Who is Baba Yaga? She is the Goddess, she is the Witch, she is the Wise Woman, she is the Crone, she is aged Artemis.
Baba is Grandmother. In Tibet, fierce demons are Yagas. So she is the Grandmother Demon, Grandmother Dragon, the fearsome, the fierce.
Baba Yaga is the subject of many Russian folk tales or fairy tales. She is very very old.
How do we know? We are told her nose curves down and her chin curves up and they nearly meet. Since the cartilage in our noses, chins and ears continues to grow throughout our lives, only someone a hundred or more would have such a remarkable face. Her fingernails, it is said, are as thick and ridged as roof tiles. My, what a mineral-rich diet she must have! And they are stained brown. Any herbalists here who have noticed such a staining on their hands after a summer of harvesting? I have. In one of the first profiles of me ever published, the interviewer remarks on my brown-stained fingernails.
Baba Yaga lives in a house that nearly defies description, yet any herbalist would feel right at home there, overlooking perhaps that the latches on the cupboards, windows, and doors are human fingers, and that the door knocker is a toothed snout, and that the fence is made of bones and skulls. But that all pales when we step back and see that the whole house stands atop scaly yellow chicken legs. It moves about at its own whim, whirling like an ecstatic dancer around and around in a trance. Baba Yaga is Whirlwind Woman, Woman with Drum of the deep north, Shaman Woman, Deep-Dreaming Woman.
Baba Yaga is the keeper of the eternal fire, the spark of divine consciousness that informs the best of every profession, that lives in the best healers and the most intuitive herbalists. Baba Yaga, like all muses, like all guardians, like treasure-bestriding dragons everywhere, is not averse to sharing but she is demanding.
You must give to her, must do her bidding, before she will do yours and give to you.
With wrinkles enough to hide the world's secrets and a store of tales enough to fast talk my way out of any situation, I am surely the most fearsome thing ever seen, ever imagined: A powerful old woman at home with herself. I am Baba Yaga, and this is one of the stories in my basket.
BABA YAGA'S STORY OF SASSAFRAS
by way, I believe, of Doug Eliott
Old woman and old man lived together and each did their chores and they were happy. One cold winter evening, coming in from tending the animals, old man ventured: "Old woman, when I'm out on such a cold night my feet stay warm because you knit me such fine warm socks. I wouldn't want you to think I was complaining, but my hands are cold. Do you think you could knit me some socks for my hands?
Old woman thought for a while, a short while, then she smiled and said: "Old man, I would love to knit some socks for your hands. And she took out her yarn, and she took out her needles, and click clack click clack, she knit socks for old man's hands.
Old man was very happy and his hands were warm. Still, one evening, coming in from tending the animals, old man ventured: "Old woman. I sure am happy. My hands are warm now, as warm as my feet in those fine socks you knit me. But I have to take those hand socks off to do some of the chores, times when I need to use my thumbs, and then my hands are cold. Do you think you could knit me some socks for my hands that had thumbs?
Old woman thought for a while; she thought for a good long while; she thought all that night and all the next day and well into the next night and all through the whole next day too. Late that evening, before the warming fire, after all the chores were done, she smiled and said: "Old man, I would love to knit some socks with thumbs and trigger fingers for your hands."
And she took out her yarn, and she took out her needles, and click clack click clack, she knit new socks - with thumbs - and trigger fingers - for old man. Then she took the old hand socks, the one with a thumb on the left and the one with the thumb on the right, and she tossed them out back, by the edge of the woods.
Neither old woman nor old man was happy with the new hand socks. The trigger fingers weren't next to the thumb, but across from it. They looked at each other and smiled.
Old man went out to do the chores with strange socks on his hands and old woman, she hardly had to think at all, this time. She took out her yarn, and she took out her needles, and click clack click clack, she knit socks with five thumbs for old man's hands.
It took some time, but when she was done with the last one, she gave them to old man with a grin. Then she took the hand socks with a thumb on each side and she tossed them out back, by the edge of the woods. And old man was very, very happy.
In the spring, out back, by the edge of the woods, a tree grew, with hand socks for leaves and the sweet smell of love lived long by two old folks. We call it sassafras.
Susun Weed
PO Box 64
Woodstock, NY 12498
Fax: 1-845-246-8081
Visit Susun Weed at: The Wise Woman Center;and Ash Tree Publishing
Vibrant, passionate, and involved, Susun Weed has garnered an international reputation for her groundbreaking lectures, teachings, and writings on health and nutrition. She challenges conventional medical approaches with humor, insight, and her vast encyclopedic knowledge of herbal medicine. Unabashedly pro-woman, her animated and enthusiastic lectures are engaging and often profoundly provocative.
Susun is one of America's best-known authorities on herbal medicine and natural approaches to women's health. Her four best-selling books are recommended by expert herbalists and well-known physicians and are used and cherished by millions of women around the world.
Can Yeast Infections Be Prevented?
In my opinion, this is one of the world's most powerful, secret remedies for any illness! I strongly believe that if we all drank the amount of water our bodies need, we would see a great reduction in all types of sicknesses. Most doctors say that we should drink at least eight 8-oz. glasses of water daily, but many people need even more than that. I have found that simply drinking enough water greatly reduces my likelihood for getting a yeast infection. Because I am drinking more water, and subsequently urinating more frequently, my body is able to flush out the sugars that feed the yeast.
