Beth Trissel's Blog, page 34

“Marley was dead: to begin with.��� Thoughts on A Christmas Carol

I’ve always loved Charles Dickens’ timeless classic, A Christmas Carol, the most widely popular piece of fiction he ever wrote. Given all his great novels, the popularity of this far shorter work would likely surprise him. It’s not the length of a story but its weight, and A Christmas Carol has deep significance. There are those individuals I can think of, and likely so can you, who would greatly benefit from the visit of three spirits on Christmas Eve. I have prayed this might occur, and still do. Transformation in a good way is of inestimable worth to the person involved and everyone whose lives they touch.

Another amazing thing about A Christmas Carol is that Dickens didn’t begin writing the story until October of 1843 and it was published that same year. Quick work.

From:��http://www.charlesdickensinfo.com/christmas-carol/

“A Christmas Carol was the most successful book of the 1843 holiday season.�� By Christmas it sold six thousand copies and it continued to be popular into the new year. Eight stage adaptations were in production within two months of the book���s publication.

The book is as popular today as it was over 150 years ago. Charles Dickens, through the voice of Scrooge, continues to urge us to honor Christmas in our hearts and�� try to keep it all the year.”

***If only more people did, I add.

“Scrooge���s transformation is legendary.�� At the beginning of the story he���s a greedy, selfish person .

���Every idiot who goes about with ���Merry Christmas��� on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart.��� to the man who ���knew how to keep Christmas well.���

Initially Scrooge is a miser who shows a decided lack of concern for the rest of mankind.�� However after a ghostly night, Scrooge sees life in a whole new way.

“He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world.”~

���I wear the chain I forged in life….I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it.���

��� Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

���No space of regret can make amends for one life’s opportunity misused���

��� Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

���For it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child Himself.���

��� Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

���I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach!���

��� Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

So be good and caring and kind.

And God bless us everyone.

���There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.��� ��� Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Charles Dickens, children, Christmas Traditions, family, lessons from A Christmas Carol

The Angel From On High

Last December, daughter Elise and I explored the live Nativity and Bethlehem Village at the beautiful gray stone church up the road from our farm, (Weavers Mennonite). Congregants went all out bringing the small Biblical town to life during the time when it was overrun with people coming to register for the census ordered by��Caesar Augustus–the��reason given in The Gospel of Luke for Mary, great with child, and Joseph, whose family hailed from Bethlehem, having to go there in the first place. Defying Caesar Augustus, or bad King Herod, wasn’t an option, no matter how inconvenient the timing of their trip. Hardly a day passed in Herod’s cruel reign without some unfortunate sentenced to death.

Those of you familiar with this age-old story will recall there was no room for the beleaguered couple in the inn, or anywhere else, when they finally arrived in Bethlehem. Only the stable. A point brought to our attention by the good folk playing the part of the inn keeper and his wife.

We also met various crafts-persons demonstrating their trade, wood carvers, potters, weavers… Vendors sold, though actually gave away, samples of foods native to that region. While we wandered among the stalls in the tree-lined grounds, taking in the sights, scents, and tastes of the improvised Bethlehem, we heard a voice overhead.

A woman garbed in flowing white with a glittering halo and prominent wings stood on a swing hung from a branch up in the towering tree.. Well up. We craned our necks to gaze at her. ��She held to the ropes on either side of the swing, but seemed at ease.

“Look,” I said, “it’s the angel from on high.”

“So, she is.” Elise was impressed. It’s not every day, in fact, ever, that we’ve seen the angel from on high.

And lo, she spoke, saying: “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.��And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

She repeated this to every passerby, which must have gotten samey for her, though cool for us. And I got to thinking, what if, her being an angel and all, she’d had a personal message for each person who passed beneath her swing. Like, ‘Yes, Bobby, ye shall receive that puppy you desire for Christmas,” Or, “Your prayers are answered, Jill, you shall bear the longed for child.” Or, “A Christmas bonus is coming unto you, Peter.”

