Salmon Bay Remedies

(W 57th St in 1890!!)

I'm spending the afternoon in Ballard Library (and at the beach) reading Passport To Ballard, researching for another project, when I came across Chapter 14 "Staying Healthy On Salmon Bay". Before there were hospitals out here, there was indigenous plant healing, and then just after that there were pioneers with no medical assistance. Kay Nelson writes the medicine chests of those days were - alum, sulphur, borax, ipecac, camphor, ammonia, morphine and opium. My mom did not keep those things around in her first aid kit. So I'm very curious about them.

More so I wonder about their use of food, spices and herbs to deal with ailments (and also where Nelson got her information). Nelson lists: mustard/bran/oatmeal for poulstices, cayenne pepper, egg yolks and whites for burn ointments and eyewashes; bloodroot, mandrake, dandelion, burdock, yellow dock, chamomile, sassafras, Scot aloes, rue, red clover, gentian, pennyroyal, tansy, rhubarb.

How did the pioneers prepare these plants? Perhaps sometime I should try one of their remedies for heatstroke (after all it's summer now): a wet cloth is wrapped around one's head, while a second bandage soaked in salt is wrapped around the neck. Then dry salt is applied behind the ears. Then mustard plasters are applied to the calves of the legs and soles of feet. Worth a try I guess?

Did the pioneers bring the plants here or learn to make use of native plants? Mustard originates from the Himilayas, oat from the Fertile Crescent, bloodroot and sassafras from Eastern U.S., dandelion, yellow dock, chamomile, red clover, gentian, pennyroyal, tansy, and burdock from Eurasia, aloe from Africa, rue from Macaronesia, and rhubarb from China. But I guess we can't blame the pioneers since they had to take with them the knowledge they had. Go figure many of these plants are now so well established. Can't get rid of the dandelion, that's for sure.

Insect First Aid

It's not the height of insect season yet but I might as well start preparing. Previously I have relied on the powers of mind to not be bugged by bugs. But since I recently posted a link to "Creating Your Own Herbal First Aid Kit" on facebook, I was introduced to the idea of "natural insect repellant". I am now very curious about homemade insect repellants I can make now for this summer. Here are at least three resources:

How to repel mosquitos - the best thing about this article is that it recommends growing herbs: rosemary, marigolds, citronella, Horse Mint, basil, lemongrass, catnip, garlic, tansies, and Mosquito Plant (mmm garlic)

Methods for in home and on body - the general recommendation here is to keep clean and grow herbs! It also recommends steeping mint, rosemary, or basil for a spray

The Ecologist published an article on this topic! - this article is more concerned with preventing pests in the garden but anyway, echoes the idea of growing herbs: sage, peppermint, tansy, catnip and pennyroyal

The obvious next step for me will be to make a spray, relying on essential oils. There are some recipes posted here: http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/natural-insect-repellents-460608#fbIndex1 I do wonder how fresh the herb or spray needs to be? Or I can make soap, with herbs like lemon balm (citronella), pennyroyal, lavender, and rose geranium. In addition I should do my best to remember to consume apple cider vinegar, garlic, and Vitamin B1.