It was a cool day in late October when the phone rang. I didn’t feel like being bothered, but recognized the number was my parents’, and answered.
“Hi, mom, whatcha doing?” I asked in a raspy voice. I could tell she was in a good mood. But as for me, my allergies had me down. My throat was scratchy, and I felt like I had the flu.
“Nothing, I was just calling to check on you,” she responded. “You don’t sound well. What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I’m not feeling well, my allergies are bothering me.”
“I’m sorry you don’t feel well. Did I ever tell you about the home remedies my mom fixed for us when we didn’t feel good?”
Without my response she proceeded to tell the story.
“Well, when I was a little girl, if my sisters or I felt sick or our systems needed a good flushing out (nowadays it’s called detox), my mother would fix us a big cup of Cow Chip or Mullein Tea.”
“No mom, I don’t’ remember this story, but I’m listening.” Then I interjected, “Can you tell me the name of the teas one more time?”
“Mullein Tea or Cow Chip Tea,” she repeated.
“Ok, but I’ve never heard of either.” She attempted the story again.
“Well back in the day, poor folks didn’t have any insurance, couldn’t afford to go to the doctor, and in most cases Blacks couldn’t be seen by White doctors, and so we had to rely on our home remedies. You remember your great grandmother who we called Gram? Well, if not, she was part Indian and I think a lot of my mother’s concoctions came from her. And if you really want to know, I’ll tell you what’s in those teas. Are you sure you want to know?”
By this point, I was really into her story and felt her hesitate.
“Well, yes, tell me!”
She proceeded. “To make Cow Chip Tea, the cow patties have to sit in the sun long enough until they are dry and have no odor.”
It took me a few minutes before it dawned on me what she was actually talking about. “No odor!” I screamed and almost choked from shock.
“Mom, are you talking about cow poop? Are you really telling me–I could barely get the words out of my mouth–you drank cow poop?! You’re kidding, right? Mom, you have to be kidding.”
She chuckled a little and continued. “After it sits in the sun and completely dries …” And before she could finish I asked, “then what did grandma do?”
“Your grandmother would bring it indoors and boil it in a pot, then strain it, and add a little sugar and make us drink it. And girl, within a day or two, our cough or whatever was wrong with us had cleared up and we felt better.”
I laughed uncontrollably and said, “Cow poop! I don’t believe it,” and continued to laugh. “Mom, I’m so sorry.”
“Baby, that’s just the way it was.”
“Wow! What a story.”
I realized my mother had never shared this story with me before, and could tell she was a little uncomfortable because there were seconds of silence after she finally finished the entire process.
I didn’t laugh out loud like before, and found myself amazed and in awe. I pulled myself together and said “Wow, I’m so happy that we didn’t have to go through what you went through. How did that make you feel knowing what you were drinking?”
“We didn’t know, and once we found out, it was no big deal because it was the norm,” she answered.
Then I asked, “what about Mullein Tea?”
“Well, that’s a plant with silvery white leaves with pretty yellow flowers, I think. Now remember that was a long time ago, but I’m thinking the process was similar. The leaves could also be used on burns and bruises, just like the Aloe Vera plant.”
“Wow, now that’s an all-natural home remedy.”
“Yep, it sure is. And who knows, it could be why I’m still on earth and 80 years old.”
Her voice picked up a little and seemed proud to have lived through what I would call hard times.
“Mom, thanks for sharing your story with me. It makes me appreciate having health care, but I can see where knowing about home remedies can be very beneficial.”
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