I suppose I’m turning her into Santa Claus.��The Angel from on High had a specific message, one we heard over and over by the time we’d visited Mary and Joseph, the babe in the manger, shepherds, sheep, three Wise Men, the usual gang at a live Nativity. As to the mission of other angels, I’m not sure what they are, and suspect it varies from person to person, but I believe in angels. And in the eternal message of Christmas: “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy.”

As always, I urge you to be on the watch for angels. They come in many forms and may be anyone. ��They are all around us.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Angel, Bethlehem Village, Christmas, live Nativity, Meaning of Christmas, Shepherds, The Gospel of Luke, Wise Men

Ghostly Romance Novel Somewhere My Love .99 for the Holidays

A Night Owl Top Pick:�����The story will draw a reader in and will not let go until the very last page. It is a novel that will live in the hearts of its readers for a very long time.���


I conceived the idea for my��Somewhere in Time��series years ago while watching one of my favorite British mysteries,��Midsomer Murders.�� I enjoy the historic setting of these modern day mysteries, but especially when the story flashes back to an earlier time period in an old manor house to get to the root of the mystery. So I thought, why not incorporate that with my love of romance and history.

Moreover, I’m intrigued by ghost stories, and Virginia has more tales than any other state. I find myself asking if the folk��who’ve��gone before us are truly gone, or do some still have unfinished business in this realm? And what of the young lovers whose time was tragically cut short, do they somehow find a way? ��Love conquers all, so I answer ‘yes.’ ��The theme behind ghostly, murder mystery romance��Somewhere My Love, the first story in the��series.

Julia’s in love with a ghost

Blurb For Somewhere My Love :

Fated lovers have a rare chance to reclaim the love cruelly denied them in the past, but can they grasp this brief window in time before it���s too late?
��
Two hundred years ago Captain Cole Wentworth, the master of an elegant Virginian home, was murdered in his chamber where his portrait still hangs. Presently the estate is a family owned museum run by Will Wentworth, a man so uncannily identical to his ancestor that spirit-sensitive tour guide Julia Morrow has trouble recognizing Cole and Will as separate. As Julia begins to remember the events of Cole���s death, she must convince Will that history is repeating, and this time he has the starring role in the tragedy.
The blade is about to fall.~






���As I read Somewhere My Love, I recalled the feelings I experienced the first time I read Daphne DuMaurier���s Rebecca long ago. Using the same deliciously eerie elements similar to that Gothic romance, Beth Trissel has captured the haunting dangers, thrilling suspense and innocent passions that evoke the same tingly anticipation and heartfelt romance I so enjoyed then, and still do now.���
~joysann for Publisher���s Weekly




�� ***Somewhere My Love��is available in eBook and print at��Amazon��and Barnes & Noble.
The novel is reduced to .99 in kindle and nookbook for the holidays.


Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: .99 kindle, award winning romance, best paranormal romance, ghost story, haunting, Historical romance novel, murder mystery, reincarnation love story, Somewhere In Time, time travel

The Healing Herbs May Bring

A lot of people are fighting respiratory ailments these days. Don’t overlook herbs when reaching for a cure.

In my herbal,��Plants For A Medieval Herb Garden in the British Isles, I discuss several plants used in treating colds, coughs, congestion… Remember, many of these herbs traveled to the America with the colonists, so their use spread. And Native American herbs were sent back to England.

���Much Virtue in Herbs, little in Men.�����Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) Poor Richard���s Almanac

Some excerpts from my herbal:

“I often come across references to coltsfoot in my reading. My favorite is related by the beloved British Author Miss Read in her charming books about rural life in the small, fictional village called Thrush Green. In her Thrush Green collection, coltsfoot is a favorite herb in a concoction brewed by the eccentric herbalist, Dotty Harmer. The herb is native to England and Scotland, in grasslands and wastelands. It flowers in early spring and is one of the most popular ingredients in cough remedies. It���s generally given together with other herbs possessing soothing respiratory qualities, such as horehound, marshmallow, and ground ivy. Coltsfoot tea and coltsfoot rock, a confectionery product created from��Coltsfoot��extract, has long been a remedy for coughs.”

