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Gypsies are an amazing people ? the only group of people living in every corner
of the earth without the benefits of power, money, armies, or ever fighting a
war. Wherever you travel ? to the plains of Hungary, the steppes of Siberia, the
gates of Marakesh, the highlands of Guatemala, for the frozen tundra of Alaska ?
everywhere you'll find Gypsies. They are always on the move and have an ever
abiding need for freedom and independence. Where did they come from? Some
believe they are the last survivors of Atlantis. Others suggest that their
ancestors are the people of the biblical town of Babel. To the gypsies it does
not matter. They readily learn the language of their host country, but no
government and no monarch has been able to break the Gypsy spirit ? not with
gifts of land and seed and not with brutal persecution.

Gypsies have a deep and abiding respect for creation ? for Mother Earth, and for
life everywhere, in all its variety. Therefore, gather only those leaves and
flowers or only those portions of a root, bark or fruit, that is really needed.
If every part of the plant is needed, leave some portion in the ground to insure
its new growth. Thank the plant for the gift it has given you and for its
efforts to keep our planet alive.

Although many species in the plant kingdom have miraculous healing properties,
some are poisonous. (Mistletoe berries and jimsonweed in particular). Also, some
plants may cause allergic reactions. Consult a physician for any serious
ailment.


Fountain of Youth Insomnia and Nervous Stress
Warts Nervousness
Freckles Headaches
Age Spots Soul-Refreshing Tonic
Bride-of-the-Sun Salve Migraines
Digestive System Faintness
Appetizer Lack of Appetite
Appetite Suppressant Intestinal Parasites
Blood Cleansing Tea Constipation
Purification Chronic Constipation
Love Potions Colds

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INSOMNIA AND NERVOUS STRESS

Fear is part of life. Don't be ashamed of it, or it will result in depression,
insomnia and hopelessness. You cannot escape these unless you face fear. Fears
should be discussed openly ? with anyone you trust. This might give the listener
the courage to talk about his or her own fears. Both of you will become
stronger.

Fear has to be approached positively. Fear is not your enemy, it can be your
friend. Doesn't it make animals more attentive and careful? Depending on their
disposition, they will either run or fight to save themselves. But we have to
face fear. Say "yes" to yourself, accept the good parts and the bad parts. This
is the first step to healing. Every thought has psychological and physical
effects. Force yourself to think positively. Find whats positive in everything
on a piece of paper ? negative emotion and thoughts that you want to change.
Then burn the paper, lie down, close your eyes and listen to music.

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NERVOUSNESS

Valerian Wine

2 handfuls valerian roots
1 clove
1 orange rind
1 rosemary twig
1 liter of dry white wine

Cut valerian root into small pieces, and place them on a large clear glass
container. Add the clove, the grated orange rind and rosemary twig. Pour the dry
white wine over the dry mixture. Seal the container tightly and allow to steep
for one moon cycle (28 days). Then strain through gauze cloth, store in a bottle
and seal tightly. Drink 1 liqueur glass three times daily.

Also recommended for faintness.

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HEADACHES

Pain Tonic

Willow Bark
St. John's Wort

Pulverize willow bark with mortar and pestle, and cut St. John's Wort into small
pieces. For each cup of tonic, mix 2 teaspoons of willow bark powder and ?
teaspoon of St. John's Wort. Prepare a few cups ahead of time. Place mixture in
pot, cover with water and simmer for 13 minutes. Strain. Drink a cup daily.
Sweeten with honey if desired.

For migraine headaches sip 3 to 4 cups daily.

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SOUL-REFRESHING TONIC

St. John's Wort leaves and blossoms
90 proof alcohol

Gather the fresh shoots of St. John's Wort between the summer solstice and St.
John's Day (June 21 and June 24) at sunrise. Remove the blossoms and leaves and
place them in a dark glass container that can be sealed tightly.

Cover with 90 proof alcohol. Steep for one moon cycle (28 days) in a dark place.
Shake every third day. After one moon, strain the contents through a gauze cloth
and fill dark dropper bottles. Close lid tightly. Take 10 to 20 drops daily.

St. John's Wort herb flows through the whole body, making it receptive to cosmic
energies. After taking the tonic, do not expose yourself to intense sunlight.

Take soul-refreshing tonic for fear, emotional pain, melancholy, depression and
for calming nerves.

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DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

Our well-being depends upon our digestive system. We usually get stomachaches
when we feel overextended, or the opposite, when we are not challenged enough ?
when we cannot fulfill our dreams and ambitions.

The following remedies may alleviate some symptoms, but the person's inner
struggle must also be faced. If you get a knot in the stomach just thinking
about work, or the boss, you can't just quit! Some situations have to be
endured. But make sure that you have a place and time where you can be yourself,
where you can be allowed to fun "free".

