So, I wrote this in July, but am just now getting back to computer stuff in front of the woodstove.  …here goes:

We have turned “cabbage” into a verb in our family.  “To cabbage” means to put the outer leaves of a head of green cabbage on a part of the body that is sore, swollen or sprained.  I have used the leaves to help with a pulled tendon, a hurt knee, a swollen ankle and painful breast cysts.  In each case, I have seen it help reduce the swelling and help heal.

I was first introduced to cabbage as a healing food (externally!) when I was starting to breastfeed my first child.  The visiting nurse suggested I use it to help with swelling (when the milk first comes in it can be painful) and it was successful.  Since then, I have heard that raw cabbage juiced helps with stomach ulcers and external ulcers as well.  (I’ve only used it for swelling, but have heard of success stories with ulcers of both kinds).

As with any “alternative” (or traditional, really) approach, every body is different, so you need to try something and see if it works for you.  What I do love about cabbage is that it reminds us that our grocery stores, local farms and gardens can provide us with more healing approaches if we only knew about them!  Sometimes healing can be simpler than we realize — “real food” externally!  So, next time you’re icing a sore part of your body or wrapping it with an ace bandage, you could consider putting a large leaf of fresh cabbage around it first and then wrapping.  See what happens…..