Medicine Survival

[Abbe Osram]

Medicine Survival

Hi Guys
I would like to start a thread about medicine survival. The thought is not to share theoretical knowledge; such stuff is easy to find in different books, but to share house cures that we have found out to be helpful through our own experience.

If you managed to operate an appendix in the bush, by all means share it with us, otherwise share rather the simple stuff that actually can make a big difference being out there in the woods.

My experience: Running nose and pain in the throat.
How I fix it:
I mix about one teaspoon table salt into one cup (200-250 ml) of luke warm water. Wait until the salt is well dissolved. I snort the salt water through my nose slowly and carefully and spit it out my mouth. Keep doing it until the cup is empty.

Important: Don’t take too much salt. The water should taste a bit salty but feel comfortable in the nose. Burning sensation means that your water is too salty. Too hot or cold water isn’t good either.

Review:
This cure has worked well for me since 20 years now and I hardly ever have a flue and I never have sinus infection any more. It even works as prevention when folks around you are sick. A lot of germs are hanging in the nose and the saltwater washes them out. If you have already the flue do it 3 times a day. It feels strange in the beginning but I am so used to it now that I don’t mind it at all.

My experience: Very strong and heavy throat infection, an infection where you actually would need some antibiotics.
How I fixed it: I took a leak into a cup and gargled the urine in my throat

Review: It needs some concentration to close down your other senses and only do the job without throwing up. After the first time it took only 5 min and the pain in the throat was gone. I needed to gargle three times a day for 2 days to get rid of the infection altogether. All in all it is a great help if you are stuck without antibiotics.


cheers
Abbe

[ChrisKavanaugh]

I had to delete a similar post at ETS recently. A well meaning individual is creating a website of such home remedies. Unfortunately, many of our countries are plagued by increasing litigation over simple common sense. Medicine is a landminefield!!!! Tony can post multiple disclaimers and warnings about bushcraft being potentially dangerous, as is suffocating in an overheated flat. but I haven't found any forums on 'couch potatocraft.' Anecdotal folk remedies may or may not work. If it isn't in the recognised literature with references and disclaimers, if your not an authority with a medical qualification DONT GO HERE. ( Gulping down 4 aspirins :shock: )

[Adi]

Some interesting remedies there Abbe.

In one of my yoga books they describe washing your sinuses out with warm salted water and you can get a nose kettle that looks like a small watering can with a long thin spout that you put up the nostril to poor the solution up your nose.

Before people are repulsed by your urine remedy lets not forget that urine is in fact sterile when it first leaves the body and has many uses in emergency medicine. As well as many other uses.

[TheViking]

I'm a viking, so I feel no pain. :wink: :rolmao: No seriously, as we all know, prevention is better than cure. So to avoid headache... drink lots of water. To prevent cuts... follow the safety rules (but even when following them, it can go nasty). To prevent hypothermia, don't fall in the water etc.

[Tantalus]

there can be reasons why urine is not sterile when leaving the body

please lets try and keep tips to the sensible end of the scale

sorry to put you all off

Tant

[RovingArcher]

An old Medicine man share with me something that, if one follows the Earths spirit, makes perfect sense.

"We can't heal our bodies with the Mothers medicines, unless we understand not only the physical properties of the medicine and how to prepare and use it, but also the spirit of the medicine."

Time has also taught me that a very possitive outlook in our healing, makes for a very possitive healing.

[george]

Garlic - I've recently had a nasty chest cold that was getting pretty uncomfortable. I won't take antibiotics unless my doc says I must ( she won't give them out unless you're at deaths door anyway, sensible woman.) so I chewed a clove of garlic every hour or so and breathed over the mush as I chewed it. Chest loosened after four or five hours and was better in two days. Okay so you smell of garlic, but there are worse things for your breath to smell of ( eh Abbe ;) )

george

[Abbe Osram]

there can be reasons why urine is not sterile when leaving the body

please lets try and keep tips to the sensible end of the scale

sorry to put you all off

Tant

Hi Tant
the idea of the Thread is to share experienced knowledge of people who like to share medicine survival. If some of the stuff here are upsetting the taste of anyone, he simple can skip the Thread and don't need to participate.
Please don't try to lead the thread into another discussion. If you have to share some knowledge based on your experience great otherwise don't.

