Self - Reliance Tip of the Week - What's In A Name?

Once upon a time...in an elementary school far far away...there was a substitute teacher who thought it was so funny to write a note to me on a tennis-shoe shaped paper. On it he wrote "What's in a name?". In order to understand that a little bit, you should know that my maiden name is "Tenney" and I was called "Tennis-shoe" for many years. I felt kind of special though, because no one else got a note from the substitute teacher...it might have had something to do with me being his daughter's friend. What makes us "nick-name" things? Where my family is from they have a nick-name for EVERYTHING! My mom even named our cars! 

The Native Americans have known the plants that surround us and had unique names for them. They aren't known by Latin names to them. They were known by what they did for the body. The gift they shared with the people from their "Mother" the Earth. I would like to highlight a few of these plants and what they can do for the body. 

Comfrey:

I have talked about comfrey before, but I haven't given it any justice. The Native Americans called it "Bone Knit". When a broken bone was set, they would apply crushed comfrey leaves to the outside of the skin and they would drink comfrey tea. Bones and tissue would heal quickly. It sounds like a myth, but a friend of mine broke his leg as an adolescent (jumping out of a swing shattered it), after the bone was set, his mother had him take comfrey in capsules for several weeks. After three weeks, they went in for a check up  and the doctors were amazed because they had never seen a bone heal so quickly. There are many websites that say (thanks to the F. D. A.) that comfrey isn't safe to take internally. The Natives did for many many years. I'll let you decide. Comfrey also has other great benefits: 

• excellent fertilizer for other plants
• great for asthma and other bronchial conditions
• heals skin and prevents scarring 
• great for wounds, scratches and sunburns
• excellent feed for goats, sheep, chickens etc.

I have also been using comfrey for a toothache with great success. Teeth are bones after all! A tooth is a tooth, no matter how small (ok, getting a little Dr. Seussy on ya....) 

http://www.motherearthnews.com/natural-health/comfrey-medicinal-uses-zmaz92jjzshe.aspx

Aloe Vera:

Another herb with a different name is Aloe vera. The Native tribes called it "Wands of Heaven". Aloe is so amazing for more than just sunburned skin! I shall call it "Wanda". 

• improves cells throughout the body
• externally it is an astringent, emollient and antifungal (Whhhaaattt?)
• internally lowers cholesterol, improves circulation to lower extremeties
• some studies showed that it prevented bacteria, viruses, and other invaders from multiplying 
• it acts as a steroid for inflammation without the side effects

I don't know about you, but all those benefits sound pretty heavenly!! 

http://www.herballegacy.com/Baldwin_Medicinal.html

Sometimes it doesn't really matter what you call something. Some of the plants from Heavenly Father's Medicine Cabinet could be called just about anything. The point is that they are placed here for his children to use with wisdom and prudence for our benefit... AND I LOVE IT!!!