|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2005 3:27 pm
((Squeals. Whee! I'll get those things to you, Aly. This is gonna be fun!))
Foenix gasped and reached out instinctively when Nehanda disappeared. What had happened to her precious little girl?
When the blue, glowing form appeared, however, Foenix raised a trembling hand to her mouth. Nehanda had . . . evolved?
As for Nehanda herself, she slowly reached out to carress Foenix's cheek. Thoughts, concepts, images were rushing through her mind, too quickly to process. With a joyous giggle, she wisked her new body up and around through the air. This new form was wonderful!
"Oh, my god," foenix whispered. "Just look at her! She's so beautiful!" A tear found its way from the corner of her eye to trickle down her cheek.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2005 3:46 pm
Rahujo's mouth dropped open as she realised what had happened. She'd seen Osero's birth and progress, of course, and Acia's, but she'd been quite young when the former had happened; and even witnessing the latter had not prepared her for this...
Slowly, a quiet smile formed upon her face. This had to be one of the highest compliments a crafter could receive - having one of your tools be the anchor for an Aerandir soul. If she had been of a less steady disposition, she would probably have been squeeing and jumping around the room by now.
She wrapped the knife and sickle back up in their soft cloth, and handed the bundle to Foenix, wordlessly.
(( If you're heading off for now, I have to go to sleep u.u ))
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2005 7:46 pm
Foenix held a hand out to the elegant-looking wisp. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Rahujo was edging toward the door. Grateful for the Aerandir's sensitivity, she looked over to the smith. "This means so much to the both of us, Rahujo. Thank you for everything, both your gift and your presence. I hope we'll see you again soon." Her grin turned wry. "After all, I still owe you lunch!"
But, of course, her attention was quickly drawn back to Nehanda. "Oh, sweetie, just look at you! You're so beautiful!"
Nehanda couldn't help but respond to the praise. She wafted about the room, returning every so often to dance about Foenix's head, or to touch the sickle and knife once again. How exciting everything was!
Foenix put the bundle down carefully on the counter. Later on, of course, she would find a proper place for them, but she and Nehanda both wanted them near for now. "Well, I suppose this calls for a celebration feast! I think I can manage a pretty presentable dinner, even with only two burners."
As she spoke, other members of the family poked their heads into the room, in turns surprised, shocked, and thrilled by Nehanda's change. This was really cause for a family party!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2005 7:19 pm
Quote: 4.9.05 I don't usually gush. And I hate acting like a school girl. However . . . Oh,my god!Oh,mygod!Oh,mygod! Nehanda evolved again. Rahujo came over to work on repairing the kitchen, and brought with her a lovely sickle and knife that she had made for Nehanda to use in the gardens. Almost as soon as she touched them, poof! Nehanda disappeared. i almost freaked, but she reappeared as a glowing blue figure. I believe that it's called the Whisp stage, and indicates that she's heading into her Child stage. For the time being, however, there's something of a quest that we need to go on. Aly needs certain items from us, so we'd better go out and find them! I'm hoping that I can rely upon some of our friends to obtain some items. Others I can buy, and one I can certain create for myself. I just needed a moment to set this all down. I find it's helped me to clear my head. World, look out. Nehanda's on her way!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2005 4:12 pm
Foenix stepped carefully across the kitchen, trying to avoid stepping on tails or paws as Atari, Sunspot, and Chiru all swirled about her feet. At eye level, Nehanda swirled and floated beside her.
The whisp knew exactly what Foenix was doing, and, for rather obvious reasons, was very intent that it all turn out correctly. Foenix could tell, clearly, that she found her current inability to manipulat corporal objects very frustrating.
They were creating herbal potions to give to Alyosha.
It had taken them both some time to decide exactly what he, and the rest of his little family, might like. In addition, this was the first time they had attempted something quite so complex. Messes of leaves, or teas made from dried herbs, were one thing. But this, the combination of infusions, the extraction of juice and creation of syrup, was another thing entirely.