thanks
Abbe

[Tantalus]

Hi Tant
the idea of the Thread is to share experienced knowledge of people who like to share medicine survival. If some of the stuff here are upsetting the taste of anyone, he simple can skip the Thread and don't need to participate.
Please don't try to lead the thread into another discussion. If you have to share some knowledge based on your experience great otherwise don't.

thanks
Abbe
yes i have knowledge that i wish to share

do the words urinary tract infection mean anything to you ?

i was trying to be nice about it :?:

and the bald assertion that urine is sterile when it leaves the body is humbug

Tant

[Abbe Osram]

yes i have knowledge that i wish to share

do the words urinary tract infection mean anything to you ?

i was trying to be nice about it :?:

and the bald assertion that urine is sterile when it leaves the body is humbug

Tant

Tant please read the beginning of my Thread! What are you going to share here? That you had a urine infection? Ok, and what then? How did you heal yourself without a doctor?

cheers
Abbe

[Realgar]

Urine generaly isn't sterile ( it has some mycoplasma species in it for starters ) but the stuff living in it generaly doesn't like living elsewhere so you can use it for washing out wounds if you're out of other options ( like boiled water ). It's also apparently handy for jellyfish stings but I've never had an opportunity to dry this out ( never been stung by one ).

Goosegrass - aka cleavers stops bleeding fast, I've used it on myself. It stings like hell but does the job, apparently it can also be used to treat urinary tract infections when drunk as a tea. I crush the stems and press them onto cuts.

Nettles for pain relief - no really, when I put that billhook through my hand (which I did get proper medical advice on a day later when my arm looked like a large red balloon ) I used nettle stings around the wound to relieve the ache in the damaged joints, also handy for arthritis according to folk medicine.

Realgar

[jakunen]

Nettles for pain relief - no really, when I put that billhook through my hand (which I did get proper medical advice on a day later when my arm looked like a large red balloon ) I used nettle stings around the wound to relieve the ache in the damaged joints, also handy for arthritis according to folk medicine.

Realgar
They are also a 'cure' for hypothermia supposedly. You roll, naked, in a patch of them and the acid in the needles apparently acts to raise the body temperature and gets the blood flowing properly around the body, in a safe, slow manner. You must however ensure that any sensitive areas - eyes, genitals, are protected.

I've never tried it and hopefully won't ever need to but...I'm willing to proscribe it to a 'patient' before I try it myself.:wink:

[Tantalus]

used urine often in greece for sea urchin "stings"

the spine tips are poisonous - not deadly , just sore- and break off in your feet

plastic sandals were my daily wear which kept me out of the worst of em

Tant

[bambodoggy]

Abbe and Tant.....you're both right in MY opinion.....if it works for Abbe to gargle with stuff then cool....if Tant's worried about infection...cool.

Maybe if you could heal the infection first with herbal medicine, then you could try Abbe's trick for clearing his sore throat!

I'd never have thought of doing what Abbe advises and probebly will never do it as I live in the UK and most of the places I go out to are within at very most a days hike from the nearest "Moss the Chemists".....however, if I was really on my own and couldn't get to help I might be tempted to try it if I know I didn't have a urinary infection but to be fair it'd have to be a pretty bad sore throat! lol
I've had bladder infections a couple of times and although it may be different for some, I KNEW like I've never known before that I had them.....so in that case I wouldn't go gargling it....

Common sence really.....

So...Abbe...how do you cure your piles? :nana:

[Tantalus]

litle bits of garlic when sucked are sposed to have a disinfectant effect

and gargling with salt water should help clean up the throat too

sorry for being argumentative i was just worried that there could be unforseen consequences for unquestioningly following some of the suggestions

it is an interesting topic

:super: Thanks Abbe

Tant

[jakunen]

[QUOTE=Tantalus]litle bits of garlic when sucked are sposed to have a disinfectant effect/QUOTE]

Indeed it does. Garlic juice is said to be both anti-bacterial and anti-septic. HOWEVER I would not recommend the aplication of neat juice to burns of any kind or to cuts in senstive areas nor on those with sensitive skin as it is rather strong and can cause additional problems. Not to mention that fact that it hurts like damnation! (dabbled in homeopathy a few years ago and decided to try it out. I think I'd rather use iodine than raw garlic juice (unless it was elephant garlic), on a cut...)