Avoid keeping your vagina wet for a long peroid of time and do not douche vagina with vinegar after menstrual periods or sexual intercourse as it may remove the healthy bacteria in the vagina.
You should also be careful when using any form of antifungal cream. There have been a number of cases in which these medications have shown little or no effect on yeast infections. This is because the yeast has grown a resistance to the medication. This occurs when the medication is overused, which is why it is important to only use this product when you have been positively diagnosed with yeast infection.
Most women would love to know if there was a natural yeast infection cure. If your yeast infection is not that serious, you can treat it naturally. There are a lot of ways and steps on how to prevent yeast infections from occurring.
You can buy yeast infection treatments over the counter (OTC) in drugstores without a prescription from the doctor. Some examples of common treatments are: Miconazole, Tioconazole, Butoconazole and Clotrimazole. Unfortunately, these treatments only treat the symptoms and should not be considered cures. These treatments can also be dangerous to use and most women develop a tolerance to them after extended use. The only way to cure yeast infections is to treat the root cause through natural means.
Candida treatments are most common among women, but millions of men every year seek candida treatments for their conditions. Candida is often the root cause of a host of health problems that cause many number of misdiagnosed men and women to seek diabetes treatments, depression treatments, anxiety treatments, even cellulite treatments. However, these are often only symptoms of a much larger, underlying issue. Yeast is literally a beast that slowly destroys the body masquerading as various diseases. About 80% of the American population has a yeast problem that they are unaware of. A candida treatment could save a lot of unnecessary treatments by simply cutting out the middleman and going directly to the source of the problem yeast infection.
You should be aware of the fact that there is another way of treating a Candida yeast infection through diet. This alternative Candida treatment works in a very simple manner. By eating the right foods you will create an environment hostile to the Candida yeast which will eventually cause its death.
Sarah Rhodes suffered from chronic yeast infections for many years before finally discovering a natural, permanent cure that works. Read about Sarah and the secret that permanently cured her yeast infections at: yeastinfectionsnomore.com
Treating Your Yeast Infection Naturally
A little known fact about vaginal yeast infections is that condoms can actually create them too. The use of condoms which have spermicide on them known as nonoxynol-9, has been proven in studies to be linked to increased yeast infections. Some women however, are simply allergic to latex, so using any type of latex condom can start a yeast infection for them.
Probiotics are those little bacteria numbering in the billions that help you live a good healthy life. They help to process food and enhance the absorption of B vitamins. You can end the chronic yeast infection that plagues you by simply starting a daily long term use of probiotics.
Candida Albicans is a destructive yeast infection that begins in the digestive system and little by little spreads to other parts of the body. Candida is present in all of us not long after birth. Typically, this yeast remain in a healthful balance with the other bacteria and yeasts within the intestinal tract. Under certain conditions, such as excessive stress, lowered immunity or the long-term use of steroids, the candida yeast can multiply, thus disrupting the gastrointestinal "terrain". Candida overgrowth may also be a consequence of antibiotic treatment, as antibiotics not only kill pathogens but also a large number of those bacteria that are part of a healthy gastrointestinal flora. With the depletion of the beneficial protective flora in the intestinal tract and a weakened immune response, this opportunistic yeast can then spread and multiply beyond the intestinal tract affecting every organ in the body.
Often referred to as Candida, there are two types of yeast infections. The first type is an Acute yeast infection. The symptoms come on quickly and are easy to diagnose. The symptoms are swelling and redness in the genital area, discharge, itching, burning with urination, and are often accompanied with a white coated tongue. If you have ever had this type of yeast infection, you know how miserable it can be. The second type of yeast infection is called a Chronic yeast infection. You may be treated many times for recurring yeast infections and think you are cured, when in reality, you are not. This kind of yeast infection can go on for years, being undiagnosed. If gone untreated long enough it can lead to more serious illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, and a myriad of other diseases, as the candida albicans invade and damage our healthy cells. This type of yeast infection can be much more difficult to diagnose and treat, as it is often overlooked by health professionals.
The common culprit here is Candida albicans. Yeast is present in everyone and lives in harmony along with many other microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract. However, when there's candida overgrowth, it may cause problems such as oral thrush (white coating under the tongue), bloating, indigestion, lethargy, rectal itching, yeast infection of the skin and frequent bladder infections.
Most women find that they prefer natural remedies to prevent and treat yeast infections. Do some research and decide which treatment is best for you. When you compare the treatments for yeast infections, you will be certain to find the one that best suits your needs, budget and lifestyle.
Over-the-counter medicated treatments cures the majority of yeast infections, however they can be only temporary treatments. The yeast infections may come back, even worse than before. Many people who use natural treatments report never having another yeast infection again. This is probably because the natural, holistic methods listen to the body and gets to the root of problem, while the creams temporarily kill candida in the vagina, which is always present in the body anyway.
Sarah Rhodes suffered from chronic yeast infections for many years before finally discovering a natural, permanent cure that works. Read about Sarah and the secret that permanently cured her yeast infections at: yeastinfectionsnomore.com
