The notion of Latin
home remedies made me smile as it brought back memories of my Nana grabbing her metal black handled scissors from her top
dresser drawer.With scissors in hand she determinedly walk out the back door and over to the torre’
(the air-conditioning water tower) bending over to clip some leaves of Yerba Buena Spearmint.You see I
had a stomach ache and that lovely little green leafed plant and my Nana mixing up the tea would cure me.I
don’t know if it was the smell or the love that my Nana mixed in or that just sitting with my Nana and sipping tea sweetened
with honey made me feel a million times better.
Growing up so many cups of Yerba Buena, or tiny drops of Tequila on my fingertips
out of a china teacup when I had a cold.Or maybe it was the Anise, Manzanilla, Cinnamon Tea, or the touch
of my Nana as she sobar (rubbed) me with mentholatum; either way I remember those remedies worked their magic.In fact I only occasionally remember taking a little pink Bayer aspirin if I had a fever.
I am happy to have these memories and these remedies as most recently I was able to mix up a batch of my Nana’s
arthritis potion to help out my friend’s mother who was in pain.Every time I pour a cup of tea or
rub an ache I think of my Nana and can almost see her brown skinned twisted fingers reaching out to comfort me.
That is love to me...