[Moonraker]

I had to delete a similar post at ETS recently. A well meaning individual is creating a website of such home remedies. Unfortunately, many of our countries are plagued by increasing litigation over simple common sense. Medicine is a landminefield!!!! Tony can post multiple disclaimers and warnings about bushcraft being potentially dangerous, as is suffocating in an overheated flat. but I haven't found any forums on 'couch potatocraft.' Anecdotal folk remedies may or may not work. If it isn't in the recognised literature with references and disclaimers, if your not an authority with a medical qualification DONT GO HERE. ( Gulping down 4 aspirins :shock: )

If we followed that advice Chris MOST of the posts on this and other forums would not happen, not just medical ones given that they 'may' lead someone into injuring themselves etc. I am glad to read the opinion and experience of others and take it for what it is , which is part of the wider picture and helps me form my own considered opinion. I think most people would agree that both professional medical aid and alternatives, especially in a potential survival situation, have their place where appropriate and considering the individual situation.

'Alternative' medicines are a lot more widely accepted now in Europe. It does not mean they are better or worse than 'official' medicines rather what is important is the chance to read the thoughts and experiences of others so that we can make our own 'informed' decisions. Litigation should not be allowed to censor opinion.

In the same way I think it is important that Tant raises a concern in that way we can consider other aspects of the treatment.

To put this into perspective, it has also been suggested that urine can be used for jellyfish stings. Well, on no better informed programme than BBC's Blue Peter that is just what the presenter did! When he asked the other presenters to wee on his sting to relive the pain on film :o): One of the more memorable programmes and from memory it worked too :-)

Thanks Abbe, I may not drink my own wee but I found the info very interesting :biggthump

[EdS]

Blackcurrent juice in vinegar - great for colds, loads of Vitamin C and cuts through the phlegm.

Honey - 101 uses

spiders webs or puff ball spores on cuts stops the bleading.

Realgar- sharpen the billhook a bit more and you'll feel nothing next time you cut yourself. I didn't realise I had a 1 inch bone deep cut on my shin until it was pointed out, and it put a hole in my new combats.

[Skippy]

believe it or not Bee stings apparently have got a multitude of medicinal uses, can't remember them all, but, anyone interested in being stung to death to cure a cold can learn about it from the resident bee keeper at the Cobtree Hop Farm nr Maidstone. (he takes great pride in spending two hours telling you the best places to get stung (and sometimes gives a demo))

[RovingArcher]

Adding chewed Tobacco will help to draw the venom out from a bee sting. So will mud.

Honey is an excellent food source and has many medicinal values. Not the least of which is that bacteria can't live in honey. Placed on a burn, honey will also help to stop skin loss and scaring. It's gives needed energy or will help to relax.

Honey (http://www.heronter.org/Library/FYIHealthwise/honey.html)

[masongary44]

Many moons ago, my father was a bank manager in a less well off area of Manchester. Every few months he had a "traveller" customer come in the branch and he often asked to see the manager. Ofer his time ther ehe had many conversations with the traveller and one of them relates quite nicely to the original thread.

Alledgedly, the traveller had not required medical attention for almost 2 decades. He put this down to the fact that he "cleansed" his sinuses as part of his daily hygene practices. I do not recollect the tale involving salt, just water. I suppose it makes sence, ma great many of the common bugs are transmitted through airbourne mechnisms, if we breath through the nose, it does not take much to guess how they get in.....

It is a cure / defense I have never really tried in earnest until this winter, and i am still using it in an attempt to rid myself of the mother of all colds...... It is uncomfortable (still), but strangly refreshing after the disscomfort fades.

I have also found that if you slice an onion really thin, sprinkle a decent amount of brown sugar on it and leave overnight. The juices leeched out of the onion by the sugar makes a great cough / anti catargh syrup.