Foenix turned to the counter beside her and continued to crush a dried ginger root, using a mortar and pestle. Once reduced to a fine powder, it would be added to a covered bowl that already stood over to the side, filled with an infusion of other ingrediants. Once the concoction was completed, it would promote warmth and good dreams. Foenix had found the recipe, which also included szechuan pepper, ginseng, and barley malt sugar, in a modern book of chinese herbal remedies.
Eventually, she stepped back to massage her wrist. Achieving the fine powder she desired was hard work! "Well, I think that's about as good as it's going to get," she sighed. "But we'd better try this on ourselves first, once it's all finished. Gods help me if Aly should keel over!"
Nehanda swirled in front of her, a disapproving expression on her lovely little face. The aerandir, for one, had no doubt in her abilities, or in Foenix's.
Foenix shrugged. "You're right, you're right." She measured out the correct amount of powdered ginger into the bowl, and covered it once more. It would need to sit, away from sunlight and any heat, for a good couple of hours.
"I don't think there's much more we can do here right now. Do you want to go out and search for wood betony? I think we're about out, and Aly would probably appreciate a nice salve for bruises."
Nehanda smiled, and nodded, and floated gaily through the wall and out into the yard. With a laugh, Foenix walked over to use the door.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2005 3:59 am
Quote: 4.12.05 Well, I certainly had a wonderful time last night. Nehanda and I went out hunting for Wood Betony, and bumped into Fae and Pueblo. That poor little gryphon had a hard time getting used to Nehanda's new form; she seemed really upset that she couldn't touch Nehanda. But I think they settled it out in the end. When she left with Fae, Pueblo looked much more cheerful. As for Fae, it was so nice to talk to her again. Of course, we didn't discuss much other then Nehanda's transformation, but . . . who could blame us? She was full of questions about the entire change. And best of all, she just happened to have a few beads left over from a project of hers. So now we're a step closer in our quest! Just as Fae got up to leave, Orian came walking up. Now there's an interesting individual. If I weren't married . . . But that's completely off subject. Orian is so sweet to Nehanda. She's usually shy around new humans, but she took to him from the moment he walked in the door of the Centre. When she started to get upset that she couldn't touch him, he promised to show her how his arm works as soon as she's corporeal again. Well, that certainly perked her right up! And he's promised to help in our quest as well. (Settlement RP found here.) But Nehanda is hovering over my shoulder, pointing to my research books. Silly little girl. I know she's very impatient, and wants to search through these books herself, instead of relying upon me to do it. As soon as she turns into a child, we'll have to begin reading lessons. Elder [Sambucus nigra] Also known as Black Elder, Common Elder, Pipe Tree, Bore Tree, Bour Tree, (Fourteenth Century) Hylder, Hylantree, (Anglo-Saxon) Eldrum, (Low Saxon), Ellhorn, (German) Hollunder, and (French) Sureau, has flat-topped masses of creamy-white, fragrant blossoms, followed by large drooping bunches of purplish-black, juicy berries.
The word 'Elder' comes from the Anglo-Saxon word aeld. In Anglo-Saxon days we find the tree called Eldrun, which becomes Hyldor and Hyllantree in the fourteenth century. One of its names in modern German - Hollunder - is clearly derived from the same origin. In Low-Saxon, the name appears as Ellhorn. Æld meant 'fire,' the hollow stems of the young branches having been used for blowing up a fire: the soft pith pushes out easily and the tubes thus formed were used as pipes - hence it was often called Pipe-Tree, or Bore-tree and Bour-tree, the latter name remaining in Scotland and being traceable to the Anglo-Saxon form, Burtre.
A wealth of folk-lore, romance and superstition centre round this English tree. In Love's Labour Lost reference is made to the common medieval belief that 'Judas was hanged on an Elder.' This belief is found in several other sources, including Piers Plowman. Another old tradition was that the Cross of Calvary was made of it.
