Living in the tropics immersed in the natural elements has its many rewards, life lessons and spiritual awakenings. The more we trust in the balance and the natural order of the world around us, the less we fear. We gain more confidence in our innate ability to become one with the balance within that natural order, and no longer play the victims of circumstance. This has empowered us to trust in the natural laws of nature and in our own ability to self-heal. A few evenings ago, our son was visited by a large centipede mid-sleep and was injected with painful venom through a shallow wound in his neck from the centipede's pincer-like appendages. The whole family awoke and took immediate action. Centipedes are common in the Hawaiian Islands, especially on farms rich with underground ecosystems and endless soil for them to navigate and thrive. Rarely do we have such encounters, however, life happens on occasion; reminding us of our humility and the importance of historic plant knowledge. In the past, fear and vulnerability would have dictated a panicked reaction to such an event; most certainly exacerbating the venomous effects. Fear triggers catecholamine, the body's natural "fight or flight" hormone to be released throughout the body, as is the case when the body is under attack.

However, over the past decade, we have planted, foraged and immersed ourselves in herbal plants; experiencing deep, personal and collective healing with a variety of medicinal herbs. This experience and practice has allowed us to trust the plants, and keep us calm in the process. Throughout our healing journey we have become better informed, enlightened and empowered to naturally self-heal; void of fear and vulnerability, and full of trust and choices. This night was a testament to overcoming our past shortcomings and ignorance, and using our experience and plant knowledge to help our son. As Doug held our son to help calm his breath, my daughter poured him a glass of water, and I ran to the glorious Mulberry bush under the Kauai moonlight. Giving thanks for its healing capabilities, a harvest of a few leaves made their way into my mouth as I swiftly returned to my son. Chewing the Mulberry leaves releases it's green medicinal juice. We applied this juicy poultice to his neck wound. The juice of the Mulberry leaf is renown in Chinese medicine as a powerful antidote for centipede venom (sometimes being combined with sea salt). This ancient Chinese remedy is nothing short of a miracle from my experience. Our family has now used this antidote successfully for three separate centipede encounters, and this night proved another testament to the extraordinary power of this healing plant. The Mulberry leaf juice also known as an antidote for certain snake bites acts immediately, reversing the symptoms of the venom (ranging from paralysis, severe pain, swelling, redness to other nervous reactions). It’s effectiveness was quite clear this night. We also sprayed about 10-12 spritzes of our Tulsi hydrosol in the back of his throat to counter the swelling that was occurring. Tulsi is an herb renown in Ayurvedic medicine for calming the breath and serves as a strong antihistamine. Within a short while, we were able to tuck our son back into our bed with us, and all was sound again. We are always thankful for the lessons in trust, and the healing powers of these plants.

Tulsi Hydrosol 2oz