I have tried this one on many an occaision and it works for me. You can not overdose on it and it does not taste that bad either.

And on the urine front, a sore throat aint usually that bad to live with.... certainly not that bad!! :)

[bambodoggy]

Adding chewed Tobacco will help to draw the venom out from a bee sting.

Or if you swallow the chewed up tobacco (about a single fag's worth) then you will stun your tape worms long enough to "poo" them out. :o):

Of you could just drink a shed load of locally made Thai whiskey and that seemed to have the desired effect on mine!

Actually while I'm talking Tape Worms (and I mainly mean beef ones here as fish and pork can be quite nasty)..... I never knew I had it until it came out while relieving myself one day and I found it buy hand (see...lot to be said for wiping the native way)....I should have guessed as i was eating 4 to 5 full main meals a day and still dropped from 14 stone to 10 stone in six weeks.....but then I'm just thinking "Hey...it's all this fresh veg I'm eating...I must be soooo healthy".
Anyway, the point is: I was thinking, if they could genetically modify a beef tape worm to live for 6 months and then die you could make millions and millions of pounds over night..... The first truly working "eat as much as you like and still lose heaps of weight diet". ! ! !
So presumably if the eating a ciggy trick works then we could do that....and just to show you all how nice I am I'd buy BCUK a nice big wood for us all to play in!!!!!! :o):

"This time next year Rodney, we'll be........." :rolmao: :rolmao: :rolmao:

[Abbe Osram]

Thanks Abbe, I may not drink my own wee but I found the info very interesting :biggthump


Don't drink it!!!!!!!!Gargle and spit it out!! If you drink it you do harm to your kidneys!!! But friends I like to say that this comes handy if you Don't get medicine, I heard that in a survival teaching and tested it. It did the job for me but it is not the thing I like to do a lot for the fun of it. :yikes:

cheers
Abbe

[arctic hobo]

Jak, your remedy reminds me of a risqué story: my friend was lying asleep on our local beach, and his girlfriend and her mates descended upon him and tried to steal his trunks (girls :roll: ). They succeeded eventually, and made him chase after them to get them - yes naked - before deciding to throw them over a hedge. He runs, dives over the hedge... straight into a huge patch of nettles! :rolmao:

Moonraker, you're quite right. We must also remember that professional medical opinion changes all the time - that's for example why you have to redo first aid courses frequently. And that folk medecine, while it may be placebo or hearsay, does have two advantages - you'll find it out in the bush, and it's based on thousands of years of practice.

[Moonraker]

Don't drink it!!!!!!!!Gargle and spit it out!! If you drink it you do harm to your kidneys!!! But friends I like to say that this comes handy if you Don't get medicine, I heard that in a survival teaching and tested it. It did the job for me but it is not the thing I like to do a lot for the fun of it. :yikes:

cheers
Abbe

Here is some info on urine which may help to clarify this:


Though many have been conditioned to think of urine as “dirty,” quite the opposite is true. Except in the case of a urinary tract or kidney infection, urine fresh from the urethra is sterile, devoid of any pathogens. Urine is 95 percent water, with less than five percent urea, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, hormones, proteins, antibodies, and other beneficial pharmacological agents.
Contrary to popular belief, urine is actually a by-product of blood filtration and not waste filtration. Medically, it is referred to as “plasma ultrafiltrate.” It is a purified derivative of the blood itself, made by the kidneys whose principal function is regulation of all the elements and their concentrations in the blood. Nutrient-filled blood passes through the liver where toxins are removed to be excreted as solid waste. Eventually, this purified blood undergoes a more extensive filtering process in the kidneys, where excess components not usable at that time by the body are collected in the form of the sterile, watery solution that is urine.
Far from being harmful, urine contains known healing agents. Clinical studies have proven that the thousands of critical body chemicals and nutrients that end up in urine reflect the individual body’s functions. When re-utilized, these chemicals and nutrients act as natural vaccines, antibacterial, antiviral and anticarcinogenic agents as well as hormone balancers and allergy relievers.
For example, melatonin, present in significant amounts in urine, is a natural hormone that has already been proven to help regulate sleep. Muramyl dipeptide, another natural hormone found in urine, mirrors the calming action of serotonin. If wishing to enhance fertility, one could drink urine high in a specific hormonal content.