“The tincture of pulsatilla (from the pasque flower) is beneficial in disorders of the mucous membrane, the respiratory, and the digestive passages.

From A Modern Herbal: ���A few drops in a spoonful of water will allay the spasmodic cough of asthma, whooping-cough and bronchitis.”

���Why should a man die whilst sage grows in his garden?��� ~ Old English Saying

“Sage is wreathed in lore. I love this herb. An old friend, sage always has a place, generally several, in our garden. We grow the traditional variety, also some of the unusual kinds. They rarely survive as well as the old standby, if at all. A centuries��� old tradition recommends planting rue among the sage to keep noxious toads away, but I like toads. They eat mosquitoes and other nasty���s. It was believed sage would thrive or wither as the owner���s business prospered or failed. Man, I hope our plants are alive. I use sage in cooking. The leaves can also be made into a tea for fighting colds. I know a woman who swears sage tea helped her ward off a cold. I don���t doubt her, but the flavor is so strong, I���d be hard-pressed to get my family to drink it.” (Image of sage in our garden with heirloom larkspur)

Not in my herbal, because olive trees weren’t widely grown (if at all) in Medieval England or the rest of the British Isles, is Olive Leaf extract. Invaluable. I order mine from��Olivus–organic, excellent quality, I get��their premium extract. Olive leaf also comes in a tea, but I drink enough tea. I credit olive leaf and green tea with the significant improvement in my blood levels after my 2010 diagnosis of chronic leukemia. Both are powerful antioxidants that help with whatever you’re fighting. (Image of fresh herbs and oil)

In the hit paranormal television show, Grimm, my favorite spot is Rosalee’s Exotic Tea and Spice Shop, filled with herbs. She’s often making an herbal potion or remedy for whatever curse or condition needs curing. They use a lot of herbs on that show–fascinating. For more on Rosalee’s Shop��visit the link.

For some reason, herbs are often associated with the realm of fantasy. But they’re quite real, as are their properties, while sometimes misunderstood and their effects exaggerated. Herbs possess medical attributes of inestimable worth, if used properly and for the right condition.

Of course, I had to include a disclaimer in my book so people wouldn’t stupidly overdose on an herb, particularly a poisonous one, but I believe much healing lies in plants. More than we yet know. Medieval monks were amazingly well versed in using medicinal plants. Some of that knowledge was lost with the destruction of the monks and monasteries during the Protestant Reformation. If we recovered all of that ancient knowledge, combined with what we possess now, plus ongoing research, we could cure anything. And we��should be doing just that.��(Image of old Alchemy laboratory)

***Plants For A Medieval Herb Garden in the British Isles is available in kindle and print at Amazon and in Nookbook and print at Barnes & Noble.

“What is Paradise? But a Garden, an Orchard of Trees and Herbs, full of pleasure, and nothing there but delights.” ~William Lawson, 1618

Filed under: Gardening, herbal lore Tagged: alternative medicine, Grimm, herbal medicine, herbal treatment, Illustrated herbal, medicinal herbs, medieval herb garden, Rosalee's spice shop

The Anniversary of My Tumble Down the Rabbit Hole

I’m approaching the twentieth anniversary of my initial launch into the mad world of writing fiction. I tumbled down the rabbit hole and am still discovering just how deep that hole goes. It’s quite a labyrinth. To all of you who have supported me in my journey, a heartfelt thanks. I’m especially grateful for my readers and fans. Rest assured, ��I am boldly forging ahead. To fill you in, my latest undertaking is a YA fantasy that will also appeal to many adults. I’m having so much fun writing this story, ‘I may never come down to earth again.’ I plan for it to be a series. As to the setting and theme, think Native Americans, misty mountains, a secret valley, legends, warriors, werewolves, fantasy…romance. I’m back with the Indians I love, plus, plus. The idea for this story has been brewing in my mind for years and I’m delighted to finally channel the voices and give them life.

