Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Renaissance Medicine


As I mentioned a few posts back, I spent the early part of last week sick.  Really sick.  In fact, I don't remember the last time I felt so poorly!  In fact, I didn't get out of bed for almost two days!  Two days!  That, my friends, is a first for me.  Ever.

I noticed, a few days before I succumbed, that my legs were sore.  Weird.  I didn't give it much thought and just got on with life.  By Saturday afternoon, was feeling pretty run down, but not ill, so I retired early, hoping wake up refreshed and rejuvenated.  It was not to be.  Instead of sleeping well, I tossed and turned, alternating between fever and chills, but worse than that, my muscles were on fire and my joints ached.  By two in the morning, nausea had forced me out of bed and to my knees on the bathroom floor. 

The rest of the night was a blur of fever and pain, nausea and chills.  By the time the sun shone through our bedroom window, I was too ill to get out of bed.  My fever rose throughout the day, barely kept in check by Ibuprofen.  All I could think of was "Ponderosa Plague" - the name I had come up with for an illness that had been sweeping through a small town to the south of us.  It had dreaded connotations.  The Ponderosa Plague had a fierce reputation, keeping people home from work for upwards of three weeks at a time!  It had even infected a young man at the butcher shop where Master Hand Grenade worked - keeping him home for more than two weeks.  And when he returned he was pale and weak and not fully recovered.  My symptoms matched those infected with the Ponderosa Plague perfectly.  I had to do something drastic!



The first day (Sunday) I was unable to even get out of bed, much less keep down any home remedies.  By Monday, I was still feverish and achy, but I did get out of bed long enough to have a half a glass of our homemade Elderberry wine (which was a feat - I hate wine!).  Back to bed I went, to spend another night tossing and turning with pain and fever.  Tuesday morning I slept in, enjoying my first pain-free hours in two days.  After I got up, I decided to go on as long as I could without Ibuprofen (for the fever) and it was my intention to at least do some basic school with the children.  Not only did I go all day with no fever, I finished school with the kids, did three loads of laundry, helped make dinner and baked a batch of cookies! 

That evening, I settled in with another glass of Elderberry wine (yuck!), spent a blissful night of sleep and resumed my normal schedule the next day.  Two days of sickness, one day of recuperation and the Ponderosa Plague had been defeated!  Amazing!

A number of years ago the kids and I spent time learning to identify local plant life.  We researched local edibles along with plants that had medicinal value.  One of the medicinal superstars that we found living in our back yard was the humble Elderberry bush.  Elderberry bushes are plentiful in our area and produce both flowers and berries that are edible.  The bark and the seeds, however, contain cyanide and therefore are NOT beneficial for human (or animal) consumption.  Many of my friends harvested Elderberries every fall and made and canned juice from the berries, which they kept specifically for treating colds and flu's.  Following their lead, Sir Knight and I decided to experiment with Elderberry wine.  Our reasoning was, that if used for medicinal purposes, the alcohol in the wine would encourage much needed sleep and therefore speed up the recovery process.


There is plenty of anecdotal evidence to support the use of  Elderberry concoctions in the treatment of colds and flu's, but until recently, nothing clinical.   As of January 2006, Retroscreen Virology, a leading British medical research institute, associated to Queen Mary College, University of London, announced that Sambucol (made with Elderberry) was at least 99% effective against the Avian Flu Virus, H5N1, and in cell cultures significantly neutralized the infectivity of the virus.  Studies conducted in Israel have shown Elderberry to be THE key ingredient in flu-fighting Sambucol.  In fact, their unique formula was tested on patients during the Israeli flu epidemic of 1992-3.  The results were amazing.  Within 24 hours, 20% of the patients taking Sambucol had dramatic improvements in symptoms like fever, muscle aches and pains and coughing.  By the second day, 73% were improved and by day three, 90%.  In the untreated group, only 16% felt better after two days.  The majority of that group took almost a week to begin to feel better.

Just to be clear, I don't believe there is any one cure all.  But, I do think that God gave us so many things right in our own back yards to heal and strengthen our bodies.  He gave us every good thing! 

Elderberry wine has been a great gift to our family.  Sir Knight and I have made Elderberry wine every fall for the last number of years.  We have supplied our family and friends with a large supply so they will be well guarded against a potential epidemic.  We also keep a healthy stock on hand - just in case.

Prayer, followed by Renaissance Medicine, and the Ponderosa Plague is but a memory!

15 comments:

  1. Enola,

    Homemade Elderberry Wine to the Rescue!!! It's good to hear you're back on your feet feeling better.

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  2. I think that I have the Ponderosa Plague, too. Been feverish and sick for four days now and getting absolutely nothing accomplished. I can never get to the elderberries before the birds do. Maybe this year I'll net them and see if I can't get some elderberry wine made. (Hope to be well before that. :) )

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  3. If your plague returns, you may want to get tested for Lyme disease.

    (btw it is 'anecdotal evidence')

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    1. Thanks for the info - and yes, I do love spell check!