In consequence of these old traditions, the Elder became the emblem of sorrow and death, and out of the legends which linger round the tree there grew up a host of superstitious fancies which still remain in the minds of simple country folk. In most countries, especially in Denmark, the Elder was intimately connected with magic. In its branches was supposed to dwell a dryad, Hylde-Moer, the Elder-tree Mother, who lived in the tree and watched over it. Should the tree be cut down and furniture be made of the wood, Hylde-Moer was believed to follow her property and haunt the owners. Lady Northcote, in The Book of Herbs, relates: 'There is a tradition that once when a child was put in a cradle of Elder-wood, HyldeMoer came and pulled it by the legs and would give it no peace till it was lifted out. Permission to cut Elder wood must always be asked first and not until Hylde-Moer has given consent by keeping silence, may the chopping begin.'
In earlier days, the Elder Tree was supposed to ward off evil influence and give protection from witches, a popular belief held in widely-distant countries. Lady Northcote says: 'The Russians believe that Elder-trees drive away evil spirits, and the Bohemians go to it with a spell to take away fever. The Sicilians think that sticks of its wood will kill serpents and drive away robbers, and the Serbs introduce a stick of Elder into their wedding ceremonies to bring good luck. In England it was thought that the Elder was never struck by lightning, and a twig of it tied into three or four knots and carried in the pocket was a charm against rheumatism. A cross made of Elder and fastened to cowhouses and stables was supposed to keep all evil from the animals.'
In Cole's Art of Simpling (1656) we may read how in the later part of the seventeenth century: 'in order to prevent witches from entering their houses, the common people used to gather Elder leaves on the last day of April and affix them to their doors and windows,' and the tree was formerly much cultivated near English cottages for protection against witches .
Canon Ellacombe says that in the Tyrol: 'An Elder bush, trimmed into the form of a cross, is planted on a new-made grave, and if it blossoms, the soul of the person Iying beneath it is happy.' Green Elder branches were also buried in a grave to protect the dead from witches and evil spirits, and in some parts it was a custom for the driver of the hearse to carry a whip made of Elder wood.
In Denmark we come across the old belief that he who stood under an Elder tree on Midsummer Eve would see the King of Fairyland ride by, attended by all his retinue. Folkard, in Plant-Lore, Legends and Lyrics, relates: 'The pith of the branches when cut in round, flat shapes, is dipped in oil, lighted, and then put to float in a glass of water; its light on Christmas Eve is thought to reveal to the owner all the witches and sorcerers in the neighbourhood'; and again, 'On Bertha Night (6th January), the devil goes about with special virulence. As a safeguard, persons are recommended to make a magic circle, in the centre of which they should stand, with Elderberries gathered on St. John's night. By doing this, the mystic Fern-seed may be obtained, which possesses the strength of thirty or forty men.'
The whole tree has a narcotic smell, and it is not considered wise to sleep under its shade. Perhaps the visions of fairyland were the result of the drugged sleep! No plant will grow under the shadow of it, being affected by its exhalations.
Its uses are manifold and important. The wood of old trees is white and of a fine, close grain, easily cut, and polishes well, hence it was used for making skewers for butchers, shoemakers' pegs, and various turned articles, such as tops for angling rods and needles for weaving nets, also for making combs, mathematical instruments and several different musical instruments, and the pith of the younger stems, which is exceedingly light, is cut into balls and is used for electrical experiments and for making small toys. It is also considerably used for holding small objects for sectioning for microscopical purposes.
In a cutting of Worlidge's Mystery of Husbandry (dated 1675) the Elder is included in the 'trees necessary and proper for fencing and enclosing of Lands.' 'A considerable Fence,' he writes, 'may be made of Elder, set of reasonable hasty Truncheons, like the Willow and may be laid with great curiosity: this makes a speedy shelter for a garden from Winds, Beasts and suchlike injuries,' though he adds and emphasizes with italics, 'rather than from rude Michers.'
The word 'micher' is now obsolete, but it means a lurking thief, a skulking vagabond. By clipping two or three times a year, an Elder hedge may, however, be made close and compact in growth. There is an old tradition that an Elder stake will last in the ground longer than an iron bar of the same size, hence the old couplet:
'An eldern stake and a black thorn ether (hedge)
Will make a hedge to last for ever.'