Will I write more historicals? Probably. But I’ve departed into the fantasy world for now. I may even add that dragon I’ve been talking about…

A look back at my journey and some of the awards I’ve received along the way.

2008 Golden Heart�� Finalist

2008 Winner Preditor’s & Editor’s Readers Poll

Publisher���s Weekly BHB Reader���s Choice Best Books of��2009

2010 Best Romance Novel List at Buzzle

2012 Double Epic Award Finalist

2012 Reader’s Favorite Finalist

2013 Won Book of the Month at Long and Short Reviews

Filed under: fantasy, fantasy-paranormal romance, Native American, YA, young adult, Young Adult Fiction, young adults Tagged: Am Writing, Historical Romance, Native American Romance, paranormal romance, werewolves, Writing multiple genres, YA fantasy romance

NA Historical Romance Novel Through the Fire on Sale for .99

Normally 3.99, Through the Fire is .99 From Nov. 19th–24th 

“The storyline of Through the Fire is well-written and uncommonly descriptive. Ms. Trissel took great time and effort to research Indian beliefs and their way of life. Anyone who buys this book will take great pleasure in it.” ~You Gotta Read by Laura

“Through the Fire is full of interesting characters, beautifully described scenery, and vivid action sequences. It is a must read for any fan of historical romance.” ~Long and Short Reviews by Poinsettia

2008 Golden Heart® Finalist

Publisher’s Weekly BHB Reader’s Choice Best Books of 2009

Blurb for Through the Fire:

Will love inflame these two natural-born enemies in fiery destruction?

Passions run deep in the raging battle to possess a continent, its wealth and furs. Both the French and English count powerful Indian tribes as their allies. English lady Rebecca Elliot, having eloped to America with a British captain, finds herself a widow. When she ventures into the colonial frontier with the militia to seek her uncle, she unwittingly enters a dangerous world of rugged mountains, wild animals, and even wilder men. The rules are different here and she doesn’t know them, especially those of the savagely handsome warrior who captures her body and her heart.

Half-Shawnee, half-French warrior Shoka, former guide for English traders, is the hawk, swift, sure, and silent as the moon. He knows all about survival in this untamed land and how deadly distraction can be. His intent is to sell Rebecca to the French before she draws him under her spell, but if he lets her go he can no longer protect her. If he holds onto her, can he safeguard his heart? With battle looming and an enemy warrior bent on vengeance, Shoka and Rebecca must decide whether to fight together or be destroyed.

The French and Indian War, A Shawnee Warrior, An English Lady, Blood Vengeance, Deadly Pursuit, Primal, Powerful, Passionate…Through the Fire.

Excerpt:

For a moment, he simply looked at her. What lay behind those penetrating eyes?

He held out the cup. “Drink this.”

Did he mean to help her? She’d heard hideous stories of warriors’ brutality, but also occasionally of their mercy. She tried to sit, moaning at the effect this movement had on her aching body. She sank back down.

He slid a corded arm beneath her shoulders and gently raised her head. “Now try.”

Encouraged by his aid, she sipped from the wooden vessel, grimacing at the bitterness. The vile taste permeated her mouth. Weren’t deadly herbs acrid? Was he feigning assistance to trick her into downing a fatal brew?

She eyed him accusingly. “’Tis poison.”

He arched one black brow. “No. It’s good medicine. Will make your pain less.”

Unconvinced, she clamped her mouth together. She couldn’t prevent him from forcing it down her throat, but she refused to participate in her own demise.

“I will drink. See?” Raising the cup, he took a swallow.

She parted her lips just wide enough to argue. “It may take more than a mouthful to kill.”

His narrowing eyes regarded her in disbelief. “You dare much.”

