A Mother's Role
It has been said that the Greeks had a word that would define every name, place, and things such as the true meaning of love. In fact, the quality of love was described in four distinct aspects that there was no question of the context being employed. For example, first, the special love between mother and child is the word (Storge) in Greek, however, interestingly there is no word for the love between father and child. The closest definition would be the second term, (Agape), meaning principal love which is the most referred term in the inspired writings of the scriptures which is very telling in how we should care for one another as a human family. Then, there is the third, (Philia), meaning brotherly love of which has the meaning of being the best of friends, which are exceedingly rare if we do not avail ourselves. Incidentally, the fourth, (Eros), refers to romantic love. We can only conclude unequivocally that mothers play an integral part in the well-being of the family.
A little more about Greek, history shows that Roman medicine, documented in the writings of such physicians as Galen, a Roman Greek medical doctor, surgeon, and philosopher, born in AD 129 in Pergamon, laid the foundation for contemporary medical terminology would be based and derived from Greek words, however, the Greek being filtered through the Latin language. With that said, we must ask ourselves, can you get any more intimate when considering the condition of our health? Similarly, can we get any more intimate when considering the bonding of mother and her child?
In a recent episode, a former FBI Intelligence Analyst turned 100 percent mom and entrepreneur because of her little boy's poor health and had to leave and forgo her career with the aspiration of one day becoming the Director of the FBI Agency, she said. Being an Intelligence Analyst, she set off into the priority and adventure of investigating how to naturally ameliorate the health of her son, and to make her story short, after extensive research in health alternatives, she created Erin's Elderberries LLC. And, if you are going to do any credible research, she indicated to make certain there is a .gov at the end of the website, and I thought it was spoken like a true FBI Analyst.
Why did my guest decide to utilize the elderberry as a medicinal alternative?
I must say, there is plenty of mythology, folk lore, legend linked with Elderberry, however, you cannot ignore the plethora of health value derived thereof. With your permission, let us explore history a bit, antiquity and ethnobotany, The scientific study of the relationships between people and plants, Elderberry has proven its efficacy throughout centuries. This diminutive tree has a long history and relationship with humans. Many indigenous or Native American such as the Creek, Cherokee, Mikasuki and Seminole Native Americans have reported extensive empirical experience on uses for various parts of the Elderberry tree.
Archeologist have also discovered Seeds in ancient dwellings in Switzerland that hint to Elderberry being agriculturally cultivated as early on as 2000 B.C.E.
In fact, the physician often referred to as the father of medicine, Hippocrates who live during the period of 460- 370 BC noted and attested to Elderberry’s medicinal properties.
As humans would have it, humans have attributed more than what is normal and reasonable, for instance, the elderberry branches of the tree have been hung in home and buildings for protection, the small shoots or twig were used on graves to assist the transition from life to death. In addition, wood was also ritually used as musical instruments like flutes, and its pithy interior wood was used as fire holders among many other things of superstition.
Putting these frivolous myths of uses aside, what is loud and clear to me, the elderberry tree has had a significant and powerful impact for its health benefits.
The native American use of the elderberry was extensive throughout the ages. A case in point, Elderflower was soaked in water as a drink for remedies for fever, and bark was also infused or soaked for sores, not to mention eczema, as a soft, topical moist mass, usually wrapped and warmed in a cloth. The bark tree was also used as tea as an emetic or to induce vomiting to get rid of accidental poisoning,, it was a diuretic, a laxative, as a probiotic, as a tonic for neuritis and rheumatism.
Also, as an insecticide when using the dried leaves were spread around home areas which made a lot of sense since they were exposed to the elements as Indigenous people.
Europe also has had a long history in the usage of elderberries where they would wash their face with the dew from the elderflowers as a cosmetic treatment. Additionally, with the flower, they would also make tea prior to retiring to induce a cleansing perspiration in the event of contracting a cold or flu-like symptoms, and other health issues like inflammation, it serves as an Antiseptic and even for neurosis or mental disorders.
I do not know about you, but I spend more time at the table than in the kitchen. Therefore, how about enjoying elderberries in the following ways by making them into a syrup or cordial which my guest manufactures and distributes across the country. Or making delicious fruity beverages like Elderberry wine and cocktails.
You can also leave the berries to soak their flavor into what some would call spirits like Elderberry gin which I hear is particularly tasty. How about sitting down to enjoy a fantastic salad with a bit of Elderberry vinegar instead of your common salad dressing? If you have a sweet tooth, how about making Elderberry jam and I understand it is simple to make. And if you serendipitously stumble into some unripen elderberries, go ahead and pick a bunch, and create Elderberry capers by packing them in salt. The only caveat I have for you, when cooking with amazing elderberries, always make certain to discard the stems or the shoots as they are slightly toxic, that is, if you are sensitive to these things. But again, drinking too much water can also make you ill.
Before I digress too much, let me get back to a mother's role in the family.
It is indisputable that mothers like my guest play a critical role in the nuclear family, which is a powerful force for social development and unification of society. The mother-child intimate relationship is indispensable for the healthy nourishing of children. Mothers play multiple roles in a child’s development, for mothers are not only protectors, but are also caregivers, inhouse doctors, housekeepers, chefs, teachers, psychologists, financial planners, and often not by choice, they are also many times the breadwinner for their family.
Through research and by personal observation, children flourish and thrive when they have a solid foundation of security and when they are also enjoying positive relationships with people, and especially with their parents. Studies have shown that early on in their childhood is a time where an infant is learning immeasurably from their indoor and outdoor environment. This is the child’s doorway of learning experientially and will impact their developmental years. Therefore, at this point in a child's life, a mother’s intimate relationship with her child is acute and cannot be overly emphasized.
This is a point where the neurological networks in a child’s brain are in the process of being formed during these formatives first five years of their lives.
At this stage, a child's emotional growth is like osmosis, they are receptive to human interaction. How a mother, and of course a father, interacts with a child and engages them psychologically, socially, and emotionally during these years of interactive activity will dictate the rest of their child's future life.
As we know by experience or observation, children go through periods of transition, and the role of a mother’s help in adjusting their child from preschool to kindergarten, not to mention through their often-tumultuous high school years. And hopefully, mothers and dads have helped their child to establish the confidence and the ability to work themselves through this world of so many injustices and
inequities.
When speaking of living in an unjust and an unfair world, interestingly and with fascination, is it not true when we find ourselves in trouble, hurt, or in peril the first word we desperately utter is "MOM?" Should I say any more?