The leaves have an unpleasant odour when bruised, which is supposed to be offensive to most insects, and a decoction of the young leaves is sometimes employed by gardeners to sprinkle over delicate plants and the buds of the flowers to keep off the attacks of aphis and minute caterpillars. Moths are fond of the blossoms, but it was stated by Christopher Gullet (Phil. Trans., 1772, LXII) that if turnips, cabbages, fruit trees or corn be whipped with bunches of the green leaves, they gain immunity from blight. Though this does not sound a very practical procedure, there is evidently some foundation for this statement, as the following note which appeared in the Chemist and Druggist, January 6, 1923, would seem to prove: 'A liquid preparation for preventing, and also curing, blight in fruit trees, wherein the base is a liquid obtained by boiling the young shoots of the Elder tree or bush, mixed with suitable proportions of copper sulphate, iron sulphate, nicotine, soft soap, methylated spirit and slaked lime.'
The leaves, bruised, if worn in the hat or rubbed on the face, prevent flies settling on the person. In order to safeguard the skin from the attacks of mosquitoes, midges and other troublesome flies, an infusion of the leaves may be dabbed on with advantage. Gather a few fresh leaves from the elder, tear them from their stalks and place them in a jug, pouring boiling water on them and covering them at once, leaving for a few hours. When the infusion is cold, it is fit for use and should be at once poured off into a bottle and kept tightly corked. It is desirable to make a fresh infusion often. The leaves are said to be valued by the farmer for driving mice away from granaries and moles from their usual haunts.
The Romans, as Pliny records, made use of it in medicine, as well as of the Dwarf Elder (Sambucus Ebulus). Both kinds were employed in Britain by the ancient English and Welsh leeches and in Italy in the medicine of the School of Salernum. Elder still keeps its place in the British Pharmacopoeia, the cooling effects of Elder flowers being well known. In many parts of the country, Elder leaves and buds are used in drinks, poultices and ointments.
It has been termed 'the medicine chest of the country people' (Ettmueller) and 'a whole magazine of physic to rustic practitioners,' and it is said the great physician Boerhaave never passed an Elder without raising his hat, so great an opinion had he of its curative properties. How great was the popular estimation of it in Shakespeare's time may be gauged by the line in The Merry Wives of Windsor[/t], Act II, Sc. 3:
'What says my Æsculapius? my Galen? my heart of Elder?'
John Evelyn, writing in praise of the Elder, says: 'If the medicinal properties of its leaves, bark and berries were fully known, I cannot tell what our countryman could ail for which he might not fetch a remedy from every hedge, either for sickness, or wounds.'
'The buds boiled in water gruel have effected wonders in a fever, the spring buds are excellently wholesome in pattages; and small ale in which Elder flowers have been infused is esteemed by many so salubrious that this is to be had in most of the eatinghouses about our town.'
He also, as we have seen, recommends Elder flowers infused in vinegar as an ingredient of a salad, 'though the leaves are somewhat rank of smell and so not commendable in sallet they are of the most sovereign virtue,' and goes so far as to say, 'an extract composed of the berries greatly assists longevity. Indeed this is a catholicum against all infirmities whatever.'
The bark is a strong purgative which may be employed with advantage, an infusion of 1 OZ. in a pint of water being taken in wineglassful doses; in large doses it is an emetic. Its use as a purgative dates back to Hippocrates. It has been much employed as a diuretic, an aqueous solution having been found very useful in cardiac and renal dropsies. It has also been successfully employed in epilepsy.
An emollient ointment is made of the green inner bark, and a homoeopathic tincture made from the fresh inner bark of the young branches, in diluted form, relieves asthmatic symptoms and spurious croup of children - dose, 4 or 5 drops in water.
Culpepper states: 'The first shoots of the common Elder, boiled like Asparagus, and the young leaves and stalks boiled in fat broth, doth mightily carry forth phlegm and choler. The middle or inward bark boiled in water and given in drink wortheth much more violently; and the berries, either green or dry, expel the same humour, and are often given with good success in dropsy; the bark of the root boiled in wine, or the juice thereof drunk, worketh the same effects, but more powerfully than either the leaves or fruit. The juice of the root taken, causes vomitings and purgeth the watery humours of the dropsy.'