We all know what gives us joy. This will be different for you as it is for me.
You may enjoy listening to classical music, or watching hockey or playing
hockey, whatever it is, make sure you allow yourself time to be "free".

Everyone of us has a weak point in our constitution. Find yours and tailor you
approach accordingly.

Let your language be your guide. Liver means life. Avoid toxins for one month
and your liver will be as good as new. But since we all are guilty at times of
enjoying the 'good life', I enclose some recipes that are helpful to stimulate
the digestive system and therefore your feeling of well-being.

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APPETIZER

Bitter Orange Syrup

Bitter oranges
White wine
Brown sugar

Wash 3 organically grown bitter oranges. Peel the skin as thin as possible so
that most of the white portion remains on the fruit. Cut the skin into small
pieces and cover with 1 liter of white wine. Boil for 13 minutes. Peel the white
portion of the skin of the fruit. Cut up the fruit and add to the wine mixture.
Add 13 seeds from the fruit and stir in 13 tablespoons of brown sugar. Boil for
30 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the seeds, and put the syrup into glass
jars. Cover tightly. Take 1 tablespoon in the morning and at night. Bitter
orange syrup is also a mild laxative.

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LACK OF APPETITE

Dandelion Tonic

Centaury root
Dandelion leaves
Red wine
Juniper berries

Cut 1 handful of European centaury root into small pieces and mix with one
handful of dandelion leaves. Pour 1 liter of red wine over the plants and cover.
Steep overnight. The next morning bring to a boil and simmer for 13 minutes.

Grind 3 juniper berries with mortar and pestle, add to the mixture and simmer
for 3 more minutes. Allow to cool, strain and fill bottles that can be closed
tightly. Drink 1 liqueur glass of the tonic twice daily before a meal. This
tonic is an excellent appetite stimulant and helpful for anorexia.

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FOR WEIGHT LOSS

Appetite Suppressants

Bran Breakfast

Fragrant valerian root
Handful of wheat bran
1 tablespoon of dog rose hips
1 teaspoon of honey

Harvest fragrant valerian root in the spring or in the fall (not summer). Clean
well with a root brush and let it air-dry in the shade. Store in a linen sack in
a place where air can circulate. When needed, cut enough root into small pieces
to make 1 heaping tablespoon. Cover with water, cover and steep overnight. Warm
the liquid to body temperature and strain through gauze cloth. Soak 1 handful of
wheat bran in this liquid, add 1 tablespoon of dog rose hips (or 1 teaspoon of
dog rose hips and 1 teaspoon of honey). Eat in the morning on an empty stomach.
This appetite suppressant is a proven Gypsy recipe for losing weight.

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BLOOD-CLEANSING TEA

Dandelion root
Artichoke leaves

Grind up a dandelion root to make dandelion root powder. Cut up a few artichoke
leaves. Mix 1 heaping teaspoon of dandelion root powder and 1/2 teaspoon of
artichoke leaves. Cover with boiling water. Let steep in a covered pot for 13
minutes, and strain through gauze.

Sip 2 to 3 cups of this tea, not too hot, daily. Add a little honey if it is too
bitter for you. Drink this tea with Bran Breakfast to stimulate the liver and
gallbladder.

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PURIFICATION

Weight Loss tea

1 handful of hibiscus blossoms
1 handful of fennel seeds
? handful of peppermint leaves
3 tablespoons of rosemary
3 tablespoons of lady's mantle (dewcup)
4 tablespoons of yarrow
4 tablespoons meliot
1 tablespoon of lemon balm
2 tablespoons of birch leaves
2 tablespoons of nettle leaves
2 tablespoons horsetail
2 tablespoons sandalwood
1 tablespoon hops
1 tablespoon of dandelions leaves and blossoms
1 tablespoon of wormwood (absinthe)
1 teaspoon of chamomile
1 tablespoon of linden blossoms
1 tablespoon of mulberry leaves

Mix and use one tablespoon for each cup of tea. Pour the dry tea into
earthenware of enamel pot, add boiling water. Quickly bring to boil, then remove
from heat. Let steep, covered, for 5 minutes. Strain. Sip the tea lukewarm; take
2 to 4 cups daily. Sweeten with honey or brown sugar if you wish. This tea will
detoxify the system without causing hunger sensations.

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INTESTINAL PARASITES

Pomegranate Juice

Mix the juice of one ripe pomegranate and the juice of 2 garlic cloves. Add 1 to
2 teaspoons of honey and stir. You may increase the amount of honey to suit your
tastebuds.

Drink the juice before lunch for 13 days. Children love this effective remedy!