Though she knew he felt her tremble, she met his piercing gaze. If he were testing her, she wouldn’t waver.

His sharp expression softened. “Yet, you have courage.”~

***Through the Fire is in kindle at Amazon.

Through the Fire ‘Captures the time period wonderfully.” ~Shelia, Reviewer for Two Lips, Rating Five Lips 

Cover by my daughter Elise Trissel

Filed under: adventure romance, historical romance novel Through the Fire, The Colonial American frontier, The Last of the Mohicans Tagged: adventure romance, colonial, Frontier, Historical Romance, Indian romance, Native American Romance, Shawnee, The French and Indian War, western

Join me on Blogtalkradio at The Hummingbird Place

Colonial American historical romance novel

On Monday, Nov. 24th, at 7:30 pm. My topic is Historicals – the Revolutionary War. My recent release, Traitor’s Legacy, set during the American Revolution, is the sequel to award-winning historical romance novel, Enemy of the King. The Traitor’s Legacy Series. I’m only on for 15 minutes, but gonna beat my drum loud and proud. :) There will be more on this topic from others. Follow the link below.

I recently finished the third novel in the Traitor’s Legacy Series and sent it to my editor. Set on the heels of the American Revolution, Traitor’s Curse deals with the aftermath of the war, and has a ghostly Gothic flavor. More on that book later.

To listen in and for more on the show visit:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/hummingbirdplace/2014/11/25/historicals–revolutionary-war-american-british-french

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: American historicals, blogtalkradio, Colonial America, romance, The American Revolution, the British, The French, the Hummingbird Place, The Revolutionary War, the Traitor's Legacy Series

The Lure of Herbal Lore

“And because the Breath of Flowers is farre��Sweeter��in the Aire (where it comes and Gose, like the Warbling of Musick) than in the hand, therefore nothing is more fit for delight, than to know what be the Flowers and the Plants that doe best perfume the Aire.��� ~Frances Bacon

My fascination with��herbs��is largely prompted by my absorption with all things historical and the thrill of seeing, touching, sometimes tasting, and above all smelling the same plants known by the ancients.��Herbs have changed little, if at all, over the centuries and offer us a connection with the past that precious little does in these modern days. It���s pure intoxication to rub fragrant leaves between my fingers and savor the scent while pondering the wealth behind these plants.

Simple wayside flowers, even weeds, have a far greater heritage than most people realize. We cannot begin to grasp the enormous part that herbs, any plant with leaves, seeds, roots, or flowers used for flavoring food, creating medicine, or for their��scent, played in times past; the not so distant past. Herbs were vital to every single aspect of life. Think about it. Every one.

There were no Wal-Mart���s or drugstores to run to for health and beauty aids, no cures to be had at every corner. Remedies for everything from colds to the bubonic plague were brewed and made into teas, tinctures, or salves. Not to neglect the importance of love potions, charms, and protection from the dark forces, including witches, vampires, and werewolves. You can never be too careful.

Time out of mind, herbs have figured prominently in mystery and romance. Shakespeare��is probably the most famous author to incorporate the juice of monkshood as the deadly elixir in��Hamlet. Mandrake, the screaming roots in��Harry Potter, made up the��sleeping potion��that sent Juliette into a death-like slumber. Poor Romeo, if only he���d known before he drank belladonna, a member of the deadly nightshade family, or wolfsbane. It seems no one is quite certain what the ill-fated lover knocked back.

Whimsical fancies sprang up around the shape of plants. The bell-like flowers of foxglove were thought to be the minute gloves that fairies wore, especially as foxglove blooms in shady woodlands where everyone knows the little folk dwell. Commonly called digitalis, this now famous plant is widely used to treat heart disease. But too strong a dose and bang������you have a murder mystery. In Pocketful of Rye, famous mystery author��Agatha Christie��favored a poisonous concoction made of yew disguised in marmalade. The author hid deadly hemlock in a bottle of cold beer in��Five Little Pigs. If you���re in an Agatha Christie novel, don���t eat or drink anything she gives you.

