Natural Healing in Landow Creek
As I started thinking about writing a novel, I knew I wanted to include a story passed down in my family about stopping blood by quoting a verse in the Bible.
The concept always intrigued me and my grandma quoted as fact that she had healed more than one person of internal bleeding, even by using this verse as a prayer over the phone. It seemed perfect fodder for a novel.
Using this as a springboard, it seemed natural to add herbal healing to the mix. As a young child, I remember walking through the woods hunting mushrooms and my aunt pointing out yarrow. She crushed some in her fingers and told me about pressing it on scrapes to soothe and heal. I’ll never forget that distinctive, sharp medicinal smell.
After reading The Inheritance, a reader asked the following question:
How did you know about all these herbal remedies?
For several years, we attended the Mother Earth News Fairs, which hosted a wide variety of workshops, including some on the use of herbs for healing. I certainly learned a lot there. Then a good friend described the garden at A.T. Still University in Kirksville, MO and brought me a booklet outlining the plantings and uses. I relied heavily on those descriptions in both The Inheritance and The Sacred Woods. We even did a research road trip to Kirksville to visit the garden and tour the museum. It was fascinating!
So the short answer to the question is a combination of research and hands-on learning.
In writing about herbal healing and folk remedies, one of my concerns was that someone would take the things I describe and substitute it for medical advice. (Don’t do that. I’m not an expert.)
Personally, I believe there is a lot of healing available in the natural world around us if we know how to use it. I’m all for crushing some yarrow on a cut and I rely on lemon balm tincture for sleep. But I also avail myself of modern medicine as needed. Everyone has to find the right combination and learn what is safe for them.
Read my books for what they are: fiction.