Though the use of the root is now obsolete, its juice was used from very ancient times to promote both vomiting and purging, and taken, as another old writer recommends, in doses of 1 to 2 tablespoonsful, fasting, once in the week, was held to be 'the most excellent purge of water humours in the world and very singular against dropsy.' A tea was also made from the roots of Elder, which was considered an effective preventative for incipient dropsy, in fact the very best remedy for such cases .
The uses for each part of the Elder plant are really quite numerous in today's herbal medicine. In fact, my hand is growing very tired, and this entry is getting a little too long. An excellent source for several recipes can be found at http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/e/elder-04.html, and I am storing the print-outs both in my research notebooks and here in the journal.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2005 6:23 pm
Foenix carefully poured the kettle of water over the elder plants. She was preparing the last of their potions for Alyosha, a concoction of Elder Flower Water. She had separated the fragrant, creamy-white blossoms from the stems, and removed the corollas, early that afternoon. Fresh blossoms were preferable in this recipe, for the scent and stength of the herb, although she had also pickled a portion of blossoms for additional recipes.
The boiling water and blossoms would steep for several minutes, when she would add strong distilled spirits. After that, she would strain the liquid free of the petals, and boil that down to eliminate the majority of the alcohol and create a strong reduction. What remained would provide a sovereign remedy to sore throats and colds. Added to a regular tea and sweetened, and it could even stave off influenza in the early stages.
With so many of the island's inhabitants taking cold showers -Foenix had to shudder at the thought- and trekking about in the woods. This sort of herbal remedy couldn't go wrong.
As she stared into the pot, a grinning blue face emerged from the liquid. Foenix gasped and stepped away in startlement, and then burst into laughter. "Nehanda! You little stinker!"
The Aerandir, who, of course, couldn't feel the heat of the stove's flames or the boiling water, floated up and out of the pot. She wore a mile-wide grin, and clapped her hands as she giggled musically.
"'Handa fu-ee!"
handa?
fu-ee?
Nehanda had made her first attempt at intelligible speach.
"Oh, sweetie! Yes! You are very funny!" Foenix wished with all her heart that she could reach out and hug her smart little girl.
Nehanda, in turn, laughed, clapped her hands, and turned to "dive" back into the pot.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2005 4:09 am
it was early morning, and the dawn mist was still seeping across the ground, covering dirt and plant and artificial structure alike with a light dew. As she crept from the house, Nehanda's translucent form became one with the mists.
She was coming outside to say good morning to her gardens. Wistfully, she floated between the neat rows of plants, trying to brush a hand ehre or there against a leaf or stem, but to no avail. She couldn't touch any of them.
Nehanda knew that Nahda and Kylara and, occasionally, even Foenix were doing the best they could to tend to the gardens. They watered and weeded, and clipped dead blooms and leaves from the tender stems, and stirred the earth around the base of each plant. They did everything they knew to keep the gardens healthy.
But none of them loved the plants, not the way that Nehanda did. These plants were her siblings, her children. They had grown up along side of her, and she had cared for them as though they werea part of her very being.
So, of course, it killed her that she couldn't take care of them herself, even if this stage was only supposed to last for a few more days.
