I'd been attracted to the healing powers of plants long before we went to Jamaica. When you live in the woods, you become familiar with the plants around you. I learned oh too quickly about poison oak. I'm one of those people who break out in a rash just by brushing against it. I learned about the medicinal properties of jewelweed. It grew along the creek at my old place. I always made sure I had some jewelweed tea, frozen in ice cube trays, in the freezer. As soon as I felt that familiar itch, I'd reach for the golden cubes.
The more I trekked around in the woods, the more involved I got with the plants that grew there. I bought a plant ID book and several other herbals and started researching and experimenting with these magical plants. I talked to anyone that I could find that knew anything about herbal healing. A lot of the same country people that taught me about gardening knew about the healing power of these plants. And if they didn't know, they knew someone who did. And once again, I absorbed as much knowledge as I could. I buried my nose in my books, but my most valuable lessons came from these cottage herbalists and the plants themselves.
My bookshelves are crammed with herb books. My medicine chest is full of tinctures, salves and oils. My gardens are dotted with herbs. It all comes together perfectly in this life that I carved out for myself. It's an age old practice that has been around for centuries. It's vintage. Until next time.....