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  4. Sorry you were ill, Enola Gay. I had the same thing three weeks ago and kicked it with Sambucus.
    I think I am a geographical neighbor and was wondering what I had. Frankly, I had set a deadline for feeling some relief as I thought I might have hanta virus as I had been cleaning in the barn and chicken house and it has been diagnosed in this part of the state. Thankfully, I began to feel better after getting aggressive with the Sambucol every 3 hours.
    This year, I will not let my elderberries go to waste, in fact, I am going to try to expand my little tree into several (it had to be cut back away from the old barn for the insurance man) .
    sidetracksusie

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  5. Actually the cyanide KILLS cancer cells and leaves healthy ones alone.You don't see dead birds from eating them. Please research this. They contains vitamin B17. Genesis 1:29. If the seeds would kill us God would have told us.

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  6. It's unlikely that elderberry wine (or sambucus) will "cure" anything just as tylenol and aspirin won't "cure" anything. Sounds like you had a virus and time and your immune system took care of it. These virus are easy to spread so keep an eye on family.

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    1. Well, feel free not to take it then. At least Enola Gay brought something to reference to, I don't see anything but your negative opinion attached to an "anonymouse", without anything to back it up.

      Enola, I don't have any bushes or anything, but I did go online and purchase a good amount of this based on that article (and your experience). Thanks for the link.

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    2. The discussion of the superstitions around the magic herbs and supplements is important. Maybe not for those whose mind is made up but perhaps a little skepticism might just save some lives. Herbs and supplements don't "cure" anything. They are fun to talk about and offer the superstitious some hope i suppose but for anyone who is ill with a serious disease following the superstitions could well kill them. Steve Jobs is a good example of this. SO everyone should feel free not to take them.
      By the way if Steve Jobs had sought real medical help instead of superstition based help I wonder if he would think that warning people of the dangers of CAM is "negative opinion"?

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    3. Anonymous is right; elderberries and sambucol do not cure anything. They stimulate our immune system, so we can fight off the virus.
      About those "magic herbs and supplements". Where do you think the basis for big pharma comes from? Anti-virals exist in nature. Of course, I'm fairly certain the won't work if you don't take them. A trip to the doctor would have resulted in, "you have a virus, antibiotics won't help", which is quite true and more people would be far better off if they didn't take antibiotics for viruses. However, it doesn't mean appropriate supplementation with antivirals do not help shorten the duration of a viral illness.
      If you find this site and Enola's post fraught with superstition you should find another site that suits your rigid belief system before you attack the writer. But remember those "magic herbs" are the basis for the things you buy off the shelf with your pharmacists blessing. Does aspirin from the genus "spirea" or digitalis from foxglove mean anything to you?
      sidetracksusie

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    4. Yes indeed there were a handful of plants that were the genesis for a modern drug. Would you actually choose to eat willow twigs instead of aspirin? If so how much and how much does it change over different seasons. Could you get too much and harm yourself. Harmful plants are... well harmful. But the point is when science explored what was available from the natural sources they used what worked and discared the rest. Now the only people pushing the magic herbs are the quacks. Is there any value in taking the magic herbs for real illnesses instead of real medicine? No but there is real harm. People die when they choose the magic herbs over science based health care. That is something worth telling people about, don't you think? Or should we all soak in our ignorance?

      There isn't much you can do to improve your immune system and certainly not magic herbs. The number one thing you can do to help your immune system is get your vaccinations. After that the usual list of things would be eat well, get rest and excercise and avoid real stress.

      Here's a free hint: Stay away from foxglove it will kill you in a heartbeat (pun intended).

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  7. Does your Uncommon Diseases book tell how to make the elderberry wine or sambucus?

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  8. Hi there. I've been following your blog for several years now and always enjoy reading your posts. You write of important things and I admire your courage and stance. My sister sent me a Daniel Greenfield article which I found to be very good. As I read it, you came to mind and I thought I should share it with you. I think "This Culture War That We're In" is an important piece. This note doesn't really belong in your comment section but I didn't know how else to pass this on to you. Blessings, Cindy F. http://www.frontpagemag.com/2015/dgreenfield/this-culture-war-were-in/

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  9. Elderberry and black currant have been found in laboratory settings to have anti-viral properties. In evidence-based research elderberry juice was found to decrease the amount of time it takes to recover from a virus. That is science, not superstition. I got mono in 2009 and it took forever for my body to recover fully from it. My doctor said that my body is one that just doesn't do well with viruses. Not long after that I read the research on elderberry and black currant and began to drink teas and syrups made with these berries whenever I began to feel sick. For the most part I have been able to fight off infections in 2-3 days. When I did fall ill with the virus that hit our area this winter, I got over it faster than my spouse (who doesn't like to take anything consistently). It has made a real difference for me. Enola, since you don't like wine, you might try making some syrup or cordial for next year. Oh, yes- black elderberries are less toxic than red elderberries. We only get red ones on the wet side of WA, and the seeds must be discarded, but I think I may harvest the blossoms this year for jelly. -Mandy

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  10. I make my own elderberry syrup and my whole family takes it daily to boost our immunities. It does help!

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