Food as Medicine in Every Season

It’s a different season––one I never dreamed I would experience. This season calls for wisdom, discernment, discipline and faith.

The toilet paper aisles are bare, but the immune support supplement aisles are well stocked. This calls for a “teaching moment.” I can’t help myself! I’ve taught, coached and written about this topic for nearly 50 years, so there’s nothing new in the information, yet, it continues to be a very new lifestyle concept for many people.

Long before there was Big Pharma, the FDA, and other governing agencies, humanity survived––even thrived through––numerous ailments and ills using Nature’s remedies. Many of these originated in the heart of the home, the kitchen. I was one of those fortunate kids who had many mothers-grandmothers-aunts who made me eat “weeds” freshly picked from the ditches along the county road to our farmhouse. Of course, in my young years, I did not realize those “weeds” were healthy, edible, wild herbs.

Long before my time––and yours––in the mid 1300’s, Europe experienced one of the deadliest pandemics in human history. The Black Death, or Great Plague, caused the deaths of 30-60 percent of Europe’s population. This pandemic lead to upheavals in social, religious and economic sectors that profoundly affected the course of history.

What I find fascinating about this research is that even a small portion of the population found a way to survive by using natural herbal remedies. There are interesting reports of the Four Thieves of Marseilles who were ordered by the law enforcement of the day to remove the dead bodies from the streets. While following their orders, the thieves plundered the dead for their valuables. The law enforcement’s curiosity about the thieves immunity to the Plague intrigued them enough to offer a milder punishment if the thieves divulged their secret of protection against this dreadful death.

A concoction of garlic and herbs, spices and volatile oils extracted in a vinegar solution was rubbed on their bodies before they removed the corpses from the street. A blend of oils from clove, lemon, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus and rosemary seemed to offer protection. Nature at its best!

Another report that captured my attention was the story of how lemonade may have spared Paris from another round of the Plague in the late 1600’s. While other French cities were losing a major portion of their populations to this deadly disease, Paris was mysteriously spared.

Prior to the 1600’s lemons were considered to be a rare and expensive fruit. Lemon trees were being cultivated in Asia and other parts of Europe, but the fruit was not widely used in France and England. In addition to the cost factor, it was believed that eating raw lemons was unhealthy and harmful. As trade routes increased and awareness of lemons grew, the availability and affordability became more widespread.

In 1651, Le Cuisinier Francois, one of the founding texts of modern French cuisine was published and included a recipe for lemon juice, water and sugar. This simple recipe contributed to lemon’s popularity in Paris. Street markets and vendors (limonadiers) popped up throughout the city selling this new, refreshing beverage.

Where there are lemons, there are peelings. Those peelings landed in the garbage piles, in the gutters, in the alleyways––all the places rats (carriers of the fleas that spread the Plague) liked to nibble on waste. The potent compound in lemon peels is limonene, which repels flea larvae and adult fleas. Who would have thought that a love of lemonade would have restricted the spread of such a deadly disease? Nature at its best! Be sure to look for limonene as a major ingredient in pet products for flea and tick repellant to protect your beloved pet.

Often fear and panic are our first response to a new and unexpected situation like we are currently experiencing. When we embrace the time tested truths of Nature’s foods and medicines, we not only gain improved health and immunity, but confidence and empowerment.

I encourage you to use this “quarantine” time to refresh-restore-revive wellness practices for you and your family. This is the perfect opportunity to share simple wellness and nutrition tips with your children and grand-children. Teach them to live strong and well using Nature’s foods.

Here is one of my “go-to” wellness practices I use year round. I hope you’ll try it too:

Lemon Juice Refreshment & Immune Booster

3-4 lemons, washed and cut in lengthwise wedges with the peeling left on

2 cups purified water

Honey to sweeten as desired

• Place lemon wedges and water in a blender container

• Blend on high until peel and seeds are liquified

• Pour into an ice cube tray

• Freeze

• Remove cubes into a freezer bag or container

• Use one cube for one mug of hot water

• Add honey to sweeten as desired