On a happier note, many herbs also had romantic uses. The love potion in Shakespeare���s��A Midsummer Night���s Dream��has been analyzed by a fellow of the��Royal Society of Chemistry��in England. Doctor Sell thinks it was made up of heart���s ease (violas) blended with the sweetness of musk roses. In the play, Oberon drops the flowery decoction onto the eyelids of the sleeping Titania, but the good doctor cautions against trying this at home. Rather, opt for the nape of the neck or the d��collet��������breasts pushed up by a tightly drawn corset for those of you who didn���t realize.

Speaking of romance, it was thought that a young maiden could toss a sprig of��St. John���s Wort��over her shoulder and soon learn the name of the man she was to marry. Leafy branches of this herb were also hung in windows to ward off evil spirits and burnt to protect against devils, goblins, and witches. Bear this in mind, if you���re troubled by them. Legend has it that angelica was revealed in a dream by an angel to cure the bubonic plague. All parts of the plant were deemed of great value against enchantment. And don���t forget boughs of the sacred rowan tree to ward off evil spells.

Feeling timid? Anoint your feet with catnip tea to embolden yourself. Fennel seed is said to boost desire Lavender is ���of ���especiall good use for all griefes and paines of the head.��� For those of you who would be true, rosemary is the symbol of fidelity between lovers. Traditionally, a wreath of the aromatic herb was worn by brides. Rosemary is also the herb of remembrance and left at the grave of loved ones. We have observed this solemn rite.

“There���s rosemary, that���s for remembrance; pray you, love, remember. And there is pansies, that���s for thoughts.” ~Spoken by Ophelia in Shakespeare’s tragic play��Hamlet

Historical writers, especially, can incorporate the use of herbs to flavor their stories, but anyone can mix in a love potion or fatal elixir to spice up the usual suspects in a suspense or murder mystery. If you do so in real life, don’t tell me about it.

I hope my enthusiasm will enrich your lives with a deeper awareness of those people who dwelt on this earth long before us and inspire you to plant herbs in your gardens. For authors, herbs may help you contrive new plot twists or add authentic touches to your stories. My love of herbs and herbal lore spills over into my books.

One of my novels with a pronounced use of herbs is ghostly, time travel, murder mystery romance Somewhere My Love. The story also has Hamlet parallels because I always wanted to write a story that does, and so I did.

I also wrote an herbal, in eBook and now in print at Amazon.

Book Description: An illustrated collection of plants that could have been grown in a Medieval Herb or Physic Garden in the British Isles. The major focus of this work is England and Scotland, but also touches on Ireland and Wales. Information is given as to the historic medicinal uses of these plants and the rich lore surrounding them. Journey back to the days when herbs figured into every facet of life, offering relief from the ills of this realm and protection from evil in all its guises.

Filed under: Gardening, herbal lore, historical romance novel Through the Fire, Uncategorized Tagged: herbal charms, herbal lore, herbal medicine, herbs for protection, love potions, medieval herb garden, murder mystery, poisonous herbs

Consider Catnip–Cats Do

Catnip is native to Eurasia, but is naturalized over much of North America and the world, including my garden(s). During the Middle Ages, catnip was used in the treatment of nervous complaints, for colds, to sooth upset stomachs, and as a sleep aid. Catnip was rubbed on meats before cooking (possibly to disguise the flavor if it had gone off) and the leaves were added to salad. Early colonists took catnip to the New World, and it spread from there. (Image of catnip in our garden)



In The Family Herbal,  English botanist John Hill says, “Catmint (another name for catnip) is common about our hedges, but of very great virtues.” He recommends it, “Be gathered just when the flowers are opening, and dried. It is an excellent woman’s medicine; an infusion of it is good against hysteric complaints, vapours, and fits, and it moderately promotes the menses.”
 