Bending closer, she stared at a broad leaf. Those bugs were still there! Narrowing her eyes, Nehanda glared at the intruders. Oh, she couldn't wait until she had real hands, so that she could find a way to make these crawly little beasts go away.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2005 7:30 am
Quote: 3.16.05 I love my neighbors. I really do. Nehanda was in such a funk yesterday! Holy crap! Nothing i did would make her smile, and she was floating in and popping out all over the place, and making it very hard for me to concentrate on anything of use. So I took her over to the Centre, in the hopes that someone, anyone, would be there to end her little snit. Well, we ran into Nyxa and Lucius, and Ieyasu and his fox/crane gryphon, Osusuki. How great is that? I hadn't seen these people in ages, and it was really nice to catch up on things. Well, Lucius is such a vain little ham. He strutted around Nehanda and ended up giving her a very pretty chrysanthemum. And Osu flew and tumbled about and was generally adorable. Result? A smiling, happy little Nehanda blowing kisses at everyone in the vicinity. I repeat, I love my neighbors.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2005 7:31 am
Foenix slowly made her way up the path toward Ieyasu's cabin. The day was pleasant, and she was really in no hurry to rush anywhere. Absently patting the bag slung over her shoulder, she reached up to push a few errant hairpins back into her bun. Beside her, Nehanda swooped and twirled in the air, creating pretty shapes and figures. The little whisp had been in a very good mood since playing with lucius and Osu over at the Centre, and had insisted upon Foenix's preparing an extra jar of the burn salve to take over the next morning. As they approached the cabin, Nehanda flew in front of Foenix and placed a quiet finger in front of her bowed mouth. "You want to be quiet? Why?" Nehanda shrugged "Ssssprise. Pres'nt." Foenix smiled. "If you say so. We'll just leave this where they can find it easily, coming or going, then." Stepping up onto the porch, she placed the jar of salve, and a note with the simple instructions, beside the door.  Quote: Ieyasu- As promised, here's that burn salve I used on my own kid. Apply twice a day to the burn, and then wrap with a clean bandage. Do this until the burn has healed. We enjoyed seeing you the other day, and hope that Osu is better soon! ~Foenix and Nehanda
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2005 3:53 am
Foenix could hardly contain herself as she rushed about the house, grabbing up this, packing up that. Four bottles or herbal remedies were cushioned carefully into a box. A lovely rust-colored chrysanthemum, now drooping slightly in its glass vase, was plucked out and tucked behind her ear for safe-keeping. Two deep blue ribbons were rolled up and placed in a pocket, and four beads were sealed into a bag and tucked into another pocket.
"Ready to go, hun?"
Nehanda stopped her swooping about the ceiling, and swirled closer to her gaurdian's face. "Go! Gogogogogogogo! Go to Aly's!" She giggled and returned to her flights of excitement.
Foenix laughed happily. If she had wings, she'd be right up there with her little charge! For last night, with the ribbons they had received from Ieyasu and Osu, she and Nehanda had finished their quest. They had everythign Aly required.
And now, they were off to the Centre.
((And isn't this just perfect? We finish the quest on my 100th post! Cool!))
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2005 4:08 pm
A mere hour after they had left, Foenix and Nehanda were home again. But the little Aerandir was greatly changed; a floating, transparent wisp no more, she was now a cheerful child hanging out of Foenix's arms.
The entire family descended.
Kylara and baby Cira were both quietly happy. Nahda swung on Foenix's arm, shrieking excitedly. She couldn't wait to play with her friend again!
Foenix noticed that Nehanda kept looking out the window. "Okay, sweetie, are you ready to go outside?" She expected that the Aerandir was eager to see her gardens again.
Nehanda nodded eagerly. The little girl followed Foenix with slow, slightly wobbly steps, tongue caught between her teeth and eyes narrowed in concentration. Still, she was doing quite well . . . until she reached the door. Now so accustomed to ignoring physical boundaries, Nehanda tried once more to pass through the wall. Instead, she smacked her forhead!
Surprised, the child fell backwards onto the floor. She reached up to rub the offended spot, and her face scrunched up with tears. "Oooowwwie!" she whined.
But Foenix was too familiar with the ways of young children. She stepped forward, shushing soothingly. "Hey, hey, hey. It's alright, 'handa. It's okay, you're just fine!" She hoisted the Aerandir up into her arms, and stepped out onto the porch. "See? Here we are. And don't you want to give your plants a kiss? I bet they've missed you."
Not surprisingly, the distraction worked. Nehanda's face cleared immediately, and she twisted around to look toward her gardens. "Missed mmm plants!"
Foenix obligingly returned her to the porch floor, and Nehanda ran in swerving, clumsy steps over to the end, where she happily plopped down at the edge of her garden.
