Woohoo! This curation is lucky number 13! Thanks so much for everyone who was part of the Natural Medicine hum this week. With engagement down, it's good to see some of you still actively engaging with each other here in the Steemiverse and writing great content about healing, spirituality, herbs and all sorts of wisdoms that we aim to promote and celebrate. Do please keep interacting with each other so we can continue to help this community grow!

In case you were wondering how we chose posts to be featured in these curations, we favour:

• original articles
• a blend of personal stories and facts/research (either anecdotal or otherwise) to engage the reader
  good images or photos
• novel or interesting approaches to self care through natural remedies
• content that makes us go aaaaaaaaahhhhh

If you'd like help making your posts pop, please let us know - we're here to help you succeed!

Tong Sia 'Broken Stomach' & How to Fix a Tummy Bug - Fast!

here. For anyone who has EVER suffered a tummy bug in Asia, or anywhere for that matter, or fears doing so this is a COMPULSORY read!@artemislives was fast as lightening in Northern Thailand with her post in response to the @naturalmedicine challenge this week, which asks us to explore a 'local' natural medicine. You can find the challenge link

She writes:

Food poisoning, gastro, tummy bug or even stomach flu. Call it what you will. Me? I like, and mostly use, the Thai name "Tong Sia ท้องเสีย" - it literally means 'broken stomach' and covers most of the rapid onset, devastating stomach-gastrointestinal "bugs" involving griping abdominal pain, out of control watery diarrhea, vomiting and (sometimes) fever. It can evolve very rapidly and dramatically, and still causes death amongst children and old people here in Thailand. We seem to do 'broken stomach' at Olympic levels here in Asia, so my personal natural treatment protocol has evolved, been refined and tested rather often during my 16 years here in Thailand.

Bitter Gourd and it's Medicinal Qualities

post details bitter gourd, and she writes:@immarojas was also quick with her entry to the challenge, and we suspect she might have one or two more 'local' medicines under her beautiful sleeve. Her

The kids hate it for its' bitter taste, but for most Ilocano adults, the bitter the taste is, it's much better! Otherwise, it's bland, both the fruits and the leaves, yes, the leaves are edible too. Just steam, then add anchovies. It's bitterly perfect as a vegetable accompaniment to grilled meat or fish, or add to a chicken brew. If you're brave, replace your rockets with it in your salad. The fruit is versatile in a way that it is very useful in many dishes, steamed or sauteed or can be grilled on its' own. I heard that in China, the fruit can be sliced thinly and eaten as a salad. Errr i've never tried that even if i like it bitter! Anything goes depending on ones' culture in preparation. Once you're used to it, the taste is like any normal food under the sun.

@immarojas writes that Just like many green leafy vegetables, bitter gourds are rich in iron necessary for our hemoglobin function.

Sexuality from a Taoist Perspective

this postWe've featured @metametheus before in these curations, and he often appears weekly, but that's for a damn good reason. He always has wonderful wisdoms from a Chinese medicine perspective, and is uber enthusiastic about the histories that inform them. In , a response to @freedomtribe's #freedomfriday as inspired by @eaglespirit, he writes of freedom of sexuality in an informative and interesting response that we highly recommend everyone read. He writes:

Returning briefly to the notion of sex being beneficial to health and longevity, this understanding is supported in the theoretical framework of Chinese Medicine. When sexual energy is suppressed, it creates a state of stagnation of Qì flow through the network of channels and meridians. When Qì doesn't flow, none of the organs and tissues are nourished properly and cease to function as efficiently as they should.
This stagnation also affects our emotions: frustration, irritability, anger, jealousy, paranoia, excessive rumination, and so on. It is my hypothesis that the repression of an individual's sexual expression (whatever that may be) creates Qì stagnation, and can cause physiological health problems as well as creating limiting emotional states. As well as preventing these states, sexual activity and a free expression of one's sexuality can help treat certain health disorders.