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CONSTIPATION

Plum Jam

4 pounds 6 ounces ripe plums
3-1/2 ounces honey
1 tablespoon apple vinegar
3-1/2 ounces tamarind jam

Put pitted plums and 1/3 of the pits into large pot. Fill the pot with water and
boil for one hour, uncovered. Stir occasionally and add more water if necessary.
After an hour, remove the pits and continue to let the mixture simmer for
another 15 minutes. After the jam has cooled, add honey, apple vinegar and
tamarind jam. Pour the jam into glass containers that can be tightly sealed.

Take one tablespoon of plum jam in the morning on an empty stomach. Continue
this treatment until you overcome constipation.

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CHRONIC CONSTIPATION

Herbal Oil

1 pint cold-pressed (extra virgin) olive oil
1 handful black elderberries
? handful rosemary blossoms
1 tablespoon senna
1 tablespoon flax seed
1 valerian root

Mix olive oil with rosemary blossoms, senna and black elderberries. Shake well,
and set aside in a dark place in a tightly sealed container for three days. On
the fourth day, crush flax seeds with mortar and pestle; add to the olive oil
mixture. Crush valerian root and add to the oil. Shake the container vigorously.
Seal tightly and set aside for 7 days, shaking the container twice a day,
mornings and evenings. On the eighth day, strain the oil through a gauze cloth,
pour into dark bottles and store in a dark place. Take one tablespoon of the
herbal oil in the morning on an empty stomach. If need be, take an additional
tablespoon before supper. Take it until you are regular and therefore happier
again.

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FOREHEAD AND NECK WRINKLES

Quince Compress

Remove the fuzz of the quince fruit, cut into thin slices and air dry in the
shade. Place the dried fruit with 2 twigs of rosemary with blossoms and 1 twig
of lavender with blossoms in a clear bottle. Fill the bottle with alcohol and
seal tightly. Place the bottle fore 13 days in the sun, shake 3-5 times daily,
strain through gauze and store in dark bottles.

Apply in a compress to the forehead and neck for 13 minutes. Enjoy the
experience. Listen to the birds, the wind, some music and remember wonderful
moments of you life or think about wonderful moments yet to come.

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FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH

Wild Garlic (Allium usinum)

This herb was well known to the Celts, Teutonic tribes and ancient Romans. They
gave this unassuming, wild plant of the lily family the name herba salutaris,
"healing herb".

Wild Garlic should be eaten fresh in the spring, before the plant starts to
bloom. Take a handful to eat with bread or add it to your salad.

Wild Garlic cleanses the blood and intestines. It improves the intestinal flora
and is effective against acne, fungus and eczema. It also lowers high blood
pressure, fights arteriosclerosis, and increases the body's immune system.

Wild Garlic in Olive Oil

To have your Fountain of Youth available all through the year, harvest the
leaves prior to blooming.

Cut leaves into small pieces, put them in a bottle with a wide neck and add
cold-pressed olive oil.

Close and protect from light. Take one tablespoon daily.

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WARTS

Wild Garlic Juice

During full moon at midnight, apply fresh wild garlic juice to the wart. You can
substitute freshly squeezed juice from a domestic garlic clove if necessary.

Apply the juice several times. Make sure the warts are exposed to direct
moonlight in open air for at least 3 minutes. During these 3 minutes, tell you
body to stop nurturing these warts, tell the warts to leave. A simple charm is
sometimes helpful:

Wart, wart, go away
You can't stay or disobey
Wart, wart, do away.

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FRECKLES

Garlic Vinegar Paste

Crush 3 garlic cloves with mortar and pestle, add fruit vinegar one drop at a
time to make spreadable paste. Apply the paste mornings and evenings to affected
areas for 13 minutes, remove and apply Bride-of-the-Sun Salve. This past works
well against age spots also.

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Bride-of-the-Sun Salve

1 handful wild garlic
1 cup marigold blossoms
9 rosemary blossoms
9 lavender blossoms
1 cup goat butter, olive oil, or neutral base

Use olive oil or goat butter over a low flame for a base. (Or purchase neutral
salve base at your health store or a pharmacy). Over low flame carefully mix in
an earthenware or an enamel pot, marigold blossoms, rosemary blossoms and
lavender blossoms with a wooden spoon. Simmer for 3 minutes. Remove and allow to
cool. Cover and store in a cool place. The next day heat again over low flame,
gently stirring for 7 minutes. Cool to body temperature and strain through gauze
cloth. Fill glass or earthenware container, cover tightly and store in cool,
dark place. Apply thin film of the salve to affected area. Do not use heavy
application, rather repeat treatment more often. This salve is also recommended
for boils, scar tissue and insect bites.