You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
soaring upward from the road. I looked up to see bunches of shiny, thickribbed<br />
leaves almost four feet long, growing on a rocky incline and being<br />
held in place by a large ball of stringy roots. “That one?” I asked, yelling<br />
over my shoulder.<br />
“Yes, yes, that’s Xiv Yak Tun Ich, Pheasant Tail. Very good medicine for<br />
rheumatism,” he shouted.<br />
I returned <strong>with</strong> my sack spilling over, prompting him to tie it up <strong>with</strong> a<br />
strip of green, flexible vine he dug out of his pocket. Without a word, he<br />
handed me another sack, empty and beckoning for more leaves. I bit my lip<br />
and fought back the tears, determined to keep my promise that I would<br />
work hard if he agreed to teach me. Since he was keeping his part of the<br />
bargain, I wasn’t going to wimp out now.<br />
“Here is a blessed tree,” he buzzed on, oblivious to my struggle to forge<br />
ahead. “Eremuil, Wild Coffee, is its name, and it must always be included<br />
in every mixture of nine leaves for the herbal baths. We call it Che Che Xiv<br />
or chief herb because it is so wonderful. Remember it well. You collect that<br />
bush and I will work on this one next to it.”<br />
I reached out to pull leaves off the branches, maneuvering to keep my<br />
loads balanced, when he reminded me, “You have not remembered to say<br />
the prayer of thanks to the Spirit of the plant. The Spirit of the plant will<br />
follow you home to strengthen your healing, but only if you remember to<br />
give thanks. Otherwise, it will stay in the earth and your medicine will not<br />
have power. Listen and learn, child.”<br />
It was well past noon, and my water bottle and stomach were empty, but<br />
I kept my complaints to myself.<br />
“Ah, this darling little plant is Cancer Herb. We will put that into the<br />
formula for today. As a powder it is good for diabetic sores and boils. This<br />
little one <strong>with</strong> the fat flower is the female and growing right next to it is its<br />
lover, the male. You see how tall and thin the male flower is?”<br />
I didn’t see the difference at all. When I bent down to pick the leaves,<br />
my back load shifted and fell right over my head to the ground. When I<br />
reached out to pick it up, the vines around my neck caught in my hands, and<br />
soon I was a hopeless tangle of vegetation. Don Elijio gave me a<br />
sympathetic look but made no attempt to assist me, only looking overhead<br />
at the mounting sun and admonishing me for holding him back so much this<br />
morning.
Change language