An important component of urine is urea, a commonly recognized antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral agent. The presence of urea in the urine results from the body’s chemical balancing of the sodium chloride and water ratio. When used on a wound, urea causes an osmotic imbalance inside bacteria and fungi that utlimately kills them. Due to its effectiveness, urea is used in many topical ointments and creams sold pharmaceutically, both prescription and over-the-counter. Urea is found in a broad range of medicines used to treat inflammation and is a main ingredient in Herpigon, a medicine used to treat herpes infections. Additionally, urine can smooth and moisturize the skin. Face creams or wrinkle removers most likely contain urea or a derivative of it. source: Berkeley Medical Journal-Urine Therapy. Drinking urine - an ancient therapeutic practice revisited. Fall 2002 (http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~issues/fall02/urine.html)


“Certainly in small volumes, provided it is not infected with germs, there is probably no hazard in drinking [urine]. But if you started drinking significant volumes of your own urine, then essentially your recycling your own waste products - you’re not excreting them permanently.” source: as above quoting Robert Farnsworth M.D., leading urologist at Australia’s Prince of Wales and Prince Henry Hospitals

I think her summary is spot on:


Urine may or may not be the golden fountain of youth. It may or may not be the elixir of good health. Often, there are broad, sweeping claims made by proponents of almost every therapeutic modality, but there is no therapy that can meet claims of 100 percent success. Despite the first impression that the Western mind often has of seeing the modern practice of urine therapy as antiquated at the least, or revolting at the most, its value need not be immediately dismissed. However, it is up to the people to decide if it is right for them.There is a lighthearted but informative article here:

Rotten.com - Drinking Pee (http://www.rotten.com/library/medicine/bodily-functions/****ing/drinking-pee/)

Check out the first image. It appears it has other effects too :o):

[arctic hobo]

Thank god, now I have a polite way to say "I need a pee":
"I require to expel plasma ultrafiltrate through my urethra" :rolmao:

Good info there Moonraker :biggthump

[Abbe Osram]

Moonraker, thanks a lot for the great info. Looks like you saved my skin here. :wink: don't want to get across as a pervert.
I didn't know about all the medic stuff I only got the tip from a extreme Survivalist. When the time came I tried it out and it worked ....for me. :o):

cheers and thanks
Abbe

[shinobi]

It can't be that bad for you because I saw it being used in a competition on TV where each time they got a question right they had to take a slug of their own pee. I can't imagine them getting away with it if it is harmful.

Martin

[Abbe Osram]

It can't be that bad for you because I saw it being used in a competition on TV where each time they got a question right they had to take a slug of their own pee. I can't imagine them getting away with it if it is harmful.

Martin

I dont know much about Sea Survival but what I was reading is that they warn people not to drink in desperation their own pee, dont remember why. I only remember not to do it because it would affect the kidneys. I should read it up again.

But.... well....gargle is ok but not fun :yikes:

cheers
Abbe

[arctic hobo]

Yes, I think it is because you do not gain any fluids by drinking it as the same amount of water is required - or more - to pee it out again. It's essential to urinate to get rid of the harmful nitrates/ammonia (can't remember which), so if more have built up you will actually lose fluid by drinking your urine. And if you hold it in you will literally burn yourself, as it does nasty things to your insides. :shock:

Off topic, is sea water as bad at keeping you hydrated? I know it's bad but surely if you drink enough you will have enough water to keep you alive. :?:

[mal]

HI as far as i no the reason you can not drink salt water is your body has to maintain a balance of salts so the moor salt water you drink you have to drink even moor fresh water to get the balance back or your kidneys give up.

[Adi007]

HI as far as i no the reason you can not drink salt water is your body has to maintain a balance of salts so the moor salt water you drink you have to drink even moor fresh water to get the balance back or your kidneys give up.
Even if you did balance salt water with fresh water eventually the load of salt would kill you anyway.