Mulled Apple Cider for the Immune System & Winter Chills

https://steemit.com/naturalmedicine/@crescendoofpeace/our-first-real-cold-snap-haiku-on-four-seasons-the-coming-of-winter-and-staving-off-colds-and-flu great reflections on such a warming drink. She writes:Whilst it's warming up in Australia, in the northern hemisphere it's cooling down - and what a time for a brew of mulled apple cider with healing spices. We love @crescendoofpeace's recipe and her

I don't remember how old I was when I was first introduced to the joys of mulled wine, but I was in my teens, and having read about it in an historical novel, I wanted to try it. My mom, having long believed that trying the food and drink of different cultures added to educational experience, promptly showed me how to make it, and an addict was born.

She then goes on to detail some of the spices she puts in her own mulled concoction with cider. See, that's what we love folks - an anecdote or two, a splash of medicinal wisdom, and something that makes us go aaaaaahhhh - gimme some of that mulled wine goodness!

Oh, and she gives us a haiku!

Our first real cold snap

brings the necessity of

mulled apple cider

Cannabis as Super Healing Food, and Preserved Garlic in Honey

post in the wake of cannabis officially being made legal in Canada. She writes:@walkerland, in this

Topical creams can heal various aliments and alleviate pain. The leaves can be eaten in salads or juiced as a super food, far more nutritious than kale or other greens. Even the seeds and the roots can be dried and used! This is a truly amazing plant. I have witnessed the beneficial impacts cannabis has on people suffering with severe illnesses: specifically Multiple Sclerosis and debilitating arthritic pain. When you watch someone who is suffering, breathe a sigh of relief because their suffering is lessened, it really opens your eyes to the power of plants.

Her second post looks delicious as well as nutritious! Honey and garlic! Who woulda thunkit? Check out her post here - looks amazzzing!

Anxiety Remedies that Work: Kava Kava

hereWe highly recommend that you check out @friendly-fenix's series on natural anxiety cures . He has provided a lot of knowledge about herbal remedies for anxiety, many of which we at @naturalmedicine have tried ourselves and found to be effective. This week is kava kava, and he writes:

I have used Kava Kava both for anxiety and for relaxation. And I can attest to its effect, I would say this is one of the best natural and legal anxiety remedies you can obtain. I think it's a great alternative to alcohol for a relaxing evening with friends or family.The root often comes as a powder and there are many different qualities and just like wine, there are qualities grown in certain regions that are considered superior or "nobel".

We also really liked @pinkspectre's post about why you should fill your home with plants, @cahlen's post about cleaning water with chlorine dioxide, @porters beautiful teas and wilted kale salad suitable for IBS and other digestive issues, @sherylneil's rose water, @carolina17's benefits of aromatherapy, including many others worth a quick read over a ginger tea, mulled cider or turmeric latte!

But wait, there's more!!

hereCheck out @eco-alex's medicinal cooking challenge - by joining in on the challenge, you increase the likelihood of being notice by awesome @ecotrain folk, who will quite likely upvote you and love you to bits, as well as increasing knowledge about cures, diets or helpful information about various ailments and diseases. Week 5 might be nearly over, but there's always Week 6!

here. We ask that you explore:And, of course, @naturalmedicine's challenge on 'local' medicines - you can find the post

It might be something you grow on your back doorstep. It might be a plant indigenous to the area. It might be something you've heard local people use, but you've never explored it before. It might be something you wild craft, or grow yourself. Consider especially the intersection between plant and culture - is this medicine steeped in local lore, have a history of any kind? However we're not limiting this to medicinal plants. Think about traditional massages from Lombok to Northern Thailand. Think about ayurveda in India, mate in Brazil, quandong in Australia. Where do you live, and what medicines form part of the fabric of the people and culture there? Is it a vitality giving food, something used in particular ceremonies, or a balm of sorts? The key is to make it local as possible. We will absolutely upvote your posts and resteem the cream of the local crop. We're excited to hear what you have to share with us - collectively, our wisdoms form an important bank of information that some of us might need one day! In a world that's getting increasingly globalised, keeping these kinds of knowledge alive becomes really important.

Well, in the words of Bugs Bunny, that's all folks! See you again next week! We hope you loved these posts as much as we did!

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