In Colonial America: A tea brewed from the leaves was used to treat stomach ache and head colds. Catnip was also steeped in wine and imbibed that way. If a woman wanted to increase her fertility she might soak in a catnip sitz bath. Catnip will take over the garden if you let it, but I like the scent, and the plant, though kind of weedy, is appealing in full flower. Very cheery.

Our cats, particularly our Siamese Tabby Mix, Pavel, love catnip. He rolls in it and chews on the leaves when I sprinkle some on the climbing perch. Even if Pavel is upstairs, he appears in seconds when I get out the catnip. I’m not sure why cats are so besotted by it, just that many are. Though not all. Percy doesn’t care one way or the other. Our kittens, Peaches and Cream, are fans. This summer, daughter Elise and I gathered seeds of various plants to save, including catnip. We put them in an envelope and left it on the counter, only to discover the contents scattered and Pavel’s mouth suspiciously covered with the leaves of catnip that had accompanied the seed gathering. He claimed to know nothing about it, with that innocence felines can conjure. 

 

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: catmint, catnip, cats, Gardening, herbal lore, Herbal tea, herbal use

In Need of An Herbal Tonic?

Sassafras comes to mind and figures prominently in my colonial American historical romances set in the Alleghenies among the Native Americans. Think the colonial frontier–The Last of the Mohicans–and you’re there.

Back to sassafras. I love the tree’s varied mitten shaped leaves and its distinctive, aromatic scent. My parents have a sassafras tree growing in their yard, but I’d have to head into the mountains to get my fix, or buy sassafras from the small local grocery store.

*Note to self, plant sassafras trees. Maybe if I put in an entire grove some would survive. Our challenge is the cows which occupy much of our land and eat anything not protected behind secure fencing. Saplings are among their favorite delicacies.

You might be interested to learn, as was I, that Christopher Columbus is said to have quelled mutinous seamen by the sudden sweet smell of sassafras which indicated the nearness of land. Not only did it aid in the discovery of the New World, but was an important export to Europe in the early days of colonial American, even exceeding shipments of tobacco.

Wine made from the darkly blue berries has been imbibed for colds. During the spring-flowering period, the blossoms were simmered to make a tea for reducing fevers. A blood purifying spring tonic was and still is imbibed from a tea made by brewing the roots. A tea distilled from the bark was believed to aid in the treatment of bronchitis, respiratory ailments and tummy upset. Chewing the bark was thought to help break the tobacco habit, a problem even in the early days of this country. The roots were distilled and the oil from them used to flavor many products including ginger ale, sarsaparilla, cream soda, root beer, toothpaste…

A poultice made from the leaves and laid on wounds was used to stop bleeding and aid in healing. Native Americans steeped in the many uses of sassafras passed their knowledge along to European settlers in the colonial frontier. A tea from the bark was also thought to be beneficial in the treatment of venereal disease, needed by both Indians and colonists alike. If you wonder what ailments afflicted folk in the early days of this country, you need only read what they were most interested in finding treatments for and cancer doesn’t make the top ten.

How to make sassafras tea: One method is to vigorously scrub several roots, a couple of inches long, and use the whole root, or cut them in into pieces, and bring to a boil in three pints of water. Reduce heat and simmer for fifteen minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and steep for another ten minutes before straining and serving. Yet another method is to drop several roots into a quart of boiling water, remove from heat and steep then serve. A pound of roots will make 4 quarts of tea and can be used several times before they lose their strength.

For the bark, especially used as a spring tonic, cut or grind a teaspoon of bark and steep in a cup of boiling water for ten minutes, strain and sip. The tea from either root or bark should have a yellowish red hue, rich smell and pleasing taste. It can be thinned with milk or cream and sweetened. I would add some honey, but those of you who like it plain, enjoy.

And good health to us all.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: American Historical Romance, Colonial America, herbal lore, herbal medicine, Native American, Red Bird's Song, Sassafras, Tea, The Allegheny Mountains, the Scots-Irish