[TheViking]

Even if you did balance salt water with fresh water eventually the load of salt would kill you anyway.
I saw or heard somewhere that 2 glasses of saltwater, make that around 4-5 dl, would kill a man. :shock:

[DOC-CANADA]

Hi All;

Being a new guy, I don't know if this has been addressed or not, but I'm sure you're all aware that common names for plants vary as to district. Considering this is international in scope, would it not be efficacious to use binomials (genus and species) especially when dealing with wild foods or medicines?

Just a thought,

:-P DOC-CANADA :-P

[Moonraker]

Hi All;

Being a new guy, I don't know if this has been addressed or not, but I'm sure you're all aware that common names for plants vary as to district. Considering this is international in scope, would it not be efficacious to use binomials (genus and species) especially when dealing with wild foods or medicines?

Just a thought,

:-P DOC-CANADA :-P
I usually give the common name and the botanical name in my posts as I understand the problem and it aids identification across languages as you say. I use the British common name (often there are more than one of these but usually there is a commonly accepted version) on BCUK simply because more people understand what you are talking about :wink: and add the botanic name for those that understand these or wish to research further.

I also try to avoid scientific terms like 'biomials' and try to keep my English simple and avoid words like 'efficacious' for the same reason of considering the non native speaking members and aid clarity of communication :-)

[Ed]

Doing a quick google search on a plants common name usualy comes up with a referance to its latin name from which you can research further.

:-)
Ed

[MarkG]

While on the subject of 'plasma ultrafiltrate' soaking your feet in wee helps with fungal infections like athletes foot.

[Moonraker]

Doing a quick google search on a plants common name usualy comes up with a referance to its latin name from which you can research further.

:-)
Ed
Good tip Ed :biggthump

[DOC-CANADA]

[QUOTE=Moonraker]..... but usually there is a commonly accepted version...


I'm not familiar with the circumstance in Europe, but here, in Canada, your suggestion would not necessarily work. For example, my first bow is made of Ironwood. Even if you spoke to somebody right here in my city that was knowledgable about trees, he couldn't tell you, with certainty, what tree it is because we have 2 Ironwoods (Ostrya virginiana and Carpinus caroliniana).

Secondly, on public plant hikes I've done, I have people calling Cattails (Typha spp.), Bulrushes (Scirpus spp.). In fact, I think more people called them Bulrushes even though Cattails is the commonly accepted term.

So, in the previous 2 examples, a Google search would be inconclusive.

Regarding the other matter, ("avoid words like 'efficacious'") I plead guilty to being 58 and sometimes the right word doesn't come immediately, but efficacious did. I will keep your suggestion in mind, in the future.

:-P Doc :-P

[Moonraker]

[QUOTE=Moonraker]..... but usually there is a commonly accepted version...

I'm not familiar with the circumstance in Europe, but here, in Canada, your suggestion would not necessarily work. For example, my first bow is made of Ironwood. Even if you spoke to somebody right here in my city that was knowledgable about trees, he couldn't tell you, with certainty, what tree it is because we have 2 Ironwoods (Ostrya virginiana and Carpinus caroliniana).

Secondly, on public plant hikes I've done, I have people calling Cattails (Typha spp.), Bulrushes (Scirpus spp.). In fact, I think more people called them Bulrushes even though Cattails is the commonly accepted term.

So, in the previous 2 examples, a Google search would be inconclusive.

Regarding the other matter, ("avoid words like 'efficacious'") I plead guilty to being 58 and sometimes the right word doesn't come immediately, but efficacious did. I will keep your suggestion in mind, in the future.

:-P Doc :-P
You are right of course that confusion may still reign when it comes to the use of common names for plants. It is why I tend to give both common and botanic version. But a lot of people will only refer to a plant by the name they know it as. So even if they take the time to look up the botanical version it may still be wrong. So the best way to check is to either have a decent identification book or check it out on the internet where you often find illustrated descriptions which should help, it is free to use and often quicker than leaving the computer :wink:

I admire your eloquence as I love words too :-) But having been involved with Europian student organisations for a number of years I realised the importance of keeping language as simple as possible (and speaking slowly helps too). This is more true of written English where we often use idioms (sayings) which mean nothing to people in another country or even another village up the road from us :-)

[jakunen]

Secondly, on public plant hikes I've done, I have people calling Cattails (Typha spp.), Bulrushes (Scirpus spp.). In fact, I think more people called them Bulrushes even though Cattails is the commonly accepted term.

