God’s natural pharmacy. Washing and crushing some leaves so as to get the juices in the plant exposed, I places them in the wound. And to my surprise the bleeding stopped almost immediately, and within a Minuit or so, I was told that the wound felt numb. There was no pain at all. Though I had expected this little plant to be somewhat effective for pain relief, I had not expected the outright success it provided at that moment.

Wintergreen contains a large proportion of methyl salicylate, which forms the base of the asprin group of medicines. Making it very effective in alleviating pains and inflamations in different body parts, and oftem a favorite for the use in dealing with rheumatism.

Now fear not, if you don’t have wintergreen growing out your front door as I did at that time, you can buy it in the very same health food stores along side the exotic remedies of other lands. It comes in the form of an oil, and can be used as a tincture or infusion. It is often used for: joint pain, muscle discomfort, arthritis, cellulite, poor cirrculation, headaches, hypertension, inflammations, ulcers, broken or bruised bones, just to mention a few. According to Wikipedia , t has also been used in some perfumery applications as a flavoring agent for some toothpastes, chewing gum, and soft drinks. What a fascinating plant that is proudly North American!