Remedy for Fever
In one of our weekly conversations, a couple years ago, my herbalist shared a recipe for fever with me. I did not think that I would need it, so I listened to it half-heartedly.
A few days later, I ran a fever. I could not move. My entire body was limp. I stayed in bed. Amidst my misery, I suddenly thought of my herbalist’s remedy.
I did not have the energy to climb upstairs to the kitchen. But somehow I managed to get there.
I found a piece of ginger. Crushed it without peeling. Then added it into the water that I had just boiled and poured into a flask.
I took my beloved bottle of fleur de sel, the flask, and a bowl downstairs to my bedroom. I gave the ginger enough time to express itself in the water. Then I poured the water out into my bowl (half the time I drink from a bowl, not a cup).
I swirled it. I smelled it. I sipped it.
The vapor was very invigorating, for someone who could not carry her body around. The taste of ginger was brave and fiery, like a warrior with his sword held high, ready to fight for his life.
I started to pour some salt into the bowl. Then swirled it a bit for the salt to penetrate and mingle into the ginger water. Then tasted it again.
A different character. The warrior was not as fiery. A bit gentler. Like a strong gentleman holding a sword high in the air, not to go to the battle, but to pose in front of a camera for a commercial ad.
I added a little more salt. I was careful not to let the salt over-power the ginger, because intuitively, I know that the ginger was the one curing the fever, while the salt held it such that its effect is gentler on the body.
This time, a different character came out. There was no more warrior. But there was an enthusiastic young man, full of vigor, not holding a sword, but spreading his arms wide open waiting to hug me. A warm and firm hug.
The proportion of unpeeled ginger and salt was balanced. The ginger was pushing my energy up, such that the cloud that was previously bogging me down was lifted, and my lethargy immediately disappeared. The salt was to control the ginger, like wife controlling an explosive husband, such that the body doesn’t have to come up with its own energy to control the excessively masculine energy.
The following weekly visit, I told the herbalist about how I balanced the salt and ginger. He said no. “You balance the salt and ginger on the chopping board, before you put them into the boiling water.” His measuring method was entirely by taste, which also works. He would taste the combination of ginger and salt, to determine what proportion was balanced.
My method was to sense the energy, the impression, the character of the water with the crushed ginger in it first.
We have five sense organs, to perceive the outside world. Taste being one of the five. Our body is also designed to sense other things, such as energy and consciousness. You can use whichever sense perception that is your strongest, to measure.
A note on ginger: my acupuncturist said not to eat ginger in winter, only in summer. This is for people who live in places with a distinctive winter season. So if you use this remedy in winter, use it sparingly. Also, in general, ginger is better for the body during the morning than evening.
