Wellness Wednesdays: How to Make a Red Raspberry Leaf Infusion

Red Raspberry Leaf Tea is a wonderful tonic for women during pregnancy and afterwards. I drink it religiously during the first day or two of my period. It's a life-saver with cramps.

A few years back, when I was subbing at my local Baltimore City school, one of the teacher assistants was having awful cramps. I lived half a mile away, so during my lunch break I went home and brewed up Red Raspberry Tea. She drank it and later asked me what was in it, her pain stopped so quickly.

Infusions are different than brewing up a cup of tea. The magic number is 7. If you are using tea bags, the ratio should be 7 teabags to 1 cup of water.

If I don't grow the herb, I usually buy it from Mountain Rose Herbs. They come in plastic bags, so I generally store them in mason jars or other glass jars.

How to Make an Infusion with Leaves....

1. Take two handfuls of cut-up leaves or three handfuls of whole leaves.
2. Put in glass quart jar.
3. Fill to top with boiling water.
4. Put lid on.
5. Steep for four hours.

I reuse the leaves 2-3 times by just filling up the jar again with boiling water.


According to Susun Weed (herbalist extraordinaire and writer of the book Herbal for the Childbearing Year )....

Rubus is the best known, most widely used, and safest of all uterine/pregnancy tonic herbs. It contains fragine, an alkaloid which gives tone to the muscles of the pelvic region, including the uterus itself. Most of the benefits ascribed to regular use of Raspberry leaf tea throughout the pregnancy can be traced to the strengthening power of fragine or to the nourishing power of the vitamins and minerals found in this plant.

She lists the following; vitamin C, vitamin E, calcium, iron, vitamin A and B complex, phosphorous and potassium. That sounds like an awful lot of goodness, doesn't it?


**** A Reminder, please check with your Doc and get the okay, okay? ******

Wellness Wednesdays: The Chinquapin Recreation Center

My family arrived at a very quiet Chinquapin Recreation Center; it was 7:45 pm and only the pool was moderately busy. There were a few people in the work-out room but we got the famous soft playroom ALL to ourselves (well, famous in certain, limited circles). It worked out perfectly for our family.

Papa Bear hit the gym, while the baby slept in her carrier for 15 minutes and then I introduced her to the playroom. I only wish I had brought my camera.

Ever since she was a few weeks old, Lina has shown her excitement by doing this funny lip/chin quiver. She did it several times a day when she was brand new to this world. The last time she did it was two months ago (when she got up close and personal with a cow). Yesterday, she did it at least seven times in less than ten minutes. I think she likes the soft playroom.

Lina and I played in the ball-pit, climbed over a wide array of stuffed shapes and stared at each other in mirrors for 35 minutes until Papa Bear finished his work-out. I went off for a short swim while they continued to play.

We met back at the entrance after a 1/2 hour and left one very happy family. Both adults got to work-out briefly while the baby burned off some of her energy. Next time we'll see if we can add some baby swimming time to the mix. I can't wait!



PROS: reasonably priced ($6 per resident, $4 per child's visit to soft playroom), decent pool, large sauna in women's locker room (didn't get a peak at the men's sauna), racquetball courts, not crowded and an AMAZING soft playroom for babies and toddlers

CONS: limited equipment in gym, small area for kids in pool, only 4 showers in women's locker room (means long wait after a class has let out)

What does a "Former Black Panther" and a Nurse from the "Bataan Death March" have in Common?

Both of them used sliced onions and sugar to make cough syrup.

I was talking to my mother last week about my Failed Experiment and she suggested next time I make some onion syrup. She said Lou told her about it years and years ago.

Lou was a friend of my mother's from back in her Marchin' and Protestin' Days. I'm not sure if they met at "Resurrection City" or if it was later. Lou would leave his house in Anacostia and come to our farm for some fresh air several times a year. Sometimes, Lou's son (who lived with his mother on a Lesbian Commune) would also join us. He took his daughter to her first March when she was 6 weeks-old and introduced my family to Pow-Wow Dancing. Lou had a painting of  Che Guevara in his hallway, a porch swing in his living room and mirrors in his bedroom. He went down to Mexico in the mid-1990's and worked with the Zapatista Army of National Liberation. Growing up, I was in awe of Lou.

So, when my Mama told me about Lou making onion cough syrup, I smiled. She also mentioned that she had recently read about nurses using the same method during the Bataan Death March. She had a cough, so she made a batch. Super-duper easy...

To make the syrup....

1. Slice the onions in very, very thin slices.

2. Cover with sugar.

3. Wait 24 hours for the sugar to meld with the juice from the onion.

4. Refrigerate and use within two weeks.

I tasted it and it was decent. I think a young kid might even swallow it. I haven't decided, yet, if I'm going to give it to Lina next time she has a cough. I don't know about the sugar. But I have a feeling, if it's really bad and I have nothing else, you will find me slicing up some onions.

****Just a Reminder, I'm not a MD, so please check with your Doctor before taking this syrup. Thank you.

Wellness Wednesdays: Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE)

I feel that books find you. Frequently, I have been given a book or owned one and never read it. Then suddenly one day, my gaze falls upon the book and I know it's time to read it. And then the previously ignored book blows my mind.

Two years ago, this book jumped out at me when I hanging out at Breathe Books after an acupuncture session at Metta Wellness Center. I took it home, read it and started doing the exercises. It made absolute sense to me.

The idea behind the book is when one experiences stress or trauma, one's body creates a record of the event. Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE) provoke your body's natural desire to shake after experiencing stress and release the tension felt within your muscles. Dr. Berceli designed these exercises after having worked for years with refugees and now spends his life traveling abroad to teach organizations how to assist people in recovering from trauma.

Not all of us have experienced trauma but we all deal with stress and anxiety on a daily basis. TRE helps create a sense of calmness and relaxation. Who could argue with a little more calmness in their lives?

I still remember a few of the exercises and try to do them when I'm feeling stressed or upset. But, I think it's time for me to buy the video and re-incorporate all these exercises back into my life. I can't wait to see how I feel once TRE becomes part of my routine again!