Doc that is a common problem due to a Victorian danish painter who's name I can't remember just now who painted Moses in his basket (hence reed baskets being called 'Moses baskets'), amongst a stand of reedmace (or cat-tails) and called it 'Moses in the (bul)rushes). The public at the time took up the name and it drives me crazy trying to re-educate people to use the right name...

Ok found his details in my notes...


Laurens Alma Tadema, later Sir Lawrence Alma Tadema, who painted the picture ‘Finding Moses’ or as it is more commonly known, ‘Moses in the Rushes’, which features the young Moses, in his raft, amongst a stand of Reedmace. In 1904 he gave the painting away for nothing as no one wanted it and the person who commissioned it failed to pay the £5,023 originally agreed, but it was sold at auction in New York for £1.75M in 1995



Here is a picture of Moses in the rushes...

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/27-Jun-2003/2071-mosesjm.jpgrian

[DOC-CANADA]

Moonraker and jakunen;
I appreciate your comments, and jakunen, thank you for the Cattail/Bulrush information. I have never heard that explanation before. It does explain things.

Doc (no smilies on 'quick reply')

[jakunen]

No problem Doc.

Its just one of those bugbears I have about stuff like that.

Sorry about the corny picture-joke. Couldn't resist it...

[Not Bob]

Surely if more people call Typha sp bulrushes than don't then that is their common name :wink:

[jakunen]

Surely if more people call Typha sp bulrushes than don't then that is their common name :wink:

But what about the books, scientific papers and all the rest? If something has a proper name then people should be encouraged to use the proper name.

We have enough problems with language as it is and enough problems with some American plants having been given UK English names because they looked similar to the Mayflower lot and yet several of the species that have those names over there are not edible over here.

I know I'm being somewhat pedantic, but herbalism, plantlore, etc., is enough of a minefield without peopel popularising incorrect names for things...:soapbox:

[Not Bob]

Jakunen - the wink emoticon at the end of what I wrote was meant to indicate you shouldn't take my message too seriously - more of a riff on the meaning of the word 'common' as in most numerous or most used. I was probably being the pedantic one rather than you.
'Proper ' name - now that's a very different kettle of fish.

[jakunen]

Sorry mate, like I said its just a bugbear of mine. I wasn't having a go at you.

As for proper name, I know all plants have regional variants and it can quite acceptably be called Reedmace or several others, but Bulrush is a completely different genus.

[MarkG]

Yet another use for Birch.

http://mediresource.sympatico.ca/channel_health_news_detail.asp ?channel_id=79&menu_item_id=0&news_id=2586

[Tony]

Good link Mark :biggthump

[Fenlander]

Medicine Survival

Hi Guys
I would like to start a thread about medicine survival. The thought is not to share theoretical knowledge; such stuff is easy to find in different books, but to share house cures that we have found out to be helpful through our own experience.

My experience: Running nose and pain in the throat.
How I fix it:
I mix about one teaspoon table salt into one cup (200-250 ml) of luke warm water. Wait until the salt is well dissolved. I snort the salt water through my nose slowly and carefully and spit it out my mouth. Keep doing it until the cup is empty.

Important: Don’t take too much salt. The water should taste a bit salty but feel comfortable in the nose. Burning sensation means that your water is too salty. Too hot or cold water isn’t good either.

Review:
This cure has worked well for me since 20 years now and I hardly ever have a flue and I never have sinus infection any more. It even works as prevention when folks around you are sick. A lot of germs are hanging in the nose and the sal****er washes them out. If you have already the flue do it 3 times a day. It feels strange in the beginning but I am so used to it now that I don’t mind it at all.


cheers
Abbe

I had a cold while in Lapland and under Abbes instruction, I tested this method. It certainly helped to clear my nasel passages, aiding a reasonable nights sleep, but unfortunately my cold had progressed too far for this to prevent ti progressing.