Thursday, March 31, 2011

Great Grandma Saves The Day


Homeopathy is on the rise as people are getting over the side effects of medical treatment. Here in Brazil, there are many homeopathic options.  Personally, I think the one I use is the best.

I call my husband's Grandma. After 7 kids this woman has a few secrets of her own. Hell, she even did home births before it was considered cool or dangerous or whatever you think of it. In her day, the baby came out of the vagina whenever and wherever it wanted.

So this is the woman I call when someone has a cough. It didn't start out that way of course. My oldest was about 10 months old when I was introduced to her syrup. She heard through the family gossip line, aka Grandma telepathy, and showed up at my house with some weird stuff in a jar.

It was her homemade cough syrup. All natural and with a base of honey, she said this was the cure all for cough, mucus, and allergies. I of course turned to my American ways and said that my child could not have honey yet, he'd obviously die. No honey before 2 years old!

I swear, they entire family almost disowned me for this. Everyone, EVERYONE, had been eating honey since birth. NO ONE had died, gotten that mysterious illness from it, nor had they ever taken another medicine for cough. This honey mixture was it.

I was finally worn down about a year later. I figured he was almost 2 anyway. And you know what, he took it without a problem. Honey seems to go down even easier than butter. And while I can not confirm if it was a coincidence or repeated use, but my son stopped have mucus/allergy issues a couple months later. A teaspoon a day and a lifetime of a difference.

Now my 2nd is dealing with the same thing and I've just called the Grandma for her secret syrup. She insisted on mixing it up with her own 87 yr old hands. I think that's wise. After 60 yrs of mixing, I'm pretty sure those hands know what they are doing.

And with that we start our own little Brazilian homeopathy experiment, honey syrup mix versus the doctor. Just call me crazy but something tells me that 87 yrs of life may beat out 7 yrs in medical school.


11 comments:

  1. wait, i want to know what is in the secret honey mixture!

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  3. Having no children I had no idea that you're not supposed to give honey to kids before they're two.
    My grandfather was beekeeper and even now my uncle is keeping bees. Ever since I remember and until this day we have never been buying honey. When I came to London and had to buy one, it was MAJOR weird for me.
    Honey does help. When I have a cold, I'm drinking it with lemon and hot water, when I was little my mother was making this mixture every day. It's healthy too! :)
    XOXO

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  4. I definitely believe the Grandma. Local honey (such as we/you are likely getting there) is especially good, because it's made from the pollens of local trees/plants -- you know, those things that make allergies worse? Yep. So the gentle, subtle exposure from regular use of local honey is almost like nature's version of allergy shots.

    And, yes, if you can get it out of Great Grandma, we want the recipe. Pretty, pretty, pretty please.

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  5. Rachel,

    My grandma has similar recipes for the common cold, hers include honey with Watercress, watercress is supposed to improve your respiratory system and I really don't know exactly what honey does but it sounds like the Reader is on the right track, that makes total sense...
    Yeap, Brazilian grandmas have special solutions for all kinds of things. Gil's grandma knows how to make this mix that is sure to help a woman get pregnant, it increases fertility or waterever. They have another herb/immersion thing that helps ladies tighen their vaginas after child birth...They have mixes and solutions for all kinds of health situation.

    Ray

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  6. Add me to the list of people who'd love the cough recipe if Great Grandma will part with it.

    When I'd get upper respiratory infections as a child, my father swore by a concoction of honey, lemon, and wine that you boiled and breathed in the steam, before drinking some of it. He keeps telling me how different things are here than they were when he was growing up.

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  7. I just got the recipe and it has a TON of sugar in it. Totally bums me out. Still interested? The key ingredient is Common Rue (called Arruda in Portuguese). Anyone heard of that being used for cough/mucus?

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  8. i think honey is fine for children all ages...dont worry :)

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  9. yes to "old-timey" (as we here in alabama call it) cure-alls! our cough syrup of choice is whiskey, hot water, honey, & sugar.

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  10. Rachel, yes, still interested if you don't mind posting it!! Never heard of Common Rue or Arruda either one, but have some homeopath friends I can ask back home. I'll get back to ya.

    And -- I need to pass you an email of a beach bum dude who's in love and wants to marry his Brazilian sweetie, He's clueless what next steps to take to make himself legal here before his tourist visa expires. would you mind to email me at my blog email (musingsonthemove AT gmail DOT com) so I can pass that to you??? Only if you don't mind answering his questions!

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  11. Recipe posted!! Let me know how it turns out!

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