The auburn-haired woman folded her arms and smiled.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2005 6:55 pm
The single light within the room cast a soft glow over Foenix and the sleepy child leaning back in her lap. Smiling softly, she opened the journal before her. Nehanda reached out a tired hand to pat vaguely at the pages before curling up and emitting a huge yawn. "Cover your mouth, sweetie," Foenix murmured to her. She picked up the pen and applied herself to the journal. Quote: 4.21.05 Nehanda's a child. My adorable gryphon-turned-wisp is now a charming, laughing, huggable little girl. (Nehanda's transformation found here.) I've spent an entire day with her, and it's still sinking in. We brought all of the requested items over to Aly this morning. He just . . . arranged everything around her, and handed her the flower. And Poof! That was it. I got to hold my little girl in my arms. She's so precious. Of course, there are little problems. She's not so good at walking yet, and I can't understand her half the time. I showed her how to use the toilet immediately upon returning home, but do I need to worry about her wetting the bed? And I need to teach her to read, and write, and . . . There are just so many things. I can't wait. But 'Handa, as she's taken to calling herself, is currently yawning rudely in my face, and I should probably tuck us both into bed. I suppose any more lessons in manners can wait for tomorrow. So, a quick Herbal entry, and then we're off. Elecampane [Inula Helenium] Scabwort. Elf Dock. Wild Sunflower. Horseheal. Velvet Dock. Elecampane is one of the largest herbaceous plants. It is probably a true native plant in southern England, but where found farther north may have originally only been an escape from cultivation, as it was cultivated for centuries as a medicinal plant, being a common remedy for sicknesses in the Middle Ages. When present in Scotland, it is considered to have been introduced. Culpepper says: 'It groweth in moist grounds and shadowy places oftener than in the dry and open borders of field and lanes and other waste places, almost in every county in this country, but it was probably more common in his days, cultivation of it being still general.'
It is found wild throughout continental Europe, from Gothland southwards, and extends eastwards in temperate Asia as far as Southern Siberia and North-West India. As a plant of cultivation, it has wandered to North America, where it has become thoroughly naturalized in the eastern United States, being found from Nova Scotia to Northern Carolina, and westward as far as Missouri, growing abundantly in pastures and along roadsides, preferring wet, rocky ground at or near the base of eastern and southern slopes.
It is a striking and handsome plant. The erect stem grows from 4 to 5 feet high, is very stout and deeply furrowed, and near the top, branched. The whole plant is downy. It produces a radical rosette of enormous, ovate, pointed leaves, from 1 to 1 1/2 feet long and 4 inches broad in the middle velvety beneath, with toothed margins an borne on long foot-stalks; in general appearance the leaves are not unlike those of Mullein. Those on the stem become shorter andrelatively broader and are stem-clasping.
Elecampane was known to the ancient writers on agriculture and natural history, and even the Roman poets were acquainted with it, and mention Inula as affording a root used both as a medicine and a condiment. Horace, in the Eighth Satire, relates how Fundanius first taught the making of a delicate sauce by boiling in it the bitter Inula, and how the Romans, after dining too richly, pined for turnips and the appetizing Enulas acidas:
'Quum rapula plenus
Atque acidas mavult inulas.'
Inula, the Latin classical name for the plant, is considered to be a corruption of the Greek word Helenion which in its Latinized form, Helenium, is also now applied to the same species. There are many fables about the origin of this name. Gerard tells us: 'It took the name Helenium of Helena, wife of Menelaus, who had her hands full of it when Paris stole her away into Phrygia.' Another legend states that it sprang from her tears: another that Helen first used it against venomous bites; a fourth, that it took the name from the island Helena, where the best plants grew.
Vegetius Renatus about the beginning of the fifth century, calls it Inula campana, and St. Isidore, in the beginning of the seventh, names it Inula, adding 'quam Alam rustici vocant.' By the mediaeval writers it was often written Enula. Elecampane is a corruption of the ante-Linnaean name Enula campana, so called from its growing wild in Campania.
The herb is of ancient medicinal repute, having been described by Dioscorides and Pliny. An old Latin distich celebrates its virtues: Enula campana reddit praecordia sana (Elecampane will the spirits sustain). 'Julia Augustus,' said Pliny, 'let no day pass without eating some of the roots of Enula, considered to help digestion and cause mirth.' The monks equally esteemed it as a cordial. Pliny affirmed that the root 'being chewed fasting, doth fasten the teeth,' and protects a person from bites of poisonous creatures. And Galen that 'It is good for passions of the hucklebone called sciatica.'
