Advent

We Are Waiting

It is the first of Advent today. We are waiting for Christmas and this is very exciting. At this time of year I always think of snow and warm rooms with the smell of Christmas cookies coming from the kitchen. 

When I was a child, my mother used to bake the same cookies every year. She also used to make a big Dresdner Stollen which had to be done by the first of Advent because it needed enough time to rest to develop the flavor. I'm still annoyed that I threw the recipe away when I moved to England. I thought that I will never do this special Christmas cake because it was so much hard work, all the kneading. I regret it now and was searching online for the recipe but couldn't find it. 

What I now always do at this time of year is a wreath for the front door. I use all the bushes in the garden to weave a crude form of a circle and decorate it with what is at hand. Most of the time I raid the bay tree because it grows so strongly in the garden and is quite difficult to keep under control at the best of times. There is always a lovely smell coming off the branches even though I do not like bay leaves in cooking. 

The bay tree does not play a big role in Homoeopathy even though there is a Homoeopathic remedy made out of it called Laurus nobilis. 

Nevertheless, bay leaves play a big role in herbal medicine where they have been used for centuries as an aid for digestion (hence the leaves in the cooking pot) but also to treat bronchitis and influenza. The leaves also play a role in treating headaches and migraines in herbal medicine and seem to help the body to process insulin more efficiently so help with high blood sugar levels. They are also believed to reduce the bad effects of stomach ulcers.  On top of that they might keep moths away. Please do not self medicate but rather seek professional help, unless you want to try the bay leaves for keeping the moths away from your woolens. Give me a ring on 07813 195468 and we can talk your health worries through.