I woke up a few days ago with a fever, swollen neck glands and bright red tonsils the size of strawberries! Eek! Needless to say, swallowing hurt. Being stubborn, I did nothing about it besides sleep a lot. But then it got worse, so I decided to try using some of the herbs I had in my pantry. Wouldn’t you know it, one day of folk medicine and voila! I am well. Here’s what I did:

To cleanse the swollen lymph glands, I drank a cold infusion of cleavers (photo at left). Tasted like cucumber water! I made it by chopping up the plant, putting it into some cheesecloth, and using a rubber band to suspend that bundle in a mason jar with cold water. I let it sit overnight and drank it in the morning.

To attack the throat infection, I made a powerful tea. I boiled some water with raw honey and fresh lemon, then added 40 drops of a potent antimicrobial Oregon Grape Root tincture I made in January ’09. I put it in a mug with a little tea ball containing pieces of the leaves of:

* Mullein: A fuzzy-textured plant that grows in bright sunny places in disturbed soil and is soothing to sore throats and lungs. I gathered this from Jason‘s front lawn.

* Rosemary: A commonly cultivated plant that is antimicrobial. A mysterious and generous neighbor had left a handwritten sign and some scissors, allowing for random strangers like myself to clip bunches of the herb from the sidewalk.

* Lemon balm: A mint that runs amuck around here and tastes like it sounds. I just wanted the flavor.

* Lomatium: A very powerful antiviral/antimicrobial for the respiratory system. Also known as “Biscuitroot.” I gathered it with Emily from a steep and rocky hillside near Oregon’s Columbia River. It has yellow flowers that cluster together in an umbrella. (Note: Lomatium is a member of the parsley family so if you want to harvest this one make sure of what it is — don’t confuse it with the poisonous hemlock parsley.)

Lomatium spp.

I am now back to feeling totally healthy, and I was able to do it entirely with wild plants I gathered, most within a mile of my apartment. No antibiotics, no doctor visit. Amazing!

Two thumbs up!