Dioscorides, in speaking of Castus root, related that it is often mixed with that of Elecampane, from Kommagene (N.W. Syria) (Castus, derived from Aplotaxis auriculata (D.C.), is remarkably similar to Elecampane, both in external appearance and structure. It is an important spice, incense and medicine in the East.)
Elecampane is frequently mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon writings on medicine current in England prior to the Norman Conquest; it is also the 'Marchalan' of the Welsh physicians of the thirteenth century, and was generally known during the Middle Ages.
It was formally cultivated in all private herb-gardens, as a culinary and medicinal plant, and it is still to be found in old cottage gardens. Not only was its root much employed as a medicine, but it was also candied and eaten as a sweetmeat. Dr. Fernie tells us, in Herbal Simples: 'Some fifty years ago, the candy was sold commonly in London as flat, round cakes being composed largely of sugar and coloured with cochineal. A piece was eaten each night and morning for asthmatical complaints, whilst it was customary when travelling by a river, to suck a bit of the root against poisonous exalations and bad air. The candy may still be had from our confectioners, but now containing no more of the plant Elecampane than there is of barley in Barley Sugar.'
In Denmark, Elecampane is sometimes called Elf-Doc. Here one sometimes comes across the name Elf-Dock locally, also Elfwort.
It is a diuretic, tonic, diaphoretic, expectorant, alterative, antiseptic, astringent and gently stimulant. It was employed by the ancients in certain diseases of women, also in phthisis, in dropsy and in skin affections. Its name 'Scabwort' arose from the fact that a decoction of it is said to cure sheep affected with the scab, and the name 'Horse-heal' was given it from its reputed virtues in curing the cutaneous diseases of horses.
In herbal medicine it is chiefly used for coughs, consumption and other pulmonary complaints, being a favourite domestic remedy for bronchitis. It has been employed for many years with good results in chest affections, for which it is a valuable medicine as it is in all chronic diseases of the lungs asthma and bronchitis. It gives relief to the respiratory difficulties and assists expectoration. Its principal employment as a separate remedy is in acute catarrhal affections, and in dyspepsia attended with relaxation and debility, given in small, warm and frequently repeated doses. It is, however, seldom given alone, but most frequently preferred in combination with other medicines of a similar nature. It is best given in the form of decoction, the dose being a small teaspoonful, three times a day.
The root used not only to be candied and eaten as a sweetmeat, but
ozenges were made of it. It has been employed in whooping-cough. It is sometimes employed in the form of a confection for piles, 1 OZ. of powdered root being mixed with 2 OZ. of honey.
In the United States, it has also been highly recommended, both for external use and internal administration in diseases of the skin, an old use of the root that has maintained its reputation for efficacy.
Externally applied, it is somewhat rubefacient, and has been employed as an embrocation in the treatment of sciatica, facial and other neuralgia.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2005 5:00 am
"-and this is the letter D. What sound does D make, Nehanda?"
The little child frowned over the letter that Foenix was pointing to. They were sitting out on the porch, studying a child's alphabet book. She traced her fingers idly over the pictures of dog, a pile of dirt, the daisy. "Duh!" She yelled, beating her feet against the porch step excitedly. "D-d-d-d-d-d-duh-dee!"
"Good, honey." Foenix smiled. She knew that Nehanda really wanted to be playing out in the garden, but she was insistent that her little girl learn how to read and write. The Aerandir was certainly intelligent; she had shown that yesterday by spouting off all of the pertinent information on a tomato that she had carried into the house. It had been rather charming, actually. Nehanda could barely pronounce most of the longer, more complicated words. But she'd managed to get it all out.
"Okay, why don't you write down what a D looks like for me? Then you can go water your plants." The woman found a clean sheet of paper among those already covered with A, B, and C, all scrawled out in Nehanda's shaky hand-writing, and handed it to the child.
Nehanda picked out a deep purple crayon, and happily sprawled on the porch. Her tongue stuck out of the corner of her mouth as she concentrated on copying her D's all over the page - as big as she could make them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2005 7:13 am
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
